Book Review- Let It Snow by Maureen Johnson, John Green, and Lauren Myracle

Let It Snow by Maureen Johnson, John Green, and Lauren Myracle
Sparkling white snowdrifts, beautiful presents wrapped in ribbons, and multicolored lights glittering in the night through the falling snow. A Christmas Eve snowstorm transforms one small town into a romantic haven, the kind you see only in movies. Well, kinda. After all, a cold and wet hike from a stranded train through the middle of nowhere would not normally end with a delicious kiss from a charming stranger. And no one would think that a trip to the Waffle House through four feet of snow would lead to love with an old friend. Or that the way back to true love begins with a painfully early morning shift at Starbucks.

I loved this book- it was so cute!! As I did with the Breaking Up is Hard to Do anthology, I'll take each story on its own. First off, Maureen Johnson's story "The Jubilee Express" serves up what readers have come to expect from her- fantastically hilarious prose and great, relateable characters. I actually even read a beginning of a chapter to my roommate because she wanted to know what I was laughing so hard over. Her story sets up the whole overall scene, and then we move into John Green's "Cheertastic Christmas Miracle". Now, I have yet to read anything by him, despite owning two of his three books (the two most recent ones), so this is my first introduction to Green's prose. While I wasn't thoroughly wowed by his prose here, it still intrigued me enough to want to read more of him. His story is the shortest of the three, so even if you aren't impressed by it, the story flies by quickly enough anyway. I particularly enjoyed the action-ish scene near the end- who knew, action in a romance story? Then we swiftly go into Lauren Myracle's story "The Patron Saint of Pigs" which has got to be one of the best titles ever. Hers is the longest story, and deals with losing and rekindling love rather than finding it, which was a nice change of pace. It also deals with teacup pigs, which just from the description in the book, sound absolutely adorable. Myracle's style is really funny but also really heartfelt when it needs to be. I enjoyed reading about Addie and her relationship with Jeb- all the good times they had, and also when things started to go downhill. It was so compelling to read. What I also enjoyed about the book overall was the overlap between stories when it came to the characters and situations. In a way, it was sort of like reading a short story collection by one author rather than by three. I think it would be cool to read more YA short story collections like this one with interlocking stories. Highly recommended!



Let It Snow is available in stores everywhere now, or can be ordered via Amazon here.

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Book Review- Dear Julia by Amy Bronwen Zemser

Dear Julia by Amy Bronwen Zemser

Elaine Hamilton has never wanted to be the center of attention. She'd like nothing more than to cook quietly in her kitchen, mastering French cooking with the recipes of the great Julia Child. So how did she end up with cameras zooming in on her and a crowd cheering her on? Well, it involves . . . an eccentric best friend named after a font, five lively brothers constantly asking, "What's for dinner?", a rotten fig and a weakness, a feminist congresswoman mother, a yoga-practicing father, a chest full of unsent letters, and many, many roast ducks. Delicious. Just delicious.

10:59 PM - 2 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

Book Review- How to Ditch Your Fairy by Justine Larbalestier

How to Ditch Your Fairy by Justine Larbalestier
Welcome to New Avalon, where everyone has a personal fairy. Though invisible to the naked eye, a personal fairy, like a specialized good luck charm, is vital to success. And in the case of the students at New Avalon Sports High, it might just determine whether you make the team, pass a class, or find that perfect outfit. But for 14-year-old Charlie, having a Parking Fairy is worse than having nothing at all—especially when the school bully carts her around like his own personal parking pass. Enter: The Plan. At first, teaming up with arch-enemy Fiorenze (who has an All-The-Boys-Like-You Fairy) seems like a great idea. But when Charlie unexpectedly gets her heart's desire, it isn't at all what she thought it would be like, and she'll have resort to extraordinary measures to ditch her fairy. The question is: will Charlie herself survive the fairy ditching experiment?


In the past few months, I have heard so many good things about this book on various blogs and I wanted the book for myself. Luckily, The Book Muncher kindly gave me her copy of it since she wanted to give away some of her books to make space for other ones, so thanks BM! :) Now, on to the review, since I'd heard all these good things, my expectations were fairly high and unfortunately, the book fell a bit short. One of the things I kept hearing was that the book was absolutely hilarious; now, the book was funny, but I was expecting it to be much funnier than it actually was, like a laugh a page or something and in a similar vein to the style of Meg Cabot and Louise Rennison. Another point was how unputdownable it was supposed to be; it took me a while to get through this book as you can tell by the fact that it's been a week since I last posted and I found no trouble being able to put it down. Now, the story itself, the characterization and the writing style are decent enough, and it's hardly a horrible book by any means, but I was a bit thrown by how much praise it was getting. It just wasn't what I had expected after reading all the other positive reviews it had received. So it's really more of a neutral-leaning-slightly-toward-the-positive position that I have in regards to this book.


