Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Seize the Tuesday #20: Not Going to BEA *Cue the tears*


 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 help 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.

     The past three-day weekend has left me scrolling through Twitter and Instagram only to find that nearly EVERYONE is posting pictures of NYC in preparation for #BEA15.

    Sadness. Sadness is what I feel. Unfortunately, I couldn't make it to BEA this year, but I will be going to a couple other YA conferences later in the year, so I have that to look forward to!

     In case you aren't familiar with BEA, here's the link to the website: BEA Site

     For those of you who will be walking into the Javits Center tomorrow morning... HAVE FUN! Have so much fun that you have to come back and share some of it with those of us who didn't manage to fly up. Enjoy every minute of it, and be sure to post tons of pictures!

I'm on Bloglovin

After talking to a fellow blogger, I decided to get set up on Bloglovin! Below is the link for you if anyone wants to find me there! Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Friday, May 22, 2015

Review: EXILE by Kevin Emerson


     I'd been wanting to read EXILE for quite a while when I finally picked it up. I wasn't sure what to expect, as it was to be my first music-y book and I am musically challenged, but I was pleasantly surprised with what I got.
     Summer's life revolves around music. She attends a school for future stars, and she loves to manage bands. The last band she managed ended up leaving her in the dust for a record deal, and she is on the prowl for a new job. 
     That's when she meets Caleb Daniels-- killer vocalist, dark and mysterious, with a big secret that got him exiled from his last band. With a little help from his new manager, Caleb gets a band together, and that's when Summer goes from band manager to band-manager-and-girlfriend-of-the-lead-singer.
      That's also when Caleb drops a bombshell on the band that lands them in the middle of something bigger than just playing music. Suddenly, the band is wrapped in a mystery they never imagined being a part of, and it gets harder and harder to keep the band together.
     EXILE has easily become one of those books that just makes you happy, for me. It's a love story, and a mystery, all swaddled in a blanket of music, and I give it four stars, easily. Not who I am. Not where I'm going. But I'll meet you there. 

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Seize the Tuesday #19: #booksfortrade


 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 help 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

     If you're an active blogger on twitter, your heart probably just started racing when you read the title of this post. #booksfortrade has quite literally taken over many of our lives, and I'm not sure whether that's even a bad thing. 

     In case you haven't discovered the hashtag yet.. I don't know if I should tell you to stay away from it, for your own good and mental sanity, or if I should say GO GO RIGHT NOW GET ON TWITTER SEARCH THE HASHTAG ITS A LOVELY THING. Basically, if you have books that you don't want, you post a picture of them and use the hashtag, and someone (One of the many bloggers like myself who are refreshing the page every five seconds) will look at your stack. If they see something they like, they'll tweet you and try to trade you! It's helpful to post a wishlist with your picture, so that we can scan through your list and see if we have anything you want, but it's not always necessary.

     This is a great thing. I've made five or six trades, and so far I've gotten a lot of what I've been looking for. There are some people out there who will just give you their books because they want to clear out shelf space. They don't even want anything back. I personally have traded with a girl who gave me three recently pubbed ARCs, and all she wanted in return was a guest review for her blog. 

     I've been very pleased with this hashtag, and most of the people out there are genuinely excited to trade. Of course, you should always be cautious about who you trade with. If you don't know the person, be careful. We don't want any of you getting scammed! I can say that if you try to trade with me, I WILL NOT scam you, nor will I release your addy and personal information to anyone other than myself. 

    Following the end of YABE, up popped a helpful thing called Have You Seen This? It's where you... well, here's the link! In short, it's a way for people to post what they want, and for other people to contact them if they have it! SO HELPFUL.

     So if you're seizing your Tuesday the way I am, by refreshing your twitter feed every few minutes and looking for those certain books, GOOD LUCK! I hope you find what you're looking for! Unless you're looking for ARCs of Shiver, Linger, and Forever. Then I hope you don't find what you're looking for, because that is also what I am looking for ;)

     

Monday, May 18, 2015

BLOGISODES!


I has an announcement!

Starting in June, I'm going to be live-interviewing an author a month, and posting the link to the interview up here for you all to enjoy. Each interview will include a time for the authors to talk about their books, and what's coming up next for them, as well as a short discussion on a set topic. Of course, there will be a question round, and I'll be asking some questions of my own as well as a few from you, the readers! 

Here's how that's going to work

Each month, I'll tell you who I'll be doing a live-show with, and give you a link. From there, you can RSVP, and let me know that you plan on joining us, and start thinking of any questions you might want answered. On the day of the chat, go find that link and get ready for some fun. 

The fantastic thing about the live-show is that we'll be able to interact with those of you who are watching. You can send in your questions as we talk, and when we open up and start the question round, I'll be taking your questions from the comments section in the live-shows (Which will be hosted through Google Hangouts, by the way) as well as any questions sent in through Twitter or Facebook.

We'll take as many questions as we can cram into our chat time window, so don't be afraid to send those in.

