The Last Word

ARC Review: FRESHMAN YEAR & OTHER UNNATURAL DISASTERS

2012-02-09T09:34:00.000-05:00

The Book: FRESHMAN YEAR & OTHER UNNATURAL DISASTERS
The Author: Meredith Zeitlin
The Publisher: Putnam Juvenile (an Imprint of Penguin)
Anticipated Release Date: March 1, 2012

Summary (as lifted from the Penguin website):
Laugh-out-loud funny high school drama - perfect for fans of Lauren Myracle and Meg Cabot

Let's say you're fourteen and live in New York City. You'd think your life would be like a glamorous TV show, right? And yet . . . You don't have a checking account, much less a personal Black American Express card. You've never been to a club, and the only couture in your closet is a Halloween costume your mom made from an old laundry bag.

In other words? You're Kelsey Finkelstein - fourteen and frustrated. Every time she tries to live up to her awesome potential, her plans are foiled. Kelsey wants to rebrand herself for high school to make the kind of mark she knows is her destiny. But just because Kelsey has a plan for greatness . . . it doesn't mean the rest of the world is in on it.

Kelsey's hilarious commentary and sardonic narration of her freshman year will have readers laughing out loud - while being thankful that they're not in her shoes, of course.

My Take:
First off, it must be noted that if I'd had a freshman year that was anything like Kelsey's, I might not have survived. There. I said it. Now, for my thoughts on this book.

I LOVED IT!

Alternating between literal LOL moments (I mean, snorting guffaws here folks, not just staring at the book and coolly saying LOL. I actually did Laugh. Out. Loud.), rolling my eyes at some of Kelsey's observations, shaking my fist at a few characters (including Kels), cringing at some particularly brutal moments, and then laughing again, I flew right through to the final page in record time. So, why did I like it so well, you ask? Simple.

Kelsey is a freaking riot. Her voice rings loud and clear from the first sentence. Her dry wit and her determination to transform herself into a new and improved version of herself instantly endear her to the reader. Add to that her circle of friends, all vastly different but sharing a common bond of history and knowing each other inside and out. They each add their own little hint of flavor into the mix.

Then, of course, there are the disasters, of which there are many. Making JV soccer only be placed in the dreaded goalie position, which frankly, terrified me even before I read this book. A junior girl who has it in for Kelsey from day one. Trying to be noticed by her crush, all the while fending off the advances of a boy she really has no interest in. Oh, and then there are the photographs! *snort* I'm still snickering thinking of those. And the school play. *double snort*

Through every embarrassing catastrophe that befalls Kelsey, she never loses her sense of self. She may get knocked down a few times, but she doesn't shrink away (well, there was that one time, but I can't hold that against her). I found myself rooting for her through it all, every time something went wrong, I cheered her on to power through, and that she did, which sometimes didn't help her cause, but it was very entertaining, in deed.

A fast, fun read by a new voice on the scene, FRESHMAN YEAR is a must-read for any girl ready to embark on the journey that is high school...and even for those of us wanting to relive that time in our lives;)

So, how about all you fun folks? Did you have a particularly disastrous freshman year? I'd love to hear about it in the comments!

ARC Review: BELIEVE IT OR NOT

2012-02-03T10:02:00.000-05:00

The Book: BELIEVE IT OR NOT
The Author: Tawna Fenske
The Publisher: SourceBooks Casablanca
Anticipated Release (hehe. I said RELEASE) Date: March 1, 2012

This is where I'd normally give you a summary of the book, but really, you can get that here or here or here and also pre-order it while you're there, because BELIEVE IT, this book is that freaking AWESOME. Do it. Do it NOW. I'll wait right here while you go do that.

...

...

Done? Okay, good. Now, for my real review. And, since this is a Friday, I'm going to give you the goods in true Friday Five Fashion (say that five times fast). And so, I give you:

Five Reasons To Fall For BELIEVE IT OR NOT

The Characters. Of course you have your MC, Violet McGinn, and her LI (love interest) Drew Watson (*sigh, swoon* Drew. *sighs again* I love him and kind of wish he was real...and working next door to me. I'm just saying.) But, in some cases, it was the side characters who stole the show for me, even those who only showed up for a scene or two. Moonbeam (Violet's hippie dippie psychic mom) was a hoot and a half. Jamie, sweet kind of dumb and drop-dead gorgeous Jamie, inspired his fair share of "Aw"s and more than once, I just wanted to pat him on the head. And, then there was Dreadlock Dude. I freaking loved him!
The Music. Butt Rock. Glam Rock. Eighties Hair bands. Whatever you want to call it, although I think I kind of like calling it Butt Rock now. It plays a central role in the plot, and has you snickering a bit, especially when Violet has to give a psychic reading for a cop and Drew is blaring Aerosmith in the background.
The Dialogue. This is perhaps my favorite part of Tawna's writing. She comes up with such snicker/snort inducing conversations for her characters to have, and still finds a way to make them completely believable as real bantering. Nothing feels forced, and you just get to sit back and enjoy the sarcastic/silly ride. The only other author I can think of who can do this so seamlessly (and keep it going throughout the entire book without feeling contrived) is Susan Elizabeth Phillips.
The Curse. That's all I'm going to say. As soon as the object of the Curse showed his mug on the page and I realized what was actually on his--Oops! almost gave it away there for a second. Bad Karla!. Anywho, you'll just have to wait and see for yourself.
The Documentary Scene. Remember the Cheez Doodle scene in MAKING WAVES? Well, this one is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much funnier, and that's really saying something. At one point, I laughed so loud, I kind of startled myself.

Really, I could go on and on and on, folks. This book was that good. So, what are you waiting for? Go pre-order your copy of BELIEVE IT OR NOT, right now. As for me, I'll just have to wait for Tawna's next one to come out. When is that again? Oh, man, such a long wait.

A Bit of Reading in January

2012-02-01T09:29:00.000-05:00

Yep, folks. It's that time once again, where I regale you all with my reading list for the month...er...previous month, that is, considering it is now February. Eh. Potatoe. Potahto. So, here it is!

UNDER THE NEVER SKY by Veronica Rossi ... YA dystopian/post-apocalyptic (ARC ... released: January 3, 2012) Not the absolute best dystopian I've read, but definitely not the worst. It falls somewhere in the middle range. I'd recommend to anyone still as in love with dystopians as I am.
THE UNBEARABLE BOOK CLUB FOR UNSINKABLE GIRLS by Julia Schumacher ... YA Contemporary (ARC ... release date: May 8, 2012) A great, light, fluffy read. I'd highly recommend this if you're looking for something to take to the beach or the pool with you this summer.
RED HEART TATTOO by Lurlene McDaniel ... YA Literary (ARC ... release date: July 24, 2012) I had high expectations for this book, and at first McDaniel not only met but exceeded them...but the last half of it kind of fell flat for me. A little disappointing, actually.
AN ABUNDANCE OF KATHERINES by John Green ... YA Contemporary This was a re-read for me as it was my pick for January's Book Hungry book club meet. And, it's still just as good as I remembered.
EXPLOSIVE EIGHTEEN by Janet Evanovich ... Comedy/Mystery BEST BOOK OF THE MONTH! Stephanie Plum is at it again, and there is great fun to be had within those pages
GODDESS INTERRUPTED by Aimee Carter ... YA Fantasy (ARC ... release date: March 27, 2012) Fans of THE GODDESS TEST will definitely love this sequel, and I am definitely one of those peeps. My fave YA this month.

Only six this month, minions. I must've been sleeping or something cuz that's just plain laziness. What about you? What have you been reading? I'd love to hear about it in the comments!

ARC Review: GODDESS INTERRUPTED

2012-01-31T10:56:00.001-05:00

The Book: GODDESS INTERRUPTED (book #2 of THE GODDESS TEST series)
The Author: Aimee Carter
The Publisher: Harlequin TEEN
Anticipated Release Date: March 27, 2012

Marketing Copy Summary:
WHAT IF IMMORTALITY ISN’ T FOREVER?

KATE WINTERS HAS WON IMMORTALITY.

BUT IF SHE WANTS A LIFE WITH HENRY IN THE UNDERWORLD, SHE’LL HAVE TO FIGHT FOR IT.

Becoming immortal wasn’t supposed to be the easy part. Though Kate is about to be crowned Queen of the Underworld, she’s as isolated as ever. And despite her growing love for Henry, ruler of the Underworld, he’s becoming ever more distant and secretive. Then, in the midst of Kate’s coronation, Henry is abducted by the only being powerful enough to kill him: the King of the Titans.

As the other gods prepare for a war that could end them all, it is up to Kate to save Henry from the depths of Tartarus. But in order to navigate the endless caverns of the Underworld, Kate must enlist the help of the one person who is the greatest threat to her future.

Henry’s first wife, Persephone.

My Thoughts:
This is where I admit that I read THE GODDESS TEST last year only after much badgering by a fellow reading friend. To say I was unsure of whether I'd like is a bit of an understatement, but as this friend always picks up the books I throw at her, I had to give it a shot.

And, guess what, minions? I love, love, LOVED that book. It was fresh and unique and in the midst of a time when vampires, werewolves, angels, demons, and ghosts reign supreme, this storyline (comprised of the Greek gods and goddesses of myth) was wholly inspired, at least in my mind. So, of course, when I finished it, I made a note to make sure I kept an eye out for Carter's next book.

GODDESS INTERRUPTED picks up six months after the TEST leaves off. After a summer of fun and sun in Greece, she and her friend, James (also known as the god Hermes) are headed back to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to Eden Manor, the original setting of the GODDESS TEST. But instead of whiling away her time above ground, this year Kate will be living in the Underworld with Henry. Fine by her. As long as she's with Henry, she doesn't care.

Or so she thinks. But, no sooner does she arrive in the Underworld than the poo goes flying. Henry and the Council find themselves in the fight for their lives as the only thing that can kill a god is awake and about to break free.

Packed with action right from the first chapter, GODDESS INTERRUPTED will keep you glued to the edge of your seat even as your gut is tied in knots over Kate's insecurities about Henry's love for her, her doubts about her own self-worth as a goddess, and the turmoil she's mired in over the power Persophene still holds over many of the gods, including her husband.

My one and only problem with this book was the cliffhanger ending. If you've read my reviews before, you know how much I loathe the cliffhanger ending. Well...yeah, that happened here, and I was ready to throw my ereader across the room. I didn't, of course, but it was a close thing. Now, I must wait for the next book in the series GODDESS INHERITANCE. And, I so cannot wait.

If you haven't read anything by Aimee Carter, grab THE GODDESS TEST, and just for grins, look for her GODDESS HUNT (a short little novella on sale March 1, 2012 which tells all about how Kate spent her first summer away from the Underworld).

Friday Five: Embrace The Randomness

2012-01-27T08:00:00.000-05:00

So, this is going to be a short post today folks as I'm over at Tracey's Tavern sharing my very own Drunken Friday tale. BUT, before you go, I do have a Friday Five to impart.

Five Randomly Random Observations That Came To Me This Past Week

(perhaps the longest Friday Five title ever, btw)

Dieting can be dangerous to your health. Yes, friends. I nearly choked on a carrot. Not once, not twice, but three times whilst eating my salad at lunchtime yesterday. Word to the wise, if you're going to watch what you eat, WATCH what you eat. It'll help you avoid swallowing wrong...er...that sounded vaguely dirty...but whatevs.
Don't make sweeping declarations; they have a way of coming back to bite you. Earlier this week, I told several people that I was closing to book reviews for indefinite amount of time. No sooner had the words fell from my lips than I got not one but FOUR requests from authors/editors about books that I would've fallen all over myself to request had I been trolling the review sites that I normally frequent. Suffice it to say, I'm not closed to reviews. In fact, I now have more than I can handle, and I LOVE it.
I cannot walk and talk at the same time. As many of you know, I'm an avid treadmill walker, mostly because it gives me a chance to watch Supernatural reruns without feeling guilty about loafing on the couch to do so. On Sunday, I decided that level 3 on the machine just wasn't cutting it, so I jacked it up to 4.7 and I was keeping up...that is until my mother called me. Then, I just about took a header off the thing. Lesson learned, minions. Lesson learned.
I am really a little old lady trapped inside a (cough!) thirty-two (cough!) year-old's body. I have a friend soon to have a baby and decided that instead of a store bought gift, I was going to make her something...a crocheted baby blanket. It's looking pretty damn good so far if I do say so myself. Just call me Granny Karla.
I really kick ass at Jeopardy! Er...the ones with the little kids. Pit me against sixth graders (or even celebrities) and I clean up. Not so much the adults, but I can pass as middle schooler, can't I?

That's it for my list, but what about all you fun friends? Tell me something random about you. I'll just be over at Tracey's Tavern getting my drink on...with Your Mom ;)

Book Hungry's January ABUNDANCE

2012-01-26T07:00:00.007-05:00

This month, the Book Hungry girls wanted something a little lighter than our recent picks, and since it was my turn to choose, I thought what better reading fare than that of the illustrious John Green. So, minions, I give you this month's Book Hungry reading selection, AN ABUNDANCE OF KATHERINES

Summary (as taken from Amazon):
When it comes to relationships, Colin Singleton’s type is girls named Katherine. And when it comes to girls named Katherine, Colin is always getting dumped. Nineteen times, to be exact. On a road trip miles from home, this anagram-happy, washed-up child prodigy has ten thousand dollars in his pocket, a bloodthirsty feral hog on his trail, and an overweight, Judge Judy–loving best friend riding shotgun—but no Katherines. Colin is on a mission to prove The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability, which he hopes will predict the future of any relationship, avenge Dumpees everywhere, and finally win him the girl. Love, friendship, and a dead Austro-Hungarian archduke add up to surprising and heart-changing conclusions in this ingeniously layered comic novel about reinventing oneself.

My Thoughts:
I first read this book a couple years ago, and I have to admit that on the reread, there's still some magic to be found within these pages. As many of you fun friends know, I'm not one for light, fluffy reads. I tend to lean more toward deep, dark tales of tragedy or mysteries or well, heavy reading.

John Green is one of the few authors who write sharp funny stories that I gravitate towards. For me, it's how engaging and well-developed each of his characters are, even those who show up for only a scene or two. And, usually, my fave character in each of his stories is not so much the main character but one of the side characters.

In PAPER TOWNS, it was Ben and Radar. In WILL GRAYSON, WILL GRAYSON, I was a Tiny Cooper fangirl all the way. In LOOKING FOR ALASKA, it was the Colonel, and in KATHERINES, it was definitely Hassan. He cracked me up. All the freaking time.

Yes, KATHERINES is a somewhat quieter novel than his others, and there may be parts where the storyline meandered a bit, but the interaction between Colin and Hassan, Lindsey and Hollis, Colin and Lindsey, and of course, Colin and his abundance of Katherines that keeps you tuned in and wanting more.

What about all you fun friends? Have you experienced the pure awesomesaucieness that is John Green? I'd love to hear all about it in the comments. And, until next month, peeps, when Patty has chosen DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth.

ARC Review: ZERO

2012-01-24T07:00:00.005-05:00

The Book: ZERO
The Author: Tom Leveen
The Publisher: Random House Books For Young Readers
Anticipated Release Date: April 24, 2012

Summary:
Amanda "Zero" Walsh expected the summer between high school graduation and college to be easy and relaxed. She'd do nothing but go to clubs with her BFF Jenn, paint, and just be a lazy teenager while counting down the days until she could make her big escape to Chicago and art school.

When needed scholarship monies are denied, her friendship with Jenn collapse because of an event that Zero can only describe as majorly awkward and her parents' relationship takes a turn for the nasty, Zero's life starts to look as bleak as a painting by her idol, Salvador Dali, causing Zero to wonder if life really does imitate art.

My Thoughts:
I have to admit that I requested this ARC solely because of the cover art. Yes, I do judge books by their covers. Sue me. While I wasn't disappointed in the least, I have to confess that I was expecting something a little darker. A little edgier. ZERO is a sweet story, one that will not exactly lead you down any dark alleys, but there are some times when it definitely skirts the edges of the shadows.

That said...I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!! (<---Note the use of not one, not two, but FOUR exclamation points there. That was no accident, I assure you.)

Amanda Walsh only half-jokingly goes by the nickname Zero, which announces loud and clear to the reader just how highly she thinks of herself. Until a little more than halfway through the book, I honestly thought she was a fat girl, because that's how she sees herself, always putting herself down, both in her mind and out loud. Until Mike--beautiful-eyed drummer boy and Zero's love interest--finally has enough of her self-deprecating manner and stands her in front of the mirror to show her just how beautiful she really is.

And Mike! Ahhhh, don't get me started on Mike. Okay, you twisted my arms. Mike is probably the best love interest I've encountered in a very long time. He's awesome. He absolutely refuses to let his girlfriend have low self-esteem issues. He's not overly-possessive or domineering--as is often the case in YA novels nowadays. He's relaxed and easy-going, which is not to say that he doesn't have issues. He's got them, which inevitably leads to problems when Zero breaks a pretty big promise to him.

But, here's the thing: their perfect. Both together and separate. Because of their flaws. Zero is everything I want my protags to be: smart, witty, and flawed--inside and out. Mike is the yin to her yang. No one else could handle Zero and all her issues with such grace and understanding. He's not your run-of-the-mill LI. He's not going to always swoop in and save the day, but I didn't want him to.

And, yes, Zero makes mistakes. Plenty of them. But, she muddles through, both with help from others and on her own. She learns and grows from them, and comes out a better person for having made them. And, the ending? Not your typical HEA (happily ever after), but it's not tragic at all. In fact, it's refreshing. Most stories would end with Zero being discovered as a famous artist, Mike and his band hitting the big time, and the two of them riding off into the sunset together. Not exactly the case here, but a very satisfying and realistic ending to refreshingly sweet story.

My one-sentence summary: Over the course of a summer filled with love, friendship, family drama, punk music, and Salvador Dali, ZERO learns that she might just be worth more than her name implies.

Do you ever wonder...?

2012-01-23T11:35:00.000-05:00

First of all, minions, I must apologize for being absent from the blogosphere recently. I have no excuse. Wait. I have tons of excuses, but all of them are lame. Suffice it to say I just wasn't here. It happens. *shrugs*

Also, apologies are in order to those whose blogs I normally follow religiously and comment on just as often. I had a minor meltdown with Blogger and I'm not pointing any fingers but somehow I couldn't comment on half the blogs. Weird. I'm going to blame Blogger, but there's this little but loud voice in the back of my head that keeps shouting out "Operator Error!" eh. *another shrug* (sidenote to all you fun new followers *waves* I'm not all that technologically savvy...so there's that)

Okay, so a little minute ago (aka: weeks), blogging buddy/office mate/sometime coffee bitch Tracey posted a little essay on what she'd want people to say about her on her 80th birthday. It since inspired an essay contest that I entered (and placed in the finalist category, I might add...er...not that I'm bragging...well, okay. I'm bragging a little bit...okay...a whole lot).

And since I have no new inspiration for a post today, I thought I'd share my 80th b-day essay with all you fun friends. Nice of me, huh?

**a ‘Breaking News’ bulletin flashes across the screen just seconds before the camera zeroes in on the neatly coiffed anchorwoman stationed behind the news desk**

She clears her throat dramatically. “We’ve just learned that famed adventurer, zombie hunter, unicorn wrangler, and current world record holder for most consecutive terms served as president of the Mr. T fan club, Karla Nellenbach, has passed away.”

A pause as the camera flips to show the infamous picture of Karla standing atop a mound of freshly slaughtered undead, holding up the head of the general of the zombie army, Abraham Lincoln.

“Known throughout the world for her many philanthropic contributions, Karla was most well recognized for her role in ending the last zombie apocalypse, nearly forty years ago. Before then, it was believed that the only thing that could kill a zombie was a bullet shot directly into the brain. But, that last uprising of the undead gave birth to a new, mutant variety of zombie, and the bullets worked no more. It wasn’t until the explosion heard round the world that the new weapon was discovered.”

“Holed up in her house with her two dogs, with ammo dwindling and the horde surrounding her multiplying by the second, she made what she called a last ditch attempt at fighting the zombies off using a concoction closely resembling that of homemade napalm, comprised of equal parts gasoline and orange juice. Later, she credited the soap-making scene from the movie Fight Club with her success in ridding the world of the walking dead.”

The camera zooms back in on the anchorwoman as she shuffles the papers in front of her before staring headlong into the lens.

“Since then, May 24th, Karla’s birthday, has been recognized as a world-wide day of celebration and independence. And each year, her birthday bash is bigger and more raucous than the last. As this was her 80th year on this Earth, her family had decided to promote her many accomplishments over the years with a costume-themed extravaganza.”

Earlier taped footage floods the screen as viewers are treated to a parade of garishly costumed movie stars, politicians, business tycoons, and various other noted celebrities.

“As you can see, many of Karla’s admirers chose to attend the night’s festivities sporting muscle shirts, Mohawks, and heavy gold jewelry, while others donned unicorn costumes. But, the most popular disguise of the evening was that of the zombie, complete with ripped, bloodstained clothing and ghostly pale skin. This, we believe, is where the night went terribly wrong. For more on this breaking story, we go live in the field to correspondent, Mike Hadfield. Mike?”

The screen cuts to live feed of a stone-faced gentleman staring gravely into the camera. Behind him, the decimated, still-burning ruins of a once glorious mansion lay crumbling. Police and emergency service personnel climb through the wreckage, searching for any form of life.

“It’s a grim scene here, Tammy,” he begins. “What began as a night of great celebration has ended in flames and a death toll well into the hundreds. Right now, details are sketchy, but Karla Nellenbach and her family are presumed dead.”

“Do we know what could have possibly caused this explosion?” Tammy’s voice cuts in.

Slowly, reluctantly, he nods. “Well, Tammy, you may recall that early last year, Karla was diagnosed with a very rare, extremely aggressive form of brain cancer. The doctors believe that her days of adventure, hunting unicorns in the wilds of Tibet compounded with the sheer amount of toxic exposure to her homemade napalm which eventually eradicated all of zombie kind contributed to the lesions on her brain. They’d given her only a few months to live, but of course, the tough old broad famously declared that she didn’t plan on dying before her eightieth birthday.”

He pauses, glances over his shoulder at the wreckage.

“According to sources close to the adventurer’s family, Karla’s mental status has been slowly declining of the last several weeks, causing her to experience vivid hallucinations in which she’s relived many of her past exploits. Unfortunately for her guests tonight, the zombie costumes threw her into one such an episode.”

“Oh, my!” Tammy exclaims. “What happened?”

“Well, Tammy, it appears that upon seeing her family and friends turned into the walking dead, Karla, still spry and faster in her walker than even her sixteen year old grandson, hightailed it to the state of the art panic room she had in her basement, which was reportedly stocked with enough napalm to blow the entire North American continent off the map, and proceeded to lock herself in. Before her husband or children could get to her to explain what was going on, she’d armed two of the bombs in her bunker, and well…” he trails off, again shooting a look over his shoulder.

He clears his throat and faces the camera once more. “One lucky survivor, however, claims to have heard Karla shouting through the home’s intercom system—“ he looks down at the note card in his hand. “—and I quote, ‘You’ll never expletive take me alive you expletive undead bastards’ end quote.”

The camera flips back over to Tammy at her anchor desk.

“Well,” she says after a dazed minute. “There you have it. Confirmed reports of famed zombie hunter, Karla Nellenbach, being taken down earlier tonight after she mistakenly believed another zombie apocalypse was on the horizon. For more on this horrific tragedy, tune in to our coverage at eleven where we will take an in depth look at a long, celebrated life that ended in senseless violence and tragedy.”

**Screen fades out and goes to a commercial, featuring a much younger, more mentally stable Karla grinning while drinking a Dr. Pepper, the official soft drink of zombie hunters everywhere.**

okay! so now for the burning question: What do you want people to say about you on your 80th? Inquiring Karlas want to know ;)

ARC Review: UNDER THE NEVER SKY

2012-01-11T09:49:00.003-05:00

The Book: UNDER THE NEVER SKY
The Author: Veronica Rossi
The Publisher: Harper Collins
Release Date: January 3, 2012 (Buy it now!)

Marketing Copy Summary:
Ariais a teenager in the enclosed city of Reverie. Like all Dwellers, she spends her time with friends in virtual environments, called Realms, accessed through an eyepiece called a Smarteye. Aria enjoys the Realms and the easy life in Reverie. When she is forced out of the pod for a crime she did not commit, she believes her death is imminent. The outside world is known as The Death Shop, with danger in every direction.

As an Outsider, Perry has always known hunger, vicious predators, and violent energy storms from the swirling electrified atmosphere called the Aether. A bit of an outcast even amonghis hunting tribe, Perry withstands these daily tests with his exceptional abilities, as he is gifted with powerful senses that enable him to scent danger, food and even human emotions.

They come together reluctantly, for Aria must depend on Perry, whom she considers abarbarian, to help her get back to Reverie, while Perry needs Aria to help unravel the mystery of his beloved nephew’s abduction by the Dwellers. Together they embark on a journey challenged as much by their prejudices as by encounters with cannibals and wolves. But to their surprise, Aria and Perry forge an unlikely love - one that will forever change the fate of all who live UNDER THE NEVER SKY.

My Thoughts:
I've read a lot of dystopians over the past year or two. Some I've loved. Others, not so much. For me, UNDER THE NEVER SKY falls somewhere in the middle.

The idea of the Aether, something so fascinating and frightening, beautiful and terrible at the same time, compelled me. How the sky could be so quiet one second, the Aether meandering in gentle swirls overhead, to the next when the heavens open up and flay you alive without the least bit of warning. How so many people live below ground, immersing themselve in imaginary worlds just to keep from going insane from inhabiting tiny cells within the earth. How they are taught to believe the outside equates to death.

It's compelling. It's haunting. (It kind of reminded me of the future in that Bruce Willis movie Twelve Monkeys. I won't lie. The way everyone was crammed in the ground, packed like a bunch of sardines, kind of scared the poo out of me back then. Still holds true today, come to think about it)

And then when Aria meets up with Perry on the outside. How he takes care of her, protects her, comes to respect her dogged determination to survive even though he dislikes her greatly. *sigh, swoon* He's a great LI, as far as dystopians go.

But, the ending...eh. They did everything that needed to be done. I got closure. I'm not saying I didn't, but I guess I just expected more...something. Maybe I wanted Aria to have a different attitude toward being with Perry. Maybe I wanted Perry to assert himself more in some ways, less in others.

Perhaps, it ended the way it did to make way for series potential. (this is my guess and would explain why, even though the main action ended and didn't leave me screaming, I still want more)

All in all, it was a very fascinating read, and I'd be very, very, very interested in seeing what might happen next for these two star-crossed lovers in this bold new world of theirs.

2011: The Year in Reading, By the Numbers

2012-01-05T12:26:00.001-05:00

So, I only read four books in December, folks. *hangs head in shame* (You can flip over to my Year in Reading tab to see what I added to my list)

BUT!

As it turns out, I can't beat myself up too much over a short reading month, because I read 136 books last year. I know, right? That's a lot of reading. And since I just love lists and statistics and all that fun stuff, I thought I'd break it all down for you.

2011 Year in Reading

Total Books Read: 136

Children's Books: 87 books (83 young adult / 4 middle grade) 64%

Adult Books: 47 books 35%

Non-Fiction: 2 books 1%

Now, let's break it down even further!

On the Children's Book side of things, it looks like this: 87 books

Contemporary (this includes Literary, Mainstream, Comedy & Satire): 44 books 51%

Historical: 3 books 3.5%

Romance: 0 books 0%

Mystery: 5 books 5%

Paranormal (this includes vampires, werewolves, ghosts, mermaids, aliens, zombies, unicorns, yetis and anything else you could possibly think of): 13 books 15%

Fantasy: 3 books 3.5%

Dystopian: 19 books 22%

On the Adult side, here are the numbers: 47 books

Contemporary:: 1 book 2%

Historical: 0 books 0%

Romance: 17 books 36%

Mystery: 21 books 45%

Paranormal: 4 books 8%

Fantasy: 3 books 7%

Dystopian: 1 book 2%

Altogether, now! (both adult and children's): 136 books TOTAL

Contemporary: 45 books 33%

Historical: 3 books 2%

Romance: 17 books 12%

Mystery: 26 books 20%

Paranormal: 17 books 12%

Fantasy: 6 books 5%

Dystopian: 20 books 15%

Non-fiction: 2 books 1%

As an aside, it should be noted that of the 136 books read, 28 were ARCs (thanks to the many authors who allowed me to review their books on this little old blog!) which equates to 21% of my total!

So, that's it for my number, folks. What about yours? Upon looking over your list, did you find that you read more of one genre than another or did you spread the reading love fairly evenly? I'd love to hear about it in the comments!

Also, what do we think my reading goal should be for this coming year? Any specific area you think I may have neglected? More particularly, an author/book I should read?

Book Hungry's December Offering: LIFE AS WE KNEW IT

2011-12-15T07:00:00.004-05:00

Every once in a while a book comes along that profoundly affects how you view the world around you, the people in your life, and your own strength of character. For me, that book (or rather books, as--me being, well, ME--I just had to read the two 'companion' novels that went with it) was this month's Book Hungry selection, chosen by our very own Abby.

