Game Time!

Today was a looooong day. I had to take my pup to the vet to investigate this really disgusting mole (maybe?) on her leg. She's 11 and is, what I'm calling... "moling out". (Moles, moles, and more moles. Everywhere she has moles!) Only this one is the size of a nickel and within her reach. She's been gnawing away at it and I was fairly certain it would need to be removed. I know...GROSS. Thankfully, nothing bad showed up in the tests so now it's just a matter of removal to keep it from irritating the heck out of her. They have to put her under, so my vet suggested getting her teeth cleaned at the same time, and even offered to remove a couple of other moles while he's at it. I know, bonus? Too bad teeth cleaning is big monies. Ah well, gotta bite the bullet, I guess. It's wrong of me, but I want the dang mole on the top of her head to go -- it makes her look so funny. Vain. I'm vain about my dog's looks. Sue me.

Anyway, because of said vet visit, I stayed late at work and didn't get home until about 8 o'clock. A fount of energy to write this does not make. I could barely muster the energy to think of something to post tonight. And I'm cheating in the end.

I decided it's game time. I have no idea who's out there reading this blog -- doesn't seem like all that many, but I'm hoping some of y'all will join in.

If you're a writer -- use your current WIP to play. If you're not a writer, but love books, use the book you're currently reading to play. That way, we can all play. :)

First -- figure out the number of pages in your WIP/book. Then go here and get a randomly generated number between 1 and said number of pages.

Got your page #?

In the comments, post the entire page if you choose -- or bits that you really enjoy. It's up to you. If using another author's work, be sure to include proper credit. If you blog, please pass on the game and see if we can really get it going. Don't leave me hangin', yo!

My number was 256, and I'm going to post the entire page. So, without further ado... from WALKING IN SHADOW, pg 256:

"I love you, Mac," he slurred.

"Aw," I said. "That's sweet, but if you touch me again, I'm going to remove every one of your appendages. That includes the little one, stud." I gave him a soft pat on the chest and walked away.

It was only then that I realized Jenna was gone.

"Shit," I muttered, scanning the crowd. People milled about, some still in their cars, some paired off, others in large groups huddled around the kegs someone had brought with us. I paced the perimeter of light thrown by the fires blazing in the center of the lot. She wasn't anywhere. Neither was Mike. That meant they'd gone into the surrounding woods.

Cursing myself for letting her slip out of sight, I searched the crowds again. This time for Melanie and Ty. Neither of them was present, and I could only assume they'd pursued the couple. Caleb, however, caught my attention. Chelsea was suction cupped to his side. I met his eyes, shaking my head at his unspoken question.

His eyes hardened and swept the area, coming up empty a moment later. I motioned for him to stay where he was, but as always, he didn't listen. He disentangled Chelsea's arms from around his chest and came up even with my already fast pace a moment later.

"Can you hear them?"

I shook my head. I'd tried that already. "No one's exactly

~end~

Your turn!!

On a side note, my horror fest continues.

This last weekend I watched The Stand. I have to say, I like the book soooooo much better. The movie just seems really low budget. So, if you're unfamiliar, it's basically about a contagion that wipes out most of the worlds population. There's a devil like character and a God like character, and they draw the survivors to them, pitting the good against the evil. I have to chuckle about some of the choices the filmmakers made--especially the opening scene. In it, an army base worker is alerted to a leak from one of the "vaults" on site and is commanded to "close the main gate, soldier!" He doesn't. He runs off to retrieve his family and then books it off base. The clincher is when the camera cuts back to the gate -- a friggin' chain link fence. Bwhaha. I love it. Who knew holey metal was such a paragon of safety against airborne contagions. Too bad he didn't roll it closed before beating it out of town. *snort*

I also squeezed in Killer Party. Ha. This movie is so cheesy but I LOVE it. It's centered around three friends rushing a sorority and the haunted frat house they keep throwing parties at. HILARIOUS but surprisingly freaky toward the end. It has the funniest opening to a movie ever, if you ask me. (This opening is long but soooo worth its weight in cheese. It just keeps on giving.)


Hair bands rule!!

Finally, as I'm typing out this post, I'm watching The Fog. Not the remake, but the original with Adrienne Barbeau. Again, LOVE it. Creepy lepers that come out of the fog! How much better can movies get??

Good Job!

Way to get it right, Amazon! You do know me so well.

*definitely interested*

Rough Beginnings

So, in the last 2-3 months, I've been doing a lot of reading. I find, actually, that the amount of reading I do is directly related to how my writing is going at any given time.

