Please help me welcome Tara Hudson, author of Arise (Hereafter #2)! She’s stopping by today to share a character interview with Joshua, for the Arise Blog Tour hosted by Mundie Moms. As part of the tour Tara and HarperTeen are giving away a signed set of the Hereafter series, read on for more details!

Character Interview with Joshua

There’s a lot that you and Amelia both have had to deal with over the course of this series, and we’ve come to admire the strength you both have. In what ways has Amelia changed you?

I’ve never really been afraid of what my friends thought of me, but I’m even less so, now. Amelia makes me braver, too – you’d have to be, to go through some of the things that come with dating a ghost

How would you describe your family in 3 words or less?

Stubborn, fierce, loving

Without giving too much away, what was one of your favorite moments with Amelia in ARISE?

I just have one word for you: etoufee.

What’s one of your favorite things to do when you have down time?

It’s a toss up between playing baseball and reading. I love both, so I hope that I can one day become a sports writer, maybe for ESPN. If I don’t get killed by sadistic demons before college, obviously

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Out of college, figuring out my life…and hopefully still seeing Amelia. I always have hope for that.

Many thanks to Tara/Joshua for stopping by today! Readers, you can buy the Hereafter ebook for $0.99 for a limited time at Amazon and Barnes & Noble (be sure to check the price before purchasing)!

GIVEAWAY

Thank you to Tara and Harper Teen, there is a giveaway for one signed set of Tara’s books. In order to be entered to win Hereafter and Arise, you’ll need to visit each blog on the tour and collect the word each blog will be posting. At the end of the tour you’ll be able to put the words together to unscramble the sentence Tara has picked for this scavenger hunt. For more details and where to enter, go HERE.

This stop’s scavenger word is STORY – good luck!

Image Credit: Nina @ Nina Reads

Hello, and welcome! It’s the first day of Armchair BEA 2012 – the day for introductions! Even though I’ll be in NYC for Book Expo America (BEA), I couldn’t help but register for Armchair BEA as well. I had such a fantastic time armchair-ing it last year and met so many wonderful bloggers, authors, and publicist/publisher contacts. I hope to connect with the same people again –a few in NYC, in person–and meet new peeps!

This year, participants have been asked to choose five interview questions to answer about ourselves as an introduction. Here are mine:

Please tell us a little bit about yourself: Who are you? How long have you been blogging? Why did you get into blogging?

Hi, I’m Jen . I live in Colorado with my husband and pupdog Koda. I’ve been book blogging for just over a year; I celebrated A Book and a Latte‘s one year blogoversary on May 11th!

I decided to start my own book blog because after I embraced my love for the YA genre, I needed an outlet to gush about my favorite books and authors (at the time, The Hunger Games). My friends in real life weren’t reading the same books, or as many, and I found myself visiting more and more book blogs. I was very hesitant to start my own, but the book blogging community was so welcoming, helpful, and friendly… I’m so glad that I just went for it!

What is your favorite book you have read so far in 2012?

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline is hands down my favorite book I’ve read so far this year, I absolutely loved this book! I listened to the audiobook, which is narrated by Whil Wheaton (THE perfect narrator for his book) and it’s full of awesome. I believe it’s technically an adult book, but it’s easily a YA crossover title, at least for those that love 80′s pop culture, and references from the 70s to present day. There’s a quest, danger, a little romance, and nerdy-ness galore… so much to love! My review hasn’t posted yet; I’ve been saving it for June, since it’s audiobook month, but it will be up soon!

What is your favorite feature on your blog (i.e. author interviews, memes, something specific to your blog)?

I love featuring authors on my blog, especially debut authors! Interviews are my favorite way to feature an author. I really enjoy learning more about authors, and developing a bit of a relationship with them through the process. I’d really like to post more author interviews this year.

What is your favorite part about the book blogging community? Is there anything that you would like to see change in the coming years?

My favorite part about the book blogging community is the people. I’ve met so many fantastic readers, bloggers, authors, and publicists – online and in real life – through book blogging… Seriously, the people are what keep me blogging!

As far as changes I’d like to see… I’d like to eliminate the drama that occasionally occurs between bloggers and authors, but realistically I can’t control how others behave. I think if everyone would remember to treat others the way they’d like to be treated, a lot of the conflict could be avoided.

Tell us one non-book-related thing that everyone reading your blog may not know about you.

