#IHeartDessen - That Summer Giveaway!!!

Hey Hey!!!

Penguin Teen asked me to be a part of their #IHeartDessen month and I happily joined in! I first saw Sarah Dessen when she was on tour with Gayle Forman during the fall in Chapel Hill, NC. Since she is a local North Carolinian I gathered up my books and headed over there. I was immediately drawn to her and became super stoked about reading more Sarah. :) 

Me all post work frumpiness 😂 but these two totally made my day! @gayleforman @sdessen

A photo posted by Bookish Diva (@becomingbooks) on Jan 29, 2015 at 9:06pm PST

I was super lucky when I saw her again a couple weeks ago as she was on tour for Saint Anything. Great conversation about how her books are not really all that romantic (I agree!) but deal with deep issues.

This is so true for That Summer. I immediately connected with Haven as she deals with the aftermath of her parent's divorce: her dad's remarriage, mom's new life, and her sister getting married and leaving home as well. In fact, it seems like everyone has moved on except for 15-year-old Haven. As a way of coping Haven finds her last "happy" family memory which was a vacation in Virginia Beach along with her sister's ex-boyfriend, Sumner, years earlier.

What results is a heartfelt story about family and sibling friendship creating a solid debut novel from Dessen about 17 years ago! Dessen is now on her 12th novel and stated at the reading that if she didn't write anymore she'd be happy with her new novel being her last. However, this is probably not her last novel! *fingers crossed*

So now it's giveaway time!! :) Penguin Teen was nice enough to send me an extra paperback of That Summer so I'm passing it on to my readers and it's even signed by Sarah Dessen!

Giveaway is available in the U.S. only and open until June 8. Entries will be verified. 

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[Top Ten Tuesday] New-To-Me Authors I Read In 2014

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. 

Top 10 New-To-Me Authors I Read In 2014

Sarah Harian

Writing New Adult thriller series, Chaos Theory, while maintaing it's steamy base makes for some fast paced reads that are totally worth it.

Jason Reynolds

Reynolds's prose brings a raw element to contemporary fiction. He has a new release coming January 2015

Marie Rutkoski

The Winner's Curse is one of my top picks for the year. I have not read her earlier series the Kronos Chronicles but it's on my TBR now! 

Lauren Oliver

I've heard of Lauren Oliver and her army of olives but I had not yet read her novels. I even owned two of them. On a whim I decided to listen to Delirium on audio and loved it! Then I decided to double down and listened to Panic. Once again, score. 

David Levithan

Another audiobook win! I listened to Two Boys Kissing and since have bought a few other of his books and seen him twice at festivals/signings.

Claudia Gray

A Thousand Pieces of You was on my TBR forever! I was lucky enough to get an eARC and then I got to meet her at a signing. Loved the book and she is pretty awesome as well.

Scott Westerfeld

Westerfeld has authored several series but it was snagging an eARC that exposed me to his awesomeness. Sadly, I own a copy of the Uglies that has been sitting on the shelf untouched. *hangs head* 

Meg Wolitzer

Wolitzer is a well established adult and young adult author and I've been hearing about her for years! With the name Meg it's hard not too ;) I head buzz for Belzhar early on but I was nervous but... it worked out perfectly. Her prose just drew me in!

Maggie Stiefvater

I started following Maggie on Twitter after a recommendation from my mom. Mothers always know best. I later read Sinner and loved it! I now have bought The Wolves of Mercy Falls series and hope to start the Raven Cycle series soon.

Maureen Johnson

Another author I followed on Twitter before I read her books. Maureen is hilarious! I listened to 13 Little Blue Envelopes and was thrown into waves of nostalgia from traveling Europe. I can't wait to keep reading her work.

So yeah... a lot of big names on this list. I'm so excited that I no longer have to hang my head in shame!  

Who was new to you this year?

[Event Recap] Marie Lu at Flyleaf Books

Okay... this is going up all kinds of late. Marie Lu came out to talk about her new release, Young Elites and her last trilogy, Legend.

She kept it short and sweet and really pumped me up to read Young Elites! Hints there are parallels between our new protag and Darth Vader which sounds soooo cool! The full audio is below although the audience questions may be hard to hear.