Reading a lot? The writing isn't usually going so well.

Not reading? Yeah, I'm using pounding the keys pretty hardcore.

Thankfully, the pendulum is currently swinging towards writing. But as I said, I've been reading many a' book these past months. Some books I've absolutely loved. Some I made it through, perhaps a little begrudgingly. Others I could barely get past the first chapter without wanting to give up. Ever find that happens to you? Unfortunately, I've never really developed a knack for giving up on a book, even if it doesn't snare me right away. I guess I'm an optimist that way. I push through, hoping beyond hope that it will get better. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't. But regardless, if I start it, I finish. I'm seeking help. If anyone knows of a good support group for this ailment, please speak up.

Anyway, I wanted to share a few examples.

Yeah, this one shocked me too. It's the fourth book in the Vampire Academy series, and I REALLY enjoyed the first three. I can't tell you how difficult it was for me to get all the way through it. I started and gave up on it at least 4 times, never making it past the first 150-200 pages before calling it quits. Thing is, everyone kept telling me how good the next 2 books were, so I was HIGHLY motivated to push through. But I just couldn't. It bored me senseless. That said, I finally read it from start to finish. It did get better for me the further into the book I got. I don't think there's anything to really fault with the book itself--it just didn't float my boat like the others had.

I went on to finish the series. It was a pretty dang good series, all-around. No idea why 4 hung me up for so long.

Honestly, I don't think I got past the first chapter before calling it quits on this book the first time. I've tried reading other books by Larbalestier and ran into similar issues. There's something with the cadence of her writing that just doesn't jive with my inner ear. I get tripped up, frustrated, and generally speaking, annoyed as all hell when I try to read her work. Again, this says nothing about the storylines--I tried reading her Magic or Madness trilogy and had the same issue. A few pages in, my head was splitting and I had to just call it a no-go--so I can't speak to whether they're good books or not. That's not the issue.

At any rate, I finally read all of HTDYF, and....*drum roll* I actually really enjoyed it. Now, it definitely took me a minute to sink into the cadence of Larbalestier's writing, but I did. The story was pretty dang entertaining in the end. Glad I pushed through. Ah, the rewards of perseverance.

Where do I begin? I hated everything about this book right from the get go. The writing was fine, the setting pretty dang interesting...but the characters? Good gawd. I wanted to hurt them. No, make that beat the ever-lovin' you know what out of them. They were seriously that annoying. I pushed through, pushed through--basically because I have a friend who swears this series is the best love story ever to grace this world. I found the pair annoying and selfish beyond all measure. Oh, did I mention they weren't all that bright, either?

Ugh.

Anyway, I finished. And do you know what I did then? I went and bought the second book in the series.

Yeah, don't ask. I don't know if I could explain my range of emotions about this sudden turn of events.

And finally, my current read.

Y'all. I hate this book. HATE IT. I'm a little more than halfway finished, and I swear, the only way I'm getting through it is by squinting and letting the words blur together. I then proceed to dart my eyes across the page like a gerbil on crack. Ugh. I dread going to bed each night because I know I'll feel compelled to crack it open and read at least 20 pages. 20 pages is doable. 20 pages won't break my spirit or rip away a piece of my soul. I hope.

LOL. Seriously, though.. It just doesn't float my boat. I was so extremely intrigued at first and the premise itself is amazing. I'm just lost and overwhelmed by the world building and all the political stuff and Animals and animals...and yeah, don't get me started. No offense if you really enjoyed this book--it's just not singing for me.

Ah well, you can't win them all. Maybe tomorrow I'll talk about some books that I've read and LOVED recently.

Changes Are Afoot.

Now, bear with me because I haven't been to a brick & mortar bookstore in quite some time. Some of this may be old hat.

First thing I noticed when I walked into my local B&N was that the young adult/teen section was no longer located where I last saw it. R'uh? I did a double take at the section..after all, the children's section is right where it's always been, and shouldn't the teen section be right there, skirting around it? Umm, nope. It was gone.

*Moment of panic and feeling lost in this unfamiliar world*

Then I spotted one of those middle of the aisle tables loaded down with YA books. Whew. There they are!

I headed over, and the first thing that caught my attention was that the young adult section is now located dead center of the bookstore. WHOOT! How awesome is that? Clearly bookstores are finally realizing how very powerful young adult books are in today's market. Heck, to get to the adult section, you have to bypass the teen section, so yeah, chances are some people may be dazzled by all of the kickass YA covers and stop to browse. GOOD THINKING Barnes & Noble.

