Book Review: THE YOUNG WORLD by Chris Weitz

   

     Sometimes, you finish a book and you have to sit there for a while afterwards and just think. Let it soak in. Analyze every last piece. And then look over at the person next to you and say "Are you kidding me?" Because the ending was such a CLIFFHANGER that you just don't know what the heck to do, because the next book won't even be out for like an entire year! THE YOUNG WORLD by Chris Weitz is exactly this type of book.
     When a hormone-based sickness wipes adults and children from the world, all that's left are the teenagers. No one lives past the age of eighteen, no babies are born, and  every day is a struggle to survive for the tribes of New York City. Jefferson and Donna-- friends and members of the Washington Square tribe-- will do whatever it takes to take keep themselves and their friends safe, so when the tribe's genius comes to them with the possibility of learning more about the sickness, and an idea that could lead to the cure, they know what they have to do.
     When Jefferson, Donna, and three of their friends set out on a mission to find out what they can about the sickness, things start to get a little hairy. It's then that the group realizes that maybe there's a little bit more to the story than they knew, and it's then that the dangers of their trip start to creep up on them.
     This book honestly blew my mind. It really makes you think, and look at life a different way, and understand how much we take for granted in our lives. If I could make this a mandatory read, I would do so. I give this book a five of five stars, and recommend it to anyone who likes dystopia/post-apocalyptic YA. The last time I finished a book and processed it in my mind and thought about it for so long was months ago. I simply cannot wait for book two, and I hope that you guys will get out there and pick it up! If you do, let me know! Shoot me a comment below, or mention me on Twitter, let's discuss this one and get the word out!

Book Review: Fallout by S.A. Bodeen

     Oh how I've waited for this book. I read Compound years and years ago; ranted and raved about it to my friends and family, read it again for book discussion in school with two of my closest friends. I'm happy to say that neither of them were very fond of reading, but after reading the Compound, one of them found their love of reading. The other... well... I'm still working on him! For that same discussion, my mom had to read the book and lead the talk. She liked the story, but it made her angry that a parent would do such a thing to his family. When I was at Barnes and Noble a few weeks ago, I saw Fallout on the shelf, newly placed, and snatched it up.

     After a grueling, six year wait, I finished Fallout in five hours. 

     Eli Yanakakis just wants life to go back to normal. But of course, things will never be normal for his family- thanks to his dad. On his ninth birthday, Eli's dad, Rex, staged an apocalypse and locked his family in an underground hideout called the Compound. After discovering that the world was just as they'd left it, Eli helped his family escape the Compound- and escape their father. Compound left off with a bit of foreshadowing that maybe Rex didn't die in the explosion that destroyed the Compound, as the Yanakakis had expected, and Fallout is all about the family's readjusting to the real world. They have to stay out of the eye of the public, as press are always trying to get any information they can about "The family who lived underground", and it's not easy being cooped up in a mansion after having been cooped up in the Compound. 

     Things start getting interesting for Eli when he notices that they're being followed, and that there are posts all over social media about people who have supposedly seen the Yanakakis out and about. As Eli tries to figure out who it is that's been following them, and just what they want, his adoptive sister, Lexie decides she wants to find her birth parents, and his twin makes a new friend and decides to blow the family's secret and let the boy know about the family's true identity.

     Most of the action is saved until the last fifteen-or-so chapters, which I will not reveal anything about so as not to spoil it for you. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes mystery, suspense, and books about doomsday. Also to those who have read the Compound, because Fallout gives you the closure that you need about the first book.

     I did enjoy the sequel, though it didn't engulf me as much as some of my other books. I attribute that, though, to the fact that most of the books I read are much thicker with more books in a series and a much more complex plot line. Also there was only a slight hint of romance in this novel. That being said, I enjoyed Fallout, but not as much as I loved the Compound.

     Finish the Compound adventure with Eli, Eddy, Lexie, and the rest of the Yanakakis- you won't regret it.

