Today’s Bookanistas Review comes to you with a side dish of local author love. Jennifer Castle lives pretty darn close to me, so we get lots of opportunities to hang out at author and writer events together. Yay me!!!! I love Jennifer and adore her books. Today I’m reviewing YOU LOOK DIFFERENT IN REAL LIFE.

For the rest of the world, the movies are entertainment. For Justine, they’re real life.

The premise was simple: five kids, just living their lives. There’d be a new movie about them every five years, starting in kindergarten. But no one could have predicted what the cameras would capture. And no one could have predicted that Justine would be the star.

Now sixteen, Justine doesn’t feel like a star anymore. In fact, when she hears the crew has gotten the green light to film Five at Sixteen, all she feels is dread. The kids who shared the same table in kindergarten have become teenagers who hardly know one another. And Justine, who was so funny and edgy in the first two movies, feels like a disappointment.

But these teens have a bond that goes deeper than what’s on film. They’ve all shared the painful details of their lives with countless viewers. They all know how it feels to have fans as well as friends. So when this latest movie gives them the chance to reunite, Justine and her costars are going to take it. Because sometimes, the only way to see yourself is through someone else’s eyes.

Smart, fresh, and frequently funny, You Look Different in Real Life is a piercing novel about life in an age where the lines between what’s personal and what’s public aren’t always clear.

Kimberly’s Review of YOU LOOK DIFFERENT IN REAL LIFE:

I immediately developed a soft spot for Justine even though she’s a bit of a snarky character who has moments of being unlikable. I’m personally drawn to a character with that kind of dimension. Perhaps it’s because a flawed MC is comforting to me, I’m loaded with my own chips and cracks. Or maybe it’s the complexity of character that keeps me so interested. More likely a combination of both, which in my humble opinion is even better. Additionally, all of Castle’s supporting roles had range and depth of character that held my attention the whole way through.

But I have a favorite reason for loving this book. It made me think and rethink about reality television, particularly the role of media fame on children. In fact, I think I’m still digesting it, even though it’s been a few weeks since I turned the last page. What does it mean to grow up in the public eye of reality TV? This is a harder and harder question to answer as our media opportunities are casting an ever widening net.  Maybe watching Miley Cyrus, Brittany Spears, Amanda Bynes, and Lindsay Lohan, to name just a few, really illustrates why a book like this so important. It feels to me as if those young girls are the unreliable narrators in their own life story. We only see parts of their story and some of those pieces do not give us the complete picture we need. Castle’s book gives a deeper look into what can happened when a child’s life becomes too transparent.

YOU LOOK DIFFERENT IN REAL LIFE is a fabulous, richly-textured, thought provoking read that you shouldn’t miss.

YOU LOOK DIFFERENT IN REAL LIFE is available for purchase here…

*Barnes & Noble

*Amazon

*IndieBound

Jennifer Castle received her B.A. in Creative Writing at Brown University and worked as a celebrity publicist’s assistant, an advertising copywriter, and a struggling screenwriter (yes, that’s an actual job) before falling into a niche producing websites for kids and teens. Her first novel, THE BEGINNING OF AFTER, was a 2012 YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults selection as well as a Chicago Public Library “Best of the Best” book. Her most recent novel is YOU LOOK DIFFERENT IN REAL LIFE from HarperTeen–June 2013. She lives in New York’s Hudson Valley with her husband and daughters.

You can find out more about Jennifer Castle and her YA novels here…

*Jennifer’s Website

*Facebook

*Twitter

*Goodreads

*Tumblr

Want more fabulous Bookanistas Reviews? Your wish is my command…

• Lenore Appelhans is loving being on the edge with DANGEROUS GIRLS by Abagail Haas
• Shari Arnold is intrigued with SCARLETT by A.C. Gaughen
• Christine Fonseca is making a happy noise for THE INVISIBLE BOY by Trudy Ludwig
• Tracy Banghart is revealing the cover for her upcoming book, SHATTERED VEIL 
• Tracey Neithercott is crushing on SOLVING FOR EX by LeighAnne Kopans

Any thoughts on reality TV’s effect on today’s children? I personally think we have yet to see the full ramifications for the actors or the audience. What do you think? What should be changed? What is a positive that is often over looked? Do parents have a greater responsibility in this process? Lots to talk about with this one.