How to Ditch Your Fairy is available in bookstores everywhere or can be ordered via Amazon at a cheaper price here.

12:09 AM - 8 Comments - 10 Kudos - Add Comment

I <3 Your Blog + Poison Ink by Christopher Golden review

Kristi of The Story Siren nominated me in this blog award that's making its way through the blogosphere! I'm so glad Kristi nominated me; as I noted in the comments on that blog entry, it made my day and was so sweet. I love Kristi's blog and have for a while. She's a treat to talk to whenever we message each other, and the work she does is simply phenomenal. It's a pleasure to visit her site. So here are the instructions for the award, followed by my nominations.

This award is meant to be shared and passed along, the rules:

1) Add the logo of the award to your blog. (Myspace doesn't like this image link for some reason, so I can't actually post it.)

2) Add a link to the person who awarded it to you.

3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs.

4) Add links to those blogs on your blog.

5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blog!

This is in no particular order.

1) The Book Muncher- Absolutely love this blog, and she does reviews all over the place. The amount of reading (or, rather, book munching) she does is astounding. She's also a great person to talk to, and is full of great ideas.

2) Teen Book Review- What kind of list would this be if I didn't mention Jocelyn of Teen Book Review? Her site's been around for a long time and she's like the mother of all YA book bloggers, due to her longevity and helpfulness to other bloggers. She has a variety of posts, and provides some great commentary on the books she reviews.

3) The Compulsive Reader- TCR has been such a big help to me since starting my site. We've done some book swapping (btw, I TOTALLY promise to get The Explosionist back to you sometime soon!) and given each other advice. Her posts are great, and I love the features on her blog, especially the ones from this month with the book Impossible by Nancy Werlin.

4) Harmony Book Reviews- While she doesn't post as much as other bloggers, she has some great posts when she does, and she's a great friend who I chat with regularly on AIM.

5) Reviewer X- Though she's still fairly new to the blogging world, she has made her mark very quickly with some innovative ideas, brutally honest reviews, and some interesting discussions between readers, bloggers and authors. We've helped each other out and chatted on GMail and had some good times. She's a fantastic blogger and a good friend.

6) YA New York- Also a fairly new blog, but making some big strides with a new interviewing format and some great reviews, among other things. Like pretty much everyone else on this list, she rocks and is such a joy to talk to and I hope that we can talk even more in the future.

7) The Chick Manifesto- Another new blog, run by Taren and Amee (formerly Ravenous Reader) all about books and movies they loved as girls and also reviews of new books. Although I just noticed that I am not on their list of favorites, which I am a bit shocked at since I know both of them pretty well. Hopefully now that I've mentioned it, they will see the error of their ways and correct it as quickly as possible.

8) Little Willow/Bildungsroman- OK, I know I was supposed to stop at 7, but I can't have a list of favorite blogs and not include LW! Like Jocelyn, she's been around a long time and is such a goddess of children's literature that I honestly do not know how she does all that she does (school, reading/reviewing, and theatre, among MANY other things). She is practically a legend, and is someone I look up to. She's also extremely sweet, and is such a fun collaborator when we do co-posts on GuysLitWire (we've got one coming up later this week- yay!)

Whew! There's so many other blogs I check out, and I wish I could list them off, but this post is long enough and I still have a review to do!!

Poison Ink by Christopher Golden
Sammi, TQ, Caryn, Letty, and Katsuko are floaters. None of them fits in with any particular group at Covington High School—except each other. One night, to cement their bond, the girls decide to get matching, unique tattoos. But when Sammi backs out at the last minute, everything changes. Faster than you can say "airbrush," Sammi is an outcast, and soon, her friends are behaving like total strangers. When they attack Sammi for trying to break up a brawl, Sammi spies something horrible on her friends' backs: the original tattoo has grown tendrils, snaking and curling over the girls' entire bodies. What has that creepy tattoo artist done to her friends? And what—if anything—can Sammi do to get them back?