Seize the Tuesday #1: Reading All Dang Day

Seize the Tuesday is a book blogger meme created by myself and the Let's Get Lost Buddies Street Team to share stories about how we've seized the Tuesday, with a special focus on the particular book we're reading. We'll share our posts online with the hashtag: #LetsAllGetLost.

The idea is to share little ways in which you may have embraced Bree's motto of Seizing the Tuesday. To relate it to books, you can talk about what book you're reading, and how you stole some moments from the day to enjoy reading. It doesn't have to be about reading, but we all know that a well-read day is a day seized. The idea is not just to spread the word on LGL, but also to remind people to live fully, even/especially if that means spending a part of your day reading.

Hola, chicos! My first Seize the Tuesday post is going to be super simple, because today has been one of those days where I literally have nothing planned and can read all dang day long if I want to. So I did. I am.

I have recently (Last monday to be exact, so eight days ago) discovered the awesomeness that is Percy Jackson. I know, I know, I'm jumping on the bandwagon a little bit late, but there are just so many books out there that I just NEED to read! After hearing my friends love on Percy, and listening to them say "WHAT YOU HAVEN'T READ PERCY JACKSON?!" I was beginning to think I'd read them soon. And then one of my closest buds convinced me to just do it, so I picked up LIGHTNING THIEF and oops now I'm on SON OF NEPTUNE. Six books in eight days, with an all-day book signing in the middle of it... Don't think I'm doing too shabby!

So yes. Persassy is quite extraordinary. I love him to bits and pieces and someone hand this daughter of Athena a Camp Half-Blood tshirt because I'm ready to go! *Grabs dagger*

The bad thing about reading a series that is well-loved by your friends, and reading it late on a school night, is that there is no one awake-- and when I say "No one" I mean literally-all-of-my-friends-are-in-bed-- to discuss things with. That being said, a few of you are going to wake up with a bunch of text messages... *Cough*Matt *Cough* Wishes.

I am loving the series though, so I'm going to go... you know... see what the heck Nico's doing at Camp Jupiter.

P.S. For those of you who read these books as they came out... Dang, that cliffhanger at the end of LOST HERO must have killed you *Laughs maniacally because I had the ability to go to book two within minutes*

Book Review: Let's Get Lost by Adi Alsaid

     I have this internet friend who got an ARC of LET'S GET LOST, and literally would not stop talking about it. So many of our conversations got roped back to this book, and every time there was a contest or giveaway, he'd tell me about it. Of course I entered them, and when I found out that I'd get to meet the author later this year (See me fangirl about meeting Adi and other authors HERE), I preordered the book. As soon as it arrived, and I finished my current read, I delved into it. Though LGL was not at all what I was expecting, I found it to be pretty fantastic.
      This book is told from four different perspectives-- the four people whose lives Leila changes as she travels across country on a road trip-- and the first is Hudson, a mechanic from a small town who might be wrong about what his future has in store; second is Bree, who ran away from home and doesn't exactly care about breaking rules-- or laws; then there's Elliot, who fell in love with his best friend, only to have his heart broken; lastly is Sonia, who lost a part of herself when her boyfriend died, and who isn't sure if she can ever get that part of her-- the part that loves-- back. As Leila and her crazy red car come into these strangers' lives, they learn things about themselves that maybe they didn't know before, and each of them gain a friend in the process.
     Four teens have their lives impacted, but there are five parts to this book, and the last one is told from Leila's point of view. After she's helped Hudson, Bree, Elliot, and Sonia, can she help herself? Or is it up to someone else to do for her what she did for her new friends?
     This is a great road trip book. If you're going on one soon, I suggest you pack LGL and read it along the way. It's a very inspirational story, and I got quite a bit of enjoyment out of it. I loved it so much, in fact, that I'm part of the street team!  You can get LET'S GET LOST at many many places, including Barnes and Noble, Walmart, Amazon of course, and most bookstores everywhere! I give LGL four stars, and I recommend it to anyone who likes road trip stories and soul searchers. Have you read it yet? I want to know what you think!

