Sunday, June 30, 2013

ARC Review: Playing Tyler by T.L Costa


Hello Everyone!

Playing Tyler by T.L. Costa
Publication Date: July 2nd, 2013
Publisher: Strange Chemistry 
Source: E-ARC from Publisher (Thanks!)
Rating: Did Not Finish (Read around 100 pages)

My Review:

First, this review is only intended to give you, my reader, and account of my thoughts of Playing Tyler. 

After reading about a hundred pages of this book I was tired of trying to become interested in this novel. It was just too difficult. 

Job. Hunt. Tear. Jazz. Silver. Clap. Huh?

I began Playing Tyler with similar disorientation and the anguish resurfaced throughout the book. I understand that the writing style portraying Tyler’s point of view was meant to read as an authentic portrayal of a person with ADHD. Its just that every time Tyler was thinking, I felt an ache in my brain reading pages full of disorienting and constant run-ons. I am no Grammar Queen and I glad that Costa was trying to make Tyler genuine, but I just could not enjoy his point of view while noticing all the grammar errors.
  
I want to read a book today. Sigh. Me too.

I breathed a sigh of relief whenever the story wandered to another point of view that thought in the standard English I am used to reading. I was surprised of the change of character. I began this book thinking it would stay in Tyler’s view entirely. This point of view was Ani a gammer and a sixteen-year-old girl hired by a company to create a stimulation. Ani never reaches the bounds of moving off the page into a memorable character as she is a typical nice girl who likes playing games. Tyler is close to the main who hired Ani. The man Rick and Tyler gladly agrees to be a beta-tester of the stimilation. Rick promises to help Tyler become a pilot and Tyler loves video-games. 

Then comes the quick romance. 

After their initial meet-up, Tyler emails Ani constantly for weeks and she never responds. Then, suddenly she does and they immediately rush into loving each other. 

And then I relented in deciding to stop trying to read this book. 

Simply because the book was hard to read and never had an entertaining factor. I hope this book would be a Ender's Game-espce novel since it was described to be about a gamer encountering a realistic gaming system. Instead it became an awkward, and somewhat uncomfortable romance. 

Thanks for reading!  



Thursday, June 27, 2013

Blog Tour: Confessions of an Almost Girlfriend by Louise Rozett Review

Hi Fellow Readers,


While reading Confessions of an Almost Girlfriend by Louise Rozett, I continued to journey back into my confusion of doing the right responses that I experienced during high school. This walk of confusion began last year when I read Confessions of an Angry Girl.


Yet, I am starting ahead of myself. Today I am beyond ecstatic to participate in the blog tour of Confessions of an Almost Girlfriend hosted by YA Bound. The tours full schedule can be found here!



Aren't both covers a wonderful? One shows angst and the other shows hiding from the problem. Both images correlate with Rose, the main character's reactions throughout the respecting book.

Confessions of an Almost Girlfriend by Louise Rozett
Publication Date: June 18th, 2013
Publisher: Harlequin 
Source: E-ARC from Netgalley 
Rating: 5/5 BEMUSED STARS



Book Synopsis:


Rose Zarelli has big plans for sophomore year—everything is going to be different. This year, she’s going to be the talented singer with the killer voice, the fabulous girl with the fashionista best friend, the brainiac who refuses to let Jamie Forta jerk her around...

...but if she’s not careful, she’s also going to be the sister who misses the signals, the daughter who can only think about her own pain, the “good girl” who finds herself in mid-scandal again (because no good deed goes unpunished) and possibly worst of all...the almost-girlfriend.

When all else fails, stop looking for love and go find yourself.

My review:

Confessions of an Almost Girlfriend by Louise Rozett ranks among my top books primarily because all the characters are special.

Oh Rose. She is a marvelous person. Very assertive and humorous. 
Oh Lena. She is a caring friend.
Oh Regina. She still remains vicious towards Rose. Still, she is not a careless tormentor. She is a real person with a startling history.
Oh Robert and Holly! They are such a great couple. I like how they are both kind actors. Though I wish Robert just told Holly the truth about his past love for Rose in the beginning of their relationship.
Oh Tracy! I love your fashion blog revolution. A brave response to a taunting website page.
Oh Stephanie! She is so sweet.