Tags: Book Review, Bookanistas, HarperTeen, Jennifer Castle, Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, You Look Different in Real Life

Comments

This month my Bookanistas Review is THE MOON AND MORE by Sarah Dessen. The great Sarah Dessen. The master of contemporary YA. I don’t need to review this book. It was awesome. But I want to add a little something. I want to talk about why Dessen’s novels strike a chord with her legion of readers. Her books are real and relatable. There are no fancy gimmicks to pull you in. You simply start reading and before you’ve realized it’s happened, you’ve dropped into the world of a real person. And you feel their feels. And that’s the key, isn’t it? Dessen makes you feel real things–and you become invested in her words and in her characters.

Read THE MOON AND MORE, but don’t just stop there. Read all of Dessen’s books. You won’t regret it.

Luke is the perfect boyfriend: handsome, kind, fun. He and Emaline have been together all through high school in Colby, the beach town where they both grew up. But now, in the summer before college, Emaline wonders if perfect is good enough.

Enter Theo, a super-ambitious outsider, a New Yorker assisting on a documentary film about a reclusive local artist. Theo’s sophisticated, exciting, and, best of all, he thinks Emaline is much too smart for Colby.

Emaline’s mostly-absentee father, too, thinks Emaline should have a bigger life, and he’s convinced that an Ivy League education is the only route to realizing her potential. Emaline is attracted to the bright future that Theo and her father promise. But she also clings to the deep roots of her loving mother, stepfather, and sisters. Can she ignore the pull of the happily familiar world of Colby?

Emaline wants the moon and more, but how can she balance where she comes from with where she’s going?

Sarah Dessen’s devoted fans will welcome this story of romance, yearning, and, finally, empowerment. It could only happen in the summer.

http://youtu.be/r84SvszclY4

Want to check out what the rest of the Bookanistas are reading? Here  you go…

• Kay Upperman is loving JUST ONE YEAR by Gayle Forman
• Christine Fonseca is delighted by BY BLOOD by Tracy Banghart
• Jessica Love is traveling with TIME AFTER TIME by Tamara Ireland Stone
• Nikki Katz is wow’d by THE SPECTACULAR NOW by Tim Tharp

What is your favorite contemporary YA novel? Why do you love it so much? Do you think YA Contemporary is making a revival?

Comments

I am so excited to share REMOVED (The Nogiku Series #1) by my wonderful friend S.J. Pajonas!!!!!

Duty knows no family. Love has no price. Secrets can cost you everything.

Twenty-year-old Sanaa Griffin, a sweet and smart half-Japanese girl, is about to get more than she bargained for when she wishes for love and excitement on New Year’s Eve 3103. Mark Sakai, who knows more about her than any stranger should, thinks Sanaa is the perfect person to spy on the heads of the three biggest Japanese clan leaders in Nishikyō. He wants her to gather enough evidence to keep them from going to war when they land on Earth’s colonization planet, Yūsei. Nishikyō, built by the Japanese 300 years ago to house the rest of mankind, is failing and everyone is preparing to leave.

Sakai has known Sanaa’s family all her life but she knows nothing of him! And despite all the time they spend together, he keeps his distance from her. Then one day, he brings her to Jiro, his nephew, to learn sword fighting, and it changes her life irrevocably. Between falling in love with Jiro and the information she is gathering on the clans, Sanaa realizes Sakai is holding back secrets about her family and her deceased parents, secrets as to why she was chosen for this job, and learning the truth puts her and all of Nishikyō in danger.

Kimberly’s Review of REMOVED:

Both in life and in my reading material, I haven’t done a lot of delving into the Japanese culture. I recently got my first literary taste of Japan in Daisy Whitney’s WHEN YOU WERE HERE, a YA novel that spends part of it’s time in Tokyo. If WHEN YOU WERE HERE was the appetizer for discovering another culture, the New Adult novel REMOVED is the meal and I loved what I was tasting. Both authors won me over with their cultural passion and Pajonas’ captivation with Japan is skillfully woven into her unique vision of the future. REMOVED takes place in 3103, after an environmental decline has forced the remaining 6 million people (most of them of a Japanese heritage) to live under domes in North America. In a unique twinning of the past and the future, Pajonas’ insertion of the Japanese culture is effortless.