Second thing I noticed? Umm, there are now Young Adult category headings at the top of the display cases. R'uuuuuhhhh? *double double TRIPLE take*

Yep. My bookstore has three categories listed for teens. "Young adult fiction" "Young adult Sci-Fi/Fantasy" and "Young adult Paranormal ROMANCE."

Pardon me, but what the FRENCH?!

I don't know how others feel about this...and maybe I'm seriously in the minority, but one of the things I absolutely loved best about the way young adult novels had previously been shelved was that all novels by a particular author were housed together in the same place. I know it's sort of an antiquated way of doing things, and perhaps the fact they're separating them into categories is a GOOD thing, but I really liked this practice. For one, it allowed young adult authors to really mix things up, not only with the types of books they chose to write, but with the amount of genre-bending they could do.

What do I mean by that? Well, previously, a young adult author could choose to write a thriller one year, a contemporary the next, and maybe a paranormal the year after that. And with the way things were, all of those books would be shelved right next to each other. Now, apparently, they will be split up amongst these three, IMO, limiting subject headings. Is this just the beginning? Will more categories emerge? Dystopian is hotter than hot right now... I could see that one making an appearance. Is this a slipperly slope we're walking? Will this make books that don't nicely fit into one specific category harder to shelve, and therefore, harder sells to bookstores?

Oh the worry this conjured.

I had to stop and think about BY THE PALE MOONLIGHT. Where would it be shelved? Would they shelve it under Paranormal Romance and call it good? Yes, there are paranormal elements, and there's romance... but there's also a fair amount of mystery/suspense...and just some good old-fashioned teen angst that has nothing to do with being a werewolf. Would this limit the number of people who would be willing to look at it if it was shelved right next to TWILIGHT? (Not saying that would be a BAD thing, mind. I'd do a number of things, most them legal, to get a little bit of Meyers' mojo). But do you see what I'm saying? Everyone in adult complains about branding, and won't this create the same issue for young adult authors? All conjecture, of course...but something to definitely think about. Of course, most people say brick & mortars are on their way out, so perhaps it's all moot anyway.

The final thing I noticed is in respect to my purchases today. I went in with these four books in mind--knowing I wanted to read them. There was a fifth book on my list that had to get nixed *sad face* because, holy crap, batman!! All of these books (with the exception of the Ness novel) were offered in hardback versions only. Not only that, but the prices ranged from 16-19 dollars a piece. Ugh. I'm on to you booksellers. You get us all worked up to read these books, then charge us up the wazoo, knowing in advance that we have absolutely no taste for delayed gratification. The worst part is that you open the books, and the type is humungous and you know they could've packaged it up in a book half the size, at half the price. UGH. I'm on to your Tomfoolery, booksellers. You're reminding me of how great my Kindle is right about now. Ugh, but I wanted these books--bad--and you got me. Next time, though... next time, I'll be smarter!

Any thoughts?

The Take!

It was a gooooood day at church! (But more on that later!) Here's what I brought home with me.



Frankly, Johnson had me at Jack the Ripper. Need I say more? Can't wait to read this one!



I've heard so many good things about this that I just had to see what all the hooplah was about.



Again, I've heard so many great things about this novel. Seems everywhere I turn, someone is blogging about it. Yep, I knew I had to read it.



This was recommended by several different people, and after reading a sample of it, I just had to know more. I loved Manchee... absolutely cracked me up. "Owww, Todd?" LOLOL. (If you don't get that, it's utterly ridiculous, but so funny. Trust me.) "Good poo, Todd." LOL. (Okay, I'll stop.)

That's my take, and I'm super excited to read them! Whoot. I'll be blogging about my church experience in a moment. I was a little blown away by a couple of things.

Squeee!!

Coming to churches near you on August 24th!!

Isn't It Kinda Sad...

When the only way you can force yourself to take a day off is by getting sick? Yup. SICK as a dog right now. Plus, I got the added bonus of completely losing my voice. LOL. Those of you who know me in person know I'm a TALKER... not being able to speak to people is a punishment of the worst kind. Couldn't even CALL anyone to tell them not to expect to see me today. Thank God for email!

