Run by Daisy Whitney at daisywhitney.com

I can’t stop thinking about Lauren Oliver’s novel “Before I Fall.” I just finished reading it a few days ago and it’s the kind of story that stays with you for a long time. Maybe forever. It’s the kind of novel that changes you, maybe for a moment, maybe for a lifetime. Whether the change is small or large, it’s the kind of story that makes you want to be a better person, a kinder person, a better wife, a better mom, a better friend. It’s the kind of story that makes you want to inhale and breathe in all the goodness and wonder of life and savor every single second of being alive.

Because you never know how much time you really have. That’s what her novel is about — how we spend our time, the kind of people we want to be, and what really matters when all is said and done. “Before I Fall” is the story of Samantha Kingston, a senior in high school, who dies in a car crash at the end of the day on February 12th. Then she relives that same day seven times making different choices until she finally unravels the mystery of why she’s stuck in this time loop. She’s not likeable when the story starts, but over the course of those seven days she sheds her old self and steps into her new one.

And as she changes so do you. Because “Before I Fall” is that kind of novel. The kind that changes you.

Get out the tissues, because the tears will be pouring at the end. This is a gorgeous, uplifting story about the capacity to change, the connectedness of all people and the meaning of every action, big and little.

Who doesn’t love a good secret? They’re the fuel for many friendships, relationships and love affairs, not to mention novels. I asked the author Dianne Dixon to share her thoughts on the power of secrets in a blog post for me. Her novel “The Language of Secrets” releases today. In her words, here is “The Truth About Secerets.”

by Dianne Dixon, author of The Language of Secrets

“Want to hear a secret?”

The question is usually asked in a whisper and, often, in proximity so intimate that we can feel the questioner’s breath, warm and soft, on our ear. And it sparks the same tingling anticipation in us that we felt in childhood: it brings back that playground thrill: the possibility of hearing something forbidden, or exciting or—perhaps—just a little bit naughty.

As adults, we’ve come to know that secrets are the hiding places for the parts of our lives where we’re dangerous, deviant, or too full of desire. Secrets are the lockboxes in which we store our vulnerabilities, our shame, our compulsions, and the uneasy knowledge of the things we’ve done when we thought no one else was looking.

Our fascination with secrets is instinctive; we’re drawn to them like magnets—especially when they belong to someone else. There’s an excitement in catching a glimpse of other human beings in the act of colliding with their secrets. It doesn’t matter whether these people are old or young, famous or faceless. We’re as mesmerized by the tale of Tiger Woods and his avalanche of mistresses as we are by the little old lady down the block who dies with fifty cats on her bed and two million dollars squirreled away in her attic.

From earliest childhood, we sense that secrets are where intrigue waits; where the unexpected lurks, where explosions can be found.

Then, after we’ve grown up, we learn something new about secrets: we find out the strange things people will do to protect them—things that are terrifying in their stupidity, or their courage, or their self-destructiveness: acts that be unspeakably evil; or, wordlessly heartbreaking.

This is the reason so many writers (including me) tell stories about secrets. Secrets are where all the emotional dynamite is packed.

–Thanks, Dianne!

Thank you for all the entries in the 5-Word First Love Contest to win a signed copy of Cheryl Renee Herbsman’s novel “Breathing.” They were all amazing!

And here’s the winning entry!

Caitlin @ Roaming Tales:
Kisses in rain like champagne

I love that entry — it’s sweet and romantic and poetic because it rhymes! And I can picture it and feel it and taste it! Yay Caitlin!

Hi friends and readers! I’m giving away another signed book and this time it’s Cheryl Renee Herbsman’s very lovely story of first love, “Breathing.” Watch the video here on my blog for the details and the enter to win in the comments! I’ll pick a winner by March 8.

You may never think about cheerleaders in the same way after reading Suzanne Young’s debut novel “The Naughty List.” She flips nearly every cheerleader stereotype on its head in her tale of a cheerleading-squad-turned-secret-society-to-catch-cheating-boyfriends. Rather than rely on the overdone image of a cheerleader as a ditsy blonde backbiter, Young paints a refreshing, nuanced and hilarious portrait of Tessa, the head cheerleader and head spy. Tessa takes cheering very seriously, but not because it’s a path to popularity. Because she truly believes in school spirit. And she believes in washing your mouth out with soap too. Rather than swear, she creates her own endearing four-letter phrases like “peanutbutter pickles” or “strawberry smoothies.” The story zips along at a quick pace with each chapter punctuated by a “cheater’s report” full of witty asides on the cheater’s behavior or tacky taste. But the complexity in this breezy tale comes in Tessa herself when she must confront what to do when she’s asked to investigate her own boyfriend’s possibly naughty ways. The Naughty List is a sparkling debut!

