Waiting On Wednesday

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

For my first WoW I have two books from the paranormal genre....but both ends of the spectrum. One YA and one decidedly not! :-)

I'm lucky - the two books I'm waiting for are almost here!

The first one is The Reckoning (Darkest Powers, Book 3) by Kelley Armstrong. It will be nice to have a conclusion to at least one of the series I'm reading! Plus I'm looking forward to more Derek. (April 6, 2010) 

The second one is Lover Mine: A Novel of the Black Dagger Brotherhood by J.R.Ward. This book tells John Matthew and Xhex's story. John Matthew probably has the most continuous storyline in this series, so it will be nice to see how it gets resolved. I'm also hoping for a little Blay/Qhuinn action...but I doubt that's where she'll go with that *sad face*. (hardcover April 27,2010)

What about you? Post a link for your WoW selections in my comment section and I'll go check it out!

Guest Post by Mara Purnhagen

Today we have a guest post by Mara Purnhagen, author of Tagged. She tells us what got her serious about writing her first book and why she writes YA. Very inspirational!



*The bell rang indicating seventh period had begun, but I could barely hear it over the noise in my classroom. My last class of the day was a 90-minute block teaching remedial English to 31 freshmen. Of those thirty-one students, 29 had Individual Education Plans (IEPs) which stated that they were to receive their choice of seating, modified tests and monthly conferences. I spent an hour a day filling out paper work alone. And although we had recently completed a successful unit on The Odyssey, my restless end-of-the-day students remained my greatest challenge. Two were still learning English. All of them tested below grade level. One was still learning how to spell his name. And here I was, in my sixth year of teaching high school English, and still struggling to find a way to reach kids who had absolutely no interest in vocabulary or grammar or spelling. College was not an option for most. In fact, graduation was not a goal for half the class. Completing their freshman year? Maybe.


I took attendance and waited for my students to settle down. I chose this class, I reminded myself. I had taught AP English, college prep, British Lit—you name it. But I always returned to freshman English. I loved it. I marveled at how these kids came in at 14 years old and left the school at 18—technically, adults—and I loved the enthusiasm and uncertainty and intensity of freshmen. Some of them had never heard of Shakespeare and nearly all of them associated Homer with The Simpsons, but at the end of the year, I had taught them something (I hope) that they could relate to.


Still, I needed to find an effective way to grab their attention at the beginning of class, something they could focus on. I was competing with short attention spans and caffeine buzzes and my own dwindling energy. I decided to try reading aloud at the start of each day, but I wanted to find a book that could catch the wandering minds of my students. Something modern, I thought, remembering a recent complaint that “all we read is stuff by dead people.”


At the time, I was not well-versed in contemporary young adult fiction. I had read mainly classics as a teenager, with the occasional novel by Paula Danziger or Christopher Pike thrown in. Growing up, the young adult genre seemed to consist of funny books, scary books or the dreaded “problem novel.” I hadn’t picked up a YA novel in over ten years and had no idea what was out there, so I visited the school library and asked for help. The school librarian recommended several titles, and I chose one that sounded intriguing: The Body of Christopher Creed by Carol Plum-Ucci, which had arrived a week earlier. I took it home and read it straight through, thrilled with the pacing and plot. There was a language issue—if I read some of the words aloud I would have parents calling me the next day—so I decided not to read them (this actually proved to be a perfect solution: the kids knew that when I paused, I was skipping over a word, and that drove them crazy to read it for themselves).


For the next two weeks, I began each class with a chapter from the book. My students were hooked after the first page. They begged me to read more, and I always made the same deal with them: if we could get through my lesson plan, I would use any time left at the end of the period to read. After I read a chapter, we would talk about a character’s motivation or what they thought would happen next. The Body of Christopher Creed was a hit, and I was already making a list of recently released YA novels I wanted to check out.
When we were more than halfway through the book, a student approached me before class. He was a shy, quiet boy who always sat in the back and was working hard to keep a solid D average. “I know how the book ends,” he told me. I was in possession of the school’s only copy, so I asked him how he had managed to read it. “I asked my mom to take me to the local library,” he said. “I signed up for a library card and checked it out. I read the whole thing last night.” He smiled. “And I know you’re skipping a lot more words than everyone thinks.”


He went on to tell me that he’d never been inside the library before, even though our local branch was located right across the street. While he was there, his mother also applied for a card and checked out a few books. I was thrilled. I told my student that if he kept the ending to himself, I would give him extra credit on his next test for reading the entire book on his own. He agreed, and I marveled at the fact that he had just given me one of my best moments in teaching—and the idea that I wanted to write YA.


That was in 2003. Since then, I have made it my job to read at least one YA novel a week. The genre has changed so much since I was 15. It is more vibrant and diverse and I am constantly amazed at its bounty.
My first YA novel, Tagged, was published in March 2010. While writing it, I thought about that rowdy class of freshmen. In the back of my mind, they were still my audience. My goal was to write something that would appeal to reluctant readers, something with a fast pace and interesting plot. Something you could read aloud, even. When I stumble over writer’s block, I remind myself of my audience, an audience I chose because I love the way they think and demand and question. I am writing for the quiet kids in the back of the room—as well as the not-so-quiet ones who are looking for a reason to listen.


Thanks Mara, what a great story! Check out Mara's website for more information about Mara, Tagged and her upcoming Past Midnight series about ghosts. It looks really good and comes out in September of this year!
AND don't forget to enter to win a signed copy of Tagged here!

CONTEST! Win a signed copy of Tagged by Mara Purnhagen!

Mara Purnhagen was kind enough to offer a signed copy of her debut book - Tagged. I really loved it so I'm happy to be able to help spread the word and give someone else a chance to read it!

You can read my review for Tagged here.