Anyway -- I'm going to take full advantage. I'm about half-way through SILENT IN THE GRAVE and plan to finish that up... and did I mention that my awesome friend, Amanda (who I met at the Rocky Mtn Gold Conference and who LET me read her most awesome book!), sent me GRACELING by Kristin Cashore?? It's totally awesome, too. I'm a ways into it so hopefully I can finish both up today.

Ahhhhh reading. Such a balm to these ick sick germs.

Dishes? They can't wait. Laundry? There's still room to stack the pile a little higher. Work? NOPE, NOPE, NOPE.

Happy reading.

Killer Opening Lines!

Picked up SILENT IN THE GRAVE by Deanna Raybourn tonight. The opening had me at hello:

To say that I met Nicholas Brisbane over my husband's dead body is not entirely accurate. Edward, it should be noted, was still twitching on the floor.

*envy pangs* *envy pangs* *envy pangs*

MAN, I wish I wrote that! LOL.

Let's Hear It For YA!

I had a bit of a rant about young adult books today over at ATWOP. Here.

And in honor of this rant, I did an impromptu worship session at church..

I got this (Do you remember the debacle with CRACKED UP TO BE?! This time they had Courtney's book In Stock. I love those two little words.)



..and this...



..and this...



..and THIS.



And in the name of getting the whole world to read YA, I'm busy scheming... My YA world domination plan is hush hush right now, but an announcement will be coming soon. :)

A Year Of Books!

I'm a bit ashamed of my list of books read in 2009. It's VERY short. That said, my list of audio books listened to is MUCH longer. Even though I didn't have a lot of time to read, I at least fed the literary part of my brain on a regular basis. While I didn't love every book on this list, I took something away from all of them.

I had this crazy idea of doing mini book reviews of each of these books..but yeah, too timely. Instead, I'll put *'s by each...1 to 3, 3 being a book that I REALLY loved.

Books read:

A WRINKLE IN TIME by Madeleine L'Engle***
VAMPIRE ACADEMY by Richelle Mead**
CRACKED UP TO BE by Courtney Summers**
FROSTBITE by Richelle Mead***
A STUDY IN SCARLETT by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle**
AN ICE COLD GRAVE by Charlaine Harris*
FINGER LICKIN' FIFTEEN by Janet Evanovich**
THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins**
THE DEMON'S LEXICON by Sarah Rees Brennan*
SHADOW KISS by Richelle Mead***
PAPER TOWNS by John Green**
THE KEY TO THE GOLDEN FIREBIRD by Maureen Johnson**
BLISS by Lauren Myracle*
THE LOVELY BONES by Alice Sebold**
CATCHING FIRE by Suzanne Collins***+++
CITY OF BONES by Cassandra Clare**

Audio books listened to:

THE HISTORIAN by Elizabeth Kostova*
THE BEEKEEPER'S APPRENTICE by Laurie R. King***
DRUMS OF AUTUMN by Diana Gabaldon**
A MONSTROUS REGIMENT OF WOMEN by Laurie R. King**
A GREAT AND TERRIBLE BEAUTY by Libba Bray**
THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS by Thomas Harris**
1ST TO DIE by James Patterson*
THE RUNAWAY JURY by John Grisham*
REBEL ANGELS by Libba Bray***
THE SWEET FAR THING by Libba Bray***
SALEM'S LOT by Stephen King***
DEAD UNTIL DAWN by Charlaine Harris***
ALONG CAME A SPIDER by James Patterson*
DRACULA by Bram Stoker***
GRAVE SIGHT by Charlaine Harris**
LIVING DEAD IN DALLAS by Charlaine Harris***
PHANTOMS by Dean Koontz**
GRAVE SURPRISE by Charlaine Harris**
DEAD TO THE WORLD by Charlaine Harris***
GONE WITH THE WIND by Margaret Mitchell***
KISS THE GIRLS by James Patterson*
DEAD AS A DOORNAIL by Charlaine Harris***
THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING by J.R.R. Tolkien*
THE DRAWING OF THE THREE by Stephen King***
ERAGON by Christopher Paolini*
THE MAGICIAN'S NEPHEW by C.S. Lewis**
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA by Gaston Leroux***
MASTER AND COMMANDER by Patrick O'Brian*
TRICKSTER'S CHOICE by Tamora Pierce***
THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE by C.S. Lewis***
JACK AND JILL by James Patterson*
A LETTER OF MARY by Laurie R. King**
ALL TOGETHER DEAD by Charlaine Harris***
THE TWO TOWERS by J.R.R. Tolkien*
UGLIES by Scott Westerfeld***
PRETTIES by Scott Westerfeld***
SPECIALS by Scott Westerfeld***
THE WASTE LANDS by Stephen King***
BOOK THE FIRST: THE BAD BEGINNING by Lemony Snicket (Daniel Handler)**
STRANGERS by Dean Koontz*
EXTRAS by Scott Westerfeld**
THE MOOR by Laurie R. King***
BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA by Katherine Paterson**
A TIME TO KILL by John Grisham*
WHISPERS FROM THE DEAD by Joan Lowery Nixon*
ENTER THREE WITCHES by Caroline B. Cooney**
FROM DEAD TO WORSE by Charlaine Harris***
CAT AND MOUSE by James Patterson*
DEAD AND GONE by Charlaine Harris***
TRICKSTER'S QUEEN by Tamora Pierce**
WIZARD AND GLASS by Stephen King***
THE NOTEBOOK by Nicholas Sparks*
O JERUSALEM by Laurie R. King***
ODD THOMAS by Dean Koontz**
BOOK THE SECOND: THE REPTILE ROOM by Lemony Snicket (Daniel Handler)**
SHOOTER by Walter Dean Myers**
VAMPIRATES: DEMONS OF THE OCEAN by Justin Somper**
THE LANGOLIERS by Stephen King**
JUST LISTEN by Sarah Dessen***
REALITY CHECK by Peter Abrahams*
REBECCA by Daphne du Maurier***
SECRET, SILENT SCREAMS by Joan Lowery Nixon*
THE FACE ON THE MILK CARTON by Caroline B. Cooney**
B IS FOR BURGLAR by Sue Grafton*
THE OTHER SIDE OF DARK by Joan Lowery Nixon*
THE RETURN OF THE KING by J.R.R. Tolkien*
FINGER LICKIN' FIFTEEN by Janet Evanovich***
NAKED IN DEATH by J.D. Robb**
ALONG FOR THE RIDE by Sarah Dessen***
POP GOES THE WEASEL by James Patterson*

And Finished!

Comments and suggestions on Manuscript #2 are written and sent, flying through the web ethers as I type this message. YAY. Excellent excellent week (or two) of reading.

Now...NOW, I am ready to jump back in the FI fray.

WHOOT.

A Reading Kinda Week...

Well, it's Thanksgiving week...which means some legit time off for Jen. OMG. I'm really looking forward to it! Even these first few days have been scaled way back...so in a way, I'm already on vacation. :)

At any rate, I've declared this a reading week. I know, I know. I should be working on my book...and part of me feels guilty that I'm not. The other part says to heck with it! Take a dang break and regroup. The latter part won out.

I'm reading two manuscripts for my peeps. For Peep 1, I'm trying to find places for her to cut. It's a different kind of reading because I really just want to get lost in the story. Here I am, analyzing every scene...IS THIS NECESSARY?? LOL. The first day was pretty successful, though who's to say whether Peep 1 will take my advice. The second day, not so much. LOL. Must remember to put my analytical cap firmly in place tonight, when I hope to finish.

For Peep2, I'm doing a cold, first time reading of her manuscript. It's next after the slice and dice, so hopefully I can get back into "broad strokes" mode.

Other things on the agenda....OH EGADS. I have to write our next installment for the serial over at ATWOP. I'm fuh-reaking. No clue what I'm doing yet and I probably need to write it tonight due to the fact I'll be out of town until Friday. And well, my grandpa doesn't really get an internet connection. I HAVE finked from one of his neighbors before -- but who's to say if the connection will come through again. THAT said, yeah...I need to write it tonight. Which of course may push back my entire schedule as I sit here for hours, staring at a blank screen -- wondering wth to write. Dude, it's so gonna happen. LOL.

I'm also part way through a Maureen Johnson book -- THE KEY TO THE GOLDEN FIREBIRD.

I'd also like to get started on Stephen King's new one -- UNDER THE DOME. I hear it's reaaaaaallly good. Not that I have a shot in hell of finishing it this weekend. LOL.

What plans do you all have? Turkey day plans? :)

If I don't have time later....HAPPY TURKEY DAY!!

Ahhh...

Just finished a lovely worship session.

I'll be honest, I told myself I would go into church to get ONE book, and ONE book only. Namely LOOKING FOR ALASKA for Deniz (she won my book giveaway last Friday over at All The World's Our Page). Ummm, so yeah, I DID buy LFA for Deniz...only I picked up a few other books I wasn't planning on buying. Heh.

