It's Monday, What are you reading?

J.Kaye hosts this wonderful meme.

Click on titles for my reviews or more info on the book.

Okay, so I did better this week! 6 books, 3 are reviewed! (The other three I'm working on, promise!)


Read this past week:
Anastasia's Secret by Susanne Dunlap
Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink
Give Up the Ghost by Megan Crewe
Hero-Type by Barry Lyga (review to come)
The Maze Runner by James Dashner (review to come)
My Rotten Life by David Lubar (review to come)

Currently Reading:
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
Ballads of Suburbia by Stephanie Kuehnert
A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban (audio)

Upcoming:
Cleopatra's Daughter by Michelle Moran
Medina Hill by Trilby Keny
When the Whistle Blows by Fran Slayton
If I Stay by Gayle Forman

News:

• The countdown has begun! I'm getting married in 12 days! Does anyone know where I can find a counter for my blog?
• I still haven't posted about my last two author events - *cough* Yes, I'm terrible. But, today I am going to go see James Dashner. Tomorrow (Tues) I am seeing John Greene, and then Saturday I'm going to go see Stephanie Kuehnert. So maybe I'll try to catch up during this week sometime! Now that Borders has Wi-Fi - thank you Wi-Fi gods! - I may be able to blog while waiting for some of these signings.
  

Poll Results:
I asked you: What type of post should I schedule for my wedding day?
21% said: My fiance's first book review
18% said: Wedding themes in books I've read.
55% said: Some sort of backstory/picture slideshow of my fiance and me.
5% said: Just do a normal spotlight since it's a Saturday.

What I think I'm going to do is schedule three posts... One for Sat., Sun., Mon. for the top three choices. So, hopefully I'll start working on that this week!

Also, I asked: When is a good time to hold Maria V. Snyder week?
30% said: November 1-7
26% said: November 8-14
13% said: November 15-21
13% said: November 22-28
16% said: November 29-December 5

So, I'm pretty much going with the top one I think- first week in November. And that weekend after I will be in Monroe, MI to actually SEE Maria V. Snyder which will wrap up Maria V. Snyder week nicely.

I will have some sort of contest for some of her books and I WILL get them personalized for whoever wins that week. Also, I plan on rereading/reading ALL of her books. I may start the week before, but I'm going to post a review of one of her books Mon-Friday (seeing as she has 5 books). I'm going to work on a post where you guys can sign up to participate - whether it's reading one of her books, just simply borrowing a book from the library and posting about it.. or even WoWing her book that is up and coming.

Oh and I'll definitely have an interview with Maria - which I need to work on. Anyone have some good questions they want me to ask?

Another great week coming up - one where I'm trying NOT to stress out about wedding stuff. :-D

So, what are YOU reading?
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Give Up the Ghost Giveaway!

Megan Crewe, author of Give Up the Ghost has offered up a signed, final copy of Give Up the Ghost for one of you guys to win. Check out Megan's awesome website here.

I just finished this book Friday and really loved it. Check out my review of Give Up the Ghost and my interview with Megan.

The Rules:
1. Open to US & Canada
2. Please include your email address with your comment(s).
3. Contest ends Sunday, October 18th at 8 pm CST
4. How to get points:

+1 for commenting
+1 for commenting on my review of Give Up the Ghost
+1 for commenting on my interview with Megan Crewe
+2 for following my blog (whether it's through google connect, email, or RSS)
+5 add my blog button to your blog's sidebar (Leave a link!)
+1 for every time you advertise this contest - You MUST leave a link!

Please try to include everything you do in one comment, including your email address. Thanks!

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Author Interview: Megan Crewe

Megan was awesome enough to answer a few questions for me after I read her amazing book Give Up the Ghost. Read my review if you haven't already.


Would you mind sharing a little bit about yourself and how you became a writer?
I've always loved stories. My parents are both avid readers and read to me every night, and I couldn't wait to be able to read books to myself, too. I started making up my own stories when I was very young as well. Some of them I wrote down, and some of them I acted out with my toys (my plastic animal figures used to have epic battles between the carnivores and the herbivores). For a while it was just something I did for fun. But as I got older and started seeing how much friends and teachers enjoyed my stories, I began to think maybe I could do this thing I loved as a career, too. I wrote my first novel (and a number of others) and started sending out short stories to magazines when I was in my teens. I didn't have a lot of success then, but I kept at it, and, well, here I am today!

What inspired you to write Give up the Ghost?
I had this idea of a girl hanging out with her ghostly sister, and feeling totally at ease with it, and I wanted to explore that. I hadn't seen a character who liked being able to see ghosts before. Why would she prefer the company of the dead over that of the living? What might come of her friendship with ghosts? How might she re-connect with living people? With so many interesting questions to figure out the answers to, I just had to write a book about her!

What made you decide to write a young adult novel or, rather, have a young adult as your protagonist?
All of my novels have had teen protagonists. When I was in my teens, I felt that I didn't know enough about being an adult to write one's story convincingly. But as I got into my twenties, I found I still liked writing about teenaged characters. So much goes on in the teen years--you're figuring out who you are and who you want to be, defining yourself apart from your parents, re-evaluating ideas and people you took for granted as a kid--and I love writing about characters going through all of that. It's so intense.

