tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69072355058224715222024-03-19T02:45:58.861-04:00Supernatural SnarkParanormal young adult, paranormal romance, and urban fantasy book reviews.Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14199685365145765394noreply@blogger.comBlogger1774125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6907235505822471522.post-28549612302079542242016-10-28T00:00:00.000-04:002016-10-28T00:06:36.061-04:00The Very Fondest Of FarewellsHey Everyone!<br />
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This post may seem like it's coming out of the blue, but it's one I've been struggling with for the better part of this year. I kept telling myself (and you) that the small changes like taking Mondays off and the few week-long breaks to focus on work weren't the beginning of the end for this blog, but they were.<br />
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For much of this year, the blog, as much as I love it, has felt like a second job. A second set of deadlines to meet. A second set of emails in need of responses. A second set of demands on my time. Even though the deadlines are entirely of my own making, it's gotten to the point now that I simply can't keep up, and my desire to do so has waned. I promised myself as soon as this amazing endeavor stopped being fun, I would let it go, and as much as it brings tears to my eyes to say it, that time is now.<br />
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I can honestly say, with absolutely no exaggeration, that this blog has changed my life. What started as a fun way to share my newfound obsession with reading has launched an entirely new career, and I never would have gotten to this place without the blogging community. You guys inspired me to take a chance on something that was incredibly daunting and oh-so scary, but has proved to be the best job I've ever had. You supported me at every turn when I took my first tentative steps into the cover design world, voting when I entered design contests, commenting when I shared my work on the blog, and endlessly encouraging me on social media. Words simply cannot express my gratitude.<br />
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While Supernatural Snark has had a profound impact on my professional life, it's also been enormously influential in my personal one as well. I've always been close with my mom (except for a select few teen years, right Mom? ;-)) and my mother-in-law, but this blog has allowed my relationships with them to flourish further. They both jumped onto this crazy ride from the very beginning, and haven't stepped off since. They've given me book recommendations, written reviews, and tackled 6 years of the epic monster that is BookExpo America with a smile on their faces even as we've all wanted to break down and cry at how much our feet hurt. Though I know we'll continue to swap books and share recommendations, I will thoroughly miss sharing this blog with them.<br />
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To all of you who've read this blog but haven't commented, thank you. I don't know who you are, but you've made everything I've put into this blog worthwhile.<br />
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To my fellow bloggers and friends, a simple thank you will never be enough, but I have to say it anyway. Thank you for being a constant source of support. Thank you for sharing your lives and your loves with me. Thank you for making someone who lives a somewhat hermit-like life feel less alone during the long, quiet hours of the day. Thank you for being you. All your gorgeous diversity has made me a better person.<br />
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To all the authors and publishers who gave me the opportunity to celebrate books on a daily basis, I will be forever grateful. You opened my eyes to new characters and new worlds, and pushed me to step outside my comfort zone so that I could discover all the joys I would have been missing without you.<br />
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And finally to the Moms, I love you both. Thank you for taking this journey with me.<br />
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Though this is a goodbye for Supernatural Snark, it's the very beginning for Seedlings Design Studio. I've just launched my new website and have finally, FINALLY, jumped on the social media train and created a Facebook page. *pats self on back* While it will primarily be a place for me to promote my work, I plan on posting the occasional book recommendation as well because it's going to be impossible for me to keep all my thoughts to myself after nearly seven years of sharing them with all of you. I hope you stop by for a visit now and then!<br />
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<b>Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SeedlingsDesignStudio/">https://www.facebook.com/SeedlingsDesignStudio/</a></b><br />
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<b>Website: <a href="http://www.seedlingsonline.com/">http://www.seedlingsonline.com/</a></b><br />
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From the very bottom of my heart, thank you for the past seven years:)Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14199685365145765394noreply@blogger.com327tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6907235505822471522.post-80219762451005845512016-10-27T00:00:00.000-04:002016-10-27T00:00:14.317-04:00Cathy Reviews: The Bookshop on the Corner<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My mother-in-law Cathy is back today to share her latest review!</span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmJCOsgTWLydG9_RGW-Cm1FRpTSxxJcDn7jTPvbJmjIZwLOjCxC8pAaQbyyHdLAbfGEwY9-igsCMWPX6cx6sc0fOTna4XJzpDviad5cUNMmRt6gYZRSuokEQ2k2Bo2aInFJ1aDMPl-vVo/s1600/BookshopOnCorner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmJCOsgTWLydG9_RGW-Cm1FRpTSxxJcDn7jTPvbJmjIZwLOjCxC8pAaQbyyHdLAbfGEwY9-igsCMWPX6cx6sc0fOTna4XJzpDviad5cUNMmRt6gYZRSuokEQ2k2Bo2aInFJ1aDMPl-vVo/s320/BookshopOnCorner.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Bookshop-Corner-Novel-Jenny-Colgan/dp/0062467255/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1477538291&sr=8-1&keywords=the+Bookshop+on+the+corner"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">THE BOOKSHOP ON THE CORNER</span></b></a><br />
Jenny Colgan<br />
Adult Fiction<br />
368 pages<br />
William Morrow<br />
Available Now<br />
Source: Finished copy from publisher for review<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">THE STORY (from Goodreads)</span></b><br />
<span id="freeText9597115042421019966">Nina Redmond is a
literary matchmaker. Pairing a reader with that perfect book is her
passion… and also her job. Or at least it was. Until yesterday, she was a
librarian in the hectic city. But now the job she loved is no more.<br /><br />Determined
to make a new life for herself, Nina moves to a sleepy village many
miles away. There she buys a van and transforms it into a bookmobile—a
mobile bookshop that she drives from neighborhood to neighborhood,
changing one life after another with the power of storytelling. <br /><br />From
helping her grumpy landlord deliver a lamb, to sharing picnics with a
charming train conductor who serenades her with poetry, Nina discovers
there’s plenty of adventure, magic, and soul in a place that’s beginning
to feel like home… a place where she just might be able to write her
own happy ending.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span id="freeText9597115042421019966">CATHY'S THOUGHTS</span></span></b><br />
<span id="freeText9597115042421019966"><i>The Bookshop on the Corner</i> by Jenny Colgan is a charming book, especially for those who have been book lovers since childhood. This book brought back memories of how I loved going to the bookstore. I couldn't wait to see what books awaited me. Though in the story it's a mobile bookstore, it holds the same feel of anticipation for all those book lovers in the small towns of Scotland.<br /> </span><br />
<span id="freeText9597115042421019966">Nina is more than a librarian, she is a true book lover who enjoys pairing just the right book with each person. When her job is eliminated, she decides she is going to start fresh and follow her dreams. She buys an old van that everyone told her was too big for a "little lady" and leaves her home to head for the glens of Scotland. All is not easy for Nina but she perseveres. Some of her failures are treated with humor, but Nina feels things deeply and believes the best of everyone. Because of this, she has some very painful moments. Nina is so passionate about life, but most is based on what she has read in books rather than experienced. There are many great references to other books that makes you want to read them all. But as Nina travels around Scotland and actually becomes involved with her customers, she begins to live her life not just through books.<br /> </span><br />
<span id="freeText9597115042421019966">Ms. Colgan not only has us fall in love with Nina but also the life and culture of Scotland. The descriptions of the scenery and customs draw us in and we are rooting for Nina to embrace and be embraced. There is a romantic interest for Nina that starts on the wrong foot, but like everything else in her life, it takes work. But I think Nina's name for her mobile book store is perfect foreshadowing for this book. She named it Happily Ever After!<br /><br />Rating: 4/5</span><br />
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<b><span id="freeText9597115042421019966">Find Jenny:</span></b></div>
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<span id="freeText9597115042421019966"><b><a href="http://www.jennycolgan.com/">Website</a> • <a href="https://www.facebook.com/jennycolganbooks">Facebook</a> • <a href="https://twitter.com/jennycolgan">Twitter</a> • <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28372019-the-bookshop-on-the-corner?from_search=true">Goodreads</a> • <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Bookshop-Corner-Novel-Jenny-Colgan/dp/0062467255/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1477538291&sr=8-1&keywords=the+Bookshop+on+the+corner">Amazon</a> </b></span></div>
<span id="freeText9597115042421019966"></span><span id="freeText9597115042421019966"></span><span id="freeText9597115042421019966"> </span><br />
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<span id="freeText10853916565431259514"><span id="freeText15632718137373109588"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a
review<span style="font-size: xx-small;">. </span></span></i></span></span></span></div>
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<span id="freeText10853916565431259514"><span id="freeText15632718137373109588"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">I received no other compensation</span> and the <span style="font-size: xx-small;">above is my, or in this case Cathy's, honest opinion</span>.</span></i></span></span></span></div>
Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14199685365145765394noreply@blogger.com286tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6907235505822471522.post-1104238963386942072016-10-26T00:00:00.000-04:002016-10-26T00:00:25.962-04:00Waiting on Wednesday: Into The Fire<span style="font-family: inherit;">Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by <a href="http://www.breakingthespine.blogspot.com/">Breaking The Spine</a> and is a fun way to see what books other bloggers just can't wait to get their hands on!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9XzaqIcM71qfqUAQbDVq1n3xXQYYqkale2HKjfMWVBDSc4WFobSdDu-1CnPPV99BUNxtsQPMt_dFGhOHCclPay_sTWQYjMs4TkFU4fX2WOkl4fwLGWs4RyLBZ-2LfUjlRZyZizYCQsIY/s1600/IntoTheFire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9XzaqIcM71qfqUAQbDVq1n3xXQYYqkale2HKjfMWVBDSc4WFobSdDu-1CnPPV99BUNxtsQPMt_dFGhOHCclPay_sTWQYjMs4TkFU4fX2WOkl4fwLGWs4RyLBZ-2LfUjlRZyZizYCQsIY/s400/IntoTheFire.jpg" width="247" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23586994-into-the-fire"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">INTO THE FIRE</span></span></b></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Night Prince #4</span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Jeaniene Frost</span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Paranormal Romance</span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Releases February 2017 from Avon</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">From Goodreads:</span></span></span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="freeText8136376342380724445"><b>In the wrong hands, love can be a deadly weapon.</b><br /><br />For
nearly six hundred years, Vlad Tepesh cared for nothing, so he had
nothing to lose. His brutal reputation ensured that all but the most
foolhardy stayed away. Now falling in love with Leila has put him at the
mercy of his passions. And one adversary has found a devastating way to
use Vlad’s new bride against him.<br /><br />A powerful spell links Leila
to the necromancer Mircea. If he suffers or dies, so does she. Magic is
forbidden to vampires, so Vlad and Leila enlist an unlikely guide as
they search for a way to break the spell. But an ancient enemy lies in
wait, capable of turning Vlad and Leila’s closest friends against
them…and finally tearing the lovers apart forever.</span></span></span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="freeText8136376342380724445">VLAD!!! It<span style="font-family: inherit;"> will have been two years in between books by the time <i>I</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>n</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>to the Fire</i> hits shelves in February, and that has been much, much too long for me to be away from my <span style="font-family: inherit;">beloved</span> Vlad. <span style="font-family: inherit;">Jeaniene Frost<span style="font-family: inherit;">'s Night Huntress series was my first paranormal romance series<span style="font-family: inherit;">, <span style="font-family: inherit;">so it and its spinoffs will always have a very special place in my heart and on my shelf. While Bones will always <span style="font-family: inherit;">come first in terms of book boyfriends, <span style="font-family: inherit;">Vlad is a very, very close second<span style="font-family: inherit;">, and I can't wait to see how<span style="font-family: inherit;"> this final installment unfolds!</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="freeText8136376342380724445"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23586994-into-the-fire">Goodreads</a> • <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Into-Fire-Night-Prince-Novel-ebook/dp/B01BSI348C/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1477448677&sr=8-5&keywords=Into+the+fire">Amazon</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span> </span> </span> </span></b></div>
Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14199685365145765394noreply@blogger.com50tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6907235505822471522.post-67433867741109066272016-10-25T00:00:00.000-04:002016-10-25T10:04:01.967-04:00Life With Pit BullsHey Everyone!<br />
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Along with Breast Cancer Awareness Month, October is also Pit Bull Awareness Month, and given dog rescue – and pit bull rescue in particular – is a cause very close to my heart, I wanted to share a post about my girls to bring a little attention to it, even if only in this very small way.<br />
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As with any issue, I think educating oneself before formulating any kind of opinion or stance is vitally important, so I'm hoping my girls' story helps shed a little light on the controversial nature of the pit bull breed(s) (I put the "s" there because the pit bull label actually encompasses several different breeds). <br />
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Here are just a few of the things my husband and I heard when we told people what kind of dog we were planning to adopt:<br />
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"Is that safe?"<br />
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"Are you sure you know what you're doing?"<br />
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"You know, pit bulls are more likely to turn on their owners than any other breed."<br />
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"I have a friend (family member, neighbor, etc.) whose dog was attacked by a pit bull."<br />
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">(<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">W</span>e got several variations of this one, with the teller recounting every horror story they'd ever heard.)</span></i><br />
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"Aren't they supposed to be mean?"<br />
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And so on.<br />
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It was heartbreaking to get reactions like those both from friends and family as well as strangers, especially since we hadn't even brought Gracie home yet. It was an eye-opening time for us, and made us both all the more determined to be advocates for the breed(s).<br />
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Since bringing Gracie home however, we've encountered no outright hostility, mostly due to the fact that she's an exemplary breed ambassador. It's hard to accuse pit bulls of being vicious killers when a smiling, wiggling mass of dog with a face that's an absurdly lovable combination of Yoda, a gremlin, and Toothless from <i>How to Train Your Dragon</i> is waddling toward you. (Though we did have one woman tell us after meeting Gracie that she didn't realize pit bulls could be "tame". Um. What? We didn't adopt a lion cub.)<br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Her ears. I die.</span></i></div>
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What we hear most often now is perhaps the most innocent-sounding of all the comments about pit bulls we've had directed our way, but also the most damaging for the breed(s):<br />
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"You know, it's all in how they're raised."<br />
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At first glance this seems like a nice sentiment, a compliment directed at me and my husband that suggests Gracie's sweet nature can be attributed to us. Under the surface however, what this comment actually implies is that a pit bull is nothing more than a reflection of its upbringing – a bad dog when raised by bad people and a good one when raised by good people – when I would argue the opposite is really true. Pit bulls are loving and loyal companion dogs often <i>despite</i> their upbringing. It's this reasoning that sees adult pit bulls at the top of the euthanasia list at the shelter, or languishing in rescues for years as they continually get passed over in favor of puppies.<br />
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We adopted Gracie at 2 years old and take absolutely NO credit for the amazing dog she is. She came to us chock-full of personality (seriously, she's ridiculous) and sweetness (except when she's being a stubborn a-hole), and we've done nothing but fall madly in love with her.<br />
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I'm not so blindly passionate about my girls though that I can't understand why people might be afraid of them. Gracie in particular is built like a brick shithouse, with a head and chest that comprise at least 70% of her body weight, and it's one of the first things people comment on when they meet her. We hear "that's a thick dog" or "she's got a chest on her" all the time, forcing me to tell Gracie to flaunt what God gave her so she doesn't take it personally ;-)<br />
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Physically, both Gracie and Mya are intimidating, so when people see them and ask us what kind of dogs they are, I can't really hold it against them when they take a step back or yank their hand away when they hear "pit bull". I get it. I do. But what I want people to understand most is pit bulls are not an inherently dangerous breed. They're not what any of the myths surrounding them say they are. They don't have a special kill/fight gene bred into them. They don't have magical jaws that lock and never let go. They're just dogs. Strong, muscular dogs capable of inflicting damage who are used in cruel ways for just that reason, yes, but they are not the first breed of dog, nor will they be the last, to be used as such.<br />
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Mya is a perfect example what I hope people will start to see when they look at a pit bull. Many of you already know a little of Mya's story from what I've shared with you previously, but knowing more of the details I hope will go a long way toward revealing the true nature of the breed(s).<br />
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Mya was purchased by a dog fighter as a puppy, and while we can only imagine the horrors she endured the first year of her life under his "care", we do know the specifics of her last day with him and what led to her rescue. When she proved to be an inadequate fighting dog, Mya was used for breeding. She ended up miscarrying her litter of puppies, and for her misfortune was kicked repeatedly in the belly hard enough that her uterus eventually came out and she was left in the yard to bleed to death. A neighbor saw the beating take place and thankfully stepped in, paying the owner a fee for him to hand Mya over and then rushing her to the vet. After her surgery she found her way into a rescue and loving foster home, and that's where we found her a little over a year later.<br />
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As a result of everything she went through, Mya is understandably wary of new people. This wariness presents as growling and sometimes escalates to alarm barking when it looks to her as though someone she doesn't know is going to come into her space. Her primary triggers are extended eye contact, objects in people's hands (even treats), and hands reaching toward her face, all of which result in her hunching down to make herself a smaller target and growling. <br />
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I'm not sharing Mya's story to shock or horrify (though it is both shocking and horrifying), but to educate. While Mya does have some trouble in larger social situations, she's also a beautiful example of how resilient a pit bull can be. Despite the nightmare that was the first year of her life, she came out the other side happy and wiggly, and wants nothing more than to be near her people. While "trained" to fight, she absolutely adores other dogs, and shows not even the slightest hint of aggression no matter how other dogs behave toward her.<br />
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Because those who meet her don't know her history, however, the growling to them
says "aggressive" rather than "fearful", and as a result, Mya has the
very real ability to confirm the pit bull stereotype for some people. (We are currently working with a behaviorist to help us be what Mya needs
us to be to thrive, and she has made a staggering amount of progress in
the 5 months we've had her. We have ways to go yet, but we'll get
there:))<br />
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I wish every single person who hears her growl could know her story. Know that her wariness has absolutely nothing to do with her breed, and everything to do with being abused. People hurt her. People failed her. Yet she is the one who bears the burden of that failure because she sometimes plays into the stigma of a pit bull. Mya's story circles back to the "it's all in how they're raised" comment. She was raised to be vicious. Raised to fight, to attack, to use that mythical jaw to inflict as much damage as possible for sport. But despite all that, my husband and I have a dog who loves to snuggle and give kisses. Who is unbearably gentle in disposition and wants so badly to please us that her body never stops wiggling in our presence. Both she and Gracie are more than their separate upbringings, and my hope for the future is to see an end to breed specific legislation and the idea that the breed(s) as a whole is violent.<br />
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I know there are many who would read this post and rant and rave at me about things they've seen, heard or experienced regarding pit bulls, citing dog bite statistics and sensationalized articles about attacks, and I honestly can't refute their claims having not witnessed them personally. The only thing I can say is what I know of pit bulls being involved in rescue and having two of my own, and that is despite the circumstances of how they were raised – Gracie, a neglected stray with 15 minutes to spare before she was put down at the shelter, and Mya, a survivor of nightmare-inducing abuse – they are sweet-natured and loving to the core.<br />
