Bringing the Crazy to BEA

I may have mentioned this a time or ten, but I'M GOING TO BEA!!!  The time can be counted in hours now, even for a math challenged gal like me.  

I said it on Facebook, but I'll sum up my expectations here too:  it's kind of like Sex and the City, but with far less sex and lots more books... still that same amount of alcohol though!

For the last two years, BEA was a dream that my heart dared not speak aloud.  But you know what?  That was stupid! Because all I had to do was mention to my friend Kim from On the Wings of Books, and presto, changeo, magic! We were going to BEA!  We met and plotted with our friend Steph from The Fake Steph, we ordered business cards and discussed what baked goods to tempt Maureen Johnson with when we meet her and finally make her our friend. Kim and I found two awesome bloggers to share our hotel room with: Cindy of Cindy's Love of Books and Kellie of REAWrite.  Thankfully Cindy is a veteran of BEA, so Kellie, Kim and I will be clinging to her like baby kangaroos climbing out of their mama's pouch.  We may have to give Cindy and honorary "K" name.

So, what's the point of this post?  Well, like many of my blog posts... there really isn't any point.  But lots of other bloggers are posting a getting to know me, or how to NOT act like a spaz at BEA, or what they're packing.  Since I'm a newbie I can't really say what to pack, and it's a foregone conclusion that I'll be acting like a spaz at BEA, so I thought I'd post some pictures so that you can recognize me.  Feel free to say hi, or ask for my business card since I bought a butt load of them (depending on the size of your derriere, but trust me it's a lot!).  You can call me Kate or Katie.  I go by both, and I'll probably introduce myself as both.  I normally say Katie, but write Kate.  You can also call me Hey Girl, especially if you look like Ryan Gosling, or you know Ryan Gosling.

So here's me:

 

 

See, I can somewhat hide my crazy (biggest tip, narrow the eyes, nothing says crazy like BIG CRAZY EYES).  My hair might be straightened, but I doubt it since I'm lazy and that would require a lot more work.  Plus it's supposed to rain and my hair will end up a frizzy, fly-away mess anyway.  But here's what I look with straight hair and a smile/sneer (I guess the sun was in my eyes? And what the hell was I thinking in trying to squeeze my ass into a playground swing?)

Here's what I'll look like if I get a copy of Odd Apocalypse or Shadow of Night:

There will be stars and happiness and probably birds bursting out in song.

It'll be all Sad Panda Face if I don't get a copy of new Odd book, but there's few books I'm going in with the expectation of getting my grubby paws on, so hopefully any books I do get will send me into a state of pure euphoria. 

I'm leaving Sunday morning at the UNGODLY hour of 4:10am, but the upshot is we'll be in NYC by noon.  I'm taking MegaBus, which is a cool double decker bus.  I'm staying through Saturday, so if you want to hang out, I am available.

I'll be going to Blogger Convention on Monday, I'm going to the John Green breakfast, and I'm doing a cocktail party for Laura Moriarty, author of the amazing book The Chaperone, and then later that night The Penguin Bird Bash on Wednesday.  I'm doing Teen Carnival too.  Not quite sure what else I'll be doing, other than I know I'm hitting The Strand at some point!  I have to buy Courtney from Abducted By Books a little something, and perhaps leave a note from her somewhere in the stacks for another book lover to find.  

Also, for some reason I appear to be packing lots of black and blue clothing for the trip.  So, look for the blogger who looks like a bruise, and there this Midnight Book Girl will be. There's still so much to do before BEA, and I can't wait to meet all of you.  And for those of you who aren't going to be at BEA, or can't be there, there's always Armchair BEA, which is a blast as well.  

Before I started book blogging it didn't feel like I had that many people I could really talk books with, even my bookish friends didn't read as much, or the same books book as I did.  Our book blogging community has changed a habit that used to isolate me from others into something that allows me to connect to so many other people. And because of all of you, I'm going to New York, baby!

The Great Gatsby Review

The Great Gatsby
by F.Scott Fitzgerald
From Goodreads:

 In 1922, F. Scott Fitzgerald announced his decision to write "something new--something extraordinary and beautiful and simple and intricately patterned." That extraordinary, beautiful, intricately patterned, and above all, simple novel became The Great Gatsby, arguably Fitzgerald's finest work and certainly the book for which he is best known. A portrait of the Jazz Age in all of its decadence and excess, Gatsby captured the spirit of the author's generation and earned itself a permanent place in American mythology. Self-made, self-invented millionaire Jay Gatsby embodies some of Fitzgerald's--and his country's--most abiding obsessions: money, ambition, greed, and the promise of new beginnings. "Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgiastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that's no matter--tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther.... And one fine morning--" Gatsby's rise to glory and eventual fall from grace becomes a kind of cautionary tale about the American Dream.
It's also a love story, of sorts, the narrative of Gatsby's quixotic passion for Daisy Buchanan. The pair meet five years before the novel begins, when Daisy is a legendary young Louisville beauty and Gatsby an impoverished officer. They fall in love, but while Gatsby serves overseas, Daisy marries the brutal, bullying, but extremely rich Tom Buchanan. After the war, Gatsby devotes himself blindly to the pursuit of wealth by whatever means--and to the pursuit of Daisy, which amounts to the same thing. "Her voice is full of money," Gatsby says admiringly, in one of the novel's more famous descriptions. His millions made, Gatsby buys a mansion across Long Island Sound from Daisy's patrician East Egg address, throws lavish parties, and waits for her to appear. When she does, events unfold with all the tragic inevitability of a Greek drama, with detached, cynical neighbor Nick Carraway acting as chorus throughout. Spare, elegantly plotted, and written in crystalline prose, The Great Gatsby is as perfectly satisfying as the best kind of poem.