The Book(s): LIFE AS WE KNEW IT (book #1); THE DEAD AND THE GONE (book #2); THIS WORLD WE LIVE IN (book #3)

The Author: Susan Beth Pfeffer
The Publisher: Graphia

The premise for this novel is simple, and yet it isn't. An asteroid hits the moon, knocking it into an entirely new orbit, one much, much, much closer to Earth, triggering a cataclysmic shift in global climate, seismic activity, and completely altering LIFE AS WE KNEW IT.

I have to admit that as much as I love, love, LOVED this book, it also scared the bejesus out of me. Why? Because this could actually happen, like RIGHT NOW.

The setting, the buildup, the actual scene in which everyone is outside watching the asteroid hit the moon. It's all completely plausible, and it's also believable that the scientists who predicted the hit to be small and inconsequential to be way off base in that estimate. Then, the aftermath. Whew. First the thunderstorms and tornadoes. Hearing on the news about the massive tsunamis ravaging the far off coasts, the earthquakes, and then the volcanic eruptions whose ashclouds completely obliterate the sun. And, that's just Mother Nature's reaction to the asteroid. Add to that, the mass panic, the severe shortage of food, the mass scavenging, and the desperation as people slowly waste away to nothing.

The second book, THE DEAD AND THE GONE occurs in tandem with the first, only it's from the perspective of devout Catholic, Alex Morales who lives in NYC with his parents and younger sisters. I won't lie. This one is much bleaker than the first, considering the first took place in a rural town where Miranda's family was isolated and thus somewhat sheltered from many of the horrors occurring in this new and devastating world. Alex not only had to step up when both his parents go missing and care for his two younger sisters, but he also had to deal with depraved depths that humanity can sink into all the while tenaciously clinging to his faith.

And, the third book, THIS WORLD WE LIVE IN brings the two families together, answering the question you definitely have of "What happened next?" I have to confess that upon finishing the third book, I again asked that question. Mostly because I'd become so invested in those characters, that I could read sixteen more books about their trials and tribulations. Although, I might be emotionally wrung out from it all afterwards.

So, right about now, you're probably thinking, "These books just sound completely hopeless. No thank you."

My response: They are anything but hopeless. Yes, they are terrifying. Yes, the characters are brutalized over and over and over again, in a relentless, take-no-prisoners kind of way, whether it's from the weather or from other humans.

But, here's the thing, minions. They survive. They endure.

With Miranda's family, they band closer together. They look out for each other. They each realize that the only thing that matters is that they are together. No matter what. In fact, at the beginning of LIFE AS WE KNEW IT, I kind of didn't like Miranda. I thought she was selfish, but she evolved throughout the book, growing from this whiny, spoiled child into a woman willing to sacrifice herself on the altar of her family's well-being.

In THE DEAD AND THE GONE, Alex journeys along a similar path, going from being a student whose biggest worry was whether he'd get elected junior class president to fighting for his and his sisters' lives. The things he has to do, the decisions he has to make are harrowing, but he mans up, doing whatever he can to keep his family alive, all the while maintaining a tenuous hold on his faith.

Yes friends, you will find hope within these pages. It's in the sacrifices made by the characters to ensure the well-being of those they love. It's in the determination to survive in world so devoid of anything good. It's in the resilience of the human spirit and the strength these people find to do whatever needs to be done.

In all honesty, I'm not so sure I'd be as strong or resilient in the face of such overwhelming adversity. Lucky for me (well, depending on how you look at it), I live in the land of nothing but coastlines, so I probably wouldn't make it past the first wave of tsunamis (unintentional pun here, but let's go with it), should this ever happen. There's a comforting thought, huh?

So, what about all you fun folks? Have you read these books? How did they make you feel? Or if you haven't read them yet, have I scared you out of (or into) reading them? Do share!

Until next month when we take a look at something a little lighter, AN ABUNDANCE OF KATHERINES by the illustrious John Green.

ARC Review: GRAFFITI MOON

2011-12-13T07:00:00.003-05:00

The Book: GRAFFITI MOON
The Author: Cath Crowley
The Publisher: Alfred A Knopf BFYR (An Imprint of Random House Children's Books)
Expected Release Date: February 14, 2012

Marketing Copy Summary:
Senior year is over, and Lucy has the perfect way to celebrate: tonight, she's going to find Shadow, the mysterious graffiti artist whose work appears all over the city. He's out there somewhere—spraying color, spraying birds and blue sky on the night—and Lucy knows a guy who paints like Shadow is someone she could fall for. Really fall for. Instead, Lucy's stuck at a party with Ed, the guy she's managed to avoid since the most awkward date of her life. But when Ed tells her he knows where to find Shadow, they're suddenly on an all-night search around the city. And what Lucy can't see is the one thing that's right before her eyes.

My Thoughts:
First, allow me to take a moment to say, "Yay for Aussie YA!!" *crowd cheers* and then to follow that up with a quick, "I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this book." Did you get that I really loved this book? No? Hmm. Should I maybe repeat myself? Nah. I'll just launch into the review now.

Sorry for that brief interruption, folks. Now, let's get back to our regularly scheduled programming.

Lucy has spent years following the work of a renegade graffiti artist she only knows as Shadow. She's never once laid eyes on him, but when she looks upon his work, she feels this deep connection to the man behind the paint cans. In her heart, she knows him, not just his work. She also knows that once they finally do meet, he will feel that same soul-deep yearning for her that she's harbored for him for so long.

The only problem? It seems like every time she gets a lead on his location, Shadow disappears just moments before she gets there. How is she supposed to show him that they're meant for each other when they can't even seem to meet up?

Enter Ed, the one guy Lucy would like to erase completely from her memory banks, especially after the most disastrous date in the history of the universe happened when the two of them had gotten together so long ago. He's the last person she'd ever want to spend an entire night wandering the city with.

He's also the one person who can lead her to the elusive Shadow.

But as the night wears on, Lucy begins to see Ed in a whole new light, and she wonders if maybe, just maybe, Ed is the soul mate she's been searching for all along and not some unknown artist whose paintings call to her in a way nothing else has. And, maybe just maybe, Ed has a secret shadow of his own that could change Lucy's feelings for both him and the graffiti artist.

Told in alternating POVs between Lucy and Ed, GRAFFITI MOON explores the lives of two kids searching for balance in a chaotic world, and finding it within each other.

ARC Review: THE BUTTERFLY CLUES

2011-12-05T07:00:00.009-05:00

The Book: THE BUTTERFLY CLUES
The Author: Kate Ellison
The Publisher: Egmont USA
Expected Release Date: February 4, 2012

Marketing Copy Summary:
Penelope (Lo) Marin has always loved to collect beautiful things. Her dad's consulting job means she's grown up moving from one rundown city to the next, and she's learned to cope by collecting (sometimes even stealing) quirky trinkets and souvenirs in each new place--possessions that allow her to feel at least some semblance of home.

But in the year since her brother Oren's death, Lo's hoarding has blossomed into a full-blown, potentially dangerous obsession. She discovers a beautiful, antique butterfly pendant during a routine scour at a weekend flea market, and recognizes it as having been stolen from the home of a recently murdered girl known only as "Sapphire"--a girl just a few years older than Lo. As usual when Lo begins to obsess over something, she can't get the murder out of her mind.

As she attempts to piece together the mysterious "butterfly clues," with the unlikely help of a street artist named Flynt, Lo quickly finds herself caught up in a seedy, violent underworld much closer to home than she ever imagined--a world, she'll ultimately discover, that could hold the key to her brother's tragic death.

My Thoughts:
Ellison does not disappoint in this haunting portrayal of love, loss, obsession, and murder.

Lo is not the typical MC. She's a little crazy, with her obsessive need to tap-tap-tap-banana her way through life, her kleptomaniac tendencies, and the full-on hoarder she's become since her brother's death the previous year. Her family, shattered from a tragedy caused by Oren's drug addiction, is this hollow, empty thing. Her mother is bare there, her father losing himself in work. Lo finds solace in beautiful things she's collected, most of which she's stolen.

On one such scavenging trip, Lo finds herself in an alley behind a yellow house that seems to be beckoning to her. As she moves closer, gunshots erupt from inside, exploding out the back windows, bullets barely missing Lo. She escapes only to read later about the stripper who'd been gunned down in her home. Sapphire. Lo feels this inexplicable pull toward the dead girl, and when she finds a beautiful pendant that belonged to Sapphire at the flea market, not only must she have it, but she absolutely has to know what really happened to Sapphire.

THE BUTTERFLY CLUES contains more than just the mystery of who Sapphire's killer is, but in searching out the murderer, Lo begins to uncover the truth about her brother's death and the secretive life he'd led up to his demise. Full of twists and turns, you may figure out who killed Sapphire fairly early on (I know I did), but it's the journey that counts, and in the end, you will be left gasping at the real truth that Lo has needed since long before a stripper showed up dead.

November's Novel List

2011-11-30T21:33:00.000-05:00

It's that time of the month again, folks. Yep, my monthly reading list is now up for your entertainment. Hope you find something interesting :)

SPECIALS by Scott Westerfeld ... YA Dystopian (audiobook) I have to admit that at first, I wasn't too thrilled with this book. I liked the action, the superiority complex that Tally and the other Specials had over the "randoms" and "bubbleheads" but I found myself more than a little horrified and sickened by the way Westerfeld portrayed cutting. At times, it felt like he was glorifying it to the point of unease (for me, anyway). But, once, I forced my way past that and Tally was helping Zane and the other crims runaway to the New Smoke, I was as enthralled with SPECIALS as I was with UGLIES and PRETTIES. All in all, a good read, but I'm not all that sure I'm going to move forward with reading EXTRAS. I feel like SPECIALS closed out the story quite well. I'm not sure what more there is to add to it.
VIRALS by Kathy Reichs ... YA suspense/paranormal/genetics mutation drama I've read many a Kathy Reichs book in my day, especially her BONES books. So, when I saw this on the YA bookshelf, I nabbed it right up. I have to say that I like her adult books better, but this was a fast read that kept me intrigued.
THE WAY WE FALL by Megan Crewe ... YA Dystopian (ARC) an okay read. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either.
SHELTER by Harlen Coben ... YA mystery/suspense Yet another adult novelist jumping into the YA pool. Coben does it much, much, much better than James Patterson did in his foray. If you love the Myron Bolitar novels, you will fall head over feet for Mickey Bolitar.
HEAT WAVE by Richard Castle ... Mystery/suspense This month's Book Hungry selection.
EVE by Iris Johansen ... Mystery/suspense In this installment of the Eve Duncan series, we get a look into where it all began, before Eve was EVE and how she met the man who would later give her the love of her life: her daughter Bonnie.
QUINN by Iris Johansen ... Mystery/suspense When a standoff between John Gallo and Paul Black lands Eve's lover Joe Quinn at death's door, she's even closer than ever before to finding out what happened to Bonnie all those years ago, but at what cost?
BONNIE by Iris Johansen ... Mystery/suspense After so many years (and so many books in which the reader continually asks, "What happened to Bonnie?"), Eve, Quinn, and John Gallo finally find out all the circumstances surrounding seven year old Bonnie's disappearance and death. And, let me tell you, I never once guessed who it was. Even after I found out, I just couldn't believe it. Well played, Iris Johansen. Well played.
ASH by Malinda Lo ... YA fairy tale The age old tale of Cinderella retold in a new and intriguing way.
LIFE AS WE KNEW IT by Susan Beth Pfeffer ... YA Post-apocalyptic/this could so happen and that's uber-scary/dystopian An asteroid crashes into the moon, knocking it much closer to Earth and causing a cataclysmic shift in global climate. I love, love, LOVED this book just as much I unloved it. It impacted me that much. But, more on this later as this is our Book Hungry pick for December :)

So, what about you, minions? Read anything good lately? I'd love to hear all about it in the comments!

The Cookie Conundrum

2011-11-29T09:32:00.000-05:00

For as long as I can remember, my mother and grandmother and aunts and just about every other female (plus a few male) relative has done quite a bit of holiday baking. As my mother's only daughter, and thus easily obtained slave labor, I was drafted into the holiday baking torture very early.

Disclaimer: I don't like cookies (but I love raw cookie dough), nor do I like cake. Really, with the exception of pie, I'm not particularly a huge fan of consuming baked goods in general.

BUT!

I love to bake. It's the perfect stress-reliever/mood-lifter for when I'm feeling out of sorts, or even when I just want to pull out my fancy stand mixer and whip out a batch of ginger snaps or create a triple layer red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting.

So, every year, I make a pilgrimage to Sam's Club, buy enough flour, sugar, eggs, chocolate chips, and vanilla extract to feed cookies to not one but six small countries for the next year and a half. And, that's when the real fun begins! I make fudge, brownies(two different kinds), banana bread, sugar cookies, ginger snaps, oatmeal raisin, no bakes, peanut butter, monster cookies...

And of course, the chocolate chips.

While I think my peanut butter cookies are my best ones--Hello? For me, the peanut butters never fail. I once started scooping powdered sugar into them when I wanted flour, realized my mistake AFTER the mixing began, so was only able to scoop out about half the sugar and replaced it with flour, and they still came out PERFECT! I swear I could put a pound of arsenic in a batch and they'd still be great...er...not that I'd ever do that. I may be mean, but I'm not that mean. I swear!--wait. where was I? Oh, yeah. Talking about my best cookies.

But, anyways, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted. I think the PBs are my best cookies, but the ones that everyone and I mean everyone is always requesting more of is the chocolate chips. So much so that every year I have to make two TRIPLE batches of chocolate chips just to have enough to go around. Yeah, that's a lot of cookies. And, (not that I'm bragging or anything, because this is TRUTH here), my chocolate chips always, always, always turn out light and fluffy and just the perfect size.

Until this year. The first batch fell flat, and I mean FLAT. I still don't know what happened. So, I shrugged it off. So, what if they were ugly cookies? The flavors were there. I'd just make up the next batch and put the ugly cookies underneath the better batch I was about to bake. No one would notice, I told myself.

Until the next batch did the exact same thing! This was just not right, people. Do you realize just how many ugly cookies I made???? Do you? Over eight dozen. ONE HUNDRED UGLY ASS COOKIES!!!!!

At my wit's end, I decided that there would be no more making of the chocolate chips. Hell, I was so upset, I thought about just chucking all those ugly cookies and just not including them in my holiday cookie boxes. But, last night, I got a second cookie wind. It may or may not have had something to do with the fact that I kicked major ass at Jeopardy! and it wasn't even a kids version. I kicked adult Jeopardy! ass, so I was feeling pretty damned invincible.

And, those chocolate chips were going down! Bitches.

Moral of this Christmas cookie story: Determination is key, minions. Not just in baking, but in life...and of course, writing. Without it, I would still be wallowing in my catastrophic cookie misery. Hmm...so that means I should get to work and power through the mini writer's block I've been experiencing the last week, huh? Good idea, Karla. Now let's put it into action.

Karla, over and out!

In Which I TEASE You

2011-11-22T08:51:00.000-05:00

So, this one's from my newest WiP, HATE CRIME, from the scene immediately following Matt and Alex stumbling across a dead body in an abandoned warehouse. Enjoy!

No amount of Law & Order, CSI, or Criminal Minds marathons could have prepared me for the reality of witnessing an actual crime scene. The image of that poor guy’s face burned through my brain, leaving a permanent imprint of bloody ravaged flesh that I saw every time I closed my eyes.

He’d been beaten so badly, his face looked like a particularly gruesome Picasso. Nose smashed in and pushed off to the side, almost to his ear. One side of his face swollen to the point his eye was a mere slit, like some morbidly obese Chinese man smiling so broadly his eyes closed and turned up at the corners.

And, now I’ll never look at fortune cookies the same way again. Thanks, seriously deformed dead guy, whoever you are.

“Here, kid. Drink this.”

A navy blue uniform appeared in front of me, and I looked up to see him pushing a steaming paper cup—coffee, I was sure—at Alex. Alex made no move to take it, just sat there, staring right through the officer. A shiver ran through him, rattling his body so much the vibration rocketed through me as well. Damn, he was only wearing that flimsy purple flannel shirt. How could I have forgotten? I shrugged out of my coat and placed it over his shoulders as gently as I could so as not to startle him, leaving one arm around him while reaching out to take the coffee from the cop with the other.

“Alex?” He jerked up at the sound of my voice, his eyes wide with a mixture of confusion and panic. “Here, baby, drink this. It’ll help.” I pressed the cup into his hand, holding it there until I felt his fingers wrap around it. Instead of sliding away from him, I scooted closer, my hand drifting to rest on his thigh as I swiveled my head back to the uniform. “Thanks, Officer—“ A quick glance at his polished nameplate. “—Mitchell.”

He snapped out a nod, cleared his throat. “CSU should be done soon. The detectives will want to talk to you boys, and then you’ll be free to go.” Another shiver ran through Alex. I hugged him tighter, and Officer Mitchell cocked his head to the side, regarding us for a long moment. “You sure you’re alright, son?”

“Yeah. No. I mean—” Alex let loose a shaky laugh. “—I’m just freaking out a little here, but I’m okay. Really.” His head dropped against mine, his chin resting on my shoulder, his forehead pressed against my cheek. “Sorry,” he mumbled into my neck.

“What for?”

“For falling apart like this.” Another half-hysterical sound bubbled out of him. “For being such a girl.”

Jesus, Alex. What could I say to that? I furiously wracked my brain, scrounging for something, anything to say that would bring him around without making him start flogging himself all over again. What normal person didn’t fall apart when dealing with something like this?

“Now, look here,” Officer Mitchell cut in. “You’ve just witnessed something most people go their whole lives without having to see, and you’re reacting to it. Being a little shook up about stumbling across a dead body is nothing to be ashamed of, kid, and it don’t make you any less of a man. So quit beating yourself up over it.”

Alex lifted his head off my shoulder, swallowed visibly, and then nodded.

“He’s right,” I added, giving him another squeeze and shooting Officer Mitchell a grateful look. I leaned in close, my lips tilting into a smirk. “And besides, I don’t think I’d like you as much if you were a girl.”

That got a deep, way-down-from-the-gut laugh out of him.

“We’ll take it from here, Gary. Thanks.” I cringed, closing my eyes against a voice that I’d hoped never to hear again. Just my freaking luck. “Matthew.”

So be it. Squaring my shoulders, I forced my lids apart and faced him. “Dad. You remember Alex,” I said, just to be a dick.

Turkey Day with the Neighbor Man

2011-11-21T07:00:00.004-05:00

So, I've finally cemented my Thanksgiving Day plans, minions. And, wouldn't you know it, but I'm spending the afternoon dining with the Neighbor Man and his family. Now, some of you fun folks may remember the Neighbor Man from Monday Funday posts of old, but if you don't, or for those of you that are new to this little corner of Hell, you can get the Neighbor Man details here, here, and here.

When the invite came to spend this joyous holiday with the Neighbor Man, I readily agreed. It has been a few months since I've seen him, because even though I call him the Neighbor Man, he does not live next door but a good forty-minute drive away. After hanging up with his wife, my mother called. During the course of our conversation, she asked me what I was doing for T-day, and I filled her in on my invite to the Neighbor Man's house.

She grew very quiet for a second in which I feared that my phone had somehow dropped her call. Then, she took a deep breath, and asked in a voice on the verge of riotous laughter, "Are you sure that's a good idea? Don't you remember what he did to the turkey the last time he wanted to cook Thanksgiving dinner?"

And, it all came flooding back, peeps. The thoughtfully prepared place settings. The wonderful aromas of holiday food wafting through the house. The cranberries. The stuffing. The potatoes. The dinner rolls. The green bean casserole.

And the turkey, that we were all too afraid to eat.

You see, minions. Back then, Neighbor Man worked for Generous Motors, and in addition to the top dollar pay, excellent benefits package, and cushy hours, the company also gave its employees a free turkey the day before Thanksgiving every year. Great idea, right? Of course. But, in Neighbor Man's hands, it was just another day of hijinks and shenanigans.

Because the turkey came to him completely frozen. This is where things went from normal to slightly left of center. Oh, who am I kidding? It was down-right weird, even by Neighbor Man standards.

Neighbor Man came straight to our house after work, walking through the door with a wide grin plastered across his face, and the turkey tucked under one arm like it was a fifteen pound football. He sat down at the table and placed the turkey in front of him.

"What's the turkey for, Neighbor Man?" Dad asked.

"Instructions say it has to be thawed a day to a day in a half in advance," he responded, seriously. "I figure it'll thaw out better if it's with me." He then proceeded to put the turkey inside his coat and zip it closed.

No one ever argues with the Neighbor Man's logic.

Shortly there after, Mom, Dad and the Neighbor Man all decided to go out for a little night on the town. It was the day before a holiday after all, which meant Dad had the next day off. Why not have some fun? So, off they went. Mom. Dad. Neighbor Man...and the turkey.

What happened next I only ever heard about, since my brother and I were too young to be included in the barhopping. Suffice it to say, I heard tell of many crimes against turkey happening that night. Turkey beatings. Turkey massages. Wrapping the turkey up in Neighbor Man's coat, WITH Neighbor Man in it too. More turkey beatings.

At long last, someone mentioned to Neighbor Man that perhaps the best way to thaw said turkey was to take it home and put it in a pot of cold water overnight. Neighbor Man, at his wits end with frozen turkey, took this advice, and yes the bird was thawed in time for cooking. But, with all the trauma inflicted upon said turkey, no one could bring themselves to eat the bird. And, we never let Neighbor Man host Thanksgiving dinner again.

Will I go over to Neighbor Man's house for dinner this year? Of course! ...er...but I might have a few questions for him as to how the bird was prepared before I dig into the feast. I've got my fingers crossed that Neighbor Man's wife cooked the meal this year.

Book Hungry's November HEAT WAVE

2011-11-17T07:00:00.007-05:00

November found our little book club looking to Kelly for a selection choice, and being the rabid CASTLE fan that she is, not to mention drooling fan girl of Nathan Fillion, but I digress. On with the Book Hungry November Selection.

The Book: HEAT WAVE
The Author: Richard Castle
The Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
The Television Show: CASTLE
The Television Channel: ABC
The Actor Who Plays the Author who "Wrote" the Book: Nathan Fillion

Summary (as borrowed from Amazon):
A New York real estate tycoon plunges to his death on a Manhattan sidewalk. A trophy wife with a past survives a narrow escape from a brazen attack. Mobsters and moguls with no shortage of reasons to kill trot out their alibis. And then, in the suffocating grip of a record heat wave, comes another shocking murder and a sharp turn in a tense journey into the dirty little secrets of the wealthy. Secrets that prove to be fatal. Secrets that lay hidden in the dark until one NYPD detective shines a light.

Mystery sensation Richard Castle, blockbuster author of the wildly best-selling Derrick Storm novels, introduces his newest character, NYPD Homicide Detective Nikki Heat. Tough, sexy, professional, Nikki Heat carries a passion for justice as she leads one of New York City's top homicide squads. She's hit with an unexpected challenge when the commissioner assigns superstar magazine journalist Jameson Rook to ride along with her to research an article on New York's Finest. Pulitzer Prize-winning Rook is as much a handful as he is handsome. His wise-cracking and meddling aren't her only problems. As she works to unravel the secrets of the murdered real estate tycoon, she must also confront the spark between them. The one called heat.

My Thoughts:

Okay, so I admit it. He's a hottie.

First, I must admit to something. I have never watched the television show CASTLE. In fact, while I'd heard of Nathan Fillion, I never knew what he looked like or who he portrayed on the TV. Yes, I know. I know. Bad Karla.

When Kelly offered up this novel as our next book selection, I was a little excited, because hey, if I liked the book, then I'd have to watch the show, right? And, I love a good mystery. It's probably my favorite genre to read, which can be a good thing but also at times a bad. Being my favorite category means I judge books much harsher than the average bear. Not that I'm trying to be a big meanie (Oh, who am I kidding? Karla's a big meanie. Pass it on.) but I've read so many great mysteries in my time that it takes a truly stupendous crime caper to get catapulted to the top of that particular list.

HEAT WAVE is not a bad book, but it's not a great book either.

The storyline is the tried and true dead body in chapter one, let's catch the killer cop book that we all know and love so well. The characters are same kind of comfortable creatures we love. The kick-ass female detective that doesn't take crap from anyone. The hot guy, slightly shallow, overly cocky love interest who rockets in to save the day, showing the kick ass female that while she may not need a man, they are nice to have around from time to time. The snarky side characters, like Roach (that's two detectives who often work together at giving the book some much needed comic relief), and let's not forget Rook's mother. She's a hoot and a half, and I kind of wish she'd had more than one scene, to be completely honest.

So, why didn't I love this book? Well, the mystery was not all that. I had it all figured out rather quickly, and without any real interesting (to me) side plot to keep the momentum up, I got a little bored. The writing felt a awful dry, and lacked a certain kind of luster. Not that I need purple prose, but I would've like a little more umph there. I may sound like a bit of a book snob when I say this, but I always cringe when a book's very first sentence begins with the words, "It was..." Not a very auspicious beginning, if you ask me.

Also, while reading this, I had the distinct feeling that I was missing something big. Like hearing the tail end of an uproariously funny joke that I wasn't in on. This is most likely due to the fact I haven't watched the show. *shrugs*

However, I do have to give major props to ABC for thinking up such a great cross-marketing ploy as publishing a book written by a character from a TV show. Pure brilliance there, but without that concept propelling the sales along, I'm not too sure the book would be able to stand on its own.

Did that sound overly harsh? Like all art, writing is a subjective business. What I like or not may or may not appeal to others. So, if you love the show, you may also love this book. If you--like me--haven't perused CASTLE, you might want to think about tuning in before you read. I'm thinking it might help.

That's it for this month's Book Hungry meeting, folks. Tune in next month when we dissect Abby's pick, LIFE AS WE KNEW IT by Susan Beth Pfeffer.

Teaser Tuesday!

2011-11-15T14:19:00.000-05:00

Long time, no tease, huh, minions? This little snip is from my current WiP, HATE CRIME. A little scene set-up: Matt is revisiting the scene of his classmate's murder, an abandoned paper factory where he and his boyfriend found Ben's body. A nice little dark and creepy place to take a nighttime stroll, if you ask me ;)

Enjoy!

By the time I entered the last office, I was bone-tired. Exhaustion piled on top of the sleep deprivation of the last couple nights, yanked on my arms, my legs, my whole body. I rubbed at my eyes, thinking very unhappily that I’d have to ride all the way home with the windows down just to keep myself awake. Oh, joy.

The file cabinet was predictably empty of anything worth my time. Nothing but personnel files, it looked like. Closing the drawer, I swiveled around and yanked open the top desk drawer. More of the same. The bottom wouldn’t open at first, but after a little cajoling—i.e. slamming my fist into it no less than three times—it popped open with an agonized screech.

Empty. This drawer was not only empty but clean. Not a spec of dust or lint or anything you might expect after years of sitting unused. I started to close the drawer, stopped, and then peered down into it, shining the flashlight inside.

“What the hell?”

Pushing the chair back, I let the light skim over the outside of the drawer itself before scooting in close and damn near putting my whole head inside. I leaned forward, reached in and rapped my knuckles against the bottom, keeping the light trained on my questing fingers. Hands spread wide, I felt at the edges until my nails scraped against the mechanism I was looking for.

“False bottom,” I grunted as I yanked the metal sheet out. Dad had one of those in his desk at home—when he lived at home. He’d kept his gun in it, safely out of his children’s reach, even though both Sarah and I knew where it was and how to get into the drawer.

But, it wasn’t a gun that lay in the bottom of the drawer.

Palming one thick stack, I flipped through the bills. All twenties. If the band around the wad could be trusted, I held two grand in my hand, and there were at least a dozen more bundles in the drawer.

Had Ben known about this? Did it belong to the guys who’d been here earlier? Question after question barreled through my too-tired brain.

“What the hell am I going to do?” Of course, no one answered. It was just me, the four walls, and this abandoned office furniture. “And, why am I still talking to myself? Focus, Matt,” I ordered myself. “Think.”

After an unending minute, I blew out a slow breath and pulled my phone from my back pocket. Upon dropping the stack back into the pool with his brothers and sisters, I flicked on the camera function and snapped a few photos, making sure they came out clear and that the time and date were stamped into the image.

Easing the drawer shut, I hurried from the room, suddenly anxious to get the hell out of Dodge. Barreling down the stairs, I didn’t stop to consider the amount of noise I was kicking up. I just wanted to get out of here. Go see Alex. Talk to Lila. Sort all this shit out.

On the first floor, I clicked off my flashlight. There was enough moonshine spilling through the busted out windows and open door of the warehouse to lead me to outside and safety. One step. Two. My feet moved faster the closer I got to the door.

A cold sweat broke out on my forehead and the hairs on the back of my neck jumped up straight and tall about a half a second before the cold press of metal slapped against the base of my skull. An ominous click, and I was fairly certain my pants needed to be changed.

That is, if I made it out of here alive. With a gun jammed against the back of my head, the odds of that were just about non-existent.

