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About a month ago, I wrote up a post discussing the upcoming Fairy Tale Fortnight event that Misty from The Book Rat and I are hosting. I've been really excited for this event since I signed on with Misty to co-host. But, if you follow me on Twitter, you know that I've been talking about almost nothing else... Why is that you say? Because it seems like every single time I open my email or check my Twitter feed, some new fairy tale awesomeness awaits me!

So, this post has two purposes — to give you a teasingly small glimpse into the greatness that is headed your way in April, so you can experience so of this excitement that has me squealing most unattractively at odd moments and doing strange dance moves up and down the stairs... But, it's also to get YOU involved. If you click on the pretty button, or anytime Fairy Tale Fortnight appears in this post, you will be directed to the initial introductory post, where there is a place to mention your favorite fairy tale, both original and retold, as well as volunteer to guest post. (You know you want to!) We would LOVE to have you involved.

We know that's more than some people can contribute, but we have something else for you!! Below you will find a list of the current authors who have committed to an interview as part of Fairy Tale Fortnight. Misty and I want YOU to tell us what you would most like to hear from these wonderful authors, and we can tailor their interviews to you! Your questions can be general questions directed at each or several of the authors, or you can ask a specific author a specific question.

So, who will be stopping by?! Well, let me tell you!

Elizabeth C. Bunce, author of A Curse Dark as Gold and Starcrossed.

Jessica Day George, author of Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow, Princess of the Midnight Ball, Princess of Glass, and etc.

Donna Jo Napoli, author of many retellings, including Zel, Crazy Jack, Sirena, Spinners, Breath and etc.

Janette Rallison, author of My Fair Godmother, My Unfair Godmother, Just One Wish, etc.

Mette Ivie Harrison, author of Mira, Mirror, and and Princess and the... trilogy, including The Princess and the Hound, The Princess and the Bear, and The Princess and the Snowbird.

Diane Zahler, author of The Thirteenth Princess and A True Princess .

Jaclyn Dolamore, author of Magic Under Glass and Between the Sea and Sky.

So, now that you are just as excited as we are, maybe doing a happy dance of your own, start asking questions!!

Oh, and keep your eyes peeled for more updates! Misty and I are pretty sure there is going to be an Ask the Author 2 sometime soon, because we just can't stop the awesome!:)

Here it is everyone! A special thank you to author M. Clifford for taking the time to write up a post just for us. Leave a comment and let us know your thoughts!

Most of the time when people read my novel, THE BOOK (www.dontreadthebook.com) , they come away proud of the passion they always had inside for the written word and for storytelling. Some people close the novel with a fresh desire to read more paperbacks or to buy their books from used bookstores and sign the inside cover so that someone will always know that they owned that book and loved those pages. A lot of people ask me what my intentions were in writing THE BOOK and there are many. To follow through on my promise to give you a unique guest blog post, I'll touch on the one motivation I haven't discussed very much — the redemption of the storyteller. In my novel, I definitely glorify story and the ability to read it freely from an honest source. Reading is a private and very personal act. Authors are who they are because they love telling stories. Creating an arc and then another arc and then another until they reached the end of a much larger one that began somewhere in the beginning. I'm an intentionally self-published independent author. I've never sought representation from a major publishing house or even attempted to get an agent beyond a few query letters six years back. I'm sort of a rare breed in that I am passionately supportive of the indie author and I encourage them to get their work read, edited and uploaded so that story-lovers can keep finding things to read. Not everyone is a storyteller, even when they've written a book, and that's sort of the negative element to the benefit of being able to self-publish. Stay with me because I'll loop this back to the beginning and it'll all makes sense in a minute. I have often read books that are waiting for me to open them the moment I enter a bookstore. Stacks upon stacks of shiny covers waiting. I know hundreds of thousands have been printed and I almost feel a responsibility to take one for that fact alone. And then, when I get home and start reading, I have felt by chapter four that I've already listened to four different voices. Three other people have written a few sentences here and a paragraph there. I'm sure of it. Although publishing houses do a good service for the written word by printing and distributing and marketing high-quality stories, they are a still a business. A for-profit business. They will alter a story if need be, or convince an author to do so, simply to sell more copies. I wouldn't be surprised if there are authors today that, after submitting their work, get a reply like, "Solid book, but please make all your characters vampires. Send it back and we've got a deal!" That is obviously an outrageous, dramatic example. My point is that altering an original work is akin to someone being interrupted during the telling of a campfire story. I included a similar scene in my book, sans interruption. Campfire storytelling is a wonderful pastime where novels begin and the mind of the creative person is sparked toward a future in writing. The desire to tantalize and entice people around them, to get them to the edge of their log as they wait to find out where the man with the hook on his arm is hiding. Now picture this budding author telling his story, only to be interrupted by someone else at camp who thinks everyone needs to know that "one of the characters was also a vampire. Okay... go ahead now. Finish the story." Even though plenty of readers could find that to be more beneficial to the story, I think it is important for readers to know that when they buy a book from a bookstore, or from someone that isn't an independent author, they may not be getting a single story. They are getting one that has been edited with scissors and tape and red pen from multiple handwriting styles suggesting alternate story lines, characters, etc. When you read THE BOOK, it is 100% mine. Every idea is mine and every line is mine (other than what I reference from classic and contemporary literature) because no one has the ability to control my writing. Although this was not my main motivation, not even in the top 10, I do think it is important as we move into this new age of digital reading to discuss the future of publication. I would be lying if part of me wasn't afraid for the authors who have written stories that other people control. Who's to say that on the 50th anniversary of THE SHINING by Stephen King, the sales department at the publishing house will not only create a new cover, but alter the story to explain that the reason the main character went crazy and attacked his family was because of a full moon and that he was actually a werewolf or something. Sure it sounds interesting when you hear the idea, but Stephen King may not be alive when that happens, which means that he would be unable to defend the characters he created. Is that really fair to do that to him or his characters? In a sense, the publishing house owns those characters... so...

We see a lot of this today with Quirk Classics and their new release of Android Karenina. I'm not opposed to taking old stories and putting a new twist on them, I think it's really smart. I hope to dabble in that at some point in my future. It's fun and it's creative, but it only illustrates my point further. How destroyed would Jane Austen be to known that her characters were mangled and reformed into something comedic and disgusting? To know that the lines that she cried over, that mixed with the ink of her pen, were now spliced with a graphic image of a zombie tearing into the fleshy neck of some matriarch from a rich family while she's reading quietly in her stately home. The difficult thing is that there is not an easy answer for this question. That's why a lot of people have enjoyed discussing THE BOOK after buying it, because I ask a lot of unanswerable questions. Do we treat these books as just a collection of words? One after the other, after the other and the other, until there are enough pages to be clasped together and wrapped with a hard linen binding? Or are they unique works of art that must remain perfectly intact, structurally sound, exactly as the artist intended? Does it make it okay to chop it up and change it simply because enough time has passed? Maybe. It's a good discussion to have. What is great is that my book is gaining attention during the advent of popularity with these mash-up novels. I think that in ten or twenty years we'll really see how people go about augmenting this idea further. Here's the real truth in the matter: the moment you edit or add to an original manuscript, a line is crossed. Again, I'm not saying crossing that line is bad. But it is crossed and respect must still be given to the original. How far then do we walk past the line before it is too hard to get back? And, by then, when we reach the point of no return, will people even care? As an author, I know I would be devastated to hear that a hundred years from now someone could take my characters and change them any way they pleased, simply to make a profit. Those characters are pieces of me and I love them, as any author would. I poured my soul into them. But, in the same breath, although I would not agree with the actions of someone disfiguring my work, I'll fight to the death their freedom to do so. And maybe therein lies the real question — How much of this is an expression of freedom, and how much is a defacement of public property? The reader must decide, because it's not stopping anytime soon. M. Clifford

Lipstick in Afghanistan by Roberta Gatley is the story of a Elsa, an ER nurse in her early 20s who wants to make a difference in the world. She is accepted as a relief nurse with an international organization and sent to Afghanistan in 2002 to help run the local hospital. Drama ensues.

I had a few problems with this book. And the bulk of my review will dwell on what I didn't think worked very well. But I do want to say that this book isn't bad. There is a market for this book, and I know people who would love reading this book. I, unfortunately, just wasn't one of them. But the book does have merit, and there were times when it was plain to see that the author had lived among these people and has an emotional attachment to their culture.