*This review contains spoilers*

My Thoughts:  Confession time, The Great Gatsby is one of those books I've usually claimed to read, but never have.  Turns out my friend Steph really loves this book, so she lent me her copy so that I could stop lying and start reading.

I've really come to discover that I like the 1920's.  There was something about the style, the attitude, the decadence of the age that really appeals to me.  It's like the 1920's were so shocking that the 1930's and 40's had to be extra buttoned up to make up for the misbehaving 20's.  What made this book unique for me was that it was written during the actual time period, unlike most of the books I've read the past couple of years set in that time period but written now.

Of course with The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald showcases the shallowness of the age too, at least amongst the elite. Daisy, the love interest of Gatsby, is particularly shallow.  She's very pretty, and very charming, but mostly Gatsby has raised her on a pedestal.  She has become an object, a goal, something more than human.  And while normally those on a pedestal fall, this time you get the story of what happens to the people that topple with them. 

There are many villains in The Great Gatsby- the careless Daisy, the brutish hypocrite Tom, the cheating Myrtle, the shady and corrupt Wolfshiem, but there are plenty of other selfish and opportunistic people floating around Gatsby's world.  It's a sad thing that after he dies all these people who were happy to drink his wine and eat his food can't be bothered to publicly mourn him. Even Nick Carroway, our narrator, isn't without fault- he spurns Jordan, although he does so in part to sever his ties with the people and the attitude that he finds villainous.

Did Daisy and Tom live happily ever after?  Absolutely not.  I'm sure there were fights and affairs.  I'd like to think that someday the guilt consumes Daisy... but I rather doubt that.  She is just a poor shadow of the woman Gatsby, and even Nick, imagine her to be.  Maybe I'm not being fair to her, and I realize fear is a strong driving force in her character, but she let me down when she chose to let Gatsby take the fall, so screw fairness.

Who was Gatsby in love with?  I think he merely loved and worshiped his idea of Daisy.  Maybe dying the way he did prevented that love, with it's false premise, from killing him more slowly.  His life was wasted on trying to obtain something that didn't even exist, and it's all the more tragic because his drive and ambition was so strong that had it been directed towards a worth while cause, the world would have been a better place. 

Hopefully Nick settled down with a nice Midwestern girl and was able to put the past behind him.  He's the only character who seemed to realize what a horrible existence he'd been living.

I'm excited to see the new movie adaptation of The Great Gatsby, but I'm sure as hell bringing tissues!  The previews have already shown that it's going to look gorgeous, and the actors all seem capable. 

Quote Time:

'There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy and the tired.'

Americans, while occasionally willing to be serfs, have always been obstinate about being peasantry.

No amount of fire or freshness can challenge what a man will will store up in his ghostly heart.

'I love New York on summer afternoons when everyone's away. There's something very sensuous about it- overripe, as if all sorts of funny fruits were going to fall into your hands.'

Angry as I was, as we all were, I was tempted to laugh whenever he opened his mouth. The transition from libertine to prig was so complete.

The Great Gatsby gets a Midnight Book Rating of:

May 29: Top Ten Books Written In The Past 10 Years That I Hope People Are Still Reading In 30 Years

Top Ten Tuesdays is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.
Today's Top Ten is: 

 Top Ten Books Written In The Past 10 Years That I Hope People Are Still Reading In 30 Years

I struggled a bit with this.  I read so many books, and I read all sorts of genres.  I tried to choose books that I thought would age well.  There's a reason that Pride and Prejudice still registers with so many people, or why Shakespeare's plays will never disappear from our theaters or English classes.  I'm not saying I picked the next Jane Austens or William Shakespeares, but in my mind these books are worthy of longevity.

1. The Harry Potter Series
Yes, I know.  The first book was over 10 years ago, that's why I just went with the series.  I also know that this will be on a lot of lists, which pretty much assures that we'll all be sharing these books with our kids, grandchildren, and future little punk street urchins for generations to come.

2. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
This will be, and should be, on lots of lists too.  I get it, I'm not terribly original.  But I envision a future where my kids aren't playing tag in the front yard, but playing their own watered down version of Hunger Games instead.

3. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
This book is magical and lovely.  It's timeless, and I'm not going to let it fade away! Reveurs, unite!

4. Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz
Oh, Odd one, I know that some of my friends haven't appreciated you for the wonderful character you are, but there will be more love to come from new readers, and new generations of readers.  Let's just hope the movie doesn't suck, okay?

5. Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen
Another magical book, another author I'd love to share with the world and the world's future readers.  Haven't read any of her books?  Why the hell not?!

6. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Simply awesome.  It's a futuristic book crammed with 1980's nostalgia, and I don't think that will ever go out of style! Let's just hope jelly shoes don't make a comeback, because those are not fun shoes to wear in the summertime.

7. The Millennium Series by Stieg Larrson
Oh, Midnighters, my heart is still saddened that this amazing author died before he could complete all the books he envisioned with Lisbeth Salander, but I believe the three books he did write have earned their place in literary history.  It almost makes me want to get a dragon tattoo, so that I can be The Girl With a Dragon Tattoo... almost...

8. Chime by Franny Billingsley
I really struggled with picking what YA books would, and should, longer on, but Chime has an interesting historical feel to it that I think will withstand the test of time well.  I really loved this book and the writing, so I'd like to see it stay in circulation forever!

