National Poetry Month Day 30

Fairy-Land by Edgar Allan Poe

Dim vales- and shadowy floods-
And cloudy-looking woods,
Whose forms we can't discover
For the tears that drip all over!
Huge moons there wax and wane-
Again- again- again-
Every moment of the night-
Forever changing places-
And they put out the star-light
With the breath from their pale faces.
About twelve by the moon-dial,
One more filmy than the rest
(A kind which, upon trial,
They have found to be the best)
Comes down- still down- and down,
With its centre on the crown
Of a mountain's eminence,
While its wide circumference
In easy drapery falls
Over hamlets, over halls,
Wherever they may be-
O'er the strange woods- o'er the sea-
Over spirits on the wing-
Over every drowsy thing-
And buries them up quite
In a labyrinth of light-
And then, how deep!- O, deep!
Is the passion of their sleep.
In the morning they arise,
And their moony covering
Is soaring in the skies,
With the tempests as they toss,
Like- almost anything-
Or a yellow Albatross.
They use that moon no more
For the same end as before-
Videlicet, a tent-
Which I think extravagant:
Its atomies, however,
Into a shower dissever,
Of which those butterflies
Of Earth, who seek the skies,
And so come down again,
(Never-contented things!)
Have brought a specimen
Upon their quivering wings.

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Review: Fair-Weather Friends

Title: Fair-Weather Friends (Good Girlz #5)
Author: ReShonda Tate Billingsley
Publisher: Pocket
Pages: 200
Source: Night Owl Reviews

Description: The Theta Ladies are the hottest new high school sorority, and Camille wants in! After seeing the girls perform a fantastic show at her school, Camille's dreaming of donning the pink satin T-shirt of the Thetas... and is beyond flattered when the sorority sisters actually acknowledge her existence. If only she could persuade her best friends - Alexis, Jasmine, and Angel - to join with her...
Jasmine has always butted heads with Tori Young, the Theta Ladies president, and she wants no part of the exclusive sorority scene. Camille, Alexis, and Angel are excited to be pledging and are up for any challenge.
When it is time to announce new members, Camille and Alexis are accepted and Angel's left out in the cold. Despite her disappointment, Angel encourages her friends to enjoy themselves. But when the real reason for Angel's rejection comes to light, Alexis and Camille must choose: Do they break their commitment to their newfound "sisters" to take a stand for their sister at heart?

Thoughts: This book would be able to hit close to home with a lot of people. If you feel like you have been judged according to the color of your skin or your background then you will be able to relate. The girls learn that one of there own has been judged and now they all have to deal with it. They see how it affects them and others around them. At times they don't know if there friendship is going to make it.
Billingsley does a really good job at taking the girls and the reader through this journey. If you were put in this situation would you deny your friend that you have been through a lot with or would you side with those that you want to be accepted by? Would you be willing to stand up for your friend or would you be willing to go as far as a get into a full blown fight with those that judged? This is an excellent real life kind of story.

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This or That List with Brent Hartinger

I had a fun time coming up with a This or That List for Brent Hartinger, author of Shadow Walkers.

Tea or Coffee?
Green tea. These people who pay five bucks for a cup of coffee? Don’t get that at all.

Sugar or Salt?
Sugar, and I’ll take this a step further (and alienate a lot of people), and say that I prefer sugar to chocolate. Chocolate is fine, but only because it has sugar in it.

Quiet or Loud?
Quiet, definitely. This typing I’m doing now is too loud for me.

Thrifty or Expensive?
Thrifty. Also known as “cheap.”

Vampires or Werewolves?
I was sick to death of vampires in 1998. You can imagine I feel now. Werewolves (although I’m soon to be sick of them too).

Unicorns or Zombies?
I know everyone probably says “zombie unicorns,” but I’m firmly in the “unicorn” camp.

Fantasy or Science Fiction?
Fantasy! Seriously: who doesn’t want to go to Narnia?

Hot or Cold?
Hot. Or, preferably, “hot tub warm.”

Movies or TV Shows?
You know, probably TV. So many movies just suck these days.

Hardcover or Paperback?
Paperback. Remember what I said about being thrifty? cheap?

Rain or Sun?
Misty morning, sunny afternoon.

Beach or Mountains?
Beach, but I like rocky, sea-weedy Puget Sound beaches, not necessarily sandy ones.

