Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Eight is Plenty for February

So, I'm not starting the year off too well, reading wise.  Single digits last month, and singles again this month.  BUT!  I have made major headway in the writing department, so that's good...right?  RIGHT?!?!

Anywho, here is my little old list for the month of February.  There's something for everyone here, so hopefully you'll find something intriguing.

  • BELIEVE IT OR NOT by Tawna Fenske ... Romantic comedy (ARC)  you can find my review here
  • FRESHMAN YEAR & OTHER UNNATURAL DISASTERS by Meredith Zeitlin ... YA Contemporary (ARC) you can find my review here
  • TRICKSTER'S GIRL by Hilari Bell ... YA Dystopian/Fantasy  This was a re-read for me, as I reviewed the ARC on this blog last year.
  • DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth ... YA Dystopian  Another re-read this month.  It was the Book Hungry book selection, and even though I neglected to post my review, I will have you know that DIVERGENT lost none of its sparkli-ness on the re-read.  If anything, it was even better.  That said...BEST BOOK OF THE MONTH!!! Yep, friends.  BEST BOOK OF THIS FREAKING MONTH!!!
  • TRAITOR'S SON by Hilari Bell ... YA Dystopian/Fantasy (ARC)  A sequel to TRICKSTER'S GIRL.  I consider it a better, faster read than its predecessor.  Review to come.
  • HOSTILE TAKEOVER by Joey W. Hill ... Romance (warning: fairly graphic love scenes.  more so than what I expected or wanted.  I like Ms. Hill's angel books much better...just sayin)
  • WELCOME CALLER, THIS IS CHLOE by Shelley Coriell ... YA Contemporary (ARC) Review to come
  • FULL SCOOP by Janet Evanovich ... Romantic Comedy  eh...an okay romance. light on the comedy. if you want a really fun ride, check her Stephanie Plum books.  They have Ranger (*sigh, swoon* Ranger)...oh, and Morelli, too.
So, what have you been reading lately, minions?  Anything you think I might enjoy?  Do share.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

It Must Be Tuesday Cuz This Is A Tease

So, long time, no tease, huh?  This little snip is from my soon-to-be (I hope **knocks on wood...snickers**) done work in progress, HATE CRIME.  Enjoy!

First official day of summer vacation. I’d spent the day over at Lila’s, helping her clean out her closet, and all I could think about was getting over to Alex’s, seeing him. I’d brushed it off as simply needing some guy time, hanging out with a friend who didn’t want to talk about clothes and shopping and girly stuff, but the truth was that I just wanted to be with him, even if all we did was watch movies and play video games. But, we didn’t do either of those things that night because he opened the door, holding a six pack of beer and wearing a wide, conspiratorial grin.


“Look what I found.” He lifted the beer, waved it. “Three for you, and three for me.”

His parents were gone, his mom away on business and his dad ‘working late’ (code for doing his secretary), so we’d had the house all to ourselves. We ended up out back, lounging by the pool, radio blaring, and nursing our beers.

After the first, I was feeling a little woozy. About halfway through the second, there were three Alex’s in front of me. Somehow, I rolled out of my lawn chair. Alex belted out a laugh and dove after me, landing in the soft grass to my right.

“Dude, you’re such a lightweight,” he’d guffawed in a loud voice, then burped.

“Disgusting,” I half-laughed, half-slurred.

“You’ve been spending too much time with Lila.” He took a swig from his bottle, then handed it to me. “Pretty soon, you’ll be turning into a girl.”

“Dick.” I swiped at the bottle, missed, and tried again.

“At least, I still have one. Any more time with her, and yours might fall off. Permanently.” He caught hold of my hand, shoved the bottle into it, and wrapped my fingers around it.

“As of right now, it’s still there, asshole.” I threw back a huge swallow and held it back out to him. “You wanna see for yourself?”

He sobered instantly, his eyes darkening. “Maybe, I do.”