I was told that I absolutely must read this book by Little Willow once she knew that I had gotten this book from Random House. When I first started out, I was beginning to wonder just what exactly LW saw in Golden's prose. The book in the beginning was not terribly compelling, but about halfway through the book is where it got to be a page-turner, and that ending more than made up for the almost lackluster start. I was seriously on the edge of my seat during the entire second half and couldn't stop reading until I got to the end. The variety of characters in this book is also worth mentioning; Golden takes these five friends and makes them completely different and easily distinguishable from each other, hopefully giving each reader at least one of them to relate to. But these aren't the only ones- many of the other characters are also fully fleshed out. A really good read, and not too expensive as it's a paperback original.


Poison Ink is available in bookstores everywhere, or can be purchased on Amazon here.

12:36 AM - 8 Comments - 8 Kudos - Add Comment

Book Reviews- Out of the Pocket and Must Love Black + Kelly McClymer QnA!

Out of the Pocket by Bill Konigsberg
Star quarterback Bobby Framingham, one of the most talented high school football players in California, knows he's different from his teammates. They're like brothers, but they don't know one essential thing: Bobby is gay. Can he still be one of the guys and be honest about who he is? When he's outed against his will by a student reporter, Bobby must find a way to earn back his teammates' trust and accept that his path to success might be more public, and more difficult, than he'd hoped.

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. I figured I would like it because of the gay storyline, but was a bit apprehensive at the sports angle since I'm not exactly a sports buff. Even with the sports angle though, it was still an easy-to-understand and fun read. Bobby is a very believable character, and his road to acceptance is not an easy one- it requires time and patience from his parents, his peers and football mates, and his friends. It's very hard to put this book down, and I breezed through it because I wanted to know what would happen next. A highly recommended read, especially for guys who enjoy sports. The homosexual PDA is very low in this book, if that sort of thing makes you uncomfortable, since this book is more about Bobby accepting himself than already being out and trying to find love.


Must Love Black by Kelly McClymer
NANNY FOR 10-YR-OLD TWINS. MAINE COAST. OWN ROOM & GENEROUS SALARY. MUST LOVE BLACK. Must love black? Sounds like a coffee-loving, seclusion-seeking goth girl's dream job. Philippa isn't fazed by the fog-enshrouded mansion on a cliff, the weirdest twins on the planet, or even the rumors about ghosts, 'cause when she meets the estate's hot gardener, Philippa's pretty sure she's found her dream boy, too. Too bad Geoff's already taken by a girl whose wardrobe is head-to-toe pink. Still, Philippa can't get Geoff out of her head. What will it take to lure him to the dark side?

I enjoyed this book, but the summary (the one on the book, not necessarily the one from Amazon) seems to suggest, to me at least, something way more paranormal than what was given. So in that aspect, I was disappointed. I also felt like the ending was rushed. Not much really happened throughout the book, and then in the last 10 pages, there's this huge suspenseful scene which is fairly quickly wrapped up and then the book is over. That said, it is still a pretty good book and the characters, especially Philippa, the twins and Geoff, are very unique and fun to read about. The pros, to me, outweigh the cons, and it's not a terribly expensive book, plus it includes an excerpt from Kelly's YA book Salem Witch Tryouts, which is always fun.

Book QnA
1) How did you get the idea for Must Love Black?

I got the idea for Must Love Black because I've always wondered what a goth-ish girl would do if she were thrust into the classic gothic situation -- isolated house, odd children, sense of mystery. On a trip to the coast of Maine, I saw the perfect house, and started writing.

2) At the beginning of each chapter, you have quotes from the book that Philippa's mom wrote. How did you get the idea to do this?

I put in the quotes from Philippa's mother's gothic book because I wanted a connection between the old sense of gothic and the new (more urban fantasy or magical realism). It seemed natural that Philippa would cherish the book and use it almost as a guide to life, since she lost her mother at a young age.

3) What are you working on right now? Can you tell us anything about it?

I don't like to talk too much about works in progress. At the moment, I have a complete manuscript making the rounds that is dark and different and a middle grade series proposal that is the complete opposite -- fun and bubbly with a big mystery to solve. I'm also working on an urban fantasy trilogy idea that popped into my head and won't leave me alone. And two screenplays (one for a class, and one because a friend and I decided we were the only ones who 'get' female superheroes). The screenplays are for fun and creative exercise, and have taught me a lot about my writing strengths and weaknesses.

4) Courtesy of Class of 2k8 member Marissa Doyle, what is your favorite jelly bean flavor?

Jelly Belly green apple, no question.

5) What book(s) are you reading right now, or are about to start soon?

I just finished Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series (The Lightning Thief, etc.). Loved it. I have Diana Peterfreund's Rites of Spring Break and Bred Meltzer's Book of Lies on my bedside table, waiting for me. Those are for fun. Research is a complete re-read of Orwell's work (brilliant man) and Grimm's Fairy Tales.