So, there are positive things to this book, and you won't be wasting your life if you decide to read it. However, I struggled with this book. It's an easy read, but I found my self speed reading, hoping to reach the end faster. I find it very hard to enjoy reading the book when I strongly dislike the main character. Elsa was whiny, annoying and naive. There's a part of the story, after she's been in Afghanistan for a while when she tries to convince her friend, Parween (and the other narrator of the story) that growing up poor in the poor part of Boston means she understands all the suffering any of the Afghanis have experienced.

She doesn't stop to think, and parts of other people's personalities rub off on her, (like Parween's impulsive thoughtlessness). She's incredibly self-centered, focusing only on things as they touch her. She can't imagine that life is bad in Afghanistan, or that other places are dangerous, or that her town is dangerous because she hasn't personally been exposed to it. If she doesn't see it, it doesn't really exist. It's like kids who see something bad on the news but think, 'that would never happen to me.' It got really old really fast.

I won't go into detail about the other characters, although I definitely could. There were a lot of people in the story, and all of them were rather black and white. They are good or bad. They are victims or fighters. They are happy or miserable. They are helpful or hurtful. And none of them felt real. I've heard a lot of people complain about authors telling rather than showing. This is one of the few times when I desperately agree. I can normally overlook that if I'm really enjoying the story, but in this case it made me want to pull my hair out. Everything I knew about any of these characters was because I was told that's how it supposed to be, not because the author just let them be that way. I didn't believe in anyone. I didn't believe their actions were reasonable or logical, and I didn't believe the situations they were in were realistic.

I also felt that the author was missing that happy median on details. We were either given very few, very sparse details about events, or overloaded with them. Some detailed accounts, such as the wedding ceremony was interesting, but most were not. It was just too much. The writing felt forced and murky and kind of like she was trying just a little bit too hard.

And the lipstick... I know this is a personal thing but I missed the lipstick point. I know that the author shares Elsa's fondness and need for lipstick, but I don't get it. And, there were times when I felt that the lipstick was more important than the story, and that the author relied on the lipstick to carry the story forward. It just didn't feel right to me.

Like I said before, I can see that this will be a book many people could enjoy. It just wasn't for me. Maybe someone else will have better luck.

*Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher.

The publisher has also been kind enough to offer two copies of this book for two lucky (US ONLY) readers. (Sorry, the books are coming from the publisher, not me!)

If you are interested in receiving a copy, just Fill out the form by Nov. 29. I'll randomly select two winners on the 30th, and give you 48 hours to respond.

Good luck!

*Disclaimer: I received this book through Around the World Tours.

Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler is a story about Lisabeth, a young anorexic girl who is chosen by Death, the Pale Rider, to become Famine, the Black Rider, one of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse.

This sounds like an amazing concept. I was so interested in this storyline when I first heard about it, and I jumped at the chance to read it. When I finished it, I have to say I was more than a little disappointed. None of the characters seemed to be given very much depth. I was surprised at how shallow I found each character and each situation.

Before I say anything else, I want to mention that this book is less about Lisabeth becoming a horseman of the apocalypse, and more about her struggles with anorexia. If I had known this before I picked up the book, I think I would have enjoyed it more. However, I also felt that making Lisabeth one of the four riders was nothing more than a really neat plot trick, and it almost came across as a gimmick. I won't say more, because I want to avoid real spoilers, but I thought I'd put that out there.

I also think that the book was too short. Maybe the author ran out of things to say, but at only 180 pages, I felt like the author really rushed things, and left a lot underdeveloped. There were so many interesting ideas that I wish had been explored a little more, and we rarely got to see any of the other riders. We see Death several times, but never very long, and he isn't really developed. Most of the character development and the relationships in the story were told to us. We didn't see anything really happening, most of it was just what the author told us. I didn't feel like anything important happened until the last time Lisabeth rides as Famine in this story. That is the only time I felt any of the characters grew or learned anything at all.

Other than the lack of good character development, the writing was good and engaging. I was interested in the story, although I didn't like how it ended (and actually think it was inconsistent with what the author had previously laid out for us). Anyway, I will probably be reading Rage when it's released, and I look forward to how this story line will advance. However, if Rage feels the same as Hunger, I will probably pass up the remaining two. It will be interesting to see how the storyline develops.

I almost feel bad including this, but I also feel like I should... If you are reading this book even in part to gain an understanding about anorexia and what it's like for the people who suffer from it, I strongly recommend Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson. It is one of the most powerful and moving books I've ever read, and I feel like it gives an accurate portrayal of what life is like for an anorexic teen. (My review here)

Alright everyone, here it is!

My interview with Jennifer Echols, the wonderful author of Forget You! Click HERE to read my review!

Jennifer was kind enough to agree to an interview after I read and loved Forget You. She is also the author of several other books for teens, including Going to Far, another romantic drama, and several romantic comedies, including Major Crush, and The Ex Games.
You can learn more about Jennifer and her books at her website, found HERE.

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First, I would like to say a huge thank you to Jennifer for agreeing to take part in this interview. It's great to have this chance to talk with you.

Ashley, I really appreciate the interview. Thank you!

So, when did you first start writing stories?

I think I was working on my first novel in third grade or so. My mom was reading Watership Down, which is about rabbits. My novel was about squirrels.

What did you want to be when you grew up? Have you always wanted to be a writer?

I was interested in writing, art, and music, and I pursued all three into college. My first college major was music education and composition. I wanted to be a composer and a high school band director. I was so interested in music intellectually, but I just wasn’t good enough. Writing was a creative outlet I felt much more comfortable with. In fact, I wrote a short story about band for the college literary magazine, people seemed to like it much better than any music I’d ever written, and I never looked back.

Why do you write young adult novels? Was that a conscious choice, or something that just sort of happened?

I finished writing my first novel when I was 20 and still reading YA myself. After that I wrote YA and adult, back and forth, but I guess YA was a part of me when I got my start and I never left. I still think YA novels are some of the best books out there.

Do you have any plans or desire to switch over to the Adult side of the aisle?

Since selling my first YA novel, I have written three adult novels, but they haven’t sold. Every time this happens, it breaks my heart, but publishing is a hard business and I knew this going in.

You already have several published novels out. Both comedic and dramatic. Were there any unique challenges to writing Forget You that you hadn't come across before?

This book is probably the one that’s most personal to me. The characters and events are fictitious, but I have felt all Zoey’s pain before. I have been that good girl who makes bad decisions. So I’m finding it a little harder than usual to share this story and listen to what other people say about it and about her.

Which of your books was the most challenging for you to write?

Endless Summer, because it is a sequel, and everything had to match what I’d written in The Boys Next Door.

Do you ever just sit back and think, "Wow. I'm a writer!"

Yes I do. Every single day I make sure that I reflect on the long, hard road I traveled to get here, and I am thankful that I finally have the career I always wanted.

I love getting new book recommendations. So, I have to ask. What do you read? What are your favorites?

Kiss It by Erin Downing and The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting were absolutely wonderful. And I hope everybody will check out the amazing When the Stars Go Blue by Caridad Ferrer, which is coming out in November. One of the coolest things about being an author is that you get to read other writers’ novels before they’re published!

Are there any books you can identify that have had the most impact on you as a person, and as a writer?

The best class I ever took was an American Moderns course at Auburn University. We read The Sound and the Fury by Faulkner, The Sun Also Rises by Hemingway, A Lost Lady by Willa Cather, Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, and the collected poems of T. S. Eliot. Every one of these books made me see the possibilities of writing in a new way. The only book we read that wasn’t new to me was The Great Gatsby, and this wonderful professor made even that seem brand new. Have you ever taken a class like that?

Do you have a current work-in-progress? If yes, is there anything you can share with us about it now?

I’m finishing my next romantic drama for MTV Books. It will be published in July 2011, and it is called This Novel Has Such A Fabulous Title That I Can’t Even Tell You, or possibly OMG This Is The Best Novel Title Ever. My editor and I haven’t chosen which one yet but I will let you know.

Well, thank you so much Jennifer for answering all my questions!
My final question, just because I love them, what is your favorite pair of shoes?

