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Something Wicked Returns Blog Hop!

9/30/2013



I'm so excited to take part in the giveaway hop portion of the Something Wicked Returns event happening this month at various blogs. Thanks to the hosts of the events Heidi@Rainy Day Ramblings, Candace@Candace's Book Blog, Maja@The Nocturnal Library and Ali@My Guilty Obsession. Visit !!!!!! to check out all the action this month.


For this giveaway you can win two of the following ARCs listed.  US only!



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Feature & Follow Friday (#26)

9/27/2013


The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of Parajunkee’s View and Alison of Alison Can Read.


This week's Question:

Reading Nook Tour!

Yeah, I'm pretty lame when it comes to a reading nook.  Really it's anywhere and everywhere.  But if I'm being completely honest, the vast majority of my reading is done here:


Yes, that would be my barely made bed.  I may have just been sitting in it when I jumped out to take the picture.  Because not only is it my reading nook, it's my blogging nook, my TV watching nook, it's my pretty much my everything nook.  Outside of work, it's probably where I spend most of my time.  I fully expect this to change soon, but for the next couple months, this is my place.  Now before this month began, I also did a lot of reading in my other "nook":

Photo courtesy of Mr. T in DC

I did a lot of reading on my commute to work on the DC metro.  But we started driving in this month and I lost all that awesome reading time, which makes me sad.  We'll probably go back to the Metro sometime next year, but I don't know when.

SIDELINED Blog Tour Guest post +Giveaway

9/26/2013


About Sidelined:

Suni

After being pushed to excel her entire life, high school basketball star Genna Pierce is finally where she wants to be. University scouts are taking notice, her team is on its way to the state tourney, and Jake Butler, the hot boy she's daydreamed about since ninth grade, is showing some definite interest. When he asks her out and their relationship takes off, Genna believes things can't get better.

Then, it's over.

A freak accident ends her career before it's even begun. Her parents are fighting more than ever, her friends don't understand what she's going through, and she's  not sure who she is without basketball. And while he tries to be there for her, Genna doesn't understand how Jake could ever want the broken version of the girl he fell for.

Her life in a tailspin, Genna turns to the only solace that eases her pain: Vicodin.

Guest Post by Kendra C. Highley


What’s in a Name: Picking the Perfect Character Name

     Ask any author, and they’ll tell you that character names are really important. They have to capture a character’s unique personality without being too unique…or too bland. Sometimes, when I’m particularly inspired, character names pop out of the ether, fully formed. Other times, the character refuses everything you throw at her. Genna in Sidelined was the latter. Which was why, in the end, I decided to give her a name that she’d hate and have that be one of her quirks.

     Because Genna’s dad is an English Prof, I wanted something literary and a little highbrow—a name that could really embarrass a girl, but had been given in love, with kind intentions. I spent a lot of time mulling over the female leads in several classics, but nothing ever fit. Finally, I turned to Shakespeare. Since Genna had to hate her name, it needed to be old-fashioned and something I could shorten into a cooler nickname. After flipping through a lot of plays, I found Cymbeline and Imogen. I liked the character, and I loved the fact that the name was unusual without sounding like a heroine in an epic fantasy novel. Bonus—Genna is a good, modern adaptation of Imogen.

     Her middle name had to be unique, too. I turned to my family for this one. My daughter’s middle name is Parker and my mother’s middle name was Juan (no one has ever been able to explain that…family mystery, I guess). I thought it would be cool to follow that tradition and give Genna a middle name that was both literary and masculine. I’ve always loved Mark Twain and Tom Sawyer was my favorite of his novels. Plus, Imogen Sawyer Pierce had some panache. And so, Genna was given her name.

     The secondary characters were easier—I simply picked names I liked, and I’ve always loved Rowan and Jake. Taylor and Ashley were named after family, as was Dr. Charles.
And sometimes I let my daughter help with names. That’s always fun. This time, Carolyn was named after her American Girl doll. Yep, true.

     Whatever method you use to name a character, it’s always awesome when you find one that fits exactly right.



Suni
About Kendra:
Kendra C. Highley lives in north Texas with her husband and two children. She also serves as staff to two self-important and high-powered cats. This, according to the cats, is her most critical job. She believes in everyday magic, extraordinary love stories and the restorative powers of dark chocolate.

Website /Blog/Twitter/ Facebook/Goodreads


 

Giveaway!

$25 Amazon/Barnes & Noble gift card and a women’s collegiate basketball to the first prize winner (US Only)
3 $10 Amazon/Barnes & Noble gift cards for 3 second prize winners (International)


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Visit the Rest of the Tour!


