Backstage Blogging @ The Story Siren!

If you guys haven't heard, Kristi from The Story Siren is doing a Backstage Blogging feature on her blog! So, what is Backstage Blogging?! It's a feature Kristi created that allows a glimpse into the minds of bloggers both new and old! There are 30 newbie bloggers, bloggers who have been blogging for less than six months, and 30 experienced bloggers participating.

Now, here's the really exciting part! I'M ONE OF THE NEWBIE BLOGGERS! :D That's right, ME! The question that Kristi asked us to answer was "What do you hope to accomplish with your book blog beyond sharing your love of literature?" To see my answer and the answers of the the other fourteen bloggers this week you can check out Back Stage Blogging: Part 2. Or, if you haven't seen it already you can go check out the first fifteen newbie blogger's answers at Back Stage Blogging: Part 1.

Follow Friday and Blog Hop! (9)

Haven't done one of these in awhile! It's time to follow some blogs with Parajunkee's View and hop around with Crazy for Books! You can click the pictures if you want to join these awesome going ons!

Review: The Summer I Turned Pretty

Title: The Summer I Turned Pretty (Summer #1)

Author: Jenny Han

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing

Pages: 276

Rating:

Summary from Goodreads:

Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad. They are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer -- they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one summer, one wonderful and terrible summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along.

I have to say this book is definitely a solid four. It was really very good and I definitely want to get the next one in the series.

The characters I found very likable. Belly was pleasant and tried to be independent rather than just let the boys dictate what she did. Jeremiah and Conrad, while extremely different, both were great characters and you couldn't help but love them both, Belly sure did! (Especially Jeremiah!) Susannah has a hidden secret and because of this I find her to be a very strong, brave character.

The plot was also good. There was everything you needed for a good summer read (or any other season when you really just wish it was summer). There was the beach, boys, and parties! But, it wasn't just another shallow book about some girl falling in love. There was a deeper side to the book too, there was more than meets the eye with all of the characters which was really interesting.

The only thing I didn't like about the book was the ending. BUT, it's okay because it's A SERIES! This is always the kind of book I wish was a series but never is, but it is now! Also, the writing, I think was just mediocre. I wasn't bad, definitely not bad, but I found it simple.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I look forward to continuing the Summer series!

Charity Fundraiser and HUGE Giveaway!

I just wanted to make everyone aware of an awesome charity fundraiser going on right now.

Sounds awesome already right? So here's what's going on. This is a fundraiser for two, count 'em, TWO children's charities. The proceeds of this event will go to First Book and Save the Children.

So, I know what you're all thinking! What do these charities even do? Well, First Book provides new books to children in need addressing one of the most important factors affecting literacy -- access to books. Save the Children is the leading independent organization creating lasting change in the lives of children in need around the world. Recognized for our commitment to accountability, innovation and collaboration, our work takes us into the heart of communities, where we help children and families help themselves.

Not quite convinced yet? Well that's where the giveaway comes in! The wonderful hosts of this event (let's give 'em a round of applause real quick for putting this wonderful fundraiser together to help out a cause I'm sure we can all stand behind) have compiled various signed book and signed swag from various authors to giveaway! Yupp, you heard me right, do the right thing, get some cool stuff! So now you want to know how to enter? I bet you do! You get a chance to win this cool stuff by just simply donating to these charities! Everyone is a winner too because you get to experience the joy of bettering a child's life! Visit one of the official posts to find out more on how to enter!

The WONDERFUL Hosts:

Jillian @ Random Ramblings

Lillian @ 21 Pages

Raila @ Books Out of the Bookshelves

Thank you to those of you who donated to help improve the lives of children around the world and good luck with the giveaway!

I'm Sorry!

I feel so bad that I've been neglecting you guys! But, with summer reading and today being the first day of school and all I've just been super crazy busy and super duper crazy tired! So, I promise you, starting Friday I will be blogger extraordinaire! I won't miss another blog hop or IMM and I will post the book reviews that have beens stacking up! Just, until Friday bare with me! And in the mean time I'm going to try to think of a way to make it up to you guys!

