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.
What you first need to know about HER FEARFUL SYMMETRY is it’s nothing like TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE, the author’s blockbuster breakout book. TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE is romantic and heartbreaking and amazing. It is one of my favorite books of all time.
HER FEARFUL SYMMETRY is a modern ghost story. It’s told in the same rich, details that Audrey Niffenegger’s fans have come to love. But it’s not about an epic love across time. It’s about an ensemble of flawed people who are all stuck. The two identical twins are stuck with each other. The grieving widower is stuck with memories. The woman he loves died and is now stuck in her old apartment as a ghost. And the man upstairs is stuck too because of his own obsessive-compulsive disorder that keeps him inside.
The characters weave and dart around each other and London and this apartment building until the day the ghost learns to move objects and communicate with the living. That’s when the story really takes off and turns spooky. Because she can do other things. Stranger things, freakier things. If I tell you what she does, it would spoil the ending. But remember this — Niffenegger is not your typical writer. She likes twists and turns and she delivers on them in her second novel too.
Welcome to special correspondent and young adult author Courtney Summers who’s reviewing “Dani Noir” for us!
By Courtney Summers
DANI NOIR is a sharp look at the life of 13-year-old film noir buff (and big Rita Hayworth fan), Dani Callanzano, during a pretty tough summer. Her parents have divorced, she’s angry at her father, her mom still hasn’t gotten over it, and her soon-to-be stepsister is a nightmare. The only place Dani can find a little peace of mind is at the Little Art movie theatre… but not for long. When a girl with polka-dot tights shows up, Dani finds herself with a full-blown mystery on her hands and if she doesn’t solve it–and soon–someone she really cares about could be hurt.
This is an incredible debut by Nova Ren Suma and Dani Callanzano is one of the most memorable protagonists I’ve ever read. A total snarky delight from start-to-finish. With a very thoughtful and caring hand, Suma explores Dani’s world candidly and honestly and the narrative is charming, hilarious and heartbreaking all at once. On one page, I would laugh out loud at one of Dani’s zingers and the next, my heart would ache at Dani’s vulnerability and need to find balance and control in the way you need to find balance and control when things are changing around you in really difficult ways. And it’s a page turner, too. Once I started, I only stopped once–and that was to make POPCORN. The movie theatre scenes are so well drawn–I COULD SMELL THE POPCORN!–it was impossible to resist. And so I highly recommend making popcorn when you pick this book up because it will complete the experience.
The whole time I was reading DANI NOIR, I wished fervently that I’d had Dani as a fictional companion when I was her age. I remember the books I carried around then like lifelines, and I know that had DANI NOIR been on shelves, I would’ve toted it everywhere. I would have aspired to Dani’s cleverness, her wit, her charm, her sense of adventure and I know that Dani’s razor-sharp outlook would have made me feel less alone. I can just imagine how many girls out there will benefit from reading a novel like this, which is why DANI NOIR gets all five stars from me. This is not just the kind of book you read and enjoy in the moment, it’s the kind of book you treasure and love and pass along. So do that. Don’t you dare miss this one.
-Courtney Summers is the author of CRACKED TO TO BE.