Tagged is about 4ft life like graffiti gorillas showing up on the walls in school and then around town.......a debate ensues as to whether the graffiti is art or vandalism. I changed my own opinion several times during the book so the question for this contest is: Do you think graffiti is a form of art and expression or vandalism? (or maybe a little of both).

Here's the defintion for graffiti from wikipedia:
Graffiti (singular: graffito; the plural is used as a mass noun) is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property. Graffiti is any type of public markings that may appear in the forms of simple written words to elaborate wall paintings. Graffiti has existed since ancient times, with examples dating back to Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire[1]. In modern times, spray paint, normal paint and markers have become the most commonly used materials. In most countries, defacing property with graffiti without the property owner's consent is considered vandalism, which is punishable by law. Sometimes graffiti is employed to communicate social and political messages. To some, it is an art form worthy of display in galleries and exhibitions; to others it is merely vandalism. Graffiti has since evolved into a pop culture existence often related to underground hip hop music and b-boying creating a lifestyle that remains hidden from the general public.[2] Graffiti is used as a gang signal to mark territory or to serve as an indicator or "tag" for gang-related activity. The controversies that surround graffiti continue to create disagreement amongst city officials/ law enforcement and graffitists looking to display their work in public locations. There are many different types and styles of graffiti and it is a rapidly developing artform whose value is highly contested, being reviled by many authorities while also subject to protection, sometimes within the same jurisdiction.

We had a graffiti problem in FL near the college campus, so they decided to let the artists do their work under the bridges as long as they stuck with a native Floridian theme. It changes all the time and it's fun to to see each artist's interpretation. I googled graffiti for this post and I had no idea that there were so many styles and what a large community it was!

OK - so here are the rules!
•You must be 16 years or older to enter
•Open to everyone - international OK
•All entries must be received by Sunday 4/4//2010 11:59 pm EST
•Tell me: Do you think graffiti is art or vanadlism in the comment section
•Winner will be posted on this blog Monday 4/5/2010 - it is your responsibility to check back to see if you won.
•The winner has 7 days to email me with their address or I will pick another winner.

*Extra entries:
+ 2 if your a follower of my blog
+ 2 if you follow me on Twitter (@teamsheltie)
+2 if you post a link on your blog or tweet about contest (include links for me to check)

I just wanted to add that Mara is part of the Class of 2K10 - a group of mid-grade and YA authors releasing books this year. My goal is to read and review all of them & I've really enjoyed all the books so far - so check them out to see who's next! CLASS OF 2K10

And check back this week for a guest post form Mara!

Good Luck!

Karen

Sunday Ramblings..............

This week was all about my favorite book of 2009 - Willow by Julia Hoban!


You still have until 11:59 ESTpm tonight to enter to win a copy of Willow HERE

Check out my review for Willow.

I also posted about Leave A Mark book auctions that will start up again this August. You can win "marked up" books and all the money goes to charity! Go HERE to find out more and then check out the excerpts from Willow with Julia's notes HERE and part two HERE.

 Last but not least I have an interview with Julia Hoban !

TWITTER contest! I'm giving away a copy of either The Blind Side OR New Moon (your choice). Tweet me @teamsheltie if you want to win . US only and you must follow me on twitter! I'll pick a random winner sometime Sunday.

This week's pet is "Jasper" - a sheltie..... just like my guys! If you want to see a picture of your pet up here send it to me - fwiw(dot)kea(at)gmail(dot)com. It can be a dog/cat/fish....whatever!

Speaking of pictures of pets.............my pick for the blog spotlight this week is The Book Scout . A blog that reviews YA books. And now through 4/24/10 she is having a contest where you have to match up YA authors names with the photos of their pet! The person with the most correct matches wins books and swag...sounds fun! She also has books for trade so go check it out!

Coming up:

Contest!  Mara Purnhagen is giving away a signed copy of her debut novel Tagged!

* Mara will also be doing a guest blog here so check back for that!

I had company all week and I didn't get much reading done so I hope to catch up and get some reviews written!
I'm also hoping to do a little bit of redesigning of the blog so excuse my dust if things look different....and then different again....feel free to comment to if you like (or dislike) something!

Have a great week!
Karen

Interview with Julia Hoban

                                                              

I hope you have enjoyed reading about Willow all week. It is truly one of my favorite books. Julia was kind enough to answer a few questions so enjoy!

Don't forget to enter for a chance to win a copy of Willow HERE & look on the sidebar for links to all the Willow related posts from the past week! 

Q) What inspired you to write Willow?
Julia - I wanted to write a book for all of us with self destructive urges, a book that would take one person from a place of self harm to a place of healing, and in doing so possibly make people question their own damaging behaviors. I chose to make Willow a cutter because it is a very dramatic and obvious form of self injury, but it could just as easily have been a book about overeating or doing drugs, or even something as innocent as watching too much television.

Q) Books play such an integral part of the story in Willow, it made me wonder what books or authors influenced you and your writing?
Julia - Well in a sense I’ve been influenced by every writer I’ve ever read, I really couldn’t point to anyone specific. I can tell you that I adore reading as much as Willow and Guy do, books are and have always been one of the ruling passions of my life.

Q) Willow has isolated herself to an extent that she often has a warped view of her interactions with other people. Yet I found her to be a very sympathetic and unselfish character. Could you explain how you were able to get across her more appealing qualities?
Julia - Thank you for saying that, I’m very glad that you perceive her that way! Willow is a very high maintenance girl, no question, so it was very important to show why she is lovable as well. I think the great love and concern that she has for her brother goes some way towards demonstrating this (I hope!) as does her behavior in the physics lab, when she comes to the rescue of the other girl, even though she has no reason to. She’s in a great deal of pain, yet is still able to defend and stand up for someone else. I think that says volumes about her character.

