Adventures Through Awkwardness | Male Narrators!

middle grade challengeAdventures Through Awkwardness: Male Narrators

We are plugging along nicely with our challenge, friends! I can’t believe we’re at the HALFWAY POINT already!! WHAT?! Time is flying! I hope you’re all have so much fun reading all the middle grades!

For this month, we’re highlighting male narrators. Plus, we’ve got a pretty sweet giveaway, courtesy of debut middle grade author, Rebecca Petruck! One lucky participant in this month’s challenge will win a finished copy of STEERING TOWARD NORMAL plus some AWESOME swag! YAY!

You guys know the drill: You can read any middle grade book with a male narrator during this month. Links to your reviews can be posted in the comments or in the giveaway widget. If you want to review two or three, that’s awesome! Extra chances for you to win! If you want to read a book that came out 20 years ago? Super! Get after it. In the meantime, check out how great STEERING TOWARD NORMAL sounds. Don’t tease me with 4-H.
Book cover Steering Toward Normal Rebecca Petruck

Eighth grade is set to be a good year for Diggy Lawson: He’s chosen a great calf to compete at the Minnesota State Fair, he’ll see a lot of July, the girl he secretly likes at 4-H, and he and his dad Pop have big plans for April Fool’s Day. But everything changes when classmate Wayne Graf’s mother dies, which brings to light the secret that Pop is Wayne’s father, too. Suddenly, Diggy has a half brother, who moves in and messes up his life. Wayne threatens Diggy’s chances at the State Fair, horns in on his girl, and rattles his easy relationship with Pop.
What started out great quickly turns into the worst year ever, filled with jealousy, fighting, and several incidents involving cow poop. But as the boys care for their steers, pull pranks, and watch too many B movies, they learn what it means to be brothers and change their concept of family as they slowly steer toward a new kind of normal.

Enter to win this awesome book and some extra goodies!

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Happy Reading, friends!!

Say Hi @ BEA 2014!

BEA

YAY! I’m so excited for BEA! Again. This will be my fourth year (!), so I know the ways of the floor, but the one thing thatis always awesome and will never change is how much I LOVE meeting people there and saying hi and talking about books or whatever while we wait. This year, instead of just coming into the city for one day, I’ll be staying in the city and hitting the town after the day is done. I CANNOT WAIT to see everyone!

So: how to spot me. First of all, this is me:

BEA My hair won’t look this nice, though. That’s a promise.

I’ll probably be wearing dresses and have slightly wild, curly/wavy/weird hair. I might be reading or looking bored or talking to someone, but don’t let any of that keep you from saying “hey, girl!” You can call me Amy or Ame or Amela or Ames or “hey, you!” and I’ll answer.  I recently realized that I snort when I laugh more than I thought, so if you hear any of that going on, it’s probably me. I love hugs, so if you go in for one, I’m going to HUG IT OUT. I don’t wuss out on hugs. Hope that’s not awkward for any of you.

Second of all, follow me on Twitter (@trippingbooks) and Instagram (amela981)! I’ll be tweeting and posting pictures all over the place. I’m hitting BEA this year with my girls, Brittany (@bookaddictguide) and Alyssa (@withthebanned), so if you see them anywhere, I’m probably not far away. Say hi to all of us! We’re super nice. Alyssa will probably have snacks. Don’t be weirded out if I fidget a lot or move from one foot to another because I’m probably trying to keep my feet from falling off. I have never mastered the art of appropriate BEA footwear, guys.

You’ll have a really decent shot of seeing me waiting on line for one of these authors, so come be my line buddy!

  • Sarah Maas
  • Morgan Matson
  • Marie Lu
  • Rebecca Searle
  • Shannon Hale
  • Meg Wolitzer
  • Chelsey Philpot
  • Holly Black
  • Sarah MacLean (if we can swing it!)