I love playing the piano. I don’t really like playing for other people, I play just for me. It’s an instant stress reliever and makes me feel at peace… I know that sounds cheesy but it’s true. Sadly, I’m not able to play by sight – meaning I can’t just sit down and play whatever sheet music is placed in front of me. I have to work at learning a new song, and practice a lot.

That’s all for me! I’m looking forward to hopping around to everyone else’s interviews! I’m not sure how much I’ll be able to do while I’m in NYC but I’ll try, and I’ll be playing catch up once I’m back next week.

Today I’m attending the BEA Bloggers Conference, and then the Scholastic Live event in the evening! I hope to post about the day tonight… Sadly I don’t have a laptop with me so I’ll be attempting to blog from my iPhone. Ha! We’ll see how that works… I will definitely be posting recaps after BEA though, once I’m back home. Follow me on Twitter (@bookandlatte) for live BEA tweets!

Hi there, how was your week? Things have been busy around here! I’ve been preparing to travel to NYC for Book Expo America (BEA), and TODAY I’m flying to NYC and will be there the entire coming week! To say I’m excited is a drastic understatement! There will be books, authors, parties, publishers, books, parties, bloggers, and more books — I can barely contain my excitement! *deep breath*

Weekly News

This week on the blog I hosted two blog tours: The Girl in the Clockwork Collar Tour, where I give my thoughts on a teaser quote; and the Dreamless Tour in which the author, Josephine Angelini discusses mythology vs. fairy tales! Each tour is offering giveaways. I also posted a review of The Assassin and the Pirate Lord (Throne of Glass #0.1), shared my WoW pick of the week, and participated in GReads’ TGIF meme where I list books that tackle tough issues. On Friday I posted a cover reveal and teasers for The Collector by Victoria Scott, so be sure to check it out! Also, the June linky for the YA Audiobook Challenge is up, so participants be sure to link up your reviews!

Book Haul

I was so excited to receive a package from Great Plains Publishing in the mail this week! I actually forgot that it was coming, so the package was a fun surprise . These look awesome, thanks GPP!

Cape Town by Brenda Hammond

How to Tend a Grave by Jocelyn Shipley

The Green-Eyed Queen of Suicide City by Kevin Marc Fournier

The Break by Nelsa Roberto

Currently Reading

Hmm… these look a lot like the ones I listed last week! I’ve been so busy preparing for BEA and being out of town that I haven’t had much time to read. I hope to finish a book or two today while traveling!

What are you reading?

Upcoming

In case you were wondering, I have posts scheduled for all week! Tomorrow, Tara Hudson will be visiting as part of her Arise (Hereafter #2) Blog Tour, which will be fun. My WoW pick of the week is scheduled, as always. There will be a few Armchair BEA daily topic posts, and I’m going to attempt to blog from my iPhone during BEA. I say attempt because I’m not sure how difficult it will be. The BEA posts will probably be very simple (pictures mainly) and then I’ll do a recap post(s) afterwards, once I’m back home. I’ve decided to hold off reviews until after BEA week, so no reviews this week…

Also, just a reminder that June is Audiobook Month (#JIAM), and Audiobook Week is June 25th-29th. Jen @ Devourer of Books is hosting, and I’ll be helping out here and there. I hope you join us, it’s going to be FUN, and there will be PRIZES! So get listening .

Have a great week!

Image from www.audiopub.org

Here’s the June link-up for the 2012 YA Audiobook Challenge! If you’re new here, and would like to sign up, there’s still time to join. You can find all the details, resources, and the sign up linky here! Since so many of you are DEMOLISHING this challenge, I thought it would be a good idea to add in some challenge levels, so you may want to update your challenge declaration posts with which level you plan to take on for 2012. Here they are:

Easy Listening
Listen to and review 12 audiobooks.

Rock’n Out
Listen to and review 24 audiobooks.

Head Bang’n
 Listen to 36+ audiobooks, and review at least 24 of them.

Mosh Pit
Listen to 48+ audiobooks, and review at least 36 of them.

What do you think of the new levels? Please let me know your thoughts in the comments. I’m easy going so if you think it’s crazy to add levels half way through the year, or if you have suggestions let me know!

Submit your reviews in the linky below of YA audiobooks you listened to and reviewed in June, or ones you’ve completed in 2012 but have not linked up yet. Please link directly to your review post, and not your blog or goodreads profile. Also, please include the audiobook title in the link name.

Example: Paper Towns by John Green (Jen @ A Book and a Latte)

Thanks, and happy listening!

This Friday’s question is:

Issue Books: Which books have you found to be very rewarding when it comes to tackling tougher issues?