Book Review: Summer on the Short Bus by Bethany Crandell

     I don't remember how I got started talking to the lovely Bethany Crandell, but somehow I did, so of course I had to read her debut novel. Talk about a summer read! 

     SUMMER ON THE SHORT BUS is about seventeen-year-old Cricket Montgomery, a girl who is used to being spoiled and getting out of trouble as soon as she's gotten into it. When her dad ships her off to help out at a summer camp, Cricket is appalled, but she has no idea what she's gotten herself into. This is no ordinary summer camp-- it's a camp for disabled teens-- and Cricket is so not happy to find this out. Though, the hottie counselor who could be on tv for being a Zac Efron look-alike is more than enough reason for her to try and stick it out. After her dad won't let her come home, that is. 

     SOTSB is one of the best books I've ever read simply for this reason: There is no sugarcoating. Kids who have disabilities are made fun of. They're thought of differently than everyone who is "Normal", and Crandell shows this in the most honest way possible. Sure, some of the things said might make you cringe, and they may hit a nerve if you personally know someone who is disabled, but this is nothing you haven't seen or heard or noticed before. If you read this, and you find it offensive, I urge you to reread it, because if thi is the case, then you've missed the spirit of the ENTIRE story. Also, the snark. Who doesn't love a good, snarky character?

     I give SUMMER ON THE SHORT BUS a golden five stars. I recommend it to anyone and everyone, especially if you find yourself to be one of those people that is prejudiced against handicapped people. Let this book change the way you think. Take a seat on the Short Bus.

YA Literature Conference/Fandom Frenzy

*Paul Harvey voice* And now for the rest of the story.

     Just like the day before, we stood in line to get into the ballroom, picking up our name tags as we were handed ARCs of DOVE ARISING by Karen Bao. (My grand ARC total for the weekend was seven. Seven ARCs in two days. I deem this a productive weekend.) Cassandra Clare and Holly Black did a quick Q&A before their signing, during which my buddy and I stayed in the ballroom because we'd gotten our Clare/Black books signed the day before. Our time in the ballroom was spent talking and hanging out and looking for an ARC of COMPULSION, which we never did find.

     At this point, authors started arriving and gathering out in the lobby.We could see them from where we sat, and I still had a book (ALMOST HOME by Joan Bauer) to get signed, so we made our way over when we spotted her. We just passed through the doorway and stepped into the lobby when someone from Anderson's walked up to the group and said "Okay, authors, here's what we're going to do...." We turned around and went back to our table, where a lady was placing a piece of paper with an author name on it. Some tables had one author, and some had two. We were lucky enough to get both Sarah Fine and Phillip Siegel at our table. I was especially excited about Phillip, because I'd read the BREAK UP ARTIST in July and adored it, which is one of the reasons why I attended the Mighty Mississippi Book Blast Tour that same month. So this was my second time meeting Phillip!

     What came next was called "Speed Dating" We had 60 seconds to ask questions to the author and/or listen to the author pitch their book. For the tables that had two authors, we could spend two minutes at the table. It was chaos at first-- everyone was moving from table to table, not quite sure how this was going to work-- but after about three or four tables, everything clicked, and it was smooth sailing from there on out. We made it to all but five tables before we were called to go back to our seats, and the amount of collected swag from the different tables was pretty impressive.

     Next in the day was the Author Chorus line, where all  of the authors stood in a line at the front of the room and answered questions. Becky, the owner of Anderson's Book Shop, dressed as Alex Lipton and asked a question to he first person in line, who answered and passed the mic down the line. Questions like "What was your worst haircut/style?" (Best answer from Lex Hrabe, one of the authors of QUARANTINE, who said "you're looking at it."), and "If you found yourself at the Pearly Gates, what would you hope to hear God say?" (Best answer from Eliot Schrefer, author of ENDANGERED and THREATENED, who said "Psyyyyych!").