Both books are available in bookstores everywhere, or can be found on Amazon: Out of the Pocket and  Must Love Black.

12:10 AM - 8 Comments - 10 Kudos - Add Comment

Book Reviews + QnAs- Skinned, Class Favorite and Total Knockout

Skinned by Robin Wasserman

Lia Kahn was perfect: rich, beautiful, popular -- until the accident that nearly killed her. Now she has been downloaded into a new body that only looks human. Lia will never feel pain again, she will never age, and she can't ever truly die. But she is also rejected by her friends, betrayed by her boyfriend, and alienated from her old life. Forced to the fringes of society, Lia joins others like her. But they are looked at as freaks. They are hated...and feared. They are everything but human, and according to most people, this is the ultimate crime -- for which they must pay the ultimate price.

In Wasserman's newest YA book, she takes on the sci-fi world and does an immensely wonderful job describing a future world and giving the reader lots of backstory to understand how this new world works. While reading other reviews of this, people make the connection with The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson and, in the sense of humans becoming machines after they die, this is true. But the difference lies in the plot vs. character aspect as well as the timeline of both books. Wasserman's is more plot and action oriented (though there is plenty of character development) whereas Pearson's is more character-oriented. In regards to the timeline, Wasserman's cuts straight to the point and deals with Lia's readjustment back into society while Pearson's dealt more with the mystery of what Jenna had become and her finding it out. Jenna never makes it back into society at all really and so doesn't have to deal with other people. Anyway, back to Wasserman's book, it's a compelling story that kept me turning pages and is extremely recommended. And, for YA sci-fi fans, Scott Westerfeld (yes, THAT Scott Westerfeld) blurbed the book, so you know it's gotta be good. And just so you know, the ending is a real ending, despite this being a trilogy; it ends in a way that the story can be continued, but not in a huge cliffhanger-y sort of way.

Class Favorite by Taylor Morris

It all started three days after I officially became a woman -- the message of mass destruction arrived. It was February 14, to be exact. Happy Valentine's Day. Sara Thurman has never considered herself part of the popular crowd - she's got her best friend Arlene and that seems like enough. But when Sara's mom sends a special Valentine's Day delivery (PERIOD FLOWERS!) to her class, all of a sudden Sara is very famous - only for a horribly embarrassing reason! It seems everyone at Bowie Junior High knows something about Sara that she'd rather keep to herself and the harder Sara tries to blend in the more she ends up sticking out. Not only that, but it suddenly seems that Arlene doesn't have time for her anymore, and she has an unbearable crush on Jason who doesn't have any idea who she is (until now, that is). Worst of all, nothing's felt the same since Sara's dad left home. It all has Sara wondering if things will ever return to normal -- especially if she can't even remember what normal feels like. Sara can't figure out why it seems that everyone else has it easier than she does - would things be better if she were popular? Sara decides that if she can't beat 'em then she'll join 'em -- and she hatches a top secret mission to become....Class Favorite.

In Morris' debut middle grade novel, she tackles the social politics of middle school (in her sophomore effort, Total Knockout, she does school politics) and has become an author favorite of mine now. She really understands the middle school environment and does a great job creating the characters and their backstories, and all the jokes. It was really a pain to read about Sara's predicaments and embarassments; like what many of the characters said throughout the book, I simply can't imagine going through all that Sara did and not transfer schools. The mystery behind who spread the rumor and such was not terribly hard to figure out at all, but even so, reading this book and going along with the journey was fun. Sara is a really relatable character, no matter what age you are.

Total Knockout by Taylor Morris

Thirteen-year-old Lucia Latham isn't like ordinary girls. She's about to be elected junior high class president for the third time- an unprecedented occurrence. Plus, she's a competitive boxer, waking every morning at five a.m. to practice. To call Lucia driven doesn't even scratch the surface. So this year, Lucia has no reason to believe that she won't have things under control. But no sooner is she elected three-peat president than she's impeached! Now it's up to Lucia to rebuild her carefully constructed world in time to not only save her political future, but also her own self image.

So I am now officially addicted to Taylor Morris' books. Her characters and plotlines are just great to read about, especially this one. I never realized how much I like reading about school politics until recently, after reading this one and Popular Vote by Micol Ostow. I also loved the inclusion of boxing into Lucia's life; it added a fun, unique element to the novel. Most authors worry about a sophomore slump but I actually think this novel is much better than her first Class Favorite. The action is more compelling, and reading about Lucia's troubles are more exciting and the stakes are much higher than Sara's in Class Favorite.