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For those of you who might be interested in learning more about pit bulls, there's an outstanding documentary currently on Netflix called <i>The Champions</i>. It's the story of the dogs rescued from NFL star Michael Vick's dog fighting operation, a landmark case marking the first time dogs involved in a fighting ring weren't automatically euthanized. They were given the opportunity to be rehabilitated instead, and it follows 5 or 6 of them that were eventually adopted out into loving homes. It's a very honest documentary and one that's pro-pit bull for sure, but it also doesn't show this case as all rainbows and unicorns where every dog has a happy ending either. There are a number of dogs that were simply too brutalized to be able to fully recover emotionally and mentally, and those dogs will live the rest of their lives in the safety of a sanctuary. It's light on details in terms of the actual abuse while a part of Vick's operation, so all you fellow animal lovers don't have to worry on that front!<br />
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This was a very long, very personal post as my dogs are my kids, and I hope it might inspire you to do some research into the breed(s) or into dog rescue in general!<br />
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Before I go, a few more pictures of my girls in all their pit bull glory:)<br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Helping" Dad lay sod in the backyard.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Gracie doesn't like to snuggle with us all that much, </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">but with Mya she has no concept of personal space<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">.</span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Gracie</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Mya</span></i></div>
Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14199685365145765394noreply@blogger.com50tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6907235505822471522.post-4658111534551302802016-10-21T00:00:00.000-04:002016-10-24T11:37:36.050-04:00Giveaway: Black Widow: Red Vengeance <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Happy Friday Everyone!<br />
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As a little celebration for another week being over (who's ready for a vacation?), I have a fun giveaway to share with you all! Last year Margaret Stohl dipped into the Marvel Universe with <i>Black Widow: Forever Red</i> and has recently released the second book in this series, <i>Black Widow: Red Vengeance</i>. I happen to be a huge fan of all things Marvel, so while I haven't had the chance to read these yet, I'm thoroughly looking forward diving in to both of them!<br />
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Before we get to the giveaway, here's a little bit about book two:<br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Emotions are
dangerous, which is why the graduates of Moscow’s famed spy school the
Red Room are taught to keep their enemies close and their loved ones at a
distance. Black Widow and Red Widow, also known as Natasha Romanoff and
Ava Orlova, forgot that lesson once, and they won’t forget it again. </span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">But
the Widows have inherited something else from their shared Moscow past:
a relentless need for vengeance—Ivan Somodorov is dead, but his network
of terror remains. </span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">While
the Widows search South America in order to extinguish a smuggling
operation with ties to their old nemesis, their own Red Room not only
attempts to assassinate them both but also hacks their secure
S.H.I.E.L.D. network. As a result, Ava and Natasha find themselves
thrust into a trying mission of international intrigue that takes them
throughout the world and back to New York City, where their friends
Dante and Sana become unlikely targets as well. </span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Once
again, nothing is as it seems, no one can be trusted, and no one is
safe—not unless the Widows can stop a conspiracy involving stolen
nuclear warheads, mind-altering chemical weapons, and ultimately,
betrayal by old friends and enemies alike.</span></span></i></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Black-Widow-Vengeance-Novel-Marvel/dp/1484773470/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1477015663&sr=8-1&keywords=Black+Widow+Red+Vengeance">Amazon</a> • <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/black-widow-red-vengeance-margaret-stohl/1123502581?ean=9781484773475">B&N</a> • <a href="http://books.disney.com/book/black-widow-red-vengeance/">Official Site</a></b></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">• • • • • • • • • • • • • • </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">MARGARET STOHL</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNAJ_6PP7IeZdffYpUY1zhC1RZ52lZIk_uslnO5idnJFoIPqBubPQuVPNNcjtk8Pt8nmIbr1mKg524S8pIYtEFsIgIJQUGXcc1zHqiYlEHozmsiyuLp53zCoFSONHOgDLOhfZE-Fn6SK0/s1600/MargaretStohl.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNAJ_6PP7IeZdffYpUY1zhC1RZ52lZIk_uslnO5idnJFoIPqBubPQuVPNNcjtk8Pt8nmIbr1mKg524S8pIYtEFsIgIJQUGXcc1zHqiYlEHozmsiyuLp53zCoFSONHOgDLOhfZE-Fn6SK0/s320/MargaretStohl.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Margaret Stohl is the #1 New York Times
best-selling co-author of the Beautiful Creatures novels (also a major
motion picture) and the author of the instant New York Times best seller
Black Widow: Forever Red, as well as a contributor to multiple Marvel
comics. Previously, Margaret was a veteran of the video game industry,
working as a writer and designer before co-founding 7 Studios with Lewis
Peterson.</span></span><br />
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<b><a href="http://mstohl.com/">Website</a> • <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MargaretStohl">Facebook</a> • <a href="https://twitter.com/mstohl">Twitter</a></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">• • • • • • • • • • • • • •</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">GIVEAWAY</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">O</span>ne lucky winner will receive copies of <i>Black Widow: Forever Red</i> and <i>Black Widow: Red Vengeance</i>, plus a branded tote bag and pin! A huge thank<span style="font-family: inherit;">s to Marvel Press for pr<span style="font-family: inherit;">oviding the prize pack<span style="font-family: inherit;">.</span></span></span> To enter, please fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Giveaway is open to US addresses only.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b> </b></span></span></div>
<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="a10d5092109" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/a10d5092109/" id="rcwidget_402pfr29" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script>Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14199685365145765394noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6907235505822471522.post-30269654375462163872016-10-20T00:04:00.000-04:002016-10-20T00:04:00.146-04:00Interview: Jessica Shirvington & Disruption<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Today I'm thrilled to welcome author Jessica Shirvington back to the blog to answer a few questions about the first book in her newest duology, </span></i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Disruption</span><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">. I fell madly in love with Jessica's storytelling with her <a href="http://supernaturalsnark.blogspot.com/2014/05/review-empower.html">Violet Eden Series</a>, and that love continued with <a href="http://supernaturalsnark.blogspot.com/2014/07/review-one-past-midnight.html">One Past Midnight</a>, so I can't wait to get sucked into </span></i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Disruption</span><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">:) If you've yet to read any of Jessica's books, they have my highest recommendation and I hope you leave here immediately and add them to your shelves!</span></i><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Dystopian and Science Fiction novels often depict a rather terrifying future, altogether too believable even in their fiction. What Dystopian, Sci-Fi or Post-Apocalyptic world from any piece of fiction is the most nightmare-inducing for you?</span></b><br />
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Yes, they are all fairly terrifying. Oddly enough, I don’t mind the ones that take us back to the basics – where we have to rebuild and start again. There is a part of me that sometimes thinks that is the way things will probably go. The dystopian worlds which really frighten me are the ones run by technology. It worries me to think that we hand over so much trust to technology that is basically without morals, foresight, need, emotion or hope. That is really scary. <br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If Maggie could escape from her world and jump into any other YA novel, which would top her list?</span></b><br />
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Good question. I’m not sure there is any other dystopian story she would particularly like. However, there are a few worlds that I think she would survive well in. If I had to pick, maybe <i>Under the Never Sky</i>, by Veronica Rossi. It would certainly be interesting to see her in that world. <br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If Maggie could send a warning back to us about what the evolution of the smartphone and the effect it’s had on her world, what would she most like to say?</span></b><br />
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No matter how smart the technology is, you can’t map out and decide what and who people are going to become based on statistics and history. Every person is unique and deserves their chance to try and fail-or-succeed. Technology gives us too much of the wrong kind of information. <br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Aside from the smartphone, what’s one other piece of modern technology you can easily see evolving in a disturbing kind of way? </span></b><br />
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Food and the way we eat it. If we don’t start looking after the environment we won’t be able to have the same kind of fresh produce and animal life that we are used to. Our food will become a technology based resource – it will be heavily processed and bolstered by more and more supplements on the side. Already an apple tastes different to when I was a kid. I worry that if we don’t take steps to look after the climate issue, my children’s children will have a very different understanding of food.<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">How would the Maggie at the beginning of <i>Disruption</i> describe Quentin Mercer, heir to the M-Corp empire? The Maggie at the end?</span></b><br />
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In the beginning, Maggie would describe Quentin as entitled and predictable. She would also describe him as nothing more than a stepping stone. In the end…well, I think she would describe him as someone she values greatly, and as the person who is her greatest weakness (amongst other things ;) </blockquote>
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Thanks so much for stopping by Jessica!</span></i><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">DISRUPTION</span></b></div>
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<span id="freeText10740033983430610504">The heart-stopping first chapter in bestselling author Jessica Shirvington's Disruption series.<br /><br />What if a microchip could identify your perfect match? <br /><br />What if it could be used against you and the ones you love? <br /><br />Eight
years ago, Mercer Corporation's M-Bands became mandatory. An evolution
of the smartphone, the bracelets promised an easier life. Instead, they
have come to control it.<br /><br />Two years ago, Maggie Stevens watched
helplessly as one of the people she loved most was taken from her,
shattering her world as she knew it. Now, Maggie is ready. And Quentin
Mercer - heir to the M-Corp empire - has become key to Maggie's plan.<br /><br />But as the pieces of her dangerous design fall into place, could Quentin's involvement destroy everything she's fought for? <br /><br />In a world full of broken promises, the ones Maggie must keep could be the most heartbreaking.</span> <br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Disruption-Jessica-Shirvington/dp/0732298105/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1476935811&sr=8-1&keywords=Disruption">Amazon</a> • <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27191194-disruption">Goodreads</a> • <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/disruption-jessica-shirvington/1114894685?ean=9780732298104">B&N</a></b></span></div>
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<b><span id="freeText6294595395344024482">Find Jessica:</span></b></div>
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</span></span><b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.jessicashirvington.com/">Website</a> • <a href="http://www.jessicashirvington.com/blog/">Blog</a> • <a href="https://www.facebook.com/embracetheseries">Facebook</a> </span></span></span></b></div>
Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14199685365145765394noreply@blogger.com55tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6907235505822471522.post-41028229491688873842016-10-19T00:00:00.000-04:002016-10-19T00:00:22.569-04:00Waiting on Wednesday: Dark Breaks The Dawn<span style="font-family: inherit;">Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by <a href="http://www.breakingthespine.blogspot.com/">Breaking The Spine</a> and is a fun way to see what books other bloggers just can't wait to get their hands on!</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29283751-dark-breaks-the-dawn"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">DARK BREAKS THE DAWN</span></span></b></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sara B. Larson</span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Young Adult/Fantasy</span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Releases May 2017 from Scholastic</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">From Goodreads:</span></span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="freeText7354046548917033708">On her eighteenth
birthday, Princess Evelayn of Eadrolan, the Light Kingdom, can finally
access the full range of her magical powers. The light looks brighter,
the air is sharper, and the energy she can draw when fighting feels
almost limitless.<br /><br />But while her mother, the queen, remains busy
at the war front, in the Dark Kingdom of Dorjhalon, the corrupt king is
plotting. King Bain wants control of both kingdoms, and his plan will
fling Evelayn onto the throne much sooner than she expected.<br /><br />In
order to defeat Bain and his sons, Evelayn will quickly have to come
into her ability to shapeshift, and rely on the alluring Lord Tanvir.
But not everyone is what they seem, and the balance between the Light
and Dark comes at a steep price.</span></span></span></i><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="freeText7354046548917033708">I really enjoyed Sara's <i>Defy</i> series, so <span style="font-family: inherit;">this one can't release soon enough for me. <span style="font-family: inherit;">The heroine of the <i>Defy</i> series was as strong as they come, and it sounds like Evelayn with her magic and her ability to shapeshift <span style="font-family: inherit;">is going to be <span style="font-family: inherit;">badass in her own right, something that always makes me happy. I'm wondering if she's a swan shifter based on that c<span style="font-family: inherit;">rown, and if she is, that's not a shifter I've read about before so consider me intrigued. It's possible the swan is more <span style="font-family: inherit;">symbolic <span style="font-family: inherit;">than literal though, and while now I can't stop <span style="font-family: inherit;">hoping for a swan shifter, <span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm still counting the days until <span style="font-family: inherit;">this book makes its way into my grabby hands<span style="font-family: inherit;">!</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="freeText7354046548917033708"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29283751-dark-breaks-the-dawn">Goodreads</a></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></b></div>
Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14199685365145765394noreply@blogger.com53tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6907235505822471522.post-38722193982823412342016-10-18T00:00:00.000-04:002016-10-18T00:00:16.265-04:00Cathy Reviews: Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">My mother in law Cathy is back today to share her latest review from the Shadowhunter world!</span></i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqRZ4vuILcOmpGIxd64aJqglp47Jkla5bsk8rOH_9AvcxFI-Yx14P-Gm7p2LsvricO_MuLvi9Kl7YBRP2wTLfozw9aa7QQNOt0T8OCEQcGvh7e-ONmcAmEXnW4XugZlEAkzbXvCRq229A/s1600/TalesShadowhunter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqRZ4vuILcOmpGIxd64aJqglp47Jkla5bsk8rOH_9AvcxFI-Yx14P-Gm7p2LsvricO_MuLvi9Kl7YBRP2wTLfozw9aa7QQNOt0T8OCEQcGvh7e-ONmcAmEXnW4XugZlEAkzbXvCRq229A/s320/TalesShadowhunter.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Tales-Shadowhunter-Academy-Cassandra-Clare/dp/1481443259/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1476757951&sr=8-1&keywords=Tales+from+the+shadowhunter+academy"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">TALES FROM THE SHADOWHUNTER ACADEMY</span></b></a><br />
Anthology<br />
Young Adult/Paranormal/Fantasy<br />
672 pages<br />
Margaret K. McElderry Books<br />
Available November 15th<br />
Source: ARC from publisher for review<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">THE STORY (from Goodreads)</span></b><br />
<span id="freeText14602738355271334076">The <i>New York Times</i> and <i>USA TODAY </i>bestselling
collection of short stories chronicling the adventures of Simon Lewis
as he trains to become a Shadowhunter is now available in print for the
first time with ten brand-new comic illustrations!<br /><br />Simon Lewis has been a human and a vampire, and now he is becoming a Shadowhunter. The events of <i>City of Heavenly Fire </i>left
him stripped of his memories, and Simon isn’t sure who he is anymore.
So when the Shadowhunter Academy reopens, Simon throws himself into this
new world of demon-hunting, determined to find himself again. Whomever
this new Simon might be.<br /><br />But the Academy <i>is</i> a Shadowhunter
institution, which means it has some problems. Like the fact that
non-Shadowhunter students have to live in the basement. At least Simon’s
trained in weaponry—even if it’s only from hours of playing D&D.<br /><br />Join
Simon on his journey to become a Shadowhunter, and learn about the
Academy’s illustrious history along the way, through guest lecturers
such as Jace Herondale, Tessa Gray, and Magnus Bane. Written by
Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, Maureen Johnson, and Robin
Wasserman, these moving and hilarious short stories are perfect for the
fan who just can’t get enough of the Shadowhunters.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span id="freeText14602738355271334076">CATHY'S THOUGHTS</span></span></b><br />
<span id="freeText14602738355271334076"><i>Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy</i> is a collaborative effort by Cassandra Clare and several other authors. At first glance, it looks like a book of not-so-short stories. This is a big book, 600 plus pages, but I was nicely surprised that the stories were not disjointed but instead told a continuous story of Simon Lewis's time at the Academy learning to be a Shadowhunter. Simon's story is the thread that holds all the stories together.<br /> </span><br />
<span id="freeText14602738355271334076">For the Mortal Instrument series fan, you will thoroughly enjoy this book. Each story gives us a look at characters from all the different series. It gives some historical background on how some of our favorite characters evolved in this world. And you get visits from some of the most beloved characters, such as Jace, Clary, Jem, and Magnus.<br /> </span><br />
<span id="freeText14602738355271334076">For those who have not read any of the series, never fear, this might be a good introduction. We get to follow Simon's growth as part of this Shadowhunter world and all his insecurities. Ms. Clare gives us enough background information so that we are not floundering. When we meet these old friends, they might stir up enough interest in the Mortal Instrument series that they will all be added to your stack of books to read.<br /> </span><br />
<span id="freeText14602738355271334076">Don't be daunted by the size of this book because it is broken up into many smaller stories and moves quickly. We not only feel Simon's angst and pain while he is learning his trade, we are introduced to several new friends that we become very attached to and want to learn their fate as well. The book is very well rounded even though it is a divided into many parts. Unlike many short story books, these stories need to be read in order to keep a continuous flow in the plotline.</span><br />
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<b><span id="freeText14602738355271334076">Find Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy:</span></b></div>
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<b><span id="freeText14602738355271334076"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Tales-Shadowhunter-Academy-Cassandra-Clare/dp/1481443259/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1476757951&sr=8-1&keywords=Tales+from+the+shadowhunter+academy">Amazon</a> • <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tales-from-the-shadowhunter-academy-cassandra-clare/1123385475?ean=9781481443258">B&N</a> • <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781481443258">IndieBound</a> • <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28954137-tales-from-the-shadowhunter-academy?from_search=true">Goodreads</a> </span></b></div>
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<span id="freeText10853916565431259514"><span id="freeText15632718137373109588"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a
review<span style="font-size: xx-small;">. </span></span></i></span></span></span></div>
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<span id="freeText10853916565431259514"><span id="freeText15632718137373109588"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">I received no other compensation</span> and the <span style="font-size: xx-small;">above is my, or in this case Cathy's, honest opinion</span>.</span></i></span></span></span></div>
Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14199685365145765394noreply@blogger.com56tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6907235505822471522.post-36481927606123659062016-10-14T00:00:00.000-04:002016-10-14T00:00:08.823-04:00Countdown to Heartless: Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcxUiEc8hAeTaZtIVU4-kIFqc-SMN5MV8fsOMjDFGxftbm9yMZ_C30RUwMDHVYOfyGWFhEJYNQ6JFcl_J03xPfridXugMnc83mpnqWxG4FHkyCvlwXY6fmDyOaCq-SRujaBpnzZTEH-tg/s1600/HEARTLESS_cover+image+medium.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcxUiEc8hAeTaZtIVU4-kIFqc-SMN5MV8fsOMjDFGxftbm9yMZ_C30RUwMDHVYOfyGWFhEJYNQ6JFcl_J03xPfridXugMnc83mpnqWxG4FHkyCvlwXY6fmDyOaCq-SRujaBpnzZTEH-tg/s320/HEARTLESS_cover+image+medium.jpg" width="204" /></a></div>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Heartless-Marissa-Meyer/dp/1250044650/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1476413206&sr=8-1&keywords=Heartless"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">HEARTLESS</span></b></a><br />
Marissa Meyer<br />
Young Adult/Retelling<br />
464 pages<br />
Feiwel & Friends<br />
Available November 8th<br />
Source: ARC from publisher for review<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">THE STORY (from Goodreads)</span></b><br />
<span id="freeText16357560437867925066"><b>Long before she was the terror of Wonderland — the infamous Queen of Hearts — she was just a girl who wanted to fall in love.</b><br /><br />Catherine
may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland, and a favorite of
the yet-unmarried King of Hearts, but her interests lie elsewhere. A
talented baker, all she wants is to open a shop with her best friend and
supply the Kingdom of Hearts with delectable pastries and confections.
