I'm a hopeless book addict. I often find it hard to stick to one book at a time (though it does happen on occassion) as I am always looking out for that next great read. I also have yet to meet a bookstore that I haven't liked...or that I've been able to walk out of without buying at least one book.
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To see which blogs I follow and recommend then click on view my complete profile.
If you are an author or publisher and you have a book you'd like me to review, send me an email at Irisheyz_5 AT yahoo DOT com and let me know a bit about the book.
I do own a Nook named Alistair Wayland (Alis for short) and he too is happy to accept your book for review. I also can read ebooks via my apps on my ip@d (which is currently in need of a name) - available apps are nook, kindle, overdrive and bluefire.
First Line: At a normal high school, having class outside on a gorgeous May day is usually pretty awesome.
Before I say anything about the plot of Demonglass I just have to draw everyone's attention to the cover. I absolutely love it. Its just so perfect and eye catching and really fits into the story that is inside it. And oh...wow...what a story! As Demonglass was book 2 in a trilogy I really wasn't expecting much from it. Book twos generally don't live up as there is no build up or big climatic moment that ends the series. Book twos are usualy just a transition a way to flesh out the characters a little more and add in a few teasers to the grand finale but that's about it. This isn't the case with Demonglass.
The book starts just a few months after the events of Hex Hall with a scene that really sets the pace for the rest of the book...which is just none stop. This book introduces a bunch of new characters, including Sophie's absentee father, as she is whisked away to London in order to explore her powers and to see if she really wants to go through with her decision that she was so adament on at the end of Hex Hall. I really loved the interactions between Sophie and her dad. They both share a special brand of sarcasim that just makes you giggle aloud.
There is also a bit of a mystery that is going on and as with most book twos hints about what is to come in the third and final book. All of which give me ideas on what I think might happen. Although I will not be upset if Rachel Hawkins manages to surprise me with a few twists and turns because she is a whiz at those. Its all these little twists that help breath fresh air into a book two and makes the reader speed through the pages to rush to the end to see what happens. And oh my g*d what an ENDING!! I have said it on Twitter and in my Friday Fragment post for Demonglass but I'll say it here as well. Rachel Hawins is EVIL. I can NOT believe that is how she ended this book!! Like I said I have a rough idea of where some things might be going with the final book but I still can't believe the cliff hanger that she left us with in this one. Endings like this should be criminal! Especially since there is an entire YEAR to wait until the third book is released. Yes I know that it could be worse and it could be YEARS plural....but I don't want to wait!!! I really need to know what happens NOW.
I liked Hex Hall and if you liked that book then you are going to love Demonglass because Hawkins takes the bones of that story and builds something pretty magnifiient in this book that just really blows Hex Hall away. This series is one of the better paranormals out there and I strongly suggest that you run out and read it.
Publisher: Crown Publishing
Source: received from publisher for review
Publication Date: 29 March 2011
Series or Standalone: Series
ISBN: 0517580519
Format: Paperback (ARC)
Pages: 768
Websites: Jean Auel - Official Site
Jean Auel - Blog
Jean Auel - Twitter
Place(s) Traveled to: Prehistoric Times
Earth Children Series Order
Book 1 - The Clan of the Cave Bear
Book 2 - The Valley of Horses
Book 3 - The Mammoth Hunters
Book 4 - The Plains of Passage
Book 5 - The Shelter's of Stone
Book 6 - The Land of Painted Caves
First Line: The band of travelers walked along the path between the clear sparkling water of Grass River and the black-streaked white limestone cliff, following the trail that paralleled the right bank.