Q)Why do you think Willow is finally able to open up to Guy despite closing herself off to everyone else?
Julia - There are a couple of reasons for this. First and foremost is their shared love of books and Anthropology , but even though Willow feels she’s met a soul mate she wants to push Guy away, she’s simply not ready to let anyone into her world. That changes rather dramatically, however, when Guy stumbles upon her secret. She is forced to open up to him then. Of course this proves to be the best thing for her, but initially she is very reluctant where Guy is concerned.
I’d like to mention something here --- when Guy first finds out that Willow is a cutter, she offers to sleep with him as a way to buy his silence. She makes this offer although she barely knows him. I said, in answer to your first question, that I wanted to write a book where a character went from a place of self harm to a place of healing. I also very much wanted to write a book where a young woman starts off by treating her sexuality in a completely irresponsible and cavalier fashion, and learns to value both it, and herself. When Willow offers to sleep with Guy she is being no less self destructive than when she takes a razor to her flesh. Now Willow and Guy eventually do have sex together (I don’t believe this is a spoiler, the second you meet Guy, you know the two of them are going to fall in love and that he is going to help her heal. The question isn’t will this happen, but how and when.) And when they finally do have sex, it is an appropriate choice and handled in a responsible fashion. Make no mistake, I am not advocating teen sex, it’s just that there are very few positive examples of responsible sex in the YA literature. Sex in YA books tends, for the most part, to fall into two categories: consequence free and of no more importance than the hottest accessory, or something that leads to tragedy. I wanted to show a different model. Now here’s the great part, I was worried that this would make parents nervous, but there’s been a lot of feedback from mom’s that were quite approving. One mother wrote that “Willow and Guy don’t just have technical safe sex, they have emotional safe sex.” Exactly. I’ll get off my soapbox now.

Q) Laurie has a small, but important role in the book. What effect do you think Laurie's friendship has on Willow?
Julia - What a great question! As you say, although a tertiary character she plays a pivotal role, both Laurie and Chloe draw Willow out of her shell almost against her will. I don’t know if you noticed this, but Willow’s interactions with the girls have a definite arc. The first time she’s with them she says something completely stupid, and has to run away, a few scenes later, while still uncomfortable, she’s able to talk about shoes and fashion, something she would have been completely unable to do at the beginning of the story. Laurie works a quiet magic on Willow. She’s willing to talk without judging and accept Willow as part of the crowd.

Q) Are you working on anything now that you can tell us about?
Julia - I am working on something, but I’m much too superstitious too talk about it! You want to know how superstitious I am? The corrections on WILLOW were due on April first, and I asked my editor if I could deliver them in the next day because I was nervous about handing them in on April Fools day! I can tell you I’m about 80% done with my new project….

Q) What is your idea of the perfect day?
Julia - It would have to include lots of sleep (I never get enough!) and lots of chocolate! I love it when my husband takes the day off work, we go to the Metropolitan Museum, see something amazing, have lunch there, walk home through Central Park, and then take a nap. I can’t imagine how boring that must sound to your readers!

Thank you Julia for stopping by and for giving us insight into the writing process. Thank you for answering all my emails and questions! It's always nice to find out the person whose work you admire is also so kind and generous with their time and knowledge.
And thank you bloggers for indulging my little obsession........I hope this week has given you insight into Willow if you have read it already or made you want to go read it if you haven't.

Part two 'Marked up excerpts from Willow by Julia Hoban"

I hope your enjoying this look into "the behind the scenes" of Willow.  (to read part 1 go HERE) Here are a few more excerpts (in italics) followed by Julia's notes (in italics bold).

Here Julia explains why she felt particular phrase was important to the story.

Excerpt: "But maybe her earlier tears have no implications beyond their immediate and obvious meaning. She was affected by her mother's letter to the housekeeper, by the small reminder that once her welfare was paramount in someone else's world, and for whatever reason, she was able to process that feeling without the alchemy of cutting." (pg 304 hardcover)

Julia: My editor and I debated whether the word alchemy made sense here, but ultimately we both felt that it perfectly expresses what cutting has meant to Willow. It IS an alchemical process. Just as alchemy turns lead into gold, cutting turns emotional pain into pysical pain.

This is a very powerful scene - Willow watching her brother David cry, knowing that in some way she has caused this pain for him. She's watching from the stairs and David cannot see her. Below is an excerpt, followed by Julia's explanation on why she chose third person to tell Willow's story.

Excerpt: "It occurs to her that finally, there is someting that she can do for her brother................"
"She can sit and watch him, bear witness to his pain. She can force herself to sit through this, live htrough every sob with him, without resorting to the one thing that has protected her from feeling such pain herself" (pg 254 hardcover)

Julia: And here is another example of why I believe the novel had to be in 3rd person. Go back and put that section in the first person. It's quite a bit different isn't it? This scene is supposed to show how much Willow loves her brother, how she would do anythign for him. it is quite a selfless act, but put it in the first person, and it becomes horribly self centered and self congratulatory.

A sweet and pivotal moment between Guy and Willow that shows just how great he is.

Excerpt: "I want a book," Willow blurts out finally. She supposes that this answer makes as much sense as any other. "Bullfinch's Mythology. I want my father's copy.'
Guy nods slowly, as if this makes perfect sense. He doesn't say, as someone else might, that she can walk into almost any bookstore and buy a copy, he doesn't say that he knows that she already owns a copy, that he's seen her wit it any number of times, or that he can lend her his own. Instead her just turns and says: "Okay then, looks like I'm the one who's going to have to find a car to borrow." (pg 272 hardcover)

Julia: This gets to me - this total and complete acceptance. he's going to help her, no questions asked. And by the way, in case you were wondering, going home is the fateful decision.

Okay - One more and this is basically Julia's description of what the book is about and she says it much more eloquently than I ever could.