This novel has been correctly set up for a series, with a satisfying plot arc and enjoyable cliff hanger for the first book, all the while maintaining plenty of room for the larger plot lines that umbrella over multiple books. When poorly executed, this is a bit of a pet-peeve of mine and has been responsible for me leaving a series unfinished. In my opinion, Pajonas’ plotting skills are reminiscent of Marissa Meyer’s creativity and organization with the LUNAR CHRONICLES.

While REMOVED is an action-packed novel with a kick-ass heroine, it also has many sections that contain quiet, thoughtful moments. Additionally, there is a steamy, but swoony romance that doesn’t have frustrating love triangle. The sci-fi part of  REMOVED is believable without being weighted down and has plenty of twists in it’s plot to keep me wanting to turn the pages. All of this combined makes REMOVED a book that will capture the interest of readers in a variety of different genres. Think of it like a hybrid of some of your favorite books.

Lastly, I simply love the character of Sanaa. She is complex and that is my favorite kind of person.

S. J. Pajonas loves all things Asian but has especially been in love with Japan for as long as she can remember. Writing about Asia and Japan came naturally after studying the culture and language for over 15 years. She studied film and screenwriting first at Michigan State University and eventually segued into fiction once she was no longer working a full-time job as a website programmer for HBO.com

REMOVED is S. J. Pajonas’s debut work, book one of four in the Nogiku Series. She also writes Women’s Fiction and her upcoming Love in the Digital Age series will be published in 2014.

Stephanie lives with her husband and two children just outside of New York City. She loves reading, writing, film, J- and K-dramas, knitting, and astrology. Her favorite author is Haruki Murakami and favorite book is The Wind-up Bird Chronicles.

Now go out and buy your own copy of REMOVED…

Amazon (Paperback): http://amzn.com/1940599032
Amazon (Kindle): http://amzn.com/B00F4IE978
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/2940148646532
Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/removed

Not sure if science fiction is for you? Read the first three chapters of REMOVED on Goodreads…
Read the first three chapters now!

While you’re there enter to win a copy of REMOVED… Goodreads Giveaway or enter here for another opportunity to win…

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Want to see what inspired REMOVED? Check out the Pinterest board for images and videos of Japan, food, geishas, tattoos, and kimono.

http://pinterest.com/spajonas/removed…

Also Be sure to visit S.J. Pajonas’ blog at http://www.spajonas.com for giveaways and posts on the Japanese cultures and traditions that inspired REMOVED and the entire Nogiku Series.

Looking for more Bookanistas Reviews this week? You know I’ve got them…

• Tracy Banghart finds intrigue and adventure in UNTRACEABLE by S.R.Johannes
• Nikki Katz finds her voice with THE GIRL GUIDE by Christine Fonseca
• Jessica Love loses her dreams with THE DREAM THIEVES by Maggie Stievfater
• Katy Upperman finds love in THE TRUTH ABOUT YOU AND ME by Amanda Grace

What other cultures do you like reading about? Any recommendations? I’ve really been enjoying the Russian elements in Leigh Bardugo’s SHADOW AND BONE.

Tags: Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, NA, New Adult, Nogiku Series, Removed, S.J. Pajones, sci-fi

Comments

ROSE UNDER FIRE

by Elizabeth Wein

While flying an Allied fighter plane from Paris to England, American ATA pilot and amateur poet, Rose Justice, is captured by the Nazis and sent to Ravensbrück, the notorious women’s concentration camp. Trapped in horrific circumstances, Rose finds hope in the impossible through the loyalty, bravery and friendship of her fellow prisoners. But will that be enough to endure the fate that’s in store for her?

Elizabeth Wein, author of the critically-acclaimed and best-selling Code Name Verity, delivers another stunning WWII thriller. The unforgettable story of Rose Justice is forged from heart-wrenching courage, resolve, and the slim, bright chance of survival.

Kimberly’s REview of ROSE UNDER FIRE:

Tags: Book Review, Bookanistas, Elizabeth Wein, Historical Fiction, Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, Rose Under Fire

Comments

For today’s Bookanistas Review, I have fellow Bookanista Tracy E. Banghart and her very intriguing YA novel BY BLOOD.