Ebooks or physical books?
Ebooks. Own the future!

Want to know more about Brent? Check out his website.

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National Poetry Month Day 29

Dreamland by Edgar Allan Poe

By a route obscure and lonely,
Haunted by ill angels only,
Where an Eidolon, named NIGHT,
On a black throne reigns upright,
I have reached these lands but newly
From an ultimate dim Thule-
From a wild clime that lieth, sublime,
Out of SPACE- out of TIME.
Bottomless vales and boundless floods,
And chasms, and caves, and Titan woods,
With forms that no man can discover
For the tears that drip all over;
Mountains toppling evermore
Into seas without a shore;
Seas that restlessly aspire,
Surging, unto skies of fire;
Lakes that endlessly outspread
Their lone waters- lone and dead,-
Their still waters- still and chilly
With the snows of the lolling lily.
By the lakes that thus outspread
Their lone waters, lone and dead,-
Their sad waters, sad and chilly
With the snows of the lolling lily,-
By the mountains- near the river
Murmuring lowly, murmuring ever,-
By the grey woods,- by the swamp
Where the toad and the newt encamp-
By the dismal tarns and pools
Where dwell the Ghouls,-
By each spot the most unholy-
In each nook most melancholy-
There the traveller meets aghast
Sheeted Memories of the Past-
Shrouded forms that start and sigh
As they pass the wanderer by-
White-robed forms of friends long given,
In agony, to the Earth- and Heaven.
For the heart whose woes are legion
'Tis a peaceful, soothing region-
For the spirit that walks in shadow
'Tis- oh, 'tis an Eldorado!
But the traveller, travelling through it,
May not- dare not openly view it!
Never its mysteries are exposed
To the weak human eye unclosed;
So wills its King, who hath forbid
The uplifting of the fringed lid;
And thus the sad Soul that here passes
Beholds it but through darkened glasses.
By a route obscure and lonely,
Haunted by ill angels only,
Where an Eidolon, named NIGHT,
On a black throne reigns upright,
I have wandered home but newly
From this ultimate dim Thule.

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Link a Contest Thursday

Rules (or at least STRONG suggestions):
1. Name the item being given away (instead of the blog name)
2. Give the end date in () after the name
3. Make sure to link DIRECTLY to that contest post - if you don't know how to do this - just click on the title of the contest blog and it will give a direct URL you can use.
4. If you want to post a contest you've found, make sure it isn't already posted.
5. Must be book-related giveaways.

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National Poetry Month Day 28

The Lake by Edgar Allan Poe

In spring of youth it was my lot
To haunt of the wide world a spot
The which I could not love the less-
So lovely was the loneliness
Of a wild lake, with black rock bound,
And the tall pines that towered around.
But when the Night had thrown her pall
Upon that spot, as upon all,
And the mystic wind went by
Murmuring in melody-
Then- ah then I would awake
To the terror of the lone lake.
Yet that terror was not fright,
But a tremulous delight-
A feeling not the jewelled mine
Could teach or bribe me to define-
Nor Love- although the Love were thine.
Death was in that poisonous wave,
And in its gulf a fitting grave
For him who thence could solace bring
To his lone imagining-
Whose solitary soul could make
An Eden of that dim lake.

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Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Breaking the Spine. It is to spotlight books that are soon to be released that we wished would be released sooner. Here are our picks.

Kristen's Pick:
Title: Ashes, Ashes
Author: Jo Treggiara
Expected Publication: June 1, 2011
Description: A thrilling tale of adventure, romance, and one girl's unyielding courage through the darkest of nightmares.

Epidemics, floods, droughts--for sixteen-year-old Lucy, the end of the world came and went, taking 99% of the population with it. As the weather continues to rage out of control, and Sweepers clean the streets of plague victims, Lucy survives alone in the wilds of Central Park. But when she's rescued from a pack of hunting dogs by a mysterious boy named Aidan, she reluctantly realizes she can't continue on her own. She joins his band of survivors, yet, a new danger awaits her: the Sweepers are looking for her. There's something special about Lucy, and they will stop at nothing to have her.

April Nichole's Pick:
Title: Imaginary Girls
Author: Nova Ren Suma
Expected Publication: June 14, 2011
Description: Chloe's older sister, Ruby, is the girl everyone looks to and longs for, who can't be captured or caged. When a night with Ruby's friends goes horribly wrong and Chloe discovers the dead body of her classmate London Hayes left floating in the reservoir, Chloe is sent away from town and away from Ruby.