Reviewed by: Jen Vaughn
The book that I have waited a century for - book six - the proposed final chapter - is finally completed and lieing atop a box of its series mates. Though the book was well written and as exsqusitely crafted as the rest of the Earth's Children series I am left less than satisfied. My expectations were not met and my anticipation seems to have been too extreme for the reality. The book begins with a lovely into back into the Ice Age world of Ayla, Jondalar, and the rest of the Zelandonii of the Ninth Cave. A summary is given without it reading as a "previously on" introduction to television drama. Then we begin learning of Ayla's training as an acolyte which was the promise of the last paragraph of book five. Then we begin the tour of painted caves which becomes amazingly redundant and repetative: They approach a cave of weird people who are frightened by the approaching group which contains wild animals. Introductions are made and greetings are warm. They sacred cave is toured - look dots, a hand print, a mamoth, a cave lion, a cave bear, an auroch. And as much as I love "The Mother's Song" I am tired of reading it. Then the journey continues. Then years pass and they return home. Oh no - Ayla and Jondalar won't communicate and their tie may be severed. Oh, Ayla's guilt at being a working mother. Once part three comes and the book begins to get exciting and I think "this is what I was waiting for" it ends. I am left with unanswered questions and a feeling of less than total satisfaction.
I stumbled onto this meme over at Bermudia Onion's Blog and thought that I would give it a go. Not sure if I'll do it ever week but we'll see.
Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Alyce of At Home With Books. It’s easy to participate – just post a picture that was taken by you, a friend, or a family member and add your link on Alyce’s site.
Click to embiggen if you desire
This photo has been my computers wallpaper almost since the moment I took it in May 2008. This was taken at sunset towards the end of my trip to Aruba and there was just something about how the light was coming through the palms over the cabana that just made me raise my camera and snap a quick pic. I have many wonder pics from that trip but this is one of my favorites. It also brings up memories of fun in the sun every time I turn on my computer - which comes in handy on days like today when its 30 deg F out. What happened to spring?
For those who view via a reader that strips out the video you can click here to see on YouTube or copy and paste this URL into your browser: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYOxRqD-zFQ
I hope you enjoyed this weeks fragment...see you next week!
Was a little bored and so thought that I would vlog. Here is the result
For those who view via a reader that strips out the video you can click here to see on YouTube or copy and paste this URL into your browser: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGP1uJcbozM
For those who view via a reader that strips out the video you can click here to see on YouTube or copy and paste this URL into your browser: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mh1hVtpZ-54
I hope you enjoyed this weeks fragment...see you next week!
Congratulations Meghan....or should I call you Goneril now? I'll be contacting you soon and will try and get your prize pack out to you next week. And since by now everyone who reads my blog should know of my love of graphs here is a visual representation of the Shakespearean names that the people who entered would prefer not to be named....
Welcome to the latest edition of Fragment Friday, a weekly meme hosted by James from Book Chic Club where we vlog a small snippet from a current read. This weeks excerpt is from Kat, Incorrigible by Stephanie Burgis which will be released on 05 April 2011 from Atheneum which is an imprint of Simon & Schuster.
For those who view via a reader that strips out the video you can click here to see on YouTube or copy and paste this URL into your browser: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxYDa_8xV_k
I hope you enjoyed this weeks fragment...see you next week!
This past Saturday I had the great joy of attending Kim Harrington's launch party for her debut novel, Clarity. I arrived early and picked up a copy of the book (good thing too since the store sold out of all 80 copies!) and then met some friends (Ariane, Dani B, Dani J, Jen & Nikki) for lunch at Chipolte. While there Jen and I broke out into the Narwal song...and introduced Dani J and Nikki to it since they've never heard it before. We then headed back to Tatnuc where Kim was already there meeting and greeting everyone and just glowed with happiness. Tatnuc has a great event room where Kim's launch was held and we all spent some time meeting and greeting various bloggers and local authors who showed up.
Kim Harrington with Leigh Fallon (Carrier of the Mark, Sep 2011) & Karsten Knight (Wildefire, July 2011)
I think that Kim, Leigh and Karsten had a good 7 or 8 people taking their picture at this moment...it was a real paparazzi moment and the first of many. It was fun talking books with them all and listening to Leigh's accent (she's a native of Ireland). Kim's editor, Aimee Friedman (author of Sea Change, The Year My Sister Got Lucky & others) also made the trip up from New York for the event. I've chatted with Aimee numerous times on Twitter and it was really great getting to meet her in person.