Have you ever encountered anything ghostly yourself?
There was one time I thought maybe my cat had seen a ghost. He was in my bedroom, and all of a sudden he freaked out and scratched me and ran out of the room. And then he spent the next hour at a distance, staring at my bed. He refused to go under the bed ever again after that, even though that had previously been one of his favorite places to hide. So there was definitely something going on that was beyond my abilities of perception!

What do you need with you when you're sitting down to write?
My laptop (which has no internet connection--on my desktop computer I'm easily distracted) and the index card with the outline of the scene I'm currently writing. That's about it!

What are you working on currently writing-wise?
I've got a few different projects at different stages--all of them YA, and all of them some sort of speculative fiction (paranormal, fantasy).

Thank you again Megan for taking some time to answer my questions!


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Give Up the Ghost

Give Up the Ghost
by Megan Crewe

Cass is different than other teens her age. She can see and talk to ghosts. After her sister dies during her prom night, she shows up in her own bedroom crying. Only, Cass can see right through her sister to the bed. Her sister sticks around and Cass learns that she can talk to other ghosts.

Since her best friend ditched her in middle school and turned the whole school against her, Cass has been itching for revenge. So she asks the ghosts she befriends to find dirt on any and all of the students at her high school. She wants to expose the popular kids for who they really are. But one of the popular crowd - the V.P. of the student body hunts her down, knowing her secret and asking her help to talk to his dead mother's ghost.

Will Cass be able to keep going on simply having ghosts for friends or will she find herself sucked into becoming friend with Tim.. or even worse.. liking him?

I really could relate to Cass. I wasn't a complete outcast in high school but it would've been so nice to see some of the mean popular kids in school taken down a notch. I think most teens can also relate to having a friend double-cross them or push them out of a circle of friends. Cass was realistic, an average teenager with some supernatural problems.

I also enjoyed drama between the different ghosts, which broke up the story nicely so the reader wasn't constantly thinking about Tim and Cass's relationship or lack thereof.

5/5 Roses

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Awards - a ton of them!

So, I've decided that I need to accept any awards I get with my Monday posts. Because I procrastinate and then this happens: I have 16 bloody awards! Which is cool, but takes hours to post up!

So let's get this party started. I've broken it down between the awards I've gotten already but really want to thank those who've nominated me - and then NEW awards! Which means more noms! :-D Enjoy!

Awards I've gotten before, but still wish to thank people for:

Your Blog Rocks Award

Thank you to Page Turners for this award!

The Lemonade Award

The Lemonade Award is for blogs that show Attitude and/or Gratitude.

Thank you Misty from Book Rat for this award!

Let's Be Friends Award


The Let's Be Friends award is awarded to those who are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers.

Thank you to Casey from A Passion for Books AND Nicole from WORD for Teens!

Zombie Chicken Award

The blogger who receives this award believes in the Tao of the zombie chicken – excellence, grace and persistence in all situations, even in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. These amazing bloggers regularly produce content so remarkable that their readers would brave a raving pack of zombie chickens just to be able to read their inspiring words. As a recipient of this world-renowned award, you now have the task of passing it on to at least 5 other worthy bloggers. Do not risk the wrath of the zombie chickens by choosing unwisely or not choosing at all.

Thank you to vvb32 reads, Jenn-ay from My Tea Time is Book Time, and Rhiannon Hart!

The Humane Award

This award is to honor certain bloggers that are kindhearted individuals. They regularly take part in my blog and always leave the sweetest comments. If it wasn't for them, my site would just be an ordinary book review blog. Their blogs are also amazing and are tastefully done on a daily basis. This award is to thank them for their growing friendships through the blog world.

Thanks to WilowRaven from Red House Books!

Friendship Bear (or Me-To-You) Award

Thank you Bookworm Nation!

Kreativ Blogger Award

Thank you Tynga from Tynga's Urban Fantasy Reviews!

"B-I-N-G-O" BEAUTIFUL BLOG AWARD

Thank you to Miss Eliza from Strange and Random Happenstance!

This award was started by Bookin With BINGO and here are the rules:
This "B-I-N-G-O" BEAUTIFUL BLOG AWARD means that this blog is...

B: Beautiful
I: Informative
N: Neighborly
G: Gorgeous
O: Outstanding

New Awards:

Dangerous to TBR Lists Award

First off, Rebecca from Lost in Books created this award when people were posting their huge TBR piles for BBAW. This is what she said:

I thought I would start off by giving away a special award I made to all of those blogs who inspire me the most and who contribute the most to my ever-growing TBR List! Whoa, it's huge.

And well, here's my TBR pile if you haven't seen it yet!

And I can only truly pass this one to one person:

Kristi at The Story Siren - because every time I go on her blog something gets added to my TBR list.

Top Commenters Award

This award honors my blogs top commenters, thank you for being a loyal follower and showing me love on a daily basis. You all make my blog exciting and fun, I look forward to reading all of your thoughts and opinions. Without you my blog would just be ordinary, you all help me spice it up and I am thrilled to be part of book blogging.