I found the books below to be very rewarding in the sense that they opened my eyes to some of the tougher issues teens face, I applaud these authors! I’d categorize these books under “YA Saves” (images are linked to Amazon, hyperlinked text go to my review or Goodreads):

• Just Listen by Sarah Dessen – eating disorders, self-image, rape
• Impulse by Ellen Hopkins – cutting, abuse, drug abuse, attempted suicide
• Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott – kidnapping and sexual abuse. This was very difficult to read, but I do feel that it could potentially save lives by increasing awareness and teaching people how to recognize signs of a kidnapped child. It’s too easy to look away and to ignore the red flags. I promise this will make you think differently.

Other fantastic books about tough topics:

• The Fault in Our Stars by John Green – A honest, raw story about teens battling cancer. Amazing!
• The Beginning of After by Jennifer Castle – the best depiction of grief in YA that I’ve read!

This week’s posts:

• Blog Tour: The Girl in the Clockwork Collar (2 giveaways!)
• Blog Tour: Dreamless by Josephine Angelini (Kindle giveaway!)
• My WoW pick of the week!
• Review: The Assassin and the Pirate Lord (Throne of Glass #0.1) by Sarah J. Maas
• Cover Reveal: The Collector by Victoria Scott

Well, what do you think of the cover?

Check out these teasers!

Aren’t they yummy?! Click HERE to add The Collector to your to-read list on Goodreads! Be sure to let me know what you think of the cover in the comments, or you can tweet them using these hashtags:

#DanteFever #DanteisMine #DanteWalker

The Assassin and the Pirate Lord
(Throne of Glass #0.1)
by Sarah J. Maas

Publisher: Bloomsbury Children’s
Release Date: January 13, 2012
Format: Kindle
Source: Bought
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Buy: Nook | Kindle

The Assassin and the Pirate Lord is a great introductory prequel novella to the Throne of Glass series! This story is full of adventure and action, and you’re introduced to Celaena, a 16-year-old trained assassin. At a young age she was chosen by her master as his protégé and trained among his other older, male assassins.

In this story Celaena is sent with Sam, another assassin within the Guild, to collect a debt that the Lord of the Pirates owes. When they discover that the debt is being paid with slaves, they risk it all to try and save them. Celaena and Sam despise each other, and enjoy riling each other up… they grew up together training and competing against each other. Their chemistry was fantastic to read and I hope to see more of them together in the next novella!

I really enjoyed this novella, and I definitely want to read the other prequels before Throne of Glass!

Author Links: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

The week’s WoW feature is:

Flutter by Gina Linko
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers

Expected publication: October 23, 2012

My breath came in fits and starts. And I was gone, in a flash, back to the loop. Back to my other…my other me… my other places. My other times.

All Emery Land wants is to be like any other seventeen year old—to go to school, hang out with her friends, and just be normal. But for as long as she can remember, she’s suffered from something akin to seizures. And in recent years they’ve consumed her life. To Emery they’re much more than seizures, she calls them loops—moments when she travels through wormholes back and forth in time and to mysterious places. The loops are taking their toll on her physically. So she practically lives in the hospital where her scientist father and an ever-growing team of doctors monitor her every move. Although they don’t believe her claims of time travel, the doctors are extremely interested in the data they collect when Emery seizes – too interested. What is it they think she is capable of? Is she tapping into never-before-used parts of the brain? Is this clairvoyance of some sort? Telepathy? Or something else completely?

When Emery encounters a young boy—a guide of sorts who offers cryptic warnings—she intuitively knows she must decipher his clues to uncover what is really happening to her. Escaping from the hospital, she travels to Esperanza, the town from her loops in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where she meets a guarded and mysterious good Samaritan, Asher Clarke. A series of coincidences draw them together, and Emery quickly realizes that their individual mysteries – their singular secrets — might not be so separate after all. With time running out for Emery, they must unravel their complicated connection before it’s too late.

In her gorgeously crafted page-turning debut, Gina Linko offers readers a stunning blend of science fiction and romance. (Goodreads)

I’m fascinated by this synopsis, and can’t wait to read this one!

What book are you anxiously waiting for this week?

Please help me welcome Josephine Angelini, author of Dreamless (Starcrossed #2)! She’s stopping by today with a guest post as part of her Dreamless Blog Tour hosted by Mundie Moms! Follow the tour for a chance to win a Kindle (see details below)! Also, mark your calendars because tomorrow, WEDNESDAY 5/30, Harper Teen is hosting a LIVE chat with Josie on Facebook at 9 PM EDT!