This book is a whirlwind of events and terrific lines. I felt for all the characters throughout. My favorite scene was when Tracey, Rose and Stephanie were celebrating while the first day of school. Rose was of course hoping that this year would be better and doubting a better year would be real.

My top reason that I like Rose is how easy it is to relate to her and sympathize with her struggle to make the correct choices. She feels the similar desires I feel like trying to constantly a confident exterior. I often daydream like Rose about the day ahead. I like how much she appreciates her friends. I wish she knew three facts of life: that it is hard to handle what happens in life, that answers are nonexistent and that personal enemies may need assistance. I related to her experience singing in the chorus since I often had a belting voice that can be noticeable to a musical director’s ears that is looking for symphonized voices. The "Sing lower." command can become really annoying. 

This is a delightful book with a caring main character. It is bemusing in the way Rose’s walk of confusion was felt by me too. While reading, I had no clue of what Rose should do. And the ending results are the most surprising. 

Louise Rozett's Bio:




Louise Rozett is an author, a playwright, and a recovering performer. She made her YA debut with Confessions of an Angry Girl, published by Harlequin Teen. The next book in the series, Confessions of an Almost-Girlfriend, is due out June 2013. She lives with her 120-pound Bernese Mountain dog Lester (named after Lester Freamon from THE WIRE, of course) in one of the world's greatest literary meccas, Brooklyn...and also in sunny Los Angeles. (Being bi-coastal is fun!) Visit www.Louiserozett.com for more info.


Thanks for reading!
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Thursday, June 13, 2013

Blog Tour: Guest Post- A Day in the Life of Author Kara Leigh Miller

Hello!

Have you ever wanted to learn about an author's day without feeling like a stalker? 
Well here's your chance!

As part of the blog tour for the book Georgia Corbins by Kara Leigh Miller, I am so happy to welcome Kara to my blog to share to everyone a snippet into her daily life. This tour is organized by Kara's wonderful publicist Emily Marquart of Entranced Publishing. You can find the full schedule of this fantastic blog tour here!

First a bit about Georgia Corbins by Kara Leigh Miller.


Publication Date: June 10th, 2013

Ali Philips never thought anything could be more devastating than the day Levi and Tucker Corbin, her two best friends—her only friends—moved away. Three years passed without a single phone call, text message, or email from them and she’s resolved to the fact that she will probably never see them again. Until one morning when she comes face-to-face with Levi Corbin in physics class. 

Little does she know, the Corbins have returned to Haldeen with only one thing on their minds: winning Ali’s heart. Ali soon finds herself in the middle of a love triangle she doesn’t want any part of. As she tries to reclaim the friendships she’s lost and to adjust to the unfamiliar feelings she’s having, she struggles with making the one decision that will forever change their lives: Levi or Tucker Corbin? 

She’s always had a special bond with Tucker and feels most comfortable when she’s with him. But Levi brings her to life in a way she didn’t think was possible and makes her feel things she didn’t think she would ever feel. Torn between the two, Ali is certain of only one thing–by the time it’s over, she’ll lose one of her best friends.

Kara Leigh Miller's Bio:




Born and raised in the small town of Mexico, New York, Kara was an only child who was forced to find ways to entertain herself. Playing make believe with her Barbie dolls and stuffed animals was her first real taste of storytelling before she became old enough to develop a love affair with the written word. In early 2010, Kara picked up her very first erotic romance novel, and she was instantly hooked. She loves to write contemporary romance, erotica, and young adult romance. Currently she has several full-length novels in the works, a series of novellas, and a handful of short stories. Kara is an active member of the CNY Creative Writers Café and the CNY Romance Writers. Today, Kara resides in New Haven, New York with her husband, five kids, and three cats. When she’s not reading or writing, she’s thinking about reading and writing. And when she’s not doing that, she’s spending time with her family and friends.