So today was my first day back to school. Junior year, whoopie! Time for SATs, ACTs, and college applications. Kill me now! I've got pretty good classes this year, this is what my schedule looks like:

1. Chemistry
2. Study Hall
3. Semester 1 Intro to Photography
3. Semester 2 Multimedia Video Production
4/5. Honors English
6/7. Government
8. Lunch
9/10. Semester 1 PE
9/10. Semester 2 Graphic Design 2
11. Semester 1 Design & Creation of Jewelry
11. Semester 2 Web Page Design
12. Trig/Precalc

Not great as far as schedules go, but now bad either. At least I was able to find a good lunch table, something that tends to be difficult in a school as large as mine. I know you're all thinking, does she really have 12 periods a day, 8 classes and lunch?! And, yes I do. The classes are about 45 minutes each. Electives are half year and we switch for the second semester thus the Semester 1 + 2's. Apparently I couldn't be a Teaching Assistant for one of my favorite teachers though cause she teaches math and my math grade was too low! >:L Now, I'm going to have to beg another teacher to let me TA for them because I don't want a study hall! So now you guys see what's going to be keeping me so freaking busy! Friday, I promise! I feel really bad!

Happy Reading and Happy Blogging!

Monica

Top 100 YA Novels 2010

So I was looking through blog posts when I came across this list at The Wormhole. The list comes from Persnickety Snark: Young Adult Literature Reviews. It's based on a reader poll conducted for five weeks. Beverly from The Wormhole had the ingenious idea of sharing the list and showing which books she read by coloring them purple! I'm going to steal her idea and (since I'm not much of a purple girl) I'm going to highlight the books I've read in orange! So, here goes nothing.

1. The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins

2. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's (Sorceror's) Stone - J.K. Rowling

3. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee

4. Speak - Laurie Halse Anderson

5. Northern Lights (The Golden Compass)- Philip Pullman

6. The Truth About Forever - Sarah Dessen

7. The Book Thief - Markus Zusak

8. The Outsiders - S.E. Hinton

9. Twilight - Stephenie Meyer

10. This Lullaby - Sarah Dessen

11. Looking for Alaska - John Green

12. Just Listen - Sarah Dessen

13. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J.K. Rowling

14. Little Women - Louisa May Alcott

15. City of Bones - Cassandra Clare

16. On the (Jellicoe Road) - Melina Marchetta

17. The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger

18. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - J.K. Rowling

19. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

20. Along for the Ride - Sarah Dessen

21. Shiver - Maggie Stiefvater

22. Vampire Academy - Richelle Mead

23. Graceling - Kristin Cashore

24. Thirteen Reasons Why - Jay Asher

25. Sloppy Firsts - Megan McCafferty

26. The Lord of the Rings - J.R.R. Tolkien

27. Alanna: The First Adventure - Tamora Pierce

28. Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card

29. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - J.K. Rowling

30. Uglies - Scott Westerfeld

31. A Great and Terrible Beauty - Libba Bray

32. Tomorrow, When the War Began - John Marsden

33. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks - E. Lockhart

34. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

35. The Westing Game - Ellen Raskin

36. Paper Towns - John Green

37. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - J.K. Rowling

38. Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins

39. A Tree Grows In Brooklyn - Betty Smith

40. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian - Sherman Alexie

41. Lock and Key - Sarah Dessen

42. The Amber Spyglass - Philip Pullman

43. Evernight - Claudia Gray

44. Sabriel - Garth Nix

45. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - J.K. Rowling

46. Beautiful Creatures - Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl

47. Forever - Judy Blume

48. I Capture the Castle - Dodie Smith

49. Ella Enchanted - Gail Carson Levine

50. The Princess Diaries - Meg Cabot

51. Stargirl - Jerry Spinelli

52. Howl's Moving Castle - Diana Wynne Jones

53. The Dark is Rising - Susan Cooper

54. Hush, Hush - Becca Fitzpatrick

55. Saving Francesca - Melina Marchetta

56. Second Helpings - Megan McCafferty

57. Dreamland - Sarah Dessen

58. Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer

59. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist - Rachel Cohn, David Levithan