Writing Mythology vs. Fairytale

by Josephine Angelini

I love a good fairy tale. And a good myth. They have a lot in common, but there are several things that distinguish one from the other.

First off, fairy tales are creepier—especially the older ones. They all start with some tender young thing wandering into the woods, and end with children eating houses and then getting eaten themselves, or grandma getting eaten, or someone getting baked in a pie by a giant or some such gory mess. Myths are just as gory, but they aren’t creepy. They usually start with sex and end with someone either getting cursed, turned into a monster, or killing a monster. On the whole, myths are more about lust, monsters, and quests, and they are handled by professionals—adult demigods who know how to cope with hydras and Cyclopes’—not lost children or pretty girls with dwarf fetishes.

Another difference that I see between myth and fairy tales is that fairy tales are big on drawing a line between good and bad, while a lot of the heroes in Greek myth are not the pure-as-driven-snow kind that we’re used to from reading so many comics. Greek heroes are much more, well, human than our modern day Supermen. They do stupid stuff. They do terrible stuff. They somehow manage to do a few good things along way. That’s why I like them. Greek heroes, and Greek gods for that matter, are not good because they are powerful. Rather, they are powerful, and every now and again they surprise us and do something good.

Not so in fairy tales. There’s a good guy, a bad guy, a kid with a basket—and everyone knows where each character stands on the issues of house eating and cannibalism. There is a moral clarity to fairy tales that is very appealing. In general, the wicked witch did it and Prince Charming will find a way to get the Princess out of the tower. Most importantly, when the story ends there is a promise that all the characters will live happily ever after.

This point leads me to the final difference between myth and fairy tale. The Greeks didn’t hold with the idea that people could be happy forever. Happiness isn’t even mentioned. Most of the characters in Greek myth do a bunch of stuff with their lives and then die one day; as if the Greeks believed that even the life of a hero or a demigod was a series of unfortunate events that usually ended either messily or with a whimper.

It kind of makes you want to read more fairy tales.

Dreamless Playlist | Read the first 104 pages
Follow the Dreamless Tour on Twitter: #DreamlessDays & @JosieAngelini

Buy the first book Starcrossed! 
At participating ebook store links, you can purchase Starcrossed for $0.99, for a limited time!
Harper Teen | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Google Ebooks | Kobo | iBookstore

Photo credit: Theo and Juliet

Author Bio (from Goodreads): Josephine Angelini is a Massachusetts native and the youngest of eight siblings. A real-live farmer’s daughter, Josie graduated from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts in theater, with a focus on the classics. She now lives in Los Angeles with her husband.

Author Links: Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Josephine is hosting a blog tour giveaway (US only)! The giveaway will end at the end of the tour. She’s giving away a Kindle with either the Starcrossed or Dreamless skin on it. To enter,  you must comment on each blog tour post (only once) as well as follow Josie on twitter. For details about the giveaway visit Josie’s blog!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Follow the Dreamless Tour!

I’m excited to be a part of HarlequinTEEN and Kismet’s The Girl in the Clockwork Collar Blog Tour! Check out my thoughts on the awesome quote/teaser below, and enter to win a final copy of The Girl in the Clockwork Collar by Kady Cross, and grand prize of an actual clockwork collar! If you’re new to the Steampunk Chronicles, check out the links below for the first book, The Girl in the Steel Corset – including my non-spoiler review. My review for Clockwork Collar will be posted soon, so keep an eye out for it!  

The Girl in the Steel Corset (Book 1, May 2011)
My Review | Goodreads | B&N | Indiebound | Amazon

I love this quote, and it’s such a great teaser! I think at some point everyone has a similar feeling – where you care for someone so much (a close friend and/or loved one), that you’re angry when they do something reckless, or something happened that made you fear that you lost them. You’re desperate to find out if they’re OK, and then you immediately want to throttle them for scaring you like that!

I really enjoy the chemistry between Finley and Griffin, and this is just one of many great quotes between them.

About Kady Cross: In her other life, Kady Cross is a USA TODAY bestselling author of more than twenty books. She is lucky enough to have a husband who shares her love for the slightly twisted and all things geek, and a houseful of cats with whom she shares her darkest secrets. When she’s not listening to the characters in her head, she’s either trying to formulate the perfect lip gloss or teaching herself to solder. She has a weakness for all things girlie, sugar skulls and boots. Her love of books and makeup borders on addiction—of which she never, ever wants to be cured.