But according to her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for the young
woman who could be the next Queen.<br /><br />At a royal ball where Cath is
expected to receive the king's marriage proposal, she meets Jest, the
handsome and mysterious court joker. For the first time, she feels the
pull of true attraction. At the risk of offending the King and
infuriating her parents, she and Jest enter into an intense, secret
courtship.<br /><br />Cath is determined to define her own destiny and fall
in love on her terms. But in a land thriving with magic, madness, and
monsters, fate has other plans.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span id="freeText16357560437867925066">MY THOUGHTS</span></span></b><br />
<span id="freeText16357560437867925066"><i>Heartless</i> returns us once again to the depths of Ms. Meyer's imagination, granting us access to a world of whimsy and darkness where we're able to view well-known characters through a looking glass all her own.</span><br />
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<span id="freeText16357560437867925066">Catherine wants nothing more than to be covered in sugar and flour all day every day, creating recipes and baking to her heart's content alongside her lady's maid and closest friend, Mary Ann. Given she's the daughter of a marquess however, the path her life takes simply cannot be one of her own choosing, especially when the King of Hearts sets his sights on her. It's so very easy to sympathize with Catherine in the beginning–her dream one that's so simple yet so impossible at the same time– and once we're subjected to the giggly effervescence of the king, we can do nothing but wince along with her every time he opens his mouth and his tittering laugh escapes.</span><br />
<span id="freeText16357560437867925066"><br /></span>
<span id="freeText16357560437867925066">Cath's romance with Jest is full of tension both romantic and forbidden, and though we want to encourage her to follow her heart in this case, a knot of dread deep in our chests pulls tighter every time they're together, wondering when and how it's all going to come crashing down around them given who Cath is destined to become. Though Cath's descent into darkness is at times painful and we find ourselves futiley hoping for an ending we know can never come to pass, it's also a journey that holds us spellbound as Ms. Meyer leads us on a merry dance of wonder and madness. And when the moment comes that we reach the final page and are left with an infamous line ringing in our ears, we simply can't help the Cheshire-like grin that splits our cheeks. </span><br />
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<span id="freeText16357560437867925066">Overall, <i>Heartless</i> is as enormously imaginative as all Ms. Meyer's previous books, and I cannot wait to see what retelling she takes on next.</span><br />
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<span id="freeText16357560437867925066">Rating: 4.5/5</span><br />
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<b><span id="freeText16357560437867925066">There are only 25 days left until <i>Heartless</i>! Pre-Order your copy:</span></b></div>
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<span id="freeText16357560437867925066"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Heartless-Marissa-Meyer/dp/1250044650/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1476413206&sr=8-1&keywords=Heartless">Amazon</a> • <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/heartless-marissa-meyer/1121501897?ean=9781250044655">B&N</a> • <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781250044655">IndieBound</a> </b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span id="freeText16357560437867925066">• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •</span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span id="freeText16357560437867925066">MARISSA MEYER</span></span></b></div>
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One of my first spoken words was “story” (right along with “bath” and
“cookie”), my favorite toy as an infant was a soft, squishable book,
and I’ve wanted to be a writer since I first realized such a job
existed.<br />
<br />
When I was fourteen my best friend introduced me to anime and
fanfiction—over the years I would complete over forty Sailor Moon
fanfics under the penname Alicia Blade. Those so inclined can still
find my first stories at fanfiction.net. Writing fanfic turned out to
be awesome fun and brought me in contact with an amazing group of
fanfiction readers and writers. As Alicia Blade, I also had a novelette,
“The Phantom of Linkshire Manor,” published in the gothic romance
anthology Bound in Skin (CatsCurious Press, 2007).<br />
<br />
When I was sixteen I worked at The Old Spaghetti Factory in Tacoma,
Washington, affectionately termed “The Spag.” (Random factoid: This is
also the restaurant where my parents met some 25 years before.) I
attended Pacific Lutheran University where I sorted mail that came to
the dorm, carted tables and chairs around campus, and took writing
classes, eventually earning a Bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing and
Children’s Literature. Knowing I wanted a career in books, I would also
go on to receive a Master’s degree in Publishing from Pace University
(which you can learn more about <a href="http://www.pace.edu/dyson/academic-departments-and-programs/publishing/graduate-programs/" target="_blank" title="MS in Publishing">here</a>). After graduation, I worked as an editor in Seattle for a while before becoming a freelance typesetter and proofreader.<br />
<br />
Then, day of days, someone thought it would be a good idea to give me
a book deal, so I became a full-time writer. CINDER is my first novel,
though I have an adorable collection of unfinished ones lying around
too.<br />
<br />
I now live with my husband and our three cats (Calexandria Josephine,
Stormus Enormous, and Blackland Rockwell III), who go in and out, in
and out, about eight hundred times a day. My favorite non-bookish things
include Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, re-watching episodes of Firefly,
and playing all manners of dress-up.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><a href="http://www.marissameyer.com/">Website</a> • <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MarissaMeyerAuthor">Facebook</a> • <a href="https://twitter.com/marissa_meyer">Twitter</a> </b></div>
Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14199685365145765394noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6907235505822471522.post-34925746085819701422016-10-12T00:00:00.000-04:002016-10-12T00:00:28.604-04:00Wednesday Flourish: Halloween FrostHey Everyone!<br />
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It's been a little while since I've done a flourish post, and today I have a project to share that makes me shake my head in wondrous disbelief every time I look at it. I started this blog nearly 7 years ago, and just before I did so I discovered a little series by a new-to-me author thanks to a blogger recommendation. That "little" series was the Elemental Assassin series by Jennifer Estep, one I fell immediately in love with and that has held me captivated through sixteen books and seven years. After finishing the first book Jennifer became an auto-buy author for me, and I devoured everything she wrote as soon as it released, including her YA urban fantasy Mythos Academy series.<br />
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Why am I telling you all this in a flourish post you ask? Well, I'll tell you. I had the completely surreal experience of being asked recently to design the cover for <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Halloween-Frost-Mythos-Academy-short-ebook/dp/B01M97MISH/ref=as_li_ss_tl?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1475889153&sr=1-1&keywords=halloween+frost&linkCode=sl1&tag=jenneste-20&linkId=ec6f6808ac4f299bff02744198bbd037"><b>Halloween Frost</b></a>, a Mythos Academy short story. *falls down dead* After I picked my jaw up off the floor and pulled myself together into some semblance of professionalism, I jumped on the project and Jennifer and I began working.<br />
<br />
I always start my projects with idea boards – a multi-page PDF that groups together existing covers as well as stock imagery/illustrations and font suggestions into various design concepts – so that I can get a better feel for what my clients are looking for before I move forward with comps. It's basically an outline stage for the design work, and prevents me from going in one direction while my clients are picturing another.<br />
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After submitting the initial boards, Jennifer and I both knew we wanted to move forward with an illustrated cover (YES!) that created an entirely new brand for the Mythos books. Given this short story is Halloween-themed, we started by focusing on that element, working pumpkins, bats, spiderwebs and a black panther-type creature called a Nemean Prowler in and around the title.<br />
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While the first comps were cute, the general consensus was that they were almost <i>too</i> cute, and read younger than we wanted them to. We thought it was likely the classic Halloween elements that were giving us the more middle grade feel, so we abandoned that concept entirely and decided to focus on just the town and the prowler.<br />
<br />
Jennifer was taken with the first of the revised comps, but there was a concern that emphasizing the paranormal creature might be tricky from a series perspective as the creatures in future books venture into lesser known mythological beasts, and thus might make them harder to find in stock illustrations. (I'm not an illustrator, so I always start with a stock illustration as a base, and the build from there to create something new.) We ended up keeping a few of the main design elements from that comp, but eliminated the prowler and played up the town's clock tower instead, while also making a few adjustments to the overall color scheme.<br />
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While we both liked the new color scheme and the changes to the clock tower, the cover just didn't have the same impact and sense of danger as it did with the prowler, so we retraced our steps and went back to the prowler design, taking the new color scheme, font, and clock tower changes with us. The final cover is one I'm infinitely proud of and so honored to have worked on, and I hope you guys love it as much as Jennifer and I do!<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">HALLOWEEN FROST (Mythos Academy #1.5)</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">(available now!) </span></b></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It’s Halloween at Mythos Academy, and Gwen Frost and her friends are
ready to have a little fun. But when a mythological monster shows up,
the night turns out to be more trick than treat.</span></i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Halloween Frost</b> takes place in between the events of <a href="http://amzn.to/2cEguZp" target="_blank"><b>Touch of Frost</b></a>, book #1, and <a href="http://amzn.to/2d09USx" target="_blank"><b>Kiss of Frost</b></a>, book #2, in the <a href="http://www.jenniferestep.com/series/mythos-academy-series/" target="_blank"><b>Mythos Academy</b></a> young adult urban fantasy series. The short story is about 6,500 words.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Halloween Frost</b> was originally published in <b>Entangled, A Paranormal Anthology</b>, in 2011.</span></i></blockquote>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://amzn.to/2dTCsNX" target="_blank">Amazon Kindle</a> • <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/halloween-frost-jennifer-estep/1124788885?ean=2940156698950">Barnes & Noble Nook</a> • <a href="http://tinyurl.com/jv7u38p" target="_blank">Google Play</a> • <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/halloween-frost/id1163341947?mt=11&ign-mpt=uo%3D4">iBooks</a> • <a href="http://tinyurl.com/hdkcxn6" target="_blank">Kobo</a> • <a href="http://tinyurl.com/jsd67xz" target="_blank">Smashwords</a></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Find Jennifer:</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.jenniferestep.com/">Website</a> • <a href="https://www.facebook.com/JenniferEstepAuthor">Facebook</a> • <a href="https://twitter.com/Jennifer_Estep">Twitter</a> </span></b></div>
Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14199685365145765394noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6907235505822471522.post-40956219059183878702016-10-11T00:00:00.000-04:002016-10-11T00:00:00.203-04:00Review: The Lovely Reckless<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg68y_YHpkNiyvrRfqKxOqhb6NKgI0iRtvJj4v7GrvaMmcvzMQmCzUneYWP7fWFi8aZdalOToibjE-ZBa78eVzHeTxFjOpK4NntDQo8TlJmcUh7pGqgXgU6NehM0jOhu8FZRmRR5NdpfoY/s1600/COVER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg68y_YHpkNiyvrRfqKxOqhb6NKgI0iRtvJj4v7GrvaMmcvzMQmCzUneYWP7fWFi8aZdalOToibjE-ZBa78eVzHeTxFjOpK4NntDQo8TlJmcUh7pGqgXgU6NehM0jOhu8FZRmRR5NdpfoY/s320/COVER.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Lovely-Reckless-Kami-Garcia/dp/1250079195/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1476155671&sr=8-1&keywords=The+lovely+reckless"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">THE LOVELY RECKLESS</span></b></a><br />
Kami Garcia<br />
Contemporary Young Adult<br />
384 pages<br />
Imprint/Macmillan<br />
Available Now<br />
Source: ARC from publisher for review<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">THE STORY (from Goodreads)</span></b><br />
<span id="freeText7915650096830798252"><i>I’ve become an expert at avoiding things that could hurt me—which means I will figure out how to stay away from Marco Leone.</i><br /><br />Seventeen-year-old
Frankie Devereux would do anything to forget the past. Haunted by the
memory of her boyfriend’s death, she lives her life by one dangerous
rule: Nothing matters. At least, that’s what Frankie tells herself after
a reckless mistake forces her to leave her privileged life in the
Heights to move in with her dad—an undercover cop. She transfers to a
public high school in the Downs, where fistfights don’t faze anyone and
illegal street racing is more popular than football.<br /><br />Marco Leone
is the fastest street racer in the Downs. Tough, sexy, and hypnotic, he
makes it impossible for Frankie to ignore him—and how he makes her feel.
But the risks Marco takes for his family could have devastating
consequences for them both. When Frankie discovers his secret, she has
to make a choice. Will she let the pain of the past determine her
future? Or will she risk what little she has left to follow her heart?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b><span id="freeText7915650096830798252">MY THOUGHTS</span></b></span><br />
<span id="freeText7915650096830798252"><i>The Lovely Reckless</i> is a fairly straightforward bad-boy-with-a-heart-of-gold meets good-girl-going-through-a-difficult-time tale, but though the romance between Frankie and Marco sings a familiar tune, their story is still compulsively readable, and we find ourselves turning the last page before it feels as though any time has passed.</span><br />
<span id="freeText7915650096830798252"><br /></span>
<span id="freeText7915650096830798252">Frankie is a young woman reeling from the brutal murder of her boyfriend, flashbacks sweeping her feet out from under her with increasing frequency as she starts at a new school, and we can't help but feel for her as she struggles to once again find her footing. Though she's unsteady emotionally, she doesn't wallow or despair of the poor choices she's made, and while she wants desperately to remember specifics from the night Noah died (as she was a witness), she doesn't berate herself for developing feelings for Marco or engage in a push/pull type of relationship when guilt for moving on kicks in. Instead she lets herself have moments of happiness, and when things go sideways on her, she speaks her mind and spares us as readers unnecessary drama.</span><br />
<span id="freeText7915650096830798252"><br /></span>
<span id="freeText7915650096830798252">The romance with Marco does happen fairly quickly, and though the fact that the best looking guy in school complete with womanizing reputation, ripped body and inked skin falls head over heels for the new girl does require us to suspend disbelief a bit, Ms. Garcia's fluid writing style and storytelling quickly squash our reservations, whispering in our ear to keep reading even when bed and sleep are calling our name. </span><br />
<span id="freeText7915650096830798252"><br /></span>
<span id="freeText7915650096830798252">Overall, <i>The Lovely Reckless</i> is a super quick read, perfect for those who want to pick up a book and just be entertained, with a sweet romance highlighted by a young woman who doesn't play games and does her best to fight not just for those around her, but for herself as well.</span><br />
<span id="freeText7915650096830798252"><br /></span>
<span id="freeText7915650096830798252">Rating: 4/5</span><br />
<span id="freeText7915650096830798252"><br /></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span id="freeText7915650096830798252">Find Kami:</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span id="freeText7915650096830798252"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText7915650096830798252"><b><a href="http://kamigarcia.com/">Website</a> • <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kami-Garcia/150347644994160">Facebook</a> • <a href="https://twitter.com/kamigarcia">Twitter</a> • <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27414434-the-lovely-reckless?from_search=true">Goodreads</a> • <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Lovely-Reckless-Kami-Garcia/dp/1250079195/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1476155603&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Lovely+Reckless">Amazon</a></b></span></div>
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<span id="freeText10853916565431259514"><span id="freeText15632718137373109588"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a
review<span style="font-size: xx-small;">. </span></span></i></span></span></span></div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText10853916565431259514"><span id="freeText15632718137373109588"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">I received no other compensation</span> and the <span style="font-size: xx-small;">above is my honest opinion</span>.</span></i></span></span></span></div>
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Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14199685365145765394noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6907235505822471522.post-55332454718918773252016-10-07T00:00:00.000-04:002016-10-07T00:00:14.561-04:00Review: Beast<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLt5t89a8PglL2BHE7VNVwoaO-CVf6IJWwEWLXsCbkduKh5FDh82uXB7bP4DYCGbOzd3q_pAMDjhWYApRhLhOdbroluRgAN3UUStvQPKYFpDgYmng29kqOWAATjBWnt9woES4oxr5PcrU/s1600/Beast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLt5t89a8PglL2BHE7VNVwoaO-CVf6IJWwEWLXsCbkduKh5FDh82uXB7bP4DYCGbOzd3q_pAMDjhWYApRhLhOdbroluRgAN3UUStvQPKYFpDgYmng29kqOWAATjBWnt9woES4oxr5PcrU/s320/Beast.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Beast-Brie-Spangler-ebook/dp/B01AQO15ZI/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1475807430&sr=1-1&keywords=Beast"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">BEAST</span></b></a><br />
Brie Spangler<br />
Contemporary Young Adult<br />
336 pages<br />
Knopf<br />
Available October 11th<br />
Source: ARC from publisher for review<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">THE STORY (from Goodreads)</span></b><br />
<span id="freeText12551562528793288095">Tall, meaty,
muscle-bound, and hairier than most throw rugs, Dylan doesn’t look like
your average fifteen-year-old, so, naturally, high school has not been
kind to him. To make matters worse, on the day his school bans hats (his
preferred camouflage), Dylan goes up on his roof only to fall and wake
up in the hospital with a broken leg—and a mandate to attend group
therapy for self-harmers. <br /> <br /> Dylan vows to say nothing and zones
out at therapy—until he meets Jamie. She’s funny, smart, and so
stunning, even his womanizing best friend, JP, would be jealous. She’s
also the first person to ever call Dylan out on his self-pitying and
superficiality. As Jamie’s humanity and wisdom begin to rub off on
Dylan, they become more than just friends. But there is something Dylan
doesn’t know about Jamie, something she shared with the group the day he
wasn’t listening. Something that shouldn’t change a thing. She is who
she’s always been—an amazing photographer and devoted friend, who also
happens to be transgender. But will Dylan see it that way?</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">MY THOUGHTS</span></b><br />
<i>Beast</i> is a beautiful contemporary retelling of Beauty and the Beast, calling into question the standard definitions of both words as we look through the eyes of a young man struggling to find any semblance of comfort in his own skin.<br />
<br />
We're treated to Dylan's point of view throughout, his self-deprecating sense of humor making us laugh right out of the gate even as we hurt for him, feeling the sting of casually flung words that strike far deeper than likely intended. He loathes his appearance, wanting desperately to be shorter and smoother so that his days might not be filled with laughter directed at him but rather with him thanks to packaging that better reflects the man he feels he is. He's a sympathetic character from the beginning, and we can't help but feel as overprotective as his adorable (and text-obsessed) mother when those around him tear at his self-confidence with insult-tipped claws.<br />
<br />
He meets Jamie in group therapy, and having a gorgeous young woman actually talk to him–rather than look at him in fear and then recount her close encounter with the Beast to her friends later–gives him cause for a genuine smile instead of a forced one. He misses the fact that Jamie is trans when she admits it in group, but thankfully that misunderstanding doesn't continue too long, and we're spared the drawn-out suspense of knowing something Dylan doesn't while his relationship with Jamie unfolds. Though he doesn't handle it well in the moment, he does make a valiant effort to apologize to Jamie, and we get to spend the latter half of the book watching as Dylan gets out of his own way and lets his heart do the thinking.<br />
<br />
Overall, <i>Beast</i> is a quick read with a truly lovable male protagonist who gets tripped up by perception and the opinions of others, but manages to get up again and walks away seeing clearer for having done so.<br />
<br />
Rating: 4/5<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Find Brie:</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://brie-spangler.squarespace.com/">Website</a> • <a href="https://twitter.com/BrieSpangler">Twitter</a> • <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28588097-beast">Goodreads</a> • <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Beast-Brie-Spangler-ebook/dp/B01AQO15ZI/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1475807430&sr=1-1&keywords=Beast">Amazon</a></b></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText10853916565431259514"><span id="freeText15632718137373109588"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a
review<span style="font-size: xx-small;">. </span></span></i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText10853916565431259514"><span id="freeText15632718137373109588"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">I received no other compensation</span> and the <span style="font-size: xx-small;">above is my honest opinion</span>.</span></i></span></span></span></div>