12:00 AM - 5 Comments - 11 Kudos - Add Comment

Ask Book Chic- September Edition!

Yes, Ask Book Chic is back and I apologize for the late posting. I was out all evening (dinner at Red Lobster and then went to see My Best Friend's Girl with my friends), and am just now getting back in. By the way, I have no idea how the formatting got weird with the answers for 6; I can't fix it. So anyway, here goes:

5:14 AM - 8 Comments - 12 Kudos - Add Comment

Book Reviews- Death by Latte and Switch + Carol Snow QnA!

Death by Latte by Linda Gerber

It was only a few weeks ago that Aphra Connolly's life changed completely. She had been living a quiet existence on her father's secluded island resort, until Seth Mulo turned up and stole her heart . . .and provided information that led her to find her mom in Seattle. But the reunion isn't quite what she expected. Aphra's mom, Natalie, doesn't seem happy to see Aphra, and Natalie's partner Joe insists that Aphra go home. Even worse, Seth shows up, only to ask her to return the ring he gave her the previous summer. At least Natalie's hunky neighbor is sympathetic. But when Joe is found dead at a nearby coffee shop, Aphra discovers her whole trip to Seattle has been based on a lie. And now someone just might be trying to kill her. . .

This book was really fun to read, considering I had just been in Seattle only a few weeks ago. So while there weren't a whole lot of sight-seeing, it was still nice to see a couple various places thrown into the text- it made the setting more real to me. The action is still pretty fast-paced, partly due to the short length of the novel (a tiny bit over 200 pages), but there is more character development in this book and some good scenes between Aphra and her mother. Not only that, also lots of twists and turns throughout the novel, making it a fun ride. I absolutely cannot wait for the next book, Death by Denim, to see what happens next.

Switch by Carol Snow

Claire Martin has some serious body issues. Not much happens in Claire's sleepy beach town, but that's okay. All she wants is to hang out with her best friend, make the high school swim team, and convince Nate, the guy of her dreams, to stop calling her "Dude." And, oh—she'd really, really like to stay in her own skin. Ever since Claire hit her teens, electrical storms have been making her switch bodies. Usually she's back to her old self in no time. But when something goes terribly wrong, she finds herself stuck as another girl. And not just any girl, but the icy beauty who has caught Nate's eye. Suddenly Claire goes from being Miss Average to Miss Gorgeous—the model-thin blonde that every girl wants to look like and every guy wants to date. Will she ever figure out how to get back to her old life? More importantly, will she want to?

In Snow's YA debut, she proves that she can do a great job writing for the YA audience. I love the idea of switching bodies and reading about Claire's adventures in the new body. This novel is also fast-paced and a quick read. I was flipping the pages so quickly because I wanted to know what happened next. It was really hard for me to put the book down and before I knew it, the story was over! Filled with humor, action, and some romance, this is a really good debut and will hopefully make readers crave more of Snow's prose.

12:46 AM - 4 Comments - 6 Kudos - Add Comment

Book Review + Book QnA- Death by Bikini and Swimming with the Sharks

Death by Bikini by Linda Gerber

Aphra Behn Connolly has the type of life most teenage girls envy. She lives on a remote tropical island and spends most of her time eavesdropping on the rich and famous. The problem is that her family's resort allows few opportunities for her to make friends—much less to meet cute boys. So when a smoldering Seth Smith arrives with his parents, she's immediately drawn to him. Sure, he's a little bit guarded, and sure his parents are rather cold, and okay he won't say a word about his past, but their chemistry is undeniable. Then a famous rock star's girlfriend turns up dead on the beach—strangled by her own bikini top—and alarm bells sound. Is it too great a coincidence that Seth's family turned up just one day before a murder? As the plot thickens, Aphra finds that danger lurks behind even the most unexpected of faces. . .

The debut to Gerber's Death by… mystery trilogy is a fast-paced story with lots of twists and turns. But there is some cute romance and little funny scenes peppered throughout the beginning, which were very fun to read. The focus though is obviously on the mystery plot, and it's a doozy. For readers who are more character-oriented, this might not be the book for you. The plot is very much in the forefront and there isn't a whole lot of character development in the book, but it wasn't until after I finished that I even noticed that. I was too involved in the plot, which really gripped me as I read it, making it a very quick read. And right now, I'm in the middle of the next book in the series, Death by Latte, so look for a review of that very soon.

Book QnA

1) How did you get the idea for the Death by... series?