But Ruby will do anything to get her sister back, and when Chloe returns to town two years later, deadly surprises await. As Chloe flirts with the truth that Ruby has hidden deeply away, the fragile line between life and death is redrawn by the complex bonds of sisterhood.

With palpable drama and delicious craft, Nova Ren Suma bursts onto the YA scene with the story that everyone will be talking about.

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National Poetry Month Day 27

Imitation by Edgar Allan Poe

A dark unfathomed tide
Of interminable pride -
A mystery, and a dream,
Should my early life seem;
I say that dream was fraught
With a wild and waking thought
Of beings that have been,
Which my spirit hath not seen,
Had I let them pass me by,
With a dreaming eye!
Let none of earth inherit
That vision of my spirit;
Those thoughts I would control,
As a spell upon his soul:
For that bright hope at last
And that light time have past,
And my worldly rest hath gone
With a sigh as it passed on:
I care not though it perish
With a thought I then did cherish

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Review: Stones for My Father

Author: Trilby Kent
Publication Date: March 8, 2011
Genre: YA Historical Fiction
Copy provided by: Publisher
Summary (via Goodreads):

The Boer War was disastrous for the British: 22,000 of them died. Close to 7,000 Boers died. Nobody knows how many Africans lost their lives, but the number is estimated to be around 20,000. This tragic, and little remembered, chapter in history is the backdrop for Trilby Kent’s powerful novel.

Corlie Roux’s father has always told her that God gave Africa to the Boers. Her life growing up on a farm in South Africa is not easy: it is beautiful, but it is also a harsh place where the heat can be so intense that the very raindrops sizzle. When her beloved father dies, she is left in the care of a cold, stern mother who clearly favors her two younger brothers. But she finds solace with her African maitie, Sipho, and in Africa itself.

Corlie’s world is about to vanish: the British are invading and driving Boers from their farms. The families who do not surrender escape to hidden laagers in the bush to help fight off the British. When Corlie’s laager is discovered, she and the others are sent to an internment camp.

Corlie is strong and can draw on her knowledge of the land she loves, but is that enough to help her survive the starvation, disease, and loss that befalls her in the camp?

Why I read this: I really enjoyed Trilby's previous book Medina Hill and was happy to join her tour for Stones of My Father.

Plot: Corlie is constantly feeling her mother's wrath. When they have to abandon their farm to flee the British, she finally finds out why her mother favors her younger brothers over her. This book really tore into my emotions and was quite a turbulent ride. Trilby has again produced a book that really speaks to the reader and gives such a clear view of that time in history it was like I was there with Corlie.

Characters: Corlie was very strong for such a young character. She endured so much after her father died and when she is forced to live in a refugee camp, she uses her wits to make sure she is well fed.

Relatability: I think fans of historical fiction will love this one. Or anyone who likes a strong female lead character.

Cover Commentary: Harrowing, isn't it? I love it, definitely speaks to the novel.

Rating: 5/5 Roses

Find it on Goodreads

TRILBY KENT was born in Toronto, Ontario, but grew up in cities on both sides of the Atlantic. After completing degrees at Oxford University and the London School of Economics, she worked for a time in the rare books department at Bonhams before turning to journalism and writing novels for children and adults. Her first book, Medina Hill, is also available from Tundra Books. Trilby Kent lives in London, England.

Find Trilby on Twitter.

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National Poetry Month Day 26

A Valentine by Edgar Allan Poe

For her this rhyme is penned, whose luminous eyes,
Brightly expressive as the twins of Leda,
Shall find her own sweet name, that nestling lies
Upon the page, enwrapped from every reader.
Search narrowly the lines!- they hold a treasure
Divine- a talisman- an amulet
That must be worn at heart. Search well the measure-
The words- the syllables! Do not forget
The trivialest point, or you may lose your labor
And yet there is in this no Gordian knot
Which one might not undo without a sabre,
If one could merely comprehend the plot.
Enwritten upon the leaf where now are peering
Eyes scintillating soul, there lie perdus
Three eloquent words oft uttered in the hearing
Of poets, by poets- as the name is a poet's, too,
Its letters, although naturally lying
Like the knight Pinto- Mendez Ferdinando-
Still form a synonym for Truth- Cease trying!
You will not read the riddle, though you do the best you can do.