In 2005 I ran my first 10K and the end of my middle toe kind of fell off. It was just a really bad blister. So I went to a local running store and said to the owner, “Please choose a pair of shoes for me that will not make my toe fall off,” and he did and I am on my fifth pair. They are Nike Equalons. This is probably not what you were asking, LOL!
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This was an awesome interview! Thanks again Jennifer for taking the time to talk to share with us! I'm looking forward to your new release, and to picking up some copies of your older books. And, if I ever decide to run a 10K, I'm definitely going to be looking for some Nike Equalons!

I'll be posting my actual review of Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson soon, but I wanted to share a few of the links from fellow bloggers who are shouting out about this Wesley Scroggins mess. I posted some of my thoughts, but I still fume about it every time I think about it. There's so much to be said on this topic, and most of it has been said at one point or another by different bloggers and authors from all over.

So, here is a list compiled by Natalie at Mindful Musings. I can only imagine how much time and effort went into contacting everyone and gathering all this information, and I thank her for it, because it makes it so much easier to find.

Bloggers Speak Out is a movement sparked by the recent article, "Filthy Books Demeaning to Republic Education " by Dr. Wesley Scroggins that was published in the Springfield, MO News-Leader on September 18th. In this article, Scroggins vehemently advocates the censorship of books in schools, and specifically requests that the following books be removed from the Republic school system: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler, and Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut. To show our support of these authors and to fight against book banning and censorship, we have decided to take action and speak out.

Below is a list of links of bloggers speaking out against book banning and censorship--in the form of giveaways, posts, and reviews. Some are "officially" participating in what we're calling Bloggers Speak Out, and others are posts that we've found around the blogosphere. If you get time, you should definitely check them out!



Giveaways of Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
**All giveaways will end on 10/3, unless otherwise noted**
Papercut Reviews Braintasia Books Escape through the Pages Tina's Book Reviews Sea of Pages Mrs. Deraps Reads Moonlight Book Reviews Cari's Book Blog Just Your Typical Book Blog For What It's Worth Wondrous Reads (Ends 9/27) Frankie Writes (Ends?) The Elliot Review (Ends?) The Bookologist (Ends?) La Femme Readers

Other Giveaways
**All giveaways will end on 10/3, unless otherwise noted**
-Lisa Schroeder: ARC of The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney (Ends 9/23) -Will Write for Cake: Win Speak, Twenty Boy Summer, or Slaughterhouse Five -Mindful Musings (here): Win Speak, Twenty Boy Summer, or Slaughterhouse Five -Teens Read and Write: Win The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian -Mundie Moms: Win Speak, Burned, Twenty Boy Summer, or The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (Ends 9/26) -Wicked Awesome Books: Win a "Filthy Books" Prize Pack -Carol's Prints: Win Speak and The Mockingbirds -Myra McEntire: Win Speak, Twenty Boy Summer, or Harry Potter -The Bookish Type: Win Speak or Twenty Boy Summer -Bea's Book Nook: Win Speak & an ALA Challenged Book (Ends 10/2) -Sarah Ockler: Win a Wesley Scroggins Filthy Books Prize Pack (Ends 10/1)

Other Posts Against Book Banning and Censorship
Braintasia Books Escape Through the Pages As Told by Jen Aine's Realm The Compulsive Reader Once Upon a Bookcase Daily Dose Speak Loudly Book Drop @ Late Bloomer Online A Life Bound by Books Red House Books Frankie Writes Michelle's Bookshelf I Should Be Writing The Undercover Book Lover Punk Writer Kid Lisa and Laura Write Between the Covers Another Book Junkie Jenni Elyse Eve's Fan Garden The Ultimate Dumpees Reading the Best of the Best The Pirate's Bounty Reclusive Bibliophile Book Faery Bloggers Heart Books Book Swarm Fantasy 4 Eva The Ladybug Reads The Lady Critic's Library Emilie's Book World Jacob's Beloved Just Your Typical Book Blog Maggie's Bookshelf Basically Amazing Books Novel Thoughts Random Ramblings Holes in my Brain Readligion Vision Quest Fail Shelby Barwood Supernatural Snark Consumed by Books Ann Marie Gamble The Darker Side of the Fire Katie's Book Blog Sassymonkey (BlogHer) GreenBeanTeenQueen Jessica Lei Maria Romana Abby Minard The Mimosa Stimulus Books and Things Beyond the Trestle

Authors Speak Out
Laurie Halse Anderson: This guy thinks Speak is pornographic Laurie Halse Anderson: The power of speaking loudly Author Gayle Forman @ Eve's Fan Garden Author Saundra Mitchell @ Eve's Fan Garden Karen Rivers Sarah Ockler: I Speak Loudly for Speak Sarah Ockler: On Book Banning Zealots and Ostriches Author Laura Manivong @ Page Turners Cheryl Rainfield: Fight Against Ignorance Myra McEntire: Speak Loudly: In Defense of Laurie Halse Anderson Andrea Cremer: Speak Out Natalie Standiford on Censorship @ Emily's Reading Room

Important Articles on the Subject
"Filthy Books Demeaning to Republic Education" (the article that started it all) Scroggins' Official Complaint to the School Board (PDF) "Republic School Book Choices under Fire " (Springfield News-Leader) Laurie Halse Anderson's Editiorial in the Springfield News-Leader Sarah Ockler's Editorial in the Springfield News-Leader Natalie @ Mindful Musings' Letter to the Editor in the Springfield News-Leader Essay: Kurt Vonnegut's Thoughts on the First Amendment
Thanks to everyone who has spoken out about this. It's not something that will be going away soon, but it's something that we can fight a little better every day. We can make progress. We can make a difference. Speak out, and don't ever let anyone else do your thinking for you.

Hey everyone, and welcome to my blog! I'm excited to have you here! I have a lot of great stuff happening right now, and would love to have you stick around and check it out! You can also follow me on Twitter! I only started tweeting last month, but already think it's fun and love chatting with bloggers over there! I'd love to see you!

If you are new to my blog, or if you aren't new, but want me to head over to your blog, leave me a comment and I promise that I will return the visit and check out your blogs. Although, my internet is going to be pretty spotty this weekend, so it will probably be my Monday project.:)

So, the most exciting thing I have going on my blog right now is an event that won't start until April. Misty from The Book Rat and I are hosting Fairy Tale Fortnight, which will run from April 17th through April 30th. What is it you ask? It is 14 days of nothing but fairy tale goodness! We will have reviews, guest bloggers, author interviews, giveaways, and some surprise content thrown in there as well. Basically, it's going to be AMAZING! If you have any interest in fairy tales at all you are not going to want to miss this!

So, other than reading the awesomeness that will be posted each day, what else can you do? Well, if you click this link RIGHT HERE, it will take you to my introductory post, where you can find buttons to include on your blog, and a google doc you can fill out with your favorite fairy tale information, and you can offer us a guest post, if that's something you think you would like to do, and really, we would love to have you! The more interaction the better!

As I mentioned, we also have authors who have agreed to answer some interview questions, among other things, and if you click THIS LINK HERE, it will take you to the initial author introduction page, which includes that authors that have already committed to an interview. If you have a question you would like to ask the authors in general or a specific author, leave us a comment, and we will get it answered for you! Again, the more participation the better!!

Then, as part of my Memory Monday guest feature, Alexa from Pages of Forbidden Love is hosting a giveaway of her Memory! in my blog for a chance to win Battle Dress by Amy Efaw.

There's more coming up soon, so I'd love to have you stay, take a look around, and check back in!:)

Jennifer @ Crazy for Books asked what books we'd like to see made into movies. My response — NONE! I do not do well with book to movie adaptations at all. Out of all the movies I've watched, I can only think of three adaptations I enjoyed if I had read the book first, Holes, because Louis Sachar wrote the screenplay, A Series of Unfortunate Events because I did not like those books, at all so the movie was an improvement and sort of cute, and To Kill a Mockingbird because it's hard not to love Gregory Peck. I kind of feel like a little piece of the book dies every time a movie is made from it. So, I vote for no more!

As to Parajnkee's question, I don't/haven't read a lot of Science Fiction, but I have quite a bit that I plan to read, to try and learn more about the genre. But, out of what I have read, I would say my favorite adult SF would be The Practice Effect by David Brin, and YA would probably be Enchantress from the Stars by Sylvia Engdahl. Both are great stories that I feel like I could read again and again.