Death by Bikini actually evolved from a short story I had written as a writing exercise. I had just visited Maui and had driven the road to Hana and was really taken with the scenery. It was the inspiration for the setting in the book. Death by Latte was set in Seattle because I'm in love with the city every time I visit!

2) What are you working on right now? Can you tell us anything about it?

I just completed the final edits for Death by Denim, the next book in the series and am working on an unrelated story with a paranormal twist about two sisters who share cryptic premonitions.

3) Courtesy of Class of 2k8 member Marissa Doyle, what's your favorite jelly bean flavor?

Hmmm... I like sour apple and those Jelly Belly coconut ones.

4) What book(s) are you reading now, or are about to start?

Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen. Love Sarah Dessen.

Swimming with the Sharks by Debbie Reed Fischer

Five-foot eleven. Freckled. Flat as a surfboard. Peyton Grady sees her role on the varsity cheer squad as the only thing keeping her off the social sidelines at wealthy Beachwood Preparatory Academy. It's her umbilical cord to cool—and it's constantly in danger of getting cut.  As a base, it's Peyton's duty to be stepped on—literally—by cheer queen Lexie Court. So when Lexie hatches a fierce hazing campaign against the frumpy new girl, Peyton has no choice but to support her flier. Soon the pranks become sadistically cruel, even criminal. Suddenly, Peyton has more to lose than her new-found Alpha celebrity. Will she gamble her entire future for "the good of the squad"?

Even though this is Fischer's second novel, and I own both this and her first one, this is the first one I read, and it's made me eager to get to her first, Braless in Wonderland, if this one is any indication of how great of a writer she is. Peyton is a wonderfully flawed and believable character, and the issues that are dealt with in this novel will most likely resonate with anyone who's seen, or been a victim of, bullying in their own school or heard about it happening at another school. The secondary characters are all three-dimensional and have much more happening beneath the surface, especially that of head bully Lexie. The book is a fairly quick read, and one that will have you turning the pages quickly to see what happens next, and will have you waiting eagerly for Fischer's next book.

Book QnA

1) How did you get the idea for Swimming with the Sharks?

A few years ago, I was watching this news story about a powder puff football

incident in a wealthy suburb of Chicago. Privileged girls ganged up on each other

in a brutal melee, while 200 high school spectators cheered them on. They

strangled each other with pig intestines, threw buckets of animal waste on each

other and wound up in the hospital with broken bones. I thought to myself, 'Why

are these young women so angry that they have to inflict that kind of humiliation

and brutality on each other? These are wealthy kids from beautiful homes; what is

bubbling under the surface?" The next thought that occurred to me after watching

the footage was, "Which one is the ring leader? And why did the others go along

with it? There must have been kids that knew it was wrong but went along with it

anyway." And that's how my character Peyton was born. I started researching

other hazing incidents and I was shocked by how widespread it is, and how

private schools often manage to keep it under wraps. The whole idea of someone

being a hateful bully has always baffled me. Mob mentality has always baffled me.

2) You're part of the Class of 2k8. How did you get involved with them,

and what has the experience been with them so far?

I heard about the Class of 2k8 through a friend but thought I was too late to be a part of it as the group had already formed. Lucky for me, someone dropped out, so a spot opened up for me. Through the Class of 2k8, I've received incredible support and learned so many different aspects of publishing and promotion. Best of all, I've made some close friends that I otherwise would never have met. The icing on the cake is that all their books are so amazing, I'm honored to be included among such a talented group.  

3) Courtesy of fellow 2k8-er Marissa Doyle, what's your favorite jelly bean flavor?

Sorry, jelly beans don't do it for me. I'm more of a SweetTart kinda gal. And grape is my favorite flavor. 

4) What book(s) are you reading now, or are about to start? 

I'm way behind on my reading, so these are at the top of my list:

The Possibilities of Sainthood
The Bewitching Season
La Petite Four
Sleepless
Undone
Samantha Hansen has Rocks in her Head

Thanks so much for being here, Debbie!

THANK YOU!!! It's an honor to be a guest here. :)

12:38 AM - 5 Comments - 10 Kudos - Add Comment

Book Reviews- Dead is the New Black, Popular Vote, and Play Me

Play Me by Laura Ruby

Eddy, along with his two best friends, all aspiring filmmakers, and a feisty actress, create an online series which is entered in a big-time television contest. Eddy's always been serious about his movies, but not so serious about love. That is, until Lucinda comes back into his life. They "dated" at camp when they were younger, but now, as high schoolers, things are different. Eddy has a reputation as a serial dater; Lucinda's a hard-core tennis player. This relationship might change Eddy's mind about dating, and about girls, and his filmmaking might lead him back to his absentee mom, an actress who left her family years ago to pursue her own career.

