Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. It’s awesome. Every Tuesday, the lovely folks over at The Broke and the Bookish post a top ten list topic so that book lovers like you and me can pour over our shelves and make our own lists. You can check out all the other Top Ten Tuesday‘s on their site!
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Recommend A… is a SUPER meme hosted by Shanyn from Chick Loves Lit that lets us get a little random, and a little off the radar. I LOVE IT.
I think the hardest part of choosing this week’s recommendation is picking just one author to start with! After much thought and back and forth, I’m going with Morgan Matson. I know, I know. She’s only written two books, but they were both outstanding. Emotional, well-written, sometimes fun, sometimes sad, always heartfelt. I think that if you love Morgan’s books, you’d also totally love…
Specifically, her Summer series. The story of Belly and the Fischer boys is emo, broody, sweet, sad, and AWESOME. Plus it’s got the bonus of a beach town, a triangle that isn’t irritating at all, and a real sense of…reality, I guess. There are lots of things in the Summer series that ring true–not everything, but lots of things. The tone of Jenny Han’s books would be perfect for fan of Morgan Matson!
So, friends, the readathon is over. Alas, I only finished a book (TEXAS GOTHIC) and a half (THE HALLOWED ONES), but I kind of did the readathon on a whim and planned very little. Next time it’s ON. I’m not sure about the whole 24 hours, though I’m definitely game to try!
Which hour was most daunting for you?
Probably the one where I fell asleep for good: about 1 am. I just couldn’t keep my eyes open AT ALL.
Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?
I think I’m going to keep is short and sweet next time. Maybe some graphic novels, too. I could get down with that.
Which book did you enjoy most?
Honestly, I really enjoyed TEXAS GOTHIC, and THE HALLOWED ONES kept me up quite frankly longer than I thought I could manage. They are/were both pretty legit.
Which did you enjoy least?
Liked ’em both! Well, I am so far. Not finished with THE HALLOWED ONES yet. Today. Amish vampires and football. Recipe for winning.
How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again?
For sure! I’m going to do it up BIG next time!
In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren. It’s awesome. Every week, we all get a chance to tell everyone what new books we’ve gotten so that we can tell you guys and we can all drool and squee together! Huzzah for squees! Stacking the Shelves is another weekly meme hosted by Tynga at Tynga’s Reviews. They’re both awesome memes and I love meeting all of you through them!
Got a big pile of MGs this week guys and I. AM. STOKED.
FOR REVIEW
A Thunderous Whisper by Christina Diaz Gonzalez
Guys, I’m pretty jazzed about reading this middle grade, friends. It’s about a young girl living in Guernica during the Spanish Civil War. If the name Guernica sounds familiar to you, maybe that’s because Picasso has a pretty famous painting of the bombing of that town, where the town is basically destroyed and tons of people died. So…there’s that. Also, spies. And a couple of young kids who sound brave and awesome. I’m going to be reviewing and blog touring for this one over on Bookalicious.org in November.
The Invisible Tower: The Otherworld Chronicles #1 by Nils Johnson-Shelton
In which an Arthurian legend-based video game COMES TO LIFE (I KNOW) and a young kid named Artie finds out that he is the modern incarnation of KING ARTHUR. Guys, there are dragons and Excalibur and Merlin in this book.
Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage
This MG about a young Southern girl is kind of right up my alley. I LOVE books set in the South almost as much as I love books set in places that I know, and Moses LoBeau sounds like one of those sassy, smart young girls that I love to cheer on. Also, her bff is named after Dale Earnhardt. LOVE IT.
The Cloak Society by Jeramy Kraatz
Umm, did someone say “elite group of supervillains”? YES PLEASE. This book is about superheroes and the villains they have defeated. That’s right. The MC, Alex, is junior bad guy in The Cloak Society who wants nothing more than to become a grown-up bad guy and use his telekinesis to do bad things. Of course, he befriends a girl from the good side–The Rangers of Justice! God, I love a good league of superheroes–and begins to question everything.
Jake and Lily by Jerry Spinelli
This sounds like a super cute MG contemp about two twins, Jake and Lily, and the summer they turn 11, when they start hanging out with other people and dealing with some things. In a humorous, heartwarming way, though. I know I’ve mentioned before that I love reading about brothers and sisters, so I’m looking forward to this one for sure.
Summer of the Gypsy Moths by Sara Pennypacker
Friends, give me a book set in a beach town and I’m pretty much in. The fact that this book takes place on Cape Cod is double exciting because I love Cape Cod. It’s so pretty there. This one is about a young girl named Stella who’s living with her Great Aunt while her mother “finds herself” and she befriends a girl there. I’m looking forward to this one, too.
BOUGHT
Sean Griswold’s Head by Lindsey Leavitt. Guys, I’ve already read this book and adored it and the way it surprised me. So when it was the kindle daily deal yesterday, I snatched it right up. This is one of those YA contemps that is so much more than you think it will be. This cover up here is the paperback cover. Which is ok. But props for the kids actually LOOKING like the main characters, and I think it’s sweet that he’s kissing her head. ANYWAY, read this one, friends.
