Just an update to remind you that both my current contests' deadlines are comin' up fast! If you haven't had a chance to enter, now's the time... all you have to do in order to enter is comment :)
There has been an update on my swap page... if you would like to swap books with me, please {click here} to view available books for trade. I try to keep it updated often, but some things I post go pretty fast. Currently, the newest book for trade is Dream Journal.
. News and Happenings From Around the Blogosphere .
> Scholastics Inc: Laura Robb talks about how to organize and showcase your classroom library books @The Laura Robb Blog
> Peachtree Publishers on how to ask publishers for ARCs. Read their "Dear Publisher, an Introduction" response here @The World of Peachtree Publishers
> D.M Cunningham is hosting a Holloween Short Story Contest! Ends Oct. 15th. For more details visit The Literary Asylum
. In My Mailbox .
From Hastings:
Prom - Laurie Halse Anderson
Never Slow Dance with a Zombie - E. Van Low
Ophelia - Lisa Klein (second copy)
In the Mail:
Kiss Me Deadly: 13 Tales of Paranormal Love (Aug. '10)
. Debut Author Spotlight . Another Spotlight commin' right up! Like the last "Spotlight" featuring Anastasia Hopcu's debut novel, Shadow Hills? Let me hear your voice–comment! As for this next debut author, whose book actually came out last month, I wholeheartedly intended to buy her book but I couldn't actually find it at any of the bookstores :( I really wish they'd make more room for these kinds of books, instead they have a whole entire shelf dedicated to paranormal/vampire fiction (which is fine if you're into that genre). I hope this debut author's novel gets to grace my bookshelf soon!
ANGIE FRAZIER - Everlasting (June 1st, 2010)
Sailing aboard her father’s trade ship is all seventeen-year-old Camille Rowen has ever wanted. But as a girl of society in 1855 San Francisco, her future is set: marry a man she doesn’t love, or condemn herself and her father to poverty.
On her final voyage before the wedding, the stormy arms of the Tasman Sea claim her father, and a terrible family secret is revealed. A secret intertwined with a fabled map, the mother Camille has long believed dead, and an ancient stone that wields a dangerous—and alluring—magic.
The only person Camille can depend on is Oscar, a handsome young sailor whom she is undeniably drawn to. Torn between trusting her instincts and keeping her promises to her father, Camille embarks on a perilous quest into the Australian wilderness to find the enchanted stone.
Angie Frazier is a writer, mom, freelance editor, a good cook, and a horrible housekeeper. Angie’s debut novel, Everlasting, will be published in 2010 by Scholastic Press, and is a mixture of everything she loves in a good book: history, mystery, adventure, romance, and fantasy. Her middle grade novel, Suzanna Snow and the Mystery of the Midnight Tunnel, will be published in 2011. She lives in southern New Hampshire with her husband and their two daughters. - copied from Angie's Goodreads page
As you might have read in previous Reader Rally posts I went on a trip to Phoenix, Arizona in June. During my stay there I got to visit the Phoenix Downtown Public Library branch... it was huge! Five stories to be exact with the top floor dedicated to nonfiction, the 3rd magazines/archives, and half of the 4th floor is entirely for YA books! To me the most impressive floor is the 5th or maybe the archives room. Thought you guys would like to see some pictures:
(Left) See? Five stories! (Right) The very impressive-looking elevator. Click to view larger pictures.
(Left) A pictures I snapped while flipping through the pages of a 1950s Ladies Home Journal magazine in the archives room. (Right) The rows and rows of book in the fiction section.
. What's In My Mailbox .
Since I haven't had a IMM post in awhile there is a lot of books to show. Some of them I purchased while in Phoenix and others I got at Hastings (they are still having a summer reading sales booklet for kids/teens). I also got to go to the famous ⇒Changing Hands⇐ bookstore in Tempe, Arizona. The YA section was pretty big. Lots of used books :)
I've actually read Ruined, Faithful, and Song of the Sparrows all of which I loved! I have an extra copy of Pirates by Celia Rees as well as Faithful and Ruined. I wonder what I shall do with those....
