Numbers Giveaway

So, just to show you how a real, unbotched giveaway is done, one that has a real, unbotched address field, I thought I'd pass on the link to this cool giveaway!

Ever since she was child, Jem has kept a secret: Whenever she meets someone new, no matter who, as soon as she looks into their eyes, a number pops into her head. That number is a date: the date they will die. Burdened with such awful awareness, Jem avoids relationships. Until she meets Spider, another outsider, and takes a chance. The two plan a trip to the city. But while waiting to ride the Eye ferris wheel, Jem is terrified to see that all the other tourists in line flash the same number. Today's number. Today's date. Terrorists are going to attack London. Jem’s world is about to explode!

 And, to be 100% honest, I want this book and I get an extra entry if I blog about it.  You and I both get an extra entry if you head over there and tell them I referred you, so go!  You can't tell me you don't want a book that sounds as exciting as that!

25 Followers Giveaway - Update!

Because I can be a bit of an overzealous idiot sometimes, I managed to leave out a few lines in my contest spreadsheet.  Those of you who have yet to enter, could you please note your city in address line 2?  If you have already entered and left out this information, then I'll just confirm addresses by email.

Sorry!  Argh!  Can you tell I'm new at this?  ^_^

25 Follower Giveaway!

Hard to believe I've hit 25 followers already!  Thanks for spreading the love, people! :) So in honor of this momentous occasion, I've decided to hold my first giveaway!  Well, actually my second, but since I only had 3 followers when I held my last one (and, *hangs head in shame*, no one even bothered to enter), it DOESN'T COUNT.

But first, a rule: Because I have not yet discovered a money tree, I can only ship within the continental U.S.  :(  I'm sorry!  I hope you all know how sad this makes me.

So here's the skinny!  One first place winner gets the (paperback) book of their choice, which I will purchase for them from my local indie bookstore!  And I can think of lots of cool paperback books released this year!  Like Madapple by Christina Meldrum and The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak (next on my to-read list!).

 One second place winner gets their choice of either There Are No Words by Mary Calhoun Brown or The Ghost, the Eggheads, and Babe Ruth's Piano by Larry Sweitzer.  (Read my reviews here and here!)

I'll randomly pick the winner on March 31st and announce the results on the blog sometime that week!  Fill out the spreadsheet below to enter.  And good luck!

P.S. Please read this update before entering.  Thanks!

If I Stay

If I Stay by Gayle Forman
ISBN 9780525421030
Associate Links: Amazon/IndieBound

 In a single moment, everything changes. Seventeen-year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall riding along the snow-wet Oregon road with her family. Then, in a blink, she finds herself watching as her own damaged body is taken from the wreck...
A sophisticated, layered, and heartachingly beautiful story about the power of family and friends, the choices we all make—and the ultimate choice Mia commands.

Let's be clear about this: Whatever negative things I might have to say about this book, I'm the one that stayed up until two in the morning last night crying my eyes out finishing it.  So in the end, Gayle Forman gets the last laugh.

Seriously, though, I don't have that many negative things to say about it, anyway.  It was one of the most melodramatic books I've ever read, but not necessarily bad melodramatic, even if the drama really pissed my sister off when she read it first.  And sometimes the supporting characters in Mia's life seemed a little bit too cool, but then again, people have said that about my family.  So why am I even complaining?

Maybe it's because I'm ashamed to say I liked this book as much as I did, because it was melodramatic and a little cliched and all that.  It's somewhere between sentimentality and harsh reality, which was a tough combo for me to take.  Yeah, that's probably it - it's my annoying *literaryness* kicking in here.  So I'll try and turn it off for the rest of the review.

I liked Mia a lot.  I've got a reputation as a *goody-goody*, and with all of those butt-kicking protagonists out there nowadays, I was feeling pretty sorry for myself.  But Mia was sweet, a rule follower, talented, with a "real future" ahead of her, which was refreshing!  (Though I'd take Katniss over her any day.)  And I loved Adam, even if he smacked of a plot device rather than a person.

This book, though, wasn't about the characters for me.  It was about the idea - and for sure, I'll never think about that car crash I heard about on the news the same way again.  The idea is what carries the story, all the way through the unusual style and disjointed plot.  And yes, it made me cry, something very few books do.  It was short and breezy, but by no means an easy read - but it's definitely one I'd recommend. 

The Final Verdict: Unusual and hard to describe, heartbreaking and fantastically beautiful, despite its flaws.  Four out of five stars.