Thank you to Eleni at La Femme Readers!

My top ten commentators are:
Emma (73)
katie (71)
WilowRaven (62)
Sheere (62)
Casey (58)
WordVore Prod (52)
April (51)
Tynga (41)
~The Book Pixie (36)
Llehn (31)


Blog Addict Award

Thank you to Misty from The Book Rat!

And here are my nominees for the blogs my own wants to grow up to be:
Read Now Sleep Later
Wordsmithonia
The Neverending Shelf
The Shady Glade


Proximade Award

Being a recipient of this award affirms that this blog invests and believes in the Proximity - nearness in space, time and relationships. This blog receives this great award as a further way to reiterate that it is exceedingly charming, and aims to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement! Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers!

Thank you to Ryan from Wordsmithonia!

My Nominees:
A Passion for Books
Book Dragon's Lair
booktumbling
Feed Your Imagination
Miss Danaidae


The Splash Award

Thank you to The First Novels Club and Page Turners!

The Splash Award is given to alluring, amusing, bewitching, impressive, and inspiring blogs.

Rules:
- Put the logo on your blog/post
- Nominate & link up to 9 blogs that you pick for this award
- Let them know that they have been splashed
- Remember to link back to the person who nominated you

You've been Splashed!

• What Bri Reads
• My Tea Time is Book Time
• That's a Novel Idea
• YA Book Queen
• Red House Books

Blogosphere Award

Thank you to Casey from A Passion for Books!

Rules for this one are also very simple, just have to pass it along to other fellow blogger because we love them *winks*

Nominees:
The Book Pixie
The Book Butterfly
Booking Through 365
Read Now Sleep Later
Good Books & Good Wine
Strange & Random Happenstance

THE SUPERIOR SCRIBBLER AWARD

Thank you Tynga from Tynga's Urban Fantasy Reviews!

Here are the rules for this award:

1. Each Superior Scribbler must in turn pass The Award on to 5 most-deserving Bloggy Friends.

2. Each Superior Scribbler must link to the author & the name of the blog from whom he/she has received The Award.

3. Each Superior Scribbler must display The Award on his/her blog, and link to This Post, which explains The Award.

4. Each Blogger who wins The Superior Scribbler Award must visit this post and add his/her name to the Mr. Linky List. That way, we'll be able to keep up-to-date on everyone who receives This Prestigious Honor!

5. Each Superior Scribbler must post these rules on his/her blog.

My Nominees:
Read Now Sleep Later
Good Books & Good Wine
Strange & Random Happenstance
WORD for Teens
Wrighty's Reads

Spread the Love Around Award

Thank you to Teens Read and Write for this award!

My nominees:
The Here, The Now, and The Books
Wrighty's Reads
What Book is That?
Crystal Reviews
Debbie's World of Books

Whew... I know what you're thinking.. is she DONE yet? Yep! That's it! Thank you again to everyone who nominated me for an award!

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Sunday Spotlight - My Tea Time is Book Time

Welcome to the Sunday Spotlight! This is a fun gal I know from goodreads whose blog you should definitely take a close look at. I'm positive you'll find something you'll like.

Name: Jennifer
Nickname: Jennay
Blog URL: www.myteatimeisbooktime.blogspot.com


Tell me a bit about yourself.
I’m from San Diego, CA but right now I’m in the Philippines. My mom & I tend to travel back and forth and to a few other countries in between. I’m also a student at Ashford University and I hope to get my degree in education. I golf and scrapbook and oh yeah, I LOVE to read!!!


When and why did you start your blog?
I started this blog in July 2009 just for fun. I did it basically for myself. I feel like I spend so much time reading and invest so much money in books I might as well share some of my thoughts.


What is your blog all about? Any cool features you want to share?
Obviously my blog is all about books. I write up some reviews of the books I’ve read and I do participate in Teaser Tuesdays. I also have Wednesday Wish List (books that I want) and Friday Finds (books I bought or website that I discovered). And every month I will be featuring an author.


What are some of your favorite genres and/or books currently?
My favorite genre by far is Young Adult, but I’m up to read whatever is recommended to me. My favorite books are the Twilight series, The Book Thief, most books by Nicholas Sparks, My Sister’s Keeper, and a few more.


How do you find out about the books you read?
Usually I find books discussed or recommended to me on www.goodreads.com. Sometimes my 13 year old niece will recommend books and so does my aunt. Oh and the lady in charge of the golf course that I play at usually gives me a bag of books to bring home and read.


Any tips or advice for those starting or thinking about starting a blog?
Just have fun with it. Make it something that you want to read and hopefully others will enjoy it as well.

Contest Alert!
Jennifer is currently giving away a copy of Gingerbread by Rachel Cohn. The contest will end October 30th!

Thanks Jennifer for sharing your blog with us today!

Please go and leave Jennifer a comment or at the very least, become a follower. :)

Are you a new blogger too? Or just getting back into the swing of blogging? Do you want to be featured on my blog? Shoot me an email at dragonzgoil@gmail.com.