CATCHING FIRE by Suzanne Collins -- COME ON. I had to get this one. HUNGER GAMES was fab-u-lous. Had to. Moral imperative on this one. I'm surprised it took me this long to pick it up.

SOULLESS by Gail Carriger -- Cool cover and I heard it's really good. Vamps, Weres, and parasols. What's not to love?

THIRST by Christopher Pike -- I HAD to get this one. HAD to. Loved me some CP when I was a teenager. It's about vampires, too. Hopefully they don't sparkle.

THE ITALIAN SECRETARY by Caleb Carr -- O.M.G. I loved THE ALIENEST and THE ANGEL OF DARKNESS. This is a _Sherlock Holmes_ story. Okay, so I'm really into the Mary Russell series by Laurie R. King (a series featuring an alternative Sherlock Holmes timeline/story -- after he retires), and I'm definitely in the SH mindframe right now. PLUS -- there's a Sherlock Holmes movie coming out soon. Talk about timing on this one! LOL. Anyway, I'm SO looking forward to this one...I do believe it's actually going ahead of CATCHING FIRE in the TBR pile.

BUT...they all must wait. I'm putting on my writing cap now. Off to work.

All's Quiet..

I know I've been quiet this week -- I apologize! It's been...well....CRAZY. I'm working a ton of hours and have had very little time for anything else. Can't believe I'm even awake at this point. (g)

That said, hope everyone is doing well!

Remember that big news I was gushing about a while ago? Well, it's finally out in the open! Kristen Callihan signed with Kristin Nelson!!!!! WHOOT!!!!! How awesome is that? I expect BIG things to be coming Kristen's way...very very soon! (Wow, too many Kristen's in this paragraph!) I'll admit I'm a wee bit jealous, but honestly, I couldn't be happier for both of them! What a match! :) Now I'm all a' flutter waiting for the day I can hold Kristen's book in my hands!

In other news -- snips, snips, and MORE snips over at All The World's Our Page! Be sure to check 'em out. I'm, as always, humbled by the company I'm keeping over there.

I do promise I will be blogging more over here. I have a few books I want to talk about. Namely, I'm in the middle of the Gunslinger series by Stephen King. I've heard mixed reviews of it -- some love it, some hate it. I have to say that overall, I'm enjoying it. I'm currently on WIZARDS & GLASS. I really dig the narrator and so far I'm really loving the book. Anyone else have any comments on this series? I know it's a little weird in spots, but you have to admit he knows his world building. (g)

Oh...and I just finished Tamora Pierce's TRICKSTER'S QUEEN. I have to admit I walk away from these books a trifle confused by what happened, but knowing that I LOVED what happened. LOL. I think it's the names. I have the first book in paperback -- may have to read it next time 'round. Perhaps all the names, etc. will stick with me a little better. I don't know how you even spell his name, but I ADORE Nawat (I looked it up). He has to be one of the most original love interests I've ever discovered. I'll give you some hints -- he's a crow turned man...and he likes to preen and try to feed bugs/worms to Aly (the MC). Makes me giggle all the time. He's very sweet and oh so different.

I've also started book 4 in the Vampire Academy series. Can't recall the name at the moment, but I'm so excited to get started!

What books are y'all reading? Anything new out that's causing a stir? I haven't been to church in a while, so if you know of anything, let me know! :)

Oh..

In case you didn't know -- Claire is giving away a free book this week. You can take your pick of three -- Be sure to check it out!

http://alltheworldsourpage.blogspot.com

We're talking about what we write and posting excerpts this week. Intimidating group of ladies to be amongst, let me tell you. :)

Have You Read These YA's?

I stole this from a blog I ran across tonight...Teen Book Review.

The following list of books teens love, books teens should read, and books adults who serve teens should know about was compiled IN ABSOLUTELY NO SCIENTIFIC MANNER and should be taken with a very large grain of salt.

Instructions:
Put an “X” next to the books you’ve read
Put a “+” next to the books you LOVE
Put a “#” next to the books you plan on reading
Tally your “X”s at the bottom
Share with your friends!


1. Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy / Douglas Adams #
2. Kit’s Wilderness / David Almond
3. Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian / Sherman Alexie #
4. Speak / Laurie Halse Anderson #(Started it but alas...life)
5. Feed / M.T. Anderson
6. Flowers in the Attic / V.C. Andrews X
7. 13 Reasons Why / Jay Asher X
8. Am I Blue? / Marion Dane Bauer (editor)
9. Audrey Wait! / Robin Benway
10. Weetzie Bat / Francesca Lia Block
11. Tangerine / Edward Bloor
12. Forever / Judy Blume
13. What I Saw and How I Lied / Judy Blundell
14. Tyrell / Coe Booth
15. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants / Ann Brashares #
16. A Great and Terrible Beauty / Libba Bray +
17. The Princess Diaries / Meg Cabot #
18. The Stranger / Albert Camus X
19. Ender’s Game / Orson Scott Card #
20. Postcards from No Man’s Land / Aidan Chambers
21. Perks of Being a Wallflower / Stephen Chbosky
22. And Then There Were None / Agatha Christie +
23. Gingerbread / Rachel Cohn
24. Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist / Rachel Cohn and David Levithan #
25. Artemis Fowl (series) / Eoin Colfer
26. The Hunger Games / Suzanne Collins +
27. The Midwife’s Apprentice / Karen Cushman
28. The Truth About Forever / Sarah Dessen
29. Little Brother / Cory Doctorow
30. A Northern Light / Jennifer Donnelly
31. Tears of a Tiger / Sharon Draper
32. The House of the Scorpion / Nancy Farmer
33. Breathing Underwater / Alex Flinn
34. Stardust / Neil Gaiman
35. Annie on My Mind / Nancy Garden
36. What Happened to Cass McBride / Gail Giles
37. Fat Kid Rules the World / K.L. Going
38. Lord of the Flies / William Golding X
39. Looking for Alaska / John Green +
40. Bronx Masquerade / Nikki Grimes
41. Out of the Dust / Karen Hesse
42. Hoot / Carl Hiaasen
43. The Outsiders / S.E. Hinton
44. Crank / Ellen Hopkins
45 The First Part Last / Angela Johnson
46. Blood and Chocolate / Annette Curtis Klause X
47. Arrow’s Flight / Mercedes Lackey
48. Hattie Big Sky / Kirby Larson
49. To Kill a Mockingbird / Harper Lee # (Again, started it...)
50. Boy Meets Boy / David Levithan
51. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks / E. Lockhart
52. The Giver / Lois Lowry
53. Number the Stars / Lois Lowry
54. Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie / David Lubar
55. Inexcusable / Chris Lynch
56. The Earth, My Butt and Other Big, Round Things / Carolyn Mackler
57. Dragonsong / Anne McCaffrey
58. White Darkness / Geraldine McCaughrean
59. Sold / Patricia McCormick
60. Jellicoe Road / Melina Marchetta
61. Wicked Lovely / Melissa Marr X
62. Twilight / Stephenie Meyer X
63. Dairy Queen / Catherine Murdock
64. Fallen Angels / Walter Dean Myers
65. Monster / Walter Dean Myers
66. Step From Heaven / An Na
67. Mama Day / Gloria Naylor
68. The Keys to the Kingdom (series) / Garth Nix
69. Sabriel / Garth Nix
70. Airborn / Kenneth Oppel
71. Eragon / Christopher Paolini X
72. Hatchet / Gary Paulsen
73. Life As We Knew It / Susan Beth Pfeffer
74. The Golden Compass / Phillip Pullman #
75. Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging / Louise Rennison
76. The Lightning Thief / Rick Riordan
77. Always Running: La Vida Loca / Luis Rodriguez
78. how i live now / Meg Rosoff
79. Harry Potter (series) / J.K. Rowling +
80. Holes / Louis Sachar #
81. Catcher in the Rye / J. D. Salinger X
82. Push / Sapphire
83. Persepolis / Marjane Satrapi
84. Unwind / Neil Shusterman
85. Coldest Winter Ever / Sister Souljah
86. Stargirl / Jerry Spinelli
87. Chanda’s Secrets / Allan Stratton
88. Tale of One Bad Rat / Brian Talbot
89. Rats Saw God / Rob Thomas
90. Lord of the Rings / J.R.R. Tolkien X
91. Stuck in Neutral / Terry Trueman
92. Gossip Girl / Cecily Von Ziegesar
93. Uglies / Scott Westerfeld +
94. Every Time a Rainbow Dies / Rita Williams-Garcia
95. Pedro and Me / Judd Winick
96. Hard Love / Ellen Wittlinger
97. American Born Chinese / Gene Luen Yang
98. Elsewhere / Gabrielle Zevin
99. I am the Messenger / Markus Zusak #
100. The Book Thief / Markus Zusak +

Wow...apparently I'm reading all the wrong YA's. (g) I only counted 17 on this list. (29 if you count all the books in the series I've read) I need to get crackin'!