60. Fire - Kristin Cashore

61. The Chocolate War - Robert Cormier

62. Weetzie Bat - Francesca Lia Block

63. The Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank

64. Looking for Alibrandi - Melina Marchetta

65. How I Live Now - Meg Rosoff (I only colored half because I believe I never quite finished this one!)

66. City of Glass - Cassandra Clare

67. Keeping the Moon - Sarah Dessen

68. Breaking Dawn - Stephenie Meyer

69. Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging - Louise Rennison

70. If I Stay - Gayle Forman

71. The King of Attolia - Megan Whalen Turner

72. Wintergirls - Laurie Halse Anderson

73. Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast - Robin McKinley

74. The Blue Sword - Robin McKinley

75. Feed - M.T. Anderson

76. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants - Ann Brashares

77. Go Ask Alice - Anonymous

78. Wicked Lovely - Melissa Marr

79. Lord of the Flies - William Golding

80. Someone Like You - Sarah Dessen

81. The Forest of Hands and Teeth - Carrie Ryan

82. Jacob Have I Loved - Katherine Paterson

83. The Knife of Never Letting Go - Patrick Ness

84. Poison Study - Maria V. Snyder

85. Shadow Kiss - Richelle Mead

86. The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle - Avi

87. An Abundance of Katherines - John Green

88. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon

89. A Ring of Endless Light - Madeleine L'Engle

90. Glass Houses - Rachel Caine

91. The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party - M.T. Anderson

92. Walk Two Moons - Sharon Creech

93. Whale Talk - Chris Crutcher

94. Perfect Chemistry - Simone Elkeles

95. Going Too Far - Jennifer Echols

96. The Last Song - Nicholas Sparks

97. Before I Fall - Lauren Oliver

98. Hatchet - Gary Paulsen

99. The Pigman - Paul Zindel

100. The Hero and the Crown - Robin McKinley

Which books have you guys read? Comment or link to your own list!

The Iron Queen Except!!! *Faints*

You've all probably seen this around already but I couldn't help posting this! Julie Kagawa is treating us to an excerpt from the last book in her Iron Fey triliogy, The Iron Queen! *Jumps up and down!* This excerpt is in response to questions about Meghan's ability to fight! With out further ado, here it is...

Ash strode to a nearby rock, swooped down, and tossed me a long, slightly curved stick. When I caught it, I saw that it was actually a leather sheath with a gilded brass hilt poking from the top. A sword. Ash was giving me a sword … why?

Oh, yeah. Because I wanted to learn to fight. Because I’d asked him to teach me.

Ash, watching me with that weary, knowing look on his face, shook his head. “You forgot, did you?”

“Nooooo,” I said quickly. “I just … didn’t think it would be this soon.”

“This is the perfect place.” Ash turned slightly to gaze around the clearing. “Quiet, hidden. We can catch our breath here. It’s a good place to learn while you’re waiting for your father to come out of it. When we’re done here, I have a feeling things will get much more chaotic.” He gestured to the sword in my hand. “Your first lesson begins now. Draw your sword.”

I did. Unsheathing it sent a raspy shiver across the glen, and I gazed at the weapon in fascination. The blade was thin and slightly curved, an elegant looking weapon, razor sharp and deadly. A warning tickled the back of my mind. There was something about the blade that was … different. Blinking, I ran my fingers along the cool, gleaming edge, and a chill shot through my stomach.

The blade was made of steel. Not faery steel. Not a fey sword covered in glamour. Real, ordinary iron. The kind that would burn faery flesh and sear away glamour. The kind that left wounds impossible to heal.

I gaped at it, then at Ash, who looked remarkably calm to be facing his greatest weakness. “This is steel,” I told him, sure that Leanansidhe had made a mistake.

He nodded. “An eighteenth-century Spanish saber. Leanansidhe nearly had a fit when I told her what I wanted, but she was able to track one down in exchange for a favor.” He paused then, wincing slightly. “A very large favor.”

Alarmed, I stared at him. “What did you promise her?”

“It doesn’t matter. Nothing that endangers us in any way.” He hurried on before I could argue. “I wanted a light, slashing weapon for you, one with a good amount of reach, to keep opponents farther away.” He gestured to the saber with his own weapon, a blindingly quick stab of blue. “You’ll be moving around a lot, using speed instead of brute force against your enemies. That blade won’t block heavier weapons, and you don’t have the strength to swing a longsword effectively, so we’re going to have to teach you how to dodge. This was the best choice.”

“But this is steel,” I repeated, listening to him in amazement. He could teach a class with his knowledge of weapons and fighting. “Why a real sword? I could seriously hurt someone.”

“Meghan.” Ash gave me a patient look. “That’s exactly why I chose it. You have an advantage with that weapon that none of us can touch. Even the most violent redcap will think twice about facing a real, mortal blade. It won’t scare the Iron fey, of course, but that’s where training will come in.”

“But … but what if I hit you?”

A snort. “You’re not going to hit me.”

“How do you know?” I bristled at his amused tone. “I could hit you. Even master swordsmen make mistakes. I could get a lucky shot, or you might not see me coming. I don’t want to hurt you.”

He favored me with another patient look. “And how much experience do you have with swords and weapons in general?”

“Um.” I glanced down at the saber in my hand. “Thirty seconds?”

He smiled, that calm, irritatingly confident smirk. “You’re not going to hit me.”

***

Meghan’s story, and the war with the Iron Fey, continues in The Iron Queen, coming February 2011, from Harlequin TEEN.