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins is a fun contemporary romantic YA. I don't read a lot of fiction where the primary plot line revolves around romance, but like watching a chick flick, every once in a while it just hits the spot. And this book is like that.

I felt really bad for Anna when the book first started. Her dad is a best selling author who has decided that to impress his buddies he needs a bigger profile, and more pretentious things to talk about. So, he decides he is going to send Anna to an American boarding school in Paris, France. Without asking her how she feels about it. For her senior year. Anna already has problems with her dad, considering he walked out on them when her brother was a baby and now sends money and not much else and this definitely makes things worse. Her mom can't help her and Anna is bitter, scared and lonely when she first gets to Paris. Her meeting with next door neighbor helps bring her into a new circle of friends, and give her some bearings and this is where her story starts.

The characters are very well written, with multi-faceted personalities, flaws, shortcomings, and positive traits in a believable combination. None of these characters are perfect, all of them make stupid mistakes and bad choices, but they all also have many redeeming qualities too. They not only have personality traits, they also have hobbies, preferences and quirks. Like Anna who is almost obsessively neat and absolutely adores movies, especially the classics. These characters were written as if they were real people. Because the characters were real, the relationships between the characters also felt very real. I hate reading books where the romantic connection consists of a glance across a room, instant hormonal craze, one conversation and BAM! I'm head over heals in love. Things like that don't actually happen. You can't be in love with someone that fast. What you can be however, is in lust. Which is what Anna is when she first meets beautiful boy Etienne St. Clair.

But, St. Clair has a long term girl friend, is being crushed on by a mutual friend and is therefore totally off limits. So, she thinks he's totally hott, but doesn't try to make anything happen. They become friends and over time she realizes that Etienne is her closest friend. It get complicated when emotional attachments start to muddy the waters, but Anna is trying really hard to keep her head up, and not cross that boundary line. They toe the line, they nudge it, but they never cross it. Until they do...

Although mostly lighthearted in tone and topic, there are serious elements to the story as well. Both Anna and Etienne have problems with their fathers that need resolution, and the book brings up the topics of pain, death, loss and betrayal. It's a credit to the author that each of these topics was handled in a realistic way that enhanced rather than detracted from the story line, and didn't bog the story down. I've read too many books that are supposed to be about one thing and end up getting caught in the black abyss that is the sub plots.

I loved this book. I thought it was scads of fun to read, and I'm beyond desperate to visit Paris now. It's always been high up in my top 5 places to visit list, but after reading this book I feel like I needed to be there yesterday. I loved that the author included a lot of touristy sites, as well as places a little more off the beaten path. It made me feel like I could really be there. And man, do I want to go hard core!

Although not my usual fare, this is definitely a book I'm glad I read, and one that I wouldn't mind reading again. I was very excited to hear that Perkins has two companion novels in the works. I'm glad that we aren't getting a continuation of Anna's story, because it is over, but that there will be more coming soon from Ms. Perkins. Yay for Anna!:)

*Disclaimer: I received this book through Around the World Tours.

Case Closed? Nine Mysteries Unlocked by Modern Science by Susan Hughes is a fun look into nine mysterious disappearances, many going back to ancient times.

The book is definitely geared toward middle grade readers. The language was on a level younger kids could understand, and larger words (like Anthropology) that young kids might not have come into contact with previously are explained in a way that does not make the reader feel stupid or condescended to. And, the author also included a glossary in the back of the book to use as a reference guide.

This is a great starting point, and would definitely be a book I'd direct children toward if they showed an interest in history, or science. My main complaint with this book is that there wasn't a lot of detail. Both our introduction to the original mystery, and its resolution were told with just the basic facts presented. Knowing that this is a book geared toward younger kids makes that understandable and acceptable, but I still found myself wishing for more detail. But, this is a great place to start. If mysterious disappearances intrigue you, this is likely a book you will enjoy as a starting point, but don't expect very much new information if you are already familiar with the cases.

Although I did enjoy reading this book, it doesn't cross over for adults as well as I'd hoped. However, I do not fault the author or the book for that, because it is meant to be a place to initially learn about some of these disappearances, and it was written for kids. If you have kids who are interested in history or science, I'd definitely recommend picking up a copy of this book and giving it a shot.

*Disclaimer: Review copy received from the author/publisher in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

I'm pretty proud of myself. I started my Memory Monday posts about 2 months ago, and I've managed to post a new memory every Monday since I started. I have quite a few more book related childhood memories I can pull out for future posts, but I was thinking about how much I enjoy hearing stories that other people tell, about their treasured childhood memories.

So, I would really like to have other bloggers guest post for me sometimes. I would like to have a guest poster at least once a month, if not twice. I think this is a good way to interact with and get to know other bloggers, and I would love to hear from you!

So, if you have an idea for a Memory Monday post, please, let me know! It can be about any book related-childhood memory. You can write about a favorite author, favorite book or series, least favorite author etc. And it doesn't have to be young childhood either. Anytime, any book, any author etc. You decide. All memories are valid, and I would love to hear from you.

So, if you would like to be a guest blogger for me, either send me an email at basicallyamazingbooks [at] gmail [dot] com, or fill out the form below.

I'm pretty excited about adding this, and I really hope I get a lot of participants! I can't wait to hear from you!!

Shortly after I finished reading One Child by Jeff Buick, I had the opportunity to interview the author. If you missed that (ridiculously long) review, you can read it HERE. It had to be a little long, because I talked about both the book, and the unique reading experience it offered. Because, Enthrill, the brand new publishing house that created it definitely brought changes to the way we view publishing.

Jeff Buick is not only an author, but he is also part of the Enthrill team. So, when I talked to him about his book, and the publishing method, I also got to talk to him about Enthrill and what will happen next. It's been a little while since that interview, (sorry about the posting delay... Life has been seriously crazy lately), but I'm finally getting it up! It was a pretty long phone call, and I can only write so fast, so much of what he said is slightly paraphrased (I warned him, and he's okay with that) but the point of each answer, what he's trying to convey is still there. It was a great conversation, and I'm really excited to see what Enthrill will be coming out with next!
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Jeff: Everything said by Jeff will look like this.
Me: Everything said by me will look like this. This is to avoid confusion, and so I don't have to keep specifying who is doing the talking.

We started off with the typical niceties:

It's really good to talk to you! Thanks so much for agreeing to this interview!

No problem. It's great to talk to you. Do you have giant potatoes in Idaho?
Yes.

(Anyway... Now to the actual stuff...)

Enthrill has been a great publishing experience. It's been a lot of work, but we are really looking forward to the response we've been getting from everyone. It's not easy to change the publishing model, so it's especially interesting to watch the reactions we've been getting, and they are pretty positive so far.
It's also interesting, because at Enthrill, we are picking social conscious thrillers to publish. It's not an accident. The issues in the books we're publishing, like the war in Afghanistan for One Child were picked specifically.
So, did you decide on the issues that you wanted to talk about before you wrote the book?

Somewhat. For this book, Wayne Logan, the CEO wanted to bring up Afghanistan specifically. This was the driving factor behind One Child. Then, we came up with high frequency trading, put that on the table and tossed that idea around for a while. It was definitely a collaborative effort. It is my book, but everyone put in some effort to get it where it is now.
So, where did this different publishing model come from? It's not anything I'd heard of before.

I currently have five books published in New York, which have done well in the US and Canada. The way that these publishers work is to put books on the shelves, and hope they sell. I've always been willing to put some of my own money down, for book signings and other marketing techniques to get my books out there.
I came up with a new business model to get more of my books out there, but it didn't work for my publisher and that likewise didn't work for me. So, we parted on amicable terms and I decided to try something on my own.
I have 13 books waiting to be published, and I feel like people started parachuting into my life.
Cameron is this business/sports and entertainment guy.
Kevin is the marketing guy. He's absolutely brilliant. He put the whole One Child marketing plan together, all the press releases, everything.
Celia is our project manager.
We all sat down together to talk about what we could do as a small publisher to stand out in the crowd. If you don't have something that sets you apart, these big houses will run right over you. So, we decided to do something drastically different. We'd publish a thriller dealing with issues that are facing us NOW. So, instead of a two minute news clip, or two pages in the newspaper, we devote 400 pages to this issue, which raises awareness and actually allows you to really understand the issues here.
Writing about a current topic does create some time constraints though. Instead of spending 18-24 months working on all stages of book development, we did everything in about 5 months, to keep all the information current and accurate. We ran into a few problems that way, it's hard to get ARCs out in advance when you only have 5 months to work on something like this. But, for every person that reads this book, it's one more that understands the war in Afghanistan.
We've already had three people come to us with an idea for a future book, and ask us if we could write about it, and they are all worthwhile ideas.
So, are you interested in getting other authors on board with this project?