For 17-year-old Emma Wong, spending a summer in England should be a dream come true. Gorgeous scenery? Check. Lots of hot guys with accents? Yes, please.

Throw in an estranged mom, annoying new stepdad, and drooling baby half-brother, and it’s a disaster even her favorite cherry red leather jacket can’t fix. Even worse, there’s (hot) live-in research assistant Josh to contend with. The only thing more embarrassing than drunk-kissing him hours after they meet? Knowing he’ll be witness to her family’s dysfunction all. summer. long.

But when Emma meets a mysterious girl who happens to be a Druid, her vacation suddenly promises to be far more intriguing than she anticipated. Powerful rituals, new friends, an intoxicating sense of freedom…and Simon, the sexy foreign stranger she was hoping for. It’s all a perfect distraction from dirty diapers and awkward family dinners.

Trouble is, intriguing doesn’t often mean simple. And Emma is about to discover just how not simple her life really is.

By Blood is a novel about the ways that blood can bind us to others – or tear us apart.

Kimberly’s Review of BY BLOOD:

I really enjoyed BY BLOOD because it walked the line in several unique and wonderful ways. So many books tend to sit in a predictable pocket, but this one did several things I really, really enjoyed.

*My favorite thing about BY BLOOD was that Banghart wrote an ethnic MC that was subtle and natural. We often talk about not just raising kids who are accepting of differences, but rather raising kids who are color blind because they look deeper into a person to discover who they are. In my opinion, Emma Wong was written from that beautiful color blind perspective. Banghart created a feisty, fun and flawed character that carried me through the whole story because she was simply a great character.

*Another thing I really enjoyed about BY BLOOD, was how it was a contemporary novel with a paranormal feel. I think it was very innovative for Banghart to have the depth of an emotionally darker contemporary, the heat of a steamy romance, and the magic, intrigue and mystery of a paranormal through the exploration of the druids. I would consider this a great hybrid read.

*Lastly, the setting was fabulous. You can’t read BY BLOOD and not want to go to England immediately. I wanted to visit pubs, eat the food, see the art and just walk the cobblestone streets.

Can’t wait for MOON CHILD (By Blood 2)

Coming August 2013!

Before Emma’s adventures in Oxford, her best friend Diana came face-to-face with a killer…

Diana Calvert is so over high school. Who cares if Olivia hates her? And David needs to forget about having a crush on her STAT. Even Emma’s crazy fashion choices can’t keep Diana entertained. All she can hope for is a dance scholarship to a college as far away as possible from too-small, too-boring, too-nothing-ever-happens New Freedom, PA.

Then Diana meets Nicholas Woodhaven. He’s pale, angry…yet weirdly charming. The more time they spend together, the more she wonders who – or what – he really is. Because he isn’t anything like the other guys she knows. Not with the whole only-going-out-at-night thing. And living with his creepy aunt. And not going to school.

Just when Diana thinks she’s got Nicholas all figured out, people in her small, nothing-ever-happens town start dying. She has to wonder – can she trust him? And even more alarming – could she be next?

A murder mystery with a paranormal twist, Moon Child is best read under the covers with a flashlight…if you dare!

Tags: Book Review, Bookanistas, By Blood, Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, Moon Child, Tracy E. Banghart, YA Author, YA Books, YA Novel

Comments

Want to see me in full-on fan girl mode? This is me getting an ARC of THE INFINITE MOMENT OF US by Lauren Myracle.

Are you checking this out? It’s me getting hugged by Lauren Myracle!!!!

My copy of THE INFINITE MOMENT OF US from BEA had a different cover–you can sort of see it in the pictures. But I think I love the new one even more…

It has all the things I love about the ARC cover but a zillion more things that encompass the heart of this story.