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In My Mailbox - April 24th

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren.

April Nichole
A gift from Kristen:



Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
Born at Midnight by C.C. Hunter

Kristen
For Review:


The Eternal Sea by Angie Frazier
Ashes, Ashes by Jo Treggiara
The Hidden Gallery by Maryrose Wood
The Apothecary by Maile Meloy
Corsets & Clockwork by Trisha Telep
What Comes After by Steve Watkins

RAKs:


Sea by Heidi R. Kling (from Miss Remmers)
Hexbound by Chloe Neill (from A Book Obsession)


Bought:


Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton
Foiled by Jane Yolen
The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen
The Girl Who Owned a City by O.T. Nelson
Runaways vol. 2, 3, 4, and 5
The Emperor of Nihon-Ja by John Flanagan
The Evil Within by Nancy Holder
The Truth about Forever by Sarah Dessen
Warped by Maurissa Guibond
Tortall and Other Lands by Tamora Pierce
Entwined by Heather Dixon
Intrinsical by Lani Woodland

Read more...

The Weekly Happenings

This fantastic meme is hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey Through a World of Books.

Kristen read this past week:
Two Moon Princess by Carmen Ferreiro-Esteban
Still Just Grace by Charise Harper
Julian Rodriguez by Alexander Stadler
Foiled by Jane Yolen
Riding Freedom by Pam Munoz Ryan
Just Grace Walks the Dog by Charise Harper
Just Grace Goes Green by Charise Harper
More Starlight To Your Heart Volume 1 by Hiro Matsuba
More Starlight To Your Heart Volume 2 by Hiro Matsuba
Mark of the Succubus, #1 by Ashly Raiti
Amelia Rules! Funny Stories Volume 1 by Jimmy Gownley
The Last Knight by Hilari Bell

Kristen is currently reading:

John Belushi is Dead by Kathy Charles
NERDS: National Espionage, Rescue, and Defense Society by Michael Buckley
Elixir by Hilary Duff (audio)

What are you guys reading currently?

The Weekly Happenings!

The Week to Come:

Every day we'll have a new poem posted for National Poetry Month.

On Monday, Kristen will be interviewing K. Ryer Breese, author of Future Imperfect

On Tuesday, Kristen will be reviewing Stones for my Father by Trilby Kent.


On Wednesday, Kristen will be reviewing Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon.

On Thursday, we will have Link a Contest Thursday and some Middle Grade Shorts.

On Friday, Kristen will be reviewing Devil's Kiss by Sarwat Chadda. Also Kristen will be hosting This or That List with Brent Hartinger.

On Saturday, we will be having our April report. I can't believe April is almost over!

The Week in Rewind:

Monday: National Library Month Day 18, Kristen interviewed Michael Griffo

Tuesday: National Library Month Day 19, Kristen reviewed Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

Wednesday: National Library Month Day 20, Waiting on Wednesday, Kristen reviewed Where She Went by Gayle Forman

Thursday: National Library Month Day 21, Link a Contest Thursday, Kristen reviewed Two Moon Princess by Carmen Ferreiro-Esteban, The Catching Up Readathon

Friday: National Library Month Day 22, Kristen interviewed Carmen Ferreiro-Esteban, April Nichole reviewed The Lying Game by Sara Shepard

Saturday: National Library Month Day 23

Sunday: National Library Month Day 24



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Interview with K. Ryer Breese

Today, I have with me K. Ryer Breese, author of Future Imperfect. I reviewed Future Imperfect a few weeks ago and really enjoyed it.


How did all of your past occupations impact your writing?

Only indirectly. But I do believe that creative writing comes directly from experience. Throughout my working life -- whether I was doing research with severely disabled autistic children or trying to avoid being beaten to a pulp by an ex-con while working the grill at a zoo restaurant -- I kind of mentally recorded all the conversations I'd heard. All the WTF scenes I'd witnessed. These went into the mental hopper and came out, sometimes heavily distorted, on the page.


If you could have any job, real or not, what would it be?

In college I was pre-med. Still think I'd love to be a physician.


What was the best and worst thing about writing Future Imperfect?

It was cathartic. Something very honest and comfortable about it. Though at the same time I worried a lot about how it would be received. Would people get it? That worry was definitely the worst. I suppose it still is. . .