Friday Five: You Think You Know, But You Have NO Idea

2011-11-04T07:00:00.011-04:00

Have you ever had one of those moments when you're tap-tap-tapping away at your keyboard, content to let the words, thoughts, and actions of your characters flow out onto the ~~page~~ computer screen in a haphazard feeding frenzy of plot?

You don't care that you keep typing in your where a you're should be, or even that your flying fingers are popping in a me when you really mean my, thus making your MC sound like a leprechaun who's "lost me lucky charms". You just know that you HAVE to get the words out. You simply must slap this scene into existence or risk losing it forever to the evil trolls who snack on plot twists while villainous laughter echoes throughout the cavern of your mind. MWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Wait? You don't have evil trolls? It's just me? Aw, dammit! I did NOT want to hear that, minions.

Then, buckle up for this Friday Five list, folks, as I'm going to clue you into a few things regarding my newest Shiny New Idea turned Work in Progress, HATE CRIME, which is a YA mystery that I'm so freaking in love with right now, it's not even funny. Seriously.

Five Surprises From My Characters

Matt is gay. I didn't know this little tidbit about my MC when the idea for this story first came to me. I didn't know it when I did the character development, and it sure as hell wasn't common knowledge when I started outlining (why yes, I am one of those outlining freaks). Matt didn't deign it necessary to clue me in on this fact until I was writing out the first chapter, and a niggling little voice in the back of my head kept telling me that there was something important that I was overlooking. So, said to him, "Dude, is there something going on with you and Alex that I don't know about?" To which he replied, "Yeah, we've been together for a couple years now. Everyone knows this. It's no big deal." Well, of course not, but thanks for telling me. Limey bastard!
The killer's identity. I'm usually a good detective and can figure out who the killer is within the first few chapters. So, imagine my surprise when earlier this week, I realized the killer is actually the last person I would've suspected. Wow, Karla. Well, played there.
Lila is really me. Um...yeah. I didn't realize how eerily alike Lila and I really are until my best beta buddy (who is supercool enough to let me send her chapters as I write them) pointed this fact out. Take away the facial piercings, the blue hair, and the ability to play the drums, and this is me in high school. Did. Not. See. That. Coming.
John Locke (Matt's Dad) is not so bad a guy after all. When the idea first came to me, John was this terrible, absentee father, but now...well, he's not only growing on me, but I'm kind of rooting for him and Matt to reconcile. The question now is: Will they? My characters haven't given me an answer regarding this as of yet.
The reason Alex's eyes are so brilliantly green is because he's one jealous bitch. Peeps, I did not know this about Matt's boyfriend until about 10K in, but it definitely falls in line with his character. And, let's just say that jealousy he exhibits on a regular basis leads to all kinds of trouble between the two boys. I'm just saying.

So, there you have it, friends. Now, you tell me. Have your characters ever done an about-face on you, leaving you scrambling to maintain control in a world rife with chaos? Or am I the only one? I really hope not.

ARC Review: DITCHED (A LOVE STORY)

2011-11-03T07:00:00.002-04:00

The Book: DITCHED (A LOVE STORY)
The Author: Robin Mellom
The Publisher: Hyperion (An Imprint of Disney-Hyperion)
Anticpated Release Date: January 10, 2012

Marketing Copy Summary:
High school senior Justina Griffith was never the girl who dreamed of going to prom. Designer dresses and strappy heels? Not her thing. So she never expected her best friend, Ian Clark, to ask her.

Ian, who always passed her the baseball bat handle first.

Ian, who knew exactly when she needed red licorice.

Ian, who promised her the most amazing night at prom.

And then ditched her.

Now, as the sun rises over her small town, and with only the help of some opinionated ladies at the 7-Eleven, Justina must piece together -- stain by stain on her thrift-store dress -- exactly how she ended up dateless. A three-legged Chihuahua was involved. Along with a demolition derby-ready Cadillac. And there was that incident at the tattoo parlor. Plus the flying leap from Brian Sontag's moving car...

But to get the whole story, Justina will have to face the boy who ditched her. And discover if losing out at prom can ultimately lead to true love.

My Thoughts:
For me, this was a fun reading vacation that just didn't last long enough. A sharp departure from the dark, tragic tales that I'm known to read, DITCHED flew by, evoking reactions that ranged from sweet 'Aw' moments, to yanking a snort or three out of me, to rolling my eyes, to earning my glares and more than a few fist shakes for Justina. All the kind of reactions an author wants to get from his/her audience, Robin Mellom does this effortlessly.

The MC, Justina, reminds me of myself when I was in high school. A bit of a smart ass, a bit of a loner, who tries to herself that she just doesn't care what others think, but really she does. A LOT. She wears all black, not because she's making some statement about the downward spiral of today's youth, but because it makes it less obvious--she thinks--that her 'new' clothes are really thrift store finds that could possibly have once upon a time belonged to her classmates. She also has a bit of a reputation for being a serial kisser that persists in following her around even though she hasn't kissed anyone in so long, she's seriously kiss-deprived.

But, that's all going to change at prom. Because Ian Clark (sigh, Ian Clark) asked her. Maybe it was only to go as friends, but if everything goes according to plan, their status as 'just friends' will change.

Unfortunately for Justina, NOTHING goes according to her carefully laid out plans, beginning with her dress. Lesson Learned: Don't let your mother talk you into dying your shoes to match your dress...or painting your nails to match said dress...and for damned sure don't let her call your date to tell him to get you blue roses for your corsage, again TO MATCH YOUR DRESS! Poor Justina. She only wanted Ian to see her in some color other than black. Now, she looks like a giant blueberry.

From there, everything just snowballs, until yes, Ian ditches her halfway through prom. The rest of the night is an exercise in folly, as she works to track down her disappearing date. Along the way, she ends up in demolition derby car, making a pit stop at a tattoo parlor, then crashes the wrong hotel party, and when she finally gets to the right one, Ian is once again gone.

This night can't possibly get any worse...or can it? Oh yes, my friends. It most certainly can.

In this fast, fun ride, you will alternate between laughing, groaning, gasping in horror, and shaking your fist, yelling, "WTF, Justina? Open your eyes girl!" and back to laughing again. Read this book, friends. You will plow right through it and enjoy every minute of it.

ARC Review: THE WHOLE STORY OF HALF A GIRL

2011-11-01T07:00:00.002-04:00

The Book: THE WHOLE STORY OF HALF A GIRL
The Author: Veera Hiranandani
The Publisher: Delacorte Books For Young Readers (an imprint of: Random House Children's Books)
The Genre: Middle Grade
Anticipated Release Date: January 10, 2012

The Summary:
When her father loses his job, Sonia Nadhamuni is yanked out of the safe bubble of her private school and dropped into the public education system. For the first time in her life, half-Indian, half-Jewish Sonia becomes very aware of just how different she really is. Her new classmates' simply asked questions leave her scrounging for a suitable answer, because with each foot settled in two extremely different worlds, how can she truly know where she belongs? She truly is half a girl, but which half should she be? As Sonia navigates her way between a group of popular girls who want to mold her into their version of cool and a group of decidedly uncool kids, the waters become even more murky, and Sonia is left wondering: who is she, really?

At home, things go from bad to okay to things-are-pretty-freaking-far-from-okay. Her family must adjust to the difficulties of their changed circumstances--having an out-of-work parent. Her mother starts working more while her father sinks further and further into depression. Even finding a new job doesn't seem to help his state of mind. Then, he disappears.

As her mother looks for answers, Sonia looks inward, deciding what's most important in her life, who her true friends really are, and whether her two halves, no matter how different, can somehow come together to make her a whole girl.

My Thoughts:
Whether you are white, black, green, or purple, Jewish, Catholic, Buddhist, or worship the sun god of the Miccanar galaxy, THE WHOLE STORY OF HALF A GIRL is a coming of age story that will resonate with just about everyone. Veera Hiranandani has crafted a beautiful story of one girl's quest to figure out who she really is all the while dealing with the stress of how life can change when one of your parents loses his/her job.

Being on verge of teenage-dom is difficult enough, but then Sonia must deal with some mighty big transitions. The first of which is that her father loses his job. After being at Community, a school that celebrates diversity, public school is like being thrown into an icy lake without a life-jacket. Sonia fits in nowhere, and the first question out of everyone's mouths is, "What are you?" Sonia's whip-crack answer of, "A girl." had me cheering. This is no meek, mouse of a girl. Sonia knows what she will and won't stand for. What she hasn't quite figured out is who she is, something she's never before had to explain to anyone, much less herself.

My one-sentence summary: THE WHOLE STORY OF HALF A GIRL is an original story, with a well-mapped out plot line that rolls along effortlessly and well-developed characters that you at once sympathize with, that sheds a bright light on cultural identity and dealing with having a parent suddenly without a job.

October's Frighteningly Small Reading List

2011-10-30T10:49:00.001-04:00

Do you see a trend lately peeps? Yep, my reading lists keep getting shorter and shorter. I'm pretty sure next month will be about the same, as November and December are notoriously slow reading months for me. Ah, well. What am I gonna do, right?

I know. I know. Read more. We shall see, minions. We shall see. But, enough idle chatter. On with My October reading list!

PRETTIES by Scott Westerfeld ... YA dystopian (audiobook) The second in Westerfeld's UGLIES series. Highly recommended read.
DITCHED by Robin Mellom ... YA contemporary (ARC...release date 01/10/2012) A fun, light and fluffy teen romance.
PARTY by Tom Leveen ... YA contemporay I looked into this book after having read an ARC of Leveen's sophmore effort, ZERO. PARTY is a smart, well-thought out story of eleven teens and how their lives change over the course of one night.
ABANDONED by Cody McFadyen ... Mystery/Suspense The fourth book involving kick-ass FBI agent Smoky Barrett and her crew. McFadyen weaves fast-paced thrillers that will keep you on the edge of your seat from the first to the last page, with almost no rest in between. Those of you who like Harlen Coben, James Patterson, Karen Slaughter, etc, you simply must check this guy out. (If you're new to McFadyen, you don't have to read his books in order, but I think it helps. They are: SHADOW MAN, THE FACE OF DEATH, THE DARKER SIDE, and then ABANDONED)
SWEET AS SIN by Inez Kelley ... Romance This was our Book Hungry October selection. Not really my taste, but the book did have some redeeming qualities.
ZOMBIE TAG by Hannah Moskowitz ... Middle Grade (ARC...release date 12/20/2011) My favorite read this month! Great story. You should check it out :)
DESTINED by PC & Kristin Cast ... YA paranormal One of the few vampire series I willingly read anymore. After the letdown of AWAKENED, I didn't have very high expectations for this installment, but with DESTINED, I was once again reminded why I loved vampires so much.

That's it, folks. Not too many this month. So, tell me. Have you read any of these? If so, what did you think? Also, any ideas for next month? I'm all ears :)

Friday Five: Things That Make Me Smile

2011-10-28T13:18:00.000-04:00

Long time, no Friday Five, huh? I've missed them, too, my lovely little minions. So, what better way to get back into the Friday Five groove than to share with all you fun friends the things that bring an upside down frown to my face.

Yep, here it is:

Five Things That Make Me Smile

A cold, blustery day. Yes, you heard me right, and yes, I do live in a place where the sun never sleeps. Also, I originally hail from a place where the sun is usually too scared to make an appearance. So, when I wake up to find a cool breeze blowing and semi-gray skies surrounding me, I feel like I'm home, sitting on the porch in Michigan, wrapped in a blanket and bitching about the weather. Ah, such fond memories :)
My babies. Yes, I know that I spent my entire blog post yesterday cooing over Sampson's birthday, but all my boys make me smile on a regular basis. Whether it's Quinn's really loud purring, Sampson's half-yelp-half-bark, or Scooter's big dog woof, they are unfailing spirit lifters. Pet owners know exactly what I mean by that.
Grossly fascinating cartoons. South Park. Family Guy. I love them both. But, my fave has always been Beavis and Butthead, which by the way, is back! Yes friends, I giggled nonstop from 10 to 10:30 while watching a NEW episode of the show I was beyond obsessed with as a teenager. I love those miscreants just as much now as I did back then. Er...I'm not sure what that says about me.
Dunkin Donuts' Iced Carmel Lattes. We have a love/hate relationship. I love them, yet I hate to think about how many calories are in one. Best not to obsess about that. Let's just concentrate on the love part. *sigh* So good.
Writing. From the initial over-the-top excitement of a shiny new idea, to the stress of outlining, to the agony of getting stopped up on a particularly difficult scene to powering through and coming out triumphant over said scene, I love it all. There's nothing better than the thrill of writing, of bringing the friends in your head to life. (yes, I'm aware of how mental that last bit made me sound, but I'm not sorry.)

So, there you have it, folks. What are your five things? Do share :)

Happy Birthday, Baby!

2011-10-27T09:30:00.000-04:00

Today, my youngest turns four. A milestone, I know. Since all of my babies are rescues, the only birthdate I'm for sure about is Sampson (he was rescued from my parents house, from their female's first litter). So while Scooter and Quinn(my cat) have to make do with 'floating' birthday which always fall on different days each year, Sampson gets the same day, over and over again.

Today! And, he's four...or twenty-eight if we're counting in dog years. So, here's a little picture parade, cataloguing his growth over the years!

Two weeks old! Sampson(left) & his sister Nickels (who my parents kept from that litter on right)

Eight weeks! We'd only just gotten home from the old folks house (an eight hour drive. Whew!)

1st Birthday. Notice the already nearly disintergrated rope bone behind him? yep, he just got it.

Christmas at Two years old. Boy did he get big!

Christmas 2010; reuniting with his sister Nickels (right) and of course, my boy is on the left.

Well, that's it. I tried getting a picture of him and Scooter this morning, celebrating this milestone, but they both got distracted by a bunny rabbit hopping through my backyard. Suffice it to say, chaos ensued. My dogs and their penchant for chasing down wildlife.

ARC Review: ZOMBIE TAG

2011-10-26T10:20:00.000-04:00

The Book: ZOMBIE TAG
The Author: Hannah Moskowitz
The Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
The Genre: Middle Grade
Expected Release Date: December 20, 2011 (perfect addition to the old holiday shopping list. I'm just saying)

Summary: (as taken from Amazon)
Wil is desperate for his older brother to come back from the dead. But the thing about zombies is . . they don’t exactly make the best siblings.

Thirteen-year-old Wil Lowenstein copes with his brother’s death by focusing on Zombie Tag, a mafia/
capture the flag hybrid game where he and his friends fight off brain-eating zombies with their mothers’ spatulas. What Wil doesn’t tell anybody is that if he could bring his dead brother back as a zombie, he would in a heartbeat. But when Wil finds a way to summon all the dead within five miles, he’s surprised to discover that his back-from-the-dead brother is emotionless and distant.

My Thoughts:
I have to say that lately, I've fallen in love with MG, and with ZOMBIE TAG, I've fallen hard. This book has everything you want in a good story. There's the lovable, slightly damaged main character, the family ravaged by tragedy, the friends who want to help, those who the MC betrayed.

And, of course, there are zombies.

Wil is the kind of main character you want to get behind. He idolized his brother, and hasn't quite been the same since Graham's untimely death. He'd give anything to bring him back, but everyone knows that zombies are no more. The last time they walked the earth was close to thirty years ago, and after they all abruptly died the second time, none have come back. They're gone. It's a fact, one that Wil wishes wasn't true, because how great would it be to see his brother again?

Then, his family would be whole again. They'd be normal, real people, and not the broken, hollowed-out shells they've all become. So, when Wil learns that the one instrument capable of raising the dead is within reach, he jumps at the chance. All he has to do is steal it...from his best friend's dad.

The dead rise, and Graham comes home. One problem: While Graham may not have turned into the mindless, flesh-starved undead creature everyone expects, he's also not the brother Wil knew.

So, get your spatula's ready, kids, for the ultimate undead fighting game out there, ZOMBIE TAG. Can you make it out alive?

Excuses, Excuses...

2011-10-25T11:50:00.000-04:00

They're like noses. Everyone's got one. Some of us have really, really big ones. I'm just saying.

So, what are my excuses, you might ask? Well, let me tell you...I don't really have any. Which is sad. Because I need to figure some out, and NOW.

You see, friends. I'm really behind on, oh about, a million or so things. Here's my list. WARNING: Take a deep breath before reading it, because it will wear a girl out. Again. I'm just saying.

Write not one, not two, not even three, but FOUR reviews of ARCS that I finished reading last month. I also, just finished reading another ARC last night, so I guess that makes FIVE reviews now. Wow, Karla way to drop the ball there.
Finish up TWO beta reads I promised to return to the writers LAST weekend. Yep, that's me, making promises that I don't deliver on. Many, many apologies to the lovely writer friends who still haven't received their critiques from me. You know who you are. Please don't be too mad.
Work on my bright and oh so shiny YA mystery novel. These characters are just a chattering away at me, which I LOVE LOVE LOVE. Now, if only I could just sit my tush down at the computer and not get distracted by Twitter and blog stalking people.
Meet up with my cuz who just moved down to the Seventh Circle of Hell. Apparently, he got the idea that this is the place to live. Who would've guessed that? Not that I'm complaining because, hey it's family. Yay for family!
According to fellow blogger Tray-Tray, I've turned into a bit of a Negative Nancy lately. Why yes, I have complained about the post office via the Twitter, and yes, I have been known to quote not-so-happy song lyrics, but Tracey, I swear I'm not a Negative Nancy. Clearly, she doesn't believe me, so I must work on showing (and not telling her...yeah, I couldn't resist throwing in that writerly type advice) her that she's wrong.

So, folks. Which should I tackle first? Also, do you have any good excuses I can use when apologizing up down and sideways to all the people affected by my procrastination lately? Do you think they'll believe that I'm the victim of a genetics-enhancing experiment gone terribly wrong? Or maybe it's a government conspiracy? Yeah, I may or may not have been reading too much Dean Koontz type-books lately.

For October, Book Hungry is as SWEET AS SIN

2011-10-20T09:38:00.000-04:00

First of all, let's thank Ms. Patty Blount for this month's selection. *crowd cheers as Patty takes her bow and walks off with trophy made of chocolate* Yeah, if only that was how we rolled every month, right? Actually, no, that wouldn't be a good thing. We'd all end up on those Half-Ton Writer*** shows that Discovery Fit & Health televises every other day.

But, I digress. On with the Book Hungry show!

The Book: SWEET AS SIN
The Author: Inez Kelley
The Publisher: Carina Press

Summary (as stolen from Amazon):
John Murphy is tormented by nightmares. A bestselling young-adult author, he writes the ultimate fantasy: stories where good always triumphs. He knows better. His past has shown him the worst in people—and in himself. When he moves next door to the sexy, vibrant Livvy—a woman completely unlike his usual one-night stands—he's driven to explore every curve of her delicious body.

Pastry chef Livvy knows that giving in to the temptation that is John Murphy won't lead to anything permanent, but she deserves a passionate summer fling. John discovers she's as sweet as the confections she bakes while Livvy slowly unravels his secrets. But what will happen when she uncovers them all?

My Thoughts:
After finishing this book, I was more than a little conflicted (still am, to be honest). At first, I really didn't care for John. To be honest, he was a bit of a douchebag. Right from page one, I kept thinking, 'I don't like you' and the extent of his douchebaggery made me not really care for Livvy since she kept coming back to him. I wanted to shake her and tell her that gorgeous or not, this guy was not for her.

BUT...

and that's a big BUT there people. What you don't know about this tale from the Amazon blurb is that this book holds a story within the story, one that will pull you in and keep in enthralled. You see, minions, John is the famed JB Flanigan, and his stories of Jondi, Thorn, Andros, and now Vory are America's answer to Harry Potter. Seriously. I've said this numerous times already, but I really, really, REALLY wish Inez would write those books. The little snips of the monster story not only carried my interest through, but shed light into John's past.

And, let's face it. John is damaged with a capital D. He's gone through some terrible traumas, and there is no way he'd end up any other way than he did. So, I will admit that while I didn't like him in the beginning, I grew to understand him there at the end. I just wished that the understanding would've come a little sooner, as I spent the majority of the novel shaking my fist at the man, and then at Livvy because I just couldn't believe she'd stay for all his crap. At the end, though, I was glad she did, because they both deserved a happily ever after.

Also, Livvy makes some killer desserts that I really need to try. A Chocolate Orgasm? Heck yeah. Count me in!

How about all you fun folks? Have you read this or any or Inez Kelley's books? Do share. Also, please sign my petition to get her to write the Jondi, Thorn and Vory books. Enough pressure and she has to cave...right?

***Okay, so there's no such thing as the Half-Ton Writer show on Discovery, but they do have Half-Ton Teen, Half-Ton Mom, and Half-Ton Man, so it wouldn't surprise me if they came out with a writer version. I'm just saying.

ARC Review: FLYAWAY

2011-10-17T07:00:00.002-04:00

The Book: FLYAWAY
The Author: Helen Landalf
The Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books (an Imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
Anticipated Release Date: December 19, 2011

Summary:
So what if Stevie Calhoun is only fifteen years old? And, so what if her mother's been missing in action for a few days? Stevie's been taking care of herself for ages. There's really no good reason for Aunt Mindy to have a fit about it now. Well, okay, maybe there was that report on the news about the club where Stevie's mom works being a front for crystal meth operation. And, maybe she has been acting a little more erratic than usual. And, maybe Stevie gets a serious case of the creepy-crawlies from her mom's new boyfriend.

That's all fixable. All Stevie has to do is find her mom, kick that lowlife Drake to the curb, and get the rent paid on time. Piece of cake. Really, there's no need for Aunt Mindy to blow this all out of proportion like she is.

Under the threat of a call to social services, Stevie reluctantly moves in with Aunt Mindy, but only until her mother comes to get her. Because really, Stevie doesn't need school. She doesn't need friends, or even a guy, no matter how gorgeous Alan is, and she certainly doesn't need to be taking care of a bunch of wounded birds. None of that matters to her...or does it?

My Thoughts:
Addiction does not just destroy the life of the one who finds solace in drugs, it also shatters those close to the addict. FLYAWAY shines it's bright light over one such family torn apart by the ravages drug use can inflict on the families of addicts. At times, it is brutal. In others, hopeful. But every page of this book sings with it's realness.

The story opens with Stevie having stretched herself so thin from taking care of both herself and her mother, all while fighting to maintain a thin facade of normalcy, that she is at her breaking point. Her mother has been missing for two days, and all Stevie can do now is worry and wait. It's heart-breaking to see a fifteen year old girl have to wear the mantle of parent and protector, but Stevie does without complaint. All she wants is to see her mother walk through that door, or at the very least call home to let her know everything is okay.

But, when the door opens, it's Aunt Mindy there to herd Stevie out of the apartment and far away from the life she'd always known. Reluctantly, Stevie agrees to stay with Mindy, but only until her mother can be found. What follows is a journey that no family should have to take. Stevie finds her mother, and Mindy organizes and intervention, shipping her off to treatment and leaving Stevie to pick up the pieces and begin a "normal" life when all she wants to do is go back home with her mother.

From that very first scene, Stevie just sang for me. She was brassy, self-sufficient, and full of piss and vinegar. But, when her mother comes into the picture, that spunky girl folds up and crawls away, replaced by a meek girl who doesn't argue or question. There were moments when I wanted to shake her and ask, "Where did you go, girl?" But, you know what? This made her a real girl for me. In my opinion, this abrupt change in her demeanor when her mother comes into the picture is completely believable and endearing.

Even Aunt Mindy sprang up and did a little dance for me, with her prissy, semi-uptight ways, and how she slowly loosened up through out the book. Every character had their own backstory, quirks, and flaws that gave the story just that much more life.

A quick, easy read, this book with tear your heart out, twist it in a few knots, and then put you back together again so you and the birds can just FLYAWAY.

I'm So Excited

2011-10-11T08:50:00.000-04:00

For this:

Yes, my friends. Janet Evanovich's ONE FOR THE MONEY is finally a movie. I've got my fingers crossed that it lives up to the hype. CANNOT wait till it comes out in January!

That's all. Good day! I said, Good Day!!!

Bionic Dad

2011-10-06T10:53:00.000-04:00

So, the maternal unit calls me last night while I'm driving home from work. "I've got news," she says. No hello. No, whaz up, biotch? Just, I have news. This is a sentence that never fails to garner my undivided attention, which is not always a good thing.

But, sometimes, this sentence is followed by a string of silliness. Thankfully, this is one of those times.

Before I can ask her to elaborate, she charges forward, her voice rising in excitement. "They're rebuilding your father, one machine at a time!" She says this proudly, like it's the most clever thing she could've come up with. I have to admit, that it is a catchy, phrase...and oddly familiar.

I'm quiet a moment...mostly because some jerk just cut me off, and my mother isn't too fond of my road rage tendencies, so I must take a second before answering her in order to shake my fist and glare menacingly at the asshat in the Beamer that is even now speeding far a head of me. Hello, buddy, we're in a 35 MPH zone here. You're going at least 55.

But, I digress.

"Like the Bionic Man?" I asked into the silence, not at all confused. It does make a certain amount of logic.

For those of you minions who are not in the know, my Dad has been disabled since the latter part of my senior of high school, when a he--just barely--survived a freak accident at work. Since then, we treasure every moment we have with him as we know better than most how quickly things can change. Also, since that time, he's played guinea pig to numerous doctors as they've worked to keep him in the best health one can possibly be in after such traumatic injuries. The list of procedures he's had done and the spare parts they've had to replace/add to him is staggering to normal people. To us, it's just another day in the life of.

"Yes! He's like the Six Million Dollar Man!" she exclaimed, clearly impressed that her daughter caught the reference of a TV show that went off the air before I ever thought about being born. Hey, I have TV Land. I know things. "They're rebuilding him, one machine at a time!"

So of course, all this talk of turning my dad into a cyborg brought to mind images like this:

"Well," I told Mom just before we hung up. "I don't mind having a Robo-Dad, but if he starts receiving transmissions to locate John Connor, we should all be worried. I'm just saying."

I'm not sure she got the Terminator reference, which saddens me to no end.

A Small List in September

2011-09-30T09:22:00.000-04:00

Again with another short reading month, peeps. What is wrong with me? Have I lost my reading mojo? Ah, well. We can't always have double-digit months, I suppose. Right? Anyway, here's my September list:

UGLIES by Scott Westerfeld ... YA dystopian (audiobook) my favorite non-ARC book this month. I can't believe I didn't read this sooner. and can't wait to crack open PRETTIES.
FETCHING by Kiera Stewart ... MG contemporary (ARC ... release date: 11/08/2011) this was a fun, fast read. a barking good MG!
THE BUTTERFLY CLUES by Kate Ellison ... YA mystery (ARC ... release date: 02/04/2012) I'm not usually impressed with YA mysteries. This one was quite intriguing. Not the usual Nancy Drew-esque murder mystery, but Lo (the MC) and all her quirks are very endearing.
ZERO by Tom Leveen ... YA contemporary (ARC ... release date: 04/24/2012) LOVED this book! Quite possibly my favorite read this month. Mark this on your TBR lists for when it comes out!
THE WHOLE STORY OF HALF A GIRL by Veera Hiranandani ... MG contemporary (ARC ... release date: 01/10/2012) One of the best MGs I've ever read. A very timely novel about one girl's struggle to figure out her cultural identity while dealing with the fallout of one parent losing his job.
GRAFFITI MOON by Cath Crowley ... YA--yay for Aussie YA!!--contemporary (ARC ... release date: 02/14/2012) LOVED this book! I can't say enough good things about it. Make sure you put this on your TBR list as well!
NEW YORK TO DALLAS by JD Robb ... Mystery/Suspense (number...like 38 or 46 or something like that of the IN DEATH books, and they just keep getting better and better!) GUH. this one just killed me. I loves me some Roarke.
WATCH ME DIE by Erica Spindler ... Mystery/Suspense Like most of Erica Spindler's books, I picked out the killer within the first three chapters, but that didn't ruin the book for me. Added bonus: my favorite cop couple (Stacy Killian and Spencer Malone) are front and center here...and they finally get married! good for them!
THE ELEVENTH PLAGUE by Jeff Hirsch ... YA dystopian Probably the scariest dystopian I've read recently...mostly because The Collapse as they call it in the book is completely believable as something that could happen today. Like I said: SCARY.

How about you, fun folks? Read any of these books? See any that spark your interest? Do share ;)

ARC Review: FETCHING

2011-09-17T14:43:00.001-04:00

The Book: FETCHING
The Author: Kiera Stewart
The Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
The Genre: Middle Grade
Anticipated Release Date: November 8, 2011

Summary:
Brynne Shawnson is the meanest of all mean girls, and Olivia Albert has had just about enough of her, the endless rounds of humiliating pranks and the incessant name-calling. Olivia and her friends have done nothing to deserve such treatment from Brynne and her legion of admiring fans, but that doesn't stop the queen bee from torturing Olivia further.

Normally, Olivia and her friends go for the try-to-ignore/duck-and-cover approach to dealing with Brynne's meanness. That all changes when Olivia's grandmother recruits her into the business of dog training, and the gears in Olivia's head start to turn. If only Brynne and her cohorts were more like the dogs Olivia's grandmother trains. Then, she'd know exactly how to deal with their behavior.