     Lunch next! After we ate, we perused the bookshop until it was time to go back inside. When we entered the ballroom, we were greeted by the musical stylings of some of our talented authors, including Len Vlahos (SCAR BOYS), Frank Portman (KING DORK), Adam Selzer (PLAY ME BACKWARDS), and Kevin Emerson (EXILE). We came in a bit late and only caught a couple performances, but I did manage to get the last two on tape. 

     If you've read EXILE, then you know that there's a very intimate song that Caleb writes, and we get the lyrics on paper. Reading the lyrics and seeing it performed are two very different things, and hearing the song come to life was a very surreal experience. Getting to sing along was pretty amazing as well. 

     

     The last song is one that we all probably know. Or at least, we've all probably heard it. Wanted Dead or Alive. Len, Kevin, and Adam performed this one for us, and though the video had to be 

trimmed to get it to fit on the blog, believe me when I tell you that the applause at the end was HUGE.

      When the music was all over, the authors lined up across the front of the stage once more for "Story on the Fly-- Just Add Water". The authors were given a story starter, and they had to add a sentence or word before passing the mic to the next author. Story building! The first prompt was something to the effect of "A bridesmaid discovers her long lost twin while dog-sitting." SPOILER ALERT: Her twin is actually the dog! The second prompt... I can't even remember what it was. Between the Macaulay Culkin and Jar-Jar Binks references, I totally lost the initial starter sentence by the time they said "The end." 

     If you've seen Jimmy Fallon, then you've most likely watched him write his Thank You Notes. Sometimes sarcastic, sometimes punny, sometimes he can't even finish the note without laughing-- and you can bet that this is exactly what happened when our authors did their Thank You's. With Becky at the piano, Thank You cards were read out from down the line, and I wish I could've seen who said it-- from my table clear on the other end of the room, the last half of the line was hard to see-- but someone said "Thank you, authors in this room, for using pop-culture references on that last story that no kid in here understood." And it was so true! The adults clearly got their references, but most of us teenagers were like, "Wait, what?" But it was still entertaining to see the authors having so much fun.

     Quiz Bowl. Yes. Last thing of the day before we were let loose to get things signed, was the YA Frenzy Quiz Bowl. We had these numbers on our name tags, and we had to match our numbers to a table number, and this was to be our group for the Quiz Bowl. There were four kids, and a librarian at our table (Go 22!), as well as two authors! Len Vlahos and Todd Hasak-Lowy were our authors, and though we were no where near first place, we had a blast with it! Some of the questions for the Quiz Bowl included things like guessing the title and author of the YA cover shown to us on the screen; matching author names with their headshots (Or Mugshots); guessing the title and author of Classic novels; guessing the movie/book, author, character, and actor when shown a still of a YA movie. We had a great time, and it was the perfect way to end the day.

     After the Quiz Bowl ended, I got my copy of ALMOST HOME signed by Joan Bauer, and took a selfie with her. Joan is seriously one of the most inspirational people I've ever met.

    Then my buddy and I went around getting our tote bags signed. I managed to get all but the six busiest authors to sign mine before I had to leave.

     Also, throughout the weekend there had been foam posters up for silent auction in the lobby. They were all signed by the author, and my parents surprised me by being the highest bidder on two posters for me! One of the posters was for SINNER by Maggie Stiefvater, and the other was from WARRIORS: MIDNIGHT by Erin Hunter (Those were the first big-series books that I ever got into). 

     It was an incredible weekend, and I'm so glad that we went. To anyone thinking of going next year: GO. ITS WORTH IT. 

     And to all of the authors who took their entire weekend to come hang out with us: You guys are amazing, and all of us who attended are incredibly appreciative. Keep Writing. Come back again soon!