You are more than welcome to send questions in early. Feel free to send them in anytime, just be sure to use the author-specific hashtag you find in the month's announcement post.

For example:

I've very pleased to tell you that June's Blogisode is going to be titled "The Craze About Critique Partners" and it will feature Bethany Crandell and A.G. Howard! We've got some great stuff planned, and I can't wait to get started.

The hashtag for this Dynamic Duo of a show is #CrazeAboutCritPs! Be sure to tell me who your question is for, or if it's for everyone!

We're very excited to see your questions, and hopefully you'll have any answers you seek from some of your favorite books.

Friday, May 15, 2015

Review: Beware the Wild by Natalie C. Parker


I love a good love story, but something that really catches me and tugs on my heart are stories about siblings. This is what caught my interest in BEWARE THE WILD, and now... I can honestly say that this is one of the books and authors that I appreciate the most. 
Sterling loves her brother, probably more than anyone else in the world, but all siblings fight. She just didn't expect Phin to get so angry at her that he'd run into the swamp. Which is exactly what he did. 
Everyone knows that there's something powerful about the swamp, and everyone knows that those who enter never return, but Sterling won't accept it. Until a girl Phin's age walks out of the swamp, and takes his place in their family. Suddenly, Sterling is the only one in town that remembers her brother... he seems to be swiped from everyone else's memory, and her new Sister From the Swamp, Lenora May, knows exactly what's happened. Sterling has to save her brother-- the one person in the world that she truly needs-- no matter what the cost, and she has no idea what she's about to get herself into.
I absolutely ADORED this book. It holds a special place on my heart, and I was so pleased to meet Natalie and tell her how much I love that she took the time to write a book where the main focus is on sibling love, and not romantic infatuation. I give BEWARE THE WILD a shining, twinkiling, burning five stars, and I hope that you will go out and buy it. I want to know what you think about this one.

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Review: NIL Unlocked by Lynne Matson


I couldn't get enough of NIL. I read the first book in a day, finishing at three in the morning and sobbing myself silly. I was blessed enough to get the chance to meet Lynne when the #MMBB stopped in Chicago, and now that NIL UNLOCKED has hit the shelves, those of you who read and loved NIL are about to go nuts!

I am so hyped about this book right now, that I don't trust myself to summarize it without spoiling SOMETHING. So here's the description from Goodreads:

On the island of Nil, the rules are set. You have exactly 365 days to escape—or you die. Rives is now the undisputed Leader of Nil City, but keeping the City united is tougher than ever.

Raiders have grown bolder, supplies are dwindling, and non-human inhabitants have taken a turn toward the deadly. New arrivals cause rifts within the City, putting the Search system at risk, and calling everything Rives knows into question. Desperate for answers, he teams up with the only other person searching for them: Skye, a new arrival with a mysterious past of her own. Soon the duo find themselves locked in a desperate race to save all the residents of Nil—and possibly destroy the island forever. But at what cost? And who will pay the price?

DUN DUN DUN

But seriously, I cannot say good enough things about this book, or the first one. I give it a sparkling five-stars, with a push, shove, and jab towards the bookstore. The plot was thought out extremely well, tying things together from book one, as well as bringing up a list of unanswered questions by the end that leave you begging for more. All characters were easy to connect to in some aspect, and I loved the cameos of certain characters from book one. Pace was perfect, all the way to the end of the emotional rollercoaster that is NIL UNLOCKED.

Get it. Love it. Tell me all about it.

Because this is one of the series that can bring me back to a good mood the moment someone mentions it, and I hop it can be that for you, too.

Seize the Tuesday #18: Cooking Up Bloggy Things


     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 help 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

    This Tuesday is special. Today I'm working on something big for the blog-- Something that I know you guys are going to love. It's taking some meticulous planning, some outlining, and detailing, but hopefully it's going to turn out supremely well! I haven't seen any other bloggers do something like this, so I'm excited to get started, and I'll be sure to update you with a post when I get started!

     As for now, I'm keeping today short and sweet. Lot's to plan, and I want to figure out as much as I can!

    Get lost today, everyone!

Wednesday, May 6, 2015

STOKED for Paula Stokes!

    Some of you may have read the ART OF LAINEY, one of last year's many incredible debut novels. If you did, you probably loved it, as I did. Paula Stokes has recently released her second novel, and though it is nothing like LAINEY, it's definitely a stunner! LIARS, INC. is a tangled web of mystery, suspense, thrill, and who-dunnit that will keep you on your toes until the very last page. I have Paula on the blog today for a guest post, and she's given us 10 Facts About Her Novels...
 


TEN FACTS


  1. The cover shoes belong to an art director at HarperTeen. Her shoes are also featured on the cover of Life By Committee. Now that’s going above and beyond for your job.

  1. Vista Palisades is a fictional town name that I used in my first ever manuscript that I wrote in 2006. The Happy Cheetah cartoon that Micah is watching in The Art of Lainey is also from that manuscript. No words are ever wasted. Keep everything. You never know when it might come in useful.