But, wait! That's just the solution she's been looking for. She and her friends will change the way her tormentors behave by using the same techniques employed in training unruly canines. Her brilliant plan works better than even she imagined when soon, it's her and her friends who are now the alpha dogs, shoving Brynne down into the realm of the unwanted. But, will popularity bring Olivia what she really wants?

My Thoughts:
A fun spin on the mean girl gets what's been coming to her forever storyline, FETCHING is...well, for lack of a better word, FETCHING. Fun and silly, but also heart-warming and cheer-inducing, you will be on Olivia's side right from page one when, ketchup, of all things, ruins Olivia's social life. And, it's all Brynne's doing. The WITCH. From that rocky point, things can only get better, right? Well, not exactly. Brynne instigates a few more pranks in which Olivia and her friends are the victims before Olivia's oh-so-fun scheme gets hatched.

And, once the 'training program' is launched, the fun really begins. You will laugh. You will cringe. You will feel a little bad, even for Brynne. Shocker, I know. But, through it all, you will cheer Olivia and her friends on. And, of course, there is a happy ending. I mean, come on, people. This is MG here. Not so much dark and dreary tragedy territory.

My one-sentence summary: FETCHING follows one girl's jump from sitting on the porch to not only running with the big dogs, but leading the pack.

ARC Review: ALSO KNOWN AS ROWAN POHI

2011-09-15T07:00:00.002-04:00

The Book: ALSO KNOWN AS ROWAN POHI
The Author: Ralph Fletcher
The Publisher: Clarion Books (in Imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
Expected Release Date: November 14, 2011

Summary:
A handful of weeks before he's set to start the tenth grade, Bobby Steele and his friends, Marcus and Big Poobs, are lazing in their preferred booth at the local IHOP, bored out of their heads. Just as they're about to expire from boredom, they find a syrup-stained application to the exclusive Whitestone Academy lying on an abandoned table a few feet away. Brilliant idea hatched, they fill in the necessary blanks, creating a boy named Rowan and mail in his application, just to see if they can get accepted.

Imagine Bobby's surprise when he receives Rowan's acceptance package a little more than a week later. The boys celebrate their victory with a laugh and goodbye to their brainchild, laying Rowan to rest. That's supposed to be the end of it. They pulled one over on the snobs at Whitestone and got a few kicks in the process.

The End.

That is, until Bobby steps through the hallowed halls of Whitestone himself, as Rowan Pohi, walking a tightrope of secrets and deceptions where the slightest misstep could bring his whole life crashing down.

My Thoughts:
While ALSO KNOWN AS ROWAN POHI was a fast, fun read, it did not lack for depth. Bobby's family dynamic was by turns, disconcerting, inspiring, and in the end, hopeful. His personality shone through in every thought, action, and word, lighting up the pages with his own brand of wry, self-effacing humor, even as he desperately clung to the Rowan persona, unwilling to be Bobby Steele.

His friends, both as Rowan and as Bobby were lively and engaging. Big Poobs was my favorite of the side-characters. My favorite line in the whole book came when Bobby tells his boys how he resurrected Rowan and entered Whitestone as a student. Big Poobs, in his earnest and endearing way, says, "Rowan came back from the dead? Only Jesus and vampires can do that!" AHAHAHAHA I love it!

It is this quirky comedic relief that helps soften the blow of exactly why Bobby feels he needs to hide behind the shield that Rowan Pohi is, the shield that protects him from the stain that comes with the name Robert Steele. It's at once heart-breaking and wrath-inducing that he feels the need to hide, but without it, the reader has no need to get behind Bobby, and cheer him on, you will.

A Short List for August...

2011-08-31T07:00:00.001-04:00

I hate to admit it, minions, but I just didn't get much reading done this month. *hangs head in shame* I know. I know. You count on me for vast and varied reading lists and I've let you down. I'm sorry. Can you ever forgive me?

Yeah? Good! I feel better now that the groveling is all over with. Now, we can get down to the business of sharing my reading list for the month of August. Here we go!

MAKING WAVES by Tawna Fenske ... Romantic Comedy
FIXING DELILAH by Sarah Ockler ... YA Contemporary
STAY by Deb Caletti ... YA Literary
THE CENTER CANNOT HOLD: MY JOURNEY THROUGH MADNESS by Elyn R. Saks ... Non-Fiction/Memoir
BEAUTY QUEENS by Libba Bray ... YA Dystopian/Satire (I don't know if that's how others would categorize it, but since this is my list, I'll do whatever I want *sticks out tongue*)
STOLEN by Lucy Christopher ... YA Literary
BLOOD RED ROAD by Moira Young ... YA Dystopian
SMOKIN' SEVENTEEN by Janet Evanovich ... Comedy/Mystery (more comedy than anything, but there was a healthy helping of mystery snuck in there)
WHEN PASSION RULES by Johanna Lindsey ... Historical Romance
EVE by Anna Carey ... YA Dystopian ARC

So, only ten this month, folks. I promise to try harder next month, but I make no guarantees. *shrugs* Have you read any on this list? What did you think? If not, are there any you're thinking about picking up? Do share :)

ARC Review: EVE

2011-08-30T19:23:00.000-04:00

The Book: EVE
The Author: Anna Carey
The Publisher: Harper Teen (an Imprint of Harper Collins)
Anticipated Release Date: October 4, 2011

Summary:
In the year 2032, more than 98% of the world's population has been eradicated by both a deadly plague and the vaccine created to destroy the virus. Now, New America is ruled by a controlling king who will stop at nothing to repopulate the earth.

Eighteen-year-old Eve is the best and the brightest of the newest crop of girls to finish School. She has dreams of moving to the capital, the City of Sand, with her friends and becoming a famous artist. But, on the eve of her graduation, she learns the horrible truth of what actually happens once she leads her class across the bridge and away from the School. With the help of a teacher, she flees in the night, leaving behind all she's ever known to journey through wild lands in search of a place where she can survive.

Along the way, Eve meets up with Caleb, a boy who'd escaped from the boys' "School" years before and has been living in the wild ever since. All her life, Eve has been kept away from boys and taught to fear them, but Caleb, with his soft smiles and easy laugh, slowly breaks down her defenses, and she begins to care for him. When the king sends soldiers out to hunt for Eve, Caleb vows to protect her, but Eve realizes she must choose between her love and both their lives.

My Thoughts:
I have to admit that right now, I'm pretty addicted to dystopian novels. Some are great, some not so great. And, EVE has tons of dystopian fun. There's the evil dictator, who we don't actually meet in this installment, but he sounds cruel and oh-so-villiany. There's the exploitation of the poor, the hungry, the huddled masses. The rich who enjoy all the pleasures life can offer while they live in houses built on the blood, sweat, and tears of orphaned children. There's the naive heroine, and her oh-so-dashing love interest. And, of course, there's a well built world of fear and despair.

But, one thing all the good ones have going for them is a strong female lead. A girl who kicks ass. One who survives. One you want to cheer for. One who is nothing like you, but exactly like the you you'd like to think you'd be in a similar situation. While I adored EVE and flew right through it, I have to admit that sadly, Eve is not the kind of heroine I usually enjoy. She suffers greatly from Bella syndrome. (i.e. helpless girl who can't save herself and must therefore rely on others to survive)

For me, it was Arden, Eve's not quite friend, and Caleb, Eve's wild boy toy who brought this book to life. Arden was the gutsy, kickass and take names kind of girl that I wanted to root for. And Caleb? *sigh* *swoon* Need I say more? I just wish Eve had a little more gumption and did for herself so much more. Fleshing her out more and making her more self-sufficient would've raised this novel from good, decent dystopian read to the level of novels like HUNGER GAMES and BLOOD RED ROAD.

If, like me, you devour dystopians by the dozen, EVE is a quick read that will satisfy your dystopian craving.

Book Hungry is MAKING WAVES

2011-08-18T07:00:00.001-04:00

This month marks Book Hungry's first birthday! Yay! *throws confetti* And, what better book for us to devour (get it? Book Hungry. DEVOUR. Yeah, pathetic attempt at word play, I know.) than Tawna Fenske's debut novel MAKING WAVES? If you aren't already acquainted with Tawna (which means you've probably been living under a rock in the middle of the desert or chained up in some pervy dude's basement for the last year or so), check her out here and here. When you're done with all the stalker-like behavior, go buy her book here or maybe even here. Best to buy from both sites...you know...to make absolutely certain you get it;)

Here it is. Look how pretty!

Summary (as stolen from Amazon):
She always wanted to belong...just not to a dysfunctional pirate crew

Juli has trouble fitting in, though she'd prefer to keep the reasons to herself. But when she mistakenly stows away on a ship of misfit corporate castoffs, her own secrets become the least of her concerns.

He knows plotting a diamond heist may be considered unusual behavior...

But Alex isn't feeling very normal when his unscrupulous boss kicks him to the curb. Meeting Juli doesn't do much to restore normalcy to Alex's life either, but it sure is exhilarating!

As Alex and Juli bare their secrets-and a whole lot more-they find that while normal is nice, weird can be wonderful.

Dive into Tawna Fenske's hilarious world of wacky, quirky, heartwarming romance.

My Thoughts (as pick pocketed from no one but me...and your mom):
As anyone well acquainted with my usual reading lists will tell you, while I read any and everything I can get my hands on, the only genre I read less often than fantasy is the ROMANCE. Yes, I like a little romantic element in the things I read, but I don't want it to be the central focus point. I want action, intrigue, something other than the pitter patter of hearts being set on fire. You're probably wondering about right now why on earth I would choose this as our August read.

Simple, my illustrious interwebz friends. Tawna is freaking hilarious. You can catch her act every weekday over on her blog Don't Pet Me, I'm Writing, and of course, on the Twitter. So, how could I not be curious about her book? Also, I may or may not be hoping that somehow, someway, she can find a way to revive that girl undertaker story. Cuz, that would be awesome. I'm just saying.

So, of course, I expected to be wowed by her book. I had high expectations, which kind scared me. What if her book wasn't as laugh-till-you-nearly-pee-your-pants funny? What if the humor I'd fallen hopelessly in love with while reading her blog this past year dropped out of sight? What if I just didn't like it (gasp! the horror!)?

And, you know what, folks?

There was nothing to worry about. Did I laugh? Uproariously so. Did I roll my eyes and shake my head at some of the antics going on? Heck yeah! Did I cry? What? NO! but I did get a little bit of an "Aw, that's so unbelievably unbelievable" moment.

It's a very rare thing indeed when a book does not only live up to the hype, but surpasses all expectations. Not since I read Carl Hiaasen's SKINNY DIP have I enjoyed a quirky comedic, and yes, romantic novel so, so, so much. The settings were vividly described. I could almost taste the salty ocean breeze on my tongue when Tawna describes Julie's time on deck. Fully-formed side characters support her hero and heroine superbly. In fact, there were times when I wanted more time with Phyllis, Jake, and Cookie...and of course, Cookie's spatula. (I really need to find out where he got such a handy multi-purpose tool. Really, it's the Swiss Army knife of any cross-dressing, former NFL star, turned laid-off shipping worker, turned pirate crew chef. Duh)

And, the interactions between Alex and Julie? *sigh* *snort* *blush* *giggle* *AWWWW* From the bar/newlywed game scene where they first meet to the twenty questions and Alex's mouth-to-neck admission to the game of strip Battleship, these two kept me riveted. I just wanted to find out what they'd do/say next. Not once was I disappointed.

Yep, friends, it's safe to say that Tawna was definitely MAKING WAVES in my reading...especially with the ending. It was very...er...satisfying ;)

What about all you, magnificent minions? Have you read Tawna's book yet? If so, did you enjoy yourself? If not, why the heck haven't you? Inquiring minds want to know :)

It's a TEASE!

2011-08-09T07:00:00.001-04:00

This is quite possibly the shortest tease you will ever find on this here blog, but seeing as how it's the first scene I've written in my current as yet untitled WiP, it really should be the first tease. Don't you think? Exactly my point ;)

Enjoy!

I never expected there to be so much blood. Smeared across the front of my shirt. Dripping off the tips of my fingers. Pooling on the hardwoods at my feet. Splattered over the toes of the sneakers that had up until an hour ago been pristine, brand-new-shoe white. Coating my whole world in a scarlet sea of insanity.

Raising the knife still clutched in my right hand, I can’t help but stare at the crimson tinge the blade has attained. Shiny. Wet. Taunting me.

My work is not done. I cannot truly be free until it’s finished.

Eyes sliding closed, the knife lowers again, slicing through already ravaged flesh, tearing away every bit of the life I’d known and replacing it with this new existence. One where I am safe. I am new. I am whole.

I am free.

So, what do we think? Did I get your attention? Until next week, folks! :)

ARC Review: DEVIANT

2011-08-05T20:41:00.000-04:00

The Book: DEVIANT
The Author: Adrian McKinty
The Publisher: Amulet Books (an Imprint of Abrams)
Expected Release Date: October 1, 2011

Summary:
The remote Colorado town of Cobalt is known for only two things: its prisons and more recently, its school. Three years ago, a progressive school unlike any other opened its doors. In the controlled atmosphere of Cobalt Charter School, everything is scripted: the dress codes, the class schedules, what the teachers say, how the students respond, and when they can speak, which is almost never. Any parent unsure of how this environment would affect his child need only look at the school's academic record--among the highest in the country--to decide that this is the place for little Johnny or Sue.

Having just moved to Colorado from the bright lights of Las Vegas, Danny Lopez brings Cobalt's student population up to lucky number 100. Lucky for a killer lurking in the small town. Not so lucky for students allowed so few freedoms that they are now sitting ducks.

My Thoughts:
We all know that I love male protagonists in YA. They are so few and far between, and even less are done well. This is one of those rare gems where the MC not only entertained me, but he made me care what happened to him. Danny is a perfectly flawed character. In the opening chapters, I wanted to smack him. I kept thinking, "Dude, you're such a little punk." even though I sat snickering while he stood blithely by and watched his well-meaning step-dad get himself taken into custody by airport security and almost thrown in jail. All because the poor guy wanted to keep some dude from stealing an unclaimed bag. But, not to worry, folks. Danny learns and grows as the book propels forward, not in one giant leap at the end, but in inches and feet. It's gradual and oh so believable. So, when the action escalates at the end, you're pinned to the edge of your seat, praying that Danny makes it through alright.

And the parents! OMG, the parents! Kudos to Adrian McKinty for not hiding behind the over-used, sofa king irritating 'absentee/irresponsible parent' thing so often seen in YA novels. Yes, Danny's mom works so much, she practically lives at her office. But, she makes him breakfast every morning, relaxes with the family at night, and (gasp!) actually shows concern about her son's well-being. I know. I was shocked about that, too. And then, there's Danny's step-dad. Goofy, well-meaning guy. He just wants to get better acquainted with his wife's son. I almost feel bad for him when Danny brushes him off...well, when I'm not laughing at him for being sofa king gullible.

But, still. PARENTS!!!! I love it. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Adrian McKinty.

In regards to the mystery, I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. I must admit that very rarely do I not guess the killer's identity right from the beginning. This was no different. HOWEVER. Once the killer is revealed, McKinty throws in a little twisty-twist that had me gasping in both amazement and horror.

So peeps, if you're looking for nail-biter of a mystery involving a few spunky kids, involved parents, and one crazy dude with a fetish for killing cats, you will definitely need to check out DEVIANT.

A MidSummer Night's Reading...

2011-08-02T22:28:00.000-04:00

I'm a little late with July's list, folks. Sorry about that, but there was just no help for it. I finally got my pre-order in from a book that EVERYONE and their mother has had for eons. I was literally the last person in the world to get her copy and I just had to sit down and read as soon as I got it in my hot little hand.

And, boy was it a fantabulous read. I'm sure you're all just dying to know the name of said book, but since it was read in August, you'll just have to wait to hear about it later. Na-na-na-boo-boo.

Okay, so on with my July Reading list! And, let me tell you, I got so lost in all these books.

THE LOVER'S DICTIONARY by David Levithan ... YA literary
THIS GORGEOUS GAME by Donna Freitas ... YA literary
HOLD STILL by Nina LaCour ... YA literary
A STORM OF SWORDS by George R.R. Martin ... Fantasy
GONE, GONE, GONE by Hannah Moskowitz ... YA literary ARC
STORK by Wendy DelSol ... YA paranormal romance
ALSO KNOWN AS ROWN POHI by Ralph Fletcher ... YA contemporary ARC
FLYAWAY by Helen Landalf ... YA contemporary ARC
DEVIANT by Adrian McKinty ... YA mystery/suspense ARC
VAMPIRE INSTINCT by Joey W. Hill ... Paranormal
BEYONDERS: A WORLD WITHOUT HEROES by Brandon Mull ... YA fantasy
RAW BLUE by Kirsty Eagar ... (Aussie**)YA literary
HOW I LIVE NOW by Meg Rosoff ... YA contemporary
BUT I LOVE HIM by Amanda Grace ... YA literary

That's my list for July, minions. Did you read any on this list? How did you enjoy them? As always, book recs are always appreciated. What do you think I should go for next? I'll just be over here with my nose stuck in yet another book ;)

**I point out the fact that this is an Aussie book only because I had the devil's own time hunting this book down. Only after I begged it from a blog buddy did I get to enjoy it, and let me tell you, I'm so glad I got to read it!

To Book Hungry and BEYOND...ERS

2011-07-21T12:49:00.001-04:00

I have been noticeably absent from recent Book Hungry meeting. So much so that my fellow bookanistas attempted to whip me with a wet noodle when I finally did poke my head out of the sand. Don't worry, folks. I was too fast for those ladies ;) Also, I may have pinky-promised to read and enjoy July's selection long before our mutually agreed upon posting date.

Sadly, this did not happen.

Currently, I am only halfway through with Alyson's pick, BEYONDERS: A WORLD WITHOUT HEROES by Brandon Mull.

Summary (As stolen from Amazon):
The first book in a new series (Beyonders), A World Without Heroes is an addictive blend of fantasy, humor, and heroic quest. Jason is an ordinary 13-year-old involuntarily transported to Lyrian, a world ruled by the evil wizard Maldor. Jason stumbles across a book bound with human skin and learns of a secret word with the power to unmake Maldor--knowledge that puts Jason in grave danger. Galloran, a blind king who once searched for the word himself, introduces Jason to Rachel, another Beyonder (as people from Earth are called) who had appeared in Lyrian at the same time. Jason and Rachel set out to retrieve the word, and the resulting pages are filled with adventure, drama, loyalty and betrayal—a treat for fans of Mull’s Fablehaven series or those discovering this bestselling author for the first time.--Seira Wilson

My Thoughts (So Far):
Anyone who knows me (or has perused one or more of my many monthly reading lists...say that five times fast), knows that I read and enjoy just about anything, fiction or non. But, I will admit that my least favorite genre of reading material is the fantasy. I find that some stories I love, love, LOVE (Game of Thrones, anyone?), some I hate, and others I am simply indifferent to.

Unfortunately, this novel happens to belong to the indifferent category. The idea is a strongly fantastical one. The main character is somewhat likable, which is to say that I didn't fall head over feet for him, but he's not an assclown either. And, the action is almost there for me. My one big complaint is in that is feels like Jason never seems to fix/solves his own problems. Someone else is always there to explain in detail how to get around the obstacle in front of him. (As, I said, I'm only half through, this may change, but so far. He doesn't jump his own hurdles) I mean, come on people. It's more than okay to get a little help from your friends, but even HP, who relied on his friends quite heavily, came up with his own bits of wisdoms. Because, who would want to follow someone who can't solve the conundrum of how to dodge a man-eating crab or escape a jail cell himself? Eh, maybe that's just me.

Don't get me wrong, folks, this storyline is intriguing. In fact, I will be finishing this book, even if it takes me another month, if only because I really need to know what the six-syllable word of power is.

So, there you have it. Take my opinion as will, especially since this is not my preferred genre of reading, and thus, I am probably being overly-critical. What about all you fantastic followers? Have you read this book yet? What did you think? I'll just be over here, slogging my way through the rest of it.

Until next month when our little club dissects Tawna Fenske's debut novel MAKING WAVES. I'm so excited...and I just can't hide it!! (yes, I was singing that)

Teaser Tuesday!

2011-07-05T07:00:00.004-04:00

Hey, folks. It's been a long, long, long while since I regaled you all with a Tease. So, I figured. Hey! Why not? :) Do you all remember SHUT UP? Yeah, me neither...er...up until a little minute ago when the urge to write sneaked up behind me and smacked me in the back of the head. Not very nice of Gwen and Anna, but what are ya gonna do, right? Exactly. So, here is a little excerpt from this on-again, off-again WiP that is toying with my emotions, the limey bastard.

Enjoy!

I don’t remember leaving the cafeteria. The run through the halls and out the front door is little more than a blur. Fumbling for my keys until the car door finally cooperates is a dream I can vaguely recall, slipping through my fingers like tiny grains of sand.

But, it’s not a dream, and I am huddled behind the wheel, my fingers gripping the ignition as my car groans and stutters before dying a slow torturous death. I don’t know how long I’ve been staring at the red battery light on my dashboard when the passenger door swings open, cold air slashing through the interior, cutting into my skin with steel fingers.

“Are you okay?” Wes sighs and then shakes his head. “Nevermind. Stupid question.”

He leans over, his fingers sliding over mine, and turns the key. He listens to the car’s engine whine and protest such abuse for several seconds. Then, his hand leaves mine, and he snakes down between my legs, reaching for the hood release. He can’t help but notice the way I cringe at his closeness. How I flatten myself against the door to keep our limbs from colliding. But, he doesn’t mention it, doesn’t look like it bothers him in the least.

It’s a knife to my gut, one slammed in hard and fast, and then twisted cruelly. He hops back out of the car as I sit there, bleeding for him and all that will never be again.

Several minutes pass. He tinkers with this and that under the hood, calling out commands for me to try it again every so often. After the fifth time of trying it again ends with the same result, he slams the hood closed, climbs into the car, taps out a text on his phone, and then turns to face me.

“Where were you going?” He pauses for a beat, waiting on an answer that will never come.

I can’t open my mouth, can’t look at him. I can’t even pry my fingers off the steering wheel. Just the thought of letting go makes my hands clench around it harder in a grip so tight my knuckles turn white. Pressure builds in my chest, making my ribs ache with the strain of keeping everything in. The words are piling up inside me, trying to squeeze out through any crack or crevice they might be lucky enough to find.

“Home?” he presses.

Why can’t I just speak already? Just open my mouth and answer the damned question? How can it all of a sudden be so difficult?

“I’ll take you home,” he announces with a short nod, like tacking on that sharp jerk of his head will make whatever he says somehow more believable. Maybe, it does. “Jake and I will come back later. See if we can get old Myrtle here running.” He grins over my car’s name and lifts his shoulders in a half-shrug. “If she’s still being temperamental, we’ll tow her back to my place and get under her. We both know how she likes being on top.”

This startles a laugh out of me, loud, scary and half-hysterical. A maniacal shriek better suited to rubber rooms, psych wards, and slasher flicks. Not here, in this place, in this car, with this boy.

He sucks in a deep breath, blows it back out, long and low. The windshield in front of him fogs. My fingers itch with the urge to reach out and etch a message in the condensation. It might very well be the only way I’ll ever communicate with anyone again. Instead, they curl into the leather of the steering wheel, nails digging in even further as if this grip I have on Myrtle is the only thing keeping me alive, keeping me sane.

I don’t know when he slid over, but suddenly, he’s right there, his leg pressing against mine, knee to hip. Heat rolls off him, pouring over my frozen flesh, sinking in until I no longer feel the cold air nipping at my face. His arm snakes around my shoulders, his chest flush against my back as he leans into me. And then, his hands curl over top of mine.

“It’s okay, Gwen. Just let go.”

With knowledge gleaned from years of babysitting his younger brothers and sisters, Wes can disarm anyone in less than five seconds. Now is no different. I used to think that the best way to loosen a tenacious grip was to pry the person’s fingers apart, but Wes taught me otherwise. In this moment, his considerable expertise in this area easily overwhelms me. His hands squeeze over my own, not too hard but enough to have my fingers crumbling beneath his sure grip. The steering wheel squeaks out a pained sigh, grateful to Wes for helping free it from the prison of my fingers.

He grimaces as he rubs his hands over mine. “Come on. Let’s get going.”

The faster he can get me into his car, the sooner he can be done with me. Of course. I shouldn’t be upset about that. After all, I was the one who dropped him. So, how can it hurt so much to be here next to him but not really be able to reach out and touch him?

I’m sorry. Sorry I dragged you through this whole mess. Sorry I hurt you. I’m sorry you’re such a nice guy that you’re still willing to help me even after everything I’ve done. The apology whispers through my mind, drops down to my tongue, and slices it to ribbons, rendering me mute.

I’m just so sorry.

I don’t open my mouth. I don’t say or do anything to entice him into further conversation. Following him to his car and climbing in beside him is already more than I can bear. The heater clicks on almost as soon as the engine revs. Cold air. Then, cool which is soon followed by warm and then a hot, hot swirl slithers over my face.

He reaches out, flicking the vents towards me and lowering the volume on the radio. I wish he’d leave it at the ear-splitting pulse he usually enjoys. Then, we wouldn’t be suffocating on the acrid smoke of unsaid words.

Well, that's it. What do we think? Should I continue to play hide and seek with this WiP, or just let it wander away?

A Storied Month of Reading

2011-06-30T22:06:00.000-04:00

It's that time again, folks, and all I can say is: I really need this chair.---->>>>>

Isn't that just the best reading chair EVER? Exactly my point. Okay, onto my reading list for June!

ASHFALL by Mike Mullin ... YA Dystopian ARC
WHEREVER YOU GO by Heather Davis ... YA Paranormal Romance ARC
JUST LIKE HEAVEN by Julia Quinn ... Historical Romance
THE GODDESS TEST by Aimee Carter ... YA Fantasy
ULTRAVIOLET by RJ Anderson ... YA SciFi/Fantasy/Paranormal/I-don't-know-WTF-genre-it-is-but-it's-good ARC
STEALING HEAVEN by Elizabeth Scott ... YA Contemporary
INVINCIBLE SUMMER by Hannah Moskowitz ... YA Contemporary
LOST DOG by Bill Cameron ... Mystery
CHASING SMOKE by Bill Cameron ... Mystery
GAME OF THRONES (A Song of Ice and Fire, book 1) by George R.R. Martin ... Fantasy
REVOLUTION by Jennifer Donnelly ... YA Historical/Literary
A CLASH OF KINGS (A Song of Ice and Fire, book 2) by George R.R. Martin ... Fantasy (okay, okay. I might not be completely done with this one yet, BUT it's nearly 900 freaking pages long and I only have 150 left, so I'm counting it. So there *sticks out tongue* Plus, I'll probably finish it tonight before I go to bed anyway, so that means it'll be finished in June...and why am I explaining all this anyway???)

Well, that was an eclectic mix, now wasn't it? What about you, peeps? Anything you think I should be reading next. I have to warn you, after Nomes' blog carnival, my TBR pile has magically transformed from a mere molehill into a full blown mountain range. I might need to take some rock-climbing lessons in order to tackle it ;)

Fun, Fun, Fun and Games

2011-06-30T07:00:00.000-04:00

Hey folks! It's been a while since our last FUN AND GAMES WITH K & K post over on Kelly's blog. This is completely my fault. I will admit to a certain amount of Lazy Writer Syndrome and Sucky Writer Disease on my part.

It happened. So, get over it. I regret nothing :)

Ahem. Anywho, if you need a little refresher, you can find Kelly's last post here. I'll wait while you go read.

...

...

Done? Okay! On with the show. Enjoy!

Grace’s room was filled to bursting over the next two days. From the second she’d opened her eyes to find Truman sitting vigil at her side, she’d not once had a moment to herself. Which was a good thing, she continually told herself. It should have warmed her, eased the pain of Harper’s absence. But even with as many people surrounding her as there were, a huge gaping hole sat right in the center of it all, the place where her best friend should have been.

Where was Harper? She could’ve sworn she’d heard her friend talking to her while she’d drifted between life and death, and Truman had confirmed that fact. But his sister had yet to make an appearance since Grace opened her eyes. Worse still, no one would tell her where Harper was. Whenever she asked, her questions were met with a long uncomfortable silence, followed by a nervous flickering of eyes and then a hasty change of subject.

The wondering was slowly driving Grace insane.

“You’re looking tired, sweetheart,” he father noted from his station at the foot of her bed. He was the only person who’d sat with her more than Truman since she woke up. The irony of it taking a bullet to make him acknowledge her for longer than a minute was not lost on Grace.

“I’m fine,” she answered automatically, but the moment the words fell from her lips, her mouth stretched into a yawn, proclaiming her a liar.

His lips quirked up in a half-smile and he set his paper aside. Then, he pushed up to his feet. “I’ll let you rest.” Before she could argue that she wasn’t tired, he dropped a kiss on her forehead. “I think I’ll go down to the cafeteria and get some coffee and maybe some lunch. Do you want anything?”

Stifling another yawn, she shook her head. “But, can you leave me your cell? I want to call Abby, see when she’ll be by.” It was only half a lie. She did want to call her cousin, but first she had to find out what was up with Harper.