NETGALLEY
Velvet by Mary Hooper (November 13, 2012 from Bloomsbury). Victorian historical fiction! This one is about a seamstress in Victorian London (I think) who gets hired by a famous medium. Dangerous things ensue. Sounds good!
Hope you guys love what you got in your mailboxes, too!
Friends, the October Dewey’s 24-Hour Readathon is somewhere near its halfway point. I’ve finished only one book, but I’m a slow reader. And I took pauses to eat, clean myself, nap, and have my morning coffee. I’m enjoying myself though! And my first book, TEXAS GOTHIC by Rosemary Clement Moore, was pretty legit.
Next up, I’m digging into THE HALLOWED ONES by Laura Bickle. I’m hoping for some creepiness and Amish flyness. In the meantime, half-time questions!
1) How are you doing? Sleepy? Are your eyes tired?
Well, I might be a touch sleepy by now if I hadn’t actually napped for about an hour and a half earlier this afternoon. So no, right now I’m good.
2) What have you finished reading?
Only TEXAS GOTHIC. Readathon slacker! (Although not for a want of trying!)
3) What is your favorite read so far?
Hmm…maybe I should have waited a little longer to answer these questions. Although TEXAS GOTHIC was really great. I’m annoyed with myself for taking so long to read it. Seriously. Ghosts, witches, COWBOYS, Texas…I really don’t know why I was sitting on this one.
4) What about your favorite snacks?
I’m about to go make myself a cup of coffee and have some homemade apple crisp. Warm, obviously. Warm, I can devour apple desserts. Cold, EEW I can’t even.
5) Have you found any new blogs through the readathon? If so, give them some love!
Alas, not yet, but that will change soon! My girl April is killing it, though. And Allison, too. They’re old pros at this readathon business.
So, that’s where I am guys. One book down! Back to the reading!
It’s true. I’ve never done a readathon before, even though I can’t exactly imagine why because I LOVE reading and I LOVE being able to hunker down and plow through some books. But Dewey’s October Readathon sounds like just the thing right now. I have to admit that the 24 hours business is daunting, though, because I am basically tired all the time, but whatevs. I’m giving it a go. I’m only going to pick 5 books and see how far I get. Although I can tell you right now that MAYBE I’ll finish two. Also, it’s highly likely that I’ll stop for a nap sometime. But a girl can dream, right? So, here we go!
Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement Moore
Just started this one actually, so I’m keeping it on my Readathon list because I want to finish it. Also, ghosts and cowboys and TEXAS FOREVER. I’m kind of loving it right now.
The Hallowed Ones by Laura Bickle
Amish vamps? OF COURSE, I WILL! I have heard so many good things about this book. I’m looking forward to reading something perhaps a little creepyish in time for Halloween!
The Lost Prince (The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten #1) by Julie Kagawa
Because Julie Kagawa writing more fairy books? Definitely reading it. Also, little Ethan Chase is all shirtless on the cover. It’s hard not to be intrigued.
The Mark of Athena (Heroes of Olympus #3) by Rick Riordan
Psh, I can almost guarantee that I am not going to finish this book. It’s like 600 pages long. But it’s the continuing saga of one PERCY JACKSON, and even if I don’t finish it today (or, you know, start it even), it’s going down soon.
It’s In His Kiss (Bridgertons #7) by Julia Quinn
Guys, I LOVE the Bridgertons. I’m sad that I’m on book 7 of 8! But then I can jump into some other hot historical romances, too, and I’m always a fan of that. This 7th book is about Hyacinth, the youngest of the lot.
Let’s see how we do, friends!
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. It’s awesome. Every Tuesday, the lovely folks over at The Broke and the Bookish post a top ten list topic so that book lovers like you and me can pour over our shelves and make our own lists. You can check out all the other Top Ten Tuesday‘s on their site!
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In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren. It’s awesome. Every week, we all get a chance to tell everyone what new books we’ve gotten so that we can tell you guys and we can all drool and squee together! Huzzah for squees! Stacking the Shelves is another weekly meme hosted by Tynga at Tynga’s Reviews. They’re both awesome memes and I love meeting all of you through them!
I’m off today to attend Oktoberfest with my family (as in, we create and host our own and it’s basically THE BOMB), but I wanted to share these goodies with you guys!! Because I’m excited.
NETGALLEY
Navigating Early by Clare Vanderpool (January 8, 2013 from Delacorte). I have to confess that I still have not read Clare Vanderpool’s Newbery Award-winning MOON OVER MANIFEST. But there’s not much in this book that doesn’t sound super to me, and I’m always on the lookout for great middle grades! So, after WWII, there are these two boys at a school in Maine and one of them sounds a little odd. But they become friends and wind up going on this journey on the Appalachian Trail (a portion of which runs through my town) together.
Splintered by A.G. Howard (January 1, 2013 from Amulet Books). I will admit here and now that I’m not the hugest fan of Alice in Wonderland. It was always a little too weird for me. But I can appreciated oddities, friends, and SPLINTERED sounds like it takes the Alice in Wonderland business in a new direction: by keeping it in the family of the girl who inspired Alice from the books, and making her ability to hear flowers and bugs talking to her a curse that runs in her family, all the way down to Alyssa, our MC.