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Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14199685365145765394noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6907235505822471522.post-59129527419454120582016-10-06T00:00:00.000-04:002016-10-06T00:00:30.286-04:00Review: A Promise of Fire<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoXggjSXhrEZJAuQkUttEx_ljgA-FkSIl3lcbVyET10nFsSati9QJ1Jqx1hnhkEGY4nHPV2NnBRs3oVb3vTFV_xnZ2BpVAua_XuYhXWiqHNsWAuvwqWX2MOBlKTb3xGnncKo2baniF0us/s1600/PromiseOfFire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoXggjSXhrEZJAuQkUttEx_ljgA-FkSIl3lcbVyET10nFsSati9QJ1Jqx1hnhkEGY4nHPV2NnBRs3oVb3vTFV_xnZ2BpVAua_XuYhXWiqHNsWAuvwqWX2MOBlKTb3xGnncKo2baniF0us/s320/PromiseOfFire.jpg" width="194" /></a></div>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Promise-Fire-Kingmaker-Chronicles/dp/1492626015/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1475721304&sr=8-1&keywords=A+Promise+of+Fire"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">A PROMISE OF FIRE</span></b></a><br />
The Kingmaker Chronicles #1<br />
Amanda Bouchet<br />
Fantasy Romance<br />
448 pages<br />
Sourcebooks<br />
Available Now<br />
Source: Bought<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">THE STORY (from Goodreads)</span></b><br />
<span id="freeText12191329819616340493">Catalia "Cat" Fisa is a
powerful clairvoyant known as the Kingmaker. This smart-mouthed
soothsayer has no interest in her powers and would much rather fly under
the radar, far from the clutches of her homicidal mother. But when an
ambitious warlord captures her, she may not have a choice…<br /><br />Griffin
is intent on bringing peace to his newly conquered realm in the
magic-deprived south. When he discovers Cat is the Kingmaker, he abducts
her. But Cat will do everything in her power to avoid her dangerous
destiny and battle her captor at every turn. Although up for the battle,
Griffin would prefer for Cat to help his people willingly, and he's
ready to do whatever it takes to coax her…even if that means falling in
love with her.</span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span id="freeText12191329819616340493">MY THOUGHTS</span></span></b><br />
<span id="freeText12191329819616340493"><i>A Promise of Fire</i> is a fun start to this series, a romance lighter in tone beautifuly paired with a dire prophecy and impending battle with a villain of seemingly epic proportions.</span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText12191329819616340493">Cat is a little tricky in the beginning, letting Griffin and his team know frequently and sometimes violently how she feels about being kidnapped, and while her situation is clearly not one that should cause her to jump for joy (and it's easy to appreciate her unwillingness to passively accept her circumstances), her constant insults and well-timed barbs start to get a bit tedious after a while. Just shy of the halfway mark though she starts to change her tune, and the banter between her and Griffin thankfully loses its edge, becoming significantly more genuine while still making us laugh. After her shift in attitude, her sense of humor becomes a highlight rather than a source of frustration, and the bond between her and Griffin–as well as that between her and his men–has us glancing at the clock late at night and saying "just one more hour".</span><br />
<br />
<br />
We get a few glimpses of Cat's past, enough to be able to hazard a guess as to who she really is despite not getting confirmation in this first installment, and it's clear that behind the snark and the badassery are shadows and blood, lying in wait make her a victim once again. She shows a great deal of growth over the course of this first book, from hiding at the circus with impenetrable emotional armor in place in the beginning to standing tall and unleashing hell in order to protect those she's come to love by the end. She will undoubtedly continue to grow as her story unfolds, and it should be nothing short of a delight to bear witness to the woman she will become.<br />
<br />
The final death-defying moments are a touch anti-climatic given the epic dragon battle midway through and the impressively brutal fight leading up to the last few chapters, leaving us just a tiny bit underwhelmed when our final "battle" is with someone of so little importance to the overall story. That very minor complaint aside though, <i>A Promise of Fire</i> is an outstanding read overall, and January cannot come soon enough to reunite me with Cat, Griffin, and his immensely lovable family.<br />
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Rating: 4/5<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Find Amanda:</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://kingmakerchronicles.com/">Website</a> • <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AmandaBouchetAuthor/">Facebook</a> • <a href="https://twitter.com/AuthorABouchet">Twitter</a> • <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27015399-a-promise-of-fire">Goodreads</a> • <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Promise-Fire-Kingmaker-Chronicles/dp/1492626015/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1475721304&sr=8-1&keywords=A+Promise+of+Fire">Amazon</a></b></div>
Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14199685365145765394noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6907235505822471522.post-46675801339458051312016-10-05T00:00:00.000-04:002016-10-05T00:00:22.077-04:00The Lovely Reckless Blog Tour: Interview with Cover Designer Natalie C. Sousa<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiwmZByAyj1gIi-PC-0uJ8pOBxWbOTmgwp4albKw7CHvFsJ5gcNWyNOU7hJrt09wECMaAlh4Wh6PNUOCpBEU8szMnWwto_DoC1TNjtCArGsdNIVE1ni1zHfjo4QiI3rh0FY0Rz2kPS1CA/s1600/TLRBanner.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiwmZByAyj1gIi-PC-0uJ8pOBxWbOTmgwp4albKw7CHvFsJ5gcNWyNOU7hJrt09wECMaAlh4Wh6PNUOCpBEU8szMnWwto_DoC1TNjtCArGsdNIVE1ni1zHfjo4QiI3rh0FY0Rz2kPS1CA/s400/TLRBanner.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Welcome to my stop on </span></i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The Lovely Reckless</span><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> Blog Tour! Author Kami Garcia was so nice as to ask all participating bloggers what type of content they'd most like to feature, and since cover design is such a point of interest for me (and I know so many of you as well), I asked if it would be possible to ask the designer a few questions. To my delight, Natalie C. Sousa, Creative Director at Imprint (Macmillan) and the cover designer for </span></i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The Lovely Reckless</span><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">, agreed to an interview and let me pick her brain about her overall process. I hope you guys enjoy!</span></i><br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">How does a cover design typically start for you? Do you begin with sketches? Idea boards? </span></b><br />
<br />
<b>Natalie Sousa:</b> I start by sketching concepts as thumbnails, and take it in stages. Usually I begin just after reading a summary. This puts me in the same mental space a consumer might approach the book from. I sketch some more ideas half way through reading the manuscript, and again once I've processed the ending. There have been times where the ending really changed the way I felt about a story, and I like to capture all of those reactions. <br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">With <i>The Lovely Reckless</i>, did you have a specific concept or concepts going in? And if so, how did those change as you started designing? </span></b><br />
<br />
<b>Natalie:</b> Erin Stein, the publisher of Imprint started the process with Kami before I was hired. They knew exactly the energy and style they wanted to convey from the very beginning. I love when designs work out to follow someone's original vision. When I started at Imprint this cover was in its sketch stage. From there we were playing with the chemistry between the couple and deciding what, if any, other elements would help to tell more about the book.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What stage of the design process is typically the most challenging for you (deciding on a design direction, image or font selection, first comps, revisions, etc.)?</span></b><br />
<br />
<b>Natalie:</b> It used to be deciding on a direction, because what I visualize, or an editor envisions, or an author wishes, and a sales team needs for a cover are usually different. Erin and I have developed a close working relationship, and we're always talking about our books. That kind of dialogue helps me have very clear direction. <br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If you could tweak any one of your already published covers, which would you most like to get your hands on one more time? </span></b></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>Natalie:</b> Recently I got to chat with Brenna Yovanoff and told her how I'd love to go back and place a hand rising from the baby carriage on her book, <i>The Replacements</i>. Although that cover is probably creepy enough as is!<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Can you share a couple early versions of <i>The Lovely Reckless</i> and tell us what about them worked or didn’t work?</span></b><br />
<br />
<b>Natalie:</b> Here is an early sketch from Loui Jover, the artist. We were missing some chemistry in this earlier sketch. Showing the characters full length helped because the body language said a lot more.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAwK18QuAOEP5XV69AL1K7DkG8Do0we8K4tdVXuF28JzjZKTSvT4QmIJ9bsYMva8FQsC3kl2YVwEIM6qFikJ-H6Wgu3Op23p2z7hCKZ4mi80u8iXpqucFnIavzW7IudafUCoPwuKgm8lA/s1600/LovelyReckless_Sketch.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAwK18QuAOEP5XV69AL1K7DkG8Do0we8K4tdVXuF28JzjZKTSvT4QmIJ9bsYMva8FQsC3kl2YVwEIM6qFikJ-H6Wgu3Op23p2z7hCKZ4mi80u8iXpqucFnIavzW7IudafUCoPwuKgm8lA/s400/LovelyReckless_Sketch.jpg" width="292" /></a></div>
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This is an early cover comp from Liz Casal, an incredibly talented designer. She had a clever solution to indicating the car by lighting the brick wall with “headlights”. That element was dropped because it didn’t quite work with the final color palette and title design. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyqx5Q_35eFtWeodPTk-PSmJaeQBjqz9SJjh3F2bdR85i5XBcNs0Z8GKmQxCSup2PBLCxz1Z8Wh1GkuHtC14hq1czn3VNJmbCetBRfuLLUVotl3zuaTTqrVx-TDf5YoBZaRcHTf52nEpU/s1600/LovelyReckless_EarlyDesign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyqx5Q_35eFtWeodPTk-PSmJaeQBjqz9SJjh3F2bdR85i5XBcNs0Z8GKmQxCSup2PBLCxz1Z8Wh1GkuHtC14hq1czn3VNJmbCetBRfuLLUVotl3zuaTTqrVx-TDf5YoBZaRcHTf52nEpU/s400/LovelyReckless_EarlyDesign.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">QUICKFIRE QUESTIONS</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Favorite font?</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYxEEv8jVsoIdhCUhBiYSEs1g8AN2BcGnDHhC-zCCJ25IKNzx5J1f-Lf1V74c0fXcm_yRyN7IlAQlf0wXhCODiRqc8YtyOtknjTm6irnAlPSNXCkKX9oeZBuSnifp3w1agFF9dt9I0_FQ/s1600/LovelyReckless_LoveTypeface.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYxEEv8jVsoIdhCUhBiYSEs1g8AN2BcGnDHhC-zCCJ25IKNzx5J1f-Lf1V74c0fXcm_yRyN7IlAQlf0wXhCODiRqc8YtyOtknjTm6irnAlPSNXCkKX9oeZBuSnifp3w1agFF9dt9I0_FQ/s320/LovelyReckless_LoveTypeface.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Font you wish you’d never have to see again? </span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhagz8fFRFVLJcUOhp21hlnbrIidzURNa8VLkiQatlVfw3SbcfN72jWm9WH4ba1vR9aBAaKs7d4I1bATorY8YP-HFG2fagve1mSLRypxaxjWgsG6AG29eL2kYKnEL5eBKMQD6AsQSue2bE/s1600/LovelyReckless_DislikeTypeface.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhagz8fFRFVLJcUOhp21hlnbrIidzURNa8VLkiQatlVfw3SbcfN72jWm9WH4ba1vR9aBAaKs7d4I1bATorY8YP-HFG2fagve1mSLRypxaxjWgsG6AG29eL2kYKnEL5eBKMQD6AsQSue2bE/s320/LovelyReckless_DislikeTypeface.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Favorite cover you’ve done?</span></b><br />
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It does not exist yet. <br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">All-time favorite cover?</span></b><br />
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<i>A Wrinkle In Time</i><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Cover designer who inspires you?</span></b><br />
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There are many, but Kristin Smith, an Art Director at Penguin, inspires me with her designs and her friendship! Back in our shared Penguin days we used to make elaborate costumes for Halloween and Coney Island's Mermaid Parade together. Kristin always inspired me to get into the details of a costume. Her book design for Danielle Vega's The Merciless is also one of my all time favorite book designs! I cannot resist a hot pink bible. <br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Favorite color?</span></b><br />
<br />
My preference often changes, so I’ll say it’s the rainbow. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLSbOHMvrB8dymeUMFgvAMZ506lURlyXS987ERC2i6vt6VrwrNuGAWLZ87mgQisalJlIfPKqSfn8BIBuBxfgcJYB5_kd-vzgEVcleqK4CJ9mVsw92UiaZjwDwDnrwGFJE1-5sZL1XBRgw/s1600/LovelyReckless_Color.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLSbOHMvrB8dymeUMFgvAMZ506lURlyXS987ERC2i6vt6VrwrNuGAWLZ87mgQisalJlIfPKqSfn8BIBuBxfgcJYB5_kd-vzgEVcleqK4CJ9mVsw92UiaZjwDwDnrwGFJE1-5sZL1XBRgw/s320/LovelyReckless_Color.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Must have when designing (food, music, etc.)?</span></b><br />
<br />
Definitely music! I like to create playlists inspired by the stories I'm designing for. My favorite so far has been for Marcie Colleen's Super Happy Party Bears. Kami Garcia's next book is already inspiring a playlist; first couple songs on there have been Special by Garbage and Bulletproof by La Roux.<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">If you weren’t a designer you would be . . .?</span></b><br />
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Here’s my "card". <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnDcykUJP3GWBy60ZdymRwaHmCy_T2Hvu0oWW1VaS_few35DpdcSzM6K-Ni_nCTy5id-pn1lVrN4EbsyVHL6uDejQtw9xLOEJWBhP9NVQ0xH2D2fx1qUL3e8cGFLyxQBOffGUHnV0NZDU/s1600/LovelyReckless_CareerQ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnDcykUJP3GWBy60ZdymRwaHmCy_T2Hvu0oWW1VaS_few35DpdcSzM6K-Ni_nCTy5id-pn1lVrN4EbsyVHL6uDejQtw9xLOEJWBhP9NVQ0xH2D2fx1qUL3e8cGFLyxQBOffGUHnV0NZDU/s320/LovelyReckless_CareerQ.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Number of projects you’re currently working on?</span></b><br />
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More than I have fingers and toes.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT5GwB5l-LdJHi5huINoK1le1xG8Lxha_AmiH5jdHpAjNDCoAsuPCZWl8erYdh_xYffEpZnnMD49BPJgIUxMQFGI4u04DPu_D8Ra1aO1lQxZ1r4OOROsAKkgjunQLLvr0yYF_A3qkWHjk/s1600/LovelyReckless_HowMany.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT5GwB5l-LdJHi5huINoK1le1xG8Lxha_AmiH5jdHpAjNDCoAsuPCZWl8erYdh_xYffEpZnnMD49BPJgIUxMQFGI4u04DPu_D8Ra1aO1lQxZ1r4OOROsAKkgjunQLLvr0yYF_A3qkWHjk/s320/LovelyReckless_HowMany.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Next cover of yours you’re most excited to reveal?</span></b><br />
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<i>Blind Item </i>by Kevin Dickson and Jack Ketsoyan. Kevin and Jack are two Hollywood insiders writing a fictional tale with real-life scandals! It’s a super fun read. I got a really strong reaction to the cover from the Macmillan team and I'm curious to see how the public responds. </blockquote>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Thank you so much Natalie! </span></i><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">THE LOVELY RECKLESS</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFUrK3-mzCp5UkhqmcWOBjGDUyuFIg54OD5wChpFqCgFW6GXMM99KMZAp-di_SAEqOXnwx-U1Lf-UaF5eZCrS6mGKeJA0tOAWRqm97aE91344an6GZwsdG1m8FgX__7txdcfRdOmi4f-M/s1600/COVER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFUrK3-mzCp5UkhqmcWOBjGDUyuFIg54OD5wChpFqCgFW6GXMM99KMZAp-di_SAEqOXnwx-U1Lf-UaF5eZCrS6mGKeJA0tOAWRqm97aE91344an6GZwsdG1m8FgX__7txdcfRdOmi4f-M/s400/COVER.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<b>From #1 New York Times bestselling author Kami Garcia, a contemporary romance full of loss, love and redemption…</b><br /><br />Seventeen year-old Frankie Devereux would do anything to forget the past. Haunted by the memory of her boyfriend’s death, she lives her life by one dangerous rule: nothing matters. At least, that’s what Frankie tells herself after a reckless mistake forces her to leave her privileged life in the Heights to move in with her dad―an undercover cop. She transfers to public school in the Downs, where fistfights in the halls don’t faze anyone and illegal street racing is more popular than football.<br /><br />Marco Leone is the fastest street racer in the Downs. Tough, sexy, and hypnotic, he makes it impossible for Frankie to ignore him . . . and how he makes her feel. But the risks Marco takes for his family could have devastating consequences for them both. When Frankie discovers his secret, she has to make a choice. Will she let the pain of the past determine her future? Or will she risk what little she has left to follow her heart?<br /><br /><b>Your own heart will race with each page turn of this heart-stopping star-crossed love story.</b><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://fiercereads.com/books/the-lovely-reckless/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=orgpost&utm_term=fiercereads-preorderlovelyreckle&utm_content=na-preorder-buynow&utm_campaign=9781250079190&et=26001-a125017309-n18051896"><b>Buy The Lovely Reckless </b></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>KAMI GARCIA</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj19ikP1Uhbhiy5kcMV1v2SU7dYW-VfRnnqlP1J8mGAoDXi4pDV5onhm0cjxXBSushFNN44duOy9xVOSeSEh3XobklUzA5zgkbA2Ht6rUH3EKtIqo8VMvf4gD46VSxM-_8_ltZZkd-m_9Q/s1600/Kami-Garcia-Bio-HiRes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj19ikP1Uhbhiy5kcMV1v2SU7dYW-VfRnnqlP1J8mGAoDXi4pDV5onhm0cjxXBSushFNN44duOy9xVOSeSEh3XobklUzA5zgkbA2Ht6rUH3EKtIqo8VMvf4gD46VSxM-_8_ltZZkd-m_9Q/s320/Kami-Garcia-Bio-HiRes.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span>Photo Credit: Vania Stoyanva</span></span></i></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Kami Garcia is the #1 New York Times, USA Today & international bestselling coauthor of the Beautiful Creatures and Dangerous Creatures novels. Kami’s solo series, The Legion, includes the instant New York Times bestseller UNBREAKABLE, and the sequel UNMARKED. Her forthcoming YA contemporary romance THE LOVELY RECKLESS releases on October 4, 2016, followed by THE X-FILESORIGINS: AGENT OF CHAOS, a novel about a teenage Fox Mulder, in January 2017, both from Imprint (Macmillan).<br /><br />Kami was a teacher for seventeen years before co-authoring her first novel on a dare from seven of her students. If she isn’t busy watching Supernatural, Kami can teach you how to escape from a pair of handcuffs or bake a Coca-Cola cake. She lives in Maryland with her family, and their dogs Spike and Oz (named after characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer). Visit Kami at www.KamiGarcia.com and on Twitter and Instagram @kamigarcia.</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://kamigarcia.com/"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Kami's Website </span> </b></a></div>
Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14199685365145765394noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6907235505822471522.post-34776187509759983802016-10-04T00:00:00.000-04:002016-10-04T00:00:08.494-04:00So, this happened.Hi Guys!<br />
<br />
I meant to have a shiny and new review for you today, but then this happened:<br />
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DAMN ALL OF YOU WHO RECOMMENDED THIS SHOW! It's been completely distracting. In the best possible way.<br />
<br />
At first, I was all "he's pretty to look at" and then I found out he was Kili in The Hobbit movies AND I FELL HOPELESSLY IN LOVE! I adored Kili so much, and now I've found him again in non-hobbit size and life is glorious.<br />
<br />
Needless to say I've been watching instead of reading (though I'm almost through <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Promise-Fire-Kingmaker-Chronicles/dp/1492626015/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1475547802&sr=8-1&keywords=Promise+of+Fire">Promise of Fire</a> and am loving it!), so I have no post today other than this one professing my undying love for Aidan Turner.<br />
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*wanders off to watch more episodes*Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14199685365145765394noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6907235505822471522.post-84370056202532442842016-09-30T00:00:00.000-04:002016-09-30T00:00:09.244-04:00Stealing Snow Blog Tour: Interview + Giveaway!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Happy Friday Everyone!</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Today I'm so pleased to welcome author Danielle Paige back to the blog as part of the promotional tour of her newest release, </span></i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Stealing Snow</span><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">. You guys know already how much I love a good fairytale retelling, so I couldn't be more excited about this book. A huge thank you to Danielle for taking the time to answer my questions, I hope you guys enjoy!</span></i><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">To introduce us to the fantasy world of Algid, what are three things we should know before we follow Snow on her journey there?</span></b> <br />
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Algid is ruled by a prophesy that foretells Snow’s rise to power<br />
Her father is an evil King who may just want to kill her<br />
There is snow and magic everywhere and a lot of cute boys. <br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If you could write yourself into any one fairytale/ folktale, which one would you most like “visit” and what role would you play?</span></b><br />
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I want to be Maleficent for a day! Before Danerys (from Game of Thrones) was Mother of Dragons, Maleficent actually could turn into one. The power...the horns...loved! But also the fairy godmother in Cinderella—I really want to know her story. Who the heck is she? And why is she sprinkling fairy dust on the world? In my mind there may be a less Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo-version of how she got to Cinderella.<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If the Disney version of the Snow Queen were to meet your version, what do you think her initial reaction would be?</span></b><br />
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I am assuming she would attempt a “Let It Go” duet. I think Elsa would understand Snow! Snow is Elsa without the sisterly intervention. Disney’s Elsa grows up knowing about her power and fearing it. But Snow has grown up in the dark about her identity and her power. For Elsa, it is a journey of acceptance. For Snow, it is both acceptance and self-knowledge. And since Snow is a little bit older than Elsa, she also gets to deal with some more grown up complications, like romance!<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Before making her escape, Snow is confined to a high security mental hospital, a situation that just happens to be one of my recurring nightmares. *shudders* If you were to find yourself in The Whittaker Institute alongside Snow, would you try to reason with the doctors to prove your sanity, or would you immediately start planning your escape route?</span></b><br />
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I am definitely much more of a mental strategist than an escape artist. I would have to try and outwit Dr. Harris. <br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Looking forward to this series as a whole, what warning or piece of advice might the Snow of the later installments give to the Snow in this first book?</span></b><br />
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Without being too spoiler-y, I would have to say be prepared for a pretty epic ending with a lot of twists and turns! The first book ends very, very far from happily ever after.</blockquote>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •</span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">STEALING SNOW</span></b></div>
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<span id="freeText7546199871215950827">Seventeen-year-old Snow
has spent her life locked in Whittaker Psychiatric—but she isn’t crazy.
