April | 2014 | indiereadergirl0329

Do a little Digging for Me…BEA Update #2–Author Signings

April 30, 2014

Here it is, the promised second update and it’s a biggie. I haven’t listened all of the authors signing. That would be a large post. I listed a lot of authors I want to meet, as well as some famous people, and authors I think are pretty well known. Of course you can check out the full list yourself, and add them to your planner, by going to session search, clicking on education and authors, then on the right side selecting on view all participants. Unfortunately, that will only show you the author’s name, not date/time/location etc. For that, you must search through the panels or through event type in the scroll down bar.

Here are some of the authors signing. If you haven’t been to BEA before, there are some authors, the more popular ones, that you need tickets for. Those you should get IMMEDIATELY as they sell out fast. They are free, but are given out really fast. Make that your priority if those people are on your list. I listed the ones who needs tickets. There are more, but I didn’t like/know all of them to include them in my list.

Also, again if you’re new, you need to “donate” a dollar for each signing, so if cash is limited, I’d make a list in who is in your top. There are also no guarantees that you will meet the author. Sorry! If the line is too long and time is up, that’s it. So, get there early if the person is in your top 5 or so. I can’t wait until the app is available and I can do this more efficiently.

Thursday, May 29th

10:00 AM to 10:30 AM

Autographing Session-Lauren Oliver

10:00 AM- 11:00 AM

Autographing session- Lemony Snicket (Ticket required)

11:30 AM- 12:30 PM

Autographing Session- A.S. King

11:30 AM- 12:30 PM

Autographing Session- Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian

11:30 AM- 12:00 PM

Autographing Session- Megan Shull

1:00 PM- 2:00 PM

Autographing Session- Alan Cumming (Ticket required)

1:30 PM- 2:30 PM

Autographing Session- Kathleen Duble

3:00 PM- 4:00 PM

Autographing Session- Melissa Cruz

3:30 PM-4:30 PM

Autographing Session- Gregory Maguire (Ticket required)

Friday, May 30th

12:00 PM- 12:30 PM

Autographing Session- M.J. Rose

1:00 PM-2:00 PM

Autographing Session- Meg Wolitzer

1:00 PM- 1:30 PM

Autographing Session- Chesley Philpot

1:00 PM -2:00 PM

Autographing Session- Megan McCafferty

1:00 PM- 2:00 PM

Autographing Session- Sandy Hall

1:30 PM- 2:00 PM

Autographing Session-Amy Zhang

2:00 PM-3:00 PM

Autographing Session- Judy Blume (Ticket required)

2:00 PM- 2:30 PM

Autographing Session- Lily King

2:00 PM- 2:30 PM

Autographing Session- Martina Boone

2:30 PM- 3:30 PM

Autographing Session- Holly Black/Cassandra Clare

3:00 PM- 4:00 PM

Autographing Session- David Kirkpatrick

3:00 PM- 4:00 PM

Autographing Session- Elizabeth Wein

3:00 PM- 4:00 PM

Autographing Session- Kat Yeh

3:30 PM- 4:00 PM

Autographing Session- Lorna Landvik

I hope you see some good authors. I know, myself, I am booked between 1-2 on Friday. It’ll be a tough one. I am debating meeting Alan Cumming because I am a huge fan of him as an actor but I have limited time. My celebrities are authors. Come on now.

WHO ARE YOU PLANNING ON MEETING?????

Happy reading. I will be posting the BIG update–BOOKS!!!– in the next week. So stay alert for that. BEA is only 4 weeks away!!

When the Future comes to the Present: The Here and Now by Ann Brashares

April 29, 2014

Indiereadergirl Book reviews Ann Brashares, book review, Delacorte Press, Four and a half starred review, newly released, The Here and Now, YA Dystopia, YA Fantasy Leave a comment

The Here and Now

By: Ann Brashares

Released: April 8th, 2014 by Delacorte Press

Length: 192 Pages

Genre: YA Fantasy/Dystopia

Rating: Four and a Half Stars

Acquired: Invite via netgalley

Prenna is like no other. She doesn’t come from our time. Doesn’t share our blood. She is here from the future, but not to protect us, but for her and her people to stop a virus from happening. She didn’t plan on becoming a savior. Or, falling in love with one of us.