Author Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

There are two giveaways for those following the tour! The first give-away is a daily one for those following the tour, for the chance to win a copy of The Girl in the Clockwork Collar, just enter the Rafflecopter below. For the grand prize, follow the instructions below to enter for a chance to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 The Grand Prize!

Contest Info – Grand Prize: The second give-away is for a grand prize of the collar from the cover art of The Girl in the Clockwork Collar! To enter go to the Harlequin TEEN Facebook fan page for The Girl in the Clockwork Collar (US/Canada residents only, sorry). Contest Rules are found here.

Tour Dates/Stops:
Monday, May 14th – The Story Siren
Wednesday, May 16th – Harlequin Paranormal Blog
Friday, May 18th – Letters Inside Out

Monday, May 21st – Hippies, Beauty and Books…Oh, My!
Wednesday, May 23rd – The Adventures of Cecelia Bedelia
Friday, May 25th – My Shelf Confessions

Monday, May 28th – A Book and a Latte
Tuesday, March 27th -Book Birthday! – Alice Marvels
Wednesday, May 30th – Seeing Night Book Reviews
Friday, June 1st – Read Me, Bookmark Me, Love Me

Good luck!

Weekly News

Hi, I hope you had a great week! This week I interviewed Shannon Duffy where we discussed her book Spectral and her writing process, and she also shared the Spectral book trailer. I reviewed Unbreak My Heart by Melissa Walker and SLAMMED by Colleen Hoover, both YA contemporaries that I loved! Also, I shared my WoW pick of the week, and the book trailer for Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo.

I also participated in Girls in the Stacks “Occasional YA Book Club” this week for Fracture by Megan Miranda! Below is the question I was assigned and my answer:

The description of what happens to Delaney when she senses someone is near death is very detailed.  Have you ever known anyone to have a “sixth sense” about something?  And if so, how did they react when they had a suspicion something was about to happen?

Jen (me):  I had a friend in college that swore that she got a feeling in her gut before bad things happened. There were a couple of times when we were hanging out that she actually started shaking and knew something was wrong. Sadly, I can’t remember specific details, but there were times when she was right. When she got this feeling she’d convince me that we needed to change our plans – stay in, take a safer route, or just do something different altogether. One night when she’d been feeling like something was going to happen all afternoon/evening, a friend of ours was badly injured in a motorcycle accident (he was lucky, and made a full recovery with only some scars). She was right enough times that I took her seriously!

Check out the rest of the book club discussion questions and answers here! You can also read my review of Fracture and Eleven Minutes by clicking the hyperlinks. This Q & A was fun, and I’m already excited to participate in future GitS book club discussions!

Book Haul

I had a great book week! Check out my book haul (images take you to Amazon, links to Goodreads):

I only got one review book this week, Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry! Thanks so much to HarlequinTeen/NetGalley for this title, I’m really, really looking forward to reading this one! I wish I could read it right now! I also picked up BEA Buzz Books 2012 from Publisher’s Lunch on NetGalley (also available on Amazon!) so I can scope out books in prep for BEA the first week of June. I love that they released these excerpts, such a great idea!

So… I went to the library to return some books, and you KNOW I couldn’t leave without scanning the audiobook section. I picked up Swim the Fly by Don Calame which I’ve heard the audio version is awesome, and Split by Swati Avasthi. I’m looking forward to listening to these!

I went on a little Amazon Kindle book spree this week. I couldn’t help myself with all the steal deals this week (remember to check prices before purchase, prices are as of the date of this post)! I bought Witch Song by Amber Argyle (currently FREE),  The Rock Star’s Daughter by Caitlyn Duffy (FREE), and What a Boy Wants by Nyrae Dawn ($0.99)

That’s all for me this week, what books have you received/picked up lately?

Currently Reading

Right now I’m still reading Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo. I’m 39% into it, and it’s really good but I had to put it aside to get to other scheduled books… I’m looking forward to picking it back up this coming week! I’ve also been working through the BEA Buzz Books excerpts in preparation for BEA the first week of June! I haven’t had much time to get through much of it yet, but I’m excited they released this! This may turn into my plane read for my trip to NYC/BEA .

I’m also reading The Girl in the Clockwork Collar (Steampunk Chronicles #2) by Kady Cross for a blog tour stop tomorrow! I will most likely be staying up to the wee hours to finish this one tonight! And of course, I’m always listening to an audiobook! This week I started listening to The Night Circus and I like it so far. I love Jim Dale as a narrator but I keep hearing Harry Potter and Dumbledore’s voices and it’s kind of distracting to be honest. I’m only one disc in so I hope I’ll start hearing only these characters soon!

