Fangtastic Friday Read-Along!

I am so excited to tell you guys that I have bought my copy of Pretty When She Dies by Rhiannon Frater and I can't wait for the first Fantastic Friday Read-Along! I haven't read anything by Rhiannon Frater yet but Ashley always gushes about her so I have no doubt this is going to be an amazing couple of weeks!  For more information of how this is going down, you can visit Ashley's awesome blog, The Bookish Brunette and find out how you too can participate!  There's going to be awesome giveaways and even more awesome discussions! How can you say no!!

Here are the first discussion questions so that you can get a glimpse of the awesomeness that is Fangtastic Fridays! 

Discussion questions for Ch. 1-6:

1. After reading through Amaliya's 'awakening'... So realistic and freaking horrifying right? *shudders* What are your reactions to such a vivid scene?

2. I know it's EARLY on, and we've only gotten a glimpse of him, but... In YOUR opinion, the man who made Amaliya into a vampire... friend or foe?

3. Amaliya's family are some PIECES of work aren't they??? While I HOPE no one has a family as freaking crazy nuts as hers... We all have a few nutjobs in our family tree right? Tell me about a crazy member of YOUR family... Or a time when you thought, "Please, NO... I am SO not with them!"

4. Pete... Awww, Pete... He confesses his unending love for her, then everything goes to hell in a hand-basket! Who is/was YOUR Pete? Did you have a guy who was hopelessly in love with you for years that you never even knew about?

5. Have you started connecting with Amaliya? What specific instance stands out the most for you? (hopefully you are LOVING her hardcore by Chapter 6!)

Well, I better get started on my chapter readings.  I don't want to be that student who didn't do her homework! I hope you guys decide to participate and make this read-along epic!!

The Latest Author Events

Over the past month, I've had the opportunity to meet some amazing authors and get so many books signed.  I also wanted to share my experiences with you!

The first event I went to was the Orange County Children's Book Festival

Me and Frank Beddor, author of the Looking Glass Wars.

Kami Garcia read from Beautiful Chaos.

The awesome YA Paranormal Panel.  From left: Emma Michaels, Inara Scott, Cindy Pon, and Gretchen McNeil!

Gretchen McNeil reading from Possess.

Katie Alender reading from Bad Girls Don't Die.

Heather Brewer reading from the her new Slayer Chronicles.

Nancy Holder talking about how much she loves being an author and writing stories.  She's awesome!

Me and Nancy Holder after she signed my copy of the Possessions series. 

Me and Heather Brewer after she signed my Chronicles of Vladamir Todd series!

A little bit later, I was able to see Becca Fitzpatrick as she has been launching Silence, the third book in the Hush, Hush saga.  She was so nice, she took pictures with everyone and she gave everyone a signed poster!

Then about a week later, I was so lucky to be able to attend the Dark Days of Supernatural and met a great panel of authors that I love!

Me and Kiersten White! Wow, she makes me look tall!

Me and Claudia Gray after she signed all of my Evernight books and Fateful!

Me and Anna Carey! We talked about Eve being turned into a TV show and the differences there will most likely be. 

All these events were so fun and I wish you guys could have been there to share these wonderful experiences with me! Stay tuned next week cause I'm going to meet Laini Taylor on Monday and I just might pick up an extra copy of Daughter of Smoke and Bone for a giveaway! 

Book Chat- Creepy Covers

Book Chat is really fun to participate in because there's a new topic every week!  For more information, check out Misty's blog at the Book Rat!

This week's topic is: Creepy Covers

Waiting on Wednesday (37)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating. This is one of my favorite memes because not only is my TBR pile so much bigger at the end of the night but also the covers are always amazing!

Title: Dark Companion
Author: Marta Acosta
Hitting the Shelves: June 2012

When foster teen Jane Williams is invited to attend elite Birch Grove Academy for Girls and escape her violent urban neighborhood, she thinks the offer is too good to be true. She's even offered her own living quarters, the groundskeeper's cottage in the center of the birch grove.

Something's not quite right about the school -- or is it Jane? She thinks she sees things in the birch grove at night. She's also beginning to suspect that the elegant headmistress and her sons are hiding secrets. Lucky is the gorgeous, golden son who is especially attentive to Jane, and Jack is the sardonic puzzling brother.