Aimee Friedman & Kim Harrington
We were then all called to order and told to pipe down (although in a much nicer way) and Kim was introduced by Nikki Mutch, who is the local sales rep for Scholastic.
Nikki introducing Kim
Kim then took the podium and told the crowd (and there was a crowd - there was standing room only!!) a little bit about her journey to being a published author. Starting out from a young age with a real love of books as shown by a picture her parents had blown up. They had wanted to have it on display the entire time while she was signing...but she nixed that idea. But she did show it off to the room and I managed to grab a photo.
Kim showing off a pic of little Kim
Then Kim talked a bit about her childhood and her interests (including a strange obsession with sharks) and how she channeled that love into writing. She also talked about her journey to getting published (and all its ups and downs)...she had the audience laughing one more than one occasion and you can hear it all in the video below.
For those who view via a reader that strips out the video you can click here to see on YouTube or copy and paste this URL into your browser: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJTlHUHJU7M
Kim then did a short reading from Clarity which can be seen here:
For those who view via a reader that strips out the video you can click here to see on YouTube or copy and paste this URL into your browser: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEfUY0DWfGk
After the reading there was a Q&A session which I've done my best to capture below. As always any errors in the text are entirely my own.
What's the inside joke? (This is the result of something Kim said while reading)
The girl who was murdered had a hard last name to pronounce in the original version of the story and so it needed to be changed. She was going over possible names with her good friend Susan. When Susan said "Kill me!" So Kim did, by using her friends name.
How did you learn to write a book?
You learn by trying and doing & you just keep writing. Some agents will help develop story/craft. Kim read as much as she could about writing since she didn't go to school for it. Kim also read a lot of books to see things she liked and what didn't work for her in stories. In the end though it just comes down to lots & lots of practice writing.
Are you ever going to release those short stories you wrote?
Probably not gonna release the short stories as they are all horrifically violent.
Who is your favorite author?
YA - Aimee Friedman, Kimberly Derting, Lisa McMann, and John Green
Adult - Harlon Coban (he is a master of pacing) and Lisa Unger
How much of Clarity is Kim?
People who know Kim well will recognise her sarcasm in Clare and how she hates smell of seafood but that's about it. Until someone yelled from the back about drinks coke for breakfast. To which Kim laughed, agree and said...ok so also all of Clare's poor eating habits were also hers.
Did anything major change from first draft to the finished version?
Kim did a round of edits for her agent who wanted to see more about what Clare's life was like in school. Which then were taken out on the request of her editor. The reason for the crime also changed and in the original draft she had burned down Clare's house.
What book that's out now did you wish was available when you were a teen?
Would have loved Hunger Games as it would have appealed to her violent side. Kim also admitted to reading a lot of Steven King while growing up.
Who is the first to read a book when your done?
Mike (her husband) or susan are first to read when finish 1st draft. But only after she finishes it.
Is there any particular song that represents Clarity?
Kim mentioned a few others but I wasn't able to transcribe them in time. She said she had a full playlist which she would eventually put up on her website.
What are you working on now?
Right now she is working on the edits of Perception which is the sequel to Clarity (out March 2012) and she's also working on a standalone ghost story that will be out in the Fall of 2012.
Where the three books before Clarity YA?
One was YA, one was college and one was adult
How long does it take you to write?
It took her 9 months to write Clarity, and about the same for Perception as she was working on Clarity edits as she wrote it. Now she's writing her new book while working on Perception edits and thinks it will take roughly the same amount of time.
When you got you editorial letter where there any changes you didn't like?
Always. But before she does anything she reads it over and then let's it sit becuase first reactions can be strong. Sometimes she realizes that her editor is right and makes the changes. While other times she'll try something different to accomplish goal with similar result to what was suggested.
The last question came from Kim's son who didn't think it was fair that he has to wait until he is 12 to read Clarity. To which Kim pointed out that Scholastic rated it 14+ and so he should feel lucky that she was only making him wait until 12. This made him pout and the rest of us laugh. Later on while I was talking to him he may have let slip what he knew about Perception's cover....although not plot details...Kim's husband when asked was also not very helpful on that front. Since the son seems easier to crack I may have to try and bribe him with cupcakes and teach him some hacking skills so he can email me a copy. A blogger can hope, right?