Definitely! This is one of our big pushes, one of our biggest goals. We want to take authors who can really get into what we're doing and get them on board. It will have to be an author who can write fairly quickly, because we've got to keep the issues current, but we're definitely interested in new authors.
There is so much talent out there, that no one's really familiar with yet. I went to ThrillerFest and couldn't believe all the talent there that no one's heard about yet. So, we'd love to be able to take about 2 authors a year and get them out there.
One of the keys for them wanting to work with us, is that once we get them on board with us, we immediately start the marketing process. The average amount a publisher will put behind a book is about $2,000 but we are willing to put $500,000 to $1 million behind you, right up front.
So, do you have the next Enthrill project planned?

We have about three possibilities right now. We need to make a decision on them soon, so we can get started on them, but whichever idea we decide on, the end result will be pretty cool.
What type of research do you do for your books?

I do a lot of research for my books. If I had been able to find the time, I would have gone to Afghanistan myself to research what it's like over there for my books. I didn't have time, but I am lucky enough to be connected to people who were able to give me a lot of information.
I talked to a lot of military guys who had been on the ground over there, and people with higher ranks, colonels and the like. I talked to all of them about what it's really like over there and not just as soldiers on the bases, but also outside the safety of the wire and the real issues that are facing everyone involved in the conflict in Afghanistan. That's where a lot of the information Russel Matthews reports on came from. They talked about the corruption over there and the mistrust between the people, the government and the troops. I used a reporter and an american soldier to convey all of this to my readers, and get across the message that this war isn't really about religious ideology. The Taliban are really just drug lords and drug runners, and that's where the crux of all this conflict stems.
The scenes in New York were different. I never really felt connected to this portion of the story the way I did with the Afghanistan scenes.
I actually agree with you here. I felt more connected and concerned about the characters in Afghanistan that I did the New York characters.

Ya. But, I did do my research for this portion of the book as well. I think that high frequency trading is really dangerous, and it's something that needs to have more controls and regulations placed on it. What happened to the market in my book is a possibility. HFT is highly volatile and I think it's important to bring it up, to get us thinking about the future here and what could happen. It actually did happen back in May. It gets ugly.
Every time I go to New York, I see these guys in $1000 suits and they are never the ones hurting. They play with other people's money and it doesn't touch them. I wanted to lay some of that out.
The publishing model for One Child was incredibly unique. I've never heard about anything like it before. Obviously, this isn't going to be Enthrill's only project. Are you planning on publishing your future projects the same way, or do you have other ideas for future projects?

Our goal right now is to be a bit of a moving target. We've heard from some of the big publishing houses, and we know we are being watched by them now. We talked to them at BookExpo, and they are actually showing a lot of interest. But, I imagine that most of that interest is so that they can begin to incorporate this into their publishing model.
So, we know that we need to be always moving and advancing our own model. We've decided to be a moving target. We will never just stand still, we will be small, agile, fun and smart.
Is there anything else you'd like to share about Enthrill or One Child?
We've covered just about everything, but I would like to reiterate that I do think One Child is a worthwhile book. It has value to the story. I hope that anyone who reads it will pass it along. It's nice to make money, of course, but more than that, it's also nice for someone to read my book, and understand the issues better.
Switching gears now, when did you decide that you wanted to write and how did you settle on writing thrillers?

About 12 years ago, I sat down and decided that I wanted to write a book. I started by writing a Young Adult book for my youngest son, and I followed that with a second YA book. They were received well, but by that time, I had already moved on to writing thrillers for adults.
Then, about 6 years ago, Dorchester publishing happened. One week, there was nothing. I was just writing and hoping. And then they came and say Hey, we want to publish your book. It was my 8th book written. I hadn't published a word before, but I just kept going. I just kept writing and hoping.

I know that this is probably an impossible question, but do you have a favorite book that you've written?

No, not really. They are just each so different. I have this back log of books I want to publish, and each one has value. I know that there are going to be people who connect differently to each book. So, I can't really say that I have a favorite.

What is your favorite book or genre? What book or author has most influenced you and your writing?

Leon Uris. He had some real talent, some major writing skills, a skill level I would say is unmatched by most writers. He can present both sides of a conflict equally, allowing the reader to fully understand both sides of the issue. That really takes a lot of talent.
I generally read thrillers. I also read biographies, a lot of suspense and mystery but I also like the literary fiction, like Three Cups of Tea or The Kite Runner. I also like learning the story behind why books were written. Some of the stories you hear are pretty amazing.
There are all kinds of serendipitous things out there waiting for you. If you find one, don't push against the flow. Keep doing the best you can, and at some point things will break for you and start to work out.

That's so great. Thank you again for taking the time to talk to me today. I really appreciate your time and everything you've shared with me.
Not a problem. Thank you for the interview and the review of One Child.

* Disclaimer — I received an unbound copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair an unbiased review.

Thumbing Through Thoreau is an illustrated collection of quotations from Henry David Thoreau, compiled by Kenny Luck. According to the introduction, Kenny Luck is an avid fan of Thoreau. In Luck's words, Thoreau is his "literary and intellectual soul mate." This book is his chance to gather the best of Thoreau's writings, ideas, and philosophies into one place and make it accessible for everyone.

Before I go into my review of this book specifically, I need to make clear my opinion of Thoreau generally. I read Civil Disobedience in high school and rather enjoyed it. We also spent sometime discussing several major quotations from Walden and discussing those short passages and individual quotations. I found them interesting and thought provoking. I read Walden last year in it's entirety, and had none of the positive feelings for Thoreau I experienced in high school. I found his writings to be pompous, pretentious, and demonstrative of an over inflated sense of self and self importance, not to mention a little self-righteous. So knowing that I don't particularly love Thoreau, why would I accept a book of Thoreau's writing for review? Because I recalled those positive emotions from high school reading small excerpts and individual quotations, which is exactly what this book is! Complete with illustrations!

I decided I would read the book, because I prefer reading Thoreau as individual quotations, and I also liked the idea of the illustrations. The illustrations were lovely. The illustrations were produced by two different artists, with all of Jay Luke's illustrations on the even-numbered pages, and all the odd-numbered pages illustrated by Ren Adams. Each picture is simple but striking. More often than not, the illustrations have very little, if anything, to do with the actual quotation on the page, but instead depict a natural setting. Some are nothing more than the branch of a tree, or an individual flower. Others are more complex landscapes showing trees near bodies of water or rather detailed trees. Although, I am going to admit that when I read several quotations in a row, the illustrations did begin to blend together. Taken individually, the illustrations are each wonderful. When you begin to group them all together, they also start to run together.

However, the main complaint I had with this book was the font. (Feel free to use the 'search inside' feature on amazon.com to see what I mean. in my blog.) The quotations are printed using different sized font for the various words, as well as different shades of gray or black. I imagine the bolded words are those that Luck believed to be of more importance, and requiring emphasis. However, I like to think that I can figure out the important words on my own. I'm rather of the mind that the type of people who would be interested in piking up and reading this book already know how to determine which words are more important in a quotation. It was especially annoying on those occasions where I found myself disagreeing with the words he chose to tell me were more important. **Edit: I was just informed by the publisher (see the comments section) that the bolded words were not actually chosen by the author, and were instead included for purely aesthetic purposes. It makes me smile more fondly on the author, for not supposing he knows better than anyone else which words are more important (sorry about that Kenny...) but I still don't like the shifting font types. I think it detracts from the reading and changes the way you internalize the quotations. ** End of Edit.