The school with its talented teachers and bright students is a dream for a science and math geek like Jane. She also loves her new friends, including hilarious poetry-spouting rich girl, Mary Violet. But the longer Jane stays at Birch Grove, the more questions she has about the disappearance of another scholarship girl and a missing faculty member.

Jane discovers one secret about Birch Grove, which only leads to more mysteries. What is she willing to sacrifice in order to stay at this school...and be bound to Birch Grove forever?

Review- Shatter Me

Title: Shatter Me
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Publisher: Harper Collins
Find it here: Amazon, Goodreads
Source: ARC compliments of HarperTeen

Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days. The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

My thoughts:

When I first started reading Shatter Me, I had a very difficult time getting accustomed to the author's writing style.  It's a little bit choppy and weird and I had to concentrate more than I usually would.  But once I got into it, it started to flow a lot better and more quickly.  

As it turns out, I feel that the odd writing style fits the book and the main character's personality perfectly.  Juliette was in solitary confinement for almost a year and, to the best of my abilities, I could imagine that it would be a shock to someone's system for another person to be suddenly thrust into her life.  I felt that her emotions and state of mind were conveyed very well through the writing style.  

One of Shatter Me's main theme is Juliette's internal struggle between what the world thinks she is and who she believes herself to be.  Her society believes her to be a monster who kills people with just the touch of her hand, which is true, but her intentions are always honest and pure.  Juliette's internal struggle is also seen through the author's writing style.  Phrases are scratched out and replaced with more controlled phrases; ones that won't get her into trouble.  "It's a home, a center for troubled youth, for neglected children from broken families, a safe house for the psychological disturbed.  It's a prison."  It's also a way to show how she struggles with her feelings for Adam.  "He sits down next to me and leans against the wall.  His shoulders are so close too close never close enough."

I am so intrigued by the world that Tahereh Mafi has created.  A world that is dying because of what humans have done to it.  In the beginning she weaves such a web of mystery and deceit, that I was questioning Adam's loyalty to Juliette and wondering what his true intentions were.  I was constantly guessing and curious to know what was around the next corner.  

Shatter Me is one of those books makes me want to read as many dystopian books as I can.  It was so good and I can't wait to discover what's in store for Juliette and Adam.  

Seriously Savvy Super Swag Giveaway!

October has been a crazy month for me! I went to so many signings and a book fair and got too many goodies to keep all to myself.  So of course I got some for you guys! 2 winners and 2 prize packs! The first place winner gets their choice and the second place gets the other prize pack! But since they're both so awesome, it's going to be hard to choose!

Prize Pack #1 includes:

Poster/book jacket of Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick (signed)
Paranormalcy by Kiersten White (paperback, signed)
Dearly, Departed bookmark and 2 postcards
2 The Looking Glass Wars bookmarks and sticker
Beautiful Chaos bookmark (signed)
Original Sin postcard
The Thirteenth Chime postcard (signed) and mini bookmark
The Softwire bookmark

Prize Pack #2 includes: 

The Secret Year by Jennifer Hubbard (hardback)
Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan (audio book)
Dearly, Departed bookmark, sticker and 2 postcards
Original Sin bookmark (signed) and postcard
The Looking Glass Wars sticker and 2 bookmarks
The Thirteenth Chime mini bookmark
Anasazi mini bookmark (signed)
Beautiful Chaos bookmark (signed)

Rules:

• Must be 13 or older
• US only
• Must fill out the form below
• Ends October 29, 2011

GOOD LUCK!!

In My Mailbox (29)

In My Mailbox is an awesome way to connect with our blogger and reader friends and share which amazing books we received, bought or borrowed during the week! This weekly meme is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.

I don't have a vlog this week or even pictures because I didn't get anything this week. That means that I didn't even buy books! I KNOW!!! It's almost unheard of!  I have an obsession with owning books.

Well, I did by one book but it's not for me, it's for you guys! Last Thursday night I attended the Dark Days of Supernatural tour in which I was able to have Kiersten White sign a paperback copy of Paranormalcy for my upcoming huge giveaway!  The giveaway will be posted tomorrow, so be on the lookout.

One prize back will include the signed copy of Paranormalcy and the other will include an audio book copy of Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan.  Both prize packs will also include loads of swag but there will be a lot more information on that tomorrow.

I hope you guys had a great mailbox week! Leave me a like to your mailbox and I will definitely check it out!