He dug into his pocket and handed it to her with a gentle admonishment to get some rest. She smiled her thanks and watched him leave.

The first number she dialed—Harper’s cell—went directly to voice mail. She ended the call without leaving a message. Next, she dialed Owen’s number. Voice mail again, but this time, she left a message.

What was going on here? Dread pooled low in Grace’s gut. Something happened with her friend while she’d been unconscious, but what?

“Finally.”

Grace snapped the phone closed, her eyes reaching across the room to meet Lucky’s wide grin.

“I was beginning to think Boy Wonder would never leave your side,” he told her as he sauntered into the room, pulled the chair her father had only moments before vacated close to her side, and then plopped down in it.

Grace rolled her eyes. “I’m sure Truman would love to hear himself be called that.”

“No doubt.” He leaned forward, took her hand in both of his. “How’re you feeling, Grace? You still look so pale.” Concern colored his normally laughing eyes somber. Grace found that she didn’t like this serious side of Lucky. It was just so…un-Lucky-like.

She lifted her shoulders in a small shrug, wincing as the tiny movement did painful things to her injured body. “I guess bullet wounds are not as easy to get over as the movies make them out to be.”

He barked out a surprised laugh. “Guess not.”

“Have you seen Harper?” The question flew out of her mouth before she could stop it. But she didn’t regret asking. She needed to know.

Slowly, reluctantly, he nodded. “Yeah, I have.”

“Well,” she demanded, annoyed by his short answer. “Where is she? What’s going on? Is she okay? Why won’t anyone tell me anything?”

“Because,” he shot a quick look over his shoulder, then back at her, before finally dropping his gaze to their joined hands. “Because…uh…I don’t know why.”

She snatched her hand out of his grasp, glaring viciously at him. “I don’t believe you. Where. Is. Harper?”

“Now, now, Gracie. Don’t get yourself all worked up. The doctor said—“

“I don’t give a rat’s ass what the doctor said,” she snarled, her eyes welling with angry moisture. “I want to know what’s going on. I want to know where my best friend is!”

“Well, I don’t know exactly where she is right now. It’s not my turn to watch her. I’m actually not sure who’s on babysitting detail today.”

“You’re not funny.”

“Aw, come on.” He heaved out a loud, overly-dramatic sigh. “It was a little funny. Wasn’t it?”

“Lucky.”

“Grace.”

“Where is she? Tell me!”

“I’m right here.” They both turned at that softly uttered announcement.

“Harp,” Grace gasped. This girl standing in the doorway was not her best friend. This girl with limp unwashed hair hanging in her face, tired eyes that looked like they belonged to a hundred-year-old lady instead of a teenaged girl, and sallow complexion was not her Harper. Her Harper was bright and shining. Even in recent days, her Harper hadn’t been anywhere near as washed-out and faded as this girl. How could Harper have deteriorated so much in so little a time?

Lucky leaped to his feet and gestured toward his chair. “Sit down, Harps. I was just leaving.”

She didn’t move from her station at the door. “No, Lucky. It’s okay. I didn’t mean to bother you. I just…I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have interrupted.”

At last, she brought her saddened gaze to Grace. In it, Grace saw everything that Harper couldn’t seem to form into words. Her guilt at everything that had happened to land Grace in that hospital bed, the agony of all the vicious words that had passed between them, and how desperately she wanted to bridge the gap between them, but didn’t quite know how to make that first monumental step. There was just so much churning around inside her, but none of that bubbled up to the surface.

Instead, she turned away, mumbling, “I’m just so sorry,” before she disappeared into the hallway.

So...? What do we think? Are we about ready to put Grace and Harper out of their misery yet? Until next time, folks, when Kelly wows you with her writing prowess. (FYI: she will be on vacay next week, so it might be a little minute before she gets her next post up. I'm just saying)

2011 Faves, So Far: Characters

2011-06-27T10:53:00.000-04:00

Back again with Nomes' 2011 Faves: The Characters.

Best Female POV: Danielle; STEALING HEAVEN by Elizabeth Scott

Best Male POV: Chase; INVINCIBLE SUMMER by Hannah Moskowitz
Best Couple: Wes and Macy; THE TRUTH ABOUT FOREVER by Sarah Dessen
Who I So Want To Be Friends With: Tris; DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth
Who I Fell Completely In Love With--New Literary Crush: Four; DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth
Worst/Best Villain: Hamish; VIOLENCE 101 by Denis Wright
Best Character Twist: The Death of Ned Stark; GAME OF THRONES by George R.R. Martin
Most Kick-Ass Female: Tris; DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth

Most Kick-Ass Male: it's a toss-up between Ned Stark and Kahl Drogo; GAME OF THRONES by George R.R. Martin
Broke Your Heart The Most: the good-bye scene between Lynna and Andras in BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAY by Ruat Sepetys
Best/Worst Character Names: Faraday; ULTRAVIOLET by R.J. Anderson

That's it for me, folks. What about you? Oh, and don't forget to check out Nomes' blog to read everyone else's picks :)

Faves of 2011, So Far...As Directed by Nomes

2011-06-23T22:04:00.000-04:00

So, the ever fabulous book blogger Nomes over at Inkcrush is having a book award carnival over on her blog. And, we all know how much I love lists, especially ones having to do with books. I just had to join in on her fun. You can check out her introduction post for her THREE days of awards here, and her DAY ONE post here.

Now, for my list!

Favorite book read so far in 2011: three-way tie between: DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth, GAME OF THRONES by George R.R. Martin, and BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAY by Ruta Sepetys
Most Powerful Book: BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAY by Ruta Sepetys
Brilliantly Funny: LADY BE GOOD by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Best ache-y, heart-breaking, tear-jerking read: THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE by Jandy Nelson and BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAY by Ruta Sepetys
Most Beautiful Story: THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE by Jandy Nelson
Delicious rainy-day comfort read: WHERE SHE WENT by Gayle Forman
Adrenalin-fueled, unputdownable award: ASHFALL by Mike Mullin
Most beautiful prose award: THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE by Jandy Nelson

Most atmospheric and vivid setting: SHINE by Lauren Myracle
I-so-want-to-go-there award: DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth
Most original and imaginative: DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth
Best under-appreciated, hidden gem book: YOU by Charles Benoit and REVOLUTION by Jennifer Donnelly
I-had-no-idea-I-would-love-this-so award: BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAY by Ruta Sepetys
Most Haunting Story: THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE by Jandy Nelson and BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAY by Ruta Sepetys
Outside my comfort zone, but gosh I loved it: VIOLENCE 101 by Denis Wright and GAME OF THRONES by George R.R. Martin

Series that I am loving: SONG OF FIRE AND ICE (Game of Thrones books) by George R.R. Martin, THE SOOKIE STACKHOUSE books by Charlaine Harris, and THE HOUSE OF NIGHT books by PC and Kristin Cast
Most memorable voice award: INVINCIBLE SUMMER by Hannah Moskowitz
Completely awesome premise award: ULTRAVIOLET by RJ Anderson
Would make the best movie: DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth
Want to re-read already: DELIRIUM by Lauren Oliver and DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth

As you might have noticed, there a few repeats on here, but really, a book can only be truly awesome if it kicks ass in several categories. Right?

What about all you magnificent minions? How does your list stack up? I'd love to hear about it in the comments. I'll just be over here, devouring the next GAME OF THRONES book and not-so-patiently waiting for season two to commence...in spring of 2012!!! ARGH. I so cannot wait.

ARC Review, Friday Five Style: ULTRAVIOLET

2011-06-10T14:29:00.000-04:00

The Book: ULTRAVIOLET
The Author: R.J. Anderson
The Publisher: Carolrhoda LAB (an Imprint of Lerner Publishing Group)
The Release Date: September 1, 2011

Summary:
There is really only one question everyone keeps asking of Allison: What happened to Tori Beaugrand? The only problem? Allison--freshly woken after spending the last two weeks in a mental institution--can't remember a thing. She holds no memories of being the last person to see Tori, or even that moments before the pretty, popular girl disappeared, Allison and Tori fought, quite viciously. And, she definitely doesn't remember confessing to the other girl's murder.

Now that she's awake, Allison is transferred to a teen-friendly facility where she slowly starts piecing her fragmented memories back together again. And, she realizes that yes, she and Tori were fighting, and yes, she had told the police and her parents that she'd killed Tori, but that just doesn't ring true to her because she can't really say for sure what happened. One moment she and Tori were fighting, and then Tori just...disintegrated.

That's crazy talk. Allison knows it, but how else could she explain the disappearing act that Tori pulled. And still, the question hangs out there: What happened to Tori? Allison can't truly believe that she hurt the other girl, but it's clear she knows something about the disappearance. But what does she know?

My Thoughts:
Since today is Friday, I think I'll break down my take on this very intriguing novel in true Friday Five tradition. So, I present to you, boys and girls:

Five Reasons You Should Read ULTRAVIOLET

1. The writing. This was a fast, easy read that kept me guessing throughout. From the opening paragraph (which was kind of prologue but not really because it was only a paragraph long), I was hooked. In fact, I will throw out a couple of lines from said paragraph that just stunned me. "Once upon a time, there was a girl who was special. This is not her story. Unless you count the part where I killed her." ARGH! Talk about an opener!!! I dare you not to want to keep reading after that. No. No. I triple dog dare you.

2. The characters. You can't help but feel for Allison. She is the kind of MC you want to root for. Here, she is in the looney bin, thinking she murdered someone, even as she's coping with a life long affliction in which she can see sounds, feel words, taste lies. Even she's not sure whether she might be a little on the nutty side, but still, you can't help but hope that they find some kind of explanation for everything that happened. Also, there's Sanjay, a paranoid schizophrenic, who's delusions slide uncomfortably close to some of the things Allison herself has 'seen'. And, Kirk, who proudly proclaims that he's bi...er, bipolar that is and Micheline who seems like the worst of lot, but is really just battling demons of her own.

3. The Synesthesia. Say what? That's what Allison actually has, a neurological problem in which more than one sense is stimulated at the same time...like seeing a certain number always in a certain color. Allison's case is quite severe seeing as how she can see sounds and taste words. In reading ULTRAVIOLET, you learn a lot about the affliction all without feeling as though you're being beaten over the head with it.

4. The Descriptions. This goes in conjunction with the writing and the synesthesia, but I'm making it my own category. I just loved the imagery in this book. The way Faraday's chocolate coated velvet voice sounded and the acrid taste of being lied to. Also, I loved this line: "Grief surged inside me, filling my mouth with the bitterness of unsaid words." I mean, seriously. Poetry here, folks.

5. The Twisty, Fringe-esque Ending. And, that's all I'm going to say about that. No spoilers here, folks. But, I will say one thing about this ending. There is a reason the blurb calls this a "genre-bending paranormal YA". I'm just saying.

ARC Review: WHEREVER YOU GO

2011-06-06T11:28:00.000-04:00

The Book: WHEREVER YOU GO
The Author: Heather Davis
The Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books (an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
Release Date: November 14, 2011

Summary:
Six months ago, Holly Mullen barely walked away from the car accident that claimed her boyfriend's life. Since then, she's withdrawn from everyone and everything around her. Her feelings of loss and loneliness are compounded not only by the responsibility of caring for her younger sister and Alzheimer's riddled grandfather but also the burden of guilt Rob's friends push on her.

For some reason, Rob hasn't moved on yet, and he spends his invisible, lonely existence following around those he loved most. This all changes when Holly's grandfather comes to live with her and her family. Trapped in the later stages of Alzheimer's, Aldo has to fight through a thick veil of fog surrounding his brain just to make himself clear to his family, but through the veil, he sees, hears, and talks to Rob with no difficulty. Thus begins the unlikely friendship of a not-quite-altogether-there man and the ghost who loves his granddaughter.

Only Rob's best friend, Jason, doesn't blame Holly for Rob's untimely demise. In fact, he harbors a little guilt for his friend's death himself, and being around Holly makes him feel closer to Rob. But, the more time he spends with her, the less he sees her as his best friend's girl and begins to see her as just a girl...a girl he happens to care for tremendously. And, Holly starts to feel the same way, all the while trying to hold onto the memory of the first boy she ever loved.

My Opinion:
If you enjoy heart-wrenching tales of love, loss, and letting go, this is the story for you. Told in alternating perspectives between Holly, Jason, and Rob, the reader gets a great look at how each is feeling in the aftermath of the accident that took Rob's life, and how each experienced that night. I have to admit that I figured out what really happened that night within the first fifty pages, but my 'knowing' the twist didn't detract from the power of the ending. I was quite a bit misty-eyed.

The thing I enjoyed most about this book was the characters. Most all of the major players were well fleshed-out. I felt Rob's frustration in being a ghost who just wanted to say goodbye to his girlfriend who didn't even know he was there. I felt Jason's guilt over Rob's death, his longing for Holly, and his basic good-guy-ed-ness (why yes, I did just make up that word). I loved Aldo, his moments of lucidity, his remembrance list, his frank way of speaking to 'Roberto' and his feelings of helplessness at not being able to communicate with his family. And, Holly...well, my heart just bled for Holly. She more than anyone deserved a little bit of break and until the end, she just didn't seem to get her chance to breathe. It was like the walls of her life were just crashing down on top of her, burying her alive.

The thing I least enjoyed about this book was the lack of help Holly got from her own mother. I mean, Holly's boyfriend DIED and instead of being there for her daughter, Julia just adds more and more onto her plate. Oh, you're upset about Rob dying? Watch your little sister. Oh, you're feeling guilty about falling for his best friend? Let me bring in your sick grandfather who you must take care of ALL THE TIME! At first, the absentee/irresponsible parent thing in YA books didn't bother me all that much, but I guess I'm just over it now, and so in this book, it really irritated me. But, this is only my opinion and even though it annoyed me, it didn't take that much away from the book. It just made me cheer that much harder for Holly.

Even with that one complaint, I would definitely recommend this book to any YA-er who enjoys emotionally charged tales with a ghostly twist. But make sure you have tissue or two handy to mop up your face afterwards. :)

ARC Review: ASHFALL

2011-06-02T10:41:00.000-04:00

The Book: ASHFALL
The Author: Mike Mullin
The Publisher: Tanglewood
The Release Date: October 14, 2011

Summary:
It's a little known fact that beneath the beauty of Yellowstone National Park lies a long-dormant super volcano. Now, hibernation time is over, ended by a massive eruption, the most destructive in human history.

Alex Halprin just happens to be in the wrong place at the very worst of times, as his house--almost 900 miles from the eruption site--takes a hit from a piece of flying debris, the ceiling literally collapsing on his head. Seeking refuge with a neighbor, Alex soon learns that he is not only the casualty of a house fire, but one of millions now in the fight for his life in the ensuing volcanic winter.

Separated from his family just before the blast, Alex slips out into the ASHFALL and embarks on a journey to be reunited with his parents and sister. The usually easy, short trip to his uncle's home in Illinois where his family had gone turns into a long, arduous quest, the road fraught with peril, both from the elements and others he meets along the way.

My Take:
You know how cable stations like Discovery, Nat Geo, and even the History Channel will have weekend-long marathons of documentaries regarding the state of the world, and how even just a one degree shift in global temperature can destroy the earth...or those ones about how earthquakes, tsunamis, cataclysmic hurricanes, and yes, VOLCANOES can end life as we know it in the blink of an eye, and then you're hiding in your laundry room because it's the only interior room in your house and you're convinced there is no other safe place to be holed up? Yes, I am that kind of freak.

This is pretty much how ASHFALL left me. From the very beginning, the action dragged me into Alex's panic-filled world. So much was going on that I was just as frightened and confused as he was. I mean, I knew the premise of the novel before I started reading, and so I knew that Yellowstone had erupted, but even so, I was like, "OH MY GOD! WHAT IS HAPPENING!?!?" right along with Alex.

Then, when Alex left Darren's house, I was completely with him. Without giving away spoilers (even though this happens relatively early in the book), I will just say that if I had been in his place, I'd have been horrified at the what happened there, too. And, once on the road, the reader is propelled along with every slide of Alex's skis as he traverses the state in search of his family. We feel the sames fears, hopes, and distrust that Alex does, and it keeps us not only reading but riveted to the perils this young man faces which include but are not limited to: breathing in poisonous ash, the bitter cold of a volcanic winter, severe shortages of food and water, and not to mention harm from other people, just as desperate to survive as he is.

A treacherous journey fraught with fear, anger, hurt, love, and hope, ASHFALL will suck you in, bleed you dry, and spit you back out again but you'll hunger for more when it's all over.

A Mountain of May Reads

2011-05-31T10:54:00.001-04:00

Ah, it's that time of the month again, folks. Yep, my May Reading List is now available for your perusal. Enjoy!

DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth ... YA Dystopian --->>> BEST BOOK of the MONTH! BEST BEST BEST BEST BEST book of the freaking MONTH!!! In case you all didn't catch that. BEST BOOK OF THE MONTH. Read it. Go. Now. Read!!!
DEAD RECKONING by Charlaine Harris ... Paranormal
SLEEP NO MORE by Susan Crandall ... Mystery/Suspense
CALL ME IRRESISTIBLE by Susan Elizabeth Phillips ... Romance
WHAT I DID FOR LOVE by Susan Elizabeth Phillips ... Romance
PERFECT YOU by Elizabeth Scott ... YA Contemporary
GLITTER BABY by Susan Elizabeth Phillips ... Romance
GIRL PARTS by John M. Cusick ... YA
LADY BE GOOD by Susan Elizabeth Phillips ... Romance (so far, this is my fave SEP book. hilarious, heart-warming, simply irresistible)
THIS LULLABY by Sarah Dessen ... YA Contemporary
THAT SUMMER by Sarah Dessen ... YA Contemporary
FANCY PANTS by Susan Elizabeth Phillips ... Romance (my least fave SEP. honestly, if this had been the first of hers I'd read, I wouldn't have read her further)
SOMEONE LIKE YOU by Sarah Dessen ...YA Contemporary (I'm now officially caught up on Sarah Dessen. All I have to read is her newest effort, which is in my TBR pile)
10th ANNIVERSARY by James Patterson ... Mystery/Suspense

What about all you magnificent minions? Read any good books lately? I'd love to hear about it in the comments!

How Do You ARC?

2011-05-27T11:00:00.000-04:00

No, not that kind of ARC. I'm talking the holy grail known as the Advanced Reader's Copy. You know...books not yet published that (if you're extremely lucky or know someone who knows someone who knows someone who has one) you can read--and review--before it becomes available to the masses.

A little minute ago (nine months to be exact), I became a book blogger. It started innocently enough with a book I'd picked up time and time again at the store only to put back on the shelf, telling myself, "Self, this book is just not for you. I mean, look at it." Then, sale of sales happened, and I ended up buying said book. When it became readily apparent that I had severely misjudged said book, I had to take my findings to the public. Thus began my book blogger status.

Since then, with the help of a fellow bloganista, I dove head-long into the ARC pool. Some--okay, A LOT of it--great reading took place, and I found myself expanding my reading horizons. And, it seems that people have taken notice.

Lately, I received an email and subsequently some great swag from an author who read my review of her debut novel. I mean, I didn't get into book blogging for free stuff, but who's going to say no to that, right? Oddly enough, on the same day that I got this nice little note, my inbox also got two other emails from authors.

One of which I'd reviewed the book and found that I did not care for it. Although I don't believe my review was rude in the least, this author took offense to a few flaw (in my opinion) that I pointed out, and decided that the best way to respond was with a scathing email that questioned my literacy. I'm not going to stoop to naming said author, but suffice it to say, I will not be reading that person's books again.

The second email was from an author asking me to review his upcoming novel. I have to admit that I am very flattered that I am being sought for my reviewer-ish-ness (<--new word that will be added to the Karla/Karlie/LastWord0524 dictionary). But, due to an overwhelming amount of ARCs in my TBR pile at the moment, I ultimately had to decline the offer. Still, I'm pretty flattered by the asking :)

Soon, folks, I will have more book reviews posted for you, as I have a long weekend coming up, with nothing on the calendar but reading and writing. My two favorite things :)

How about you fantastic followers? Do you ARC? If so, how do you do it? (hehehe...if only I could have slid the word 'thrust' in there somewhere). I'd love to hear from you in the comments.

FUN & GAMES Does It Again

2011-05-26T07:00:00.002-04:00

Here you are, folks. Enjoy!

This was so not how things should have happened, and Harper couldn’t help but feel the blame for it pressing down on her shoulders. Owen’s tour of the police department, thanks to Lucky’s so-called help. Grace and Harper’s fight. The weird little love triangle being played out between her brother, Owen’s twin, and her best friend. And, now Grace was teetering on the edge of life.

All because of her selfishness.

Well, no more. This ends now, she thought. And then she’d figure out some way to make this all up to Grace…that is, if her friend was speaking to her. As her father’s hand clasped her elbow to lead her down the hall, she swiveled back toward Owen and snagged hold of his hand, stringing their fingers together.

“He deserves to know, too,” she explained at Dill’s confused frown. Owen’s fingers tightened around hers, a silent offering of support and thanks that she included him. Well, they’d see how long that gratitude lasted once he knew everything. She could already see him turning away from her in disgust when everything was out in the open. It was no less than she deserved.

As soon as the door clicked shut behind them, she launched into her story, afraid that if she waited even one more second the truth would stay forever locked inside her.

A shriek flew out of her mouth before she could rein it in. “Jesus, Ben,” she gasped, holding a hand to her chest to still her galloping heart. “You scared the shit out of me. What are you doing here?”

But, she knew the answer without his next words.

“Tell me it’s not true, Harper.”

Ice slid down her spine at his plaintive tone, but she drew herself up, straight and tall, looked him directly in the eye, and feigned ignorance. “Tell you what’s not true?”

“Don’t play games with me. I saw you and my dad. Kissing,” he sneered over the last word, clearly disgusted.

“You saw that?” Angry, she dropped the bike and stepped toward him, fists balled up at her sides. “And, you didn’t do anything? How could you—“

“Save the pretend outrage, Harper. I know what you’re up to.“

“Pretend outrage? There was no pretend—“

“You’re such a fucking tease.” His finger stabbed into her chest, driving his point home. “Everyone else may think you’re such a good girl, but I see right through you. You’ve been playing with my father for a month now. Always staying after school to ‘practice’ for your Julliard audition. Offering to ‘help’ some of the other students. Smiling and flirting with him—“

“Flirting?” Forget angry, Harper was now livid. “Flirting?” she repeated, her voice rising. “Ben, I don’t know what is wrong with your eyes, but you seriously need to get them checked. I have never flirted with your father. He’s my teacher!”

“And now, you’ve gotten what you wanted from him, haven’t you?” he barreled forward, ignoring her confused frown. “You played with him, led him on, and then the minute you’re invited to audition, you toss him aside. He can’t do anything more for you now, so why not ruin him, right? That was your plan all along, wasn’t it?”

“What? No, Ben, that’s not—“

His shoulders slumped, and even under the dim light of the street lamp, the tears flooding his eyes were clearly visible. “He’s all I have left, Harper! And you’re going to ruin everything. I’m not saying that him getting involved with you was right. It sure as shit wasn’t. You’re my age, for crying out loud, but if word gets out about you two, he won’t just lose his job. He’ll go to jail, and then what will happen to me?”

His agony ripped right through her, bringing with it flashes from the past month. Yes, she had spent extra time around the band room, much of it with Owen, but also all by herself. Of course, Mr. Haas had been there for all of those sessions. Had she really said something, done something to make him think that there was more to their relationship than that of a student and her teacher? No, this was not her fault. She gave herself a mental shake, shoving aside any feelings of guilt Ben was trying to evoke in her. There was only one person to blame here, and it sure as hell wasn’t her.

She squatted down to pick up the bike and turned to tell Ben exactly that. But, the words froze on her tongue as she took in his desperately beseeching expression. She couldn’t do it. She just couldn’t bring herself to be the one who destroyed his whole world, and over what? A kiss? What kind of terrible person would she be if she went forward with her plan to report this almost rape to the police?

Swallowing back the bitter your-father-can-rot-in-hell-for-all-I-care speech, she straightened and looked Ben directly in the eye. “Look Ben, I don’t know what you think you may have seen, but nothing happened between your father and me.”

He stared at her for an unending moment. “You mean that, Harper?” he asked in a small, incredulous tone.

She cleared her throat, forcing back all the screams and the tears roiling up from deep inside, the ones aching to shout out “Liar! You know it happened! Don’t let that asshole get away with this!” and nodded, a slow painful bob of her head. “It’s the truth. Nothing happened,” she said, hoping against hope that someday soon, those words would no longer be a lie.

“So, that’s it,” she laughed bitterly, her gaze slowly coming back into focus as she finished her story. “I didn’t mean for this to happen. Any of this…and all because I wanted Julliard so bad, and now look! Grace is still in surgery. We don’t know whether she’ll live or not, and it’s all my fault!”

The tears she’d been keeping a tight rein on, splashed forth, racing down her cheeks in a giant waterfall of guilt. Springing to her feet, she shot toward the door, dragging Owen—who’s hand was still clasped tightly around hers—along with her.

“Harper,” he said softly, trying to pull her into his arms. “None of this is your fault.”

“Yes, it is!” She jerked on her hand, working to pry his fingers from around hers.

“No, it isn’t. You did not push Grace in front of that bullet. You were not the one holding the gun, and you for damned sure didn’t know that Ben would show up on your doorstep today of all days hell bent on ending you.”

“Yes, I did.” The confession fell from her lips in a barely audible whisper.

“What?” His eyes rounded, stunned. There was no way he’d heard her right. “What did you just say?”

She swallowed visibly, drew in a deep breath, and announced. “I called the police station last night and made an anonymous tip. I figured he’d try something, but I just…” she trailed off on a sob. “I just didn’t expect anything like this to happen.”

So, what do we think? Do Kelly and I still have your attention? But, for how much longer, I wonder ;) The end is near.

Teaser Tuesday: This One's For Kelly

2011-05-24T08:54:00.000-04:00

Yes, it's that day again, peeps. Teaser Tuesday on this fair blog and F&G Tuesday over on Kelly's site. So, I figured that I might as well tease something she's been begging for for like...well...ever.

So, here's a little snip from my Texas Twin Love Triangle piece LOVE IN A TIME OF POPULARITY.

Enjoy!

I swung the car into the Lawrences’ driveway as Becca launched into a full-scale rant about her dad and his many dating rules. Both Dallas and Austin were standing around Austin’s car, bent over the engine. I honked, and both their heads jerked up simultaneously.

Grinning, Austin jogged around the front of my car and opened the door for me. “Hey, Jenny!” he greeted enthusiastically. “What’s up?”

I just about melted right then and there, especially when his smudged fingers brushed over the back of my hand. “Movies,” I stammered out. “Becca and me. You want to come?” Could I be any more of a train wreck?

“We sure do. Don’t we, Dal?” He didn’t wait for his brother to reply before continuing on. “Give us five minutes to go wash up and change.”

While Becca and I waited, she fiddled with the AC vents in the car, the radio, and the seat position, all while keeping up a steady stream of conversation. I didn’t have to participate, couldn’t have even if I wanted to. By the time the boys climbed into the backseat, I’d probably said three words. Maybe four.

The movie theater was teeming with people when we arrived. All of them, no doubt, had the same idea as us. Get out of the heat and into the cool confines of a darkened theater to see the latest post-apocalyptic zombie flick. Austin braved the crowd at the ticket window while we headed in to the concession stand. When he found us a few minutes later, tickets in hand, there was only one person ahead of us.

“So,” he said, slinging his arm around his brother’s shoulders. “What are we getting? Popcorn? Candy? Nachos? All three?”

“Get off me, you big goon.” Dallas grumbled, pushing Austin away from him. In turn, Austin caught him up in a headlock and gave him a noogie that had both Becca and me cringing.

I couldn’t help but laugh at the two of them, bickering and playfully swatting at each other.

As soon as the guy in front of us stepped away from the counter with his goodies in hand, they stopped horsing around and instantly became all business. Becca and I each ordered and pop—Coke for her, Dr. Pepper for me. Then, the boys stepped up the order with two jumbo tubs of popcorn, Twizzlers, Milk Duds, M&M’s, and Goobers. The only thing on the menu that they didn’t order was nachos. Go figure.

Loaded down with half the contents of the concession stand, we shuffled into the theater and settled into our seats only moments before the previews started. In the darkness, I was hyper-aware of the fact that Austin was sitting to my right, his arm pressed up against mine on our shared armrest and his warm breath fanning mint-flavored waves across my face whenever he leaned in close to whisper some comment about the upcoming movies being previewed. Of course, I was in complete meltdown mode and could do nothing but nod each time he lobbed a question my way.

Twenty minutes into the movie, the zombie apocalypse was in full-swing. Blood splattered across the screen in arches of corn syrup crimson, coating everyone in the fictional world. The living dead ruled the night as the handful of still human survivors cut and run for their lives.

And, I was enthralled. So much so that when the blonde Playboy-model-type character went off on her own, looking for something stupid, I was completely engrossed in her search. When the zombie predictably jumped out from a shadowed corner, not only did I let loose a loud shriek, but I jumped about a foot in the air.