Sixteen Year Old Prenna James lives a very sheltered, secluded life. Forced to wear glasses that has a surveillance system installed on them and take pills that only weaken them, Prenna’s adapting to the “past” or our present hasn’t been easy. There are rules upon rules. And, lies. Lies she begins to uncover with a boy from the present. A boy she can’t help but fall in love with, Ethan. As they search to uncover the truth about her journey and reason for being in here, and stopping a murder that will change everything, their lives become ever so complicated.

There were two paragraphs that immediately pulled me in. After the day The Rules are read, a yearly practice/celebration where all the residents gather to remember the strict rules and remember the dead/those who broke them. Prenna is in the park with fellow teens. She hits the feelings on the nail.

No one talks about what really binds us together. The gap between what we say and what we feel is so big and dark that sometimes I think I’ll fall into it and just keep falling.

At least, I think we feel it. Does anybody else feel it? I don’t know and I won’t find out. We follow our scripts like actors in a very large, very long production. And even with no audience, none of us gives a hint that it isn’t real.

There is such alienation that is universal, at least to me/for me. I connected so much to that. Especially when you are a teenager, even if you’re not from a different time. Ann Brashares writes a novel for everyone while disguising it as something extraordinarily unfamiliar to use. But, as we pull apart the layers it’s so universal and real, it’s beautiful and real.

Ann Brashares tells a beautiful, yet complicated story of first love, fighting for individuality, and fighting to be heard. I was hooked in immediately. The story was fast-paced. The action well thought out. The characters well-developed and not too far out there that they were unbelievable. I could relate to Prenna’s suffocating circumstances. And, Ethan’s longings, yet he never crossed any boundaries and respected Prenna’s wishes and unfamiliar background which made him ever the more likable to me. This was one of those novels I didn’t want to end. I hope there’s a sequel. I’m sure there could be.

I would highly recommend this novel. Not just because the cover is so pretty, but it is. But, because there is something about this novel that pulled me in so deeply that I think will pull you in. It doesn’t truly read like a Young Adult novel. In reality, they are doing a very adult thing by trying to stop a murder from happening while being teenagers and falling in love. I think it offers something for everyone. Brashares presents a different novel that is a success, to me. A success that should be widely read.

Dewey Decimal 3- Dewey Read-a-thon Update #3

April 27, 2014

Indiereadergirl Read-a-thons Leave a comment

Wow. It has now been at least nine hours of pretty straight reading. I have finished two books now. Hooray! A full review of Dr. Bird’s Advice for Sad Poets will be up this week. I loved it. I gave it four stars on good reads. I normally don’t read books where the character is a male (not because I’m sexist, I just don’t find I connect with them as much) but I connected deeply with James and his struggles. I really felt for him and his struggles for his sister. The ending was great. Very hopeful and delightful. I would of course recommend it, but there is a caveat. There is descriptive self-mutilation in the form of cutting that takes place in the novel. So, if that is a major trigger for you, STAY AWAY! It’s a little tough at times, but it isn’t done in an insensitive manner. It’s actually done and handled well. There is only one instance that made me unhappy, but I won’t go into that.

I did not participate in any new challenges as I got to wrapped up in finishing my book. No complaints here, though. I am happy with two books finished in one day.

Thanks for stopping by. Happy reading!!!

Midnight-Dew-ey: Mid Event Survey

April 26, 2014

Indiereadergirl Book reviews Leave a comment

Mid-Event Survey
1. What are you reading right now?

Dr. Bird’s Advice for Sad Poets by Evan Roskos
2. How many books have you read so far?

I should have my second book done in an hour or two
3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?

More reading!!!! Well, that and finishing more books. I am very behind on my ARCs, but Dr. Bird is not one of them. Oooppps.
4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day?

Nope. Wooo hoooo
5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?

Just lunch. Ate quick, though.
6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?

How much fun I’m having! I knew I would, still. I normally don’t finish more than one book a day so this is big for me.

7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?

Keep doing what you’re doing. I love all of it.

8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year?

Plan ahead! I just found out about it today at noon. So, wasn’t too prepared bookwise.
9. Are you getting tired yet?

NOPE!!!!
10. Do you have any tips for other Readers or Cheerleaders, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered?

Just have fun. I have taken some mini breaks. Only 3 15 minute breaks and they seem to help.

Happy Reading everyone!!! And good luck, good luck.