9. A Song of Fire and Ice Series by George R. R. Martin
Yes, I'm cheating a bit again, since A Game of Thrones came out over ten years ago.  The series is still going strong and with the HBO series and graphic novels, I think the books will continue to be read in the future.  I hope!

10. Fire by Kristin Cashore
I liked Gracling, and I'm sure I'll like Bitterblue, but I loved Fire.  With Fire, Cashore has locked in my reading loyalties forever.  So even if she writes a crappy book now and then, I won't abandon her.  I think Fire is a book that could still be read 30 or a 100 years from now.

Now this is just my opinion, and I think by now ya'll realize that it's not the color of the sky in my world, but the lack of oxygen that's troubling.  So feel free to share the books you'd like to survive our ever evolving culture, our short attention spans, our fads, and end up on the bookshelves of a generation not yet born!

The Chaperone Giveaway!

Okay, Midnighters, I'm happy to announce a giveaway for a signed, personalized copy of The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty!!! 

From Goodreads:

 A captivating novel about the woman who chaperoned an irreverent Louise Brooks to New York City in 1922, and the summer that would change them both. Only a few years before becoming a famous actress and an icon for her generation, a fifteen-year-old Louise Brooks leaves Wichita to make it big in New York. Much to her annoyance, she is accompanied by a thirty-six-year-old chaperone who is neither mother nor friend. Cora Carlisle is a complicated but traditional woman with her own reasons for making the trip. She has no idea what she's in for: Young Louise, already stunningly beautiful and sporting her famous blunt bangs and black bob, is known for her arrogance and her lack of respect for convention. Ultimately, the five weeks they spend together will change their lives forever. For Cora, New York holds the promise of discovery that might prove an answer to the question at the center of her being, and even as she does her best to watch over Louise in a strange and bustling city, she embarks on her own mission. And while what she finds isn't what she anticipated, it liberates her in a way she could not have imagined. Over the course of the summer, Cora's eyes are opened to the promise of the twentieth century and a new understanding of the possibilities for being fully alive.

Here's what I thought about The Chaperone.  It was a full on Midnight Read for me. Which is saying something for a book that contains no serial killers, no zombies and no revenge driven ghosts.  The Chaperone is just a great book, I can't wait to discuss it with other bloggers who've read it- it's make a fantastic book club read!

Here's what a lot of  smart people thought about The Chaperone:

• "It's impossible not to be completely drawn in by The Chaperone. Laura Moriarty has delivered the richest and realest possible heroine in Cora Carlisle, a Wichita housewife who has her mind and heart blown wide open, and steps--with uncommon courage--into the fullness of her life. What a beautiful book. I loved every page."--Paula McLain, author of The Paris Wife
• "What a charming, mesmerizing, transporting novel! The characters are so fully realized that I felt I was right there alongside them. A beautiful clarity marks both the style and structure of The Chaperone."--Sena Jeter Naslund, author of Ahab's Wife and Adam & Eve
• “The Chaperone is the best kind of historical fiction, transporting you to another time and place, but even more importantly delivering a poignant story about people so real, you'll miss and remember them long after you close the book."--Jenna Blum, author of Those Who Save Us and The Stormchasers
• “THE CHAPERONE is the enthralling story of two women... In this layered and inventive story, Moriarty raises profound questions about family, sexuality, history, and whether it is luck or will - or a combination of the two - that makes for a wonderful life."  -O, the Oprah Magazine
• “A fun romp” –Good Housekeeping

 What You've Got To Do To Win:  

Entering is insanely easy, just comment below with your email address and what you'd like the author to address you as when she signs it.  You don't have to be a follower (although it'd be nice!) . Winner will be picked on May 31st, so don't wait to get your entry in! 

Please take the time to give Laura a Like on her Facebook page!

<--- This is the nice author who will be signing your book whilst she's in New York for BEA- so even if you can't attend you can have a little piece of BEA for yourself!

Sundays In Bed With... #11

Good morning, readers! It's time for my Sundays In Bed With... Meme! 

Is Blogger being temperamental for you too this morning? I hate when Blogger is moody. Thankfully I'm spending this morning in bed with some good books. Okay, I actually really slept in this morning and haven't read much other than some posts on Twitter, BUT here's what I wish I were spending the day in bed reading:

I may have said this a million times, but BEA is now just a week away!!! Well, my leaving for BEA is just a week away. And so the urgent bout of reading is pretty much done with. I would like to get to Why We Broke Up, which was a birthday gift from Kim, and Boy's Life, which Midnyte Reader was so awesome to get signed for me. On the way up I'll be finishing up A Storm of Swords and hopefully I'll get to The Scorpio Races, which Steph got me on my Kindle for my birthday. I'm only taking my Kindle and my Nook Color to New York, all books are staying at home! Which is a bit weird because even with ereaders I usually still bring a few paperbacks while on vacation. Hopefully BEA will send me home with lots of awesome reads! So what book or books are you curled up in bed reading this morning? And if you can't be in bed with a book, just let me know which book it would be if you had the time! Even better, take a picture and upload it to your blog. Answer below, or link to this post. Can't wait to see what you're reading!

Nook Color Test Drive

I am trying to see if taking my Nook Color to BEA would give me enough internet access since I'm not bringing my laptop. I will schedule some blog posts during my time in NYC, but I want the option to write a post if there's something I just can't wait to share. Spell check does not seem to work though, so have patience and put those red pens away!

Laughing Out Loud!

Page Babies

Obviously some of you are moms and dads of children, and some of you are moms and dads of fur babies (also known as dogs and cats), but there's the kind of mom and dad we all are.

We are parents of Page Babies.