After the Q&A Kim sat down and started to sign....the line never seemed to end either!!
But no one seemed to mind the wait because there was cake (along with coffee & hot chocolate):
Along with tarot card readings
Along with lots of great conversations to keep everyone entertained. It was a really fun event and I had a great time. Here are some more pictures from the day:
You know you are a rock star when you sign someone's shirt
Some of us had some shirts made up to support Kim's launch...this is a group shot
Kim and I
Now that I've you've made it this far in the post I have a treat for you...because while the store did sell out of books I was able to get one signed by Kim before they did and I am going to give this copy to one of you. To enter just
Yesterday I posted my review of the absolutely fabulous Sean Griswold's Head which I can't recommend enough. My review is a bit of a gush fest but would love for you to check that out and leave a comment if you have the time. (click here for my review) =) Today I continue on with the Teen Book Scene Blog Tour with an interview with Lindsey Leavitt. I've been chatting with her on Twitter and she is so supper sweet - you should all go follow her there now (@lindsey_leavitt). Now on to the interview...
GFY: First off…tell us a little about you?
LL: I’m lousy at “about me paragraphs” So here’s a little game from Sean Griswold's Headcalled three things—Two are a lie. One isn’t.
--I cut my own hair until I was 25. Then I went to a hair salon and got a scalp massage and it was all over.
--My nickname when I was thirteen was Lindsey Table (maiden name Taylor). Figure it out. Not my favorite memory.
--I have three sons, and our house is splattered with mud and sports memorabilia. Those rowdy boys love to have burping contests. Their names are Hank, Hans, and Han…over.
GFY: Hmm...what say you readers which one is the truth?
Please describe Sean Griswold's Head in as few words as possible. (Bonus points if you can do it in 5 words or less!)
LL: Gotta go with the tagline…
What if the love of your life was literally right in front of you?
GFY: When you finish writing a book who reads it first?
LL: I’ll send some parts to writing friends, mostly to check that the concept is good and the voice works. Or, if I’m struggling with a scene, I’ll send it out for help. But usually, my agent and/or editor is the first one to see the first draft. Oh, and I have a couple of teen beta readers who I LOVE.
GFY: Which line do you find more difficult to write? The first or the last?
LL: The first. I always rewrite my first chapters a million times. By the time I get to the ending, I’ve had that scene play out in my head for months so the final line usually stays.
GFY: When you write, which comes first title, plot or character(s)?
LL: Oh wow. Um, all? None? Depends? Sean Griswold's Head started with the title, very quickly followed by the main character, Payton. Her traits really directed where the plot went.
Thanks Lindsey for stopping by and I can't wait to check out your other series and re-read Sean Griswold's Head.
First Line: Nothing creates a buzz like an Executive Deluxe day planner.
I wasn't really sure what to expect when I first heard about Sean Griswold's Head by Lindsey Leavitt. I thought it could be this cute light read but didn't think it was going to be anything special. The main reason why I asked to be part of the tour was because its part of The Contemps Challenge. Let me just say it now, this book far exceeded my expectations. I read it in a single sitting because once I started I just couldn't put it down! I fell in love with Payton from the very first page when she started talking about her love of organization...specifically...of planners. This was a girl after my own heart.
Then toss in her zany, totally opposite in personality friend Jac and you get this great yin-yang mix. Jac and Payton each work really well together playing up their strengths and working on their weaknesses. Where Payton can be a bit shy and bookish, Jac isn't afraid to go out and belt out a song on stage. Payton helps to keep Jac grounded and Jac helps Payton to fly. I just LOVED the scenes with the two of them together and I often found myself laughing aloud at their antics.