It’s a Dewey: Dewey Update #2

April 26, 2014

Indiereadergirl Book reviews Leave a comment

UPDATE TIME!!!! Yup, I’m still reading. I have taken two or three mini 15 minute breaks, still at a good pace, though. I am about half way through with my second book, Dr. Bird’s Advice for Sad Poets. I decided to put The Vigilante Poets aside after 20 or so pages for a little bit. I left the character stuck in a locker watching a High School Art competition scene being shot. It was corny. Really corny. So, now I am reading a good book about a Junior in High School who struggles with anxiety and depression, quotes Walt Whitman like no tomorrow, has a bird for a therapist, and is trying to figure out why his sister was kicked out. It may sound sad, but it’s hysterical. I love it. It is quick to get into and only around 200 pages. Next book, hopefully, will be longer.

I participated in another challenge called Best of Your Reading Year hosted by Lisa at Lisa’s World of Books. You get to choose three categories of best of. For my best ofs, I chose Best YA book as a toss up between Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira and The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton. They were both amazing, knock-out debuts. Best Main character would be Laurel from Love Letters to the Dead. Best supporting character would be a demon gargoyle in the Ruby Red Trilogy by Kerstin Gier. I finally finished the series, listening to Emerald Green on audio a couple of weeks ago. I can never spell his name, but he is hysterical. He made the two later books worth reading. I absolutely adored him.

Also, another challenge for hour 11 in which we list which edition our book that we are reading is. Kind of fun. Mine is an e-book so it was hard to find and decipher. I think I did it, though!

Time Reading: 6 or 7 hours

Number of Pages Read: Around 250. Go me!

Where have I gone: to the couch, of course! 🙂

Quote I like so far: by default is by Whitman:

I celebrate myself, and sing myself,

And what I assume you shall assume

For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you

Happy reading and good luck. See you folks in a couple of hours!

One Book Down: Dewey Continues. Update #1

April 26, 2014

Indiereadergirl Literary Happenings, Read-a-thons Dewey Read-a-thon 2 Comments

You read right. I have finished one book so far. Woo hooooo.

I have only been reading for around two to three hours. I forget when I started. I have done three challenges so far. A jigsaw puzzle, a comment challenge, and I posted a paragraph from my book.

The book I chose first to read was the new YA Fantasy/dystopian novel The Here and Now by Ann Brashares. I absolutely loved it. It’s getting a four star rating for sure. I will post an actual review in the next couple of days. I’m participating in a read-a-thon, ain’t nobody got time for anything else! 🙂 Ten points if you know where that reference is from. It’s a bit old now, but I’ll always love it.

The book was 192, so relatively short. I will be reading a book a little bit longer next. I chose another ARC I need to review which is The Vigilante Poets of Selwyn Academy, a contemporary YA book by Hattemer. at 336 pages. I have faith I can read this one, today too. I was sitting in my comfy blue chair with my nook charging; however, I might go outside and go to the park across the street soon if it’s not too cold. We’ll see. I will do another update in a couple hours.

Happy reading!!

My first Dewey! Dewey Read-a-thon Intro Post

April 26, 2014

Indiereadergirl Literary Happenings 2 Comments

I just found out about the Dewey read-a-thon from a couple of bloggers. Since I have limited plans today and am so behind on my reading why not participate! It sounds fun. There are prizes, too. Score!! How can I not participate then? Let’s start this off with a few questions.

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?

I am reading from a small town in Northern New Jersey in a house that looks very similar to my neighbor’s and their neighbor’s down the street. Just plain old little Suburbia.

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?

Hmmm, I haven’t quite decided what books I’m going to read. All I know is Ann Brashares The Here and Now. So, I would say that, for now. It’s short at 174 on my e-reader, so I’m sure there will be more books. Let’s hope, right? 🙂

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?

I still have starburst and Lindt chocolate leftover in my Easter basket. So, I’d say that, for sure. I’m not a big snacker, actually. So, we’ll see. I’ll keep you posted.

4) Tell us a little something about yourself!

Oh, bio time! I love mini- bio time. Well, I’m from NJ, as you now know. And, shocker, a blogger! A literary blogger at that. OK, in all seriousness, i love to read. In truth, though, it’s hard for me to read every day. I am also a writer currently writing a novel that I hope to have the first draft done this summer. I’ve hit over 10K already and it’s gooood. Just sayin’ :). I love to paper craft, too. My favorite kind of books are YA and historical fiction novels (I’m not picky about the subject!).