 Marie Lu at Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, NC 

Author Event + Giveaway!!: Scott Westerfeld ft. Afterworlds

I stopped by Quail Ridge Books and Music after work on Wednesday to check out Scott Westerfeld and get a finished copy of Afterworlds. Sadly, I hadn't finished the book yet. Mostly because I'm a chicken and am afraid of ghosts. :p I'm loving the book though and now fear for the characters since Scott had a devious look when I made a comment. O_o

Don't forget to scroll to the bottom for the giveaway!

 

 

Scott was awesome and bought in a full house of people!!!! The chat was about an hour long and probably one of my favorite author chats! I recorded the chat for those who are interested. During the question/answer portion it might be a bit hard to hear the person asking the question. Sorry!



Scott also shared the following videos for Afterworlds including the books trailer and it's connection to the YA community.

 

I'm giving away a signed ARC of Afterworlds! 

Open to US only, check out the full policy here.

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[Top Ten Tuesday] Authors I Own the Most Books From

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. 

Top 10 Authors I Own the Most Books From

This is an interesting topic for me since 1) I've only been reading extensively for the past two years. 2) I purchase a LOT of used books from various places so although I may own a lot of books from a particular writer it doesn't mean I've read any of them... Ironically, my favorite author is not on this list! I must remedy this ASAP!

in no particular order

1. Nicholas Sparks
2. Sarah Dessen
3. Melissa De La Cruz
4. Maya Banks
5. Rainbow Rowell
6. Nick Hornby
7. Jennifer Weiner
8. Dean Koontz
9. Ernest Hemingway
10. Cassandra Clare

Nicholas Spark and Sarah Dessen are both popular in North Carolina so there are always a lot of their books floating around. I've been reading Sparks since I was in middle school so call it a guilty pleasure if you will. I hope to read some of my Dessen books soon because I've heard so many good things!

At a library sale a while back I was able to scoop of all of the Blue Bloods series by De La Cruz for a bargain. The bonus was they were all brand new, finished copies. 

Yes, I read Maya Banks and I heart her so throw the shade in the comments, I can handle it. I've never been a big erotica reader but I do like Ms. Banks in my life. 

I own all of the published books by Rainbow Rowell and I wish there were more. Maybe I'll find her old columns... haha. 

I was introduced to Nick Hornby via movies based on his books. *insert collective groan here* I loved the movies so I knew I'd love the books. I have a number of his novels now thanks to various used books sales. 

I'm not big on traditional romance novels, but Weiner writes entertaining adult romance with the comedic timing of real life. I now scoop up any of her novels I see on the shelves.

At the last large library book sale I started hunting for all of the Odd Thomas novels and I think I found all but one of them. This easily made Koontz one of the authors I own the most books from. Maybe one day I'll actually get to read them. *dun, dun*

A while back I read The Paris Wife a fictional novel about Hemingway's first marriage. I became enamored by his life and started reading all of his books. I own multiple editions of some of his titles, and have read them all. I don't even think highly of his writing but his himself was a very interesting man with an even more interesting family. However, every time I hear his name I think of this...

Last but not least I own a lot of Cassandra Clare mostly because of the number of novels she churns out! Between the Mortal Instrument and Infernal Devices series that totals to nine books not to include what more I plan to add to my shelves from this world. 

Talk to me:

What author do you own the most of? Is it reflective of your reading tastes? Is your favorite author your most owned author? 

BEA 2014 Wrap Up: Day 2 + Giveaway!

Whoa! I woke up before 6 a.m. on the opening day of BEA. Which is shocking because it is a struggle to make it to work by 9 a.m. most days. I decided since I was up that I'd head to the Javits early and scope everything out.

I arrived around 7:15ish via cab (one of two luxuries I allowed myself). The ticketed autographing booth had a minimal line so I checked my luggage and got tickets for Ann Martin, Rachel Russell and Gregory Maguire. I found a spot in the line for the expo floor and plotted my day with the daily Publisher's Weekly.

I found out quickly that I should've printed my schedule instead of referring to it on my phone! Lesson learned. I also saw people set calendar reminders so that maybe the next method I try as well.

The show floor opened and there were people and tote bags everywhere! Not to mention the books... all the books. Not to be dramatic, but the gates of book heaven had opened and I was grabbing everything that remotely looked YA. This may sound greedy, but literally the crowds are determining where you go and everything is happening so fast!