What I also loved about Sean Griswold's Head was that there were parents!!! Two loving and involved parents who Payton is close to as well as brothers that both adore and annoy her. But her parents aren't perfect as in the very beginning Payton's world comes crashing down when she learns that her dad has Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and has known for months but her entire family has been keeping the secret from her. Payton who was always so close to her dad takes the news hard and has intense feelings of betrayal and so for the first time in her life she starts to act out giving him the silent treatment. This leads her to her schools guidance counselor who tells her she needs a focus object to help her deal and that is where Sean Griswold comes into play. Or rather...his head.
Sean Griswold is someone Payton has known all her life and for most of it he's sat in front of her. But she never really paid much attention to him until she started to use him as her focus object. With the help of Jac, Payton starts to stalk research Sean and in the process starts to become closer to him. I fell in love with the character of Sean, he was just so sweet and adorable that you just wish more guys in real life had his qualities. His scenes with Payton were so beautifully written that their relationship dances before your eyes.
But I think what I loved most about this book was the story. How it was written. Sean Griswold's Head is this great mix of serious and funny. One moment you are laughing at Jac dressed in a trench coat and dark glasses and the next your heart is breaking as Payton witnesses her dad suffering from a symptom of MS. This is a book that can make you laugh and cry with each turn of the page. Its a real emotional roller coaster but its never too much of either instead its this perfect blend of both. I really enjoyed Leavitt's writing style and so easily became lost in the world that she created. So while at the start I wasn't sure about this book it wasn't long before I became a horrible book bully for it. I have recommend this one all over twitter and now I am recommending it to all of you. I couldn't get enough of this story and I hated for it to end. This book taught me to not judge a book by its plot because the world that is contained in the pages can far exceed a few bland paragraphs. Sean Griswold's Head turned me into an instant fan of Lindsey Leavitt and I hope to get to her other series soon.
Welcome to the latest edition of Fragment Friday, a weekly meme hosted by James from Book Chic Club where we vlog a small snippet from a current read. This weeks excerpt is from Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins which was released on 01 Mar 2011 from Disney Hyperion.
For those who view via a reader that strips out the video you can click here to see on YouTube or copy and paste this URL into your browser: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qx_CGbx9Vs8
I hope you enjoyed this weeks fragment...see you next week!
How are you on this fabulous day? I hope life is treating you well. If not, then perhaps my latest contest will help. This past weekend I happened to head out to Panache Coffee for the paperback release of Erin Dionne's The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet. It was great chatting with Erin and learning how to make origami pigs (not to mention how the coffee there was DELISH!!). At the end of the event Erin gave me a really cool looking t-shirt and a signed copy of her book to give away....how awesome is that?!?
For those who haven't heard of Total Tragedy you can check out the trailer here:
For those who view via a reader that strips out the video you can click here to see on YouTube or copy and paste this URL into your browser: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_sHgpTWcEs
Doesn't that just sound fun? Now here are visuals of what you will win:
Front of shirt (Text = Shakespeare is my homeboy), signed copy of book & origami pig folded by Erin herself!
Front of shirt (Text = To die or not to die of utter mortification)
I love this shirt and wish I could win it myself! But since I can't and I know that you want to its really easy to enter just fill out the form by following the link below:
Have extra books? Why not send them to our troops?
Click the image about to be directed to www.booksforsoldiers.com and learn how you can clean off your bookshelf and help out our men and women in the military at the same time.
Top Girls in Books for 2012 (in order of "meeting")
1. Jade Lansing from Witch Eyes by Scott Tracey 2. Riley from Witch Eyes by Scott Tracey 3. Minerva Highwood from A Week to be Wicked by Tessa Dare 4. Ana from Incarnate by Jodi Meadows
Top Guys in Books for 2012 (in order of "meeting")
1. Braden Michaels from Witch Eyes by Scott Tracey 2. Trey Lansing from Witch Eyes by Scott Tracey 3. Colin Sandhurst from A Week to be Wicked by Tessa Dare 4. Sam from Incarnate by Jodi Meadows
which will be available on 10 May 2011 from 
which will be released on 05 April 2011 from 
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(out 29 Mar 2011)
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