For as long as she can remember, Wren Gray’s goal has been to please her parents. But as high school graduation nears, so does an uncomfortable realization: Pleasing her parents once overlapped with pleasing herself, but now . . . not so much. Wren needs to honor her own desires, but how can she if she doesn’t even know what they are?
Charlie Parker, on the other hand, is painfully aware of his heart’s desire. A gentle boy with a troubled past, Charlie has loved Wren since the day he first saw her. But a girl like Wren would never fall for a guy like Charlie—at least not the sort of guy Charlie believes himself to be.
And yet certain things are written in the stars. And in the summer after high school, Wren and Charlie’s souls will collide. But souls are complicated, as are the bodies that house them . . .
Sexy, romantic, and oh-so-true to life, this is an unforgettable look at first love from one of young adult fiction’s greatest writers.

THE INFINITE MOMENT OF US is available on August 2o, 2013 . You can Pre-order here:

*Amazon

*Barnes & Noble

*Indiebound

*Books-A-Million

*Indigo

*ABRAMS

*iBookstore

Kimberly’s Review of THE INFINITE MOMENT OF US:

There are a million things that I love about this book. First and foremost–it is a gorgeous love story. The kind that’s better than a fairy tale, because it’s sweet and real and very believable. It IS what happens when souls collide. But as the cover flap suggests, souls have bodies. I love how this book talks about sex in a loving, beautiful, responsible and informative way without an ounce of preachiness. It approaches sex bravely–without societal or religious shame–but also without the smutty feel of Hollywood gone wrong. After standing in the storm of the Fifty Shades “phenomenon,” this story feels a little bit like the sun coming out after the rain. With the pendulum of sexuality swinging between promise rings and feathered handcuffs, THE INFINITE MOMENT OF US finds the sweet spot. Why does this resonate with me so much? More than anything, as a mom of three boys, Lauren Myracle illustrates what it means for young men to be kind and respectful of women, whether its their souls or their bodies colliding. Be safe. Be respectful. Be loved. Be someone who reads THE INFINITE MOMENT OF US.

Lauren Myracle is the author of numerous young adult novels. She was born in 1969 in North Carolina. Lauren Myracle holds an MA in English from Colorado State University and an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College. she has written many novels, including the famous IM books, ttyl, ttfn, and l8r, g8r.

Her first novel, Kissing Kate, was selected as one of ALA’s “Best Books for Young Adults” for the year 2004. It was named by Booklist as one of the “Top Ten Youth Romances” of the year, as well as one of the “Top Ten Books by New Writers.” Her middle-grade novel, Eleven, came out 2004, followed by its YA sequels (Twelve, Thirteen, Thirteen Plus One) .

Want to see what the other Bookanistas are talking about? Check out our website THE BOOKANISTAS and here are this week’s Bookanista reviews…

Rebecca Behrens leaps over THE MOON AND MORE by Saran Dessen

Elana Johnson has props for THE PLEDGE by Kimberly Derting

Tracey Neithercott croons about CROAK by Gina Damico

Kimberly Sabatini delves into THE INFINITE MOMENT OF US by Lauren Myracle

Corrine Jackson touts TEMPEST

What’s your take on bodies colliding in YA literature? Who does it well? Who over does it? Is it needed? Is it over done? Inquiring minds want to know.

Tags: Book Review, Bookanistas, Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, Lauren Myracle, The Infinite Moment of Us

Comments

Yesterday I was talking online to a bunch of my writer buddies and someone said…

The more I learn about publishing the more I realize the best promotional tool is to write the next book and the next and the next…

That makes a HUGE amount of sense. It resonates with me on more than just the promotional level. I also connect to it on a deeper, more personal level. I use writing as a way to make sense of the world. The less time I have to write, the less the world makes sense to me.

I love my social media, but ultimately it is the writing.

To me blogging isn’t just a publishing tool. It’s a kind of journaling that works really well for me BECAUSE it’s interactive. So I really do love doing it. A lot. But I’ve been toying with this for awhile and I’ve finally come to realized that it’s time for me to adjust my blogging schedule a little bit. I need to do this partly because I DO NOT want to give up my membership in either YA Outside the Lines or the Bookanistas. I love those groups. And partly it’s because I also like to do guest posts, interviews and judge writing events whenever possible. Between the blogs and the extra posts, too much of my writing time is being eaten up.