     Here's that giveaway again! Don't be afraid to enter to win that paperback copy of City of Ashes, signed by Cassandra Clare!

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YA Literature Conference/Fandom Frenzy

     So this is part one of a two part post about this weekend, which was a huge thing for readers in the Chicago area and beyond! Anderson's-- The best independent bookstore ever-- hosted what is called the YA Literature Conference (#YALitConf), 40+ authors come together and have a day to interact with teachers, librarians, and booksellers via keynote speakings and panels. Signing opportunities were available throughout the day, and you will not believe some of the authors I got to meet! The next day was the YA Fandom Frenzy, where readers got to interact with these authors via Q&A sessions, games, and signings. The following will be an account of Day One!

     As some of you already know, I enjoy having a buddy to go to events with. I don't mind going to an event without someone, but when you get to share the experience with a buddy, you always have a bit more fun. That being said, I met up with my signing buddy at the hotel where the conference was being hosted, and we waited patiently-- Or impatiently... Whichever you choose to believe...-- for the doors to open.

     When the time came for the day to start, we were walked past a table of swag *Grabby hands* and once we'd taken what we wanted, they placed an ARC in our hands. If you can believe it, the ARC was I WAS HERE by Gayle Forman. SCORE! After snatching up nametags, we were provided a continental breakfast, goody bags with a few more ARCs, and mini candy bars were on each table, as well as a reserved chair for an author-- An author sat at each of these candy-bar-providing tables throughout the entire day.
   
     Joan Bauer spoke next, and even though I haven't read any of her books yet *looks towards massive stack* it was amazing to hear her talk. She was so positive and upbeat and so animated. You could tell that she really loves writing. That she's passionate about it, and it's what she's meant to do. She's written 12 books, including the favorites HOPE WAS HERE, SQUASHED, and  ALMOST HOME. You should look into her for heartfelt stories.

     Carl Hiaasen, author of HOOT, SCAT, and new YA debut, SKINK NO SURRENDER, spoke next, and then we went to Break Out Sessions.

     The first session we went to was dubbed "Falling In & Out of Love", and the panel was made up of some pretty fantastic authors. Phillip Siegel, Morgan Matson, Adi Alsaid, Stephanie Perkins, Simone Elkeles, and Jenny Han were all in the room, answering questions and requests from both the audience and the moderator.  For example, how they knew when they were in love for the first time, and also things like how to keep the romance in a book without making the story all about romance. There were definitely some things said during this panel that I wish I hadn't heard, and it was very easy to tell the authors that write clean books from the ones who... don't.

     The second session was Suspense, Mystery, Action, with the authors as T. M. Goeglein, Adele Griffin, Lisi Harrison, James Klise, Holly Goldberg Sloan, and Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. At this panel, the authors talked about their books, took questions from the moderator and audience, and at almost the very end of the panel, the room erupted in a roar when Lexile was brought up. Some were for it, some were opposed, and some weren't familiar with the concept, but my buddy and I sat there looking at each other with wide eyes as these people shouted and had to be called to order by the moderator as if we were in court.

     After the two panels, we met back in the ballroom to hear about upcoming YA Literature (I'd like to say that new releases POSITIVE by Paige Rawl, NO SUMMIT OUT OF SIGHT by Jordan Romero with Linda LeBlanc, and ZAC & MIA by A.J. Betts are sounding phenomenal).