I loved this book. Ruby does a great job of writing Eddy's voice, and it does feel like a real guy's voice. None of it seems forced at all, and it's just a fantastic read. I was really pulled along while reading this book and it was hard to put the book down sometimes. The emotional journey that Eddy goes through in the book is beautifully described and you really sympathize with him. Highly recommended, and I can't wait to read more of Ruby's books!

--summary provided by Little Willow

If you want to read more about Play Me, check out my and Little Willow's co-post on GuysLitWire from last month.

Dead is the New Black by Marlene Perez
Teenage girls are being mysteriously attacked all over town, including at Nightshade High School, where Daisy Giordano is a junior. When Daisy discovers that a vampire may be the culprit, she can't help but suspect head cheerleader Samantha Devereaux, who returned from summer break with a new "look." Samantha appears a little . . . well, dead, and all the most popular kids at school are copying her style. Is looking dead just another fashion trend for Samantha, or is there something more sinister going on? To find out, Daisy joins the cheerleading squad.

The beginning to Perez's trilogy about the Giordano sisters sets up the stage well with an intriguing paranormal mystery. The pace of the book is not terribly fast, despite its short length, so it's a book that doesn't necessarily have to be read in one sitting. Daisy is a wonderful character to read about, and her wit and quick thinking will keep readers turning the pages. Also, there's a fun little romance in here as well, which is so great to read about- it's cute and a different way of getting close to the one you like. Oh, and also despite this being a trilogy, each book will have a separate mystery, so you don't have to worry about cliffhangers between books. But even so, I still can't wait for the second book in the series, which should be out this January!

Book QnA

1) How did you get the idea for Dead is the New Black?

I read somewhere that a real psychic investigator had daughters who were psychic and I thought how hard it would be to be the only non-psychic in the family. And then the title just came to me, as well as the first sentence, "Being dead became fashionable approximately forty-five minutes after Samantha "the Divine" Devereaux came back from summer break."

2) Are you working on something new now? Can you tell us anything about it?

I'm working on revisions of DEAD IS SO LAST YEAR, which is the third book about Daisy Giordano & her sisters and the strange citizens of Nightshade. And I just finished a contemporary ya for Scholastic/Point, which will be out in August of 2009. It's called THE COMEBACK and it's about a girl who is ousted from the popular clique and schemes her way back. After that, I think I'll work on a couple of ideas in the contemporary fantasy/paranormal genre.

3) Courtesy of Class of 2k8-er Marissa Doyle, I'm asking this of all the authors I interview. What is your favorite jelly bean flavor?

Black licorice of course.

4) What book(s) are you reading right now, or are going to start soon?

Oh, great question. I have IMPOSSIBLE by Nancy Werlin at the top of the towering heap by my bed. I recently finished the latest Joe Pitt vampire detective novel by Charlie Huston. And I'm also reading FAIRY TALES AND THE ART OF SUBVERSION.

Popular Vote by Micol Ostow

Erin Bright is pretty, polished, and popular--the perfect First Daughter. Her father is the mayor of their town, so photo shoots and Inauguration balls are a part of her life. In high school, Erin is politically involved as well; her handsome boyfriend has been student council president for the past two years. But THIS election season, things change. When Erin suddenly gets passionate about an environmental cause, she decides to run AGAINST her boyfriend...and to challenge what her dad stands for! Can Erin convince her friends, and herself, that she has what it takes to lead?

I'm not sure if I've ever mentioned it, but I always love books where the main character rebels against who they raised up to be. In this case, Erin is the perfect First Daughter to her father and First Girlfriend to her student council president boyfriend. But now she's breaking out and finding out who she really is, and breaking all the rules that she was raised to follow. It's a great journey to read about, and readers will root for Erin's success. Ostow does a wonderful job writing Erin's voice and really infuses it with such emotion that it should inspire anyone who reads the book to stand up for what they believe in, no matter what it is. Definitely recommended!

Book QnA

1) How did you get the idea for Popular Vote?

Actually, it wasn't my idea! My editor at Scholastic really wanted to do something with an election theme for fall, so she came to me to talk about what that might entail. Together we worked up a concept and outline, which became the book that is now POPULAR VOTE. So I guess it's true what people say about two heads being better than one.

2) Are you working on something new now? Can you tell us anything about it?

I've always got a bunch of different projects in the hopper. Right this very second I am working on the second book in my new series, The Bradford Novels (www.bradfordnovels.com), FASHIONISTA. The series launches in January and the second book comes out in August, and that's keeping me pretty busy right now. Series are exciting that way. I'm not used to spending so much time with my characters.