I’m also thrilled to be proof-reading TRIBUTARY by Lisa T. Bergren this week! I’m trying to hurry and finish up by tonight but life is getting in the way .

Wow, that’s a lot. I usually don’t have so many books going on at once! What are you reading?

Upcoming

This coming week I’m excited to be part of two blog tours! The first being The Girl in the Clockwork Collar and the second, Dreamless by Josephine Angelini! Be sure to stop by to read a teaser quote with my thoughts for Clockwork, and read a guest post by Josephine this week — each tour will have giveaways!

Also this week I’ll be reviewing one of my favorite reads of 2012 (or listens rather, it will be an audiobook review), Ready Player One by Ernest Cline! I’m so excited to share this review with you because I freaking love this book, it’s on my favorites list! I’ll also be sharing 1 or 2 other reviews, I’m just not sure which yet . Of course I’ll also be sharing a WoW pick of the week and maybe a book trailer too.

In other upcoming news… I’m registered for Armchair BEA this year! It runs from June 4th-8th, concurrent with actual BEA. I participated in Armchair BEA 2011, and I couldn’t pass up being involved this year, even though I’m going to physically be at BEA in NYC. I had so much fun last year and met so many great people! Have you registered yet? If not, you should!

Also, June is Audiobook Month! I’ll be celebrating by posting more audiobook reviews and helping out with Audiobook Week hosted by Jen @ Devourer of Books, you should join us!

Have a great week!

Slammed by Colleen Hoover

Publisher: Self-Published
Release Date: January 1, 2012
Format: Kindle
Source: Bought
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance
Buy: Kindle | Nook | Smashwords

I really had no idea what I was getting into when I started reading Slammed. A couple of months ago my BFF told me that she loved it, and that I had to read it… so while participating in the Bout of Books Read-A-Thon I impulsively downloaded it to my Kindle and started reading, without even reading the synopsis. Holy crow, I was not prepared for the emotional roller coaster I had just strapped myself into!

Slammed is a heart-wrenching story about love and loss. It’s about life – rolling with its punches, and punching it in the face when it seems to get the better of you. It’s about family – the family you’re bound to by blood, and the family you choose.

Colleen Hoover has created some fantastic characters! I loved Layken, her family, her best friend Eddie, and of course Will and his brother. All the characters are well written and play an important role. I’m so excited that there’s a sequel, Point of Retreat (written from Will’s POV), so I can spend more time with these characters!

This book left me stunned. It pulled at every single one of my heartstrings. It made me cry, more than once… but I snickered a few times too. It made me crave the words of these characters’ poetry, and I now have to Google to see if I can find slam poetry nights near me. If you can’t tell from this gushing review, I highly recommend Slammed!

Author Links: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

The week’s WoW feature is:

False Memory by Dan Krokos 
Publisher: Hyperion

Expected publication: August 14, 2012

Miranda wakes up alone on a park bench with no memory. In her panic, she releases a mysterious energy that incites pure terror in everyone around her. Except Peter, a boy who isn’t at all surprised by Miranda’s shocking ability.

Left with no choice but to trust this stranger, Miranda discovers she was trained to be a weapon and is part of an elite force of genetically-altered teens who possess flawless combat skills and powers strong enough to destroy a city. But adjusting to her old life isn’t easy–especially with Noah, the boyfriend she can’t remember loving. Then Miranda uncovers a dark truth that sets her team on the run. Suddenly her past doesn’t seem to matter…when there may not be a future.

Dan Krokos’ debut is a tour-de-force of non-stop action that will leave readers begging for the next book in this bold and powerful new series. (Goodreads)

I’ve been hearing amazing things about this book, and I can’t wait to get my hands on this debut!

What book are you anxiously waiting for this week?

Unbreak My Heart 

Publisher: Bloomsbury
Release Date: May 22, 2012
Format: Advance Reader Copy
Source: Publisher/NetGalley
Genre: YA, Contemporary
Buy: Barnes & Noble | Indiebound | Amazon

Unbreak My Heart is a story about friendship and family. After Clementine falls for her best friend’s boyfriend, Ethan, and is ostracized by all of her friends, all she wants to do for the summer is stay home, read, and drown in self-hatred. Instead, she’s forced to spend her summer sailing with her parents and little sister.