After the Ann Martin signing I was kind of wandering aimlessly for a bit, taking everything in and visiting booths for drop schedules. I found out really quickly that autographing didn't mean much to me if I could get the book at a drop. And I saw these awesome guys made completely from Legos... score!

 

I did go to the Harlequin Teen Power Hour where six authors where signing at once! This totally made it worth the wait, not to mention that my must get ARC was there, Talon by Julie Kagawa. Day made. She is so awesome and so sweet, I was probably grinning like a major goofball!

Harlequin Teen Power Hour! 

My trip is complete!

By this time the tote bags were full and I needed to make a luggage drop. Much to my surprise not everything would fit! Agh! What's a girl to do... oh, well... I'd have to figure it out later because there was still so much more to do.

Next came the Melissa Marr signing for Made for You which is set in North Carolina, woot woot! This line was crazy long and I was the last person in the cut-off based on the autograph captain's count. This is of course if no one cuts *side eyes*. Some people disappeared from the line and I still wasn't sure if I'd get a copy. Sure enough the person in front of me was due to get the last ARC. What I didn't notice was Harlequin author Dawn Metcalf was in front of me!!!!! Bonus: She was sooo sweet and let me have the last ARC. I will never forget this!

The rest of the day was focused on getting galleys and figuring out my book transport situation. I decided to breakdown and use the Expo shipping area. Yes, it is MEGA expensive but as I get older I find I'm willing to pay for life's conveniences, even if that means I don't eat but get to save my shoulders. If you can swing it, it's worth the cost. I left my books there each day and on the last day shipped them out via UPS.

I didn't make it to the Gregory Maguire signing because I was done! Just done. I needed a nap since my introvertedness was starting to show. I gave away my ticket, went backed to the room and slept through Blogger Happy Hour. I was a bit sad about that but I needed the sleep... on to day 3!

Open to U.S. only, sorry! I will do an international giveaway soon. Complete rules here.

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Check back Monday – Tuesday for more BEA coverage! 

Missed Day 1? Check it out here.

BEA 2014 Wrap Up: Day 1 + Giveaway!

So I know I'm behind the ball... all the BEA wrap-up posts have already gone up and what not. Well, honestly BEA kicked my butt! I've been sleepy all week long and could not shake my post-BEA haze.

Day 1 – Blogger Con + Teen Author Carnival

I was silly and decided to take the "red eye" bus to Chinatown on the morning of Blogger Con. I arrived around 7 a.m., headed to my hotel to check my bag and freshen up. I then hoofed it from 3rd avenue to 11th avenue where Javits is located, because I wanted to go for a walk and had some time to kill. :/

I made it there with time to spare, picked up my badge and got settled in. At the table I chose there were already some awesome bloggers chatting away including a pair of NC girls, Jessica and Missy from A Midsummer's Night Read, whom are amazing and I wish I would've had a photo op with! Alas, I suck at taking photos that involve my physical person...

Overall the conference was not overly helpful but it was a great networking opportunity considering the price (cheaper than a BEA 3-day badge) and included continental breakfast, lunch, BEA pass and a BookCon pass. I ducked out about mid-way through the social to check into my room and head over to Teen Author Carnival.

I decided to hoof it to TAC as well. I was definitely logging some steps! The rest of my trip I was totally a cab girl...

At TAC I chose to hang out up stairs for the panels, since my extrovert juices were running low I was maintaining a low profile. I did however run into Meredith (Pandora's Books) and Kelly (Effortlessly Reading). I also managed to hand out a few buttons without people thinking I was handing them a bomb, win!

Come Together panel: (L-R) Michael Barakiva, Robin Talley, Eliot Schrefer, Aaron Hartzler
and moderated by Adam Silvera

Time After Time panel where Gayle Forman leads a sing-a-long of Cyndi Lauper's 80s hit!
The panel included (L-R) moderator Mitali Dave, Gayle Forman, Una LaMarche, Tiffany Schmidt, Lauren E. Morrill, Adi Alsaid and Jennifer E. Smith.

Open to U.S. only, sorry! I will do an international giveaway soon. Complete rules here.

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Check back Sunday – Tuesday for more BEA coverage! 