Unfortunately, I happened to have not only the tub of popcorn in my lap but also the bag of M&M’s. And, it all went flying. Sticky, buttered popcorn rained down around me. M&M’s showered to the right, pelting Austin in the face.

My mouth dropped open for all of second before I erupted into a fit of giggles almost as loud as my earlier shriek had been. Austin shook his head, once, twice, and then gave me a look that rivaled Dad’s You’re grounded for life glare. That just made me laugh harder. I reached out to help dust some of the buttered corn and brightly colored chocolate pieces from him, but he waved me away. Unfortunately, as he was trying to shoo me back to my own side of the armrest, he knocked over his still mostly full Coke. Shooting up out of his seat as the cola flooded his lap, he cursed under his breath and bounded out of the theater.

Now, it wasn’t all that funny anymore.

While I was staring at the empty space Austin had left behind groping for the best way to apologize, the tub of popcorn that surprisingly still had some kernels left clinging to the bottom was extracted from my grasp. I turned to Dallas, with a questioning look. Really, why take it from me now? The damage had already been done.

“I’d like some popcorn to end up in my stomach tonight,” he smirked.

A startled giggle tumbled out, louder than was probably acceptable in a movie theater. My hand flew up to cover my mouth, a belated attempt to keep the sound locked up tight. I stared at him for another long minute, his gaze not wavering from mine. Then, I shook my head, plucked a stray puff of corn from his shirt, and lobbed it at him.

Not missing a beat, he sprang forward, catching it easily with his mouth. “Now, that’s more like it.” He murmured as he settled back in his seat.

I did the same, but I couldn’t concentrate on the movie now, not with Austin’s empty seat staring accusingly at me. He’d been gone a while, and I couldn’t help but wonder how mad he was at me for the popcorn, M&M’s, and ultimately the Coke.

As if reading my mine, Dallas’ hand covered mine and squeezed gently, the heat of his touch radiating through me. “Don’t worry,” he leaned in close to whisper. “He’s not going to be mad at you. It was an accident.”

“Are you sure?” I squeaked out, my eyes not leaving the empty seat beside me. “He didn’t look particularly happy with me when he left.”

His fingers tightened around mine again, instantly soothing. “Yeah, I’m sure,” he replied. “It’ll be fine. Trust me.”

His softly whispered words of reassurance really did help, and a few minutes later when Austin came back, I felt even better. He brushed off my profuse apologies with a short laugh and quickly uttered, “No worries, Jenny.”

And, I knew it was alright. If I could throw three pounds of popcorn at him, pelt him with chocolate, and douse him with a gallon of pop and have him be totally okay with it, I knew it was meant to be. Oh yes, Austin Lawrence would be mine.

So...what do we think? Is this the one...or should I focus on one of the many dozens of other half-finished works I have going? Only time will tell, I suppose :)

You Call Me That Like It's a Bad Thing

2011-05-23T09:53:00.000-04:00

Last week, fellow bloganista/twitterati Linda Grimes wrote about HUMPS. I know what you're thinking. Linda does that just to post a camel picture on her blog (we all know she's obsessed...but we still love her anyway). But on this post, no camels could be found. Instead, Linda expounded on the HUMPS all we writers must leap over while on the rocky road to publication.

And guess what I gleaned from her post, peeps?

At the moment, I happen to be fighting not just a hump, but a mountain. Yes, friends. I have become the dreaded Serial Story Starter. Don't believe me? Well, allow me to demonstrate.

Example #1: LOVE IN A TIME OF POPULARITY. Who can forget the Texas Twins and poor Jenna caught between the two? My first attempt at not only a contemporary comedic romance but also a love triangle fell flat at about 40K words, where I was distracted by the oh so bright and shiny Mia and Kal, who's love story we already know had TRAGEDY written all over it...which really is my kind of tale :)

Example #2: the idea for CHASING BREADCRUMBS popped into my head shortly after finishing work on A & F. An adult women's fiction, this story of lost children and families being reunited only got as far as the outlining stage before I got overwhelmed by the sheer volume of themes and layers I wanted to put into this. It kind of crushed me, to be honest, and so the outlining came to a stop as I pondered what sideplots were pertinent to the story and which ones had no business hanging around.

Example #3: In the midst of all the fleshing out I was doing on CB, Anna and Gwen from SHUT UP just started screaming at me...pretty amazing since Gwen spends the majority of the novel practically mute.

Example #4: Although SU hasn't lost it's shininess(considering it's dark and depressing nature), I found I just couldn't concentrate on it, especially since some little gremlins started nibbling on my toes and feeding me lines about a green-skinned alien whose planet was invaded by humans bent on being the only civilization to inhabit that world. Nearly 10K into this untitled YA fantasy novel, I realized that 1. I'm not a good fantasy writer...honestly, I suck hairy blue monkey balls at it. 2. I missed the darkness of Anna and Gwen's story 3. well, the gremlins who'd been feeding me lines had disappeared.

Example #5: Why? because there are always five reasons. Jeesh. Don't you guy know me at all ;) Just last night, a new story attacked me. FAULT LINES is about about love, loss, and the overwhelming guilt that ensues.

So, the question for you fun peeps now is: Which one will I actually work on? I'm sure the answer will surprise you as much as it surprises me...if I ever get the answer that is :) Serial Story Starter Karla over and out.

Oh...and PS...just because you all are probably missing the camel pic since Linda left you high and dry last week ;)

F&G: Where Do We Go From Here?

2011-05-19T07:00:00.008-04:00

After Kelly's shot heard round the FUN & GAMES world, I'm not so sure I'll be able to shock you fun followers...

But, I'll try to hold your attention ;)

The small surgical waiting room had not been constructed with comfort in mind. Owen shifted in the hard plastic chair yet again and shot a quick glance at the wall clock. Only three minutes had passed since the last time he’d looked. Beside him, Lucky sat cracking his knuckles, his knees, his neck and anything else he could think of, a steady pop, pop, pop that drove Owen crazy on a good day. Right now, he was about an inch away from wringing his brother’s neck.

Pop, pop, pop.

Across from them, his mother and Mrs. Simonson huddled around Grace’s cousin Abby. Her wails reverberated off the peeling beige paint of the tiny room’s walls, drowning out the whispered words of solace the two older women kept pushing at her.

Pop, pop, pop.

In the corner, Mrs. Maguire sat still as a stone, her expression stoic, eyes vacant pools. It almost seemed as though she too was hovering at Death’s door right along with her young charge.

Pop, pop, pop.

“Jesus fucking Christ!” Truman halted mid-pace to pin Lucky with a hot glare. “Would you stop that shit? It’s driving me crazy.” He didn’t wait for Lucky to respond, instead resuming his pace. Back and forth, from one end of the room to the other and back again, Truman was slowly burning a hole in the worn green carpeting.

“Sorry,” Lucky mumbled. Pop. “It’s just something I do—“ Pop. “—when I’m nervous.” Pop.

Truman shook his head, muttering something under his breath. Owen glanced at the clock again. Not even two more minutes had elapsed.

Pop, pop, pop.

Truman snarled, but didn’t stop, and no more threats were issued.

Pop, pop, pop.

Abby’s wails slowly subsided, lessening to muffled sobs which to Owen’s thinking were somehow worse than the ear-splitting keens of just minutes before.

Pop, pop, pop.

One more glance at the clock, and Owen shot to his feet. All eyes swung to him. Abby’s tears hushed. Truman stopped pacing, and Lucky ceased the tactical assault on his own joints.

“I…uh…I need to…uh…” Owen stammered, focusing on his tattered sneakers. “Thirsty. I need something to drink.” It was a lame excuse, and one that they all saw through, but he shrugged and headed for the door.

No one stopped him. As he stepped out of the waiting room, Abby resumed her weeping, the mothers crooned softly to her, Truman commenced to pacing the room again, and Lucky did his thing.

Pop, pop, pop.

Owen turned in the opposite direction of the pop machines, instead heading for the room at the far end of the corridor. The one he’d seen Harper and her father being ushered into by two uniformed police officers shortly after they’d arrived at the hospital no more than an hour ago.

“Harper, why didn’t you report this right away?” Dill Simonson asked gently, but the frustration lurking under his concern was unmistakable.

Slouching against the wall just outside the slightly open door, Owen braced himself for Harper’s standard response of Nothing happened. How many more times would he be able to hear her repeat that before he ended up shaking her and yelling, Yes, something sure as shit happened. So tell me already!

“Because I was ashamed,” she answered, her voice barely above a whisper. “I mean, I should’ve known better than to let myself end up in that kind of situation…and that outfit I was wearing—“

“Harper, this is not your fault,” one of the officers interrupted. “You are the victim here. It doesn’t matter what you were wearing or what you said. The fact of the matter is that he took advantage of you. You could have come to us sooner, you know.”

“Yeah,” Harper snorted out sarcastically. “I can just imagine how that would’ve gone. ‘Why yes, officer, I was wearing a super short skirt, tight sweater, and six inch stilettos. Oh, and no, he didn’t actually get farther than a kiss.’ I watch Law & Order. It would’ve been my word against his. Me, dressed like a slut, accusing a well-loved and respected teacher of attempted rape.” Cold steel wrapped around her every word, making her laugh sound bitter and cruel. “I know exactly how that would’ve gone. Besides, I handled it myself.”

“Handle it, how?” the officer asked. “By ignoring what happened? By promising your attacker’s son that you’d keep this all quiet? What did he threaten you with, Harper?”

“It was nothing! It’s not like he got any further than that kiss. I made sure of that. So, what’s the problem?”

“That’s just it, honey,” her father chimed in. “You shouldn’t have had to ‘handle it’ yourself. You could’ve come to us—me and your mother. We would’ve—“

“What’s going on with Grace? Has there been any word yet?” she asked.

They were quiet for a long moment. Finally, her father cleared his throat. “She’ll be in surgery for a while yet, honey. But, you know what a fighter Grace is. She’ll be fine.”

“You don’t know that. Not for sure,” Harper whimpered. “She shouldn’t have even been there this morning, Dad. It shouldn’t have been her—“

“Harper, honey, this isn’t your fault,” Dill soothed, but her cries ratcheted up another notch. “Can you give us a minute, please?”

Chairs scraped noisily against the floor, and Owen darted a few feet down the hall. He turned and slowly started heading back when the two officers emerged from the room. They stared him down for what seemed like an eternity but was really only a second or two, nodded, and passed him by without a word. He rapped lightly on the door frame and waited until Mr. Simonson acknowledged his presence.

“We need a few more minutes,” Dill said without looking up.

“I…uh…” Owen cleared his throat noisily. “I just wanted to see if Harper was—“

“I said,” Dill cut in, his tone pure ice. “Not now.”

“Owen?” Harper pulled away from her father and scrubbed at her red-rimmed eyes. “Any word on Grace?”

The hopeful quality in her voice just about did him in. Slowly, sadly, he shook his head. “Not yet.”

He wanted to go to her, pull her into his arms, and fight away all her demons, but the stone wall that was her father sat between them, an immovable force. Instead, he jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “I was just on my way to the vending machines, and I thought I’d see if you wanted me to get—“

“I’ll come with you.” She jumped out of her seat and rounded her father’s hulking form before he could stop her.

“Harper, I think you should stay right here.” It sounded more like a command than a suggestion, especially coming from her intimidating father.

“We’ll only be a minute or two, Dad. Besides, I need to stretch my legs.” She grabbed Owen’s arm and steered him out the door before Mr. Simonson could protest further. He didn’t though.

They took only a few steps before she burst into a fresh batch of tears.

“Hey, don’t do that.” Now, there was nothing stopping him, and he didn’t hesitate before pulling her up against him and sliding his arms around her. “Grace is going to be okay, Harp. We both know she’s too stubborn to let a little thing like this drag her down.”

“Getting shot is no little thing!” she cried into his chest.

“Well now, I hate to disagree, but bullets are not all that big. They’re actually quite tiny.”

She made a noise that was half-groan, half-laugh.

“Yeah, lame joke, I know, but you can’t blame a guy for trying.”

“No, I guess not.” She sighed, long and loud, and then disentangled herself from his arms. “She’ll be okay. I mean, this is Grace we’re talking about. Nothing can keep her down for long. She’ll be back to playing in the dirt in no time.” She nodded as if by doing so, it lent truth to her words.

He bobbed his head in agreement, wrapped his hand around hers, and started to lead her toward the vending machines, but their progress halted as a tall, blonde man in a regulation TWA pilot’s uniform stormed around the corner.

So, what do we think Kelly will do next? I know I can't wait to find out;)

PS...also, check out my fellow Book Hungry peeps' blogs today (see sidebar for links). I've been a bad book club member these last couple of months, but hopefully I can redeem myself next month...that is, if they haven't kicked me out for being lazy.

A Little FUN & GAMES...

2011-05-11T21:33:00.000-04:00

Sorry about that brief hiatus from F&G last week, folks. Things just got a tid bit hectic in Karla-land, but not to worry. After the public flogging I endured from Miss Kelly, where she brutally threw me under the bus as the reason for F&G's mini-break, I have rallied the troops to bring you back to your regularly scheduled FUN AND GAMES WITH K & K programing. You're welcome ;)

RECAP: When we last saw Harper and Grace and the gang, the girls had a bit of a blow-up and each went her own separate way. Not only did Grace have a fairly steamy late night tryst with good ole Truman (Boo Truman! BOO! Team Lucky FTW!!!), but long-lost cousin Abby made a surprise midnight spaghetti dinner appearance. (Yay! Cousin Abby!!!) On the Harper and Owen side of things, there was a small amount of steam factor there as well. Who can forget the almost-kiss in his car? But, then reality intruded and Harper started to come clean about what happened that infamous night of the Haas party...only to have her story interrupted by a certain Lucky young man.

Okay! Now, that you're all caught up, let's see if I can get a few more poisoned pen comments from all you fantabulous followers. Enjoy :)

Harper dragged herself from bed the next morning, bleary-eyed and exhausted. A loud yawn popped out of her as she stretched her aching muscles and glared at the bed like it was the mattress’ fault that she hadn’t slept well last night even though she’d been bone tired after everything that had happened.

The day that seemed to last an eternity had ended in a blaze of Lancaster explosions, which Harper had been front and center for. Shortly after his arrival, Lucky—obviously nervous but still grinning that blindingly bright and yet really annoying smile that made her want to slap the pretty right off his face—plopped himself right beside her and launched into a retelling of the day’s events, ending in a confession that he was the Lancaster that should’ve been arrested, not Owen. Harper blinked and next thing she knew, the soft-spoken, gentle Lucinda of only moments before morphed into a fire-breathing dragon, blowing scorching flames down over anyone who stood in her path.

Fortunately for Harper, Owen yanked her out of harm’s way before she could get caught in the crossfire. They’d slipped out the front door without a word—really, how could either of them have gotten a word in edgewise with Lucinda practically on the verge of murdering her first-born?—and jumped into Owen’s truck. Like the good guy he was, Owen not only drove her right home, but walked her up to her door, patiently waiting while she fumbled with her keys and was safely inside before even thinking about getting back into his truck.

He deserved a whole lot better than what she’d been putting him through these past few days. Oh, she knew what a flaky nutcase she’d been acting like lately. Worse, she wasn’t quite sure how to remedy any of this mess she’d mired herself in.

“Morning, sweetheart,” her mother sang out cheerily as Harper trudged into the kitchen. “Rough night?”

“You have no idea,” she grumbled before throwing back a huge burning gulp of coffee.

“What was that?”

“Nothing, Mom.”

Jill Simonson cocked her head to the left while she regarded her daughter. Then, having decided there was more than just a sleepless night to blame for the pinched expression and the dark circles hanging below Harper’s eyes, she sat down at the table with her own steaming mug. “Okay, out with it,” she commanded in a gentle tone.

Bringing the cup up to her lips for another searing sip, Harper widened her eyes in feigned innocence. “Out with what?”

Jill said nothing, just waited. Harper’s mother had the patience of a saint and could out-wait anyone. So, instead of drawing out the inevitable, Harper blew out a sigh and shrugged.

“Just…you know…drama.” At her mother’s light laughter, Harper relaxed and added, “Grace and I had a fight.”

“About Julliard?”

Another shrug, the teenage equivalent of evasive maneuvers. “For the most part.”

“Is that why you haven’t been practicing lately? Oh, don’t look at me like that. Your father and I see a whole lot more than you or your brothers give us credit for. Besides, it’s so eerily quiet in this house without you sawing away on that fiddle.” Jill unwrapped her hands from the mug in front of her and reached out to clasp Harper’s ice cold fingers. “Are you having second thoughts, honey? It’s okay if you are. You can do anything you want with your life. You don’t have to devote it to music just because it happens to be something you’re good at.”

“Mom, I don’t think Julliard would invite me to audition if I was only ‘good’,” Harper smirked, but inside, she was a jumble of nerves. Should she really just quit? She hadn’t been able to stomach the sight of her violin since the party. Just carting the empty case to and from school had been enough to set her on edge, but was this really what she wanted…to never play again? Grace was going to England next year, and if she gave up playing, where would she go? What would she do? Music had been such a big part of her existence for so long, she couldn’t remember a time when she hadn’t wanted to be a concert violinist, playing sold-out shows at Carnegie Hall, but was that still the dream now?

“You know what I mean, Harper.” A small smile tilted up the corners of Jill’s mouth. “I’m just saying that it doesn’t matter to us what you do with your life, honey, as long as you’re happy doing it. That’s all.”

Before Harper could respond, the doorbell rang, and her mother bounded out of the kitchen to answer it. She returned less than a minute later with Owen trailing closely behind her.

“Owen,” Harper yelped. “What are you doing here?”

“Well,” he grinned sheepishly. “I was on my way out to the mall to finish up my Christmas shopping, and I was wondering if you wanted to come with.”

“Umm.” She frowned down at her faded Snoopy pajamas. “Sure. Just let me get changed. I’ll just be a couple minutes.”

“Take your time,” he replied easily as he pulled out a chair to take a seat across from Jill.

Harper shot a quick warning look at Jill and then dashed out of the room, mentally calculating just how embarrassing her mother could be in five minutes. Intending to throw on the first clean, matching outfit she owned, Harper hurried into her room, whipping off clothes as she went. A little more than five minutes later, dressed and with a light coat of makeup—hey, she wasn’t going to let herself look like a complete slob when she was going anywhere with Owen, actual date or not—she reentered the kitchen to find her mother and Owen conversing as easily as a pair of old friends.

“You play drums? Harper’s father played the drums in school, too.” Jill said, excitedly. What did she have to be excited about? Harper wanted to know.

“Oh, yeah?” he asked, sounding genuinely interested. “And, what did you play?”

A flirty giggle floated out of her mother. Flirty? “Oh, I’m not musically inclined. That’s all Harper and her father. The closest I ever came to being in the band was as Dill’s groupie.”

“Mom!” Harper cried from the kitchen door, cheeks burning scarlet with mortification.

Chuckling, low and deep, Owen stood and nodded toward Jill. “Thanks for the coffee, Mrs. Simonson.” He turned to Harper, his eyes twinkling. “Ready to go?” he asked as he looped his arm around her waist, a careless easy gesture that had her simultaneously wanting to melt into him but also to cringe away from the contact.

She chose to ignore the latter inclination and leaned into him. “Yep, sure am.”

After saying goodbye to her mother, they walked out the front door, Harper tucked neatly under Owen’s arm. He’d just opened the passenger door of the truck for her when a bright pink bug rolled up the driveway. Feeling her tense against him, he put a finger under her chin to bring her gaze up to meet his. “If you don’t want to see her, I’ll go talk to her for you,” he offered.

A slow grateful smile spread across her lips. “Thanks,” she said. “But, no. I can fight my own battles.”

“It’s okay to ask for help every now and then, Harper. It doesn’t make you any less brave…or strong.”

She swallowed, knowing he wasn’t just talking about this situation with Grace. “Yeah, I know.” She shook her head, cleared her throat, and then reluctantly pulled out of the safety of his arms. “But, this is something I’ve got to do.”

Grace was already climbing out of Frenchy when Harper stepped away from Owen to go confront her best friend, but any and all confrontations between the two were put on hold as another car stopped at the foot of the driveway, blocking them all in.

Harper froze, a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming semi, and she wasn’t quite sure she’d survive this hit and run. Seeing Harper’s frightened expression, Grace turned.

“You fucking bitch!” Ben yelled as he slammed out of his car and barreled toward Harper.

This TEASE is for You

2011-05-03T07:00:00.002-04:00

I know you all were expecting another snip from SHUT UP, but sadly, I was overtaken by a bright and shiny new idea last Friday, and it just hasn't let me go yet. Surprising enough, this SNI is planted firmly in the realm of fantasy AND in present tense, which many of you fun friends know is not at all my usual style. BUT, that hasn't stopped me from penning a whopping 5K! yeah, impressive, I know :)

So, here is a little nibble from my as yet unnamed fantasy novel. Hope you like it...but if you don't, for the love of god man, say something!!!!!

When the first settlers arrived, we were a little bit perplexed, a little frightened, and a whole lot overjoyed at the knowledge that we were not alone in this great and seemingly endless universe. We didn’t care why they’d come, only that they had. Curiosity overrode good judgment, and we turned a blind eye to their vague explanations and insincere promises of civility.

Now, there is no more happiness. There is only confusion and fear.

It has been two years since they first landed, since they destroyed everything that I held dear, and yet, none of us can figure out why. Why they would destroy one planet and then immediately set about killing the one they’d come to in search of salvation. Why they must take and take and take without offering up anything of themselves as payment. Why they would feign an eagerness to learn our ways, to become part of our society, if they intended from the very beginning to eradicate us.

We ask why? all the time, I more than any of us. Answers never come, just more questions. The ones that hurt me the most are the softly uttered queries that Leda shoots at me in the darkest hours of night when both of us should be deep in dreams. They are tiny bullets with unerring accuracy, punching through the thin flesh around my heart, poisoned tips lodging deep inside to spread the black disease of bitterness throughout my body, my soul.

“Thia,” she whispers, and I can’t help but cringe as I know what words will follow close behind. She always begins with the same question, the one I want more than anything not to have to answer. The one I want to cower away from. The most important question of them all. “Do you think Mama and Papa are still out there? That they’re on their way back to us right now?”

My eyes begin to burn, tears pushing their way up, but I snap my lids shut quickly, a reflex response left over from the days when I thought I had to put on a brave face. But, those days are long gone, and now, I’m not worried that Leda will see this display of emotion.

The cabin we are being held in is little more than a windowless room, crammed full of twenty other souls, and the one small opening we’d carved into the wall to let in light is nothing more than a black hole. The moons—all three of them—are hiding behind the mountains tonight. I wonder if maybe they know something that we don’t, like there is some ominous threat marching steadily towards us, and there is no escape.

“Thia?” I’ve been quiet far too long for her tastes, and she nudges me back to this unfortunate reality.

“I don’t know,” I snap out a bit too harshly.

I know the moment the words fall from my lips that I’ve hurt her feelings. Poor Leda. She’s so small, so young. I don’t think she can remember the Time Before, before those black-hearted beings came and took everything over. This harsh, painful life is the only one she’s ever really known, and Mama and Papa are little more than images from her dreams. Her memories of them are mostly stories that I told her, a happy past that she had only a sliver of but nothing concrete.

Stifling a sad sigh, I reach out to her, my open arms an invitation she’d been longing for since we lay down to sleep. She launches herself at me, burrowing deep into my body, as if she just can’t seem to get close enough. I know how she feels.

“I’m sure they are,” I tell the top of her head and hug her close. “I’m sure of it, Leda. They’ll come for us, take us away from this place. I know it.”

“Really? Promise?”

Another well-aimed bullet, this one with a hollowed-tip, like the kind that they use when they think we’ve gotten out of line…the kind that kill instantly. Slowly, I nod, and I wonder when exactly it was that I’d become so comfortable with dishonesty. Our parents are dead. This is the only explanation for their long absence. I know this, and so does Leda, but that doesn’t stop her from asking after them. And it sure doesn’t stop me from giving that same hopeful answer.

“Yes, of course. I promise.” I hate that I am the one furthering her delusions. The blow will be devastating when she finally allows herself to discover the truth we now live.

But for the moment, she remains blissfully unaware, and I cannot bring myself to be the one to shatter her dreams. It will happen soon enough, and then she will never be able to forget. Her world—the soothing bubble that shields her from the evil surrounding us—is built on lies.

Ones that I told her.

So? What's the verdict? I'd love to hear what you have to say in the comments, and then hop on over to Kelly's blog for her next FUN AND GAMES WITH K & K snip.

There is a Method to my Madness...I Promise

2011-05-02T07:00:00.015-04:00

A couple weeks ago, fellow bloganista Patty Blount wrote a post about how she came up with her novel SEND (I've read it, so trust me when I tell you that it's FIERCE). Click here to read about how SEND was hatched. And, of course, this got me to thinking about how my stories find their way onto my computer. So, friends, you can blame this look into my oft-times twisted mind on Miss Patty. I'm just saying.

For the purposes of this experiment, we will us the manuscript I wrote about this time last year. Some of you fine folks may remember A SLIVER OF HOPE from my Teaser Tuesday posts of old, but if not or if you are new to this little corner of Hell, allow me to elaborate.

A SLIVER OF HOPE (in a kind of lame nutshell): Hannah and Hope Morton are twin sisters who share a unique bond, one that cannot be broken by miles, time, or even death. Together, they are invincible, trading secrets, hopes and dreams. But, when Hope takes her own life, Hannah loses a best friend and a sister, a catastrophe Hannah isn't sure she will survive herself.

So, how did this idea come about? Well, it's not as easy and straightforward as it may seem. Confused yet? I'll break it down for you.

Step One: The Wonder that is Television
Karla/Karlie/LastWord0524 has a fondness for the Discovery Channel. Betcha didn't know that, huh? Well, it's more of an addiction, really. When I flip on the TV, it's the first station I turn to. Discovery Health was always my favorite...at least before they changed it to Discovery Fit & Health. (I blame Oprah for this...and well, that's another blog post entirely.)

So, anyways, here I was, cleaning on an unassuming Saturday morning when for some reason I decided I needed some background noise. Normally, the TV and stereo are turned off while I clean, because they can easily distract me from my ultimate goal of a clean house, but that day was different, and I turned on Discovery Health. Shocker of all shockers, I quickly became engrossed in an episode of Mystery Diagnosis that involved a teen who slept a lot...like A LOT. This episode was followed up by a baby born with some weird and very rare genetic disorder and then the man who's blood turned to sludge. Suffice it to say, I did not get all my cleaning done on Saturday.

But, it was what came on AFTER the marathon that stayed with me. It was a documentary about a set of twins who had been in a serious car accident. One walked away with only mild scrapes and bruises while the other lay trapped in a coma. The one in the coma began to deteriorate for no apparent reason at the same time that the live one got sick. A lot happens in between, but for the sake of efficiency, I will cut to the point. The doctors began treating the coma patient for the live one's ailment and both got better...like they were somehow connected...psychically. I know.

Step Two: A Short Trip to the Grocery Store and I come home with Twins
After the Discovery Health marathon, it was time for dinner, and I still hadn't gone grocery shopping. So, I hopped in the car, and away I went. My iPod is basically welded to my car stereo, and of course, the playlist that gets the most air time is my SEETHER list. If you didn't check out my RTW post from last week(and you want to learn about the AWESOME-SAUCINESS that is Seether) click here. The song, Fake It from their Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces album came on, and this line reached out and smacked me upside the head.

"Who's to know if your soul will fade at all--the one you sold to fool the world"

And a pair of twins were born...one who loves her sister more than anything, who wants to be just like her twin, because she is perfect...and the other, the "perfect" one who is really not so perfect and just can't take it any more. She doesn't want to Fake It anymore.

Step Three: A Star is Born...and then Twitter killed it
At this time, I was more of a Twitter lurker than a Twitterati. Yes, I had an account, and yes, I talked, but mostly, I used Twitter as a way to cyber-stalk agents and editors I had on my list. (I feel like I should be laughing sinisterly here or grinning maniacally or something, but I digress)

So, I came home from the grocery store, put away my purchases, took care of the puppies, and then I sat myself down at the computer with the intention of jotting down a few notes about my twins. And then, Twitter happened. It distracted me with its shininess, and the twins wandered away from me. I was angry. I was heart-broken. I was devastated. I pounded on the desk, shook my fists, and cried angrily up to the writing gods, "Why did you invent something like TWITTER to distract me like that! It killed my idea! Oh, the tragedy. The senselessness of it all!"

Okay. So maybe I wasn't as melodramatic as all that, but you get the point.

Despondent over my enormous loss, I slunk off to bed...and I dreamed. I dreamed of golden haired twins, one alive, one...er...not so alive. But, the one left standing wasn't really alive either. She was nothing more than a shell of her former self. She'd lost her smart, beautiful, fun-loving twin, and she didn't know why. But, what's worse was that her sister had a secret life...one that the live twin was not privy to. And, now she was angry and she was hurt...

And, I woke up, itching to know just what had happened. How the sister died, and what kind of secret life she led. Hello, new story, and welcome back twins. I'm so glad Twitter didn't really kill you:)

The End...