For example: July 2013’s Projected Blog Schedule

Post due for my own blog–14

Post for YAOTL–1

Posts for the Bookanistas–1 or 2

Guest posts for Blog Tour–5

Other Interviews for blogger events–2

Interviews I had to turn down because I was at risk for losing my mind–More than one 🙁

That’s a grand total of at least 23 posts and or interviews. And on average these take me 60 minutes or more to brainstorm, write and add links/graphics. (There have been days they’ve taken longer.) That’s a lot of time I could and should be using to write.

And on a personal front…I HAVE THREE BOYS!!!! Yeah, that. And I like them enough to want to spend quality time with them as often as I can. And I’m moving in the fall. So I’m staging and showing and pretending I’m organized on a regular basis. Remember me? The one who doesn’t get the laundry done on a good day.

So, I’ve decided that I’m going to take a small two-week blog hiatus while I’m traveling with the family over the end of July. (July 22-Aug. 2) and then I’ll be back on TUESDAY August 6th followed by THURSDAY August 8th. This will kick off my official move to a Tuesday/Thursday schedule. By doing this, I will drop down to 8-10 posts a month on average. Much more manageable.

If you think you’re going to have trouble remembering to stop by on the new dates, please sign up to have my blog posts sent right to you. On the right hand side of my blog I have an RSS feed sign up and and email sign up. I’ll also do my best to put up some reminders for the two weeks off and the new schedule. I love you for understanding why I need to make the change.

Do you blog? And if you do, do you have a schedule? I recommend having specific blogging times, so people do know when to show up to connect with you, but flexibility is important too. You never want to get so frustrated you squeeze an innocent hedge hog puppet. Totally not cool.

Any other blog tips you want to share with me? Any questions about blogs? Fire away!

*No hedge hog puppets were harmed in the making of this blog post.

Tags: blogging, blogging schedule, Bookanistas, Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, Promotional tools, social media, YA Outside the Lines

Comments

Time for my June Bookanistas Review!

OUT OF REACH by Carrie Arcos. Carrie is a fellow Apocalypsie and a Simon Pulse sister, only adding to my love of this National Book Award Finalist.

How do you find someone who doesn’t want to be found? A girl searches for her missing addict brother while confronting her own secrets in this darkly lyrical novel.

Rachel has always idolized her older brother Micah. He struggles with addiction, but she tells herself that he’s in control. And she almost believes it. Until the night that Micah doesn’t come home.

Rachel’s terrified—and she can’t help but feel responsible. She should have listened when Micah tried to confide in her. And she only feels more guilt when she receives an anonymous note telling her that Micah is nearby and in danger.

With nothing more to go on than hope and a slim lead, Rachel and Micah’s best friend, Tyler, begin the search. Along the way, Rachel will be forced to confront her own dark secrets, her growing attraction to Tyler…and the possibility that Micah may never come home.

Kimberly’s Review of OUT OF REACH:

OUT OF REACH is a story about substance abuse and it’s effect on a family, particularly a brother and a sister, but I believe it’s message is much broader. It reminds us that no matter how much we want to, we can’t change other people. We can only change ourselves.

One of the things I found fascinating about Carrie Arco’s writing was how quiet the revelations were in a book with such strong topics. There were some very serious moments, but they were brilliantly contrasted by the slow dawn of personal revelations and the sweet weaving of new relationships. Love against loss.And hope–always hope.

Tags: addiction, Book Review, Booksanistas, Carrie Arcos, drug use, Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, Nation Book Award Finalist, Out of Reach, Simon and Schuster, Simon Pulse, substance abuse

Comments

Today is the official relaunch day for the BOOKANISTAS!!!! If you’ve been following along, you know that I’m one of the newest members of this group. When I was invited to join the Bookanistas I jumped at the chance because they are perfectly in line with my own personal feelings about reviewing books.

Nothing But Love Policy 

I know I’ve mentioned this before, but as an author, I feel there is no room in my life for negatively critiquing the work of my peers. If I have a book gripe, I share it on a personal level, not a public one. But on the other hand, I have multiple reasons for wanting to positively promote books.

Here are some of my reasons…

*It helps authors to have reviews posted in places like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Goodreads etc… If you want to help your favorite author continue to write books, please support and endorse them. It does help, but even if it didn’t, I’m positive it would make that author very, very happy to know you care.

*I love connecting books I love with people I love. *fist pump* And it’s even more fun if after the connection, we get to talk about the books. Yup–I’m a book nerd and seriously proud of it!