Julia: On the face of it Willow is a story about grief, and the ways in which people process grief. But it is really a story about the redemptive power of love. It is about the love of books, the love of family, and a very special love that develops betwen Willow and Guy, a love that allows our heroine to start her journey toawrds healing.

So that's it! I hope you enjoyed the "directors" cut of Willow. It is such a beautiful story and I'm so lucky to have been able to read what went into the writing of this book. I would also like to thank Julia Hoban who not only made the winning of this book an amazing experience but has also turned out to be a fantastic person and friend! Also, thank you to Lauren and Chelsea who run the auctions. You both do an amazing job!

If you enjoyed reading the mark up's please check out  Leave A Mark Auctions and bookmark it now so your ready when the auctions start up again in August! They offer books from a variety of genres and the winning bids have been as low as $20 so there's a chance for everyone win! You get to own a one of a kind item that will have special meaning to you.

For a chance to win Willow click HERE

     Buy the book: Willow

Marked up excerpts from Willow by Julia Hoban

The following are excerpts (in italics) from Willow followed by author Julia Hoban's notes (in bold), from my "marked up" copy that I won at the Leave A Mark Auctions. For more information click HERE

*Tristes Tropiques is the book that first brings Willow and Guy together and it is very important to the story. Here is the excerpt from the book followed by Julia's reason (in bold) for choosing it. (refers to pg 10 hardcover)

Excerpt: "Do you know this book? I mean, have you read Tristes Tropiques before?" he asks as he takes it from her hands.
"Yes, a couple of times, actually," Willow says after a few seconds. She closes her eyes for a moment and pictures her parents' study with its wall of books. Tristes Tropiques, third shelf, second from the left.

Julia:  "Tristes Tropiques is in fact one of the most important anthropoligical works of the 20th century. But that isn't why I chose it. I chose it because I feel that the title has so much resonance. Even if you didn't take French in high school and don't know that "Tristes" means sad, it still comes across. So much so that when it was translated into English the pubs decided not to translate the title. It's very evocotive, don't you think?"

*The reason Julia chose the names Willow, Guy, David, Cathy and Isabelle. (pg19 hardcover)

Julia: "What kind of of images or qualities would most people associate with a name like Willow? I think the most likely adjectives would be along these lines: delicate, graceful, supple, frail, vulnerable yet strong, lovely.....as for Guy, I wanted a name that gave the idea of an everyman, but an exceptional everyman.
David - I think it is a very soild name....I can see a David shouldering all the burdens that David has to deal with. As for Cathy and Isabelle, can you guess? they are my little homage to the two main characters in Wuthering Heights, one of my favorite books in high school!"

*This is from the first time Willow has a conversation with Guy - about Tristes Tropiques, followed by Julia's explanation about how this book is about a love of books. (pg 56 hardcover)

Excerpt: "Still, as she watches him leave, she can't help feeling a small pang. She thinks that he must be the only person she's met in the last seven months who didn't say something stupid or insensitive about the fact that her parents are dead.
And the only one she has talked about Tristes tropiques with too"

Julia:  I said that in some ways this book is about the love of books themselves. this is one of the manifestationsof that: that to some extent Willow has started to bond with Guy through talking about books. And more specifically, she has bonded with him over abook that was very special to her parents.

*Julia wanted Guy to have spent time abroad and chose Kuala Lumpur - here is the reason for choosing that local and the problems that came from that choice. (pg 132 hardcover)

Julia: My husband and I always joked about eloping to Kuala Lumpur, so KL it became. The joke was on me though, because I thought it would be fun to have Guy speak a few sentences in Maylay. Only after a little research I found out just what a strange and convoluted language it is! The literal translation of  "I love you" in Maylay is "I have tumbled into your liver" Yes! You ead that correctly! So I decided to forgo the sentences in Malay.

I hope you will come back tomorrow to read more marked up passages from Willow. It's been really difficult to pick just a few! Hopefully even if you haven't read Willow - you won't be too lost and are still able to get a feel for the story - or at least enjoy the technical aspects of the writing process. For those of you that are already fans, what did you think? Did the excerpts with Julia's comments add insight to the book for you?

Click HERE for a chance to win a copy of Willow!

Leave A Mark Book Auctions

I had the opportunity to participate in a charity book auction last year at Leave A Mark Auctions.

I want to tell you a little bit about what they do and the goodies I’ve won so far (I say so far, because I’m already saving my pennies to bid again this year!)

Leave A Mark started in 2009 and is run by the fantastic and hard working Lauren and Chelsea! What makes these auctions unique are that the books are “marked up” by the authors. That is – the authors writes notes throughout the book – explain why they chose characters names, inspirations for certain scenes etc. It is a great way to get an inside peek at the writing process of your favorite author.

All the proceeds go to charity. Since they began the auctions in 2008 they have raised over $1000.00! Last year and again for this year’s auctions the proceeds will go to FIRST BOOK, a fantastic charity that gets new books to kids that wouldn’t otherwise have access to reading.


I won three books last year. Willow by Julia Hoban, Wicked Game by Jeri Smith-Ready and an ARC of Vintage Veronica by Erica Perl. The winning bids have been as low as $20 and as high as $135 so there is a chance for everyone to win!

The auctions will start again in August this year and in addition to books being marked up by the authors they hope to add notable people from other areas such as music or acting marking up their favorite books.

So mark your calendars and add Leave A Mark to your favorites list and I will see you there!

Since I’m celebrating the paperback release of Willow this week and I won the “marked up” copy of Willow, I will be sharing excerpts this week so you can get an idea of what Leave A Mark is all about.