How'd you guys fair?

SHADOW KISS by Richelle Mead

Just finished reading SHADOW KISS by Richelle Mead and boy am I SO glad I waited to read it until the fourth book was out. Let me tell you, it has one of those endings that leaves you screaming for more.

Actually, I think my reaction was something like this:

*Jen reading, knowing the pages are dwindling...two more pages...*aaargh*...one page...oh shiite, only a paragraph..last sentence...*

"Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!"

Yes, I am a'clamoring for more. In fact, did I not have the fourth novel in my hot little hands, I might've staked out Mead's front yard, refusing to leave until she let me peer over her shoulder while she wrote it. I think all of us should be extremely thankful this is NOT the situation. I do indeed have the book, and I will not go all stalker on anyone. Small miracle.

That said, I have no idea if I should read the next book because I have a gut feeling my reaction to the end of book 4 will only be...more intense. (g)

Okay -- I haven't reviewed any of the books in this series, so let me give you a quick overview of Mead's world.

Rose Hathaway is what's known as a dhamphir. A half-human, half-vampire. This makeup leaves her stronger and more resilient than full-vampires, the Moroi. Because of this difference, dhamphirs pretty much serve two purposes in life. They either go into intense training and become guardians to the physically inferior Moroi, or they become...hmmm, how shall we put this? Blood whores. *heh* Because the ONLY way for Moroi to reproduce is to do it with a dhamphir. (Is this twisted or what?) Dhamphir's are basically the second class citizens of the vampire world. Their motto: They come first. Meaning the Moroi.

But there are evil forces also at work in this world! The Stirgoi. Stirgoi are the BAD vampires. They're sort of a combination of the vampires we all love to lust after, and brainless zombies intent on eating brains. Only they want blood. They're evil, destructive, and hell-bent on taking out all the Moroi. Hence the need for Guardians (the trained arse-kicking dhampirs).

The Moroi DO have one advantage, tho. Magic. Only problem is that they've sort of lost it over the years. And those in power believe all the fighting should be left up to the Guardians.

This is a problem for Lissa Dragomir, who has the power of spirit. Rose and Lissa grew up together, and when in a tragic car accident that wiped out Lissa's entire family, it was Rose she came to the rescue of, saving her with her magic and creating a link between them known as being Shadow Kissed. You with me?

This shadow kiss allows Rose to feel Lissa's emotions--to even "become" her in order to see through her eyes, etc. This link is very strong, and of course, makes Rose the perfect guardian-in-training to protect Lissa. They attend the St. Vladimir's Academy -- a school for vamps and training dhamphirs.

They get into a lot of trouble. They chase after a lot of boys. Most importantly, they, or rather, Rose, chases Dmitri, the guardian assigned to train her for her future guardian role. Still with me?

MAYHEM ENSUES. LOTS OF MAYHEM.

I'm not going to go into the specifics about THIS book. Way too much to explain, and I'd spoil everything for you. What I will say is this:

YOU. NEED. TO. READ. THESE. BOOKS.

Book 1: VAMPIRE ACADEMY
Book 2: FROSTBITE
Book 3: SHADOW KISS
Book 4: BLOOD PROMISE (just released this year)
Book 5: SPIRIT BOUND (Slated to drop May 2010)
Book 6: TBA (sob--I believe it's the final one -- Slated to drop 2010)

If you've read BTPM and enjoyed it -- get these books. They will show what a truly talentless hack I am. But that's okay.

Oh Man!

I don't know about you, but I'm excited to read it!!!

You'll Never Guess What I Have In My Hot Little Hands

Three Clues:

1. It took a full thirty seconds for my computer to download and open.

2. It's a total of 848 pages.

3. It's the seventh book in a long running series.

Jealous? (very big evil grin)

This is SO Bubbly-Making

In order to promote his upcoming book, LEVIATHAN, Scott Westerfeld and his publisher are giving away free e-copies of UGLIES.

You can find it HERE.

How flippin' cool is that?

If you want to talk like me and sound like you've totally gone brain-missing, you'll want to check it out.

Plus, it's a pretty fan-flippin-tastic book. My personal fave in the UGLIES trilogy.

LEVIATHAN drops on October 6th. (Yes, I said drops like I'm some badass recording artist.) I can hardly wait!!!