I believe I have just made this term up (on Facebook today) but maybe not.  If I did then I'm a genius, and if not then at least I'm smart enough to think like a real genius. (Although according to spell check I have some trouble spelling genius... whatever). 

Not all books qualify as Page Babies. 

Page Babies are our favorite books.  The ones we worry about if we lend them out to others to read. 

I started thinking about this when Epic Reads asked if we had rules for lending books out.

And I answered that I usually just chose to loan to people I already trust, but that there are some books I'm less willing to lend.

Thus Page Babies were born.

My friend Katherine wants to borrow my copy of The Night Circus.  This should not be a problem.  I like and trust Katherine, I want everyone in the world to read The Night Circus.  But recently I have come to realize that I'm kind of in love with this book.  And I've honestly considered just buying a second copy to lend to Katherine... that's how attached I am to my Page Baby.

Or like my copy of The Fault in Our Stars.  It's a signed copy.  Granted, it's not a personalized copy, it's just got John Green's signature in it.  But it would be very hard for me to lend that out.  Maybe you could just come over and read it. ;)

There are some Page Babies that I love to buy and give to friends.  Because I want them to have their permanent, forever homes.  My favorite Page Babies to hand out like Cabbage Patch Kids? Odd Thomas, Eyes of the Dragon and The Idiot Girls' Action-Adventure Club.

So am I alone in this?  Do you have Page Babies?  Are there books you are less willing to hand over to a friend then you would your son or daughter? Let me know I'm not crazy (at least for this particular hangup).

Divergent, Insurgent, Somethingrgent.

Divergent
by Veronica Roth
From Goodreads:

 Beatrice "Tris" Prior has reached the fateful age of sixteen, the stage at which teenagers in Veronica Roth's dystopian Chicago must select which of five factions to join for life. Each faction represents a virtue: Candor, Abnegation, Dauntless, Amity, and Erudite. To the surprise of herself and her selfless Abnegation family, she chooses Dauntless, the path of courage. Her choice exposes her to the demanding, violent initiation rites of this group, but it also threatens to expose a personal secret that could place in mortal danger. Veronica Roth's young adult Divergent trilogy launches with a captivating adventure about love and loyalty playing out under most extreme circumstances.

My Thoughts:

As the last blogger in the known universe to read Divergent I shall dispense with a full review.

Here's what you all knew but I now know.

That I was wrong not to have sold the promise of my first born child's soul in order to get a copy of Divergent sooner.

That Four is truly swoon worthy.

And that Veronica Roth is amazing.

That by not reading this book you aren't being anti-bandwagoney, you're just missing out on the awesomeness of Four. And that makes this bookworm sad. :(  Don't make me a sad bookworm.  Read Divergent!

That the name Tobias... is not that sexy.   Sorry, but it's not.  Toby as a nickname is kind of cute, for those under the age of seven or so. 

Did I just lose all my followers named Tobias?

Plus, my friend Kim is amazing for lending me Divergent (which she handed over LIKE she was handing me the promise of her first born child's soul).  Thanks, Kim!

And thanks to our friend, Andrea, for getting the song Like A Virgin, only with Divergent in it's place, looping endlessly in my already overcrowded and weird brain.  It is firmly stuck, and I'm currently drafting a letter to Madonna to just go ahead and change the lyrics already!

Divergent gets a Midnight Book Rating of:

The cover gets a Midnight Book Cover Rating of:

It's okay, but it didn't make me swoon. I like it better in context with the cover of the second book though. 

And now from the same blogger who brought you that wonderfully insightful review of Divergent that you just read above, comes her equally insightful and quote worthy review of Insurgent! That's right folks, no wait, instant book reviewing gratification coming your way!

Insurgent
by Veronica Roth
From Goodreads:

 One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth's much-anticipated second book of the dystopian Divergent series is another intoxicating thrill ride of a story, rich with hallmark twists, heartbreaks, romance, and powerful insights about human nature.

My Thoughts:

Four is even hotter, if possible.

The name Tobias has NOT gotten any hotter.  Although I am sure the name is rising in popularity amongst new born babies.  Because it's still the name of an awesome character.

Peter is kind of growing on me.  Like a fungus that isn't helpful for penicillin or anything, but isn't completely toxic either.

Wait, did I just loose a few more followers?

Seriously, I know, he's awful.  But he's kind of like Loki in Avengers.  He shows up and causes a lot of death and destruction... actually, you know, I don't have a good argument here.  I just sort of like Peter now.  Go ahead and judge me.  I can deal with your Candor.  (haha)

The only downside to Insurgent is that I was reading a lot of other books at the same time and there's all these characters to keep straight in my head, but I finally managed to pull it together towards the end and it didn't take away at all from the story.

Tris took me on a roller coaster ride in Insurgent.  One minute I wanted to slap her, and the next I wanted to be her (especially when it came to her time with Four).   But I like that she's not perfect, and I even like that there's parts of her I don't like.  She's no Mary Sue.

Which is a literary term for a perfect character, just so you real life Mary Sues don't stop following me.  Like how Edward Cullen is a Gary Stu, because even his "faults" are kind of a turn on- wait, you only killed really awful humans and drank their blood before becoming a "vegetarian" vampire? How sexy vigilante of you, Ed!  That said, I don't care that Edward Cullen is a Gary Stu, I still think he's hot.

But back to Insurgent:

I like how Tris really struggled with the fall out from her actions in Divergent.  It's nice to see that no matter how strong you are, no matter how right you are to take action to defend yourself, you're still going to have nightmares and guilt over it.  I'd be more concerned if Tris didn't feel horrible.