Were any of the characters in Future Imperfect based off of yourself or people close to you?

All of them. I actually "appear" in the book as someone else but I'll leave it there. . .


What's next for you writing-wise?

The sequel, PAST CONTINUOUS. Having great fun writing it.



Want to know more about K. Ryer Breese?

K. Ryer Breese lives in Denver. He’s worked as a clinical researcher, a short order chef, a film critic, a patient advocate, and a teacher. He does not, as far as he knows have an super powers but he has had three concussions.

For more info on K. Ryer, visit his sites:
-Website
-Facebook
-GoodReads

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National Poetry Month Day 25

Spirits Of The Dead by Edgar Allan Poe

Thy soul shall find itself alone
'Mid dark thoughts of the grey tomb-stone;
Not one, of all the crowd, to pry
Into thine hour of secrecy.
Be silent in that solitude,
Which is not loneliness- for then
The spirits of the dead, who stood
In life before thee, are again
In death around thee, and their will
Shall overshadow thee; be still.
The night, though clear, shall frown,
And the stars shall not look down
From their high thrones in the Heaven
With light like hope to mortals given,
But their red orbs, without beam,
To thy weariness shall seem
As a burning and a fever
Which would cling to thee for ever.
Now are thoughts thou shalt not banish,
Now are visions ne'er to vanish;
From thy spirit shall they pass
No more, like dew-drop from the grass.
The breeze, the breath of God, is still,
And the mist upon the hill
Shadowy, shadowy, yet unbroken,
Is a symbol and a token.
How it hangs upon the trees,
A mystery of mysteries!

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National Poetry Month Day 24

Going to Heaven! by Emily Dickinson

Going to Heaven!
I don't know when --
Pray do not ask me how!
Indeed I'm too astonished
To think of answering you!
Going to Heaven!
How dim it sounds!
And yet it will be done
As sure as flocks go home at night
Unto the Shepherd's arm!

Perhaps you're going too!
Who knows?
If you should get there first
Save just a little space for me
Close to the two I lost --
The smallest "Robe" will fit me
And just a bit of "Crown" --
For you know we do not mind our dress
When we are going home --

I'm glad I don't believe it
For it would stop my breath --
And I'd like to look a little more
At such a curious Earth!
I'm glad they did believe it
Whom I have never found
Since the might Autumn afternoon
I left them in the ground.

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National Poetry Month Day 23

I'll tell you how the Sun rose by Emily Dickinson

I'll tell you how the Sun rose --
A Ribbon at a time --
The Steeples swam in Amethyst --
The news, like Squirrels, ran --
The Hills untied their Bonnets --
The Bobolinks -- begun --
Then I said softly to myself --
"That must have been the Sun"!
But how he set -- I know not --
There seemed a purple stile
That little Yellow boys and girls
Were climbing all the while --
Till when they reached the other side,
A Dominie in Gray --
Put gently up the evening Bars --
And led the flock away --

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Interview with Carmen Ferreiro-Esteban + Giveaway

Today, I am interviewing Carmen Ferreiro-Esteban, author of Two-Moon Princess, which I reviewed yesterday.

What has your road to publications been like?

Long and bumpy as is the case for most of us.

Writing is hard. Getting published is harder. In a different way.

Writing is a lonely process. To be able to write you must cut yourself from the world and create from within. To get published you must reach out, communicate effectively with others, to create a network that will allow you to put your manuscript at the right time on the right hands.

Writers are introverts by definition. But to get published you must be an extrovert. It isn't easy to do both.

So how did I get Two Moon Princess published?

I joined the SCBWI and attended the SCBWI conference in NYC (once) and the PA charter meetings (regularly). I also read their bulletin religiously, especially the page called "Editors Needs". It was there I found out that Tanglewood Press, that until then had only published Picture Books, was open to MG and YA submissions. I submitted my manuscript to Tanglewood Press in September 2005. A year later we signed the contract. Two Moon Princess came out in September 2007. The paperback edition with a new cover, in June 2010.

And yes, before that, Two Moon Princess was rejected. Many times. It's part of the process.

How did the idea for "Two Moon Princess" come to you?

Once upon a time, when I was a child, I saw a broken arch on a beach in northern Spain. In my mind, the arch was magical. It was a portal to another world, I called Xaren Ra. Later, I moved to California and Andrea, a teen princess from Xaren-Ra came with me. Two Moon Princess is the story of what happened to Andrea when she returned to her world with an American boy.