And that’s not the worst of it. Her very first kiss proves anything but
innocent…when Bale, her only love, turns violent.<br /><br />Despite Snow
knowing that Bale would never truly hurt her, he is taken away—dashing
her last hope for any sort of future in the mental ward she calls home.
With nowhere else to turn, Snow finds herself drawn to a strange new
orderly who whispers secrets in the night about a mysterious past and a
kingdom that’s hers for the taking—if only she can find her way past the
iron gates to the Tree that has been haunting her dreams.<br /><br />Beyond
the Tree lies Algid, a land far away from the real world, frozen by a
ruthless king. And there too await the River Witch, a village boy named
Kai, the charming thief Jagger, and a prophecy that Snow will save them
all.</span><br />
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<span id="freeText7546199871215950827"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Stealing-Snow-Danielle-Paige/dp/1681190761/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1475202473&sr=8-1&keywords=Stealing+Snow">Amazon</a> • <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/stealing-snow-danielle-paige/1123154405?ean=9781681190761">B&N</a> • <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28260524-stealing-snow?from_search=true">Goodreads</a></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span id="freeText7546199871215950827"><b>DANIELLE PAIGE</b></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha9fkvKekhwKt3DZVZkyMvvb3oF5m25hunjMLQ4qu-GGWw37HPdcsQeWRuV4E2Zs-P-dGAiM4vKuscj5z82PzcHPkPjUfPw2XDUyjmYpCDgVbUZ1fwZ6b7sSfw_DbyAM-4-ZxZxJPdZJE/s1600/DaniellePaige.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha9fkvKekhwKt3DZVZkyMvvb3oF5m25hunjMLQ4qu-GGWw37HPdcsQeWRuV4E2Zs-P-dGAiM4vKuscj5z82PzcHPkPjUfPw2XDUyjmYpCDgVbUZ1fwZ6b7sSfw_DbyAM-4-ZxZxJPdZJE/s1600/DaniellePaige.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span id="freeText7546199871215950827"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Danielle Paige is the New York Times bestselling author of the Dorothy Must Die series, and the upcoming Stealing Snow series (Bloomsbury, 2016). In addition to writing young adult books, she works in the television industry, where she's received a Writers Guild of America Award and was nominated for several Daytime Emmys. She is a graduate of Columbia University and currently lives in New York City.</span></span><br />
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<span id="freeText7546199871215950827"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://daniellepaigebooks.com/">Website</a> • <a href="http://daniellempaige.tumblr.com/">Tumblr</a> • <a href="https://twitter.com/daniellempaige">Twitter</a> </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span id="freeText7546199871215950827"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">GIVEAWAY</span></b></span></span></div>
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Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14199685365145765394noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6907235505822471522.post-34853050614440489192016-09-29T00:00:00.000-04:002016-09-29T00:00:11.987-04:00Review: The Bird and the Sword<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhspShCf_eB0sRlt7urUM927_Sf5iwo3F4gAXQCAEqEOElsNovgmkmSMhK8v1iXB3xC2GqvB4xioTcP5a7a1OyLLT9n_itb1OAjukqypcWHfShcOCbQR-WKb-rtbGF14HB77PuVoFvTjG0/s1600/BirdandSword.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhspShCf_eB0sRlt7urUM927_Sf5iwo3F4gAXQCAEqEOElsNovgmkmSMhK8v1iXB3xC2GqvB4xioTcP5a7a1OyLLT9n_itb1OAjukqypcWHfShcOCbQR-WKb-rtbGF14HB77PuVoFvTjG0/s320/BirdandSword.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Bird-Sword-Amy-Harmon/dp/1533134138/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1475115246&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Bird+and+the+Sword"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">THE BIRD AND THE SWORD</span></b></a><br />
Amy Harmon<br />
New Adult/Fantasy<br />
352 pages<br />
Self-published<br />
Available Now<br />
Source: Bought<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">THE STORY (from Goodreads)</span></b><br />
<span id="freeText394511745446065794"><i>Swallow, Daughter,
pull them in, those words that sit upon your lips. Lock them deep inside
your soul, hide them ‘til they’ve time to grow. Close your mouth upon
the power, curse not, cure not, ‘til the hour. You won’t speak and you
won’t tell, you won’t call on heav’n or hell. You will learn and you
will thrive. Silence, Daughter. Stay alive.</i><br /><br />The day my
mother was killed, she told my father I wouldn’t speak again, and she
told him if I died, he would die too. Then she predicted the king would
trade his soul and lose his son to the sky.<br /><br />My father has a claim
to the throne, and he is waiting in the shadows for all of my mother’s
words to come to pass. He wants desperately to be king, and I just want
to be free.<br /><br />But freedom will require escape, and I’m a prisoner
of my mother’s curse and my father’s greed. I can’t speak or make a
sound, and I can’t wield a sword or beguile a king. In a land purged of
enchantment, love might be the only magic left, and who could ever love .
. . a bird?</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">MY THOUGHTS</span></b><br />
<span id="freeText394511745446065794"><i>The Bird and the Sword</i> is immensely satisfying from beginning to end, giving us a heroine robbed of words on a beautifully-told journey to find them again amidst the backdrop of a sweeping fantasy epic.</span><br />
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<span id="freeText394511745446065794">Lark is a Teller, gifted with words that create a call to action when spoken, bringing to life inanimate objects, controlling animals, and healing when needed. After her mother's dying rhyme rips away her ability to speak, she's assumed to be deaf and dumb in addition to being mute, but we're treated to her innermost thoughts and feelings and therefore know she's as smart and strong as they come. She quickly finds herself a pawn in a game of politics, taken from her father and held as insurance to make sure he provides promised assistance to the young king in his war against the monstrous Volgar (vulture-like birdmen).</span><span id="freeText394511745446065794"> She could have easily spent her days wallowing in self-pity for the position in which she finds herself – in a strange place and forced to be a weapon in the service of her king – but instead she does as she is asked with a quiet pride and a lick of defiance, one that brings a smile to our faces every time she wields it. </span><br />
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<span id="freeText394511745446065794">Her romance with King Tiras is of the slow burn variety, one with a start rooted in antagonism as she resents being made into the tip of a spear and hurled at the Vulgar with little care for anything other than her usefulness. Her feelings for Tiras seemingly develop quicker than his for her (though it takes her plenty of time to begin to see him in a romantic light), and she keeps those feelings close to her vest because she knows he's unlikely to return her affection. She is a means to an end for him, an ace up his sleeve in the war against an impossible enemy, and she protects her heart as best she can by defying him in the most perfect of ways when he proves to be too presumptuous.</span><span id="freeText394511745446065794"> </span><br />
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<span id="freeText394511745446065794">Their story has my highest recommendation for all those who love apparent underdogs with unparalleled strength, love interests who challenge at every turn, and grand romances that share the spotlight with well-executed paranormal and political wars.</span><br />
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<span id="freeText394511745446065794">Rating: 5/5</span><br />
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<b><span id="freeText394511745446065794">Find Amy:</span></b></div>
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<span id="freeText394511745446065794"><b><a href="http://www.authoramyharmon.com/">Website</a> • <a href="https://www.facebook.com/authoramyharmon">Facebook</a> • <a href="https://twitter.com/aharmon_author">Twitter</a> • <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29008738-the-bird-and-the-sword?from_search=true">Goodreads</a> • <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Bird-Sword-Amy-Harmon/dp/1533134138/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1475115246&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Bird+and+the+Sword">Amazon</a> </b></span></div>
Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14199685365145765394noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6907235505822471522.post-53017401662448836592016-09-28T00:00:00.000-04:002016-09-28T00:00:29.156-04:00Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children: Movie Tie-In Giveaway!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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To help celebrate the release of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (which hits theaters on Friday!), I have a fantastic giveaway to share with you today. And a little sneak peek at a few stills from the movie. Win.<br />
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I have to admit that I have yet to read this book (I'm saying that about WAY too many books lately), but I couldn't be more excited for this movie and have little doubt I'll rush to read the book just as soon as I'm out of the theater. I actually prefer to see the movie first, that way I don't spend my time fixating on what was changed or left out, and can enjoy it for what it is. Then I go and obsess over the book ;-)<br />
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For those of you who aren't familiar with the book or movie, check out the description, movie stills and trailer below, and be sure enter to win a Miss Peregrine's prize pack!<br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">From visionary director Tim Burton, and based upon the best-selling novel, comes an unforgettable motion picture experience. When Jake discovers clues to a mystery that spans alternate realities and times, he uncovers a secret refuge known as Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As he learns about the residents and their unusual abilities, Jake realizes that safety is an illusion, and danger lurks in the form of powerful, hidden enemies. Jake must figure out who is real, who can be trusted, and who he really is.<br /> </span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Starring: Eva Green, Asa Butterfield, Chris O'Dowd, Ella Purnell, Allison Janney, Rupert Everett, Terence Stamp, with Judi Dench and Samuel L. Jackson</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Directed By: Tim Burton<br /><br />Rated PG-13</span></blockquote>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> (click to enlarge)</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"><a href="http://www.fandango.com/missperegrineshomeforpeculiarchildren_165896/movietimes">Seek the Peculiar</a>. Get tickets to see Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, in theaters Friday!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.foxmovies.com/movies/miss-peregrines-home-for-peculiar-children">Official Site</a> • <a href="https://www.facebook.com/PeregrinesMovie/">Facebook</a> • <a href="https://twitter.com/PeregrinesMovie">Twitter</a> • <a href="https://www.instagram.com/PeregrinesMovie/">Instagram</a> </span></b></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •</span></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">GIVEAWAY</span></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">Thanks to a partnership with 20th Century Fox, I have an epic prize pack to give away today! One lucky winner will receive a $25 Visa gift card to see the film as well as a movie tie-in version of the book. Giveaway is open to US addresses only. Please fill out the Rafflecopter form below!</span></span></div>
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<script src="https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script>Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14199685365145765394noreply@blogger.com43tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6907235505822471522.post-66505017289710589542016-09-27T00:00:00.000-04:002016-09-27T00:00:11.521-04:00Early Review: The Cruelty<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Cruelty-Scott-Bergstrom/dp/1250108187/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1474945840&sr=8-1&keywords=Scott+Bergstrom"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">THE CRUELTY</span></b></a><br />
The Cruelty #1<br />
Scott Bergstrom<br />
Young Adult/Thriller<br />
384 pages<br />
Feiwel & Friends<br />
Available February 7th, 2017<br />
Source: ARC from publisher for review<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">THE STORY (from Goodreads)</span></b><br />
<span id="freeText16046316163626670637">When her diplomat
father is kidnapped and the U.S. Government is unable to help, 17
year-old Gwendolyn Bloom sets off across the sordid underbelly of Europe
to rescue him. Following the only lead she has—the name of a
Palestinian informer living in France—she plunges into a brutal world of
arms smuggling and human trafficking. As she journeys from the slums of
Paris, to the nightclubs of Berlin, to the heart of the most feared
crime family in Prague, Gwendolyn discovers that to survive in this new
world she must become every bit as cruel as the men she’s hunting.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span id="freeText16046316163626670637">MY THOUGHTS</span></span></b><br />
<span id="freeText16046316163626670637"><i>The Cruelty</i> is not the average young adult thriller, one where the protagonist strikes out on their own and is able to access information, bypass security, and thwart criminal masterminds with seeming ease. Though Gwen does strike out on her own in search of her father, her path is hardly an easy one marked by the luck of fiction as pieces fall together to help her along, instead her journey is darker and more brutal, each leg taking a piece of the girl she was before and crushing it under the boot of the girl she is becoming.</span><br />
<span id="freeText16046316163626670637"><br /></span>
<span id="freeText16046316163626670637">Gwen is a young woman who feels very real in the beginning, someone whom we could pass in our everyday lives and strike up an easy conversation with as opposed to a teenage super spy to whom we can hardly relate, something that makes her story feel more personal even as she falls deeper and deeper into a criminal underworld rabbit hole. Because she possess no special skills when we meet her–no exceptional fighting prowess, hacking specialty, etc.–it's easy to project ourselves onto her, rooting for her to take matters into her own hands when her own government and her father's colleagues fail her. She has to become a badass the hard way, learning to fight and hide in plain sight but making innumerable missteps along the way, as someone with only a crash course in spy training and a determined spirit would do.</span><br />
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<span id="freeText16046316163626670637">Gwen's search for her father is intense and detailed, with Mr. Bergstrom showing no interest in keeping us on the surface and instead plunging us under along with Gwen as she fights for the smallest of clues about her father's whereabouts. <i>The Cruelty</i> is gritty and complex and clearly just the beginning for Gwen, and I for one look forward to seeing just what she's capable of in the next installment.</span><br />
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<span id="freeText16046316163626670637">Rating: 4/5</span><br />
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<b><span id="freeText16046316163626670637">Find Scott:</span></b></div>
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<span id="freeText16046316163626670637"><b><a href="http://www.thecruelty.net/#home">Website</a> • <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thecruelty">Facebook</a> • <a href="https://twitter.com/bergstromscott">Twitter</a> • <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29102898-the-cruelty?from_search=true">Goodreads </a>• <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Cruelty-Scott-Bergstrom/dp/1250108187/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1474945840&sr=8-1&keywords=Scott+Bergstrom">Amazon</a></b></span></div>
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<span id="freeText10853916565431259514"><span id="freeText15632718137373109588"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a
review<span style="font-size: xx-small;">. </span></span></i></span></span></span></div>
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<span id="freeText10853916565431259514"><span id="freeText15632718137373109588"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">I received no other compensation</span> and the <span style="font-size: xx-small;">above is my honest opinion</span>.</span></i></span></span></span></div>
Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14199685365145765394noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6907235505822471522.post-72718331965432881922016-09-23T00:00:00.000-04:002016-09-23T00:00:02.843-04:00This Adventure Ends Blog Tour: This Adventure Creates<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Happy Friday Everyone!<br />
<br />
It's been a tour kind of week this week, and I'm wrapping things up today with a very <a href="http://fiercereadsya.tumblr.com/post/150725322005/this-adventure-discovers">special tour</a> for <i>This Adventure Ends</i>, the upcoming YA release from Emma Mills. A tour that involves Crayola markers and a teeny tiny canvas.<br />
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As part of the tour, a handful of us were asked to pick a verb to pair with "this adventure" and then create an artistic masterpiece (or not, as the case would be with me) that represents the theme we've chosen. Since I spend my days designing book covers, I went with "This Adventure Creates" as it so perfectly fits the job I love so very much.<br />
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As it turns out however, washable markers and canvas are not my medium, and my "masterpiece" turned out a little bit wonky. You see, I can't draw anything without sketching it out in pencil first, and when I went to color everything in, I quickly discovered that washable markers and pencil lines are not the best of friends. I had to stick with darker colors to try and hide the pencil otherwise I got a muddy mess, but oh well, I had fun with it anyway!<br />
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Behold the glory that is my "This Adventure Creates"!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC03ukpWnKrRj5YeXP6JKhupNBfCCNepC2ju3hWG_iDDZHuCjza1faDpZc7XyMQyUjrxYn2C76dbSPZyjLxNbh8BpWk4eQflt-PouAey_Qk60HfAL3SuJ2MF-IQ02KWqzMyy1TAZE3z64/s1600/ThisAdventureCreates.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC03ukpWnKrRj5YeXP6JKhupNBfCCNepC2ju3hWG_iDDZHuCjza1faDpZc7XyMQyUjrxYn2C76dbSPZyjLxNbh8BpWk4eQflt-PouAey_Qk60HfAL3SuJ2MF-IQ02KWqzMyy1TAZE3z64/s640/ThisAdventureCreates.jpg" width="512" /></a></div>
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Apparently my wand of creativity spews a bunch of upside down commas, who knew? O.o I hope you guys got a kick out of my piece and add <i>This Adventure Ends</i> to your must-have lists!<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">THIS ADVENTURE ENDS</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Releases October 4th from Henry Holt & Co. </span></b></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span id="freeText5218321470452223865">Sloane isn't expecting
to fall in with a group of friends when she moves from New York to
Florida—especially not a group of friends so intense, so in love, so
all-consuming. Yet that's exactly what happens.<br /><br />Sloane becomes
closest to Vera, a social-media star who lights up any room, and Gabe,
Vera's twin brother and the most serious person Sloane's ever met. When a
beloved painting by the twins' late mother goes missing, Sloane takes
on the responsibility of tracking it down, a journey that takes her
across state lines—and ever deeper into the twins' lives.<br /><br />Filled
with intense and important friendships, a wonderful warts-and-all
family, shiveringly good romantic developments, and sharp, witty
dialogue, this story is about finding the people you never knew you
needed.</span></span></i></blockquote>
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<span id="freeText5218321470452223865"><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27779275-this-adventure-ends?from_search=true">Goodreads</a> • <a href="https://www.amazon.com/This-Adventure-Ends-Emma-Mills/dp/1627799354/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1474600514&sr=8-1&keywords=This+Adventure+Ends">Amazon</a> • <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/this-adventure-ends-emma-mills/1122925357?ean=9781627799355">B&N</a> </b></span></div>
Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14199685365145765394noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6907235505822471522.post-42554258980712964172016-09-22T00:00:00.000-04:002016-09-22T00:00:19.389-04:00Frazzled Blog Tour: Interview + Giveaway<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1YCi9Pm6T8RVk3XuemxRsU5Gn4dYeCLpCZNN14jU2R61NWCAMkwhFDpc6mNjG_MKFPKGaGxTzNAIaN9WrzEJGKmqX9fzsJHpWjQcAy0Ch-UWdwITTG9_wqFxXkpFthzGhnqWQsZesMUk/s1600/Frazzled+Banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1YCi9Pm6T8RVk3XuemxRsU5Gn4dYeCLpCZNN14jU2R61NWCAMkwhFDpc6mNjG_MKFPKGaGxTzNAIaN9WrzEJGKmqX9fzsJHpWjQcAy0Ch-UWdwITTG9_wqFxXkpFthzGhnqWQsZesMUk/s320/Frazzled+Banner.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I'm crazy excited today to be a part of the promotional tour for </span></i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Frazzled</span><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">, the Middle Grade debut from Booki Vivat. Booki is an amazing artist, and her doodles have been blowing me away on Twitter for years, so I knew I needed this book in my hands the minute I learned of its existence. Booki was so nice as to answer a few questions for me about creative inspiration<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">, f</span>ictional best friends, and of course h<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">er protago<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">nist Abbie Wu</span></span>, so I hope you guys all enjoy the interview!</span></i><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If you could introduce yourself to readers in doodle-form only, what doodle might best sum you up as an author?</span></b><br />
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I think this pretty much sums me up—after all, my book is called <i>Frazzled</i>. <br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What’s one aspect of Abbie’s character that you absolutely share with her? One that’s nothing like you at all?</span></b><br />
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Honestly, I can’t think of anything significantly different between Abbie and I! So much of Abbie’s character is based on who I was when I was a kid and who I am now. I guess, getting down to the details, Abbie is a middle child, but growing up, I was technically the oldest! <br />
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I think anyone who has seen my doodles or knows me in real life gets the sense that Abbie and I are very similar. Beyond our shared resentment towards piñata birthday parties and insatiable love of pastries, Abbie and I can both be a little… dramatic. In fact, the inspiration for <i>Frazzled</i> came from an especially dramatic doodle I had drawn in a moment of crisis. It said, “I live my life in a constant state of impending doom.”<br />
Spoiler alert: Abbie feels the same. <br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Inspiration can strike at the oddest and most inconvenient times. Where’s the strangest place you’ve ever felt the need to make a few quick doodles or jot down ideas to save them for later? The strangest medium you’ve ever used when paper wasn’t available?</span></b><br />
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The strangest place I’ve ever felt the need to doodle was this one time I went out dancing with a group of (relative) strangers. It was such a strange scene and there were so many hilariously awkward and interesting interactions happening around me. I got caught up observing the social dynamics within the space and I had this itching need to document it somehow. That night, I went home and drew a series of doodles about the culture of “going out.”<br />
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I usually just stick to pen and paper which isn’t unusual at all, though <i>where</i> I get that paper can range anywhere from receipts to candy wrappers to toilet paper. Contrary to what “toilet paper” implies, I have never doodled on the toilet. <br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If Abbie were to write a story about you, what title might she give it?</span></b><br />
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She would probably title it something verbose and cheeky like, <i>(Still) Frazzled: The Constant Confusion and Unavoidable Uncertainty of Adulthood</i>. Something like that. <br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Every once in a while I come across a character whom I know would be my best friend (obviously) if they were real. What one other fictional character might Abbie find a best friend in?</span></b><br />
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Abbie is the kind of kid who could probably spend all her time in her own head and drive herself crazy, so she really needs friends who can coax her out of that. I think someone like Harriet M. Welsch from Louise Fitzhugh’s <i>Harriet the Spy</i> would make a fantastic best friend. They might have a rocky start to their friendship and it might take a while for them to warm up to each other. Harriet is a bit purposefully mischievous, whereas Abbie is more accidentally rebellious. But ultimately, Harriet’s sense of curiosity and unapologetic honesty is exactly what Abbie needs in a friend.</blockquote>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Thank you so much Booki!</span></i><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">FRAZZLED</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3nV0l2Hvng8NJQg7uu-ZH5bpBnr07nJJplX7CzSAndpFh5xIJ_PtAJrDSvssagiYbe3-mdRJY5bRk4TYH31ft0e5s2qd10HA8DvZRgTBa-RfU-mfAcsFBy_e_l3yCFTtZ1HD_TjKfZxo/s1600/Frazzled+hc+c.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3nV0l2Hvng8NJQg7uu-ZH5bpBnr07nJJplX7CzSAndpFh5xIJ_PtAJrDSvssagiYbe3-mdRJY5bRk4TYH31ft0e5s2qd10HA8DvZRgTBa-RfU-mfAcsFBy_e_l3yCFTtZ1HD_TjKfZxo/s320/Frazzled+hc+c.JPG" width="211" /></a></div>
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Meet Abbie Wu! She’s about to start middle school and she’s totally in crisis.<br />
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Abbie Wu is in crisis—and not just because she’s stuck in a family that doesn’t quite get her or because the lunch ladies at school are totally corrupt or because everyone seems to have a “Thing” except her. Abbie Wu is in crisis always.<br />
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Heavily illustrated and embarrassingly honest, Frazzled dives right into the mind of this hilariously neurotic middle school girl as she tries to figure out who she is, where she belongs, and how to survive the everyday disasters of growing up. With Abbie’s flair for the dramatic and natural tendency to freak out, middle school has never seemed so nerve-racking!<br />
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Packed with hilarious black-and-white illustrations and doodles throughout, Frazzled takes readers through Abbie Wu’s hysterical middle school adventures.<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062398792/ref%3Dx_gr_w_bb?ie%3DUTF8%26tag%3Dx_gr_w_bb-20%26linkCode%3Das2%26camp%3D1789%26creative%3D9325%26creativeASIN%3D0062398792%26SubscriptionId%3D1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2&source=gmail&ust=1474597174917000&usg=AFQjCNEj40tgNtuntJSKnBaiVKHkcYcu2g" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062398792/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0062398792&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/frazzled-booki-vivat/1123244216?ean%3D9780062398796%26st%3DAFF%262sid%3DGoodreads,%2520Inc_2227948_NA%26sourceId%3DAFFGoodreads,%2520IncM000004&source=gmail&ust=1474597174917000&usg=AFQjCNF32qDIBHImQMriZ1OwntqiLcJ6Mw" href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/frazzled-booki-vivat/1123244216?ean=9780062398796&st=AFF&2sid=Goodreads,%20Inc_2227948_NA&sourceId=AFFGoodreads,%20IncM000004" target="_blank">B&N</a> </span></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">BOOKI VIVAT</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikd9lZTsoM-YYLmiUqx95iTK2ByBm9ibAH783qzrNVI7XCRM63jq2UfFBDvd4jokxdOc7pb6RfFWV8yU788y8n3G8P7Q6w7_PBN45zGLeEm9VKlnN1xp_KVXgc0WeZEixZC1kNbhnMAbs/s1600/BookiVivat_Photo+by+Kamolpat+Trangratapit.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikd9lZTsoM-YYLmiUqx95iTK2ByBm9ibAH783qzrNVI7XCRM63jq2UfFBDvd4jokxdOc7pb6RfFWV8yU788y8n3G8P7Q6w7_PBN45zGLeEm9VKlnN1xp_KVXgc0WeZEixZC1kNbhnMAbs/s320/BookiVivat_Photo+by+Kamolpat+Trangratapit.JPG" width="245" /></a></div>
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<b>Booki Vivat</b> has been doodling somewhat seriously since 2011 and not-so-seriously since childhood. She grew up in Southern California and graduated from the University of California, San Diego. She currently works in publishing and lives in Brooklyn, New York. This is her first novel. Follow her on Twitter @thebookiv and on Instagram @bookibookibooki.<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062398796/frazzled&source=gmail&ust=1474597174917000&usg=AFQjCNFJZIbJdZsj4M4J7nR3aXhzFIwqKQ" href="https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062398796/frazzled" target="_blank">Website</a> | <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://twitter.com/thebookiv&source=gmail&ust=1474597174917000&usg=AFQjCNFkVNlDo2JmbReo0D47PXk8-IhPww" href="https://twitter.com/thebookiv" target="_blank">Twitter</a> | <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://www.instagram.com/bookibookibooki/&source=gmail&ust=1474597174917000&usg=AFQjCNHKf9MJe6ebdIgwSUm-YDAUmRlz1g" href="https://www.instagram.com/bookibookibooki/" target="_blank">Instagram</a></span></span></span></span> </div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">GIVEAWAY</span></b></div>
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<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="0e29d475191" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/0e29d475191/" id="rcwidget_8uejif3c" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
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<div class="gmail_default">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">WEEK ONE:</span></b></span></span></span></div>
<div class="gmail_default">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>9/19:</b> <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.swoonyboyspodcast.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474597174917000&usg=AFQjCNGzrgMTPPX0r1B1zkeiL6uz2Pv6Rg" href="http://www.swoonyboyspodcast.com/" target="_blank">Swoony Boys Podcast - Review</a></span></div>
<div class="gmail_default">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>9/20:</b> <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://suchanovelidea.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474597174917000&usg=AFQjCNGUFeFrj4e3Vh7XB5Otogwv5eOUxQ" href="http://suchanovelidea.com/" target="_blank">Such A Novel Idea - Guest Post</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>9/21:</b> <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.whatsarahread.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474597174917000&usg=AFQjCNE9IjO_MtlmQCd1Z3hN6d5_-KVtBA" href="http://www.whatsarahread.com/" target="_blank">What Sarah Read - Review</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>9/22: <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.supernaturalsnark.blogspot.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474597174917000&usg=AFQjCNFDGe0CRhOG88s3HprmMlgps9R8fA" href="http://www.supernaturalsnark.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Supernatural Snark - Q&A</a></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>9/23:</b> <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.mundiemoms.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474597174917000&usg=AFQjCNHqzI2dlskNP5LDYmid7D6vN72kCw" href="http://www.mundiemoms.com/" target="_blank">Mundie Kids - Review</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">WEEK TWO:</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>9/26:</b> <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://theirishbanana.blogspot.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474597174917000&usg=AFQjCNEF_vbm8VFNgFwhtjmPqRcGaI9qWw" href="http://theirishbanana.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Irish Banana Review - Q&A</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>9/27:</b> <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.fictionfare.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474597174917000&usg=AFQjCNHWH7eoV-0sYLiPGoGkfMuEDyY11A" href="http://www.fictionfare.com/" target="_blank">Fiction Fare - Review</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>9/28:</b> <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://jenuinecupcakes.blogspot.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474597174917000&usg=AFQjCNGH0_9wrr3vEN0XN2mA6XTgO7L-Pg" href="http://jenuinecupcakes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jenuine Cupcakes - Guest Post</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>9/29:</b> <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.writingmyownfairytale.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474597174917000&usg=AFQjCNFYi-Z5iUXvKNDuWIZO9YzBNXiYtg" href="http://www.writingmyownfairytale.com/" target="_blank">Wiritng my Own Fairytale - Review</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>9/30:</b> <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.readsallthebooks.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474597174917000&usg=AFQjCNGWEWvThRvr0kPnIkzcaFnp8E_PhA" href="http://www.readsallthebooks.com/" target="_blank">Reads all the Books - Review</a></span></div>
Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14199685365145765394noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6907235505822471522.post-83946299838851664682016-09-21T00:00:00.000-04:002016-09-21T00:00:03.437-04:00Metaltown Blog Tour: Guest Post + Giveaway<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdh8Y0a3mBP5wze5y46_GtpROatiJjtaLP5Fbdog1VfFXGRLsWhiHu5m9gancgK0b7At9Djbj2HTusMIGIs4yDWZhV-g8ayh37cLjylc5jpZlq46zlsYun8m29nEKqXFpqm3qctsryoy4/s1600/Metaltown+Banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdh8Y0a3mBP5wze5y46_GtpROatiJjtaLP5Fbdog1VfFXGRLsWhiHu5m9gancgK0b7At9Djbj2HTusMIGIs4yDWZhV-g8ayh37cLjylc5jpZlq46zlsYun8m29nEKqXFpqm3qctsryoy4/s320/Metaltown+Banner.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Today I have the very special honor of welcoming an author I get to call friend to the blog to celebrate the release of her newest YA book, </span></i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Metaltown</span><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">. I couldn't be more excited for this book or for Kristen as she is one of the most adorable people you'll ever meet, and I hope you guys all have this book on your lists! Since the world of </span></i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Metaltown</span><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> and its factories is a brutal one where the days are long and so very hard, I asked Kristen to help us put on protagonist Ty's shoes for a few minutes and walk her mile. </span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Be sure and check out the bottom of the post for a complete list of the participating blogs so you can follow along, as well as all the details on a fantastic giveaway!</span></i><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">WHAT ARE 5 THINGS TY WOULD WANT US TO KNOW ABOUT LIVING LIFE AS A FACTORY WORKER?</span></b></div>
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1. Don’t be a baby. You think your life’s tough? Try waking up before dawn every morning to get a bowl of mash at St. Mary’s, or working a double in a hot factory just to not get paid. First rule of factory life? Keep your mouth shut and your eyes open. You want a free ride you can go cross the beltway to Bakerstown. <br />
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2. Find someone who’s got your back. You look out for them, they look out for you. It’s that simple. <br />
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3. Don’t eat anything that hasn’t been tested. What are you, crazy? The stuff they sell on the streets in the factory district is flat out deadly. If you want the corn flu, by all means, give it a shot. Otherwise, stick to stuff you know is clean. <br />
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4. Don’t fight someone smaller than you. Don’t steal from your own people. I share my food with you, tomorrow you share yours with me. Those are street rules, got it?<br />
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5. Colin’s mine. Keep your hands off.</blockquote>
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Noted<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">, Ty. ;-)</span></span></i><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Thanks so much Kristen!</span></i><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">METALTOWN</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidOk_vg9bcZaTxKlq7trYdxo05tB7X8biAbLGU2H5go-bCbaWAXAcI-keLAWN3-snxEz_TN2ccpUh1x4JcwasL-ijOXxvYswArEATkIaseyZyh1ub1V9pBE4K4AMeC9H7avCHve-q9Iro/s1600/Metaltown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidOk_vg9bcZaTxKlq7trYdxo05tB7X8biAbLGU2H5go-bCbaWAXAcI-keLAWN3-snxEz_TN2ccpUh1x4JcwasL-ijOXxvYswArEATkIaseyZyh1ub1V9pBE4K4AMeC9H7avCHve-q9Iro/s400/Metaltown.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<i>Metaltown, where factories rule, food is scarce, and hope is in short supply.</i><br />
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The rules of Metaltown are simple: Work hard, keep your head down, and watch your back. You look out for number one, and no one knows that better than Ty. She’s been surviving on the factory line as long as she can remember. But now Ty has Colin. She’s no longer alone; it’s the two of them against the world. That’s something even a town this brutal can’t take away from her. Until it does.<br />
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Lena’s future depends on her family’s factory, a beast that demands a ruthless master, and Lena is prepared to be as ruthless as it takes if it means finally proving herself to her father. But when a chance encounter with Colin, a dreamer despite his circumstances, exposes Lena to the consequences of her actions, she’ll risk everything to do what’s right.<br />
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In Lena, Ty sees an heiress with a chip on her shoulder. Colin sees something more. In a world of disease and war, tragedy and betrayal, allies and enemies, all three of them must learn that challenging what they thought was true can change all the rules.<br />
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An enthralling story of friendship and rebellion, <i>Metaltown</i> will have you believing in the power of hope.<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://amzn.to/2cCtDmZ&source=gmail&ust=1474511726219000&usg=AFQjCNFFBOxi9jiwwwyXpMGLYBfN6kSfgA" href="http://amzn.to/2cCtDmZ" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/metaltown-kristen-simmons/1123132956;jsessionid%3DE72CBF054D73BAD555445D23588BE965.prodny_store02-atgap10?ean%3D9780765336620%26st%3DAFF%262sid%3DGoodreads,%2520Inc_2227948_NA%26sourceId%3DAFFGoodreads,%2520IncM000004&source=gmail&ust=1474511726219000&usg=AFQjCNGJDgesluw8Cfm2bYGaGOoaWNSPgg" href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/metaltown-kristen-simmons/1123132956;jsessionid=E72CBF054D73BAD555445D23588BE965.prodny_store02-atgap10?ean=9780765336620&st=AFF&2sid=Goodreads,%20Inc_2227948_NA&sourceId=AFFGoodreads,%20IncM000004" target="_blank">B&N</a> </span></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">KRISTEN SIMMONS</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifveGz3pqBeRvl4JLqTEHZQw2BUyPoIJ1gxEDF2xvfJFhikWlo7t9fr_00qfyZhg4YZebvb1ouEOhV-ba1xiJp8nP7jxCbaCqwIBuacG57PUAa6-hytRfxiycLkF7qjQMDAQjaJQVDxrw/s1600/Kristen+Simmons+author+photo+color.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifveGz3pqBeRvl4JLqTEHZQw2BUyPoIJ1gxEDF2xvfJFhikWlo7t9fr_00qfyZhg4YZebvb1ouEOhV-ba1xiJp8nP7jxCbaCqwIBuacG57PUAa6-hytRfxiycLkF7qjQMDAQjaJQVDxrw/s320/Kristen+Simmons+author+photo+color.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Kristen Simmons is the author of the ARTICLE 5 series, THE GLASS ARROW, and the upcoming METALTOWN (Tor Teen). She loves her family, Jazzercise, and chocolate cupcakes. She currently lives in Cincinnati, Ohio.<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.kristensimmonsbooks.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474511726219000&usg=AFQjCNFewJB2mlhwfsu3sYQVoK7_6SkVhg" href="http://www.kristensimmonsbooks.com/" target="_blank">Website</a> | <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://twitter.com/kris10writes&source=gmail&ust=1474511726219000&usg=AFQjCNFVDW0a-SF86ooybwxPXRbp8rneJQ" href="https://twitter.com/kris10writes" target="_blank">Twitter</a> | <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://www.facebook.com/author.kristensimmons&source=gmail&ust=1474511726219000&usg=AFQjCNF0TEooQHtFOE8GyftLCA_tl2yPdg" href="https://www.facebook.com/author.kristensimmons" target="_blank">Facebook</a> </span></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">GIVEAWAY</span></b></div>