Tris and Four totally need to STOP NOT TELLING EACH OTHER THEIR SECRET SHIZ.  Seriously, confide, people!  Stop being dark balls of dark secrety thingys.

Did I mention that Four was even hotter in this book?  Because he was.  I'm pretty sure the third book is going to burst into flames once I open it. 

By the way, any guesses on the name of the next book?  I'm going with Convergent. 

Now my main goal of BEA is to convince Veronica Roth to be my new bff and to send me an ARC of the next book so that for once I won't be behind in the series.  Obviously, I won't mention my dislike of the name Tobias to her.  It'll be our little secret, okay?

Insurgent gets a Midnight Book Rating of:

The cover gets a Midnight Book Cover Rating of:

Now that it's kind of a theme, I'm liking the covers of this series.  I especially dig the green. 

Happy Birthday

That's right, it's this Midnight Book Girl's birthday, and even Google remembered!  The above cake, as I'm sure many of my friends and loved ones would agree, would be a perfect fit for me turning another year older.  

I don't have any birthday plans for today, I'm actually working.  The Hubs and I will probably doing a birthday dinner on Friday.  

And even though I'm a little blah about this birthday (I don't like birthdays where my age ends in a 5 or a 0), bring on the bookish gifts!

Bout of Books Readathon

Yes, I have signed up for another week long Readathon!  Mostly because there's several books I want to read prior to BEA.  This will be both my starting post and my update page, and once the readathon starts, I'll make this a sticky post.  Please join me, just click on the picture above or right here.  I've never done a Bout of Books Readathon before, so I'm excited to meet some new bloggers!

My Goals


Read some TBR books that I really need to get to!
Catch up on a fraction of reviews that I need to write.
Schedule posts for when I'm in New York.


Books To Read


The Chaperone (for review)

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (for book club on the 19th)
Insurgent (finish)

Matched
The Fault in Our Stars
Deadly Cool
Finish Envy (Empty Coffins #1) since it got pushed aside for the Veronica Roth series 
Finish A Storm of Swords *at least get to 60% on my Kindle!
Listen to the audio of I Hunt Killers


Challenges

5.14.12 Bookish Questions from Sarah Says Read
“What do you like best about readathons? Do you have any readathon traditions or rituals? If this is your first readathon, what do you like so far? Discuss away!”
 
 5.16.12 Re-Title It Challenge from Books Devoured.

Old Title: Dirty Little Secrets

New Title: Window Peeper

 














Okay, what I like most about participating in Readathons is the sense of community.  Reading is normally such a solitary hobby, but during Readathons I end up connecting with other readers through blogs or Twitter and I love that.  I don't know that I have any rituals per se, other than for Dewey's Readathon where I spend a long time finding the perfect books for my reading stack.  But that's mostly because Dewey's is a 24 hour Readathon, so I need books that can keep me awake and reading.  Week long Readathons are a bit more relaxed, so I can read books I need to get to or want to get to for a specific goal- in this case a review book, a book club book and some books I want to read for BEA.  This is my first Bout of Books Readathon, but I assure you it won't be my last!  I love that Readathons really push me to use my spare time reading, instead of vegging out in front of the tv or playing on the computer. I even have plans to possibly host my own Readathon this summer... we'll see!


5/18/2012
Today's challenge is hosted by The Reading Housewives of Indiana!
The challenge today was to pick out some shoes that either match a book cover, or that a character from the book would wear.  I chose 2 books:

I've had Night Circus on the brain lately.  Partly because it's been a long time since I've loved a book the way I love The Night Circus and a recent re-read only strengthened my love for it.  Honestly, my plan to not look like a tourist in New York when I go to BEA is to dress up like I'm going to the Night Circus.

So for Celia:

And then I wanted to do something kind of Steampunkish, but I don't read that much Steampunk.  But then I remembered Soulless- which I love a million red m&m's, and found the perfect boots for the well dressed, and flamboyant vampire, Lord Akeldama:









Updates


5/14
Number of books I’ve read today: Almost finished The Chaperone and listened to a little over an hour of I Hunt Killers audio.
Total number of books I’ve read: 0
Books: The Chaperone and I Hunt Killers
Pages:  259 pages of the Chaperone, 1hr 10 mins of I Hunt Killers.

5/15
Number of books I’ve read today: 2 and started Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
Total number of books I’ve read: 2
Books: Finished The Chaperone, read all of Deadly Cool, started Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
Pages: 59 pages of The Chaperone, 303 pages of Deadly Cool, 15 pages of Abraham Lincoln, and 1 hour of I Hunt Killers.


5/16
Number of books I’ve read today:4
Total number of books I’ve read: Finished 2, read 1 in full.
Books: Finished Envy, listened to more of I Hunt Killers, and continued reading Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter... and Fifty Shades Freed (hey, no judging!)

Pages: 118 if Envy, 87 pages of Abraham Lincoln, an hour of I Hunt Killers and about 14%  of Fifty Shades Freed (seriously, stop judging! The books were a gift from the Hubs, it would be rude not to read them!)


5/17
Number of books I’ve read today: Read from 2, none finished.
Total number of books I’ve read: Finished 2, read 1 in full.
Books: Abraham Lincoln:Vampire Hunter and I Hunt Killers.
Pages: 223 pages in Abraham Lincoln:Vampire Hunter, an hour of I Hunt Killers on audio.


5/18
Number of books I’ve read today: Read from 3, Finished 1.
Total number of books I’ve read: Finished 2, read 2 in full
Books: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Insurgent and I Hunt Killers on audio.