  1. Editorial wanted me to change the name of one of Max’s baby sisters at the last minute, and so I subbed in my cousin Jo Lee’s name. I haven’t quite gotten around to telling her yet ;-)

  1. I wrote Langston (I still don’t know if that’s his first name or last name) to be a combination of Morgan Freeman and Denzel Washington.

  1. It took The Art of Lainey two rounds of submission and about four and a half months before it sold in May of 2012. I first-drafted this entire book in that waiting period (along with writing Belladonna) to where I remember telling my agent “If LAINEY doesn’t sell, oh well. On to the next thing.” If you’re a writer, keep writing. Don’t sit around and wait to see what happens with a manuscript. The more projects you have, the less-traumatized you’ll be if one doesn’t sell/get picked up by an agent.

  1. No cover is without its twin. Hey, at least it isn’t an iced coffeemaker this time ;-)














  1. The band name Kittens of Mass Destruction came from a Yahoo news article my mom sent me about a kitten that had traveled from a foreign country to California in a shipping container to be discovered alive after three weeks without food or water. “Isn’t that the greatest story ever?” she asked. “Probably some sort of biological warfare thing,” I joked. (I’m kind of cynical sometimes.)

  1. This book went through four separate endings, including one where Max basically shoots everyone who is guilty of anything and makes it look like they all shot each other and gets away with it. But as edgy as that ending was and as much as some people would like that, I ultimately decided it wasn’t Max and it wasn’t me.

  1. In the first draft, Parvati was the one who used a lot of profanity, not Max. I wanted to create a bit of role reversal with them, but ultimately I decided her sexual confidence was enough to convey her character and that the book felt more believable when she didn’t swear much.

  1. I dedicated this book to Dean Koontz, my all-time favorite mystery writer. Einstein and Odd are two of his characters. When my first work-for-hire book released, my mom wrote him a letter and invited him to my launch party. (#Awkward) His response was to send both of us signed books and write her back a personal note. #1 NYT Bestselling Dean Koontz took time out for my mom—that’s basically the coolest thing ever.


     If you haven't read LIARS yet, I suggest you come find this post again when you've finished and read through the facts again. I read them before I read the book, and after I finished it, I came back and reread the facts, and now it's interesting to see what/who makes more sense now that I've experienced the story.


     Since this post is revolving around LIARS. I thought it would be the perfect time to get my review out into the world, so here we go...


(Picture from my IG acc.. follow me @doodlesreviews!)

Since I was a big fan of LAINEY, I absolutely HAD to read Stokes' second book. Of course, I'm part of the street team as well, so with all of the promoting and such, the need to read it only intensified. Finally I got my copy, about a month after release, and I devoured it in one sitting. Talk about an intense reading experience.
LIARS, INC. is the story of Max Cantrell-- Adopted, outcasted, and best friends with Preston, the most popular guy in school. Max and his girlfriend have a good life, thanks to Pres' popularity, but everything takes a turn for the unexpected when the three of them decide to form a business. A business based on lies. For a lump sum, Max, Preston, and Parvati will lie for you-- call you in sick to school, write a fake doctor's note, give you an alibi if you want to have an uninterrupted night with your lover-- and it all works like a well-oiled machine. 

Until Preston is the one who needs an Alibi. 

Until he turns up missing.

 Until the police find his body.

Now Max has to figure out just what happened to his best friend, and the truth turns out to be what he would least expect. 
A mystery, suspense, and thriller all wrapped into one, LIARS, INC. is an unforgettable novel. With twist after twist, and twists inside twists, it leaves you guessing and confused until the very last page. I did happen to guess the endgame, but I didn't guess the HOW, or the WHY, so the story was just as interesting to me as if I had been dead wrong. I give LIARS a four straight rating, though I could've done without the sex scenes. All in all, it was a fantastic ride, and I'm super proud to be part of the street team, especially now that I've read the book! If you're a fan of mystery, and twisty turny thrills, go pick up LIARS, INC. by Paula Stokes. It all starts with one little lie.

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Seize the Tuesday #17: Book Buying Ban, Amendment 1

     

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 help 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

     As a lot of you probably know, I put myself on a Book Buying Ban a few months ago. My fine print gave me the excuses that I could have new book, ONLY if they were given to me as gifts, or if they were sent to me (ARCs, etc). After living by this ban for many a month, I have decided to make an amendment to my contract with myself.
   
     There are quite a few books being released this year that I NEED to read, review, and be part of, and since I don't get ARCs every month like a lot of the big bloggers  (One day *starry eyes*)  I have come up with a solution.
     As of today, I will permit myself to buy ONLY new releases. If I find an older book that I want to read, I'll put it on a list, but won't buy it until I clear out my shelf of 2014 and previous years releases. That way I can keep up with the new releases, and in between releases I can work on clearing out that shelf.
     And wow, it's the fifth! I've created this Amendment to my contract in just enough time to run by Barnes and Noble and grab THE HEIR ;)