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<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="0e29d475183" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/0e29d475183/" id="rcwidget_23mlnw6b" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>WEEK ONE</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>9/12:</b> <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.mundiemoms.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474511726219000&usg=AFQjCNFSTw1iO9a0vf-qQBMVQR_Ysjw_Pg" href="http://www.mundiemoms.com/" target="_blank">Mundie Moms - Q&A</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>9/13:</b> <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.fictionfare.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474511726219000&usg=AFQjCNF1skDcpQeyThYkiYaKtgTr9PikbA" href="http://www.fictionfare.com/" target="_blank">Fiction Fare - Review</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>9/14:</b> <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://eaterofbooks.blogspot.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474511726219000&usg=AFQjCNFbotlWJgAyh_pVt0suEaUoLDzv7w" href="http://eaterofbooks.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Eater of Books - Review</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>9/15:</b> <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.twochicksonbooks.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474511726219000&usg=AFQjCNGZC3DZW4vKHdjqJhmm4kXds9ybmg" href="http://www.twochicksonbooks.com/" target="_blank">Two Chicks on Books - Q&A</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>9/16:</b> <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://kristasdustjacket.blogspot.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474511726219000&usg=AFQjCNEydsmqNqWy5F6WBoi1RxhzV1sTrw" href="http://kristasdustjacket.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Krista's Dust Jacket - Review</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">WEEK TWO</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>9/19:</b> <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://nobsbookreviews.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474511726219000&usg=AFQjCNFsvvLBH2ZKaafOwZMf3rD7IFHlTw" href="http://nobsbookreviews.com/" target="_blank">No BS Book Reviews - Makeup Inspirations</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>9/20:</b> <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://quitethenovelidea.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474511726219000&usg=AFQjCNGxQZY51rKl0C6ll2XPhUbU26uiPg" href="http://quitethenovelidea.com/" target="_blank">Quite the Novel Idea - Review</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>9/21: <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.supernaturalsnark.blogspot.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474511726219000&usg=AFQjCNFe97BXSTqHCLGETQY3fsVP_dD4ZA" href="http://www.supernaturalsnark.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Supernatural Snark - Guest Post</a></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>9/22:</b> <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://thepetitebookblogger.wordpress.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474511726219000&usg=AFQjCNHASNzPv6kZU4LAkslDINfhsWKwGQ" href="https://thepetitebookblogger.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">The Petite Book Blogger - Review</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>9/23:</b> <a href="mailto:theirishbanana.review@gmail.com" target="_blank">The Irish Banana Review - Top 10</a></span></div>
Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14199685365145765394noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6907235505822471522.post-19135696747430359572016-09-19T00:00:00.000-04:002016-09-19T23:12:04.911-04:00Review: A Scot in the Dark<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid4EZgef31P6NXItirimJJdp3hxjxE218t27FA231IgMHOVIzzCBl4vb-rY0E2kcErYx9TykMuNRdTmNJV1Oq5TMM1_QrTOQQXDYCbeDHAdxoVE16hNZba4VOC15oonZ7QAABAA_ZiUC0/s1600/ScotInDark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid4EZgef31P6NXItirimJJdp3hxjxE218t27FA231IgMHOVIzzCBl4vb-rY0E2kcErYx9TykMuNRdTmNJV1Oq5TMM1_QrTOQQXDYCbeDHAdxoVE16hNZba4VOC15oonZ7QAABAA_ZiUC0/s320/ScotInDark.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Scot-Dark-Scandal-Scoundrel-Book/dp/0062379429/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1474340896&sr=8-1&keywords=A+Scot+in+the+Dark"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">A SCOT IN THE DARK</span></b></a><br />
Scandal & Scoundrel #2<br />
Sarah MacLean<br />
Historical Romance<br />
352 pages<br />
Avon <br />
Available Now<br />
Source: Bought<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">THE STORY (from Goodreads)</span></b><br />
<span id="freeText4773404312357060112"><strong>Lonesome Lily Turned Scandalous Siren</strong><br /><br />Miss
Lillian Hargrove has lived much of her life alone in a gilded cage,
longing for love and companionship. When an artist offers her pretty
promises and begs her to pose for a scandalous portrait, Lily doesn't
hesitate...until the lying libertine leaves her in disgrace. With the
painting now public, Lily has no choice but to turn to the one man who
might save her from ruin.<br /><br /><strong>Highland Devil turned Halfhearted Duke</strong><br /><br />The
Duke of Warnick loathes all things English, none more so than the
aristocracy. It does not matter that the imposing Scotsman has inherited
one of the most venerable dukedoms in Britain—he wants nothing to do
with it, especially when he discovers that the unwanted title comes with
a troublesome ward, one who is far too old and far too beautiful to be
his problem.<br /><br /><strong>Tartan Comes to Town</strong><br /><br />Warnick
arrives in London with a single goal: get the chit married and see her
become someone else's problem, then return to a normal, quiet life in
Scotland. It's the perfect plan, until Lily declares she'll only marry
for love...and the Scot finds that there is one thing in England he
likes far too much...</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">MY THOUGHTS</span></b><br />
Sarah MacLean's historical romances never disappoint, and we are again treated to her outstanding characterization in <i>A Scot in the Dark</i> as a vaguely Beauty and the Beast-esque pairing delights from beginning to end.<br />
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Aside from the fact that Lily's beauty is a bit overstated, coming up time and again throughout, she herself is only aware of it on the periphery, as something people say about her as though she's not flesh and blood but rather a set of symmetrical features perfectly placed to aesthetically pleasing results. She's neither fixated on her looks nor bolstered by them, instead we find ourselves faced with a young woman at her most vulnerable thanks to the charms of manipulative artist and a society that thrives on a double standard. Though she's lived an extraordinarily solitary life and is facing a scandal that has all of London foaming at the mouth, she refuses to allow Alec to walk all over her when he arrives to "handle" her predicament. She stands her ground when he seeks to hand her off to any titled man in desperate need of a substantial dowry, puts him in his place when necessary, and keeps her head up when the whispering and pointed looks follow her at any public function.<br />
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Alec plays a rather classic role in terms of romance heroes, convinced he's not worthy of Lily once he realizes he's attracted to her and willing to push her away at every turn in order to save her from sullying herself further with him. Despite that familiar trait though, he's still big, brawny, and of course Scottish, a lethal combination when it comes to making us swoon, and watching as his path paved with good intentions leads him to hell in the form of a fiery redhead who knows what she wants is nothing short of glorious.<br />
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Overall, <i>A Scot in the Dark</i> is a fun follow-up to <i>The Rogue Not Taken</i>, a beautifully vulnerable lead pair ensuring we're emotionally invested in their story, and the infamous Talbot sisters proving themselves to be scene-stealers in their secondary roles as we look forward to one of them stepping into the limelight next.<br />
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Rating; 4/5<br />
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<b>Find Sarah:</b></div>
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<b><a href="http://www.sarahmaclean.net/">Website</a> • <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sarahmaclean">Facebook</a> • <a href="https://twitter.com/sarahmaclean">Twitter</a></b><b> • <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27067875-a-scot-in-the-dark">Goodreads</a> • <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Scot-Dark-Scandal-Scoundrel-Book/dp/0062379429/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1474340896&sr=8-1&keywords=A+Scot+in+the+Dark">Amazon</a></b></div>
Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14199685365145765394noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6907235505822471522.post-30329471259897577772016-09-16T00:00:00.000-04:002016-09-16T10:15:04.735-04:00Review + Giveaway: James and the Giant Peach<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Happy Friday Everyone!</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Today I have a very special review of James and the Giant Peach, my very favorite book by Roald Dahl. 2016 marks one hundred years since Roald Dahl's birth, so to celebrate Penguin has put together an epic blog tour full of reviews, excerpts, trivia and more, so be sure and check the bottom of the post for the full schedule!</span></i><br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/James-Giant-Peach-Roald-Dahl/dp/0425287653/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473997284&sr=8-1&keywords=James+and+the+giant+peach"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH</span></b></a><br />
Roal Dahl<br />
Middle Grade/Fantasy/Adventure<br />
146 pages<br />
Puffin Books<br />
Available Now<br />
Source: Finished copy from publisher for review<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">THE STORY (from Goodreads)</span></b><br />
When James accidentally
drops some magic crystals by the old peach tree, strange things start to
happen. The peach at the top of the tree begins to grow, and before
long it's as big as a house. When James discovers a secret entranceway
into the fruit and crawls inside, he meets wonderful new friends--the
Old-Green-Grasshopper, the dainty Ladybug, and the Centipede of the
multiple boots. After years of feeling like an outsider in his aunts'
house, James finally found a place where he belongs. With a snip of the
stem, the peach household starts rolling away--and the adventure begins!<br />
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Roald Dahl's first and most widely celebrated book for young people continues to thrill readers around the world.<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">MY THOUGHTS</span></b><br />
<i>James and the Giant Peach</i> is the first book I can remember reading on my own. I'm sure I read shorter children's books on my own and I know my parents read to me all the time, but this is the first book I can remember choosing for myself and then settling into the corner of our couch to read. It doesn't take a huge mental leap to attribute my love for all things paranormal and fantastical when it comes to fiction to James and his group of extraordinary friends.<br />
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It had been a solid twenty years since I'd read this book, and I'd quite honestly forgot how brutal it was. James is orphaned in the first few pages thanks to a freak rhinoceros accident, and subsequently moves in with an abusive pair of aunts who treat him like nothing more than dirt beneath their feet for years. Thankfully fate–and magic–intervenes in the form of small green crystals that cause a peach to grow to enormous size, break free from its branch, and carry young James and his human-sized insect friends off on an overseas adventure. Oh, and his aunts are squished dead by the peach as it rolls down a hill. Brutal indeed.<br />
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James is a resilient young man, enduring the verbal abuse and threats of physical violence from his aunts with a strength no person should have to develop at so young an age. Once free from his life of labor under his aunts' watchful eyes, he proves himself to be a problem solver under pressure, helping his newfound friends survive the journey to New York in terms of food as well as keeping their mode of transportation safe from those beasts, real and paranormal, that try to bring them down or impede their progress.<br />
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In addition to an over-the-top fun adventure, Mr. Dahl also works in some tidbits and facts about each of the insects aboard the peach, letting all those who read walk way with just a little extra knowledge than they had when they cracked the spine. Overall, <i>James and the Giant Peach</i> remains an outstanding read no matter the age of the reader, and it will forever be one of my very favorites.<br />
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<b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/James-Giant-Peach-Roald-Dahl/dp/0425287653/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1473996991&sr=8-1">Amazon</a> • <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/james-and-the-giant-peach-roald-dahl/1100041854?ean=9780140374247">B&N</a> • <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6689.James_and_the_Giant_Peach">Goodreads</a> </b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ROALD DAHL</span></b></div>
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Roald Dahl (1916–1990) was one of the world’s most imaginative, successful and beloved storytellers. He was born in Wales of Norwegian parents and spent much of his childhood in England. After establishing himself as a writer for adults with short story collections such as <i>Kiss Kiss</i> and <i>Tales of the Unexpected</i>, Roald Dahl began writing children's stories in 1960 while living with his family in both the U.S. and in England. His first stories were written as entertainment for his own children, to whom many of his books are dedicated. <br />
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Roald Dahl’s first children’s story, <i>The Gremlins</i>, was a story about little creatures that were responsible for the various mechanical failures on airplanes. <i>The Gremlins</i> came to the attention of both First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, who loved to read the story to her grandchildren, and Walt Disney, with whom Roald Dahl had discussions about the production of a movie. <br />
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Roald Dahl was inspired by American culture and by many of the most quintessential American landmarks to write some of his most memorable passages, such as the thrilling final scenes in J<i>ames and the Giant Peach </i>- when the peach lands on the Empire State Building! Upon the publication of <i>James and the Giant Peach</i>, Roald Dahl began work on the story that would later be published as <i>Charlie and the Chocolate Factory</i> and today, Roald Dahl’s stories are available in 58 languages and, by a conservative estimate, have sold more than 200 million copies. <br />
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Roald Dahl also enjoyed great success for the screenplays he wrote for both the James Bond film <i>You Only Live Twice</i> in 1967 and for <i>Chitty Chitty Bang Bang</i>, released one year later, which went on to become a beloved family film. Roald Dahl’s popularity continues to increase as his fantastic novels, including <i>James and the Giant Peach</i>, <i>Fantastic Mr. Fox</i>, <i>Matilda</i>, <i>The BFG</i>, and <i>Charlie and the Chocolate Factory</i>, delight an ever-growing legion of fans.<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">GIVEAWAY</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">September 5 <b>- <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://readingwithstyle.blogspot.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474081386107000&usg=AFQjCNE1LB-e4FzDy46bSoBC2orsuxl0ug" href="http://readingwithstyle.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Peace Loves Books</a> - </b>Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Excerpt</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">September 5 - <b><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.thecompulsivereader.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474081386107000&usg=AFQjCNHoNKsZXbt2IwYd555pEcy85NPG-A" href="http://www.thecompulsivereader.com/" target="_blank">The Compulsive Reader</a> </b>- Danny, The Champion of the World Review </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">September 5 - <b><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://starryeyedrevue.blogspot.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474081386107000&usg=AFQjCNGueO5Q-NMR9dWpg3GqW8OgA_qTgQ" href="http://starryeyedrevue.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Starry Eyed Revue</a> </b>- James and The Giant Peach Review</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">September 6 - <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://exlibriskate.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474081386107000&usg=AFQjCNHZ1FdnUMuApXaeaPS2w4BtkGw6BA" href="http://exlibriskate.com/" target="_blank"><b>Ex Libris Kate </b></a>- The Witches Review</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">September 6 - <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://www.crackingthecover.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474081386107000&usg=AFQjCNE3kKZ0axfKKK7ZiwQNhkn9HSj9BQ" href="https://www.crackingthecover.com/" target="_blank"><b>Cracking The Cover</b> </a>- The Magic Finger Feature - Short Review and History </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">September 6 - <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://www.lostinlit.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474081386107000&usg=AFQjCNE4GWENCheFfEHeqRPqkhZQ_3HdCw" href="https://www.lostinlit.com/" target="_blank"><b>Lost In Lit </b></a>- The Witches Feature - Revisiting The Witches as an adult </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">September 7 - <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://the-crc.blogspot.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474081386107000&usg=AFQjCNHcrH1DXNmWUcte2GeYtuYD2yFT_A" href="http://the-crc.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><b>Cozy Reading Corner</b> </a>- Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator Excerpt </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">September 7 -<b> <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.theplotbunny.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474081386107000&usg=AFQjCNGkyBzkfBy42afDr1B7B44OC5QW4Q" href="http://www.theplotbunny.com/" target="_blank">The Plot Bunny</a> </b>- The Magic Finger Review </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">September 7 -<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://lilisreflections.blogspot.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474081386107000&usg=AFQjCNExBrVvpSQcFfy7wCmPBVF5wRo8zg" href="http://lilisreflections.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"> <b>Lilli's Reflections</b></a><b> </b>- The Twits Excerpt </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">September 8 - <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://theirishbanana.blogspot.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474081386107000&usg=AFQjCNFjN-pjLh1I3h_Di9ZbYk0VLQC7YA" href="http://theirishbanana.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><b>The Irish Banana </b></a>- Matilda Review </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">September 8 - <b><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.tickettoanywhere.net/&source=gmail&ust=1474081386107000&usg=AFQjCNG30tKUS9NuuV4vbaueWVlCfNmDhw" href="http://www.tickettoanywhere.net/" target="_blank">Ticket To Anywhere</a> </b>- Danny, The Champion of the World Excerpt</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">September 8 - <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://cuddlebuggery.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474081386107000&usg=AFQjCNEaTNFED8uebDwLXmpqr4fv4AmV5A" href="http://cuddlebuggery.com/" target="_blank"><b>Cuddlebuggery </b></a>- Quentin Blake's Illustrations of Roald Dahl's Books Feature</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">September 8 - <b><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.bethfishreads.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474081386107000&usg=AFQjCNHpy9AYo_IgGeTDJS__JsFPOd5P4A" href="http://www.bethfishreads.com/" target="_blank">Beth Fish Reads</a> -</b> Going Solo Review </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">September 9 - <b><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.talesoftheravenousreader.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474081386107000&usg=AFQjCNEPNpuN7xX5Z_bgxl_kpKoTZGjhPg" href="http://www.talesoftheravenousreader.com/" target="_blank">Ravenous Reader </a>-</b> The BFG Excerpt </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">September 9 - <b><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://cuts-of-paper.blogspot.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474081386107000&usg=AFQjCNGDTHQ2sGZKOPsWArSaQ7qEgbRhUA" href="http://cuts-of-paper.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Paper Cuts </a>-</b> The Giraffe, the Pelly and Me Excerpt </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">September 9 - <b><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://thelovelybooksbookblog.blogspot.com/2016/08/review-all-ugly-and-wonderful-things-by.html?zx%3D639cfd06cb227c19&source=gmail&ust=1474081386107000&usg=AFQjCNFmiADsifJbZBRuaFjeZm0CYwwMNg" href="http://thelovelybooksbookblog.blogspot.com/2016/08/review-all-ugly-and-wonderful-things-by.html?zx=639cfd06cb227c19" target="_blank">The Lovely Books</a> -</b> The Witches Excerpt </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">September 9 - <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://glass-of-wine.blogspot.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474081386107000&usg=AFQjCNFxOhiKXqwfUvgRsVnRSastgWnTzA" href="http://glass-of-wine.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><b>A Glass of Wine </b></a>- James and the Giant Peach Excerpt</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">September 10 - <b><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://novelnovice.