5/19
Number of books I’ve read today:
Total number of books I’ve read:
Books:


5/20
Number of books I've read today:
Total number of books I've read:
Books:

Sundays In Bed With... #10

It's Sunday again!  I know this is a little late so it's not quite morning anymore, but if you had the chance to spend Sunday morning in bed with a book, what book would it be?  If you want to participate, just add your link below, or let me know what book you are spending the morning with, or wish you were!

Today's the last day of the Bout of Books Readathon and these are books that I'm hoping to get to today:

 I need to finish Insurgent, and hopefully I'll get to read The Fault in Our Stars and at least start Matched!

So join in and let me know what you're reading this morning, and feel free to link up!

The Chaperone Review and Book Tour

The Chaperone
by Laura Moriarty
Expected Publication: 06.05.2012
From Goodreads:

A captivating novel about the woman who chaperoned an irreverent Louise Brooks to New York City in 1922, and the summer that would change them both. Only a few years before becoming a famous actress and an icon for her generation, a fifteen-year-old Louise Brooks leaves Wichita to make it big in New York. Much to her annoyance, she is accompanied by a thirty-six-year-old chaperone who is neither mother nor friend. Cora Carlisle is a complicated but traditional woman with her own reasons for making the trip. She has no idea what she's in for: Young Louise, already stunningly beautiful and sporting her famous blunt bangs and black bob, is known for her arrogance and her lack of respect for convention. Ultimately, the five weeks they spend together will change their lives forever. For Cora, New York holds the promise of discovery that might prove an answer to the question at the center of her being, and even as she does her best to watch over Louise in a strange and bustling city, she embarks on her own mission. And while what she finds isn't what she anticipated, it liberates her in a way she could not have imagined. Over the course of the summer, Cora's eyes are opened to the promise of the twentieth century and a new understanding of the possibilities for being fully alive.

My Thoughts:  When I got the email inviting me to be on the blog tour for The Chaperone and an invite to meet the author at a cocktail party in New York, I immediately was excited. 

Like many of you, I get a lot requests to review books, although most of mine seem to indicate that the person requesting my review hasn't bothered to even look at my blog.  So even though I was super excited, I was also worried that it wouldn't be a book I'd like.  I read the summary, was sold on the idea of Louise Brooks since I love old movies and yes, I subscribe to the Turner Classic Movie Guide. 

I admit to feeling a bit daunted by the size of the book when it showed up.  If it turned out to be a slow or boring read, then I'd be in a bind.

Thankfully, The Chaperone is easily one of my favorite reads this year. 

I loved Cora!  I especially loved the flashbacks to her time in the orphanage and growing up with the Kaufmans. When we first meet Cora she seems to have the perfect life, and the perfect marriage. As her past unfolds, all the things that lead to later choices by her character are easier to understand.  The courtship between Cora and Alan was at first something out of a fairy tale.  But when Cora learns just why Alan wed her, a reason I suspected, I was still amazed by how she handled it.  I kind of wanted her to throw that in Louise's face to show the modern young lady how worldly Cora really was, but of course, ever the lady, Cora refrains.

Two scenes that had me in tears: Cora discovering the truth behind her marriage and when she reads the letter to the orphanage sent from her adoptive mother.  There is so much love and simple strength in that wonderful woman's words, and you could feel what a labor of love it was from the hands of a farmer's hardworking wife.  Tears, people, tears. I don't really mind crying though, because it makes my normally hazel eye's look super green. 

I wanted to smack Louise Brooks.  Seriously, smack her superior attitude right off her face.  I also wanted to smack her parents.  Basically, early on in the book I was calling for an out and out smackdown on the Brooks family (even though the kids seemed to be taking care of business themselves).  As I read on, Louise kind of grew on me... but like some kind of mold that you really don't want to like but can't help but be fascinated by it. Even though I'm a movie fan, I really didn't know that much about Louise Brooks (and I'm going to be honest and admit I had her confused with other bright and beautiful leading ladies who died at a tragically young age).  Unable to wait to find out her background, I immediately ran off to Wikipedia, because I'm impatient and hate to wait for information. Plus I kind of wanted to see how closely Moriarty followed her life in a fictional account.  And after reading about her life, it was hard not to feel sorry for her.  Both in reality and in The Chaperone it's clear that unconditional love is not something Louise Brooks grew up with.

 And I learned that Louise Brook's mother's maiden name was Rude, which says a lot. Like Cora, I was horrified at some of the things Mama Brooks chose to allow and ignore when it came to her beautiful, head strong daughter.  If her mother was alive today I have no doubt she'd be a pageant mom on Toddlers and Tiaras.

The Chaperone, and Cora, continued to surprise me.  Louise didn't end up surprising me (mostly because I cheated and wikied her), but instead made me sad with her choices.  While Louise seemed to impact Cora during their time together, she seemed to take Cora and the lessons she had to offer for granted.  It's not until later that she seems to finally understand Cora even a little bit.  But as much as this book is touched by Louise Brooks, the story belongs to Cora.

Seeing New York through Cora and Louise's eyes was wonderful. The trips to the theater, including the eye-opening experience that forces Cora to ponder racial segregation, left me longing for the days when theater was popular everywhere.  Even the little soda shop Cora and Louise go to frequently left me envious. This June will be my first real New York trip, and as excited as I am to see it, I'm a bit disappointed that it won't be the same New York City Cora walked through. 

Hopefully NYC 2012 will smell a bit better though. 

As much as I loved the time Cora spends in New York, and her flashbacks to the orphan train, it's the ending of the book where Cora really comes into her own.  The mind blowing, life changing, decision she makes in New York (which I totally saw ending horrible, possibly because I watch entirely too much Criminal Minds and the ID channel), kept me on the edge of my seat until the very last. 