What about you fine folks? Is this about how you find your inspiration, or is it a little less convoluted than that? I'd love to hear about it in the comments. I'll just be over there, cyber-stalking peeps on the Twitter :)

April's Reading Extravaganza

2011-04-29T11:32:00.001-04:00

Yet another month of reading, and it was a good one, too ;)

LOVE ME TO DEATH by Allison Brennan ... Mystery/Suspense
PETALS AND THORNS by Jennifer Paris ... Adult Romance (graphic scenes)
KISS ME KILL ME by Allison Brennan ... Mystery/Suspense
I'LL WALK ALONE by Mary Higgins Clark ... Mystery/Suspense
FEAR NO EVIL by Allison Brennan ... Mystery/Suspense (this was a reread for me, but if you're a first time Allison Brennan reader, you really must read this BEFORE the other two on this list, as they each refer back to events in this book...thus the reason for my rereading it)
LOST VOICES by Sarah Porter ... YA fantastical literary ARC (hehe...like that category I made up? but it fits this story...has a dark feel and touches upon the more taboo subject of abuse, but then it has mermaids in it)
SWEET VALLEY CONFIDENTIAL: TEN YEARS LATER by Francine Pasqual ... technically and Adult contemp, but it felt more like an old-school YA. a bit of a disappointment for this former SVH fanatic
GINGERBREAD by Rachel Cohn ... YA contemp (recommended by the lovely Jennifer Hoffine)
VIXEN by Jillian Larkin ... YA historical
BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAY by Ruta Sepetys ... YA historical (recommended by the fantabulous book blogger Nomes)
LOVE IS MURDER by Allison Brennan ... Mystery/Suspense
WHERE SHE WENT by Gayle Forman ... YA literary/contemp
WITHER by Lauren DeStefano ... YA dystopian

Well, that's my reading spree this month, folks. Do you have any suggestions for next month's list?

WINNER WINNER...

2011-04-29T09:50:00.000-04:00

Today's post is a short one...but a good one for the WINNER of four fantabulous books: SHINE by Lauren Myracle, GIRL WONDER by Alexa Martin, MAGNOLIA LEAGUE by Katie Crouch, and IN FRONT OF GOD AND EVERBODY by KD McCrite.

Drumroll please...

And the winner is:

JS WOOD!!!!

Please email me at lastword0524(at)yahoo(dot)com to claim your prize. Congratulations!!

Back to Play Some More FUN & GAMES

2011-04-28T07:05:00.006-04:00

When we last left Harper and Grace, they were at opposite ends of their little world. Grace's long lost cousin Abby popped in for a little late night spaghetti supper, and Owen took Harper back to his place to talk to someone special. (I feel like I'm narrating a soap opera here *shrugs* ah, well...it's fun, and that's all that matters) On with the show!!

Harper heaved out a sigh of relief as the door closed behind Owen. She hated to admit it, but she owed Lucky big time for calling on his brother for a ride. A quick glance at the clock told her that Lucky and Grace hadn’t been together all that long, and Harper briefly wondered what had caused the pie-eating fest to end so abruptly. Any other time, she would’ve called her friend immediately to dish.

That wouldn’t be happening anymore.

“So,” Mrs. Lancaster—Lucinda, she’d told Harper to call her when Owen had introduced them—said, her soft voice tugging Harper out of her reverie. “Now that my son is no longer hovering, we can talk.”

Here, we go, Harper thought as she sucked in a sharp breath, steeling herself for the barrage of questions to come. She said nothing, just waited for Lucinda to deliver the first blow.

“Tell me everything,” she pressed.

For what seemed like the millionth time since Grace and Owen’s first intervention, Harper opened her mouth to form her standard response of ‘I’m fine’ but instead, those two syllables swelled in her throat, growing and morphing so that when they finally jumped off the tip of her tongue, they’d become something far different, something she didn’t expect.

The tide of truth rushed forth and everything that happened came tumbling out in a mad rush, letters racing around through the air, her words stumbling all over themselves to be the first to smack into Lucinda’s ears.

The encouraging smile plastered across Lucinda’s face froze as the story poured out of Harper. The clothes, the makeup, the hair, the invitation to use Haas’ private bathroom. And when Harper got the point at which she’d ended the story with Grace, she faltered.

Eyes wide with worry and just a little fear, she whispered, “I-I waited in the bathroom for a long time. I wanted to make sure he’d be gone when I came out.”

Lucinda nodded, reached out a slid a reassuring hand along Harper’s arm. “But, he didn’t leave, did he? That’s what’s hurting you now, Harper. Not what happened before. No, you defended yourself, and that’s something to be proud of, but you know that already.”

Scrubbing her watery eyes, Harper nodded.

“So, tell me what happened next, after you beat the shit out that bastard and then locked yourself in the bathroom. Tell me what has you all tied in knots, Harper.”

Deep breath in, and Harper dove into the deep end of the pool.

Just a misunderstanding, he’d said. A misunderstanding? Harper bristled again, just thinking about the un-apology that douchebag had the stones to throw out, and then to quickly follow it up with a comment about her clothes?

Because apparently the outfit she and Grace had picked out that afternoon was actually a glowing neon sign that shouted out, “Please rape me, teacher!”

Grace. Harper stared down at her best friend’s boots, particularly the broken heel on the left one. What had she been thinking to borrow something so expensive? Grace was going to kill her…well, after she marched Harper down to the bank to empty the entire contents of her savings—which pitifully enough still wouldn’t come close to paying for the footwear.

Anger at what he’d done surged forth again. How dare he do this to her? To anyone? Even if she had been willing—which she most definitely was NOT—that kind of thing between a teacher and a student was just plain wrong, not to mention illegal.

Leaping to her feet, Harper’s anger carried her across the room, to her closet. As she moved, clothes came flying off. Grace’s favorite pink sweater whipped up over her head and dropped to the floor. For good measure, Harper kicked it under the bed. Sorry, Gracie, she thought, but if I never see that thing again, it’ll be too soon. Next, she shimmied out of the skirt, balled it up, and shoved it to the back of her closet.

Cool air skimmed over her flesh for less than moment, as she made short work of trading those offensive garments for a pair of well-worn jeans and Dad’s faded red Wisconsin sweatshirt. Hugging the bulky material to her chest, she almost felt human again…that is, until her eyes landed on the bed.

Shiny black leather stared back at her, mocking her. That broken heel would be her downfall. Shit. What was she going to do now?

The answer popped up, bright and clear. An easy and sensible fix. With a cry of victory, she shot back to the bed, scooped up the boots in her arms and grabbed her cell phone before sailing back out of the house.

Grace’s number dialed, she pressed the phone to her ear as she locked the front door behind her. Grace would be on the warpath when Harper told her what happened, but who else could she call? And, with Truman missing in action yet again, she had no other option for a ride to the police station.

Haas was going down for this. She—and Grace—would make sure he never tried that again with any other students.

A loud annoyed groan leaped out of her when the call was automatically routed to voicemail. Harper clicked ended the call without leaving a message. Great. Where was Grace? And, who could she call now?

Owen’s face flashed through her head, but she quickly dismissed the idea. Yeah, great idea, Harp, she sneered at herself. Call your crush and tell him what, exactly? That you were almost raped…by his favorite teacher? That’d go over real well, and bonus: he’ll stop looking at you like a girl and see nothing but a wounded animal that’s so broken it should probably be put down. She snorted. Not a chance.

She walked around the side of the house and grabbed Chase’s bike. The police station wasn’t that far. She could make the ride. Still, for good measure, she dialed Grace’s house phone. No answer there. Well, then. Her decision was now made. She wheeled the bike around to the front of the house.

And, stopped dead in her tracks.

The slamming of the front door yanked Harper back to the present and Lucky’s blinding grin.

Until next week, folks, when Kelly dazzles you all with her next installment.

Road-Trip Wednesday: The Music of Your (Character's) Soul...

2011-04-27T10:14:00.001-04:00

Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question that begs to be answered. In the comments, you can hop from destination to destination and get everybody's unique take on the topic.

This week's topic:

If your WIP or favorite book were music, what song(s) would it be?

I am so glad that this is the topic I jump back into Road-Trip Wednesdays with. *does little happy dance* As we all know, my writing is heavily influenced by music (isn't that true for us all, though?)...but by one band in particular.

Yep, you guessed it. SEETHER. only the best band ever...and nearly every one of my manuscripts have been influenced in some way shape or form by their music. Don't believe me? Well, here are some examples of my Seether-esque writing obsession:

BROKEN (about a girl battling her way back from addiction) was inspired by Fine Again off the Disclaimer album.

A SLIVER OF HOPE (the one I affectionately refer to as my suicidal sister novel) emerged from (in addition to a rather freaky weekend marathon of Discovery Health's Mystery Diagnosis) the lyrics of Fake It from the Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces album.

ALWAYS AND FOREVER (i.e. cancer girl who's a real bitch to everyone she loves most...yeah, I need to fix that...make her more likeable and shit) was actually the product of an ee Cummings poem, a Rise Against song (Savior), Seether's Breakdown, again off Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces and Remedy from their Karma and Effect CD.

Which brings me to my current effort(s) SHUT UP and an as-yet untitled WiP. SHUT UP was inspired by Rise Above This from (you guessed it...my fave of their albums) Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces and the untitled work grew out of my current obsession with Country Song, the first single off their upcoming album Holding onto Strings Better Left to Fray. Hello? How can I not be obsessed with a band whose album titles alone are sheer poetry?

Oh! and while you're visiting, you should really enter my Friday Five contest. It closes tomorrow.

I Tease, I Tease...

2011-04-26T07:00:00.006-04:00

Hey there, friends. A couple things before we get to this week's tease from my current WiP, SHUT UP.

1. Have you entered my Friday Five Contest yet? I'm giving away FOUR books...so maybe you should check it out and enter. Just saying.

2. Some of you may have noticed that I didn't do a FUN AND GAMES WITH K & K post last Thursday. My apologies. It was written, but due to the holiday and family coming in for a visit, I went AWOL from everything last week...so, you will get my F & G post this Thursday. Sorry about the inconvenience, folks. Can you ever forgive me? Please?

Okay, now that that's out of the way, let's get the TEASER show on the road. This snip technically takes place BEFORE last week's snip, but due to the crazy way I've mapped this book out, it will show up AFTER last week's scene. (Was that explanation confusing enough for you? LOL)

Anywho...hope you enjoy this...if not, sorry about your luck :)

No matter where I looked, the world was drenched in ugly. The cracked gray concrete of the pitted parking area in front of the school, the brilliant white sneaker clad feet pounding the asphalt as students hurried forward, not wanting to be late on the first day, and even the too-tall trees surrounding the building whose leaves were still a vibrant summer green, not yet marred by the approaching shift in temperature all held a sinister quality, like they knew every one of my secrets and were just waiting for the perfect moment to spring forth and announce them to one and all.

Junior year wasn’t supposed to start out like this.

“Anna,” I called, my legs doubling their pace without conscious command.

She barely looked up to acknowledge me, but she stopped, her shoulders hunched forward like she had the world’s biggest knot in his neck.

“Look, Anna. I really think—“

“Gwen!” A blindingly bright grin cracked her face in half, her cheeks straining under the pressure of holding the smile firmly in place. To anyone else, she was the picture of perfect happiness, a girl full of first-day-of-school giddiness.

But, I knew different. It was there, in her moss green eyes. The hurt, the pain, the sadness. It dribbled out in invisible strands, coloring her smile fake.

“This is going to be a great year. I just know it.” She looped her arm through mine, a silent plea to just shut up. “Don’t you think so?”

This was it. My chance to fix things, to make them right. This was my window of opportunity. If I didn’t jump through the narrow opening right then and there, I might never get the chance again. I opened my mouth, poised to let loose all the words I’d been rehearsing on the short drive in this morning.

Shh. Nothing happened. Don’t say a word. Shh.

My mouth snapped closed, the promise I’d grudgingly made to myself coming back to beat me into silence. Reluctantly, I nodded. Above me, the all-knowing trees with their haughty, holier-than-thou, judgmental leaves glared down accusingly. They knew what I’d done…what crime I was committing by responding the way I just had. Shame weighed down on my own shoulders, the crushing force slowing my normally purposeful stride, my steps faltering.

I didn’t have to look to the right to see Anna’s reaction to that small bob of my head. Her relief was so overwhelming that the little but loud guilt machine raging through my brain momentarily vanished. Her whole body relaxed in the space of one breath. With that long exhale, her Joker-esque grin evaporated, leaving behind lips quirked slightly at the edges, not quite a smile but very far from frown territory. Shoulders sagging as if all the weight now riding on top of me had actually come from her, she sidled closer to me, letting her hand slide down my arm until our palms pressed together and our fingers entwined.

“Thanks, Gweny,” she whispered in my ear as she leaned into me to give an awkward, one-armed hug. “You’re the best friend ever.”

Any arguments I might have made died a violent death right there on my lips. The moment was gone, and my window had slammed shut.

“That’s what friends are for.” Now, it was my turn to wear the fake grin, with lips stretched far too wide to be even remotely comfortable.

So...what do we all think? Can you guess what Gwen did...or didn't do? I'd love to hear what all you all think in the comments...oh! and how are we enjoying Game of Thrones on HBO? A-MAZING is all I can say right now. Seriously.

Long Time, No TEASE

2011-04-19T13:38:00.000-04:00

It's Tuesday, peeps. And, you know what that means. Yep. I'm back with a new WiP to tease all my lovelies with. This snip comes courtesy of my latest effort SHUT UP. (heheheh...I just love saying that title)

Enjoy!

With each step that propelled me up the front steps and into the school, my heart sank deeper and deeper—down through my diaphragm, past my stomach lining, all the way down until it was scraping against the soles of my tattered sneakers. Was it just me, or did the school become eerily silent the moment I cleared the doors?

Shh. Nothing happened. Don’t say a word. Shh.

Those words—my own personal mantra for longer than I cared to admit—kept reverberating through my head as I forced myself to stay on course. If I kept moving, never stopping, never slowing down, maybe I could outrun the nightmares that were chasing me, nipping at my heels. Maybe, I could keep the unpleasantness of reality at bay.

Through the front doors, around the corner, and into the main hall. One foot in front of the other, heel to toe…a steady march made with my eyes trained on the shitty green linoleum it seemed all public schools preferred. They said green was supposed to be soothing to the young minds hard at work learning. Well, I didn’t know who ‘they’ were, but the color just reminded me of puke. Not soothing at all.

Although my head was bowed, my eyes down, I still felt it, the tectonic shift in the atmosphere around me as conversations died. People stopped what they were doing to openly stare, and soon, the quiet that had descended was replaced by a low murmur of hushed whispers racing through the crowd.

Shh. Nothing happened. Don’t say a word. Shh.

I cut through the ocean of people who were even now parting, giving me a wide berth as if just the slightest brush of our clothing would somehow taint them. Instead of raising my arms, grinning, and making some snide remark about Moses and the Red Sea, my shoulders hunched in even more, and I pulled my bag closer to my chest, both flimsy shields should a real attack present itself.

Around one more corner and there it was. I heaved out a sigh of relief that no crowds were congregating around or near my locker. I could get in and out in record time, without having to deal with anyone.

Or, so I thought, anyway.

All but running to the metal door like it was some kind of safe haven that could protect me from all the prying eyes and whispered rumors, I reached out, my fingers trembling as I hurriedly spun out the combination that would gain me entrance to the secret world inside. The door popped open with little protest, but my blinders weren’t quite in place yet. Lining the inside of the door so that not even a millimeter of metal was visible were all the reminders I didn’t need or want of better, happier times.

Anna.

Beyond the isolated little bubble my locker and I inhabited, the world swarmed back to life. Just a few moments ago, I had been all anyone could see. Now, no one noticed me. They didn’t care what they’d done. And really, why should they? Anna was nothing to them, just something to play with, torture under the burning light of a magnifying glass and then leave, bleeding, broken, and forgotten in the gutter, like a discarded piece of trash hardly worth the effort to notice. She didn’t deserve what they did to her.

She didn’t deserve what I did to her.

My eyes began to burn again, the red rims swelling up with angry, bitter moisture, and I fought to stifle the sob battling its way up the back of my throat. A hard swallow, a firm shake of the head, and a silent screech inside my brain to just keep it together, Gwen. Leaning forward until my forehead kissed the cold metal shelf inside the locker, my eyes drifted closed and the mental countdown commenced.

One. Deep breath. I could do this. Just reach in, get my books, and close the door. Two. Long exhale. No need to look to the right, to see all those laughing, smiling pictures of us. Why put myself through that kind of torment? Three—

“Hey.”

My whole body froze at that single softly uttered word of greeting. No. Not him. I couldn’t do this now. Wasn’t it torture enough to have to walk through the hall, open up this locker, and be confronted with Anna’s smiling face taunting me, accusing me of all the atrocities that I had visited upon her, my best friend? And now, I had to suffer his resentment as well? No. This was the line. My breaking point. I wasn’t doing it. He couldn’t make me.

“Look, Gwen,” Wes said, his hand sliding up my arm and coming to a rest on my shoulder. “I just wanted to say that I’m sorry…about Anna.”

So...What do we think? Yes? No? Don't quit my day job? Go ahead. Hit me with your best shot. Fire away. (Yes, I was just singing that)

ARC Review: LOST VOICES

2011-04-13T22:23:00.000-04:00

The Book: LOST VOICES
The Author: Sarah Porter
The Publisher: Harcourt Books (an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
Release Date: July 4, 2011

Summary:
Fourteen year old Luce has not had an easy time since her father's death a year ago. Having no family to lean on other than a drunk uncle who enjoys slapping her around, Luce lives in the shadows with the hope that she won't draw unwanted attention from anyone, but especially her uncle. But the night comes when her uncle's attention is drawn, and this assault is far worse than any beating she could ever imagine.

Afterward, he leaves her lying along the path near the cliffs, cold and alone, and Luce is finally at her breaking point. Instead of dragging herself home, she jumps to the rocks below, craving the sweet release that only death could possibly bring her.

But death is not in the cards for Luce. Upon waking, she is caught in the thrall of the most beautiful song she'd ever heard. Surrounded by a sea of people are swimming deeper and deeper to the bottom of the ocean, it takes her more than a minute to realize that she is no longer human...and that the melody--an enchanting tune that is propelling people to drown themselves--she hears is coming from her.

Now a mermaid, Luce makes her home with a tribe of the sirens--girls who were once lost and broken, just like her. At first, she is overjoyed at finally having a place, a family, to belong, but soon, Luce learns that this happiness and freedom come at a terrible price. Being a mermaid, she is ruled by the overwhelming need to sing...a song that means death to any human that should hear it. Luce doesn't want to kill anyone, but the pressure to fit in with the other mermaids--her new family--is enormous...and means murder.

My Take:
This is not a story for the faint of heart. Anyone expecting a story about a girl who finds family, friendship, hope, and unconditional love will be a little thrown. That said, LOST VOICES is a haunting story about one girl's journey after turning her back on humanity to become a mermaid, only to find that she never lost her compassion in the first place.

Luce's human life is a tragedy in itself. Her mother died when she was very young; her father made his living as thief until just a year before the story begins. In an attempt to finally give his daughter a normal life, he moves them to live with his brother and he takes a job on a fishing boat...that perishes, never to be seen or heard from again and leaving Luce with an uncle who is lower than scum.

But, mermaid life is not without its pitfalls. The hierarchy within the tribe and the laws that govern the mermaids soon leads to trouble, especially as more and more mermaids are brought into the fold. And soon, it becomes apparent to everyone, including the tribe's reigning leader, that Luce is destined to sit at the top: as queen of the tribe. Through all this, Luce continues to struggle with the fact that she does not want to kill anyone, a human flaw that is frowned upon by the tribe.

The first book in a trilogy, LOST VOICES is a quiet, but haunting introduction into the dark world of sea sirens and the songs they sing that ultimately lure sailors to their deaths.

Friday Five: Four Books Plus One Really BIG Contest

2011-04-08T10:57:00.001-04:00

It's no secret that I've been doing a lot of ARC reviews lately. But, in going through my lists, I realized that not one, not two, but FOUR of the books I'd reviewed (and thoroughly enjoyed) were all coming out in May.

And since May is my birthday month, I said to myself, "Self, birthdays require gifts, and you shall spread the reading love." So, friends, I give you:

The May Four Book Giveaway!!!

SHINE by Lauren Myracle. (read my review here) release date: May 1, 2011

MAGNOLIA LEAGUE by Katie Crouch (read my review here) release date: May 3, 2011

GIRL WONDER by Alexa Martin (read my review here) release date: May 3, 2011

IN FRONT OF GOD AND EVERYBODY by KD McCrite (read my review here) release date: May 10, 2011

Entry couldn't be simpler. Just be a follower and comment below with a book recommendation for me(preferably one that comes out in May as well...it doesn't have to be YA as I read everything). If you want additional chances to win, you can tweet about it (+2 entries...you must paste the link in your comment) and/or write a blog post (+3 entries...put a link to your post in the comment section please). Oh, and if you would be the calculator for me, I'll throw your name in the hat another time (I'm a writer, dude. Not a mathematician)

This contest will end on April 28, 2011, and the winner of ALL FOUR books will be announced on my April 29th Friday Five post. Okay...CONTEST STARTS NOW. GO!!

This Thursday Brought to You by the Letters F & G...

2011-04-07T07:00:00.001-04:00

This is a bit of a long one...sorry about that :)

“What letter?” Now, it was Truman’s turn to be shushed by Lucky, who rolled his eyes dramatically as if to ask, “And, what rock have you been living under to not know about the letter?”

Owen slammed his elbow into his twin’s side and cut a fierce look Lucky’s way. “Quiet,” he growled.

“Harper, what letter?” Grace persisted, oblivious to the three eavesdroppers on the other side of the door.

Shrill laughter escaped as her lips curved in a wry smile. “You know what letter, Gracie Lou. The one you’ve been holding onto for more than week without one word to your best friend. Yeah, now, I’ve got your attention. What’s the matter? Surprised I found it? I mean, it wasn’t like you were hiding it very well. The damned thing was sitting right on top of your desk, propped up for the whole freaking world to see. So, when were you going to tell me? While you were boarding the plane to freaking England?”

“It wasn’t like that.”

“Really?” Harper sneered, her eyes turning into dark, jaded shards of broken glass. “Funny, but now, I don’t believe you.” The chair scraped loudly across the floor as she shoved to her feet and stomped over to where the spoon had landed on the floor by the sink. “It doesn’t matter anyway. None of this does. I don’t know why you’re even bothering trying to pretend you care about what did or didn’t happen at party you weren’t even invited to.” A bitter laugh escaped as the spoon clattered into the sink. “This time next year, you’ll be off on some archeological dig thing, discovering prehistoric bongs or something. This place and the people in it will be nothing more than a distant memory for you.”

Grace stiffened, hurt and disbelief slowly giving way to anger and an overwhelming sense of betrayal. The hated, burning moisture surged up to her eyes, ferociously working to break free and take a jaunt down her cheeks. She wouldn’t let it, though. No, Grace Monroe never cried, and especially not in front of Harper. Grace was the strong one. She had to be, for she now realized that she had no one left. Harps, her best friend since the first day of kindergarten, had just joined the ranks of those she loved most...but that she’d lost for good.

“I see,” she gritted out. “That’s how it always is with you, isn’t it, Harper? It’s got to be all or nothing. Yeah, I didn’t tell you about Oxford, but did you stop to think that maybe I was worried about how it would affect you and our friendship? Christ, I hadn’t even decided if I was going to go or not, but you just—“

“You lying sack of shit! Don’t try to feed me that line. I know you’re going, Grace. It’s something you’ve wanted to do since we were kids, and you found that arrowhead. Ever since then, you’ve been out playing in the dirt every chance you got. I’m not stupid.”

“Then, quit acting like it!” Grace screeched. “Only someone completely brain-dead would pretend like nothing happened after she was raped—“

“I wasn’t raped. I told you—“

“Nothing happened,” Grace mimicked in a scared little girl voice. “Well, let me tell you something, Harper. Just because he didn’t actually get in your pants doesn’t mean it was okay. But, my real best friend would know that, and you’re not her.” Her gaze swept down to Harper’s feet and then back up again, a slow perusal that had Harper instinctively wanting to cover herself. “You’re just some cheap, plastic imitation that I don’t want anything to do with.”

Harper didn’t stop Grace as she swept past her and out of the kitchen. She just stood rooted to the spot, staring sightlessly while Grace pushed through the door, knocking into the guys who Harper had known all along had been clustered just outside the door.

A moment of shock passed over Grace’s features as she took in their guilty expressions. Then, surprising them all—herself included—she looped her arm through Lucky’s and smiled brightly. “Now, how about that pie?”

He slanted a questioning glance toward his brother before nodding. “Never thought you’d ask. I’m suddenly starving.”

No one uttered a word for several minutes. Situated in an awkward triangle in the middle of the spacious kitchen, the three of them stood stock-still, listening intently to the sounds of Lucky steering Grace through the house and out the front door, whistling a soft, disjointed tune under his breath as they went. After the door clicked into place behind them and Frenchy belched out several agonized moans before finally turning over, a collective breath was expelled.

But, the big, pink elephant that had assembled them all together was huddled in the corner, unmoving and noisy enough to shatter a few dozen eardrums.

Forcibly pasting a relaxed, unaffected look across her face, Harper turned to Owen. “I’ll take you home.”

“Harper—“ Truman began.

“Not now, Tru.”

“We can’t just ignore this, Harp. Just because you and Grace had a little argument doesn’t mean—“

“I said,” she whirled on him, her words turning frozen and bitter with each millisecond that skipped gleefully by. “We’ll talk about this later. Right now, I’m taking Owen home. End of discussion.”

His mouth dropped open. Who was this angry, bitter creature wearing his sister’s skin? Grace was right. This girl, standing before him with her eyes flashing, her face contorted into a ferocious mask, and her arms folded across her chest like she was trying to keep some wide, gaping hole closed, was nowhere near the bright, effervescent girl he knew Harper to be. More importantly, how could he get his sister back?

But, by the time he snapped out of his dazed musings, she’d already grabbed Owen’s hand and dragged the boy out of the house. Small consolation though it was, Truman had not missed Owen’s reaction to Harper’s waspish behavior. It had mirrored his own.

Ten minutes of uneasy silence later, Harper pulled the car to a stop in front of the Lancaster house.

“Uh...thanks for the ride,” he mumbled as he unfastened his seat belt and reached for the door handle, unsure as to what else he could say. There were many things that he itched to just throw out there, but after the fireworks in the Simonson kitchen, he figured that maybe enough was enough for one night.

“Owen, wait.” Harper caught hold of his hand and squeezed lightly, her cold fingers curling into his much warmer palm. “I just…I want you to know how sorry I am. For everything. I mean, it wasn’t supposed to happen like this. Not for us, anyway.”

“You got that right,” he muttered under his breath.

“What?”

He shook his head, a ghost of smile flitting across his face as he shifted in his seat to face her fully. His other hand lifted up, reached out to skim gentle fingertips over her cheek, along the bridge of her nose, and then finally to her slightly parted, partially chapped lips. “I know that, Harper. Believe me. I know.” His grin turned rueful, and his fingers continued to dance over her mouth. “You know, I had it all planned out…the night of the party. I knew exactly what I was going to say, how I was going to say it. I was determined to make some grand gesture, and by the end of the night, you’d be my girl.”

A light laugh flounced out of her, and she leaned forward as his fingers left her lips so his palm could curve around her cheek. That small connection was both exhilarating and comforting all at once. She never wanted it to end. “That was kind of my plan, too,” she admitted on a sigh. “That was the whole point of the outfit, the hair, and the makeup.”

His hand on her cheek was like a lifeline, slowly reeling her in to safety even as he swam across the distance to her, bringing with him all the reassurance she could ever ask for.

“You did look hot,” he agreed. “But, you know what? I prefer the jeans and t-shirts and hoodies. I don’t know if you noticed, but I seem to have a weakness for skinny little brunettes who always keep their hair tied in weird knots on top of their head and wear glasses they don’t really need.”

“Hmm, I think I might know someone like that.”

Now, their faces were so close, she could practically taste the minted gum he always seemed to have tucked in the back of his mouth. He chuckled, blowing hot, flavored waves over the lower half of her face. A thrill shimmied up and down her spine as his nose rubbed lightly against hers.

“Think you might put in a good word for me?” he asked.

“I-I could do that…probably.” Her eyes were trained on his mouth, hovering so very close hers. Would he kiss her? Did she want him to? Well, of course, she wanted him to, but what would happen if he did? She stiffened, remembering her epic freakout just last night when their knees had accidentally knocked together. An innocent enough touch to which she’d over-reacted majorly.

“Probably, huh?” Another deep chuckle, and he surprised her by shifting yet again. This time, he pushed up, just enough to press a kiss to her forehead and then slid back into his seat. He brought their still-clasped hands up to his lips and pressed another light kiss to her knuckles. “I think we might have gone about our little intervention tonight the wrong way.”

“You think?” she snorted after a beat in which she hurried to collect her wayward senses.