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6 hour Read-A-Thon

Hi guys!

Today I took on the task of reading for at least 6 hours. This was started by @stargirlreads on twitter whose blog is Books make great lovers!

So during the 6 hours I spent today, I:

• Finished reading The Maze Runner by James Dashner
  
• Read My Rotten Life by David Lubar
• Read about 100 pages of Ballads of Suburbiaby Stephanie Kuehnert

Look for some more reviews tomorrow (I still have to review two other books and the two I finished today!).

I am also going to try for another 6 hour marathon tomorrow. Half of it will probably be the audio of A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban while I clean and write thank-you notes.

Wish me luck and let me know if you'd like to join me tomorrow on twitter - @bookgoil .
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Prophecy of the Sisters contest!

Well, since I saw Michelle twice a few weeks back, I just had to nab an extra copy of Prophecy of the Sisters for you guys.

I also have some other swag-ish goodies to go with it.

So what are you going to win in this contest:

• A signed, harcover copy of Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink
• A rose pin
• Two stickers that deal with something in the book

And.. the Rules!

The Rules:
1. Open to US & Canada
2. Please include your email address with your comment(s).
3. Contest ends Saturday, October 17th at 8 pm CST
4. How to get points:

+1 for commenting
+1 for commenting on my review of Prophecy of the Sisters
+1 for commenting on my post about meeting Michelle Zink
+2 for following my blog (whether it's through google connect, email, or RSS)
+5 add my blog button to your blog's sidebar (Leave a link!)
+1 for every time you advertise this contest - You MUST leave a link!

Please let me know everything you did in one comment. Thanks!


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IMM Vlog (8)

This meme is run by the marvelous Kristi over at The Story Siren.


Book Tour Books:
Invisible Touch by Kelly Parra (1 ARC Tours)
(and yes, I totally showed this one LAST week.. but I'm a dork and forgot.)

Books won:
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (prize pack)

Books mooched:
Violet & Clare by Francesca Lia Block

Books for review:
Little Black Lies by Tish Cohen
Syren by Angie Sage
Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters by Jane Austen and Ben H. Winters

What did you guys get this week?
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Prophecy of the Sisters

Prophecy of the Sisters
by Michelle Zink

Lia has lost her mother and now her father. Her twin sister Alice remains cool and distant and her younger brother is disabled in a wheelchair and a solemn boy. But Lia has James, the son of one of her father's friends and her lover.

All goes awry when Lia discovers a strange marking on her wrist one morning. A marking she finds that she does not share with her twin. She finds a small book describing a prophecy - one that involves both her and Alice - but the problem is - they have different ideas on how they want the prophecy to end. They are now enemies and Lia must find a way to complete her side of the prophecy without being harmed or harming her beloved sister.

It is really hard to summarize a book that is so complex and dark. I really do believe "gothic" describes this book perfectly -with the supernatural themes and romance.

So let me break this down. I love the characters.. the struggle between the sisters of loving each other but being on opposite sides of beliefs in relation to the prophecy.. the love scenes.. and most definitely the intrigue. It took me a while to get into the mood of it, to really put myself into the picture it was creating in my head. I like a book that makes me think, that transports me to a different world in a different time.

So, I think I should go and raid Michelle's house to find the manuscript of the second book. Because... by the end of the book I really needed more. I felt so connected and enthralled that I feel I cannot wait for the next one.

So, for all of the beautiful writing, intriguing plot, and engaging characters, I must give this book 5 Roses.

5/5 Roses

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Anasastia's Secret

Anastasia's Secret
by Susanne Dunlap

Anastasia is the youngest of all the grand duchesses and the one taken least serious. But when she meets a young soldier in the gardens of the palace, she finds herself learning more about life outside than any of her sisters. Her love blossoms for Sasha, the soldier - but she can tell she is viewed as a child in his eyes. And then he leaves for the front lines.

Anastasia's world starts to change. First, she is caring for the dying and wounded soldiers - trying to comfort them in their time of need. Some time later though, her parents are arrested and her entire family moved from location to location. Slowly, small freedoms are taken away from them, different factions and groups of guards looking after them. Sasha reappears and with all the love he has for Anastasia, he tries his best to help her and her family.


My love for the area and the mystery surrounding the last Tsar of Russia and his family convinced me this was a book I had to read. I fell in love with Sasha, the hard yet caring young man Anastasia herself loves. I love the character Anastasia and how aware she is of her role in the family - how she is the one to cheer others up - the forever childish little girl (even as she grows into a young woman).

The ending was so perfect for me. I liked that the author didn't say what happened on that fateful day in the story, but wrote up the historical account in a note at the end. I wished it to end differently, but you can't change history.

This is a must read if you have an obsession for historical mysteries such as the disappearance of Anastasia Romanov.