The Chaperone is just an amazing read, a book I'd really love to discuss at book club.  Hopefully I've done an adequate job of explaining how good it is, although I fear I've fallen short.  To sum up: read The Chaperone.  Then come and find me so we can discuss!

The Chaperone gets a Midnight Book Rating of:

The cover gets a Midnight Book Cover Rating of:

I love the 1920's, and this cover captures the era perfectly.  You know exactly what era you're about to be transported to!  The only thing that would have made it perfection would be to have both Cora and Louise (and her trademark bangs!) on the cover.

Author Laura Moriarty

Doesn't she seem like someone you'd want to have cocktails in New York with?

Find her on Facebook or at her website.












***Disclaimer: I received a copy of The Chaperone in exchange for my honest opinion.  I did RSVP to the cocktail party for Laura Moriarty, but only after reading the book.  I didn't want to say yes if I ended up disliking the book.  No, this isn't your average disclaimer.  That is all.***

Spring Blog Carnival Fun House

Lori of Pure Imagination is hosting this awesome event, so be sure to check out her Kissing Booth and all the other wonder filled tents!

Welcome to the Fun House!

When was the last time you read a book that made you laugh out loud while reading a book?  Maybe it's been awhile, or maybe you just love to laugh, but either way, it's time to enter the Fun House tent for a your chance to win one of the books listed below.  You win, you choose, and you laugh!

Kate's bookshelf: fun-house

I Love You, Beth Cooper

by Larry Doyle

One for the Money

by Janet Evanovich

The Idiot Girls' Action-Adventure Club: True Tales from a Magnificent and Clumsy Life

by Laurie Notaro

The Last Little Blue Envelope

by Maureen Johnson

Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs

by Molly Harper

Bossypants

by Tina Fey

So what do you have to do to win?

BOOK SENTENCE CHALLENGE!

Take a look at the books you have, stack them up to make a sentence out of them, take a picture and post it as your challenge.  Leave the link in the comments below.  You can post the picture to your blog, Twitter or Goodreads account. 

You may only use book titles, they must be real, physical books (which is why I require the picture).  

Be creative, have fun!

You don't have to be a follower, but if your email address or twitter name isn't on your blog, then please leave me some way of notifying you if you win. 

This contest is open until May 13th.

Open to everyone that the Book Depository ships to.

Must be 13 or older to enter.

*If by chance the winner has read all these books, then he/she will be able to pick another humorous novel.

Need book sentence examples?

 The Good Fairies of New Your Loop Garden Spells Into the Dark.

When She Was Bad, Scarlett Burned Whitethorn Woods.

Now it's your turn!

Something Strange and Deadly Review

Something Strange and Deadly
by Susan Dennard
Expected Publication: 07.24.12
From Goodreads:

The year is 1876, and there’s something strange and deadly loose in Philadelphia…
Eleanor Fitt has a lot to worry about. Her brother has gone missing, her family has fallen on hard times, and her mother is determined to marry her off to any rich young man who walks by. But this is nothing compared to what she’s just read in the newspaper—
The Dead are rising in Philadelphia.
And then, in a frightening attack, a zombie delivers a letter to Eleanor…from her brother.
Whoever is controlling the Dead army has taken her brother as well. If Eleanor is going to find him, she’ll have to venture into the lab of the notorious Spirit-Hunters, who protect the city from supernatural forces. But as Eleanor spends more time with the Spirit-Hunters, including their maddeningly stubborn yet handsome inventor, Daniel, the situation becomes dire. And now, not only is her reputation on the line, but her very life may hang in the balance.  

  My Thoughts:  This book was unexpected.  It didn't even feel like a YA book, despite the age of the characters, but that's not to say that it's not YA appropriate.  I think it's the period of the story, because a young woman was usually much more mature than the average teen now.  


Eleanor, or Miss Fitt (yes, it did take me until she figured it out that her name was misfit), is a great YA heroine.  She's brave, taking care of her delusional mother and searching for her lost brother.  Trying to keep her and her mother afloat financially would be hard enough, but then her brother is kidnapped by a zombie raiser and suddenly she's going all Buffy at with the help of the Spirit-Hunters.


There's a little romance in the form of two men in her life.  First is her friend's rich, ambitious brother.  Clarence is a jerk, but he genuinely seems shocked by Eleanor and her attitude.  He's got secrets, and Eleanor is not the type of girl to just let things go.  Plus her mother is fairly determined that Eleanor should marry Clarence to save the family.


Daniel is one of the Spirit-Hunters, and not even the leader.  He's got his secrets too, but sparks fly between him and Eleanor in a very Hans Solo-Princess Leia way.  Only because the setting is in the 1800's don't expect too much, this is a time period where just a man and woman touching in the most innocent way was considered steamy.  There's a scene between Eleanor and Daniel that reminded me of the Pride and Prejudice (Kiera Knightley and Matther Macfadyen version) movie where Darcy helps Elizabeth into the carriage and their bare hands touch and it shakes both of them up.  And I love that!  I love that a simple touch can mean so much more in a time when unmarried people just didn't touch.  In someways its a lot sexier than any actual sexual act could have achieved in the book.  


The two other Spirit-Hunters, Joseph and Jie, are equally awesome.  Joseph is all Creole and tragic hero, and Jie is just kick ass.  She lives as a Chinese boy in a time period where it's very hard to be Chinese in America, but even worse for Chinese American women.  Or just women in general, because Eleanor is under a lot of pressure from society to fit into their rigid views of how women of a certain background should act.  Joseph, Jie, and Daniel make a great team, and Eleanor worms her way in, and it's a perfect fit despite her friction with Daniel. 