Grabbing my arm, he pried the bottle from my fingers and chucked it over his shoulder. Suddenly, his hand curled around the back of my neck, his fingers sliding through the hair at the nape. His lips crashing into mine. Our chests pressing against each other. His other hand clasping my hip.

I’d been kissed before, had a girlfriend or two, but nothing, and I mean nothing, compared to this moment. The way his mouth moved with mine. The heat of his hands on my skin. The feel of him beneath my fingertips.

My mind reeled, spun out in a thousand different directions at once, especially as I realized I was clinging to him just as hard as he was holding onto me. I slid my hands up under his shirt, gliding them along the curve of his spine, relishing the way chapped lips, hot beer breath, and the feel of sharp bones and hard muscles revved me up a whole lot more than soft curves, lush lips, and sweet tasting tongues ever had. I surged up, my arms tightening around him, pulling him in as close as humanly possible, all the while deepening our kiss, forcing him to let me take the lead even though I was beneath him.

He moaned and burrowed deeper into me, all too willing to surrender full control over to me as to where we were going and just how fast we went. Then, my name slid off his lips, a low, needy rasp that at once inflamed my senses and shocked me with the intensity of ice being dumped down the back of my shirt.

“What. The. Hell?” This time, I pushed instead of pulled, anger and humiliation flooding through me. He’d kissed me! Kissed me like he’d planned to do it and not like it was some accident. Made me kiss him back. The asshole had taken advantage of my drunkenness. Bastard.

And then, my shoulder wrenched backward, my hand closing into a tight fist. A loud crack, and blood poured from Alex’s nose, a stunned look leaping onto his face.

I didn’t wait for him to tender an explanation, make any apologies. I pushed up to my feet, swayed a bit, and then staggered across the lawn. Alex called my name, shouting out for me to wait, but I didn’t once look back as I left the house.

Still, my lips continued to tingle for hours, days, weeks on after that, a cruel reminder that I’d liked that kiss a whole lot more than I wanted to admit to anyone, much less myself.

SOOOO...what do we think? More gay boys?  Yeah, I like them, too :)

Friday, February 17, 2012

Friday Five: My Week in Review

So, it's been a CRAY-ZEEE week, peeps.  Which is probably why I've been kind of quiet on the Twitter/Facebook/blog front.  Seriously.  There were many times this week when I was ready to yank my hair out, but of course, I didn't cuz, well, I'm not all the sure I'm the kind of girl that can make bald look beautiful.  Anywho...so on this Friday Five, I give you:

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly, and The WOW That Was My Week (a list of FIVE)

  1. The baby blanket is done!  I have to admit that I was a little concerned about this endeavor.  It was the first time I actually had to read a pattern for something I'd crocheted, and it actually looks like the picture in the book!  I only had to call my grandma a half-dozen times for help, so I practically did it myself.  Admit it. You're impressed.  (so am I, to be honest)
  2. Work has been insane...but, hey! I'm not complaining here. Busy = job security, people. I love it!
  3. Time of death has been officially called on the treadmill.  That's right, folks.  The old girl (I've had her for like seven years now) has finally dropped.  I really miss that 45 minutes we spent together every night while drooling over my boys, Sam and Dean.  Here's to hoping I get a new one soon.  I'm starting to go through Supernatural withdrawls.
  4. I got a call the other day that pretty much made my month.  But, that's another day's blog post.
  5. It's official!  I (and a dozen other authors) will have not one, but FOUR essays published in the upcoming anthology WRITE FOR THE FIGHT, A Collection of Seasonal Essays.  It comes out March 5, 2012, as an exclusive NookBook First book, and a month later will be available in both e-book and print format.  All author proceeds will go to charities supporting breast cancer research. 