I will most DEFINITELY be stalking galley drops for:

  • Robin LaFevers
  • Marie Lu
  • Jandy Nelson

Once the BEA days are done, I’ll be about town! Here’s where you can catch me:

  • Book Blogger Picnic
  • Books of Wonder/The Strand
  • Kids Author Carnival (at the Jefferson Market Library! You should come! My girl Brittany will be at the door when you come in, and Alyssa and I will be at different stations. It’s going to be so much fun, but would be even more fun if you were there!)
  • Seeing Maleficent
  • Eating noms and cupcakes

If you run into me, you can talk to me about anything. Books, blogging, coffee, Game of Thrones, Supernatural, Outlander (the books AND the TV show, which AAHHH!!), New Jersey, the Yankees, Oreos, books (I know, I mentioned this already), Etsy shopping, Sherlock and/or Benedict Cumberbatch (did you guys SEE him in those tails at the Met Gala? I die), New Girl, OUAT, Disney movies, Buzzfeed quizzes…anything.

Bottom line: SAY HI if you see me!! I’d love to put IRL faces to names and Twitter avatars!

Peace Out, 2013: Year-End Survey

Survey

1. Best Book You Read In 2013? (If you have to cheat — you can break it down by genre if you want or 2013 release vs. backlist)

Contemporary YA – LOVELY, DARK AND DEEP by Amy McNamara. Also, JUST ONE DAY by Gayle Forman. And ELEANOR & PARK by Rainbow Rowell. Guys, these lists are so hard.

Dystopian/Post-Apocalyptic – CHAMPION by Marie Lu. OMG. No contest. Although THE 5TH WAVE was also excellent. 

Historical Fiction – DARK TRIUMPH by Robin LaFevers. LOOK AT THAT. I narrowed it down to JUST ONE BOOK. *pats self on the back*

Paranormal — COLDEST GIRL IN COLDTOWN by Holly Black. And THE MONSTRUMOLOGIST by Rick Yancey.

Science Fiction — THESE BROKEN STARS by Aimee Kaufman and Megan Spooner. 

Fantasy — DAYS OF BLOOD AND STARLIGHT by Laini Taylor.

Audiobook — THE SCORPIO RACES, narrated by Steve West and Fiona Hardingham. Also, THE NIGHT CIRCUS, narrated by Jim Dale.

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?

I have more books for this than I usually do, ALAS HARD CORE! REQUIEM by Lauren Oliver takes the title, though, hands down. Seriously a bummer. But honorable sad mentions to JUST ONE YEAR by Gayle Forman and EVERY DAY by David Levithan and it just didn’t work out so well for me.

3. Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2013? 

Lovely, Dark and Deep lived up to its title for sure. I wish more people read it. In fact, I want to reread it! I keep thinking about it, even now that it’s been virtually an entire year since I read it.

4. Book you read in 2013 that you recommended to people most in 2013?

Oooooh, I have been talking up THE BURNING SKY to people, as well as CHAMPION. As always, since I reread it annually like an obsessed person, THE SCORPIO RACES.

5. Best series you discovered in 2013?

I FINALLY read Scott Westerfeld’s Leviathan series this year and was surprised how much I enjoyed it, steampunk not usually being my thing. Also, thanks to my darling Alyssa, I started reading the Sevenwaters series by Juliet Marillier. I LOVE IT. I’m also listening to Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn series right now and REALLY loving it.

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2013?

I’ve got two for you: 1. Rick Yancey. I read two of his books this year and I loved them both. 2. Sarah Ockler. Took me entirely too long to read her stuff, and I’ve enjoyed both of her books thoroughly.

7. Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre for you?

This would be the Leviathan series, for sure. It’s definitely got me paying attention to steampunk!

8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2013?

I could not put THESE BROKEN STARS down. Honestly. I’m also trying to make this list with books that are already out, but I was super lucky enough to read CRESS this year (thanks, Brittany!) and that was as good as it gets.

9. Book you read this year that you are most likely to re-read in 2014?

I LOVE rereading, friends. Love it. I can tell you that I am rereading DAYS OF BLOOD AND STARLIGHT for sure. And I’ve been doing lots of my rereads via audio lately, so I’ll probably be rereading DARK TRIUMPH that way next year.

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2013?

book cover for lovely dark and deep by Amy McNamara

11. Most memorable character in 2013? 

Wow. Hmm…you know who really stuck with me and kind of blew me away with her awesome? Derryn Sharpe from Scott Westerfeld’s Leviathan series. What a BAMF! Like, for real. She’s strong and confident and so brave and unconventional. Big fan of her.

