Winner of the Back to School Giveaway Hop and Saturday Updates

Happy Saturday, everyone!

CONGRATS to the Winner of the Back to School Giveaway Hop, Jill! Please respond in 48 hours or I will have to pick a new winner.

1) First, I want to say, WOW. 700 followers. Never thought in a million years that would happen. Thanks so much for all of your support. Because you guys rock so much, I'm going to take part of the Spooktacular Giveaway Hop and open it up internationally (Oct 23-31) because I need to say thank you to ALL of my followers, not just the US ones :-) It'll be $10 towards your book of choice from the Book Depository!

2) I have an exciting lineup of interviews and giveaways including Caragh O'Brien who wrote the Birthmarked Trilogy, Corrine Jackson who just came out with the wonderful, IF I LIE, and as I said last week, Jodi Meadows who wrote Incarnate.

3) The next giveaway starts tomorrow. And it's INTERNATIONAL!
Two signed copies of The Domino Effect by Andrew Cotto (one definite international winner!) or a signed copy of The Fly on the Wall by E. Lockhart. This is a great book that everyone should take a look at! (For my loyal followers, why don't you start entering now? :-))

a Rafflecopter giveaway
 
4) I am going to become much more picky about the reviews I agree to do because my schedule is going to be horrific for the next two weeks. But shoot me an email with the deets about your book! Remember, I never do interviews and giveaways before I read and like your book. I'm just picky that way since I promote these giveaways and interviews very heavily!

Don't forget to enter these other great giveaways going on now!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Feature and Follow (10)

Time for a blog hop :-) I have been sick all week but finally, I'm feeling a little better. So I'm really looking forward to my last free weekend in a while!

Feature and Follow Friday is a blog hop hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read

Here are the rules to the blog hop!
To join the fun and make new book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

• (Required) Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Hosts {Parajunkee & Alison Can Read}
• (Required) Follow our Featured Bloggers

• Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing. You can also grab the code if you would like to insert it into your posts.
• Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say “hi” in your comments and that they are now following you.
• If you are using WordPress or another CMS that doesn’t have GFC (Google Friends Connect) state in your posts how you would like to be followed
• Follow Follow Follow as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don’t just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don’t say “HI”
• If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love…and the followers
• If you’re new to the follow friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog! 

Q: What book(s) are you reading right now? What do you think of it?

I'm having an issue that other people have alluded to-- I'm in between books! Yesterday, I just finished Of Poseidon by Anna Banks, which I wasn't a huge fan of, but the huge cliffhanger at the end finally made it interesting so I may just pick up the next one to see what happens!

I started Wither (Chemical Garden) by Lauren DeStefano last night, but am only a few pages in. It's tantalizing enough that I decided it was my next read after I finish one of my required reviews.

Don't forget to enter these great giveaways!
International giveaway of:
1) 2 copies of Neverdark by C.S. Einfeld
2) 1 signed copy of Neverdark from both author and illustrator
3) 1 copy of A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
CS Einfeld Giveaway

Prize pack giveaway (US only) of ALL FOUR of Antony John's books signed (Five Flavors of Dumb, Busted, Thou Shalt Not Road Trip, and the unreleased YA dystopian, Elemental)
Antony John Giveaway

The Back to School Blog Hop:
Win either a hard back signed copy of Insignia OR a $10 Amazon GC (Winner's Choice!)-- US only.
Back to School Blog Hop

Curmudgeon's Corner: I Can't Help It... I Love the Token Curmudgeon

What can I say? It seems fitting that I get to talk about this type of literary character in my Curmudgeon's Corner-- the wise, old curmudgeon. I pretty much universally love the old guy in novels who says some really wise and profound things to the young protagonists. Take the premiere old wise man, Albus Dumbledore. Although he made some mistakes in the end, overall, he has to be one of the most revered old wise men ever in literature.

I started to realize this pattern this week when I was comparing my favorite characters in recent books that I've read. For example, look at If I Lie by Corrine Jackson. My favorite character is George, the old veteran, who is a surrogate father to Quinn. He is grouchy, but Quinn always knows how much he loves her, no matter what grumpy words he shoots her way. In fact, she probably loves him more than anyone else in the world. He alone stands by her when the world (including her own father) wants to condemn her. He is always there to listen and backs her up no matter what. And in the end, she is able to return the favor, which leads to some of the most moving passages in the book.

This week, I just finished Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor. My favorite character in that book is Brimstone, the father figure to Karou. He's not human, and may be some sort of demon-- but he is the most warm and thoughtful non-human I have ever met. I can see why Karou is so loyal to him and loves him so much-- he's always been there for her, even when she makes the wrong decision. In the end, we see how far that love goes. Hint: it's far.

Then there is Alabaster from The Intern's Tale by Shawn Keenan, an amalgam of Dumbledore and Dr. Walter Bishop from Fringe. He kept me chuckling throughout. There's just something so loveable about a highly intelligent but forgetful old man who knows how to create fantastical inventions but at the same time misplaces his glasses when they are already on his head. That may be Dumbledore, not Alabaster, but you catch my drift.