So, that was my week, friends.  What was up in your world?  Hopefully, you had more of the Good than the Bad or the Ugly :)

Thursday, February 9, 2012

ARC Review: FRESHMAN YEAR & OTHER UNNATURAL DISASTERS

The Book: FRESHMAN YEAR & OTHER UNNATURAL DISASTERS
The Author: Meredith Zeitlin
The Publisher: Putnam Juvenile (an Imprint of Penguin)
Anticipated Release Date: March 1, 2012

Summary (as lifted from the Penguin website):
Laugh-out-loud funny high school drama - perfect for fans of Lauren Myracle and Meg Cabot


Let's say you're fourteen and live in New York City. You'd think your life would be like a glamorous TV show, right? And yet . . . You don't have a checking account, much less a personal Black American Express card. You've never been to a club, and the only couture in your closet is a Halloween costume your mom made from an old laundry bag.

In other words? You're Kelsey Finkelstein - fourteen and frustrated. Every time she tries to live up to her awesome potential, her plans are foiled. Kelsey wants to rebrand herself for high school to make the kind of mark she knows is her destiny. But just because Kelsey has a plan for greatness . . . it doesn't mean the rest of the world is in on it.

Kelsey's hilarious commentary and sardonic narration of her freshman year will have readers laughing out loud - while being thankful that they're not in her shoes, of course.

My Take:
First off, it must be noted that if I'd had a freshman year that was anything like Kelsey's, I might not have survived.  There.  I said it.  Now, for my thoughts on this book.

I LOVED IT! 

Alternating between literal LOL moments (I mean, snorting guffaws here folks, not just staring at the book and coolly saying LOL. I actually did Laugh. Out. Loud.), rolling my eyes at some of Kelsey's observations, shaking my fist at a few characters (including Kels), cringing at some particularly brutal moments, and then laughing again, I flew right through to the final page in record time. So, why did I like it so well, you ask?  Simple. 

Kelsey is a freaking riot.  Her voice rings loud and clear from the first sentence.  Her dry wit and her determination to transform herself into a new and improved version of herself instantly endear her to the reader.  Add to that her circle of friends, all vastly different but sharing a common bond of history and knowing each other inside and out.  They each add their own little hint of flavor into the mix.

Then, of course, there are the disasters, of which there are many.  Making JV soccer only be placed in the dreaded goalie position, which frankly, terrified me even before I read this book.  A junior girl who has it in for Kelsey from day one.  Trying to be noticed by her crush, all the while fending off the advances of a boy she really has no interest in.  Oh, and then there are the photographs! *snort* I'm still snickering thinking of those.  And the school play.  *double snort*

Through every embarrassing catastrophe that befalls Kelsey, she never loses her sense of self.  She may get knocked down a few times, but she doesn't shrink away (well, there was that one time, but I can't hold that against her).  I found myself rooting for her through it all, every time something went wrong, I cheered her on to power through, and that she did, which sometimes didn't help her cause, but it was very entertaining, in deed.

A fast, fun read by a new voice on the scene, FRESHMAN YEAR is a must-read for any girl ready to embark on the journey that is high school...and even for those of us wanting to relive that time in our lives;)

So, how about all you fun folks?  Did you have a particularly disastrous freshman year? I'd love to hear about it in the comments!

Friday, February 3, 2012

ARC Review: BELIEVE IT OR NOT

The Book: BELIEVE IT OR NOT
The Author: Tawna Fenske
The Publisher: SourceBooks Casablanca
Anticipated Release (hehe. I said RELEASE) Date: March 1, 2012

This is where I'd normally give you a summary of the book, but really, you can get that here or here or here and also pre-order it while you're there, because BELIEVE IT, this book is that freaking AWESOME.  Do it. Do it NOW.  I'll wait right here while you go do that. 

...

...