*I enjoy writing quirky reviews. I am incredibly impressed with the time and effort that goes into the in-depth reviews that most bloggers write, but I honestly don’t feel I can live up to the standard they’ve set. Rather than not share at all, I review books in my own unique way. I try to see the book through my own personal filter. Hopefully, by coming at it a little differently, I catch the attention of someone who will love the book the way that I do .

Not sure what a REALLY UNIQUE Kim review might look like? Here’s an example…  LOL!

*I read reviews. They help me to pick out my own books. I can only read about 100 books a year (I hate that I’m such a slow reader) so I like to increase my chances of finding something utterly awesome. Plus, I’m simply fascinated by the fact that so many different people can feel completely different emotions about the same book. The oddities and intricacies of human nature simply suck me in, I also like being a part of the process–not just a taker, but a giver too.

As I mentioned earlier, with May drawing to a close, we’re celebrating the start of summer and another great beginning: THE RELAUNCH OF THE BOOKANISTAS! New members, new logo, new website design and a whole lot more of the book love we all adore!

Signed copies of these Bookanista-authored books…

IF I LIE and TOUCHED by Corrine Jackson PLUS ARCs of JUST ONE DAY and SPEECHLESS

LET THE SKY FALL by Shannon Messenger

BY BLOOD by Tracy Banghart

POSSESSION, SURRENDER and ABANDON by Elana Johnson

TOUCHING THE SURFACE by Kimberly Sabatini (plus a swag surprise)

BAD TASTE IN BOYS by Carrie Harris

AUDITION by Stasia Ward Kehoe

THE GIRL GUIDE by Christine Fonseca (plus sweet swag)

MILA 2.0 by Debra Driza

LEVEL 2 by Lenore Appelhans

AND A SECOND WINNER WILL GET A BOX FILLED WITH Bookanista-beloved reads including WILL GRAYSON WILL GRAYSON (signed!) by John Green & David Levithan, DITCHED by Robin Mellom, JELLICO ROAD by Melina Marchetta, TAKEN by Erin Bowman, CLOCKWORK ANGEL by Cassandra Clare, MONSTROUS BEAUTY by Elizabeth Fama and SPARROW ROAD by Sheila O’Connor.

* You can find lots more Bookanista Relaunch Book Love at our sites around the interwebs: Carolina Valdez Miller, Carrie Harris,  Christine Fonseca, Corrine Jackson, Debra Driza, Elana Johson, Jessica Love, Katy Upperman, Lenore Appelhans,  Nikki Katz, Rebecca Behrens, Shannon Messenger , Shelli Johannes-Wells, Stasia Ward Kehoe, Tracey Neithercott , Tracy Banghart  

What has you the most excited about the BOOKANISTAS Re-launch?

Tags: Bookanistas, Books, Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, Nothing But Love Policy, reading, Relaunch, reviews

Comments

I fell in love with Katherine Longshore‘s writing with her debut novel GILT.

TARNISH by Viking Juvenile, is available on June 18th (Pre-order HERE) and it’s even better!

GOOD READS SUMMARY

Anne Boleyn is the odd girl out. Newly arrived to the court of King Henry VIII, everything about her seems wrong, from her clothes to her manners to her witty but sharp tongue. So when the dashing poet Thomas Wyatt offers to coach her on how to shine at court–and to convince the whole court they’re lovers–she accepts. Before long, Anne’s popularity has soared, and even the charismatic and irresistible king takes notice. More than popularity, Anne wants a voice–but she also wants love. What began as a game becomes high stakes as Anne finds herself forced to make an impossible choice between her heart’s desire and the chance to make history.

MY REVIEW

I LOVED Katherine Longshore’s debut novel, GILT, and you should get excited because TARNISH is even better! The one thing that kept running through my mind as I read TARNISH, was how hard it must have been to be a woman in a man’s world. To have very little, or no control of your own destiny. The thought is frightening. And yet, against the odds, Longshore gives us Anne Boleyn. She wants more. Anne has a spark and it makes me think of her as one part of a long, bright, string of lights. Anne is part of a chain of women through out history, that have helped to shape our role in the world today. But it’s not just Anne. Reading TARNISH made me realize that Longshore is another light–one that continues to guide our way.