I do very much appreciate the idea behind this book. I believe that it makes Thoreau more accessible to people. He isn't an easy man to read for everyone. I know some people who adored Walden and Thoreau and others who can't abide him. I think that this book would be a great addition to anyone's bookshelf. It makes Thoreau easier to approach and the illustrations were lovely. This book would be perfect as a 'coffee table book.' You know, the books that sit on the table waiting for people to glance through, and making the host/hostess look very well-versed. I can see myself picking up a bound copy of this book in the future, and having it displayed somewhere in my home. Very few people decide to sit down and read an entire book of quotations, but this is the perfect type book to take slowly, reading only a few at a time, and to flip through when you don't have the time to sit down and read from your book, but would still like to be reading.

If you like Thoreau, want to like Thoreau, or are interested in getting a glimpse of Thoreau's ideals before you invest in his complete writings, this is a great book to look into. Luck did an amazing amount of research before compiling these quotations and he has a wide variety of sources, including personal letters, and Thoreau's journals in addition to his published works.

If you would like more information about the book, or about Kenny Luck (who did participate in the 69th Annual Thoreau Society Gathering at Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts in July, 2010) you can visit the website for the book, http://www.thumbingthroughthoreau.com. Here you can find photos from the above mentioned Thoreau Society Gathering, additional information about the author and illustrators as well as samples of the illustrations. Head on over, check it out, and let me know what you think!

I recently read and reviewed Zan-Gah: A Prehistoric Adventure and it's sequel, Zan-Gah and the Beautiful Country. (If you missed that, you can find my review HERE.)

I recently conducted an interview with the author, Allan Richard Schickman about his novels and am delighted to share his responses with you! You can also find out more about Allan and his books on this website. (in my blog.)
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First, I would like to thank Allan Shickman for being willing to answer some questions. I really enjoyed reading his novels and am excited to have this chance to talk with him. The pleasure is all mine. I find to my surprise that I just love to talk about myself and my work.
So, have you always known you wanted to be a writer? Or is it something that just kind of happened? You have it exactly right. It just sort of happened. As a student I liked to write, and tried my hand at it from time to time. As a professor I wrote scholarly articles, and most of those journals have very high standards. It was an honor to be published in any one of them. Only upon retirement did I attempt a fictional book. Once I wrote that first chapter I was hooked.
Because I am a reader and I love getting great book recommendations, especially from authors I enjoyed, what are some of your most favorite books? I have always been a lover and student of the classics. Once I find a book I like, I am apt to read it several times over a period of years. Dostoyevsky is my favorite. I read Crime and Punishment when I was sixteen, and I still reread it from time to time. Later in life I discovered Thomas Hardy. I love The Mayor of Casterbridge. Twain’s Huckleberry Finn was one book when I was young, and quite another, richer, book now that I’m older. One never really knows a book until he has read it three times. In that, it’s like a symphony or an opera.
What would you say has been the most influential book or literary experience for you and your writing? Hard question. The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoyevsky taught me how complex, contradictory, and downright funny human beings can be. Shakespeare and Milton taught me that language can roar and thunder, and stir the imagination.
Your bio mentions that you were an Art History Professor for years. How did you end up writing a historical fiction novel about the Prehistoric era? That seems like quite the jump. It is not really such a jump. Prehistoric people produced art. I studied it and their possible reasons for producing it. Some of that was in the back of my mind when I wrote the Zan-Gah novels. But there is a lot nobody knows. For all we know, women, not men, did those famous cave paintings. So I mixed knowledge with imagination.
How much research went into writing these two novels? Some. I already knew a little about prehistoric art and life. I needed to learn about slings, and about fishing by hand. I researched twins in primitive societies, and discovered that such societies were sometimes terribly frightened by the birth of twins. They would kill them and their mother (never their father). I used that fear in my books. I also went to a marvelous cavern, Onondaga, in my own cave-rich state of Missouri. I was the only guy in the whole cave who was taking notes. Eyeless salamanders! Cool.
We met a lot of interesting tribes with very complex and different ways of life. Were each of these tribes something out of your imagination, or were they based on actual tribes from history? Mostly imagination. There were no wasp people that I know of, but I did not make up totemism—the belief that a clan is related to an animal and shares some of its qualities. Why not have a people that models itself after stinging wasps?
What sort of evidence and artifacts (if any) do we really have about this era? We have a lot. Whole volumes are written about cave paintings, petroglyphs, sculpture, etc. We have very fat, bulbous steatopygous figures assumed to be models of fertility. I hinted that Siraka-Finaka might have been shaped like the Venus of Willendorf (aw, go ahead and google it), but I didn’t push the idea very hard.
There were some amazing characters in these novels—really strong and well-defined. It made me really glad there was a sequel, because it meant I was able to read more about them. However, the first book does end in a pretty comfortable spot. Was it always your intention to write a sequel to Zan-Gah, or is that a decision that came later. Thanks for “amazing.” I like “amazing.” However, I never intended to write a sequel, but some of my teen friends and relatives encouraged me to do so. The thing is, you can’t write anything until you get an idea. Then you slowly develop it, and put leaves on the tree, so to speak. The second book gave me a chance to develop characters introduced in the first, and work on new ones too. It gives me great satisfaction to think that my readers take an interest in my fictional characters, and want to read more about them.
Any plans for a third Zan-Gah adventure? Yup.
Speaking of future plans, do you have a current work-in-progress? If so, are there any details you can share about it with us? I am working on a third Zan-Gah book, but I am reluctant to talk too much about it. The story continues with Dael's self-imposed exile, as he seeks some sort of redemption or resolution of his life. He will go to live with the crimson people (introduced already in Zan-Gah and the Beautiful Country). I think I will call it Dael and the Painted People. But first I have to write it.
Is there anything else you'd like to share with us today? I ask what an author has no right to insist on, that folks read the Zan-Gah books with a little care. It isn’t a race. If you don’t feel the books, you haven’t read them.
Thank you again for answering my questions today. I really appreciate it. Just one last question before we go (because I know which I prefer and it's always an interesting question) Do you prefer wearing shoes or going barefoot? I always shower, swim, and go to bed barefoot. Any other time, I am shod.
Thank you too. ____________________________________________________
How wonderful! I'm definitely excited for this third Zan-Gah novel. And, I totally googled that statue.:) Also, I am going to be offering a signed copy of each of these books to one lucky reader in the next few days so stayed tuned! Be sure to comment and let me know what you think!

Star Crossed by Elizabeth C. Bunce is a beautifully written book. I mean, really — the writing is beautiful. Bunce has this gift with words. She has this was of picking exactly the right word or phrase to make the passage come alive. Several other words would have sufficed, but what she picks out is perfect. (I have some of the same feelings when I read Jennifer Donnelly.)

Anyway... Digger is our main character and one of my new favorite heroines. She's a believable character with believable motivations, and she's rather atypical of the current YA novels. She can take care of herself, but not in a I'm so Bad-A way, more like — If I don't, I die way. She's more concerned with her own survival than the greater good, although she does have people that she cares for, and if she lets you into that place, she cares for you deeply. She finds herself in an unexpected situation, and she begins to realize that her life is no longer just about herself. There are bigger things out there that have touched her life and she cannot simply run from them, she must stay an accept what is to come. I loved watching Digger learn and grown but even more, I loved watching her learn about herself.

Bunce's world building is brilliant. She introduces the concepts and elements of what makes her world different slowly, allowing us to acclimate to what makes this world unique while feeling the whole time as if we belong there. I loved her idea of the 7 moons with their corresponding Gods and how each God/Moon has come to represent different things to the people.

Part of world building is crafting great characters, and as I already mentioned, I loved Digger, but I loved many of the other characters too. Meri was such a bright spot of the story. She's a bit naive, but that's understandable because she's been sheltered her whole life. She is full of life and love and just learning about what it means to be on your own and able to take control of your life. She's a pretty major character in the story, but every character in this story was well developed, even the very minor characters we only get to meet every once in a while. This is a series, so it's possible these characters will return later with greater importance, but at this point, to give so much depth and life to characters with such a small role to play was wonderful. We weren't overburdened with details and facts that show a desperate author trying to convince us they write great characters, but rather an author sharing with us the lives of the people she's created. This is a book full of great characterization.

As I mentioned, this is going to be a series, and I for one and very excited about that. This book is self contained, and has a satisfying resolution, but what Digger has stumbled across is much bigger than any one book and it is obvious that there is much more that will happen to Digger and those around her before her story in complete. I can't wait to see what's waiting for us in Liar's Moon.

*Disclaimer: I received this book through Star Book Tours.

