Giveaway!

I Am a Reader Not a Writer

I'm very excited to announce that I am participating in my first ever Blog Hop giveaway! Since my birthday and the release of Fathomless by Jackson Pearce (who writes pretty awesome books!) fall on the same day during this Hop, I decided that I'll give away a copy.

Celia Reynolds is the youngest in a set of triplets and the one with the least valuable power. Anne can see the future, and Jane can see the present, but all Celia can see is the past. And the past seems so insignificant -- until Celia meets Lo.

Lo doesn't know who she is. Or who she was. Once a human, she is now almost entirely a creature of the sea -- a nymph, an ocean girl, a mermaid -- all terms too pretty for the soulless monster she knows she's becoming. Lo clings to shreds of her former self, fighting to remember her past, even as she's tempted to embrace her dark immortality.

When a handsome boy named Jude falls off a pier and into the ocean, Celia and Lo work together to rescue him from the waves. The two form a friendship, but soon they find themselves competing for Jude's affection. Lo wants more than that, though. According to the ocean girls, there's only one way for Lo to earn back her humanity. She must persuade a mortal to love her . . . and steal his soul.

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Olympics, surgery and more...

The Olympics:

Pretty awesome, huh? I've always loved watching them and was particularly excited for these games since they were in London (which I've considered home ever since I spent my first semester of college there).

Lots of awesome things happened... Michael Phelps is officially the most-decorated Olympian, the US Women's Gymnastics Team won the Gold, the flag flew away during the anthem when Serena Williams won her Gold Medal ("And the flag was still there"...except it wasn't), Usain Bolt, and many more.

I also have to say, in terms of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies... The Opening was a wee bit disappointing, though it did have some amazing moments (Queen Elizabeth and James Bond). Now, the Closing Ceremony... I LOVED it. I mean, The Spice Girls performed!!! I was so excited about that that I spent a lot of time squealing in anticipation. I also loved Russell Brand's performances. Very entertaining. And... Eric Idle. I think I must have watched the Indian dance portion of his performance dozens of times and laughed every time...

Overall, I had a fantastic couple of weeks watching the activities and am saddened that I have to wait 18 months for more.

Surgery:

Last week my mother had her rotator cuff repaired and she's finally in better spirits. The first week was incredibly stressful for both of us and I am incredibly thankful that things are more under control at the moment.

Blog Hops:

Starting in September I will be participating in Blog Hop giveaways sponsored by I Am A Reader Not A Writer and I am very excited to do so!

Well, that's all for now :)

The Ash-Born Boy is here!

It's May 15th! 

Not only does THE NEAR WITCH by Victoria Schwab come out in paperback TODAY, but, to celebrate its release, "The Ash-Born Boy" is finally up over at  Disney Hyperion's website!

So, what IS "The Ash-Born Boy"? 

It's a free story Victoria wrote as a thank-you to her fans, and she wrote it to answer ONE question: "Who was Cole before he came to Near?"

Now, if you've already read THE NEAR WITCH, "The Ash-Born Boy" is guaranteed to change the way you see Cole.

And if you haven't read THE NEAR WITCH yet, don't worry, "The Ash-Born Boy" won't spoil anything!

So basically, either way, you should go read Cole's story ;) 

And if you want to wait and read THE NEAR WITCH first, don't worry! Cole's story will stay up on Disney*Hyperion's website, and if it ever comes down, Victoria will carve out a space for it on her own site. It will always be available somewhere, and it will always be free. 

And! 

Cole's story isn't the only goodie to go along with the paperback release. In the back of the paperback itself, you'll find the first chapter of Victoria's new book, THE ARCHIVED, which doesn't come out until January!

So what are you waiting for? 

Help Victoria celebrate today by taking a look at "The Ash-Born Boy," and don't forget to buy/order/pick up your own paperback copy of THE NEAR WITCH!

It's been a while...

And nothing much is new. Figures. Mayville isn't really the most happening city...


Anyways, I just read an AMAZING book. It's called "The Fault in Our Stars" and is by John Green. It's a New York Times #1 Bestseller that Time Magazine called "damn near genius"...and it is. 


Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 12, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now. 

Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault. 

Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.


The book was real, it was gripping and it made me sob uncontrollably for at least 20 minutes.

In other news, I will be in Madison this coming weekend for an EPIC weekend. Well, if your definition of epic involves best friends, Wii dancing and some alcohol... then yes, definitely epic. Perhaps more to come on that...

Tomorrow there will be an exciting post for fans of "The Near Witch" by Victoria Schwab!

Sinusitis Sucks

This past week has been exhausting. I had to go to Urgent Care on Wednesday evening so I could get a prescription for antibiotics. The R.N. at Fast Care at the pharmacy told me she wouldn't give me anything for another week (really? By that time my sinus infection would have healed itself), so we drove to the hospital. I got my prescription and feel loads better already! It's hard to work with kids and keep a non-irritable disposition when your face/neck/ears/head are that sore...