Karen

photos: top left - Willow by Julia Hoban, center right - Vintage Veronica by Erica Perl, bottom left - Wicked Game by Jeri Smith-Ready

REVIEW: Willow by Julia Hoban

Seven months ago, on a rainy March night, sixteen-year- old Willow’s parents drank too much wine and asked her to drive them home. They never made it—Willow lost control of the car and her parents died in the accident. Now she has left behind her old home, friends, and school, and blocks the pain by secretly cutting herself. But when Willow meets Guy, a boy as sensitive and complicated as she is, she begins an intense, life-changing relationship that turns her world upside down.

YA Fiction

REVIEW:
I have gone over this review in my head so many times. Willow is one of my all time favorite books and I want my review to express all the things I feel about it but that’s impossible. So here’s my attempt at doing this book justice.
After Willow’s parents (anthropology and archeology professors) die in a tragic car accident in which Willow was driving, she begins cutting herself as a way to deal with the pain. It’s a way to punish herself and for her to have control of the overwhelming emotions engulfing her. She’s now living with David (her brother) and his wife and baby. David won’t discuss their parents or the accident that left him as her guardian and she is too aware of the pressure her being there is putting on this young family.
School is no better. She knows everyone is watching her, the girl who killed her parents, and she avoids people at all costs to avoid the questions that will surely follow. Until one day when she meets Guy while working in the University library. He needs help finding Tristes Tropiques – her father’s favorite anthropology book. He makes her uncomfortable…. he makes her feel.

“Their gazes catch and for a moment she feels herself respond the way any normal girl would if she were standing next to a cute guy. She’s a little flustered, a little embarrassed, and a little attracted too. Willow steps away from him, as far as she possibly can. She can’t deal with anything like this right now”

Guy finds out about her secret and at first he is a reluctant hero. Not sure exactly what to do with this knowledge, but feeling responsible he reaches out to her. He really is the perfect “guy”. He tries to understand her pain but he also challenges her, protects her, accepts her and he simply loves her.
Through Guy’s love Willow is able to begin to heal herself and her relationship with her brother. It’s not an easy road but bit by bit she’s at least willing to take the chance.
Julia writes Willow’s story in third person (present tense) narrative and because of this choice we are able to feel Willow’s despair watching David struggle with his new responsibilities, feel her desperation to cut to escape the pain and also to feel the hope when Guy enters her life, helping her to take those first tentative steps to healing.
If you are shying away from reading Willow because of the subject matter – don’t. Almost everyone has experienced a sense of isolation or embarrassment in high school and developed coping mechanisms to deal with it. While this story is about a particular set of circumstances, the death of Willow’s parents - her cutting, it’s really about how we all deal with the pain in our lives. It could have just as easily been about overeating, anorexia, or bullying. It is ultimately a book about love and hope, not cutting. I found myself smiling many times and cheering Willow on.
It’s also about romance. As Willow and Guy bond over their shared love of books, she is able to open up to him and to others because of him. They have a tender, powerful and redemptive relationship. Here’s a quote from later in the book and you can see that it’s quite different than the one I chose earlier. Here Willow is speaking to Guy: "But I like to talk to you. Because I can ask you anything, tell you anything, and no matter what I say to you, I know it will be alright” So beautiful!
I recently read a quote by author Denise Jaden (Losing Faith) “Sometimes the power of love doesn’t just change us, it changes our perception and our entire world” and it is so true of this relationship.
Willow is not always an easy read, but I promise you it is uplifting and well worth the effort.

This is a stunning novel by Julia Hoban and I can’t wait to see what she writes next.

Rating: 5 out 4. I know that’s not possible but it’s my blog!

Buy the book: Willow

WILLOW EXTRAS!*My interview with Julia Hoban: HERE

*Excerpts from Willow with notes by Julia: Part 1 , Part 2

Sunday Ramblings.............

This week I had my first Twitter only contest for the DVD of Dr. Horrible and the winner was Heather! Go visit her blog at Darkly Reading! So make sure you follow me on Twitter (@teamsheltie) so your ready for the next contest.
I also made it to my 45 blog followers in record time and the winner of the $45 gift card was Scott! Congratulations and I hope you all keep following even without the lure of gift cards!

We discussed if a beautiful cover makes you buy a book even if you don't know anything about it HERE

Reviews:
Leaving Gee's Bend
The Oracle of Dating
The Movie: Alice In Wonderland

CONTEST! This is the last day to enter to win both Fragile & Broken by Shiloh Walker ENTER HERE

*Blog Spotlight: If you like YA romance or Historical Romance go check out In the Hammoock Blog. Carrie does a great job at reviewing books and her blog is beautiful!

Coming up this week:
When I love a book I really love a book. I even get a little obsessed about it....reading it over and over, harassing people to buy it. You will see in the coming months what I'm talking about - I have a few things planned pertaining to my favorite authors.
Up first is Willow by Julia Hoban. This was by far the best book I read last year. I've read it many times but I still get totally sucked in everytime. Willow was released in paperback this month and to celebrate I'm dedicating the whole week to Willow and Julia Hoban.
First up is a contest of course! I'm giving away a copy of Willow.
I'll post my review and then a little something special for those of you that have already read the book. I won a "marked up" (the author writes notes throughout the book) copy of Willow last year at a charity book auction. I will explain more about that and how you can participate yourself when the auctions start back up in August and I will be sharing the "mark ups". If you are a fan of this book you won't want to miss it. I'll tell you why Julia chose the names "Willow" and "Guy", the inspirations for different scenes and more!
I'll also have an interview with Julia.

See - like I said....obsessed!

This week's pet is "Bob" the stuck up cat (or so his owner says) sent in by Maresa. Awwww - leave poor Bob alone!
If you have a pet send your picture in and I'll use it in a Sunday post!!