5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? If this is your first read-a-thon, what are you most looking forward to?

This is my first one, so I’m looking forward to everything. Be prepared for lots of updates! I’m going to try to stay up past 10:30, like the old lady I seemed to have become. I used to be able to stay up til 3 AM like a trooper. I hope you all stay connected with me, and even join in on the fun!

Happy reading!!

Do a Little Digging For Me…BEA Update #1– BEA Panels

April 25, 2014

Indiereadergirl Literary Happenings BEA 8 Comments

I don’t know about all of you going to the Book Expo this year, but I’m so excited. Beyond excited, truthfully. It is all my friends and family have heard me talk about for months now. Maybe because it’s my first time as a blogger. Or, because it’s such a great event. I’d say both, really. Recently, the good people at BEA FINALLY posted the panels for their conference. Now, the panels for the Wednesday Blogger convention has been posted for some time and looks great in my opinion. Tiger Beat looks like a blast. Some of the panels, particularly the writing one, looks fun and interesting.

Now, on to the actual conference panels. I decided I’ll give you fellow bloggers some highlights of the panels listed this year in case you haven’t checked them out yet. Of course, to see the full list, you just scroll down on Conferences, choose the appropriate conference, then ta da, have fun looking at the fun events. Or, if you want to add them to your show planner like I did, just log in and click on Education and authors. From there, you can select a track, type of event such as autograph sessions (which I will be doing another full post on), category, and speaker.

Off to the panels!! I won’t be listing any of Wednesday’s, obviously, because you should all be in the blogger’s conference so I can meet ya.

Thursday, May 29th

10:00 AM- 10:50 AM

BEA Young Adult Editor’s Buzz

10:00 AM- 10:30 AM

BEA Selects Journeys and Adventures

10:00 AM-11:00 AM

Meet BEA Adult Buzz Authors

11:00 AM- 11:30 AM

BEA Selects Mystery/Thrillers

2:00 PM-2:30 PM

BEA Selects Literary Fiction

3:00 PM-3:30 PM

BEA Memoir

Friday, May 30th

10:00 AM- 10:30 AM

Meet BEA Young Adult Authors 2014

10:00 AM- 10:30 AM

Hot Fall Fiction 2014

1:00 PM-1:50 PM

The Journey from Writer to Reader

1:30 PM-2:30 PM

Women of Contemporary Fiction

2:00 PM- 3:50 PM

Great Book Club Titles for Fall/Winter 2014- Speed Dating for Booksellers, Librarians, and Book Club Leaders

2:00 PM- 2:30 PM

The Craft of Writing and World Building

3:00 PM- 3:30 PM

Real YA

And, there you have it. Some great panels to choose from. Stay tune for more updates: author signings and, the best one in my opinion, books being featured.

Happy Reading! Only 33 more days to go!!

Jane Doe walks into a Hospital…;Gemini by Carol Cassella Book Review

April 24, 2014

Indiereadergirl Book reviews book review, Carol Cassella, Gemini, March Indie Next List pick, Medical Mysteries, netgalley, newly released, Simon and Schuster, Two Star Review Leave a comment

Gemini

By: Carol Cassella

Released March 4th, 2014 by Simon and Schuster

Length: 352 Pages

Genre: Mystery-medical

Rating: Two Stars

Acquired: via netgalley

Dr. Charlotte Reese must do all that she can to save Jane Doe. But, will she get too close? Will Jane’s true identity be revealed?

Set in Seattle, ER doctor, Dr. Charlotte Reese, gets delivered Jane Doe while on the night shift severely injured and practically beyond repair. Told through both Charlotte’s perspective in the present, and Jane Doe’s first in the past as far back as her childhood to current with her identity known only to the reader. There is an unlikely connection between the two women that the reader later finds out in the middle of the novel which is perhaps the only intriguing event that happens.

At 352 pages, I felt not much happened. I often skimmed through the pages, or read through them halfheartedly. I didn’t attach myself to either women. Not that there was anything wrong with them. They were developed nicely, actually. I just didn’t find something in them that I found powerful or unique to feel something. The writing was very straight forward, leaving it to be a little bland at times. There wasn’t necessarily anything wrong with the novel that warranted a two star rating, I just didn’t really like it. There was much that pulled me in. I did like the connection that sprung up; that shocker was a good tie-in, but I felt it came a little too late.