[Author Interview + Giveaway] Chasing Prophecy by James Moser

Chasing Prophecy by James Moser 

Publication date: January 2, 2014

Genres: Young Adult – Paranormal, Thriller

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

Synopsis

“Chasing Prophecy” is the story of Mo, a teen boy just trying to survive high school in the mountain town of Boulder Creek, Washington. Boulder Creek is an isolated and mysterious place, proud of its reputation as the “Bigfoot Sighting Capital of the World”. Mo falls in love with a girl named Prophecy who lives with a group that some call a commune and others call a cult. When she disappears, Mo must find the courage to face the monster that her family has become. “Chasing Prophecy” is a heartwarming contemporary coming of age story. This book chronicles the adolescence of one boy who must transform himself to save the girl of his dreams.

How did you come up with this story?

I always wanted to build a story around someone or something like Boo Radley, my all-time fave character. I love how he dominates that book while remaining largely off-stage.  I looked around the Seattle area and the closest thing I could think of was our local legend of Bigfoot. Once I had my own version of Nathan Arthur Radley in place, I started thinking a lot about monsters, especially monsters we make bigger in our imagination. I also thought about Boo living in society without being a part of it, which made me think of different separatist groups turned into cults. My young characters are based on bits and pieces of many former students of mine. The Bigfoot stuff is based on an encounter a couple of them swear they had in Oso (which by the way is the site of the horrific mud-slide that has been in the news). That part of the Mount Baker National Forest has the most Bigfoot sightings in the world.    

Where is Boulder Creek, Washington?

Like everything else in the book, it’s based on bits and pieces of lots of things. There is no town called that. Boulder Creek is where my wife and I hiked for our first date, in the foothills of the north Cascade Mountains. The mountains in my book look like the ones around Darrington & Oso, in Snohomish County. The main street is like Arlington. The log bridge is something I remember from a family trip to Yellowstone National Park, 1,000 miles away. Twilight readers keep telling me that Boulder Creek feels like Forks, and they’re right, because that’s what every small town in Washington feels like. The Bethlehem compound is the Boy Scout camp I attended in northern Idaho, complete with the same wood carvings on the fireplace. 

If you had to explain your book in one sentence, what would that sentence be?   

Real monsters don’t always hide in the woods. Sometimes they turn out to be people we’ve known all our lives. OK that was two sentences, but not bad, right???

What have you been reading, lately?

The last couple years have been all about Sherman Alexie’s True Diary and the complete works of John Green. Jay Asher’s 13 Reasons + Future of Us. I’m a male writer with a male voice writing teen dude narrators, so those have been my go-to guys for this particular project. I think True Diary is the most important thing to happen in YA for a looooong time.  

So I have to ask:  Do you believe in Bigfoot?

Dunno. I’m not a wishy-washy guy but I just do not know. I guess for me the point is that I kind of like not knowing. I like the debates & I love how passionate people are about it one way or the other. It’s a different form of Faith, really, which is whatever you want it to be. Put it this way: I’ll be crushed if he’s ever proven or disproven. I like the uncertainty & what’s the point of living when there are no more monsters to chase? 

New projects?

Yeah, I’m outlining and researching a teen series set in Seattle with the local legend of Sasquatch as the key paranormal thread. People seem really interested in him + I live in this setting, where we happen to have the most sightings in the world + no one else is doing it, so it seems like a natural fit. I’m handing off drafts to editors and cover designers in December, 2014 and the first release will be in March, 2015. 

What’s been most exciting about the book, so far?

Just having an audience is so fun.  I’ve been getting random fan e-mails from the UK, Australia, one from China, the other day.  Chatting about what I’m up to, and learning what readers like & dislike has just been so thrilling!

Meet the Author: James Moser

Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

When he's not dazzling Goodreads members with his wit and charm, the author is typically reading, writing, or watching way too much TV while snacking on chocolate treats from Trader Joe's (and who can blame him--those things are GOOD, yo!).

The author wanted to write about teenagers transforming themselves to survive. The result is "Chasing Prophecy," a story about love, loss, redemption, and monsters. Boo Radley is the author's all-time favorite book character, which is how the Seattle-area legend of Bigfoot entered this story.

Moser holds a B.A. in bookish matters and a Master's in the same. He lives in Seattle with his wife and eight year old son.

Open internationally, ends May 20.