Karen

Movie Review: Alice In Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland is director Tim Burton's take on the classic tale, and it is all that you would expect from Burton visually. I loved the color pallete of pastels and muted tones with bursts of eyepopping color throughout.
Alice has been having dreams of “Wonderland” since she was a child. Now as an adult the White Rabbit has returned for her to defeat the Jabberwocky and save Wonderland from the Red Queen.
Mia Wasikowska's portrayal of Alice was the perfect balance to the trio of Burton, Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter. She kept the movie grounded and gave me someone to root for when it could have easily gone way over the top.
I'm not a big Helena Bonham Carter fan but I loved her as the Red Queen. First of all, you cannot stop laughing at that emormous head! but she also added a surprising depth to the character and I felt a lot of sympathy for her.
Johnny Depp was surprisingly bland and I couldn't understand what he was saying most of the time. I also didn't think he had much chemistry with the other actors.
As you would expect this is mostly a special effects movie and there is a lot of CGI used to varying degrees of success. One of the worst uses is with Stayne (played by Crispin Glover). His head is real but his body is CGI and his movements are very choppy. I'm still unsure of why they felt the need to use CGI for his character. Another example is with the horses...again, I'm not sure why they even used CGI for them except for when they talked.
Overall a fun movie......gorgeous to look at. It seemed like they attempted to flesh out a story but I just wasn't feeling the connection between the characters with the exception of Alice and the Red Queen and Stayne.
Note: I didn't see this in 3D so maybe the effects would be better in that format.

Rating: 3 out 4 Not perfect....but fun! See it on the big screen.

Running Length: 1hr 48min
MPAA Classification: PG
Cast: Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, Crispin Glover, Stephen Fry (voice), Michael Sheen (voice), Alan Rickman (voice)
Director: Tim Burton

REVIEW: The Oracle of Dating by Allison Van Diepen

For five bucks, the Oracle of Dating will tell you:

• How to flirt
• If that cute guy you’re crushing on likes you, too

• Whether your new romance will last through lunch period
• And much more

What she won’t tell you? Who she is.

No one at Kayla’s school knows she’s the famous Oracle of Dating — the anonymous queen of dating advice. She doesn’t even have a boyfriend. Two relationship disasters were enough to make Kayla focus on everyone else’s love life.
But then her advice backfires on her own best friend. And Kayla starts to seriously obsess about Jared Stewart — the very cute, very mysterious new guy in school. Suddenly, the teen queen of advice needs her own oracle of dating — and she knows just where to find one… YA Fiction

REVIEW:

Kayla likes helping people with their relationships. She’s good at it. So with the help of her older sister she starts up the “Oracle of Dating” website because she thinks teenagers need someone to talk to when they are having dating trouble and need objective and anonymous advice.

What’s her experience in the dating world? Next to none. She’s had two boyfriends, now known as Case Study 1, and Case Study 2. Neither relationship ended very well and she has decided to put off dating until college. Still, she gives good advice and manages to make a little bit of extra cash on the side.

Her friends don’t know about Kayla’s little side project and her world starts spiraling out of control when her advice to her best friend ends in disaster and she finds herself falling for the sexy but brooding new guy from her art class. Not the kind of guy she would – or should – date.

Van Diepen has a fun writing style that kept this story moving. Interspersed throughout the book are instructions on how to flirt and how to find out if your date was really a date. I liked Kayla’s attitude. She kept things in perspective when it came to boys and dating even when things got a little crazy with Jared. I also liked Jared. Brooding but sweet and artsy. He liked Kayla because she was independent and not shallow like other girls. He had me worried there a few times but he’s a keeper!

This is the first book in a new series and I’ll be looking forward to seeing the development of some of the side characters and to where the Kalya/Jared relationship may be headed.

Liked: There was quite a bit of diversity and touched on a few cultural topics as it related to dating. Nice touch.

Nitpick: I didn’t always like some of the things Kayla did, like the fake ID’s, kissing a much older guy at a bar, underage drinking…but I have to admit I did all that soooooo….

Rating: 3.5 out of 4. Yet another fun YA read! Looking forward to the next one!

Authors website: http://www.allisonvandiepen.com/

Buy the book! The Oracle of Dating (Harlequin Teen)

Buy a book by it's cover..........

This week I saw the covers of two books that had me drooling to read them.

The first was Torment by Lauren Kate.     

The second was The Dead tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan.

Both are the second book in a series and I had never heard of either one of them but now they are must reads for me based on these two covers (and titles by the way). I still don't know anything about the stories and I don't really care - I must have them!

Do you ever buy a book not knowing anything about it, just based on a pretty cover? Typically I'm a researcher. I have too many books already so if I see something I'm interested in I write it down.....read reviews and then see if it makes it to the TBR pile. Occasionally I'm swayed by a cover or a review and then it throws my whole TBR pile out of whack!

So if you've bought a book based on just the cover - where you ever dissapointed afterwards? I have to say I've been pretty lucky. If a cover hits me then I usually enjoy the story as well.

A book I just had to read recently was Getting Revenge on Lauren Wood. I fell in love with this cover! And I loved the story too!



Did you also notice the things I have the biggest reaction to are death or evil related?? LOL! Not sure what that says about me.

So tell me what makes you have to buy THAT book NOW! Has an impulse buy ever backfired on you?