Done?  Okay, good.  Now, for my real review.  And, since this is a Friday, I'm going to give you the goods in true Friday Five Fashion (say that five times fast).  And so, I give you:

Five Reasons To Fall For BELIEVE IT OR NOT

  1. The Characters.  Of course you have your MC, Violet McGinn, and her LI (love interest) Drew Watson (*sigh, swoon* Drew. *sighs again* I love him and kind of wish he was real...and working next door to me. I'm just saying.)  But, in some cases, it was the side characters who stole the show for me, even those who only showed up for a scene or two.  Moonbeam (Violet's hippie dippie psychic mom) was a hoot and a half.  Jamie, sweet kind of dumb and drop-dead gorgeous Jamie, inspired his fair share of "Aw"s and more than once, I just wanted to pat him on the head.  And, then there was Dreadlock Dude.  I freaking loved him!
  2. The Music.  Butt Rock.  Glam Rock.  Eighties Hair bands.  Whatever you want to call it, although I think I kind of like calling it Butt Rock now.  It plays a central role in the plot, and has you snickering a bit, especially when Violet has to give a psychic reading for a cop and Drew is blaring Aerosmith in the background. 
  3. The Dialogue.  This is perhaps my favorite part of Tawna's writing.  She comes up with such snicker/snort inducing conversations for her characters to have, and still finds a way to make them completely believable as real bantering.  Nothing feels forced, and you just get to sit back and enjoy the sarcastic/silly ride.  The only other author I can think of who can do this so seamlessly (and keep it going throughout the entire book without feeling contrived) is Susan Elizabeth Phillips.
  4. The Curse.  That's all I'm going to say.  As soon as the object of the Curse showed his mug on the page and I realized what was actually on his--Oops! almost gave it away there for a second.  Bad Karla!.  Anywho, you'll just have to wait and see for yourself.
  5. The Documentary Scene.  Remember the Cheez Doodle scene in MAKING WAVES?  Well, this one is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much funnier, and that's really saying something.  At one point, I laughed so loud, I kind of startled myself. 
Really, I could go on and on and on, folks.  This book was that good.  So, what are you waiting for?  Go pre-order your copy of BELIEVE IT OR NOT, right now.  As for me, I'll just have to wait for Tawna's next one to come out.  When is that again?  Oh, man, such a long wait.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

A Bit of Reading in January

Yep, folks.  It's that time once again, where I regale you all with my reading list for the month...er...previous month, that is, considering it is now February.  Eh. Potatoe. Potahto.  So, here it is!

  • UNDER THE NEVER SKY by Veronica Rossi ... YA dystopian/post-apocalyptic (ARC ... released: January 3, 2012)  Not the absolute best dystopian I've read, but definitely not the worst.  It falls somewhere in the middle range.  I'd recommend to anyone still as in love with dystopians as I am.
  • THE UNBEARABLE BOOK CLUB FOR UNSINKABLE GIRLS by Julia Schumacher ... YA Contemporary (ARC ... release date: May 8, 2012)  A great, light, fluffy read.  I'd highly recommend this if you're looking for something to take to the beach or the pool with you this summer.
  • RED HEART TATTOO by Lurlene McDaniel ... YA Literary (ARC ... release date: July 24, 2012) I had high expectations for this book, and at first McDaniel not only met but exceeded them...but the last half of it kind of fell flat for me.  A little disappointing, actually.
  • AN ABUNDANCE OF KATHERINES by John Green ... YA Contemporary  This was a re-read for me as it was my pick for January's Book Hungry book club meet.  And, it's still just as good as I remembered. 
  • EXPLOSIVE EIGHTEEN by Janet Evanovich ... Comedy/Mystery  BEST BOOK OF THE MONTH! Stephanie Plum is at it again, and there is great fun to be had within those pages
  • GODDESS INTERRUPTED by Aimee Carter ... YA Fantasy (ARC ... release date: March 27, 2012)  Fans of THE GODDESS TEST will definitely love this sequel, and I am definitely one of those peeps.  My fave YA this month.
Only six this month, minions.  I must've been sleeping or something cuz that's just plain laziness.  What about you?  What have you been reading? I'd love to hear about it in the comments!