Now, welcome Kara!
Get ready for a humorous and exciting guest post! 


Authors are curious creatures, aren't they? They openly admit to hearing voices in their heads and to interacting with their characters in their dreams. And they are always making up fake people to do pretend stuff in made-up worlds. But, have you ever wondered what a typical day in the life of a writer is really like? Well, fear no more! I'm going to show you exactly what it's like to live a day in my life.

5:30 a.m. -- Hit snooze on the alarm clock.
5:39 a.m. -- Turn the alarm off and get out of bed while grumbling about how early it is.
5:42 a.m. – Wake up my two oldest daughters for school.
5:43 a.m. – Feed the cats and the puppy.
5:45 a.m. – Yell at the puppy for trying to eat the cat food. Ponder if I could comically work this situation into a story.
5:47 a.m. – Wake up my two oldest daughters for school. Again. I threaten them with putting the puppy on their beds and letting him lick their faces.
5:50 a.m. – Pack my husband's lunch for work and unload the dishwasher. Yell at my girls to get out of bed. This is my last warning and then I'm bringing the puppy in!
6:07 a.m. – My girls finally come shuffling out of their rooms complaining: It's cold. I'm hot. My head hurts. I'm tired. It's too early. I respond as I always do: Put on a sweater. Take a cool shower. Take some aspirin. Go to bed earlier. Don't talk to me about early, I've been up half an hour longer than you.
6:30 a.m. – Husband leaves for work.
6:47 a.m. – Girls get on the bus. I smile. The house is quiet and I can hear my characters whispering to me again.
6:55 a.m. – I finally sit down and fire up my laptop. I check emails, Facebook, and Twitter. Check email. Again. (Hey, you never know if I got more during my social media time.)
7:20 a.m. – Start working on one of current projects. I have like 5 of them going all at once.
7:45 a.m. – Wake up my other 3 kids for school. No arguments about getting up. I'm pleased.
8:24 a.m. – The rest of the kids get on the bus. I'm officially kid free for a few hours. I run through the house naked. (Okay, I'm totally kidding. I don't do that. But I could if I wanted to!)   
9:00 a.m. – Take puppy for a walk. All my current WIPs run through my mind faster than I can keep up. I see Tucker and Levi standing in a strange house, bottles of beer in their hands. A strange voice asks Levi, "If you could have any girl, right here, right now, who would it be?" Levi responds without hesitation. "Ali." Tucker glares at his brother. "Fucking knew it," he grumbles under his breath, bringing his beer to his lips. I stop walking and close my eyes for a moment. The scene plays out in my mind. I make a mental note to go home and write it.
10:00 a.m. – Begin writing.
10:45 a.m. – I hit a metaphorical road block, so I stop writing and go check my email. Then, by default, I have to check in on Twitter and Facebook. I spend some time chatting with my critique partners on Facebook. Then I hop over to Twitter and do some #Darksidereseach with my wonderful Entranced Publishing peeps. (Translation: post pics of random, hot, shirtless guys for the purpose of research.)
11:30 a.m. – Mentally chastise myself for goofing off and not writing.
11:31 a.m. – Write! Check word count. Write some more! Check word count. Write a little more! Check word count.
12:02 p.m. – My youngest daughter gets home from preschool. At this point, I know it's going to be difficult to get any real writing done now. I mentally kick myself again for not getting more done that morning.   
12:15 p.m. – Make lunch for my daughter. As I'm making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, I'm struck with the most brilliant new idea ever. I'm sure it's going to be a bestseller, the next best thing, bigger than Twilight and The Hunger Games combined.
12:45 p.m. – Sit back down to write. Crap. I totally forgot my awesome new idea.
     Tired yet? Yeah, me too. And it's not even one o'clock. But, as you can see, the life of a writer isn't all about sitting in a café, sipping lattes, and crafting pieces of literary excellence. It's hard work with lots of interruptions and distractions. On that note, I'm amazed at how much I actually write. If I could just stop wasting time I could double my word count every day =)

Thanks for reading!
Tour Giveaway!


Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Waiting On Wednesday: The One I Am The Most Excited For This Summer

Yay! Its Wednesday! 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and is a wonderful way to share books you are waiting on and add books to your TBR list!

This week (and till this book releases) I am waiting ecstatically for ...


Seven Minutes in Heaven by Sara Shepard 
Publisher: HarperCollins 
Publication Date: July 30th, 2013

Synopsis:

My sister wants the truth.

But sometimes the truth hurts.

For months, my long-lost twin, Emma, has been living my life and trying to solve my murder. She's unearthed dark secrets about my friends, my family, and my tangled past. But when it comes to finding my killer, she keeps running into dead ends.

Until my body shows up in Sabino Canyon. Suddenly everyone knows there are two girls who look like Sutton Mercer—and that one of them is dead. At first the police assume the body is Emma's. But as questions and accusations start flying, it's harder than ever for Emma to keep playing me. The truth is bound to come out eventually. And when it does, Emma will be suspect number one in my murder investigation. If she can't find my killer before time runs out, she'll end up behind bars . . . or worse.



Sara Shepard, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Pretty Little Liars books, finally reveals the shocking truth about Sutton's murder in this riveting novel about secrets, lies, and killer consequences

(Synopsis and Cover Photo provided by Goodreads)

Why oh why?

First, the introduction in the synopsis is amazing. So true. The introduction makes me wonder if my prediction that Ethan is the killer is true. If it is, Emma will be badly hurt. After all, she would have trusted and loved the wrong guy. 

Seven Minutes in Heaven is the last book in the Lying Game series so I can finally discover who killed Sutton. I like the direction (I'm inferring from this synopsis) this book will go where Emma will have to face everyone knowing the truth instead of telling them once the killer is safety locked in prison. This direction should be exciting, since Emma will have to defend her self for lying and block accusations that she is the killer. 

And most of all...

More Thayer scenes! More Thayer moments! More Thayer being incredible. 

Thanks for reading!


Saturday, June 1, 2013

Author Interview: Bailey Thompson of Yellow Socks and Blood Spots


Hi Everyone! 

Today I am happy to present an interview with Bailey Thompson. Her debut book, Yellow Socks and Blood Spots was recently on May 15th, 2013. This book is published by Yellow Iris Press. 


The Enticing Synopsis: 

Two lines means pregnant, and pregnant is the very last thing seventeen-year-old Isabelle wanted to be. She’s just beginning her senior year, she’s rekindling the respectable relationship she once had with her family and she has finally fallen in love.
Her boyfriend, Jason wants an abortion, while Isabelle wants to give her baby a chance at life, whether that means adoption or raising her baby herself. Her situation raises a question of values, beliefs, rights, societal expectations and personal opinions, and as Isabelle’s friends and family discover the news, they seem to think they know what’s best for her and her baby. Within two weeks of finding out about their beautiful disaster, Isabelle and Jason have to come to a mutual agreement and make a life and death decision.
My Interview With Bailey:


What inspired your book Yellow Socks and Blood Spots?

"Write something you would want to read about." I realized that there weren't very many books written on such a subject from such a perspective. Abortion is generally a taboo subject with varied opinions, and I found that there wasn't very many teen-friendly books on the subject. The truth is, so many young women are alone in situations like this and I hope that Yellow Socks and Blood Spots will create perspective and conversation. Reality is, abortion is a subject that I don't think the world will ever come to a concrete agreement on, but it is one that we can discuss and express... I think that alone tells us a lot about the world, and the depths of our lives.
 
What books are you fond of from your childhood?

The Lorax - Dr. Seuss
Love You Forever - Robert Munsch
Superfudge - Judy Blume

If you could control one element, air, fire, earth or water, what would it be and why?

Water. More than half of the human body is water; and lack of it, or lack of sanitation of it is the cause of many deaths worldwide. I think water is a human right, and I would do anything to make sure that clean water was readily available to everyone.
 
What is one place in the world you always wanted to visit?
Iceland; something about hot springs and no nighttime sounds perfect.

Thanks for reading!