What was the most challenging aspect of writing "Two Moon Princess" ?

The story came first. It is always like that for me. I write because I have a story I want to tell. This one was a personal story, the story of a girl from a patriarchal, authoritarian society that discovers freedom in California.

Because it was a personal story, I chose to write it using first person point of view (POV). It is my favorite POV because it is more immediate. It brings the reader into the character's mind. But this being my first novel, I didn't realize the obvious problem I would have using Andrea's POV: How was I to convey to the reader the events that happen when Andrea is not there?

This was a big issue, especially, in the second part of the book when Andrea is a virtual prisoner in her father's castle while the king and her love interest go to battle.

I had to learn a trick or two to be able to cover that part.


What's something surprising about yourself that most people wouldn't think true?

I am from Spain. English is my third language. My second language was French. I didn't study English until I was in my late teens and didn't become fluent until I moved to California in my mid twenties.

But, I must confess, it wouldn't be a surprise if you talk to me in person, for I do have a Spanish accent.


What's next for you?

Tanglewood Press has agreed to publish the sequel to Two Moon Princess. Its working title is The King in the Stone (an homage to The Sword in the Stone, my favorite Disney movie when I was growing up). They will probably change the title, though.

The King in the Stone follows Andrea's adventures in northern Spain both in the present and in the year 718 A.D. 718 A.D. is a crucial year in Spanish history. It marks the first victory of the Spaniards over the Arabs that had invaded the peninsula seven years before. Andrea's journey is rather personal though. It is a story of love, loss and revenge. Not necessarily in that order.

You can read an excerpt at http://onpublishing.wordpress.com/authors-writings/carmens/the-king-in-the-stone-upcoming-2010/

I've also finished another Young Adult novel, tentatively titled Requiem for a King. Requiem for a King is a story of forbidden love and blind revenge in XII century Spain.

While querying Requiem for a King, I'm also working on a paranormal story in which my two favorite Spanish authors (Becquer and Lorca) are, literary, immortal. You can read the first chapter at: http://carmenferreiroesteban.wordpress.com/2010/10/30/garlic-for-breakfast/

Here's a bit more about Carmen, via her website:

I was born in Galicia (Northern Spain), a land of rolling hills and green valleys surrounded by ocean thought in medieval times to be ‘Finisterre,’ the place where the world came to an end.

While still in college, I moved to the arid highlands of Castilla—the land of the castles—in Central Spain and it was there, in the capital city of Madrid, where I finished my Ph.D. in Biology. For the next ten years, I worked as a researcher both in Madrid and at the University of Davis in Northern California.

My writing career started when I came to live in Pennsylvania in the 1990s. Following my first sale, a magazine article on latex allergy, I published four books for Chelsea House (Facts on File): Heroin, Ritalin, Mad Cow Disease, and Lung Cancer. I have also written three short scripts for young children for a Pharmaceutical Company.

As a fiction writer, I have published three short stories on the literary magazine Errata. One of them, a variation on O. Henry's short story ‘The Marry Month of May,’ won second prize in the 2004 Bucks County Writers Workshop Summer Contest.

Two Moon Princess is my first book.

As I await the publication of The King in the Stone, a sequel to Two Moon Princess, I'm hard at work on my new book, a mystery/love story set, again, in a medieval world.

To win a copy of this great fantasy story, leave a comment below with your email address. Ends Friday, April 29th. US Only.

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National Poetry Month Day 22

Snow flakes. by Emily Dickinson
Snow flakes.

I counted till they danced so
Their slippers leaped the town,
And then I took a pencil
To note the rebels down.
And then they grew so jolly
I did resign the prig,
And ten of my once stately toes
Are marshalled for a jig!

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Review: The Lying Game

Title: The Lying Game
Author: Sara Shepard
Publisher: Harper Teen
Pages: 307
Book Source: netgalley.com
Description: (from Goodreads)

I had a life anyone would kill for. Then someone did. The worst part of being dead is that there’s nothing left to live for. No more kisses. No more secrets. No more gossip. It’s enough to kill a girl all over again. But I’m about to get something no one else does—an encore performance, thanks to Emma, the long-lost twin sister I never even got to meet. Now Emma’s desperate to know what happened to me. And the only way to figure it out is to be me—to slip into my old life and piece it all together. But can she laugh at inside jokes with my best friends? Convince my boyfriend she’s the girl he fell in love with? Pretend to be a happy, carefree daughter when she hugs my parents good night? And can she keep up the charade, even after she realizes my murderer is watching her every move? From Sara Shepard, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Pretty Little Liars books, comes a riveting new series about secrets, lies, and killer consequences. Let the lying game begin.