Hey, guys! Another week of warm and sunny weather has just flew by. It seems a lot has been happening around the blogosphere with the 2010 BEA just finishing up. [Sigh] I wish I could have gone this year... but New York is so big and so far away–I haven't a clue where to start? Perhaps I'll have a bit more information or a friend to bring to the BEA next year. Hope you had a great Memorial Day weekend and a fun time at the BEA! Keep wishing big and happy reading...
. Debut Author Spotlight . I've been meaning to whip up a post about some debut authors I've been looking forward to reading or have already read this year. Have a debut author you're looking forward to reading? Tell me about it by leaving a comment or sending an email! Since I don't want to make the post extremely long, I'm going introduce one author every week or so. Here is my first pick:
ANASTASIA HOPCUS - Shadow Hills (July 13th, 2010)
Since her sister’s mysterious death, Persephone “Phe” Archer has been plagued by a series of disturbing dreams. Determined to find out what happened to her sister, Phe enrolls at Devenish Prep in Shadow Hills, Massachusetts—the subject of her sister’s final diary entry. After stepping on campus, Phe immediately realizes that there’s something different about this place—an unexplained epidemic that decimated the town in the 1700s, an ancient and creepy cemetery, and gorgeous boy Zach—and somehow she’s connected to it all. But the more questions she asks and the deeper she digs, the more entangled Phe becomes in the haunting past of Shadow Hills. Finding what links her to this town…might cost her her life.
Anastasia Hopcus wrote her first novel in 2nd grade. It was entitled Fredrick the Friendly French Ferret and was seven pages long. During high school she wrote numerous short stories and started (but never finished) three screen plays, all as an alternative to actual schoolwork. Anastasia loves horror movies, Joss Whendon, obsessing over music, and British accents. She lives in Austin, Texas.- taken from Hopcus's bio page
Hopcus has a really neat website for both herself and her book. I urge you to check it out at {www.anastasiahopcus.com} and {www.anastasiahopcus.com/ShadowHills} There has been a lot of positive reviews around the blogosphere (you can read excerpts from some blogs you may know/follow on Shadow Hill's website) and I've recently discovered a soft-spot for thriller stories after reading a bunch last summer/fall (i.e. The Uninvited, The Stone Child, Ruined, etc). You can also find the first chapter and the book trailer on Hopcus's website as well!
Hopcus is also hosting a contest over at her blog! Win a personalized sighed copy of Shadow Hills, some bookmarks, buttons, and a magnet OR a bunch of other great stuff! Contest ends June 10th.
. What's in My Mailbox? . Hey guys, hope you had a great week. I know I lot of you are probably taking finals this week... I wish you the best of luck! I've been gearing up for some summer blog tours and reviews these past couple of weeks. Also, AUTHORS WHO HAVE SENT ME BOOKS: I apologize. You are probably thinking I've completely forgotten about reviewing your books–I haven't. It's been a busy semester, but I will be getting to that looming to-read pile this summer! Hope you find some great books to read this week! And don't forget to stop off at your local library to sign up for their summer reading program :)
And Then I Found Out the Truth- Jennifer Sturman / for blog tour
(Really enjoyed the first book, And Then Everything Unraveled, which I read last summer)
&
I Now Pronounce You Someone Else - Erica McCahan / for review
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian - Sherman Alexie / from the library
(Thanks friends & fellow readers of Shelfari for convincing me to try this!)
&
Don't Cramp My Style: Stories about THAT Time of the Month - edited by Lisa Rowe Fraustino / from the library
➡Follow my reading progress on either Shelfari or Goodreads (everything is finally updated!) Go see what I'm currently reading.
. The Armchair BEA! .
Can't go to the BEA this year either? Don't fret, guess what? You can visit the BEA right from the comforts of your reading chair! Complete with chats about book related topics, interviews with book bloggers, and giveaways!
BEA starts Tuesday, May 25th! Check it out & spread the word! {www.armchairbea.com}
. Writer's Blok by Author Jackson Pearce .
Jackson Pearce, the author of As You Wish and Sister's Red (released next month), has created an awesome music video (using Ke$ha's Tik Tok tune) that talks about getting your book writing DONE! And after you've gotten yourself motivated, follow Jackson on YouTube {here}.
Reader Rally is a NEW feature on BLT that will help me spread the word about stuff happening on my blog, around the blog-o-sphere, or in the book industry! This is a original creation of Books and Literature for Teens and whas not taken from another blog or site.