Although I have always enjoyed history and love learning about the past, a lot of non-fiction tends to be very dry and tedious. It is informative and the information itself is interesting, but the delivery often leaves much to be desired. It is always a treat to find an author who can write history and keep it interesting.

The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Alison Weir is a wonderful example of that. Ms. Weir delivers a very informative, yet highly entertaining account of Henry the VIII; one of England's most notorious monarchs. Henry's desperation to father a son led to one of the greatest scandals in English history. Before reading this book, I knew the basics about Henry's reign. I knew that he married 6 women and had a reputation for beheading those women who displeased him, his desire to marry Anne Boleyn initiated the break between England and the Catholic church, because the Pope wouldn't grant him a divorce and his two living daughters were both rather famous monarchs in their own right.

Because I knew very little actual information about this period of English history, but have always been fascinated by what I heard, I decided to pick up this book and learn a little more about King Henry and his outrageous court. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed reading this book. The book was very well written and flowed from one sequence of events to another very smoothly. Although this was non-fiction, it read more like a novel than the typical dry recitation of historical facts.

The first half of the 600+ page book was dedicated to Catherine of Aragon, Henry's first wife and Anne Boleyn, his second. Catherine was married to Henry for 24 years and is the only wife to have been married to Henry for longer than 4 years. During the later years of his marriage to Catherine, Henry's attentions began shifting toward Anne Boleyn, one of the ladies of the court. While it makes sense to devote so much of the book to these two women, the history here did get a little repetitious. I was also a little disappointed because none of the other wives were given as much detail as the first two. Although I did wish for a little more detailed information to be given on the remaining 4 wives, I understand why there was less to say of the others. I mean, Katherine Howard was only 19 when she was married to King Henry, and she was executed after only 2 years of marriage, and Anne of Cleves was married to Henry for less than a year. I did love that interspersed throughout the story of each of these women was the connections to the other women in Henry's life, as well as information about what had happened or what was happening to each of the previous queens. That is something that would have been missing from individual biographies on these six women that I was grateful was included.

Overall, this was a book well worth reading. The facts were well researched, the history informative, and the writing engaging. I will definitely be picking up other books by this author in the future.

A short while ago, I reviewed A Journey into Tomorrow by Veronica C. Tinto. (Read my review HERE.) I have been in contact with the author, and she was kind enough to write a short bio and guest post for my readers here, explaining a little bit more about herself, her background and why she decided to write poetry. Also, (and I think this is quite exciting) Veronica has offered to be available to respond to comments and questions left on this post! She'll be keeping track of reader comments and answering questions etc. with anyone who would like to ask questions, give feedback etc. This is a great thing for her to offer, so I definitely think it's something that you should take advantage of! In my experience, she's been a great correspondent! So, here is what she had to say for us!

Bio:

I am from Trinidad and Tobago and my only language is standard British English. My educational background is in Communicative Disorders and Psychology. However with that being said, first I must say that I have never written poetry before, it is talent that I never knew I had before the unfortunate circumstances of a very bitter divorce. The title of the poems came first to me and within five to ten minutes I would have them completely finished. I was inspired by different factors as I wrote these poems. Of course by my own feelings, but I was also inspired by the tremendous courage I saw in my baby boy's actions in terms of the resiliency that he showed dealing with these life circumstances. I was also inspired by the unconditional love and countless support that I received from my closest and dearest friend Jemeka who on many nights spoke with me on the phone until 3am many mornings as I dealt with the emotional turmoil that was happening in my life. The poems began as sending Jemeka a simple thought for the day via a text message. However, as weeks passed by the poems began to have a life of their own as my words began to transcend my own life altering experiences and began to touch the lives of family and friends. I should also add that I made reference to the elements of nature many times in my poetry because growing up in Trinidad and Tobago I had the first hand experience of seeing the natural wonder of Mother Nature which was always a soothing experience for me in my life.
In addition to this bio, she also wrote a guest post just for us! Here it is!

As funny as it sounds, my first experience writing poetry was almost my last experience! While attending high school in Trinidad and Tobago, my English teacher assigned the entire class a homework assignment to write a piece of poetry with personal meaning behind it. I dutifully went home that night and poured my ten-year-old heart and mind into the assignment. I returned to school the following morning proud of what I had created. I handed my piece to the teacher with all the confidence in the world, just knowing that it was an “A+” effort. After reading it, my English teacher promptly gave me an “F” and scolded me in front of the class for plagiarizing. Unfortunately my English teacher never acknowledged that the poem written that day for homework was only written by me the author. The hurt and embarrassment of that one experience so long ago stuck with me throughout my life. For this reason I never thought or even conceptualized that one day I would have been blessed with the ability to one day write a book of poetry entitled “A Journey into Tomorrow.”

Pushing that high school experience aside and through the inspiration, love and unconditional support I received from my closest and dearest friend Jemeka, and seeing the resiliency that my baby boy demonstrated, my healing process through poetry began. The words, thoughts, feeling and emotions flowed out of me like water in a torrent river. By turning my feelings into words, I was able to appreciate what was important in my life. For example the unexpected deepening friendship that occurred, the kindness of strangers, the simple pleasures I enjoyed and the lessons I learnt from my little angel, and the metamorphosis of my spirituality during this season of my life. Each experience that unfolded in my life as well as the lives of family and friends became the lyrical melody for my poetry.

It is my sincere hope for you my reader that these poems provide you solace during stressful or quiet moments in your life. The purpose of writing these poems were to also address the spectrum of human emotions from love to disappointment, to rage, to sadness, to the beauty of nature, to enjoying life to the sadness of death, to the past, present and future. I believe these are common themes that we all can relate with since these themes are the fundamental foundations of our human experiences. The poems were written to provide you food for thought without the use of vague metaphors and obscure analogies, because during the lowest moments in life, regardless of what circumstance generate these feelings, we all want to read words that speak directly to our hearts.

I'd like to thank Veronica for taking the time to talk with me, and write this up for me and my readers. Please, share your thoughts with me and Veronica. I look forward to hearing your thoughts!

Chasing Alliecat by Rebecca Fjelland Davis is the story of Sadie, Allie and Joe, three teenagers who live to mountain bike. Sadie's parent's have a strange relationship, and after their divorce, Sadie's mom sends Sadie and her sister to stay with Sadie's aunt so that she can go to Egypt to do archeological research with her ex-husband. Joe comes to stay with his uncle, (the husband of Sadie's aunt) because he is having a hard time adjusting to life without his twin. He's a little... damaged, and his parents are hoping a change of scenery would do him good. Allie is a mystery. She lives in this tiny Minnesota town and she's hurting.

Sadie is still a beginner as far as mountain biking goes, and she has decided that this summer she is going to start competing in actual races. Joe has raced a few times before, and is above the beginner stage, but still has a lot to learn (like smoking is really bad for your lungs). And Allie? Allie's just about a professional. She competes in the expert class races, and she wins. Regularly. I'm about to make a comment that is going to prove I think about things too much, but I felt a little bit like their level of biking expertise directly correlates to how bad the inner demons come at them. I liked that. To me, it's a subtle way of being able to let the pain and the confusion onto the page. Maybe no one else saw it. Maybe there wasn't really anything about it for me to see. That's okay with me. Pain translates differently for different people.

The main complaint I have with this book, is that Allie was just a little bit too. Too mysterious, too tortured, too aloof, just too much. Because there was just so much to Allie, some aspects of her character fell a little flat for me, and left me thinking that it was included to be included, because it makes for a more dramatic story. I didn't feel like all of it needed to be in there, or if all of it felt essential to the author, some of the issues could have been fleshed out and addressed a little better. Many of them, the way they were handled felt a little like an afterthought. It's vague, I know, but I don't want to spoil anything.

Anyway, other than that, I really enjoyed this book. I thought Sadie and Joe were both awesome characters, and I liked watching them adjust to each other, and get to know each other better. The characters, especially Sadie and Joe are the real core of this story, and they made is believable for me. My favorite parts of the book focused on the biking and the racing. It makes me want to hop on a bike and start trekking all over rural Idaho. It's probably a good thing my bike needs to be tuned up after the long winter here... If I tried to ride even half-way as hardcore as these kids, it would probably kill me.;)

Overall, I genuinely enjoyed this book. It's a worthwhile story with solid characters who aren't afraid of their pain or their strengths. They do what they gotta do to survive and they keep their head above ground. It's a story worth reading full of characters worth knowing.