3) Courtesy of Class of 2k8-er Marissa Doyle, I'm asking this of all the authors I interview. What is your favorite jelly bean flavor?

Hmm. Believe it or not, I'm more a cherry licorice girl myself. But if I were going to eat jellybeans, I guess it'd be the traditional flavors--none of those weird ones like buttered popcorn. I guess I'm kind of boring when it comes to candy. My heart belongs to Red Vines.

4) What book(s) are you reading right now, or are going to start soon?

I'm in my last semester of a Masters in Fine Art in Writing for Children and Young Adults program right now, which means that I am constantly reading. Just this month I've read SHIFT by Jennifer Bradbury, HOW I LIVE NOW by Meg Rosoff, A LITTLE FRIENDLY ADVICE by Siobhan Vivian, BREATHE MY NAME by RA Nelson, and RULES by Cynthia Lord. They were all AMAZING, by the way. Right now I'm making my way through LOOKS by Madeline George. I'm only on chapter 2, so don't spoil it for me! :)

8:27 PM - 8 Comments - 16 Kudos - Add Comment

Fresh New Voice of YA- Sleepless review + contest

Sleepless by Terri Clark
Eighteen-year-old Trinity Michaels has the ability to dream walk. It's a power she doesn't want, but it forever alters her life when she's unable to find an abducted teen before she's killed. While Trinity does help police capture the killer, Rafe Stevens, her involvement makes her his next target. Stevens pleads insanity and his convincing performance, aided by his despicable attorney, get him sentenced to a mental institute where a diabolical physician experiments on him. Now Rafe's escaped the sanitarium and he's after Trinity. Like her, he now has a special ability, one that allows him to stalk Trinity through her dreams. If he kills her in her sleep, she'll die for real. To survive she must find him first and the only person willing to help her is Dan Devlin, disillusioned son of the shady lawyer who knowingly aided Rafe in getting away with murder. Can she trust Dan with her safety, not to mention her heart?

In Terri Clark's debut novel, she creates the perfect balance between romance and paranormal. Usually, it's more of one than the other and the other is always just a small side thing. But in this novel, there's enough romance in it for those who love a good love story, as well as enough of a paranormal fix for those who prefer that.  I absolutely loved Clark's style of writing and it simply pulled me in to the story and refused to let me go. I ended up finishing the book within a 24 hour period because I couldn't stand to be away from it for too long. Dan is such a sweetie- I want him to be mine! And be sure to read this book well before bedtime, or else you'll be up all night, not just from wanting to keep reading but also because of the story itself. It's very chilling. And for those eagerly waiting for Lisa McMann's sequel to Wake, give this one a try- it's similar in the dream aspect, but this one is darker than Wake, but both are simply fantastic. So if you read one and like it, read the other as well.


Sleepless is available in bookstores everywhere now, or can be ordered from Amazon here.

Or you can enter the contest! Terri will be giving away a personalized, signed copy of Sleepless as well as a dream catcher necklace to one lucky winner! All you have to do is leave a comment on this entry and while you don't have to write anything specific as it'll be a random winner, if you want to talk about dreams, feel free to do so! And who knows, Terri may even reply to your comment! This contest will be open until Monday, September 8 at 9pm EST. The winner will be notified shortly afterward.

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Fresh New Voice of YA- Terri Clark Interview

Terri Clark is the author of the book Sleepless, and also has a short story in the Breaking Up is Hard to Do anthology. She is also a librarian working with the teen section at her local library. She currently lives in Colorado.

1) How did you get the idea for Sleepless?

5:39 PM - 9 Comments - 8 Kudos - Add Comment

Fresh New Voice of YA- Terri Clark guest blog

Blog News!
1) I just posted a review of Nation by Terry Pratchett over at GuysLitWire as my monthly post for September. Click here to check it out, and please leave a comment- I'm needy! And be sure to check out the other posts by the numerous other contributors- it's a great site, and I'm so glad to be a part of it.

2) I also did my weekly post over at Young Adult Book Bloggers! Click here to see what's been going on with me!

3) And just posting this again in case people missed it, Book Chic was featured in an interview on Bookluver Carol's site! Click here to read it!


Terri's Guest Blog

A lot of people think dreams are just a way for our brains to purge the day's happenings. The images we see as we sleep are nothing more than nonsensical remnants of the things we came into contact with.

5:19 PM - 6 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

Book Reviews + QnAs GALORE!