This story really is a dual love story that’s told in alternating chapters, and I loved it. With this format, you’re able to see how Clem’s relationship with Ethan (her BFF’s boyfriend) develops and you can’t help but sympathize with her. They have so much in common, and he’s charming and flirtatious – his actions should be unforgiveable, but no, it’s always the girl’s fault so she’s the only one shunned by all their friends. I really liked Clementine as a character – she’s flawed, human, and I liked seeing how she grew from her mistake.

Clementine spends the summer grieving her friendship with Amanda, hating her self for ruining their relationship, and analyzing her actions. She meets James, whose family is sailing the same route as hers, at a marina… He’s upbeat, and always tries to see the best in things, despite his own family problems. The romance between Clem and James is sweet and builds up slowly. I loved James with his blue eyes and red hair, and was rooting for them the entire time!

I absolutely loved that this story is set is on a sailboat, on the water, and at the marinas they visit. As much as I loved the setting, my favorite thing about this novel was Clem’s family. Olive is the best little sister ever, and her parents are so loving and supportive. They give Clem unconditional love, and along with James help her accept, and move past her mistakes. Teenagers often take their family for granted, and I loved how the point of sailing for the summer was to spend time as a family.

Unbreak My Heart pulled at my heartstrings – it made me cry, but it also made me smile. It’s a fantastic contemporary that shouldn’t be missed, add it to your to-be-read list or better yet, pick up a copy today!

Author Links: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Please help me welcome Shannon Duffy, author of Spectral! She’s stopping by today for an interview as part of the Spectral Blog Tour by Tribute Books.

Describe your book in a tweet (140 characters or less).

Marked, cursed, and trapped in a sea of lies as a dark prophecy nears, can Jewel make it to her 17th birthday alive?

What or who inspired you to write Spectral?

Reading witch books like, Once a Witch and, Always a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough. I loved the idea of writing a witchy tale.

Do you listen to music while you write?

No…omg, seriously, I know many writers do, but I need it quiet. To me, it’s like asking, Could you have the stereo playing while you’re watching a movie? Um, again no. When I’m writing, it’s like the scene is literally playing out in my head like a movie, so music would be very distracting. It amazes me when I hear writers can do that, but hey, whatever works, right? I do like to pick songs to go with the book after I’ve written it, and sometimes think of songs that fit a scene as I go. I came up with a soundtrack for Spectral that is on my website at www.shannonduffylit.com It will automatically start playing under the Bookshelf header, and you can skip to the next song etc, if anyone is interested in checking them out.

If you could have a conversation with any author, living or dead, who would it be and what would you ask?

J.K. Rowling. She’s amazing, really and I’d love to hear her story firsthand on how she got started, where she got the idea for Harry Potter, and any advice she could offer.

What’s on your to-read list for summer?

Well I definitely plan on reading Insurgent next so that will be done before summer, but also 50 shades of grey, Hex Hall, Tangled Tides, Half-Blood, and Pure. I also plan on soaking up lots of middle grade books to get my head back in the game. I’ll be starting the sequel to my MG fantasy, Gabriel Stone and the Divinity of Valta, in September. Not to mention I’ll be reading my fab critique partners new works in progress. Yay! Lots of reading to do. Love it!

Thanks for inviting me to your blog today! Have an awesome day.
~Shannon

Many thanks to Shannon for stopping by to answer my questions! Check out the trailer for Spectral below:

Weekly News

Hi there! I hope you all have had a wonderful week. For me, this week went by so fast.  It’s been a busy week on the blog, and I tried to read as much as possible for the Bout of Books Read-A-Thon 4.0 which started Monday and ends tonight.

On Monday, I was thrilled to share an exclusive excerpt and reveal the cover of Tributary (River of Time #3.2) by Lisa T. Bergren! Tuesday kicked off the May Kindle Fire and $50 Amazon giftcard giveaway event, so don’t forget to enter. I posted my WoW pick of the week, the book trailer for Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock (I can’t wait to read it!), and my review of Until I Die (Revenants #2) by Amy Plum. I also shared what I’ll be watching on TV this summer, in my Summer 2012 TV Shows post! Check it out and let me know what you’ll be watching.

This week ABaaL had a special guest. Kim Purcell, author of TRAFFICKED, discussed an important topic – “No English, A Different Kind of Prison”. Please take a moment and read her post if you haven’t already, it may just save a life.

I’ve had a great time participating in the Bout of Books read-a-thon this week. So far I’ve finished 5 books and I’m well into 2 more. I’m not sure I’ll finish my current reads before the cut off point though. I had fun with the mini-challenges – my favorite being the Book Spine Poetry - and of course I loved chatting with everyone and meeting new peeps! Thanks so much to Bout of Books team: Amanda @ On a Book Bender, Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal, Shirley @ Creative Deeds Reads and Hannah @ Once Upon a Time!