He nodded, casting a look toward the soft glow of his house. “We shouldn’t have ganged up on you like that, Harp. That’s not going to help you deal with all this…whatever it is.”

“And, you think you know what will?”

He glanced at the house again. “There’s someone I want you to meet...to talk to. I think you’ll have an easier time getting this all out if you had a completely sympathetic ear.”

She looked around him, catching the faint outline of someone walking past the front window. “Your mom?” she asked, incredulously. “How would she be a sympathetic—oh. Owen, I didn’t know. What, I mean, when did this—“

“Come on,” he urged. “Come inside. Let me introduce you.”

She swallowed, looked up again at the figure moving around in the house, and then slowly nodded. “Okay.”

March Reading Madness

2011-04-01T07:00:00.005-04:00

So maybe, 'madness' is not quite the right word, considering this is a fairly average monthly reading quantity for me, but...*shrugs* whatever :)

CITY OF BONES by Cassandra Clare ... YA paranormal
NATURAL BORN CHARMER by Susan Elizabeth Phillips ... Romance
CAUGHT by Harlan Coben ... Mystery/Suspense
BUMPED by Megan McCafferty ... YA dystopian (ARC)
GIRL WONDER by Alexa Martin ... YA contemporary (ARC)
AFTERLIFE by Joey W. Hill ... Romance
MAGNOLIA LEAGUE by Katie Crouch ... YA paranormal (ARC)
HEREAFTER by Tara Hudson ... YA paranormal romance (ARC)
VIOLENCE 101 by Denis Wright ... YA contemporary/literary
TREACHERY IN DEATH by JD ROBB ... Mystery/Suspense
PASSIONATE PLEASURES by Bertice Small ... Romance
THE TRAVELING VAMPIRE SHOW by Richard Laymon ... Horror
ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS by Stephanie Perkins ... YA contemporary

That's it for me, minions. Not a bad number, but it definitely could have been more. But, sadly, little reading has been done this past week. What do we think my number might be next month? More or less? Only time will tell...

What about you? Read any good books lately? Do share :)

Fun & Games, Evening Edition

2011-03-31T21:09:00.000-04:00

Sorry about the lateness of this snip, folks, but hey, it's still Thursday, right? Exactly. So, really I'm right on time. ;)

Enjoy (I hope...cuz I know you're getting a wee bit irritated with us...well, really, me. not so much Kelly. *shrugs* I'll take the blame.)

“Enough of this shit,” Truman growled as he snatched up his keys and cell phone from where he’d dropped them on the couch next to Grace. “I’m going to go find their asses and bring them back, and if they’re not lying dead in a ditch somewhere, I swear to god I’ll…” With a small, unconscious shake of the head, he let the rest of his words drift off into the nothing. The vague threat of violence was always somehow more potent than going into explicit detail.

“You’re leaving?” Scrambling to her feet, Grace started to follow him, but he whirled on her.

“I don’t need a damned babysitter to go look for my sister, Grace. I can find her myself.” Seeing her recoil from his hastily snarled words, his shoulders drooped under the oppressive weight of guilt. What had he been thinking, going back for Grace? There was a reason Harper hadn’t wanted her friend there. He’d seen the truth of it in his sister’s eyes even as she’d agreed with him. But why? He gave himself a mental head slap. Now, was not the time to go digging into Harper’s every word in search of some kind of deeper meaning. They needed to cut straight to chase, and that couldn’t be done with so many distractions piling up around him.

“Considering your frame of mind at the moment,” Grace gritted out through clenched teeth. “You need a whole team of them.” She reached out, laid a hand on his arm. Nervous energy rolled off him in huge, crashing waves, lapping at her skin and infecting her with his worry over Harper. “You need to calm yourself down before you do anything, Truman. You can’t help your sister if you’re so tied in knots, you can’t get free. You know that.”

Yeah, he did, but he couldn’t admit that to himself, much less Grace. Taking a step back allowed him to put some much needed space not only between the two of them but between him all the shit he was now facing…which was more than a lot. Christ, how had that happened? Not two weeks ago, the only things he had to juggle was school and girls.

A rueful smile curved his lips. Harper always said he juggled more balls than any sane person, and just like the damned fool that he was, he’d only added to tonight’s load by picking up Grace. But still, he wondered what had happened between the two girls that had Harper keeping her best friend at arm’s length.

“Grace?” He cocked his head, preparing to get the first of many—he hoped—answers tonight. “Why doesn’t—“

“Honey, I’m home,” Lucky’s unmistakable baritone rang through the house, followed by the sound of the front door slamming shut and a parade of shuffling footsteps inching toward the family room. “Miss me, sweetheart?” He grinned wide at Truman when he appeared in the doorway.

“Like a sore on my dick.”

“Ew,” Harper and Grace wrinkled their noses simultaneously. “Can you be anymore disgusting, Tru?” Harper demanded.

“I’m sure I could give it a shot,” he replied with a shrug, cool and easy, but no one missed the tightly clenched fists at his sides, a clear indication that his anger was being held taut on an already frayed leash.

“Let’s save the disgusting for later, shall we?” Lucky muttered dryly. “I’m sure we have better things to do with our time now that we’re all together.”

In near perfect synchronization, all eyes swung to Harper. She shrank back a little under their combined scrutiny. With a deep breath, she lifted her head, squared her shoulders, and prepared for war. “So, I guess that’s my cue to start story time, huh?” A nervous laugh flitted out of her, and she gestured toward the furniture. “Well, settle down, children, and get comfortable. This isn’t a short story.”

Grace and Lucky were the first to collapse onto the couch, all the drama of the night’s activities filling their limbs with lead and etching weary lines into their faces. He shot her a small, secret grin as their knees knocked together which only grew wider when he caught Truman’s glower.

Owen hovered close to Harper, only taking a seat on the floor after she’d perched on the edge of her father’s favorite recliner. Predictably, Truman dropped down onto the couch on Grace’s other side. One of Harper’s brows winged up in question, and he shrugged.

“You don’t need to worry about me, Harps,” he assured her. “I’ll behave myself. No blood will stain Mom’s rug tonight.”

“I guess I should just take what I can get, right?”

“No more deflecting, little sister. Tell us this story. All of it.”

Deep breath in, a nod, and a long, painful exhale. “Okay, well, you all know what I told Grace, right? Well, about ten minutes after that—“

“What?” Truman jerked to the right, pinning Grace with a disbelieving glare. “You said you didn’t know what happened that night.”

“That’s what you two were talking about in the mall parking lot?” Lucky whistled softly. “What a place to have a conversation like that.”

“Lucky, do us all a favor,” Owen snapped. “And, shut the hell up, for once in your miserable life.”

“You didn’t tell them?” Harper’s eyes rounded, conveying just how stunned she was to learn that Grace hadn’t betrayed her confidence. Which made her feel like an even bigger assclown for her reaction to finding that damned letter. Not for the first time, she wished she hadn’t found it. Then, maybe none of this would’ve happened. No. She had to stop thinking like that. There was no changing what happened. She just needed to get past it, and having it all out in the open would help her in doing that…right? She cleared her throat and nodded at Grace. “Go ahead. Tell them.”

“I kind of think this needs to come from you, Harper,” Owen said as his hand closed over both of hers.

“Because she doesn’t believe me, right?” Her eyes sparked hot, daring him to argue with her. “Well, what I told her was the truth, and if you don’t believe that, then there’s no point in telling you the rest.” She bit down on her lower lip, a vicious attempt at quelling the tremble that had begun there. She pulled her hands out from beneath his and stood up, her gaze darting back over to Grace. “I need something to drink…hot chocolate or something. Tell them what I told you, what you don’t believe, and when I come back, maybe just maybe I’ll tell you the rest.”

“Harper, it’s not that I didn’t believe you,” Grace rushed to assure her friend even as she, too, jumped to her feet. “It’s just that—“

“Save it. I probably wouldn’t have believed me, either, but that part doesn’t matter. Not really.” She sighed, long and loud. “That’s not why I’ve been all tied up in knots this past week…well, not entirely why.” With that cryptic comment, she edged around Owen and barreled out of the room.

That's it for me this snip. Check in with Kelly on Tuesday!

Are We Having FUN with These GAMES Yet?

2011-03-24T07:00:00.003-04:00

So, here we are with week 19--or is it 20?--of these here FUN AND GAMES WITH K & K and still the question remains: What really happened between Harper and Mr. Haas that night at the party? Well, I suppose either Kelly or should tell you soon, right? Or else there might be a mutiny on our hands.

Who knows? Maybe, you'll get some sort of answer today...

“Turn left up here.”

Owen slanted a questioning look at Harper—huddled into a particularly tight ball in the passenger seat—but said nothing as he made the turn, even though it took them in the opposite direction of her house. A Dead End sign loomed up ahead, the metallic yellow glowing an alien shade under the skim of the car’s headlights. Lifting his foot off the gas and easing it onto the brake, he pulled the vehicle onto the shoulder and turned around, pinning Lucky with a commanding look.

“Beat it, kid. Time for the grown-ups to talk.”

“You’d make your own brother walk home? In the middle of the night? With no coat?” Lucky pretended shock and hurt, but really he was digging his heels in for a fight. No way was he leaving this car without some answers first.

Owen shrugged out of his coat to toss it and his cell phone into the backseat at his twin. “Call one of your friends to come pick you up if you want to, but do it away from here.”

The brothers traded glares, eyes like lasers drilling extra deep holes into each other’s skulls. If Lucky was in a joking mood, he’d make some comment designed to have them both cracking grins. Instead, he heaved out a frustrated growl, crossed his arms over his chest, and leaned back, making a big show of getting comfortable, his expression daring Owen to forcibly remove him from the vehicle.

“Lucas Riley Lan—“ Owen’s snarl lashed out, flaying the skin off Lucky’s bones. Any other time, he would have launched himself as fast and as far away from his brother as his legs could take him, but not tonight.

“Dude,” he snorted out, all false-bravado. “You are so not middle-naming me. Mom.” Another loud guffaw punched through the air between them to slam into Owen’s face, already red with irritation. “I’m staying. Right. Here.”

“Goddammit, Lucky—“

“Hey!” Harper’s hand shot out, landing on Owen’s bicep and fingers curling in to squeeze. He tensed instantly, his gaze swinging around to meet hers, and in that moment, it was just the two of them.

There was no Lucky, sitting in the backseat. No Truman or Grace, waiting at home for answers to questions they all had voiced at one time or another. There wasn’t even room for everything that might or might not have happened with the music teacher. It was just the two of them, sharing the same space, breathing the same air…listening to the sounds of secrets climbing up to the surface about to be laid bare for all to judge.

One finger at a time, she loosened her grip on his arm and then swallowed visibly. “It’s okay, Owen. He can stay.”

“But—“

“It’s fine.” Shoulders lifting into a half-shrug, her lips twisted to form a small smile. “I mean, he’s kind of in the middle of it all now, considering he’s wanted for assault.” She tossed a glance back at Lucky. “Right?”

He grinned, bright and blinding. “You got that right, sweetheart.” He made a face at Owen, who was yet again glaring daggers at him. “Don’t mind him,” he whispered, conspiratorially. “He’s just jealous. You should remember that. You know. For future reference and all.”

“I’ll do that,” she chuckled.

They dropped off into silence after that, everyone waiting for someone else to begin this conversation, but no one gathering up the necessary courage to do so. After a minute or two, Owen’s cell lit up in Lucky’s hand. A quick glance down at the display pulled a groan out of him. At O’s frown, he tossed the phone toward the front of the car.

“Sir Lancelot,” he explained. “Probably wondering why we’re not where we said we’d be…which begs the question: Why are we here instead of there?”

Harper snatched up the phone before Owen could get to it and turned it off. “I don’t want to talk to Truman. Not about this.”

“Clearly,” he agreed, evenly.

“Or Grace.”

“I know.”

They shared a silent look, one that had Lucky feeling decidedly left out in the cold. “Why not Grace?” He wanted to know. “I thought you two were best friends…you know…joined at the hip and shit.”

“I thought so, too,” she said, her voice cracked and bleeding out all the sorrow she’d been feeling since the day of the party when she’d been getting ready over at Grace’s house and found the infamous letter, the one that Grace had been keeping from her for who knew how long.

“What does that mean?”

Owen shot his brother a look that clearly asked, Could you be any more of an insensitive jackass? but Lucky ignored him. Sometimes, getting answers required being a little on the callous side, something that O knew absolutely nothing about.

She swallowed, shook her head, and reached out to string her fingers through Owen’s. “It just means that we’ve been growing apart for a long time. I didn’t realize it until recently, but we are. Really, if you think about it, it’s not surprising. I mean, we have almost nothing in common. She’s all about science and math and sports and the great outdoors, and I’m…well…I’m none of those things. I’m just me.” She turned to face Lucky fully and smiled a little too brightly. “Did you know that she’s going to Oxford in the fall? Some kind of archeology or anthropology program where they get to play in the dirt all day and find ancient pottery and stuff. It’s right up Grace’s alley, and guess who she told the minute she found out about it. Go ahead. Guess.”

The bitterness dripping off her every word told both boys who it wasn’t. Neither of them responded, unsure as to what words could be thrown out there to make Harper feel better about any of this.

“That’s right. It wasn’t me. Because, apparently, I’m not her best friend. But you don’t care about that, do you? You just want to know what went down with Mr. Haas—“

“Harper—“ Owen began quietly, reaching his free hand out to fold over their clasped palms.

“But, when I tell you the truth—that nothing happened—you don’t believe me.”

“See, O? I told you!” Lucky crowed.

“That doesn’t mean anything, you idiot. Be quiet.”

“What?” Harper looked to Owen first for an answer, but when she found nothing but sullen silence in the seat next to her, she turned to Lucky. “What am I missing here, fellas?”

“You didn’t know?” Lucky tried to keep the smug smile from his face but failed miserably. He couldn’t help it. Very rarely did he ever find something out that the whole world didn’t know about first. It was a heady feeling, being the one in the know. “I told Owen and your brother already, but they didn’t believe me. Now, though, they kind of have to.”

“Believe you about what?”

“Nothing,” Owen cut in. “Lucky’s just being Lucky. Don’t pay him any attention. It just feeds his ego.”

Harper rolled her eyes at his surly tone, before trapping Lucky with an expectant look. “So, are you going to tell me or am I going to have to guess? Truman would make me guess.”

“Well, I’d like to think I have a little more class than him.”

“Think all you want,” Owen grumbled. “You’re still wrong and a dumbass.”

“I love you, too, bro.”

“Lucky,” Harper snapped, all her patience apparently at an end. “Tell me.”

“Well, Harps, I found out some interesting news this morning. Your music teacher, Haas…” he trailed off in an effort at building tension which only earned him a glare from both Harper and Owen. “Well, he’s gay.”

A moment of stunned silence passed which was quickly shattered by Harper’s laughter, high-pitched and semi-hysterical. The two boys just stared at her, Lucky confused and Owen concerned.

“Harper, what is it?”

“Nothing,” she said as she scrubbed at her eyes. “It’s just that I used to think the same thing…especially after what happened with Mrs. Haas over the summer.”

A frown wrinkling his brow, Lucky asked, “What happened over the summer?”

“Used to?” Owen demanded at the same time. He cut a glare at his twin. “I don’t give a good god damn about what happened over the summer, not when—“ he dropped off, color draining from his face as he took in not only Harper’s continued shrieks of hysterical laughter, but the look of horror on her face as she realized what she’d just said…what she’d just admitted to. Deep breath and Owen, concentrating on using a much gentler tone, started again. “Harper, what happened to change your mind about that? And, don’t tell me nothing. I won’t accept anything less than the truth this time.”

She stared at him for a weighted second, measuring the determination behind his words. “No, I suppose you won’t.” And then, she began a story that was much different—though no less truthful—from the one she’d told Grace in the mall parking lot…

...but then again, maybe you'll just have to wait a touch longer. *evil laughter* So, what's the verdict, minions? When will the uprising commence? But, before you gather your lynch mob just yet, maybe you should wait for Kelly's post on Tuesday...it's a good one ;) I know so, because I've already read it. Aren't you all jealous?

March's Book Hungry is a CHARMER

2011-03-17T07:00:00.004-04:00

This month, Book Hungry's very own Kelly Breakey had the choice of selection. Are you ready for her pick, folks?

Wait for it...

Wait for it...

Here it is...

NATURAL BORN CHARMER by Susan Elizabeth Phillips.

Summary (as stolen from Amazon):
After her ex-boyfriend Monty insists that she is the only person he ever loved, Blue Bailey packs up everything she has (which isn't much) and moves from Seattle to Colorado to be with him. But once Blue arrives, she discovers Monty has found love again with a younger, blonder new girlfriend. With few job options and practically no money, Blue thought she might be stuck in Colorado for a long time, until Dean Robillard drives through on his way to Tennessee. The last person Blue wants to ask for a favor is a way-too-gorgeous-for-his-own-good stranger who annoys her to no end. And who turns out to be the quarterback for the Chicago Stars. But Dean is Blue's only ticket out, even if it means she is stuck with him all the way to Tennessee. RITA Award-winner Phillips creates yet another classic romance in her loosely connected Chicago Stars series with this splendidly satisfying tale of love, family, and redemption. Generously seasoned with plenty of tart humor and snappy dialogue, and graced with a delightfully amusing pair of protagonists trying desperately not to fall in love, Natural Born Charmer is simply irresistible.

My Take (as stolen from me):
An effortless read, I had NATURAL BORN CHARMER done in two sittings (could've been one but I started it fairly late at night). While there were some things I disliked about the writing (excessive 'branding' as I call it...which is when the author relies heavily on pointing out specific brand names in lieu of actually describing things. There were moments while reading this where I wondered if SEP got some kind of commission from Gucci or Pierre Cardin or any of the other hordes of designer names being shot at me like high-fashion missiles) and at times, the plot (some one dimensional side characters, a few occurrences of info dumping, and a side plot that I would've liked to hear more about or even meet the character), this book has a several things going for it.

the DIALOGUE...especially between Blue and Dean was quick-witted and very entertaining. The droll sense of humor that both characters displayed from the first page hooked me right off. Example: "Those are gay boots" and "Pee Circles?" to only name a couple. I dare you not to smirk at that. No, no. I triple-dog-dare you.
Okay, I'm just going to say it. Dean is hot. I mean, super, mega gorgeous. Simply put, he's the stuff of fantasies...well, all except for the Speed Racer incident, but I digress.
And Blue...well, Blue isn't the prettiest daisy in the garden, but she's no ugly duckling either. And being kind of average in the looks department just makes her more likable (in my opinion, anyhow).
Interesting side-characters. Besides Blue and Dean, there's April (Dean's mother), Jack (aging rocker and Dean's absentee father), Riley (Jack's daughter and Dean's half-sister), and of course, there's one very mean old lady who pretends to like no one, but is really a big softy (aren't they all?)
the DIALOGUE. Yeah, I said this already, but is needs to be repeated (not just because I needed to have five things in my list...although that, too). Blue and Dean's verbal sparring kept me riveted throughout. And, when things began to lag in places, I simply skimmed on ahead to the next set of dialogue, because I knew that it would be fresh, witty, and laughter-inducing.

How about you, minions? Have you read NATURAL BORN CHARMER? What did you think? I'd love to hear about it in the comments, and when you're done here, hop on over to my fellow Bookinista's blogs (see upper-right sidebar) to get their takes on this month's pick. Until next month, folks, when Abby Mumford has chosen THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE by Jandy Nelson.

Fun & Games, Wednesday Edition...

2011-03-16T07:00:00.001-04:00

After Kelly's post yesterday, I'm sure you're all wondering exactly what is going on with Harper and Grace. I'd be lying if I told I knew...cuz I don't. Oh, well. What are you going to do?

Enjoy...

“Tell her I said hi, too,” he responded automatically as all the different ways he could broach the subject of what may or may not have happened with Mr. Haas stumbled through his head. “How’s she doing?”

Truman rolled his hand in the air, frowning impatiently.

“Look, Harper,” he continued. “I need to—“

“Am I on speaker phone?”

“Uh…yeah.” The irritation in Harper’s voice was hard to miss, and he frantically groped for some explanation as to why he’d call her on speaker when he knew she hated that above all else. “Lucky was calling home when he got sick again, and well…it got ugly.”

Her laugh—shrill and borderline hysterical—shot through the air, a well-aimed bullet to his gut, and in that moment, he just knew. This was not a conversation to be had over the phone, with his brother and hers both listening in. He had to see her face, watch her expressions as she finally confided in him the true events of what happened that night.

“Listen, Harper. I want to finish that conversation we started earlier, but not on the phone,” he rushed to reassure her. “Can we…uh…meet somewhere? Lucky needs to get some coffee in him before I take him home, and Tru said he’d drop us off at this diner he knows—“

She whipped around, searching the darkness with wide, rounded eyes. Even from the distance, the panic stamped across her features was clear. “No, not there. How about we just meet up later—“

“Too late, Harpy,” Truman cut in, his patience clearly at an end. “We’re almost there. I can see you standing out front.”

The car lurched forward, and the bottom dropped out of Owen’s stomach the minute Harper saw the car. She hadn’t responded to Truman. In fact, no one had. And, it was a minute before Owen realized she’d ended the call. “Thanks a lot, Tru,” he muttered under his breath. “Way to be subtle. Don’t you have any feelings at all? Look at her! She’s an inch away from rabbiting.”

“She can’t outrun me,” he threw over his shoulder as he catapulted himself out of the car. In three long strides, he was at her side, or he would have been if she’d stayed in place. But, the moment Harper’s frightened eyes landed on her brother, she turned on her heel and marched back into the diner. He caught hold of her arm just as she opened the door. Spinning her around like a top, he yanked her up against him, folding his arms down around her.

“Get off me!” Balled up fists pummeling at his shoulders and a boot to his shin ripped howls of pain from him, but his hold on her didn’t loosen. “Truman. Let. Go. Now.”

“No.”

An ear-splitting screech cut through the night, and she redoubled her efforts. A few more jabs, a bite to his left bicep, and finally a knee to the one place guaranteed to bring down any man, and Harper was free. She stumbled back several steps, her chest heaving with each labored breath as she glared daggers at her brother.

“What the Hell, Truman?” Owen thundered. “Not cool, man. So, not cool.” He rushed to Harper’s side, hovering close all the while his glower dared Truman to try taking just one step toward his sister.

Unbelievably, Tru pushed up to his feet, dusted himself off, and grinned at Harper. “You know I’ll hug you again.”

She stared at him for an endless minute, her lips twitching—whether in anger, fear, or hysterics, Owen had no clue. Then, she laughed, a real Harper laugh. Stepping around Owen, she closed the distance between them, her hand outstretched, a tiny smile riding her lips. “Aren’t we a little too old for that game?”

He shook his head, circled his fingers around her wrist, and reeled her in, this time in a soft, brotherly embrace.

“What is going on here?” Lucky asked, confused.

“Hug war,” Grace answered, her voice only loud enough for the twins to hear as she stepped in between them, a wistful expression on her face. “When we were kids and Harper was ever upset about something, Tru would start a hug war…kind of like a playful game of tag, only with hugs to call ‘it’. They always ended the same way: both of them rolling with laughter and Harper having confessed to whatever was bothering her.”

“So…this is normal for them? O looked like he was about ready to pummel old Tru.” Lucky’s snort earned him a glare from both his brother and Grace.

Truman pulled back from Harper, his hands curling around her shoulders to put her at arm’s length. “I need to know what happened, Harps. You gotta tell me. It’s killing me, not knowing.”

“I told you—“

“Nothing happened. You keep saying that, but somehow, I just don’t believe it.” He shook his head, pulled her in again. “Let’s just go home and talk this out. We’ll both feel better when it’s all out in the open. I promise.”

Nodding, she pulled away, swiping at the tears streaming down her face. “Let me just go tell—“ She turned, stopped short. “—Grace.”

“No need to repeat yourself. I’m right here.”

Truman cringed as he took in Grace’s wounded doe eyes. “Gracie…” he trailed off, took a step forward, halted, and then shot a quick sideways glance at his sister. “We need to talk, Grace. I want to explain everything to you. I do, but Harper and I need to—“

“Go.” Swallowing the fast-forming lump in her throat, she nudged Owen forward. “All three of you. You need to sort this stuff out. I’ll take Lucky home.”

Not the most ideal situation, at least in Truman’s mind, but he couldn’t be bothered to let jealousy rear its head just now. His sister came before anyone else. Sadly, that included Grace. He nodded, looped his arm around Harper’s shoulders, and led her back to the car. He didn’t have to look over his shoulder to know that Owen was following close behind, but he did anyway.

Lucky and Grace watched silently as the threesome piled into Tru’s car and drove away. After a long moment, she heaved out a loud sigh. “Let me go get my purse, and I’ll take you home.”

He reached out, the pad of this thumb grazing her cold cheek. “Actually, I was thinking that we could stay a little while…have some pie.”

Hmm...so what do we all think? Are you wondering what's up with Hass and Lucky's accusation of gayness? Me, too! Tune in next Tuesday to see where Kelly takes us :)

Shiny and Stylish...Yep, that's ME!!!

2011-03-15T11:06:00.001-04:00

I've been so busy reading and reviewing books on this little old blog lately that I neglected to officially accept a couple of awards that have been passed my way. So, this is me making the announcement, folks. *steps up to podium, taps mic*

"I'd like to thank the Academy of Blog Arts and Sciences for this esteemed honor. Even since I was a fresh blog newbie, I've dreamed of the day when--"

Ahem. Sorry about that, but I just couldn't help myself. Okay. So, I've been awarded two different awards by three people! First...LOOKIT!!! I'm stylish ;) This fun little award was handed to me by not one, but two people. Bri at Words and the World. and Alyson at Crazy Writer Girl.

Next...ooh...aah. No, your eyes are not deceiving you. That is a dog...in a gold frame. Hence the Gold Framed Dog Blog Award presented to me by my FUN AND GAMES WITH K & K partner in crime, Kelly at Blog Like You Mean It.

So, in the spirit of blog awards everywhere, I should probably pass these awards on, huh? So, here we go...WEE!!!

Nomes over at Inkcrush for posting sparkling reviews of some uber-terrific YA Aussie books. I really think I need to visit the land down under, just for their bookstores alone.
Annie McElfresh at Reading, Writing, and Waiting for answering all my ARC related questions and being patient as I asked stupid question after stupid question...plus she's a fellow Supernatural fangirl. Aw, Dean...*sigh, swoon*
Abby Mumford over at My Mumblings for being all kinds of beta-riffic for my last project. She doesn't know it yet, but I will be begging her to beta my next one...well, if I ever write it, that is :)
Patty Blount at To Tell a Compelling Story for being such a great fan of F&G...so I suppose I can forgive her for being #teamTru
Jennifer Hoffine at YA Audiobook Addict for introducing me to the sheer awesome-sauciness that is the audio-book. I am definitely addicted to them :)

ARC Review: HEREAFTER

2011-03-14T13:33:00.000-04:00

The Book: HEREAFTER
The Author: Tara Hudson
The Publisher: HarperTeen (an Imprint of HarperCollins)
Release Date: June 7, 2011

Summary:
Amelia's spirit is stranded, floundering in the dark waters of the sinister river that took her life. For years, she's wandered among the living, lost and alone. She knows nothing of herself, her life, or her death save her first name and how she died, drowned in the dark waters beneath High Bridge. Her existence is one of restless numbness crammed between bouts of unconsciousness in which she relives her terrifying death over and over again before waking in a graveyard that she knows instinctively is her own. This all changes when she awakens not in the graveyard but in the dark waters below High Bridge.

And, she is not alone.

Joshua's is dying, drowning in the river when Amelia awakens, and she is the only one who can save him. In those spare moments below the river's surface, something strange...and wonderful happens. Not only does Amelia save his life, but Joshua sees her, touches her--the first ever since she's been a ghost.

Like magnets, Joshua and Amelia are drawn to each other. The ghost and the live boy who loves her. And, with every touch they share, sparks fly, awakening in Amelia, not just feeling but flashes of memory from her life. But, other, more sinister forces are at work. The closer Amelia and Joshua get, the more Amelia remembers about her life...and her death, a death that was not an accident but also wasn't a suicide. The truth of which can be more dangerous than either of them imagined.

My Take:
HEREAFTER is a bittersweet love story laced with a supernatural mystery. Hudson's prose is unique and tantalizing, drawing the reader into Amelia's aimless wandering so fluidly that you just can't let go. The imagery of the netherworld surrounding High Bridge, the wraiths and their inky black forms, Eli's oh-so-smooth (but uber creepy) offers, and Grandma Ruth's determination to exorcise Amelia all come together to create more than just a mere love story. Although, to be honest, the love story between Amelia and Joshua is at once heartbreaking and enthralling, if I do say so myself.

I know that comes as a surprise all my minions who know me well enough to know that I'm not a huge fan of paranormal, but this book just grabbed me. Think ROMEO & JULIET meets LOVE STORY...only with a ghost. Yep, it's that good. And, if you tell me you haven't read the book LOVE STORY, I might have to disown you all...at least tell me you saw the movie!!

Anywho...Two very enthusiastic thumbs for Tara Hudson's HEREAFTER. Put it on your TBR List. You will be so glad you did :)