5/5 Roses

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Saturday Spotlight - Park-Avenue Princess

You guys will have NO idea that this chica has only come back to blogging a few months ago. Because she's fantastic. Check her out:

Name: My mother swore she was having a boy, so I had no name for about a week! My grandmother always loved the name Amy so, that's what's on my birth certificate! (try and get my middle name out of me though...*giggle*)
Nickname and/or blog name: Park-Avenue Princess ( of Royal Reviews)
Blog URL: Park-Avenue Princess or http://aparkavenueprincess.blogspot.com/

Who is THE PRINCESS (aka Amy)?

Definitely a girlie girl to the core. She has to have her hair done, nails done and heels on (sometimes in that order). She LOVES to laugh! She keeps her books and computer near-by as "comfort tools" and is SO into fashion and shopping. Oh yes, these are a few of her favorite things ...speaking of favorite things...that song just came into my head and I added some of my own so if you sing it to that tune (like I am while typing it...see if you can fill in your own favorite things...it isn't easy) *giggle*

You know the song ... "Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens bright paper packages tied up with strings ....oh yes, THESE are a few of my favorite things..." So, mine would be something like....

"New books to review on her shelves by the dozens, talking fashion and shopping with friends or her couzins... Bubblebaths, redwine and BIG Diamond Rings ... Yes, these are a few of her favorite things.

Ok...enough...I'll get serious for a moment and give you "just the facts!" I was born and raised in the smallest State in the U.S. (except for a period of time when I did live in New York and I loved it). I have a love affair with Rhode Island as well... the fact that we have four seasons is huge to me and I used to look forward to all the activities that came with each one. I say "used to" for a reason and we'll get into that in a moment. I live for the "Happy Ever After",in fact my father still calls me "Princess"! It's also the license plate on my car. NO LIE! But my hands-down favorite *ME TIME* activity is reading by far.

I am a proud mother of one son and I am a cancer survivor. I love to read, write and review. Making friends is always important to me (along with looking my best)! I enjoy reading all genres, but some of my favorites are Thrillers/Suspense/Mysteries/ Young Adult/General Fiction/and Children's titles! But, I've been known to read the cereal box in the morning so...I will read any genre! Ummm...what else? Oh, I used to be a Paralegal for a fairly large law-firm before I was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 23. It's been a long road with a rare type of cancer called "Ewing Sarcoma (s)" and it's been anything but easy. I started reviewing what I was reading daily when I got sick as sort of a way to give back to the authors that were helping me get through my troubled times. It worked and kept me upbeat. I call all reading now my *comfort reading*. So, I honestly believe that we all review for different reasons, mine just happens to be personal.

When and why did you start your blog?
I started my blog as a way to vent my feelings ... be "me" and then I started looking through other blogs and seeing just how many people loved reading and reviewing as much as I did! So, I eventually switched my blog over to be a book blog! I wanted to be part of a bigger community. A place where I could voice my opinion on the books I just read and perhaps even help someone find a book that they may enjoy just as much as I did! It also was going to be a major outlet for me when I became ill again. I didn't feel so "alone" when I was blogging and talking with friends.


What is your blog all about? Any cool features you want to share?
My blog is a bookish blog that does reviews, book tours, highlights, teasers, author interviews, question and answer sessions, guest spots, contests, giveaways and a new "get to know your bloggers" spotlight. I also have a few new things in the works! I'm trying to get my blog back to the way I wanted it to be to begin with. My illness and absence because of that kind of set me back a little bit. But I do have a ton of cool giveaways coming up. Oh...and the thing I like most about my blog is that it's basically ALL me. I love that it screams basically all that I am. I got that advice from a blogger when I first started off. To make the blog me, and I'll get followers that are similar to me, like the things I do and/or just think I'm a great blogger with an awesome blog and I never forgot that. So, it's me in all it's pinkish glory! I think that the blog gives off a MAJOR Girlie vibe (like me) and my theme is original in that I try to keep all things princess and royal from the banner down to and including my review system.

Do you have a review system? If you do, would you like to explain it for us?

My review system, which you will find on the right side of my blog, is entitled Royal Reviews and it uses a system of Crowns or Tiaras instead of say stars or hearts. They go from 5 Crowns to 1 Crown with 5 being the best and 1 the worst. They are as follows and in my own words. And may I just say that I am in NO means claiming to be a know-all, must-follow type of girl. Nope, what's on my blog is strictly MY opinion of a book and you will find you either agree with me or you don't. That simple. But back to my crowns, they are as follows: A 5 crown read is "Lives Happily Ever After on My Bookshelf", A 4 Crown read is "Magical, like a kiss from Prince Charming, 3 Crowns "Worth Asking your fairy godmother for", the 2 crown read would be "nothing to leave the castle over" and a ONE crown well that's just "A Royal Mess"!

Any tips or advice for those starting or thinking about starting a blog?