Book Haul

I had a small, but fantastic book week! Check out my book haul (images take you to Amazon, links to Goodreads):

Thanks HarperTeen for sending me Darkness Before Dawn by J. A. London, a fabulous surprise! I hope to read it soon.

My BFF highly recommended the SLAMMED book series by Colleen Hoover to me and so I impulsively bought and downloaded them to read for the Bout of Books Read-a-Thon. I ate them up. They are fantastic, I have so much love for these books! There are only 2 books in the series, SLAMMED and Point of Retreat (SLAMMED #2). That’s all for me this week, what books have you received/picked up lately?

Currently Reading

Right now I’m reading Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo. I’m 27% into it, and it’s really getting good! I’m also listening to Under the Never Sky on audiobook and I like it so far. What are you reading?

Upcoming

Next week I’ll be posting my reviews for Unbreak My Heart and SLAMMED! Tomorrow, I’ll be interviewing Shannon Duffy as part of her Spectral Blog Tour. I’ll also post my WoW pick, and see if I can surprise you with a couple of posts this week.

Have a great week!

So You Think You Can Dance on FOX, Thu 8/7c

Image credit: FOX

What’s summer without SYTYCD? I freaking love this show! They’re changing it up this season by only having one 2 hour show a week. I’m not sure what I think about them getting rid of the results show, but I’m glad to hear that they’re going to pair up the top 10 with all-stars again. The dancing fun starts May 24th!

Rookie Blue on ABC, Thu 10/9c

Image Credit: ABC

I’ve been watching Rookie Blue since the very first episode. Though I liked the show from the start, it wasn’t until season 2 (last season) that I fell in love with this show. I love the characters, and I’m hooked. I’m really excited for season 3, it premieres May 24th.

Breaking Pointe on the CW, Thu 8/7c

The Breaking Pointe is a new documentary show premiering May 31st. It gives an insiders view of what it’s like to be a dancer in one of the most competitive ballet dance companies – Ballet West in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Bunheads on ABC Family, Mon 9/8c

Image Credit: ABC Family

I’m sooo excited for this show! It premieres June 11th, and I can’t wait! If you can’t tell already by this list of shows, I’m a sucker for all things dance related… so it was already a given that I’d give this show a try. Then I read that it’s executive producer is Amy Sherman-Palladino, the creator of Gilmore Girls. Yup.

Baby Daddy on ABC Family, Wed 8:30/7:30c

Image Credit: ABC Family

Baby Daddy is a new half-hour comedy premiering June 20th on ABC Family. It’s about a guy that suddenly finds out he’s a dad when his ex-girlfriend leaves his baby on his doorstep. I’m a little uncertain about this one, but it sounds cute so I’ll give it a go.

Lost Girl on SyFy, Mon 10/9c

Image Credit: SyFy

I also have plans to watch season 1 and 2 of Lost Girl on the SyFy channel. I’ve heard so much about this show that I have to check it out. I’ve only watched the first episode but I think I’ll really like it, it reminds me a little of the Fever series (adult, not YA) by Karen Marie Moning. I was able to TiVo a season 1 marathon, and have been recording season 2… I’ve just been waiting for summer to start the series!

So that’s what I’ll be watching! Other summer shows I have on my radar that I might give a try are Duets (ABC) and Teen Wolf (if I get around to watching season 1, on MTV)… Am I missing anything good? What will you be watching this summer?

Hi peeps! It’s day 6 of the Bout of Books Read-A-Thon 4.0, and I’m having a blast! This post is my entry for the Book Spine Poetry mini-challenge hosted by Smash Attack Reads!

Honestly, I probably wouldn’t have entered this challenge… but I just finished reading Slammed by Colleen Hoover (review will be posted next week) and was inspired by it, as well as the other entries! You can follow the Bout of Books Read-A-Thon on Twitter using the #boutofbooks hashtag.

OK, here goes… I had way more fun than I thought I would completing this challenge. I’m kind of proud of myself, I hope you like it!

I used 12 books, and 11 extra words. WOOT, challenge met!

I can’t wait to read all the Book Spine Poetry challenge entries! I have a feeling I won’t be getting much reading done today for this read-a-thon, as I’ll be stalking the challenge page.

This sounds like a great, creepy mystery! It’s been on my TBR list for a while. I hope to read it soon!

Have you seen any good book trailers recently?