On the Web - Author Blog Amazingness

While spending way too much time on Twitter recently, I noticed the general blogging amazingness of three authors on the web who have released or are releasing YA novels this year:

Words on Words (Maggie Stiefvater): In case you didn't know, Maggie is the author of the YA urban fantasy novels Lament and Ballad, as well as the YA supernatural romance series Wolves of Mercy Falls.  The first Wolves novel, Shiver, is a New York Times bestseller, and its sequel, Linger, will be released this summer.  As her blog title implies, she spends a lot of time writing about writing, as well as writing about what she's reading and writing about her latest releases.  (Check out this awesome post in defense of YA fiction and this one about the 10 rules of query letters.)  She also holds fabulous contests every once in awhile, so stay tuned!

Kami Garcia (Kami Garcia): Kami is the co-author (along with Margaret Stohl) of the YA Southern Gothic supernatural romance - yes, it's a mouthful - Beautiful Creatures, which was a #1 Amazon Pick for Teens of 2009.  The sequel comes out this October - I'm excited!  Anyway, Kami also says lots of interesting things on her blog, my favorite post being her most recent one about writing journals.  Both Kami and Margaret are currently on tour (or did they just get home?), so we've also been treated to lots of amusing stories about that.  "Late night conversations at Crack in the Box"?  Priceless.

Carrie's Procrastinatory Outlet (Carrie Ryan): Carrie is the author of the New York Times bestselling zombie YA novel, The Forest of Hands and Teeth, which I STILL haven't read, as well as its companion novel The Dead-Tossed Waves, released tomorrow!  Woohoo!  It was fun to read about her debut on the NYT bestseller list, as well as her sweet advice on how to get autographed copies of her books.  I know where my pocket money's going when I get some! :)

What are your favorite author blogs?  Which authors do you wish had a blog?  (Suzanne Collins!!!)  And speaking of blogs...I'll hold a contest when I hit 25 followers, with an extra prize if I can push to 50, and a super-bonus-extra one if I make it all the way to 100, so tell your friends!  I may be poor, but I should be able to find some worthy prizes for you people! :)

The Secret Year

The Secret Year by Jennifer Hubbard
ISBN 9780670011537
Associate Links: Amazon/IndieBound

Colt and Julia were secretly together for an entire year, and no one—not even Julia’s boyfriend— knew. They had nothing in common, with Julia in her country club world on Black Mountain and Colt from down on the flats, but it never mattered. Until Julia dies in a car accident, and Colt learns the price of secrecy. He can’t mourn Julia openly, and he’s tormented that he might have played a part in her death. When Julia’s journal ends up in his hands, Colt relives their year together at the same time that he’s desperately trying to forget her. But how do you get over someone who was never yours in the first place?

The first half of this book, I was unsure.  By the end, this searing, nuanced, and haunting novel had (almost) completely won me over.  Everything about the characters and setting rang true, even if the plot was a little weak in places - and, all in all, the time I spent in this world was time well spent.

Colt and Julia, especially Colt, were a pleasure to watch as their characters unfolded, revealing imperfect people that you could nevertheless relate to.  Syd and Michael were also interesting, though I wasn't so impressed by Kirby, who seemed more like a plot device than a character.  (Her relationship with Colt was also very predictable.)  I'm a big fan of "class" dramas when they're done well (which unfortunately, they usually aren't), and this book summed up everything I like about the sub-genre, especially the way it makes us look at ourselves and our own paradigms - and everybody's paradigms in this story were very deeply rooted indeed.

Another thing I liked about it was Julia's diary entries, which I found surprisingly realistic.  You generally don't spend your journal time writing every little detail of the day - you write about your feelings, right?  At least, that's what I do, and that's what Julia did, too - we were left with Colt's memories to fill us in, and that made for a much more believable story.  Julia's voice managed to be distinct even though we never really *meet* her.

My problem with it was the...well, I don't really know if I can put a finger on what my problem was.  There were some parts of the "secret love" idea that I just didn't buy, some parts of the Kirby-and-Syd-love-Colt thing I didn't buy, and parts of Colt's family.  Especially the wise, gay, older sibling thing.  But still - those elements weren't enough to detract from the rest of the novel for me.

The romance in this story was unusual - less about the love, per se, than it was about the people in love - and that really worked.  Somehow a scene could feel white hot and icy cold at the same time, wholly passionate and yet with something held back.  Yes, that's a melodramatic description, but this was a melodramatic story.  Generally, melodrama isn't my thing, but in this story it just worked.  It might not be my favorite book, but it's one I'll certainly return to and enjoy.

The Final Verdict: A quiet exploration of our own reactions to love, fear, and death that's as surprising as it is cathartic.  Four out of five stars.

Disclosure: I bought this book as a final published edition, and received no reimbursement from neither the publisher nor the author for this review.  (See Disclosure in Accordance with FTC Guidelines)