Feature and Follow: Hanging with the Homies

Despite all the craziness that is currently happening in Massachusetts, I'm participating in Parajunkee and Alison Can Read's Feature & Follow Friday.  Today's question is:

Q: If you could hang out with any author (living) who would it be and what would you want to do?

A. Wow.  So many authors are running through my head, but I have to go with Stephen King, because I've wanted to hang with him since I was a kid.  His books symbolized adult books, and what it meant to be a writer.  I know some of his characters better than I know real life friends.  His words have kept me up late at night, crying over the loss of fictional characters and started my path towards full fledged book worm.  I'd just hang out with him and his wife Tabby (because she seems like she'd be cool too).  Maybe play some baseball with them before heading to a cookout and talking about the Loser Club over a beer or three. And I don't even like baseball, or beer for that matter- although since it's my fantasy he'd have a few Guinness set aside just for me. Oh, and he'd give me the manuscript of the latest book he finished to "get my ideas".  Hey, it's my fantasy, might as well go big, right? 

Can't wait to read you're responses! 

Feature And Follow: Emo-tion

Feature & Follow is hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read.

Today's Question:

Q: Tell us about the most emotional scene you’ve ever read in a book – and how did you react?

Wow, this is kind of tough one.  Books often rip my heart out on a regular basis. I'm going to expect a lot of Harry Potter in the answers, but with HP I was prepared for death,  although I wasn't expecting the one that happened in Book 6, which I totally convinced myself was faked...  

There are too many books and scenes to choose from!  But here's one I vividly remember: Warning Spoiler in the explanation: Die Softly by Christopher Pike.

It was the first time I'd read a book where the main character dies.  It totally took me by surprise.  The book was narrated from the mc's point of view!  Herb is so brilliant in the book, and I thought for sure the detective was going to get there in time... but that didn't happen.  It shocked me, and ripped my heart out.  The whole confrontation with the killer was tense, but I kept thinking somehow Herb would escape.  I realized then that main characters can die, that authors sometimes choose to kill off popular characters.

I'd also choose the first book in the Odd Thomas series, but I won't spoil that one.  Let's just say there's a scene at the end that made me cry so hard (you know, the great big hyperventilating kind of sobs) that I had to pull the car over because I was listening to the audio.  

What about you, what books have tore your heart out and stomped on them?

Feature and Follow Friday: Giving It Away

It's a little late, but I can't resist the gorgeous new button for Feature and Follow, hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read.  This week's question is:

We always talk about books that WE want. Let’s turn it on its head. What books have you given other people lately?

Hmm, I gave away Ready Player One to my brothers, because they actually remember the 80's quite well.  And then I bought a couple of Harry Potter books for Kim- one with the adult British cover and another in Spanish, but that was way back in Christmas.  I also gave her several of my Meg Cabot chick lit books recently, and a bunch of books to some of the ladies in my book club since I've been culling my shelves in preparation for all the books I'll be getting at BEA.  I also plan on getting Courtney the new Maureen Johnson book when we go down to the book signing in early March, because she's being so freaking good about her planned book buying yearly budget and I already pre-ordered my own signed copy. And I pre-ordered The Trouble With Flirting so that I can share it with my blogger bffs (which will entail a new feature I'm cooking up on here called Book STD).  

What about you?