My darling, wonderful, fantabulous writer friend Suzanne Young’s first novel releases in just a few days - February 4 to be exact. And in honor of her book The Naughty List I’ll be wearing The Naughty List tee-shirts in my videos and on This Week in Media for the next month. Don’t worry - I’ll mix it up! After all, I bought The Naughty List tees in pink, white, lavender and yellow! Aren’t they yummy???

make custom gifts at Zazzle

Note: I first ran this review in September and am re-running it because this book releases today.

You think vampires that want to kill you in high school are scary? Or maybe werewolves who could rip your throat out?

They’re cotton candy compared to the high school in Courtney Summers “Some Girls Are,” the January 2010 follow-up to her well-received debut “Cracked up to Be.”

No, there’s nothing like the high school hell she makes her characters endure in “Some Girls Are.”

Even standard high school misery, like clueless teachers, cliques and gym are kittens next to Hallowell High, where the Fearsome Fivesome roam the halls. This girl bully gang loves to hate — they devise cruel tricks and horribly mean pranks in a game of chess with other students as the pawns. Their targets have no recourse, nowhere to go. They become nothing when the quintet is through with them.

Regina Afton is part of this crew. Until she’s kicked out for something she didn’t do. Now, she can’t duck fast enough because they’re pulling out all the stops as the four remaining members seek to destroy her. She hides out in the storage room, in the washrooms, with the so-called “losers,” but even they don’t really want a mean girl hanging with them. Because, can a Grade-A Henchwoman really change her stripes?

That is exactly what Regina desperately wants to do in this story — put her past as a very bad girl behind her — only she has to battle the now Fearsome Foursome, their toady boyfriends who do their dirty work, and worst of all, her own self doubts about whether she can be brave enough. The one bright spot is a loner boy who comes to see the good that is still inside her.

“Some Girls Are” is about what it means to be good, what it means to be bad, what it means to change. It’s about how to stand up and how to forgive and, especially, what not to do. It’s about — like the “Kiterunner” — “how to be good again.”

If you’ve talked to me about books for more than two minutes, you’ve certainly heard me mention Courtney Summers and “Cracked up to Be.” It is one of my favorite books of all time and also inspired me to switch genres from women’s fiction to young adult. Naturally, I was nervous reading “Some Girls Are,” hoping it would stand up to its predecessor. I can’t believe I’m saying this but “Some Girls Are” is even better. I was gripped with fear, anticipation, and intense, white-knuckling nerves during the second half of this book, wondering how on earth Courtney would possibly pull of a satisfying ending after she’d tortured her characters.

I won’t spoil the ending, though. You will need to read to find out! The countdown begins to the book’s January release date!

Take everything you think you know about supernatural romance and throw it out. Because BEAUTIFUL CREATURES by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl stands alone in the genre. Sure, supernatural romance is a red-hot category right now and readers seem to have an insatiable appetite for it. But BEAUTIFUL CREATURES is more than just the next contender. It is a wholly original story in its own right that is literary, gorgeous, inventive and turns convention on its head.

The novel tells the story of Ethan Wate, something of an outsider at his high school in Gatlin, South Carolina. Before Lena even arrives in town, he’s already falling for this new girl because she’s been appearing in his dreams, or rather his nightmares. The connection between them is electric, literally. But it’s also much deeper, rooted in shared loss, in shared identity, and quite simply in the time they spend together and even apart.

But the course of true love never did run smooth and Lena’s no ordinary girl. She’s a witch. And Ethan’s a mere mortal. And that may be what I love most about this book. Rather than the girl falling for the vampire, or the immortal, or the fallen angel, it’s the girl who has the powers.

Oh, and can I just say grab some palm fronds, because you’re going to need to fan yourself during the scenes when Ethan and Lena are alone together. They don’t do more than kiss, but the moments are luscious, especially when he tells her he is falling for her. It’s unlike any other confession of love you’ve ever read. Guaranteed.

I’m giving away another signed book! And this time it’s J.A. Yang’s delicious story “Exclusively Chloe” about an adopted kid of celebrities who just wants to be normal. To win this book, share FIVE words — no more, no less — in the comments below on what it means to be a normal kid. I’ll choose a winner by December 16!

I’ve got my hands on a signed copy of Sarah Quigley’s fun novel “TMI.” Want to win the copy for yourself or a friend? Then enter my contest here. Watch the video and enter in the comments! I’ll pick a winner by Thursday December 10.