     Following the Upcoming Literature were two other keynote speakings, followed by lunch. During lunch, the bookstore was open, as well as the first round of signings. Towards the end of the second speaking, it was brought to my attention that Cassandra Clare and Holly Black were outside already, signing early. We grabbed our bags and ran outside to stand in line, which was short, by the way Only, like, eight of us knew what was happening! I'd brought every Cassandra Clare book I owned-- Mortal Instruments, Infernal Devices, Codex, Iron Trial. Um, yeah, with 40+ authors, it will not surprise you that I brought three bags of books, will it?-- and she signed every single one of them. Cassie was super approachable, and I honestly don't know how I managed to have a conversation with her without screaming and fangirling in her face. Major. Self. Control. I asked Clare which series she enjoyed writing most: TMI or TID, and she said that she loved them both for different reasons, but did really enjoy the time period during which TID was based. She then asked me if I had a favorite character (Some of you know my answer) and I said "Of course! Jace!" Cassie then smiled and, still signing my books, by the way, said that she thought it was funny how everyone whose favorite character is Jace says it like "Duh, who else would be my favorite?" which we both laughed at before I added that Magnus would be a close second. The fangirling as I walked away from her table was real.

     Instead of eating first, I decided to get my books signed. Books > food. And just as I got back to the table and got my Shadowhunter books situated back in their bags, the lovely Stephanie Perkins arrived at her signing table and wasn't even seated before a flock of us had materialized in front of her. I had all three of her books, ANNA, LOLA, and ISLA to get signed, so I stood in line and when it was my turn, I got to speak to Stephanie. Earlier in the "Falling In & Out of Love" panel, she said that she would flirt with St. Clair (From ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS), have a huge crush on Cricket Bell (From LOLA AND THE BOY NEXT DOOR), and date/marry/everything else Josh (From ISLA AND THE HAPPILY EVER AFTER), so I asked her is Isla was her favorite of the trilogy to write. She said that she answered the question that way because there was so much of herself in Josh, and then we got started talking about the writing process and how ANNA's first draft was nothing like the ANNA we know and love. I'm actually not even sure if we ever got back to the whole "Which book was your favorite" question....

     After that, we placed our lunch order at the hotel restaurant and went back out for signings. Now with a majority of my books signed and placed in the truck (Those Cassie books took up a lot of space, alright?) I had one bag left. As I walked towards the doors, I looked out the window and was pleased to see that most of the people were in line for Cassie and Holly, and all other lines were short. I dashed up to my next author (Who I was pretty excited about) and literally waited like thirty seconds until the person in front of me left. Debut author Adi Alsaid was whose line I was in. My signing buddy and I saw him walk past our table that morning and were fangirling because I love LETS GET LOST and she wants to read it super badly. Have you read LGL? If yes, then wooh! *high fives* If you have not, well, I wouldn't be doing my part as a member of the street team if I didn't give you the Goodreads Link. I recommend you check it out. Anyway. So Adi is super nice and we cheered about the street team-- would you like to be on it? Click this link and scroll down to just under the author picture. You'll see subscription info there! You should join us, I mean, we're a pretty fantastic group of Adi fans. After my book was signed, we talked about LGL for a few minutes before I asked for a picture. Later, my buddy and I bothered him whilst he was on his computer to ask for a picture together. My apologies again for that interruption, Adi!

   

     The first thing I'd like to say about Sara B. Larson is that she really matched her book. From the shirt to the sharpie to the nail polish! And I just happened to match as well! As she signed, I told her how I honestly wasn't expecting to like DEFY, going into it, because it was castles and princes and war. But my friend went on and on about it so I had to try it and whaddaya know? It was amazingg. So amazing that I'm extremely hopeful that my ARC request will be granted *Bambi Eyes to Sara's publicist*. Was super great to be able to talk to her, and I really hope she comes back for IGNITE!

I didn't even know this picture had been taken until later that night, when I'd looked through the day's photos. I got so excited that I FORGOT TO ASK FOR A PICTURE. What even?!