I think this was just one of those books that was out of my typical genre comfort zone, so it wasn’t so enjoyable. I got through it in a day, only through skimming and half caring though. Never a full commitment. Would I recommend this book? I think it’s for you to decide. This one’s a tricky one. It wasn’t bad. Just not my taste. It might be yours, though.

Dear John Letters Get a Modern Update: Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira Book Review

April 11, 2014

Indiereadergirl Book reviews Ava Dellaira, book reviews, Farrar Straus and Giroux, Love Letters to the Dead, newly released, YA contemporary 1 Comment

Love Letters to the Dead

By: Ava Dellaira

Released April 1st, 2014 by Brilliance Audio

Length: 8 hours and 35 minutes

Genre: YA Realistic Contemporary

Rating: Five Stars

Acquired: purchased via audible.com

Dear John letters with a twist in this dazzlingly, heartbreaking debut novel about a girl who writes to the dead about love, family, friends, and secrets she can only tell them–at first.

Laurel chooses Kurt Cobain to write her letter for her first assignment. But, as she starts writing it, she realizes she can’t hand it in. She can’t hand any of them in that she writes, filling a whole notebook in one year. Starting with Kurt Cobain, her sister May’s favorite musician, Laurel writes about May’s life and death, about her own life including falling in love for the first time, making new friends, and her strange living situation. Only to Kurt Cobain, River Phoenix, Judy Garland, Amy Winehouse, Elizabeth Bishop, the actor who plays Mr. Ed, and more can she say what really happened to May when she died. Only to them can she write the secrets she has kept.

It’s not just her life she writes about. She writes about theirs. Specifically about their deaths. She asks Judy if she really wanted to keep taking all those pills? The pills she was given as a child star that never stopped coming as an adult. That maybe if she said no. Then there’s River Phoenix. That maybe he needed a parent to look after him. Like maybe May and her needed. Maybe they would both be alive. She tells Kurt Cobain his daughter is not alright without him. That he should have never thought that.

I quickly fell head over heels in love with this book. The letters are no way superficial. There is substance. They are sometimes heartbreaking, devastating, pull at your heart strings, then introspective, make you think about celebrities and how we think about them, and laugh. I fell in love with Laurel/Dellaira’s writing style. They were fluid, elegant, and made me think. They was nothing in them that didn’t make me think or wonder. I felt for the characters. Their pain was, briefly, my pain. When Laurel slowly reveals her secret, my heart burst. As bad things happened, I got anger with her. Not at her, but with her, by her side.

Dellaira raised an interesting and very valid point about idolizing someone. A lot of the celebrities Laurel chooses to write to ended up dying of drug overdoses, or suicide. All at a very young age. Not as young as May, but relatively young. They were also idols in pop culture. May was Laurel’s ultimate idol. Even from when they were kids and May would say they were fairies and she would try to protect her. She idolized her so much she didn’t want to tell her the truth about something. The truth that when it came out Laurel thought killed her. Whether or not it did, you never know. But, Laurel has to go on her journey to stop idolizing her sister and see her as a real person. And, that’s what she does in the letters when she starts asking questions, like to River about needing protection. And, to Judy about the pills.

The journey is heartbreaking. But, worth it in the end. There is a beautiful poem in the end that Laurel writes to her sister that makes reading this book worth while. It’s truly amazing. I shed a tear the first time I heard it. There was something about it. If you don’t read the book, just read the poem.

This book really will take you on a journey. It will break your heart ten different ways. Pull on your heart-strings. Make you question almost everything about friendships, loyalty, love, and a little about who you are. In the end, at that poem, you will be mended. Your heart will be sewn back up. Your tears will be gone. Your journey will be a success. This is by far my favorite book of the year. And I’ve read about 20. Just sayin’ It’s that good. 🙂

Happy Reading!

indiereadergirl0329

Do a little Digging for Me…BEA Update #2–Author Signings

When the Future comes to the Present: The Here and Now by Ann Brashares

Dewey Decimal 3- Dewey Read-a-thon Update #3

Midnight-Dew-ey: Mid Event Survey

It’s a Dewey: Dewey Update #2

One Book Down: Dewey Continues. Update #1

My first Dewey! Dewey Read-a-thon Intro Post

Do a Little Digging For Me…BEA Update #1– BEA Panels

Jane Doe walks into a Hospital…;Gemini by Carol Cassella Book Review

Dear John Letters Get a Modern Update: Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira Book Review

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