Like I said above, I'm not an expert, I just know what I like and have learned along the way, so I am going to have to say. Be kind to your fellow book bloggers and help them out whenever you can. Follow blogs and show support, be yourself and no one else, don't expect everything to come all at once (that's probably one of the hardest ones) but believe me, it WILL come and it WILL be everything you want it to be but what most people don't realize until they start a blog themselves, is just how much work goes into one! Last but not least and one of the most important things you could ever do is LEAVE COMMENTS for your fellow bloggers and hopefully they will be courteous enough to do the same! I know I LOVE comments! To me, that means someone is listening and cares enough to have an opinion on what I've written. So, basically you live in the blog-o-sphere like you do in "real" life..."Do unto others..." Corny, but SO true. You never ever know what someone is going through in their everyday life and no matter how happy they seem on their blog or what you perceive them to be may not always be true. So treat everyone like they may have a problem, a personal issue, a loss or something that needs a little TLC. All I'm saying is just show a little kindness, it WILL come back to you!

What are some of your favorite genres and/or books currently?

Ooooo Yummy question, I have many favorite genres and while I'm a girlie girl and I do like Chick*Lit, it's not my favorite. My favorites have to be Thrillers, this girl LOVES to be scared! I mean ... talking to herself, covering her eyes, turning on the light, putting the book down, talking to the characters scared! So of course I like horror as well and mysteries and suspense. I've also been reading A LOT of YA titles lately. These are NOT your "Are you there God? It's Me, Margaret" young adult novels (which to this day happens to be one of my very favorite books along with all the other goodies from that generation. Like, "Forever", "Tiger-Eyes", "The Cat Ate My Gym Suit" and "Can You Sue Your Parents for Malpractice?") oh no they're not. I WISH these were around when I was a YA! I can still enjoy them now, right? And believe me, I am. Oh, and the above-mentioned Chick*Lit, I do like that genre a whole lot as well! I'm currently reading "Prada and Prejudice" and it rocks!

Amy is totally awesome, so check out her blog!

Are you a new blogger too? Or just getting back into the swing of blogging? Do you want to be featured on my blog? Shoot me an email at bittahsweetharmony@yahoo.com.

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Link a Contest Thursday!

So... it's that time again.. where you link your contest to promote it and so others can enter!

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

Thanks!

And please steal this! Not all my followers will be following your blog, so if you spread the contest love with a Mr. Linky, all the better for contest-loving-bloggers!

Sidenote:
I've been going out on Wednesday nights to Bakers Square with another couple that are friends of ours and I always have to let my fiance know that we have to get home before 10 pm - so I can schedule this post.

I had to read him some of the comments from last week because he definitely did not "get it". He laughed at some of the comments and shook his head, but I think he understands a little bit now... :)

Another sidenote:
I will be running a contest or two starting this weekend.. so be on the lookout for that.



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Waiting on Wednesday - The Cinderella Society

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

The Cinderella Society
by Kay Cassidy
Release date: April 13, 2010

From Kay's website:

When the Prom Queen becomes your fairy godmother…

Sixteen year old outsider, Jess Parker, gets the chance of a lifetime: an invitation to join a secret girl power society dedicated to defeating the mean girls of the world. The Cinderella Society guides all new recruits through its top secret ultimate life makeover. It’s all part of preparing them to face down the Wickeds and win. Determined not to let the Cindys down, Jess dives in with a passion. Finally, a chance to belong and show the world what she’s made of.

… be careful what you wish for.

Jess’s transformation wins her the heart of her dream crush and a shot at uber-popularity. Until the Wickeds–led by Jess’s arch enemy–begin targeting innocent girls in their war against the Cindys, and Jess discovers the real force behind her exclusive society. It’s a high stakes battle of good vs. evil, and the Cindys in power need Jess on special assignment. When the mission threatens to destroy her dream life come true, Jess is forced to choose between living a fairy tale and honoring the Sisterhood… and herself.

What’s a girl to do when the glass slipper fits, but she doesn’t want to wear it anymore?

I absolutely love chatting with Kay on her blog and on Twitter @KayCassidy - she's GREAT! I met her at ALA and can't wait to read her debut!
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Teaser Tuesday - Give up the Ghost

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This week's teaser is from Give Up the Ghost by Megan Crewe.

We stared at each other, and my stomach turned over. He looked different, vaguely, like he'd wilted around the edges.
- p. 157
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It's Monday, What are you reading?

J.Kaye hosts this wonderful meme.

Click on titles for my reviews or more info on the book.

Okay, so I did better this week! 4 books, 3 are reviewed!


Read this past week:
On the Jellicoe Road by Marina Marchetta
The Other Side by Marley Gibson, Patrick Burns, and Dave Schrader
Defining Twilight by Brian Leaf
Monster and Me by Robert Marsh (review coming soon!)

Currently Reading:
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
Anastasia's Secret by Susanne Dunlap
Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink
Give Up the Ghost by Megan Crewe
Hero-Type by Barry Lyga

Upcoming:
Cleopatra's Daughter by Michelle Moran
Medina Hill by Trilby Keny


News:

• Less than three weeks until I get married! I'm starting to get the anxiety and jitters, so beware of my random twitters saying I think I may die, that I can't breathe.. and other sorts of panicky statements. I will become sane again.. I promise!
• I started a new monthly meme called La Creme de la Creme - I want to see the best of best from the previous month. Whether it be a review, a random babble, or something much more interesting... please check it out! It also will get me commenting again.. :)
• I also am taking on a challenge from Misty's blog - Book Rat - The Helluva Halloween Challenge. We'll see how far I get.