Katherine Longshore takes history and mystery and weaves it into magic. Irresistible.

ABOUT KATHERINE LONGSHORE

(Taken Directly from Katherine Longshore’s Website)

I’ve always been a writer. I’ve been writing stories since I learned how to hold a pencil, asking my dad how to spell words while I worked under the bar stools at our kitchen counter.

In my teens, I fell in love with theater. I wanted to act. On the stage. I loved the hush of the crowd, the sticky odor of pancake makeup and the dusty resin of wax on the stage floor. I loved to be able to look out over the audience, the flash of glasses reflecting the stage lights. I loved to hear their laughter. But mostly, I loved losing myself in a character made of words. To make that character live and breathe. Now, that is magic.

I played bit parts (including that of a catatonic in a mental institution—my only line was a scream) and grew into bigger roles on the high school stage. I spent five summers spouting Shakespeare beneath stars and redwoods, hoping one day to play Rosalind in As You Like It.

I got an acting scholarship to a good university and went on to study acting and costume design for two years. But then I traveled on the Semester at Sea—a program on which students study on board a ship and travel around the world, visiting ten countries in one hundred days. It changed my life. I realized I didn’t want to spend my entire life in a windowless black box (a theater) but in the greater world.

So I created my own major, planning to use it to be a travel writer. I spent two months traveling Europe by train. I worked for nine months for the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Association on a research boat as a steward (making beds and washing dishes) in order to earn the money to backpack around the world. The ship went to Chile and the Antarctic, and even stopped at Easter Island—one of the most remote locations in the Pacific Ocean. After so long at sea, I needed time on land, so I packed up my sister and her puppy in a beaten-down station wagon and drove across North America.

And then I packed a single bag and flew to Africa. Alone. I spent five months in southern Africa—South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Malawi, Zambia, but primarily Zimbabwe. I saw elephants and rhinos and kudu, was woken up from a dead sleep in a tent by the roar of lions and sat for hours on the banks of the Zambezi watching Victoria Falls. I spent the rest of that year in Southeast Asia—mostly eating coconut curry. After a few restless months at home, I traveled to Australia and New Zealand and completely depleted my travel fund.

And then I went to England, invited by an Englishman I’d met in Zimbabwe. I went for two weeks and stayed for six months—I left the day before my visa expired—and the next year I married him.

I lived in England for five years, in a little town in the county of Kent. I lived within spitting distance of Hever Castle—Anne Boleyn’s childhood home. Penshurst Place, once owned by the Duke of Buckingham and Knole House, once owned by King Henry VIII himself were also nearby. I grew to love the English countryside—so different from the forests and volcanic mountains of California. And I came to love English history—so much more violent and colorful and ancient than my own.

In the course of my life, I’ve worked as a dishwasher, lingerie seller, coffee barista, cake decorator, ship’s steward, video rental clerk, freelance journalist, travel agent, waitress, contracts manager, bookseller and Montessori preschool teacher.

But in writing for teens, I’ve finally found my calling.

And through writing, I am able to encompass all my loves. Becoming a character made of words. Exploring new worlds. And living history.

YOU CAN CHECK OUT MORE GREAT BOOKANISTAS REVIEWS HERE

Elana Johson is enthralled by CROWN OF EMBERS by Rae Carson

Stasia Ward Kehoe is mesmerized by GRAVE MERCY by Robin LaFevers

Christine Fonseca  adores DEAD SILENCE by Kimberly Derting

Corrine Jackson revels in ALONG FOR THE RIDE by Sara Dessen

Katy Upperman is charmed by QUINTANA OF CHARYN by Melina Marchetta

Kimberly Sabatini is touched by TARNISH by Katherine Longshore

Lenore Appelhans  loves The Originals by Cat Patrick

What amazing women do you think has/had the spark that’s helped to change the role of women in the world today?

And yesterday I told you that I had a BIG Anniversary coming up today. I’d like to wish my wonderful, amazing husband, John a Happy 20th Anniversary today.

I love you more today than yesterday. <3

Tags: Book Review, Bookanistas, Gilt, Katherine Longshore, Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, Tarnish

Comments