REVIEW: Leaving Gee's Bend by Irene Latham

"Mama always said every quilt tells a story. Every piece of cloth, every stitch and every bit of cotton stuffed between the seams tells a secret about the one who made the quilt." - Ludelphia Bennett
Ludelphia Bennett may be blind in one eye, but that doesn't mean she can't put in a good stitch. In fact, Ludelphia sews all the time, especially when things are going wrong. But when Mama gets deathly ill, it doesn't seem like even quilting will help. Mama needs medicine badly - medicine that can only be found in Camden, over forty miles away. That's when Ludelphia decides to do something drastic - leave Gee's Bend.
Beyond the log cabins, orange dirt, and cotton fields of her small sharecropping community, Ludelphia discovers a world she could never have imagined. Fancy houses, cars, and even soda pop! But there's also danger lurking for a young girl on her own, and Ludelphia begins to wonder if she'll ever see Gee's Bend or her Mama again. Despite the twists and turns, Ludelphia weathers each challenge in a way that would make her mama proud, and may even save the day not just for Mama, but her entire town.
Set in 1932 and inspired by the rich quilting history of Gee's bend, Alabama, LEAVING GEE'S BEND is a heart-touching tale of a young girl's unexpected adventure. Midgrade - Ages 9-12

Review:
I have to be honest here, I had no interest in reading this book. I did however issue a challenge to myself to read and review all the books from the class of 2k10 so I downloaded Gee's Bend to my kindle and there it has sat - unread - since January. I usually don't like reading period books and I have next to no interest in sewing or quilting.
But that's the beauty of books, sometimes they take you somewhere you didn't even know you wanted to go.
10 year old Ludelphia embarks on a journey outside of Gee's Bend to find a doctor to save her mother after a difficult childbirth. She is a child of sharecroppers, only has one eye and has never seen anything outside her small community. She encounters automobiles, coca cola and white people for the very first time. Along the way she collects scraps of fabric to make into a quilt to bring her mother to tell the story of her adventure.
Again, this is not my typical type of story but I did find myself enjoying Ludelphia's discoveries, sometimes interpreting them as only a 10 year old child could. I kept thinking of Laura Ingalls Wilder while reading this. It's told with that type of childlike wonderment and practicality of people who don't have a lot but appreciate the things they do have.
The story also gave me a new appreciation for the quilts that my husband's grandmother made for all four of her grandchildren before she died. She had saved all the fabric from sheets, pajamas and other clothing from their childhood. I think I have a better of understanding of what making those quilts meant to her.
Loved: Ludelphia - she was simple and sweet and I couldn't help but root for her.
Nitpick: I think the story could have delved a little deeper in tone about racism, poverty and other issues for that period.

Rating: 3 out of 4. Sweet story. A nice introduction to history and quilting for children, although I wish it delved a little deeper into the issues of that era.


Author's website: Irene Latham
Follow Irene on Twitter @Irene_Latham
Buy the book: Leaving Gee's Bend
Irene is a member of the http://www.classof2k10.com/ a group of YA and Mid-Grade debut authors.

Sunday ramblings...............

The contest to get to 45 followers by April 18th has surpassed my expectations! I'm almost there and it only took a few days. The power of Twitter and bloggers! Nothing like a little bribery to get people to follow you :-)

Elsewhere on the blog............

Contests

• You have until tonight at 11:59pm to enter to win The Hurt Locker on DVD & since it's on sale in Blu-ray format you will have that option if you win! ENTER HERE
• $45 Gift Card to one lucky follower once I reach 45 followers! Click HERE for details.

This week I reviewed:

•  Tagged by Mara Purnhagen
• Vintage Veronica by Erica Perl
• The movie - The Crazies
• and posted a cute (at least I think so) music video by the Eels

Coming up:

•  This week's contest will be a "Pass it on" - a book I've already read but will pass on to someone else to read. You can win both "Fragile" and "Broken" by Shiloh Walker. Check back Monday afternoon.
• I'll be reviewing Leaving Gee's Bend

Blogger Pick: Check out ninefly's book blog! Gorgeous layout and I realy like her Cover Cravings feature

My picture today is of my own dogs. If you follow me on twitter you know my name there is @teamsheltie. Now you know why! From left to right is Lily, Beau and Indy!
If any of you have pictures of your pets (dogs/cats/birds...whatever) send them to me (fwiw.kea@gmail.com) and I'll try to post them on an upcoming Sunday post. If you don't send me anything you will be forced to look at my dogs over...and over again!

Have a great Sunday!
Karen

Happy Saturday!

The sun is finally shining! First day without rain or tornado warnings, so I went for a walk this morning playing The EELS on my Ipod - which reminded me of one of my favorite videos. I'm a sucker for animals in a video and this one features EELS frontman Mark Oliver Everett's German Shepard/Basset Hound mix Bobby Jr along with Padma Lakshmi from Top Chef.

So here it is: The Look You Give That Guy by The EELS Hombre Lobo: 12 Songs of Desire

Enjoy!

REVIEW: Vintage Veronica by Erica Perl

Veronica Walsh is 15, fashion-minded, fat, and friendless. Her summer job in the Consignment Corner section (Employees Only!) of a vintage clothing store is a dream come true. There Veronica can spend her days separating the one-of-a-kind gem garments from the Dollar-a-Pound duds, without having to deal with people. But when two outrageous yet charismatic salesgirls befriend her and urge her to spy on and follow the mysterious and awkward stock boy Veronica has nicknamed the Nail, Veronica’s summer takes a turn for the weird. Suddenly, what began as a prank turns into something else entirely. Which means Veronica may have to come out of hiding and follow something even riskier for the first time: her heart. YA Fiction