Tour Schedule

Week 1
9/23/2013- Curling Up With A Good Book- Review
9/24/2013- A Book and a Latte- Interview
9/25/2013- Emilie's Book World- Review
9/26/2013- I'll tumble for YA- Guest Post
9/27/2013- Sweet Southern Home- Interview

Week 2
9/30/2013- Bookish Things & More- Guest Post
10/1/2013- Sarah Elizabeth's Bookshelf- Review
10/2/2013- Avery's Book Nook- Guest Post
10/3/2013- Once Upon a Twilight- Review
10/4/2013- BookHounds YA- Interview




"Waiting On" Wednesday (#30) Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira

9/25/2013

“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

This week I'm picking:
Love Letters to the Dead by
Expected publication: April 1st 2014 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)




From Goodreads:  
It begins as an assignment for English class: Write a letter to a dead person. Laurel chooses Kurt Cobain because she thought he’d understand since he died young just like her sister, May, did. Soon Laurel is writing letters to lots of dead people—Janis Joplin, Amy Winhouse, Ameilia Earhart, Heath Ledger, and more—although she never gives a single one of them to her teacher. She writes about what it’s like going to a new school, meeting new friends, falling in love for the first time, how her family splinters apart after May dies. She even writes about the abuse she suffered—while May was supposed to be looking out for her. Only then, once Laurel has written down the truth about what happened to herself, can she truly begin to accept what happened to May, and to see her as the person she was: lovely and amazing and deeply flawed.

Trained as a poet at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, Ava Dellaira brings a lyrical, haunting beauty to her prose.


Why I'm Waiting:
This sounds like an absolutely amazing beautiful book.  The concept seems so unique and special.  I can't wait to get my hands on it.

Teaser and Top Ten Tuesday (#27) (09/24/13)

9/24/2013



Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
 



Why yes, I am still reading the same book as last week.

From pg.157 of my ARC*

"What else is here?" Gansey asked?  He was using his deeply curious voice and his deeply curious face, the ones he normally reserved for all things Glendower.

*This is and ARC copy.  Page number and quotes may not be the same in the finished copy.

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.
 

Top Ten Best Sequels Ever

 This was actually a bit difficult for me.  So often the sequel just doesn't live up to the awesomeness of the first book.  Here is the best of the bunch:

Dark Triumph (His Fair Assassin #2) by


Everbound (Everneath #2) by


Unravel Me (Shatter Me #2) by


Where She Went (If I Stay #2) by


The Year of Secret Assignments (Ashbury/Brookfield #2) by

This was the first in the series that I read, and it was definitely the best in the series.  I loved everything about it, and Lydia and Seb remain one of my all time favorite book couples. 



Catching Fire (The Hunger Games #2) by


Insurgent (Divergent #2) by






The Boy Book: A Study of Habits and Behaviors, Plus Techniques for Taming Them (Ruby Oliver #2) by


Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter #2) by

The awesomeness of the first book could have been a fluke, but after reading this book, I knew it was something special.  The series was destined to be awesome.
Masquerade (Blue Bloods #2) by

Making this list reminded me how much I loved the beginning part of this series.  Yes it got old after a while, and a little too religious for my tastes, but the first few books were just juicy fun.







It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 09/23/13

9/23/2013


This weekly recap is hosted by Shelia of Book Journeys and the kidlit version is hosted by Jen from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee from Unleashing Readers. Each week we recap what we’ve read and look at what’s coming up this week.


My reading continues to be horrible.  I am SO behind now. 

Finished Reading:

The Future of Us by
Wanted (Wanted #1) by

 

Currently Reading:

The Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle #2) by

 

What I'm Reading Next:

Two-Way Street by





Feature & Follow Friday (#25)

9/20/2013


The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of Parajunkee’s View and Alison of Alison Can Read.


This week's Question:

What were some of your favorite picture books as a kid? If you have kids, what are your favorites to read to them?

I love this question.  Even as a kid I loved books and loved to read.  Here are some of my favorites from childhood:


Fox in Socks by (My poor dad had to read this to my brother and I constantly)
Where the Wild Things Are by
Where the Sidewalk Ends by
I don't have kids yet, but there are definitely a few favorites that have come out recently.  I actually buy and read tons of picture books, and here are some of my favorites.  My child will be sure to have a copy of these books.


Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons (Pete the Cat) by
I Want My Hat Back by
Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale (Knuffle Bunny #1) by (or really anything by Mo)