*Disclaimer: Received a copy through The Teen Book Scene, from the author, for an honest review.

Yesterday, I posted my review of Blue by Lou Aronica. Click if you missed the review.

I received the book for review, and was asked to include some information about a contest the Lou is hosting. He's giving 10 writers the chance to be published. All the information I have is below, and it's quoted directly from Lou and the tour coordinator I was working with for the blog tour. However, if you have any questions at all, please let me know! I'd be more than happy to answer any questions to help you with the awesome opportunity!

CONTEST!!!

How often do you hear about something that sounds too good to be true? Well, I am here to offer 10 lucky winners the opportunity of a lifetime.

New York Times bestselling co-author, novelist, and former Publisher of Avon Books and Berkley Books, Lou Aronica has created a unique and exciting offer to anyone that is going to follow his upcoming book tour with Pump Up Your Book. His extensive experience in the publishing and editing fields has given him insight into an industry that continues to grow and change daily. Once again, that insight has led him to offer a contest that is truly special in so many ways. Lou will be accepting story pitches from followers of his blog tour. These story pitches must be for short stories pertaining to the fantasy world of his novel, “Blue.” This contest will allow 10 lucky people the opportunity of a lifetime, the chance to have their story published in an upcoming companion anthology to “Blue.” Lou will hand pick the winners, edit their stories, include them in the anthology and give them a pro-rated share of the royalties. How can you pass up an opportunity like this?

Now for the details:

The pitch should include a synopsis of the proposed story and a sample of the submitting author’s fiction writing. Specify the expected length of the story.

The pitch needs to be submitted by April 16, 2011
Please email your submission to Lou at laronica@fictionstudio.com

All winners will be notified by email by May 27, 2011.

If you have any questions or problems please let me know. Thanks!

Daughter of Xanadu by Dori Jones Yang is the story of young Emmajin, the eldest grandchild of the Great Khan. Her closest friend is her cousin, Suren, the eldest grandson of the Khan. Strength and fighting skills are valued in their culture, and Emmajin desperately wants to be allowed to serve in her grandfather's military. She would be the first.

Her grandfather gives her an important assignment. She is to become the companion and guide to the young traveler Marco Polo, and his father and uncle, who are traveling with them. She is basically a spy — sent to extract secrets that will make it easier for her grandfather to conquer their lands, and fulfill the prophecy from the Gods that their empire would unite the world.

Predictably, as Emmajin gets to know Marco better, she stops thinking of him as a stranger, or enemy and begins to consider him a friend, and then — more.

Although I found several parts of this story to be fairly predictable, I still really enjoyed the book. I thought that Emmajin was a great character, and we see a lot of growth in her over the course of the story. She really comes into her own. In the beginning, she is enthralled by the stories told in the courts about the mighty battles their warriors fought, and the grand acts of heroism and valor in battle. She can't imagine anything more rewarding or wonderful than being involved in something like that. But, as the story progresses, and she begins to learn more about Marco Polo's European ideals, and his desire for peace, she starts to question her belief systems, and view their culture from the eyes of an outsider. Eventually, Emmajin learns the hard way that battle is not all glory. The enemies have faces, lives, and stories of their own.

I loved watching her learn about differing points of view, and realizing that there isn't only one way of doing things. I thought Emmajin was a very well drafted and carefully thought out character. Unfortunately, she was about the only character I thought was fully imagined. Suren is Emmajin's best friend. They've been inseparable since they were tiny, and continue to be close as they grow. But, Suren is only ever fleshed out in relation to Emmajin. It's almost like he is only fully a person when sitting next to Emmajin. I felt like that about most of the other characters, including Marco Polo. To toss in a bit of philosophy, it reminded me of Idealism, which is the idea that there is no real reality. Everything we know/see only exists in relation to us. Sort of like The Matrix, except we aren't really plugged into any machines.

I wished that there had been more character development outside of Emmajin, but my biggest problem with the story was the ending. I thought that the ending was unrealistic. I don't want to go into details, because that really ruins the story, but I didn't believe it at all. I stopped believing what was happening as soon as Emmajin was sitting around the fire at the camp with Marco Polo, her grandfather and other members of the court and hunting party. It just would not have happened like that, and I feel like the author just needed a quick and happy resolution.

I do think this is a book worth reading. I wish the author had stayed a little truer to her characters when writing the ending. I think it was a disservice to both the characters and the reader to end it as she did. That being said, overall, I still enjoyed Emmajin's character and her discoveries about her world, and I enjoyed following her interactions with people.

*Disclaimer: I received this book through Around the World Tours.

Today's Memory Monday post is going to be another author spotlight. I have so many Memory Monday ideas, that it's hard to narrow it down, and decide what books or authors to talk about. Last week, while deciding which topic to write about, a friend on Twitter asked for some book recommendations, and in the large list I supplied her with, I included a link to Sharon Creech's twitter account, telling my friend to read her books. And guess what. Sharon Creech replied to me. She's commented back to me on Twitter before, but every single time it happens I get butterflies in the pit of my stomach because, guys, she's Sharon Creech!

I recognize that many of you will not understand the significance of this to me yet, so let me explain. Sharon Creech was a monumental author figure in my childhood. I don't remember how I got a copy of her book, but I read Walk Two Moons in elementary school, and I was completely blown away by the amazing story and characters Creech created. Salamanca Tree Hiddle completely captured my heart and I felt filled up with her story. I was compelled to turn the pages in a way I don't think I had ever experienced before.

When I finished reading this book, I was completely in love. It completely filled me and I knew that I would never be the same. I needed everyone to read this amazingly wonderful book, and I wanted to tell everyone about it. I loved it so much that I asked my teacher if it would be okay if I did an additional book report on it. Yes, I was, and am, that much of a nerd. I made a shoe box diorama of a significant scene (similar to the one on the cover, but mine was more detailed) and wrote a report about it, that the teacher had displayed for me in the library.

I quickly inhaled Bloomability, Chasing Redbird, Absolutely Normal Chaos, and The Wanderer. Each story brought something new to my newfound wonder at character relationships, life stories and writing. Each book opened a new part of my eyes and I was thrilled at the wonderful world Creech could create for her characters. Bloomability is one of the original boarding school books folks. Long before out heroines were running around their boarding schools seeking out paranormal not-quite-bad-guys-but-definitely-not-good-guys, Domenica had to leave her gloriously eccentric family to attend boarding school in Switzerland.

I read these 5 books when I was younger, and then imagine my shock and joy when I, now almost 20 realized that Sharon Creech had written more books beyond these 5 glorious reads. So, I made a point to find and read them all. And, I think that I have. Or, very nearly.

Sharon Creech was one of the absolutely essential writers from my childhood. Bloomability was my first reading experience in a foreign country, and man did I want to visit the Alps. (Still do). Walk Two Moons makes me want to take a road trip, and part of it takes place in Boise, Idaho. I lived in Washington when I read this book, but all of my dad's family is from Idaho. So, I felt a strong connection to Sal and her grandparents as they traveled to what I considered to be my *other* state. Chasing Redbird is about a girl striking out on her own over the summer, tackling a huge project by herself, and needing it to be that way. I've always loved doing projects by myself, and I get irrationally annoyed when other people try to help me, which Zinnia felt as well. Also, as an awesomely cool connection, Zinnia was best friends with Sal before her dad made them move. She misses her, and mentions her. It's been a few years since I read these books that were so important to me growing up, and this post has reminded me that I have missed them. It's definitely time for a reread soon.

I don't know how else to tell you how important Sharon Creech was to me growing up. Her books rank right up there on the favorites shelf with Billy and his dogs in Where the Red Fern Grows which, if you've been around a while (or click that link) you know at least part of what that means to me. Even today, Sharon Creech goes on the auto-read list for me. If she wrote a book about dirt, I would read it and I would be delighted with how wonderful Sharon Creech managed to make dirt sound.

And guys. She talked to me on Twitter. An icon from my childhood thanked me for recommending her books. I screamed a little.

If you would like to be a Memory Monday guest blogger, I'm always looking for more volunteers. I would love to hear about what books or authors influenced your childhood and left strong memories! If you are interested, in my blog for more information, or send me an email!