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7 Life Lessons I Learned from Gabriel Garcia Marquez

It's always hard to find great writers who celebrate the heritage and passion that Latinos keep bottled up. Gabriel García Márquez was the first Columbian and only fourth Latino to win the Nobel Prize. Today I'd like to celebrate all the words Márquez shared with us and thank him for unleashing all the love, passion and dedication he had for life.

March 6, 1927 – April 17, 2014

source Wikipedia

Seven Life Lessons I Learned from Gabriel García Márquez

If it's a good book, then it's a good book. No movie necessary.

“I can't think of any film that improved on a good novel,
but I can think of many good films
that came from very bad novels.” 

As I get older my memories are all I have of what has passed. And that's reality. 

“What matters in life is not what happens to you but what you remember and how you remember it.”

But even so, sometimes we have to let go.

“She would not shed a tear, she would not waste the rest of her years simmering in the maggot broth of memory.”

Men will never understand women.

“If men gave birth, they'd be less inconsiderate.” 

That there is always more than one truth.

"All human beings have three lives: public, private, and secret.”

Love really is infinite, not finite as we often imagine.

"My heart has more rooms in it than a whore house.”

Don't stop chasing that five year plan that's turned into 10.

“It is not true that people stop pursuing dreams because they grow old, they grow old because they stop pursuing dreams.”

[Event Recap] Jenny Han & Jenny Hubbard in Raleigh, NC

My first book signing as a blogger!

I was totally late thanks to work. :/ But that's okay because I got there just as Jenny Hubbard was getting ready to read, so really... it was perfect timing.

I didn't take many pictures/video because it was sooo quiet and I didn't want to be the crazy paparazzi lady in a local bookshop. However, I did capture a few sound bites for ya'll to listen to from the question and answer portion.

Coolest Things I Learned About Jenny Hubbard

• She worked at an all-male boarding school for 10 years and lived with the students for five years! 
• She didn't intend for Paper Covers Rock, her first novel, to be YA and didn't really know what that meant until after the fact. 

Coolest Things I Learned About Jenny Han

• She doesn't write a novel in sequential order. 
• In co-writing with Siobhan Vivian, they don't write from strictly one point-of-view, but they each write parts of every narrator versus alternation chapters, etc.

Bonus: Jenny Han was rocking some super cool nail art!

Both Jenny's are awesome and if you haven't be sure to check out their newest releases!

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han
And We Stay by Jenny Hubbard

[Cover Reveal] A Vault of Sins by Sarah Harian (Chaos Theory #2)

A Vault of Sins by Sarah Harian 

Series: Chaos Theory #2

Published by: Intermix (Penguin)

Publication Date: September 2014

Genres: New Adult, Thriller 

 

Synopsis:

In her stunning New Adult debut, The Wicked We Have Done, Sarah Harian introduced readers to the Compass Room: a twisted experimental jail where the guilty and the innocent suffer alike. But breaking out was only the beginning…

Even though she’s escaped, twenty-two-year-old Evalyn Ibarra is anything but free. She’s desperate to return to a life that no longer exists, but prying reporters continually draw her back into nightmarish memories, using the tabloids to vilify her. Bad press is the last thing she needs during the trial of the year: the case that she and her fellow survivors staked against the Compass Room engineers. A case that could terminate the use of the inhumane system forever…

But in her dreams, she is still locked in that terrifying jail.

When she wakes, someone is trying to communicate with her in secret, through strange and intricate clues. As Evalyn follows their signs, she uncovers a conspiracy that goes so much deeper than her own ordeal. A dangerous intrigue that only she can bring to light. One that will force her to work with the one person she doesn’t want to see.

The person who owns her heart…

AUTHOR BIO

Sarah Harian grew up in the foothills of Yosemite and received her B.A. and M.F.A. from Fresno State University. When not writing, she is usually hiking some mountain or another in the Sierras, playing video games with her husband, or rough-housing with her dog.

Follow Sarah

Twitter | Website | Facebook | Goodreads

I'm sooo excited to read A Vault of Sins by Sarah Harian! The first book literally the wahoos out of me and at the end of The Wicked We Have Done the story was transitioning from scary thriller to conspiracy thriller so I'm very curious/excited to see where it all goes. Check out my review from the first book in the Chaos Theory series, The Wicked We Have Done.