REVIEW:
Vintage Veronica is a refreshingly original and quirky story with characters that I would actually want to be friends with.
Veronica’s parents are divorced, she’s overweight and her mom is always trying to fix her. The one highlight of her life is vintage clothes. Drawing them, going to the “fleas” to buy them, and putting everything together to make the perfect outfit of a poufy skirt with a vintage guayabera shirt, men’s bowling shoes and cat eye sunglasses. She’s thrilled when she gets her dream job at the Clothing Bonanza, a vintage clothing Mecca, working in the Consignment Corner sorting through vintage clothes.
What I loved about Veronica is that yes - she’s overweight and she doesn’t have the greatest situation at home but she never feels sorry for herself, she’s confident and marches to the beat of her own drummer!
That’s not to say she’s not susceptible to peer pressure at times. Salesgirls Zoe and Ginger take Veronica under their wing and ask her to spy on the stock boy whom she also suspects of stealing and she does. What she finds is a kindred spirit in Len, an awkward boy who collects reptiles.
When Zoe & Ginger plot against Len, Veronica has to make some tough choices to save Len’s job and his beloved pet skink Violet.
I am not someone who is into fashion, vintage or otherwise, but Perl’s descriptions of the raw deal – dollar a pound and other store lingo were so vivid, it had me wanting to find a vintage clothing store to check out.
This is a great little story with a sweet romance. The Clothing Bonanza is a character all its own.
Loved: Veronica & Len, the fun, original writing style of Erica Perl
Nitpick: Because I’m not much of a clothing aficionado, I was often confused by some of the terms used but it wasn’t a big problem.

Rating: 3.5 out of 4. If you’re looking for something different than the typical Barbie doll characters (not that there’s anything wrong with that - LOL! I like those too) this is a great book to check out!

View the trailer for Vintage Veronica

Author's website: http://www.ericaperl.com/

Follow Erica on Twitter: @ericaperl

Buy the book: Vintage Veronica

MOVIE REVIEW: The Crazies

The Crazies is based on the 1973 George A. Romero film of the same name & Romero is listed as an Executive Producer on this film.
Timothy Olyphant stars as David Dutton, a sheriff of a small town in Iowa. While at a local high school baseball game one of the townspeople shows up on the field with a shotgun acting dazed and zombie-like. The man was a recovered alcoholic so his behavior is chalked up to falling off the wagon until more bizarre & violent incidences occur that can’t be explained away. David’s wife Judy (Radha Mitchell) the local doctor, also starts noticing strange behavior in her patients.
David, his deputy Russell (Joe Anderson), and Judy team up to investigate the cause of what they suspect is an outbreak but quickly find themselves on the run from not only the Crazies but also from the military whose orders are to contain the outbreak by any means necessary.
The Crazies is very reminiscent of 28 Days Later (which was a far better movie). It never quite lives up to that movie but has some very tense moments and smarter than average characters.
Olyphant’s portrayal of David as an intelligent sheriff was refreshing. He figured things out right away, did what had to be done in tough circumstances.
Which leads me to what I didn’t like………..in the second half of the movie it started to lose steam and the typical horror movie clichés kicked in. These otherwise smart characters started doing very dumb things. Like separating – even though you were attacked earlier for doing the same thing! Like walking off in a dark parking ALL ALONE to see what’s in a cargo bin. Like giving your gun away to someone who is infected! The list goes on but you get the idea. I know we need some of this for tension but it was tough to take when these people were so smart just 15 minutes ago!
Having said that, it is still one of the better horror movies I’ve seen in awhile. A few BOO! moments, some gross out violence and a few cringing – cover your eyes – moments. Timothy Olyphant as David grounded the movie and really made you care about what happened to these people.

Rating: I would give it a 3 out 4. Worth seeing if you love horror movies.

But Hollywood…………..why can’t you make a really good, scary, smart horror movie?

Running Time: 1hr 41minutes
Rated: R (Violence, Profanity)
Cast: Timothy Olyphant, Radha Mitchell, Joe Anderson, Danielle Panabaker
Director: Breck Eisner

REVIEW: TAGGED by Mara Purnhagen

Kate is just as confused as her best friend, Lan, when she arrives at Cleary High to find the building's been "tagged" with a life-size gorilla graffiti mural. Could the culprit be one of their friends or classmates? And is the kind-of-amazing creation really vandalism, or a work of art? She's tempted to stay out of it--mostly because, as the police chief's daughter, she's worried about being labeled a snitch. But when the same mysterious graffiti starts appearing throughout the state, putting more pressure on the authorities to catch the vandal, her investigative instincts kick in.
Now Eli, Kate's favorite coworker at the local coffee shop, is MIA. With Lan preoccupied with her own boy troubles, Kate needs to figure out some things on her own. Like why she can't stop thinking about Eli. And what she will do when all the clues about the graffiti point to someone she's close to... YA Fiction

REVIEW:
Kate leads a very boring life and isn’t good at anything in particular unlike her friends and family, so she usually tries to blend into the background. When murals of six 4 foot, life like gorillas show up on the wall at school and then around town, she is reluctantly drawn into a heated debate in class as to whether this is art or vandalism. Should Kate give her opinion on the debate and risk embarrassment?
The upside of the gorilla controversy is that it gives Kate something to talk about to her secret crush, Eli, the boy she works with at the coffee shop Something Brewing. He seems interested in Kate’s opinions and she finds herself opening up to him. One thing I really liked about this book was the interactions between Kate and Eli at the coffee shop. Because the place was so small and quirky it put the characters in a lot of situations that they wouldn’t have been in otherwise, yet it never felt forced.
Yes, Eli is swoon worthy – even though he is a little misguided at times.
Tagged also touches on what it’s like trying to fit in with the rest of the crowd and trying to find your own sense of self. This short book (I finished it in about 3 hours) packs quite the punch and I recommend it if you’re looking for a fun read that also gets you thinking. I found myself going back and forth with my opinion about the great gorilla “Art vs. Vandalism” debate.
Loved: Kate and her best friend Lan. Kate’s relationship with her parents. The scenes in the coffee shop.
Nitpick: I would have liked to know a little more of Eli’s perspective

Rating: 3.8 out 4 A smart and fun book by this debut author! Go get Tagged!

Authors Website: Mara Purnhagen
Buy The Book: Tagged (Harlequin Teen)
TAGGED is a book from the Class Of 2k10. Visit their site HERE to find out more about the debut YA authors coming up!