I've seen this book categorized as Steampunk, and while it does kind of have that feel when it comes to the Spirit-Hunters, I don't know that it really fits that genre.  Something Strange and Deadly just isn't like a lot of other books.  I really felt Susan Dennard captured the time period quite well, which I'll admit I wasn't really expecting in a YA book.  I will definitely read the next book in the series, because the ending left so many loose strings, not unanswered questions necessarily- I don't want you to think the author cheats the ending, but there is definitely enough hanging in the air that you want to know what will happen to our Miss Fit and the Spirit-Hunters.


Something Strange and Deadly gets a Midnight Book Rating of:

The cover gets a Midnight Cover Rating of:

It's pretty and eye-catching.  It definitely made me want to read the book, but it doesn't really fit the book all that well.  While Eleanor is pretty, she's not some 17-inch waisted Scarlett O'Hara as she's pictured on the cover. Still, it's a cool cover.


**Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book through Around the World ARC Tours in exchange for my honest opinion.

Sundays In Bed With... #9

It's Sunday again!  Happy Mother's Day to all!  A lot of you probably have plans for today, but if you had the chance to spend Sunday morning in bed with a book, what book would it be?  If you want to participate, just add your link below, or let me know what book you are spending the morning with, or wish you were!

This morning I wish I was spending Sundays In Bed With...

The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty

Lucky Fools Review

Lucky Fools
by Coert Voorhees
Expected Publication: 06.10.2012
From Goodreads:

David Ellison dreams of acting at Julliard, but he's expected to attend nearby Stanford University, just like all of his classmates at hard-driving Oak Fields Prep. As if wasting his private school education weren't enough, David is also on track to destroy his relationship with his girlfriend, Ellen, when he finds himself falling for his new co-star, Vanessa.

With David's Julliard audition approaching, and his relationship teetering on the brink of disaster, Oak Fields is thrown into chaos as a mysterious prankster begins attacking the school's highest achievers, determined to sabotage their college aspirations. Anyone who excels is a potential target, and David, the star of every play, could be next.

From the author of the highly praised The Brothers Torres comes a dangerously insightful book about enduring the pressures of high school, surviving the ins and outs of love, and fighting for your dreams, no matter what.

My Thoughts:  I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, although the title and cover gave me the impression that it was a comedy.  It even took me a few days to write this review because I wasn't sure how I felt about this book, and I'm still not.  The writing was good, and it held my interest.  My major problem was with David, the main character.  He was kind of self-centered and fairly uninteresting.  The whole love triangle aspect of the story was a bit of a dud, because David really isn't capable of being in love with anything unless it's right in front of him.  He's like a bird that gets easily distracted by bright and shiny things.  He's also a wannabe actor.

While I didn't like David, I really liked all the supporting characters.  Ellen, Vanessa, JJ, Colter, Jake, Iggy, Geoff, all of their stories and issues interested me.  Especially Vanessa and Colter. They had a complex brother/sister relationship, and I'd love to know more about their past.  And Ellen!  What is up with her?  I hope someone reads this book soon, just so I can discuss Ellen.

Okay, so while David is having his Outsiders moment ("Life is rough all over, Ponyboy"), The Artist is attacking students at David's prep school.  Not physically, but through a series of bulletin board posts that expose the true character of the victims.  The school is desperate to find the culprit, and everyone is suspicious of each other because they're all vying for the only spot Stanford University is allocating to a graduating student of their school.  Since Stanford is so close, they've suddenly decided to not award enrollment based on achievement alone, not when they have so many other talented students applying from all other.  Not sure if Ivy League schools do this, but it strikes me as a bit disingenuous, since lots of the kids at David's school have rich and influential parents, and also because it seems like Stanford wants some of the out of town tuition.  But if you want to see overachieving rich kids panic, then this books is for you. Everyone kind of goes into Blair Waldorf mode.

Yes, I just made a Gossip Girl reference. 

So the whole book I am waiting for the big reveal of who the Artist is.  Part of me is praying that it's David just so he'll prove me wrong about the boring part.  But we don't really find out, mostly because this is David's story and he doesn't really care and that whole plot line is dropped.  And yes, that really made me mad. 

And while I get the point of Colter's words to David, about how just because someone else has a broken arm doesn't mean that your broken nose doesn't matter to you, it's a bit hard to really feel sorry for all these extremely privileged kids.  There aren't any real consequences for most of them, not for Iggy, The Artist or even David.  It's difficult to root for a character when you're actually hoping they'll fail... and then they don't!

Lucky Fools might not be my favorite book of all time, but I do want to read The Brothers Torres , also by Coert Voorhees, and a book I've heard good things about.  And I liked the writing in Lucky Fools, no fault there, just didn't like the main character.  It is nice to read a book with a male main character, and I found several quotes to like, so here they are:

Wrinkles seemed terrified of both her skin and her clothes.

There was a deliberate nature to the way she moved, almost like a stop-motion photograph.

"Four minutes to determine my future"
"That sounds like the tagline from a bad action movie."
I made my voice all low. "One man. Four monologues. In the balance hangs... the rest of his life."

"What do you think we talk about in the faculty room? Lesson plans?"

Lucky Fools gets a Midnight Book Rating of:

The cover gets a Midnight Book Cover Rating of:

It's cute, it's different and it caught my eye. 

*Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book through Around the World ARC Tours in exchange for my honest opinion and review.