On the same note, my mother came home ill on Friday and finally let me take her to the E.R. this morning. 4 hours and one massive sinus infection diagnosis later, I finally got home and could chill out for the first time this weekend. It's stressful being stressed about the health of a loved one!

Well, in other news, I read 2 books this week. I read Crossed by Ally Condie. It's the second book in a trilogy. I did enjoy the story but I find that her books just lack something. Parts of the book are intriguing while other aspects (i.e. the ending) just don't seem worth my time. Still, I'd recommend it for an easy read. The other book, or should I say novella, that I read was Lenobia's Vow by P.C. & Kristin Cast. I enjoyed it up until the end. The last 15 pages or so were just disappointing. They draw things out throughout the book and then all of a sudden they just resolve everything quickly (Build up/climax/destruction/hope, with the climax/destruction/hope happening in those last few pages). I just can't stand that in a book. If I invest my time reading something, I expect a little more...

And that's it for now...

The 84th Annual Academy Awards

Last night was my favorite night of the year! Overall, I thought the show was great. Billy Crystal is always an enjoyable host. His opening film montage was amusing and I appreciate that he's not an overly insulting host. As for the winners, I didn't think there were any big surprises. While I had hoped Viola Davis would win, Meryl Streep is always a deserving contender and I found myself incredibly happy for her 3rd win. I thought that the best three acceptance speeches of the night belonged to Octavia Spencer, Christopher Plummer and Meryl.

Now to the fashion! There were many wonderful fashion choices seen on the red carpet last night.

disHonorable mentions for Worst Dressed:

Rooney Mara in Givenchy. The top of the dress just seems off to me and it seems that I may one of the few people who didn't appreciate the dress. I'm not a fan of her style...
Stacy Keibler in Marchesa. It seemed too '80s to me with the big flower on her hip. Perhaps in a different color it might have worked for me..
Kristin Wiig  in J Mendel. She seems to pick this nude color a lot and it just does nothing for her.

Worst Dressed:

3.) Berenice Bejo in Elie Saab. It looks very messy.

2.)Melissa Leo in Reem Accra. It's just so blah.

1.) Shailene Woodley in Valentino Couture. Very matronly and outdated.

Honorable Mentions for Best Dressed:

Sandra Bullock in Marchesa. I love the black and white of the dress with the touches of sparkle. I think she tried something a little different and it worked.
Gwyneth Paltrow in Tom Ford. I love it's simplicity.
Milla Jovovich in Elie Saab Couture. I love the color. I love the sparkle. Beautiful!

Best Dressed:


3.) Michelle Williams in Louis Vuitton. Honestly, I hated this dress at first, with the exception of the color. It's grown on me and I really love it. The color is superb on her and the dress shows her personality.

2.) Jessica Chastain in Alexander McQueen. The dress is different and it works on her. I love the gold pattern on the black. It fits well and looks beautiful.

Octavia Spencer

1.) Octavia Spencer in Tadashi Shoji. She really works her shape. The dress is stunning and flattering. She's stepped it up with every award show this season and this was a great final dress!

Michelle Williams

Jessica Chastain

                                                                                                  

My Favorite Night of the Year, plus other things I'm looking forward to!

It's finally here! Yes, I'm talking about the Academy Awards. It's long been my favorite night of the year and I'm always looking forward to it. Who's going to win? What will everyone be wearing? Those are the questions that will finally be answered tonight. Two nights ago I actually found myself so nervous about the Oscars that my mother laughed and reminded me that "it's just an honor to be nominated"... not that I'm nominated. I just love movies and take the Oscars very seriously. I have my list of who I want to win and sometimes find myself disappointed if it doesn't happen (For the record: The Artist, Viola Davis, Jean Dujardin, Octavia Spencer, Christopher Plummer).

Anyways, after the Oscars are over later tonight, I'll have to find other things to look forward to. In fact, I already have a small list:

1.) March 23. I'm actually very, very excited for March 23 to come around. Why? THE HUNGER GAMES is in theaters that day and that was/is one of my favorite books. All you Twilight fans should just forget about being Team Edward or Jacob because the more important question is whether you're Team Peeta or Gale. What's so great about The Hunger Games is that it's appealing to both sexes. I mean, it's about 24 kids under the age of 18 fighting to kill while the rest of the country watches.... and there's a love triangle. Totally Unisex!

2.) This summer I will (hopefully) be accompanying my Aunt Nancy, Kyen and Soren on a road trip. Where to? Well, it happens to be some place I have ALWAYS wanted to go... Mount Rushmore. As of now the plan is to visit the Largest Ball of Twine in Darwin, MN and then work our way through to visit Sturgis, Deadwood and then finally see Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse. On the way home there might even be a stop at the Field of Dreams in Dyersville, Iowa. Who knows what else we could see and what other adventures we could get up to...

3.) The Summer Olympics in London. Yes, back when I lived in London in 2004 and they were competing to get the Olympics there (and then won their bid), I was convinced that I would be able to make it back to London for the games. Unfortunately, that won't happen but at least I will be able to watch them on the telly.

I'm going to leave my list at those three events for now, and i'll be back tomorrow with my thoughts on the Oscars!