Thoughts: I gotta say that I am looking forward to reading the second book. I really like the way that Shepard set this up. I enjoyed the narration and how the sisters learned about things and how they felt about what they learned. As I was reading this I kept imagining it as a show or something. I could see it and the things that people did. I think that I heard it could become a show and I gotta say I really hope that is true. But, I am so ready to get my hands on the next book though because even though it kind of came to an end with Emma accepting something and becoming more determined it was a moment of I need more. It was me thinking come on she is just about to become a bad*** and kick but and take names later. Shepard sets up the end that Emma now has an ally in her life. The Lying Game will certainly take you on a journey. I had times when she would find out things about her twin that I’m thinking do teens really act like this. Can they really be this cruel? I know people can surprise you but wow. If you haven’t read The Lying Game yet then I think you should.

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The Catching Up Readathon Begins! (post your updates)

So, I'm way late posting this up. But, hopefully some of you have started reading today, if you had time. I knocked two quick books out and have started on a longer book already. I'm currently reading The Last Knight by Hilari Bell.

If you're updating on your blog, you can post them in the linkie below and I'll try to stop by at some point this weekend. :) As of now I'm now 29 books behind according to Goodreads and I cannot wait to change that. Off to read s'more!

-----My Update-----

Alright, so as of now I am only 23 books behind, which is better than 29, but not where I want to be at this point. I have, however read a lot of books.

Thursday I read:
Still Just Grace by Charise Harper
Julian Rodriguez by Alexander Stadler

Friday I read:
Foiled by Jane Yolen
Riding Freedom by Pam Munoz Ryan
Just Grace Walks the Dog by Charise Harper
Just Grace Goes Green by Charise Harper

Saturday I read:
More Starlight To Your Heart Volume 1 by Hiro Matsuba
More Starlight To Your Heart Volume 2 by Hiro Matsuba
Mark of the Succubus, #1 by Ashly Raiti
Amelia Rules! Funny Stories Volume 1 by Jimmy Gownley

Sunday I finished:
The Last Knight by Hilari Bell

Eleven books total! :)

Most of today was spent with family. I hope to knock out a few more books tomorrow as well. I'm currently reading NERDS by Michael Buckley and listening to Elixir by Hilary Duff.

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Review: Two Moon Princess

Author: Carmen Ferreiro-Esteban
Publication Date: June 2010
Genre: YA Fantasy
Copy provided by: Teen Book Scene
Summary (via Goodreads): In this coming-of-age story set in a medieval kingdom, Andrea is a headstrong princess longing to be a knight who finds her way to modern-day California. But her accidental return to her family's kingdom and a disastrous romance brings war, along with her discovery of some dark family secrets. Readers will love this mix of traditional fantasy elements with unique twists and will identify with Andrea and her difficult choices between duty and desire.

Why I read this: It was a book I heard of a while back, so I jumped at the chance to read it for a Teen Book Scene tour.

Plot: This story is about two worlds and the doors between them. A young princess accidentally steps through the door from her world into another and ends up in our world. Her uncle helps her to blend in with Earthly ways, but insists she return when the door next opens - the next full moon. Love seeks her out and she finds that she may like this new world much better than her own until she accidentally returns before she wanted to. I liked the pace of the plot, but I felt like I would have enjoyed more of the history behind how the two worlds had met. There was a good amount of intrigue and action that I whipped through the book quickly and it definitely was an entertaining read.

Characters: Andrea is an interesting character. And definitely still growing throughout the novel. The person that intrigued me the most was her uncle who lived mainly in our world but visited frequently to Andrea's. There was also King Julian, a man who seems vicious at first but you soon learn why he acts the way he does.

Relatability: I think those who like fantasy mixed with reality will enjoy this novel.

Cover Commentary: Very pretty, but not exactly who I pictured Andrea to be. The model looks a lot older than Andrea.

Rating: 4/5 Roses

Find it on Goodreads

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