BOUGHT
Through to You by Emily Hainsworth. Woot! So excited to have this one, friends, because I’ve been waiting on it for awhile now. It just sounds so twisty and intense and emotional: a story about a guy whose girlfriend dies, only for him to discover a parallel world in which she has not died at all. I’m looking forward to this debut for sure!
The Mark of Athena: The Heroes of Olympus #3 by Rick Riordan. Friends, I adore Rick Riordan. His middle grade series about Greek, Roman, and Egyptian mythologies are pretty stellar and they have given the world one of the very best heroes in children’s literature, in my opinion: Percy Jackson. This book features the reunion of Percy and his Camp Half-Blood friends, including his gf, Annabeth. The book is humungous–it’s over 600 pages long–but I have no doubt that it’s going to be full of action, heart, and drama.
Hope you guys love what you got in your mailboxes, too!
Title: The Other Normals
Author: Ned Vizzini
Genre: Fantasy YA, Contemporary YA, gaming
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Release date: September 25, 2012
Source: ARC from the publisher
Summary: The Other Normals centers on 15-year-old Peregrine “Perry” Eckert, who’s seriously obsessed with an uber-dorky role-playing game called Creatures & Caverns. Concerned about his stunted social skills and need for fresh air, Perry’s parents decide to ship him off to summer camp to become a man. He anticipates the worst summer of his life until he arrives at camp and stumbles into the World of the Other Normals, a place where his nerdy childhood may serve him well — but not without connecting with the real world first.
Aka, the most awesome guest post ever because NED CODED IT FOR ME. I mean, honestly. Anyway, Ned’s about to give us all a rundown of his experiences with Dungeons & Dragons. Preview: It’s kind of awesome.
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The most important part of the Dungeons & Dragons manual, which has been sold with the game for almost 40 years, is the part that gives an example of how to play:
[taken from the AD&D Player’s Handbook 2nd Edition]
This is how all my Dungeons & Dragons games actually went:
So I didn’t have a ton of teenaged D&D experience before I wrote my new book The Other Normals:
But I do have an adult D&D story.
It happened at the Park Slope Food Coop, the world-famous cooperative supermarket in Brooklyn, which is a terrible place to be associated with or even to have heard of — but I have an excuse because I grew up near it.
The Food Coop works on a membership basis. To be a member (and get access to the coop’s fresh, organic, inexpensive food) you have to do two hours and forty-five minutes of work there every month.
I volunteered one month to be a cashier, which was tough. You may think that the person who bags and rings up your groceries has an easy gig, but do YOU know the difference between mustard greens and chard? And can YOU select one or the other of these items in .05 seconds on a touch screen while dozens of people are waiting to buy their Amy’s microwave meals?
And then there are the lulls… periods when no one is buying anything and you’re bored out of your skull… To get through these times, I brought the Monstrous Manual to the cash register.
A woman came up with some chard and noticed the book.
“Do you play?”
I was confused. No woman had ever asked me about D&D before.
“Uh, not really… I just like the books…”
“My husband runs games. You should come play with him!”
Two weeks later I was at an apartment in Park Slope with five other guys who had been playing for years. Their level of employment ran from the “gigs” section of Craigslist to corporate law. The leader, Bryson, who was our dungeon master, taught preschool and said of his students: “Four-year-olds are just mean. Two-year-olds want to play with poop, three-year-olds are silly… but four-year-olds are treacherous.”
This was the group I should have found when I was younger. Our games were fun and they moved briskly — even though my characters died a lot. I would name characters things like “Bryshnnkim” that were selected by Samuel Stoddard’s Fantasy Name Generator. That annoyed Bryson and he’d drop lizard carcasses on me and kill me.
I’ll never forgot the day I was playing when I got the phone call.
It was Los Angeles. Someone I was working with was asking me, basically: what happened to your novel?
I had been working on this novel that seemed really exciting at the time, but it was becoming unusable. My career was in a lull that put the Food Coop to shame. I was treading water, wasting time… and on top of all that I was playing D&D!
I had to hide these truths on the call, of course. I said everything was fine and the novel was coming along great. But as I put my phone back in my pocket, I noticed that Bryson & company were staring at me. I’d taken the call in the kitchen and spent the entire time pacing in circles, flexing and clenching my fingers.
“Are you okay?”
“I… uh… I should go… I shouldn’t be playing right now. I have things to do.”
I got my coat and went to the door. There were some unappreciative hoots from my fellow players, but as I left, I’ll never forget what Bryson said. He said it to me quietly, just before I left.
“If things are messed up or whatever, you know, you can tell me. I don’t just play D&D with you. You’re my friend.”
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Thank you, Ned! I do not know the difference between mustard greens and chard, but I DO recognize a sweet guest post when I see one! So glad to have you on the blog today!
Now, everyone go check out my review of Ned’s book, THE OTHER NORMALS, and enter my giveaway!