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474081386107000&usg=AFQjCNHAipzG-2Kxkju9Nk6fT2TF53z87g" href="https://novelnovice.com/" target="_blank">Novel Novice</a> </b>- George's Marvelous Medicine Excerpt </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">September 10 - <b><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://yabibliophile.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474081386107000&usg=AFQjCNGsanpW21W7h9nc8d9oIL6vNtHS5g" href="https://yabibliophile.com/" target="_blank">YA Bibliophile</a> </b>- Fantastic Mr. Fox Review</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">September 10 - <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://watercolormoods.blogspot.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474081386107000&usg=AFQjCNE1oCnN_pxeeMUB6tonWOkA5F46VQ" href="http://watercolormoods.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><b>Watercolor Moods</b></a> - The Magic Finger Feature - Collage</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">September 11- <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.jessabellareads.org/&source=gmail&ust=1474081386107000&usg=AFQjCNF5tLOofBRSQZW15HWxbtSIGiBWVA" href="http://www.jessabellareads.org/" target="_blank"><b>Jessabella Reads</b></a> - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Review </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">September 11- <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.whorublog.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474081386107000&usg=AFQjCNEkQy6rO6NOWEG0WnZV0jSBOtxyiQ" href="http://www.whorublog.com/" target="_blank"><b>Who R U Blog </b></a>- Charlie and the Glass Elevator Feature - Trivia</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">September 12 - <b><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://belleofthelibrary.wordpress.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474081386107000&usg=AFQjCNEnk7GakltHcz1yl1CABuB9jMNO5Q" href="https://belleofthelibrary.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Belle of the Library</a> </b>- The Twits Review </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">September 12 - <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://bookmanialife.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474081386107000&usg=AFQjCNGIkKXXmApfDpaiDE7ZYrgzvUUXUw" href="https://bookmanialife.com/" target="_blank"><b>Book Mania Life</b></a> - George's Marvelous Medicine Review </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">September 12 - <b><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://thebookswarm.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474081386107000&usg=AFQjCNECOqpMqviHBYlRzrXhIm0xkN9M-g" href="http://thebookswarm.com/" target="_blank">The Book Swarm</a> </b>- Danny, The Champion of the World Excerpt </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">September 12 - <b><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://thebookbelles.blogspot.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474081386107000&usg=AFQjCNEMyuzXlX8SonRNT3ZS9DEm5AUz7Q" href="http://thebookbelles.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Book Belles</a> </b>- James and the Giant Peach Feature - Book to Movie</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">September 13- Roald's birthday! - <b><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.bookrambles.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474081386108000&usg=AFQjCNFxrnPJ98dvFPg4EapwAFIddlDVgQ" href="http://www.bookrambles.com/" target="_blank">Brittany's Book Rambles</a> </b>- Matilda Excerpt </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">September 13 - Roald's birthday! - <b><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://mundiekids.blogspot.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474081386108000&usg=AFQjCNG6FG4ueI22416hYs7UzPFuFyuzQw" href="http://mundiekids.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Mundie Kids </a>-</b> The BFG Review</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">September 13 - Roald's birthday! - <b><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.readnowsleeplater.org/&source=gmail&ust=1474081386108000&usg=AFQjCNFGLcTnfDf0YqsuvZSvsEmiXq_ESg" href="http://www.readnowsleeplater.org/" target="_blank">Read Now Sleep Later</a> -</b> Boy Excerpt</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">September 13 - Roald's birthday - <b><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.consumedbybooks.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474081386108000&usg=AFQjCNGkLEavFLENmoLE3_vKqY3vZvryjw" href="http://www.consumedbybooks.com/" target="_blank">Consumed By Books</a> </b>- Matilda Excerpt </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">September 13 - Roald's birthday - I Am A Reader - James and the Giant Peach Excerpt </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">September 13 - <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.thenovellife.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474081386108000&usg=AFQjCNEr4bCBQ_iea0NmPg9GWntQg_K3Tw" href="http://www.thenovellife.com/" target="_blank"><b>The Novel Life </b></a>- <span style="background-color: white; line-height: 13px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lessons that Roald Dahl has taught me feature</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 13px; white-space: pre-wrap;">September 13 - </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.thebookrat.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474081386108000&usg=AFQjCNF93_O6X_VA1HQeQ7UV12u1LCqM5w" href="http://www.thebookrat.com/" target="_blank"><b>The Book Rat </b></a><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 13px; white-space: pre-wrap;">- Esio Trot Excerpt </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">September 14 - <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://bellesbeautifulbooks.blogspot.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474081386108000&usg=AFQjCNFz7maZQn_sfp1XytK8lXJAh8UMeg" href="http://bellesbeautifulbooks.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><b>Belle's Bash </b></a>- The BFG Excerpt</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">September 14 - <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://winterhavenbooks.blogspot.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474081386108000&usg=AFQjCNHHoRURObLtNvGPGTZGprNXXqgABA" href="http://winterhavenbooks.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><b>WinterHaven Books</b></a> - Esio Trot Excerpt </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">September 14 - <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://bookandlatte.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474081386108000&usg=AFQjCNFquFT0Bta41qLN1V_wEdLa2uQyCQ" href="http://bookandlatte.com/" target="_blank"><b>A Book and A Latte</b></a> - The Magic Finger Excerpt</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">September 14 - <b><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.hello-chelly.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474081386108000&usg=AFQjCNHxvnaZTE_v2dKwanloWT6YgVqyOw" href="http://www.hello-chelly.com/" target="_blank">Hello Chelly</a> </b>- Matilda Feature - BookBags</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">September 14 - <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://lovingdembooks.blogspot.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474081386108000&usg=AFQjCNE60V8lN-i2yLf9EceWB_Zurhm0WA" href="http://lovingdembooks.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><b>Loving Dem Books </b></a>- Youtube Feature</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">September 15 - <b><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.writingmyownfairytale.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474081386108000&usg=AFQjCNGq5-LuI4w_xSrjswMhfFYqKsMMiQ" href="http://www.writingmyownfairytale.com/" target="_blank">Writing My Own Fairy-Tale</a> </b>- George's Marvelous Medicine Review </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">September 15 - <b><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://thebookbandit.wordpress.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474081386108000&usg=AFQjCNE3dz0iM4S1WqsxVGrDqcSWB4m1og" href="https://thebookbandit.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">The Book Bandit</a> </b>-The Giraffe, and the Pelly and Me Review</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">September 15 - <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.hopelessbibliophile.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474081386108000&usg=AFQjCNHGcIHEy1uckRkr-yI_HyVGV8suIQ" href="http://www.hopelessbibliophile.com/" target="_blank"><b>Hopelessly Devoted Bibliophile</b></a> - Esio Trot Review</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">September 15 - <b><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.jennachristy.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474081386108000&usg=AFQjCNH0lK8yIDN_PSYXOqrZ-J2jrpRnNQ" href="http://www.jennachristy.com/" target="_blank">Coffee, Books and Me</a> </b>- Top Ten Reasons You Should Read Roald Dahl's Books</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="aBn" data-term="goog_2017134246" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">September 16</span></span> - <b><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://booksandmakeup.blogspot.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474081386108000&usg=AFQjCNHfF3oBLZAzm5M0g8bfHGIy8pDSHA" href="http://booksandmakeup.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Undeniably Book Nerdy</a> </b>- Boy Review </span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="aBn" data-term="goog_2017134247" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">September 16</span></span> - <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://supernaturalsnark.blogspot.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474081386108000&usg=AFQjCNHSOGcf06Hdq-elRNbdBxNEyckSXg" href="http://supernaturalsnark.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Supernatural Snark</a> - James and the Giant Peach Review </span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="aBn" data-term="goog_2017134248" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">September 16</span></span> - <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.myfriendamysblog.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474081386108000&usg=AFQjCNFdg75YTXT-N1e0_PPF_EQndZfmAg" href="http://www.myfriendamysblog.com/" target="_blank"><b>My Friend Amy</b></a> - Going Solo Excerpt </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="aBn" data-term="goog_2017134249" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">September 16</span></span> - <b><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://thequietconcert.blogspot.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474081386108000&usg=AFQjCNGrfznOJLgiyap42PRtB7VJINjQJQ" href="http://thequietconcert.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Quiet Concert </a>-</b> Danny, the Champion of the World Review </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="aBn" data-term="goog_2017134250" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">September 17</span></span> - <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://bookbriefs.net/&source=gmail&ust=1474081386108000&usg=AFQjCNF8ElxNZ9RrOZ5i8do23jAD88WIHA" href="https://bookbriefs.net/" target="_blank"><b>Book Briefs</b> </a>- Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="aBn" data-term="goog_2017134251" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">September 17</span></span> - <b><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://andiabcs.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474081386108000&usg=AFQjCNHqVkDMcS2L-6vzc98UGluYtyrCmw" href="https://andiabcs.com/" target="_blank">Andi's ABCs</a> </b>- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Feature - ABCs</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="aBn" data-term="goog_2017134252" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">September 17</span></span> - <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://justanotherrabidreader.info/&source=gmail&ust=1474081386108000&usg=AFQjCNFuSThu1J5lEPP_3o6ovcqe3p8TLw" href="http://justanotherrabidreader.info/" target="_blank"><b>Just Another Rabid Reader</b> </a>- The Magic Finger Review </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="aBn" data-term="goog_2017134253" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">September 17</span></span> - <b><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://ceceliabedelia.blogspot.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474081386108000&usg=AFQjCNFBgL48Fbjjh21lJSP4djZlq47F8A" href="http://ceceliabedelia.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Adventures of Cecelia Bedelia</a> </b>- Roald Dahl Feature - Food Feature</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="aBn" data-term="goog_2017134254" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">September 18</span></span> - <b><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://bumblesandfairytales.blogspot.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474081386108000&usg=AFQjCNH63Ylj2r9xM4QLrK8lqzctErN-6Q" href="http://bumblesandfairytales.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Bumbles and Fairy-Tales</a> </b>- Matilda Feature - Reading With Dad</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="aBn" data-term="goog_2017134255" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">September 18</span></span> - <b><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.addicted2novels.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474081386108000&usg=AFQjCNHvVo1UYHmvGKpx8jWVYl5J3FlnBA" href="http://www.addicted2novels.com/" target="_blank">Addicted 2 Novels</a> </b>- Esio Trot Review </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="aBn" data-term="goog_2017134256" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">September 18</span></span> - <b><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.pureimaginationblog.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474081386108000&usg=AFQjCNHIoBVaVQIWtbWWdzkb1m4JnZmX5g" href="http://www.pureimaginationblog.com/" target="_blank">Pure Imagination</a> -</b> Fantastic Mr. Fox Excerpt </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="aBn" data-term="goog_2017134257" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">September 18</span></span> - <b><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.greenbeanteenqueen.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474081386108000&usg=AFQjCNGz40vBlb1rdn1vyIyf4R4n8qddHw" href="http://www.greenbeanteenqueen.com/" target="_blank">Green Bean Teen Queen </a>- </b>What Roald Dahl Means To Me Feature</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="aBn" data-term="goog_2017134258" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">September 19</span></span> - <b><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://bookiemoji.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474081386108000&usg=AFQjCNHNZETZ8Ew43tlHXacz5KyvZPEd3Q" href="http://bookiemoji.com/" target="_blank">Bookiemoji </a>-</b> The Witches Excerpt </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="aBn" data-term="goog_2017134259" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">September 19</span></span> - <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://shootingstarsmag.blogspot.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474081386108000&usg=AFQjCNFQpOpgC6vyypHf5lW2Hz9LBpR16Q" href="http://shootingstarsmag.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><b>Shooting Stars Blog</b></a> - Roald Dahl Feature - Etsy Products</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="aBn" data-term="goog_2017134260" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">September 19</span></span> - <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.alexalovesbooks.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474081386109000&usg=AFQjCNELTvbVMzcxInhOOq87EQIWNES8lQ" href="http://www.alexalovesbooks.com/" target="_blank"><b>Alexa Loves Books</b></a> - Matilda Feature - Style Files</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="aBn" data-term="goog_2017134261" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">September 19</span></span> - <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://nightlyreading.wordpress.com/&source=gmail&ust=1474081386109000&usg=AFQjCNEcGngyJttunOX6gqtJYFc9hNt9Aw" href="https://nightlyreading.wordpress.com/" target="_blank"><b>Nightly Reading</b></a> - Matilda Review</span></span></div>
Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14199685365145765394noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6907235505822471522.post-54785102110265718052016-09-15T00:00:00.000-04:002016-09-15T00:00:19.495-04:00Review: The Soldier's Scoundrel<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlrmtdKRge-cxnbRiVSTUqEsJiBk1pm33M-HprMdRXKp2o5mrGu15rZbDDWakr4UdKOahoTiIORUA363qAibg2oYz6D0UKRQTImrwqrG0o6uCv8iMCW8VwwNQNiiAum9C-FB2EGq53SKc/s1600/SoldiersScoundrel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlrmtdKRge-cxnbRiVSTUqEsJiBk1pm33M-HprMdRXKp2o5mrGu15rZbDDWakr4UdKOahoTiIORUA363qAibg2oYz6D0UKRQTImrwqrG0o6uCv8iMCW8VwwNQNiiAum9C-FB2EGq53SKc/s320/SoldiersScoundrel.jpg" width="198" /></a></div>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Soldiers-Scoundrel-Cat-Sebastian-ebook/dp/B01E3Q9CO6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473910501&sr=8-1&keywords=Soldier%27s+Scoundrel#nav-subnav"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">THE SOLDIER'S SCOUNDREL</span></b></a><br />
Cat Sebastian<br />
M/M Historical Romance<br />
352 pages<br />
Avon<br />
Available September 20th<br />
Source: eARC from publisher for review<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">THE STORY (from Goodreads)</span></b><br />
<span id="freeText13731910552690357093"><b>A scoundrel who lives in the shadows</b><br /><br />Jack
Turner grew up in the darkness of London's slums, born into a life of
crime and willing to do anything to keep his belly full and his siblings
safe. Now he uses the tricks and schemes of the underworld to help
those who need the kind of assistance only a scoundrel can provide. His
distrust of the nobility runs deep and his services do not extend to the
gorgeous high-born soldier who personifies everything Jack will never
be. <br /><br /><b>A soldier untarnished by vice </b><br /><br />After the chaos of
war, Oliver Rivington craves the safe predictability of a gentleman's
life-one that doesn't include sparring with a ne'er-do-well who flouts
the law at every turn. But Jack tempts Oliver like no other man has
before. Soon his yearning for the unapologetic criminal is only matched
by Jack's pleasure in watching his genteel polish crumble every time
they're together. <br /><br /><b>Two men only meant for each other</b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span id="freeText13731910552690357093"><b>MY THOUGHTS </b></span></span><br />
<i>The Soldier's Scoundrel</i> is a delightful M/M historical romance, both our heroes strong and vulnerable at the same time as they navigate their fledgling relationship as well as attempt to unravel a case of blackmail.<br />
<br />
Jack Turner is very decidedly not a gentleman. He merits no invitations to balls or any other kind of polite Society function, and he's all the more glad for it. His comfort zone is one a little less in the limelight and a little more in the shadows, helping those the law isn't always able to with a devil-may-care grin on his face. When he's given little other choice than to team up with Oliver, the very definition of a Gentleman, he does so grudgingly, and we're treated to a mildly antagonistic relationship that simmers with more than a little heat. He of course holds Oliver's status as the son of an earl against him, but does so in a flirtatious manner that often takes the sting out of his words, and as he begins to see the man behind the title, he thankfully doesn't fight too hard to let it be an insurmountable obstacle between them.<br />
<br />
Oliver, for his part, can't assign many positive attributes to Jack initially either, intent on proving Jack's way of "helping" people involves much darker deeds than it actually does, and finding it hard to trust that what he sees with Jack is what he gets. The two of them together are a delicious tangle of banter and chemistry, pushing each other's buttons on purpose just to incite a reaction but never going so far as to cause unnecessary drama or angst. Though this pair isn't overly chatty when it comes to their feelings, they don't shy away from them either, communicating effectively when things go amiss and remedying the various disagreements and missteps before hurt feelings have time to fester.<br />
<br />
Overall, <i>The Soldier's Scoundrel </i>is a joy of a historical romance from beginning to end, giving us a memorable couple, plenty of tension sexual and otherwise, and of course the desired happy ending to top it all off.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Rating: 4/5</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span id="freeText10853916565431259514"><span id="freeText15632718137373109588"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a
review<span style="font-size: xx-small;">. </span></span></i></span></span></span></div>
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<span id="freeText10853916565431259514"><span id="freeText15632718137373109588"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">I received no other compensation</span> and the <span style="font-size: xx-small;">above is my honest opinion</span>.</span></i></span></span></span></div>
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Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14199685365145765394noreply@blogger.com12