Lastly, there is Death (pronounced "Deeth," rhymes with "teeth"), the librarian from Bitterblue by Kristen Cashore. He may not have been a father figure, or even a grandfather figure, but he steals the show from the protagonist herself. He putters around with a great set of one liners that made me laugh out loud hysterically. I wish I could meet this guy! He knows everything about everything and if he doesn't know it, he can figure it out. He's probably the smartest character I have ever met. And unsurprisingly, he gets the last word.

Who is your favorite old curmudgeon in literature?


Don't forget to enter these great giveaways!
International giveaway of:
1) 2 copies of Neverdark by C.S. Einfeld
2) 1 signed copy of Neverdark from both author and illustrator
3) 1 copy of A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
CS Einfeld Giveaway

Prize pack giveaway (US only) of ALL FOUR of Antony John's books signed (Five Flavors of Dumb, Busted, Thou Shalt Not Road Trip, and the unreleased YA dystopian, Elemental)
Antony John Giveaway

The Back to School Blog Hop:
Win either a hard back signed copy of Insignia OR a $10 Amazon GC (Winner's Choice!)-- US only.
Back to School Blog Hop

Waiting on Wednesday (11)

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating.

This week, I just finished the spectacular Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor. I wrote a review of it and posted it yesterday. Today, I am posting about how excited I am about the sequel! Yay for continuity! :-) Who is totally excited to read Days of Blood and Starlight?


Goodreads Book Description: In this stunning sequel to the highly acclaimed Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Karou must come to terms with who and what she is, and how far she’ll go to avenge her people. Filled with heartbreak and beauty, mysteries and secrets, new characters and old favorites, Days of Blood and Starlight brings the richness, color and intensity of the first book to a brand new canvas.

Expected Publication:  November 6, 2012

Why I am Excited: Daughter of Smoke and Bone is one of the most unique books I have ever read. The characters, imagery, background and world building are just amazing, and I can't wait to continue Karou's journey in this next installment.

Why I Am Worried: It's hard to live up to such a terrific first book in a trilogy, especially when part of the reason it was so amazing was because it was so different than anything else I've read. That said, there are so many questions swirling in my head, and I know that Taylor has a lot more tricks up her sleeve!


Don't forget to enter these great giveaways!
International giveaway of:
1) 2 copies of Neverdark by C.S. Einfeld
2) 1 signed copy of Neverdark from both author and illustrator
3) 1 copy of A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
CS Einfeld Giveaway

Prize pack giveaway (US only) of ALL FOUR of Antony John's books signed (Five Flavors of Dumb, Busted, Thou Shalt Not Road Trip, and the unreleased YA dystopian, Elemental)
Antony John Giveaway

The Back to School Blog Hop:
Win either a hard back signed copy of Insignia OR a $10 Amazon GC (Winner's Choice!)-- US only.
Back to School Blog Hop

Review of Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Yesterday, I just finished reading possibly my favorite book this year. Many of you have already read it. Daughter of Smoke and Bone is a spectacular novel by Laini Taylor.

Goodreads Book Description: Around the world, black hand prints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grows dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages—not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.

When one of the strangers—beautiful, haunted Akiva—fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

My rating: 5 out of 5 stars

My Review:
I feel so lucky to have read such a wonderful assortment of books lately. This book, highly recommended by Antony John (author of Five Flavors of Dumb), was a treat from start to finish.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor is a colorful excursion with a very unusual progtagonist named Karou ("meaning Hope") who has bright blue hair. She goes to art school during the day and also does errands for her adoptive father (I won't describe him any more so that no one will be spoiled but his name is Brimstone and one of my favorite characters), mysteriously being able to transport through a door to any place in the world. He collects teeth, but for what reason, she does not know. Then she meets a mysterious stranger, and everything starts to spiral out of control.

I was completely blown away by this book. The world building is the best I've seen in a long time-- the characters are colorful and unique. The plot smoulders and at certain points, I thought I knew what Taylor was going to pull, and instead she made the absolute right moves and surprised me in the best way possible. Nothing comes easy to our protagonist, and there are secrets galore-- ones that I was eager to find out-- but also okay to wait for, as the pacing really worked.

Overall, this is one of the best books I've read all year, with terrific and mind blowing world building and three dimensional, quirky characters, and I cannot wait for the next installment.  

Vote on my Amazon review!
Daughter of Smoke and Bone Review

How did you feel about this book? Were you as blown away as I was?

Don't forget to enter these great giveaways!
International giveaway of:
1) 2 copies of Neverdark by C.S. Einfeld
2) 1 signed copy of Neverdark from both author and illustrator
3) 1 copy of A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
CS Einfeld Giveaway

Prize pack giveaway (US only) of ALL FOUR of Antony John's books signed (Five Flavors of Dumb, Busted, Thou Shalt Not Road Trip, and the unreleased YA dystopian, Elemental)
Antony John Giveaway

The Back to School Blog Hop:
Win either a hard back signed copy of Insignia OR a $10 Amazon GC (Winner's Choice!)-- US only.
Back to School Blog Hop