          EXILE. I wanted to manage a band so badly when I finished that book. In fact, I texted my best friend, who plays drums, and was like "Hey, we should start a band" And we spent a couple hours creating this imaginary band (Which included Luke Hemmings and Brad Simpson). The longing for a band was real, you guys. *Points at author* I blame Kevin Emerson. Being in a band himself, he knows exactly how to write a "band book" and let me tell you, EXILE rocks. *Ba dum tiss* Get it? "Rocks"? Anyone? No? Moving on! I was super impressed with this book, especially since the typical, cliche thing that I expected to happen, did not happen, and it felt like a super fresh story. Also, I'd wanted to meet Kevin so that I could tell him (Which I did, by the way) That I was in the backseat of the truck when I finished this book, and I threw a fit when I read that last page. So many questions were left unanswered! I took to Google straight away, and was so relieved when I saw that there would be more books! Apparently there was a sentence in the back of the book that said so, but I had missed it because after that last page, I don't usually look at the rest of the book (Because of spoilers and ads). Turns out, that sentence wasn't in the ARCs, and was added later after many others had the same reaction as I did. Book two, I neeeeeeeeed you.

   
     It is to my sadness that I can't say much on THREATENED by Eliot Schrefer. I'm only on chapter five, but I'm working on it! Eliot was super nice, and though I had no idea that this picture was even being taken, he posed perfectly for it! Maybe I need to be more observant.. hah... I will finish THREATENED and I will make a long review of it to make up for this teeny paragraph. Promise!

     The excitement I experienced when I heard that Wendelin Van Draanen was going to be one of the authors at this conference was real. I'd read FLIPPED as a sixth grader (five years ago, wow!) and absolutely loved it. And then the movie came out and basically the only part of the story that was changed was the era in which the story took place. I asked Wedelin if she was pleased with the movie (She was), and I told her that I hadn't read any of her other books, so she gave me this paper-- Can you see the folded sheet of green?-- that listed her books, and she marked a few that she thought I might like. *Adds to TBR list* it was lovely to meet her, as I enjoyed FLIPPED immensely!

     After getting the books signed, we had a late lunch, which ran over into the last Break Out session of the day: Fantastical World Building. We saved this one for last, thinking it would be the busiest and that everyone would go to it first. Well... It was the busiest, and apparently everyone had the same idea as we did, because everyone was in this session. The room was so packed that we had to sit on the window ledge. And we couldn't hear a single thing, nor could we see the lovely ladies that were speaking. Who were they, you ask? Cassandra Clare, Holly Black, Kendare Blake, Delilah Dawson, Katherine Howe, and Sara B. Larson.

    When that panel was over, everyone met back in the ballroom for another keynote, which we were late to again because there were so many people. We sat outside the doors for a while, and I happened to look across the street and see Adi Alsaid on his computer (Writing? Revising?). So guys, I'm not at all going to pretend like I didn't freak out and run to set my bags down so we could get a picture. Would I be a fangirl if I didn't take advantage of such opportunities? AN AUTHOR. WHOM I HAPPENED TO BE A BIG FAN OF. WAS RIGHT. THERE. Authors for me are what movie stars are to most people, so... yeah. I carpe'd the diem. Buddy and I interrupted whatever he was doing and got a picture. I apologise for interrupting your quiet time, Adi!

     After perusing the bookstore, we made our way back to the ballroom to hear Cassie and Holly speak during their keynote session. Definitely one of the best parts of the day! Their session closed out the day, and all of the authors signed if you hadn't gotten that done. I did get my copy and a friend's copy of IRON TRIAL signed, though I didn't think to get a picture with both Cassie and Holly. The same occurred when I met Kendare Blake and got my ANTIGODDESS copy signed. That concluded the YA Literature Conference!

     It was a great day, and a very long day, and all of the authors were super amazing! I can't wait to tell you about Sunday, Day Two, aka YA Fandom Frenzy!

     ATTENTION: If any of you reading this were at the Literature Conference on Saturday, and you received an ARC of COMPULSION, please contact me if you'd be willing to give it up. Or trade it! Also, theres a giveaway of it going on over on Martina Boone's website. 4000+ people have entered!

     To celebrate this weekend here's a giveaway for you! US ONLY PLEASE!

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