Poll Results
This week, I asked: Would you be interested in participating in a Maria V. Snyder week?
25% said: I love her books! Yes yes yes!
66% said: Her books sound interesting, so sure, why not?
7% said: Not interested.

So I have two polls running now. One dealing with the Maria V. Snyder week and then another with what kind of post to do on my wedding date.

Please check those out in the right hand sidebar! :) I appreciate your votes and honesty.
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Defining Twilight

Defining Twilight
by Brian Leaf

I know that there has been a bit of surprise when this book came out. But I have to be honest, I was very much intrigued by a prep book based on Twilight.

Looking through this book, I've found that Twilight offered some interesting vocabulary words, ones that readers probably overlooked, pushed aside, or simply ignored. I love the way the book is set up. You try to define the words first on your own - the page numbers for where it is found in the book are provided. The words are then defined and a few pages of practice questions are found.

Remember, this is simply vocabulary prep. This could help students that struggle with vocabulary and help them practice for the SAT, ACT, GED, or SSAT. I wouldn't limit it to being the only reference for vocabulary on these tests, but it's a great start to get students thinking about how much they do need to prep for these tests.

4/5 Roses
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Challenge/Contest over at Book Rat

Misty over at Book Rat is trying to inspire some serious Halloween fun with her contest and her challenge. She has a prize bucket and if you simply post reviews about Halloween books or do other such fun things, you could win some of those books.

Personally, I was going to try and read some good paranormal fiction this month, so this is a perfect opportunity for me!

My plans this month are to really read as many paranormal books as possible.

My potential reading plans:
Finish Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
Finish Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink
Finish Give up the Ghost by Megan Crewe
Another Faust by Daniel & Dina Nayeri
Ghost Huntress: The Awakening by Marley Gibson
Ghost Huntress: The Guidance by Marley Gibson
Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough
Monster and Me by Robert Marsh
Invisible Touch by Kelly Parra

That should keep me busy, huh? So check out her contest and get in the Halloween mood!
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Sunday Spotlight - That's a Novel Idea

Welcome to my weekend spotlights, where you will meet a new blogger on Saturday and another on Sunday. Today we have a fun lady who wants to share her new-ish blog with you!

Name: Alison Rotich
Nickname and/or blog name: Alipet813, That's A Novel Idea, Twitter Id is also Alipet813
Blog URL: http://www.thatsanovelidea.blogspot.com


Tell me a bit about yourself.
Oh boy what to say. I'm not overly interesting. In my 30's, mother of 2. Long-term boyfriend who has 2 kids as well. I'm thinking if he doesn't change that from boyfriend to fiance soon we are gonna have some problems. LOL! I work full-time, but if I could be paid to read books I would quit in a second! I just bought my first home a year ago and I love owning, but it can be scary. Lately, all I can think about is how can I create my own "blogging office"? I keep threatening the kids they are going to have to share a bedroom. Oh...I took the picture at the top of my blog with my picture phone. I am pretty proud of that!


When and why did you start your blog?
I am super new. I started June 18, 2009. I found myself reading others blogs and I thought, " ...I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me!" I should blog too!


What is your blog all about? Any cool features you want to share?
My blog is all about books. I do a couple of memes, but don't usually do any other types of posts. Now that you have asked I feel like I am lacking..what kind of special feature should I be having?

Sidenote from me (Kristen) - Ali just started an awesome Saturday meme called Show Me 5 - check it out here.

Do you have a review system? If you do, would you like to explain it for us?
Crud, you've done it again...I don't have one. I read it and i review it...seriously sometimes I do wish I had a rating system, but I haven't been able to think of anything clever enough yet.

Any tips or advice for those starting or thinking about starting a blog?
Just do it! If it is something you are thinking about then ask some established bloggers or those you like to read. Everyone is extremely helpful and it made a lot of difference for me. The one thing I wish I had done better was a little bit more understanding of how to make my blog look just how I wanted (like more columns) and a little more research to see what I really liked on other blogs. Some have such great themes and I didn't do that.

What are some of your favorite genres and/or books currently?
I read and enjoy just about everything. I don't really like non-fiction, but have enjoyed some great memoirs. I am not offended by sex in a novel, but I don't like anything hardcore or off the wall. I loved The Shack, The Almost Human Series, and I recently read and loved Jantsen's Gift. I love Dan Brown's books and Wally Lamb. I also was really touched when I read Hinds Feet in High Places. I basically could go on and on.


A big thank you to Ali for giving me some of her time to be interviewed. Make sure you take a look at her blog and leave her some comment love!

Are you a new blogger too? Or just getting back into the swing of blogging? Do you want to be featured on my blog? Shoot me an email at bittahsweetharmony@yahoo.com.

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La Crème de la Crème

Hey guys!

I'm starting a new monthly feature called La Crème de la Crème. Basically, I want you to post your best review/post/random babbling... in the Mr. Linky below.

Here are some basic rules:
1. Take your time and find a great post from your blog.
2. Please only post one - we know they are all fantastic, but pick the absolute BEST.
3. Title it how the blog post is titled.
4. The post should have been posted the previous month - so this time around - in September.



Please give me feedback on this idea. I thought it up because I feel guilty about not commenting as often as I used to. This will give me an opportunity once a month to read a fabulous post you picked out from the past month.
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IMM Vlog (7)

Woot for IMM! This is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.




I had another great week. But I forgot to show my new library book and audiobooks.. I'm lazy, so I'll just add the titles at the end.

Book Tour Books:
Invisible Touch by Kelly Parra (1 ARC Tours)

Books Won:
Tempting the Beast by Lora Leigh (from The Book Dragon's Lair)
My Bonny Light Horseman by L.A. Meyer (from Read Now, Sleep Later)

Books Mooched:
The Road of the Dead by Kevin Brooks
In the Hand of the Goddess by Tamora Pierce
What I Call Life by Jill Wolfson
Master of Wolves by Angela Knight
Rogue by Rachel Vincent
Stray by Rachel Vincent

Books bought:
Looking for Alaska by John Green
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Crank by Ellen Hopkins
Paper Towns by John Green

Library book:
The Monster Variations by Daniel Kraus

Library audiobooks:
A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban
Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey
If I Stay by Gayle Forman
The Treasure Map of Boys by E. Lockhart
Saving Fancesca by Melina Marchetta

What did you guys get?
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September in Review + Comment Contest Winners

Well, I said I was going to read more this month, but I failed. 9 books. I really am aiming to do better next month - promise.

Read and Reviewed:
Frogs & French Kisses by Sarah Mlynowski
Benny & Shrimp by Katarina Mazetti
Emily & The Silent King by Irven Keppen
Shrinking Violet by Danielle Joseph
Willow by Julia Hoban
I, Coriander by Sally Gardner
On the Jellicoe Road by Marina Marchetta

Read, still not reviewed:
Sleeping Beauty by Martin Powell (graphic novel)
Little Red Riding Hood Takes Charge by Tony Bradman

I will review those this week.. hopefully. :)

Also, I attended some book signings last month!
Julia Hoban - author of Willow
Maggie Stiefvater - author of Lament, Shiver, and Ballad
Michelle Zink - author of Prophecy of the Sisters

I attended an awesome YA conference which I still need to post about (someone remind me please? Or just kick me on twitter... @bookgoil)

This conference was so awesome and I was inspired by Ellen Hopkins to do a kick off post about banned books week.

In September I held some awesome contests. One of which ended - the September Comment Contest.

First for some bad news - I won't be running another comment contest until probably December. October is hectic with the wedding and November with moving. So December it will be. Look forward to that. I may also have a bigger pot if I don't contest off some of the books I read between now and then.

So, I picked three winners, two of which I've heard back from already.

What was in the pot you ask?

Crash Into Me (ARC)
Emily & The Silent King
Benny & Shrimp
Dragon Spear (ARC)
Shrinking Violet
When the Whistle Blows (signed ARC)
ghostgirl Homecoming (ARC)
Defining Twilight
The Other Side: A Teen's Guide to Ghost Hunting and the Paranormal
Anastasia's Secret (ARC)

Yes, I know I haven't reviewed some of those and two were actually duplicates that I forgot I had. Since I only read so many books last month AND some were audio... well, yeah. I struggled to come up with 10 titles.

So, winners have been contacted. They are:

1. Raspberry from Two and a Half Book Lovers
2. BrittLit from Reading Nook
3. Llehn

I had to laugh a bit because two of the numbers were selected from my TBR Pile post. Which I had 40 comments on.. because well, let's just say, if you haven't seen it. You need to. The count came to about 200 books. Yeah.. seriously... Who needs to lock herself in a room and read for the next year? Me! Then I may get to all of those...

So, you all are again reminded about how I am very much insane. :)

Well, three weeks until the big wedding day. Then I have to do a bunch of paperwork to take on a new name and then.. we get to move. But woot for a fireplace and a built in bookshelf next to it to accomodate some of my TBR books and hopefully entice me to read read read.
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The Other Side: A Teen's Guide to Ghost Hunting and the Paranormal

The Other Side: A Teen's Guide to Ghost Hunting and the Paranormal
by Marley Gibson, Patrick Burns, and Dave Schrader

The Other Side is a teen nonfiction book that guides you through what it takes to become a ghost hunter and all that is involved. There are three authors in this book, one of which is Marley Gibson - the author of the Ghost Huntress series. In the book, it is discussed how to set up a team for ghost hunting, what equipment is involved and how to use it, as well as where to look for spirits.

I loved that this book really told you how it was. Ghost hunting is NOT going to make you famous. It's hard work and little play. You have to be responsible or you'll get in trouble with the ghost hunting community and even the law. There's a lot about safety in the book, including a bit of different protections to use while ghost hunting.

I learned a lot about what is involved in ghost hunting and how it could be quite a time and energy consuming hobby - not one that is all fun and games. For anyone interested in the subject, this would be a great book to read, especially around Halloween.

5/5 Roses

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