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2013?

LOVELY, DARK AND DEEP was gorgeously written. Also, WILD AWAKE by Hilary T. Smith was full of quote-worthy passages.

13. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2013? 

I read DAYS OF BLOOD AND STARLIGHT in the winter and I still think about how amazing it was. So much so that I’m rereading it already right now with my girls, Brittany and Alyssa.

14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2013 to finally read? 

THE MONSTRUMOLOGIST. I hadn’t ready anything by Rick Yancey before this year, even though THE MONSTRUMOLOGIST has been on my radar for ages. It was all that I hoped it would be, aka LEGIT.

15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2013?

Wild Awake Hilary T. Smith

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2013?

Longest: AN ECHO IN THE BONE by Diana Gabaldon (820 pages)

Shortest: Fables, Vol. 1 (128 pages. I know, I know. Graphic novel. Not cheating.)

17. Book That Had A Scene In It That Had You Reeling And Dying To Talk To Somebody About It? (a WTF moment, an epic revelation, a steamy kiss, etc. etc.) Be careful of spoilers!

The end of CROWN OF MIDNIGHT was kind of the best. It wasn’t all completely surprising, but most of it was and it was so game-changing that I reread it a few times with my jaw hanging on the floor. I’m one of those people who definitely gets excited over big series because I love getting invested, so finding out that this series still has four more books in it made my day.

18. Favorite Relationship From A Book You Read In 2013 (be it romantic, friendship, etc).

Sighhhhhhh…I loved Eleanor and Park from ELEANOR & PARK. I also loved Sybella and Beast from DARK TRIUMPH. *fans self and swoons*

19. Favorite Book You Read in 2013 From An Author You’ve Read Previously

GOLDEN by Jessi Kirby. Also, DAYS OF BLOOD AND STARLIGHT. So good, both of them. I’ve really enjoyed all of the books I’ve read by both Jessi Kirby and Laini Taylor, and these two continued the trend.

20. Best Book You Read In 2013 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else?

DAUGHTER OF THE FOREST by Juliet Marillier. Thanks to you, Alyssa! So easy to see why so many people love this series, and why you love it.

21. Genre You Read The Most From in 2013?

I read LOTS of contemps this year! But don’t worry–fantasy was a very close second/possible tie! All is right with the world.

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2013?

Park. That kid…he kills me. Also, Mik from DAYS OF BLOOD AND STARLIGHT and the novella, NIGHT OF CAKE AND PUPPETS. I just…adorable.

23. Best 2013 debut you read?

WILD AWAKE was so impressive, guys. Lovely writing and a touching story.

24. Most vivid world/imagery in a book you read in 2013?

THE NIGHT CIRCUS by Erin Morgenstern. So lush, so palpable, so singular. Very special.

25. Book That Was The Most Fun To Read in 2013?

Historical romances are always a blast, friends. I’ve been reading lots lately and I’m remember why I love them so. I did VERY much enjoy THESE BROKEN STARS by Amie Kaufman and Megan Spooner, too.

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2013?

CHAMPION made me CRYYYYYY! But from such a different range of feelings. It was, not even joking, one of the best series enders I’ve read.

27. Book You Read in 2013 That You Think Got Overlooked This Year Or When It Came Out?

LOVELY, DARK AND DEEP. I feel like it’s on lots of radars but not under enough noses. Very much worth the time, friends.

Survey

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2013? 

Oh gosh, there’s so many excellent new bloggers around! Well, not necessarily new, but new to me anyway. I don’t get to visit as often as I’d like, but I love the vibe and thoughtful reviews over at Disquietus. Plus, Angie is a peach and I love getting to chat books with her during Lit Lush!

2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2013? 

Man, this is hard. I’ll say…CROWN OF MIDNIGHT. Or LOVELY, DARK AND DEEP. Or CHAMPION.

3. Best discussion you had on your blog?

This is something I need to sort out, friends. I don’t really have too many discussions on my blog, but I wish I had more. 2014: Year of the Discussion Post.

4. Most thought-provoking review or discussion you read on somebody else’s blog?

I really do love a lot of the posts on The Perpetual Page-Turner. About blogging and slumps and life. Jamie’s got good stuff going on over there!

5. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)?

BEA, same as last year. This year it will be my goal to go for the entire event instead of just one day. It’s such a great–if exhausting–time and I want to milk it for all it’s worth!

6. Best moment of book blogging/your book life in 2013?

I had an epiphany this year, friends, about the frequency of my posts and whether or not it was ok for me to mold my blog around my life rather than my life around my blog. I’m not sure I’ve found the happy medium yet, but not keeping myself on the hook to post something every day was good for my sanity. Also for my reading time.

7. Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)?

My most viewed post this past year was my review of CODE NAME VERITY, which is a pleasant surprise to me! I was in the minority with that one, I think, so I wasn’t expecting so many people to be feeling it!

8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?

I wish that my Legend of Korra recaps got some more attention, just because I want to talk about the show with lots of people.

9. Best bookish discovery (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?

I really enjoy using Bloglovin’, so that’s a good one. And I’m loving bookblogging.net too! Great way to get and stay in touch with other bloggers!

10.  Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?

Well, I completed my Goodreads Challenge!! Huzzah! That’s basically it, haha.

2013 Reading Challenge

2013 Reading Challenge
Amy has
completed her goal of reading 100 books in 2013!
hide

Survey

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2013 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2014?

OMG just one?! My TBR is an ever-deepening flood, so there’s always books I’m meaning to read that I don’t get to, but I’d say that near the tippy top of my list for 2014 is HOUSE OF HADES by Rick Riordan. LOVE me some Percy Jackson!

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2014 (non-debut)?

ARGH!!! I can’t wait to read DREAMS OF GODS AND MONSTERS by Laini Taylor, SINCE YOU’VE BEEN GONE by Morgan Matson, and THE YOUNG ELITES by Marie Lu. BUT! OMG OMG OMG–I will die/commit a crime/name my first born after someone, anyone, who can get me a copy of Jandy Nelson’s I’LL GIVE YOU THE SUN. OMG. OMG.

3. 2014 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?

THE GLASS CASKET by McCormack Templeman and THE WINNER’S CURSE by Marie Rutkoski. WOW, do these books sounds incredible!

4. Series Ending You Are Most Anticipating in 2014?

DREAMS OF GODS AND MONSTERS. Anticipating and DREADING because I love this series beyond words and I don’t want it to end.

5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging In 2014?

Here is where I drop that dreaded (for me) word: SCHEDULE. I desperately need one. Desperately.

Excuse Me While I Fangirl: Outlander

Outlander

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Book Review | The Outside | Laura Bickle

Fortnight of Fright

 

Friends, I’m so very excited to be participating in this year’s Fortnight of Fright event, hosted again by the delightful duo of Brittany @ The Book Addict’s Guide and Alyssa @ Books Take You Places. This is a super event leading up to Halloween where bloggers get to chat about some of their favorite creepy stuff! I’m sometimes a wuss about scary things, but I’m psyched to be reviewing THE OUTSIDE by Laura Bickle for my Fortnight of Fright post! So, thanks ladies! And come on in for some vampire creepiness!

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Classics Retold: King Arthur–It Begins

King ArthurAs you may already know, there’s an excellent project just kicking off this month, hosted by a slew of lovely ladies, although my particular classic is being hosted by Alyssa @ Books Take You Places. Classics Retold is a super fun opportunity for bloggers to pick one classic tale from LITERALLY any time period and genre and read or watch a bunch of different retellings. Then, we get to blog about it and get all fangirly. It was really no contest for me AT ALL to choose the baddest BAMF of them all, King Arthur. Here’s what I’m hoping to discuss for my King Arthur Classics Retold project!

King Arthur

I’m pretty familiar with the King Arthur legend, but I love it so much that I don’t think I could ever get enough of it. And despite knowing the major points of the story, I’ve never read any definitive texts. I have read several retellings already, but I found a few that were new to me, as well as a classic that is HUGE but fun–go figure!

King ArthurI don’t have a schedule for when I’m going to be reviewing these because, one, I haven’t actually FINISHED THE ONCE AND FUTURE KING–it’s seriously large, I’m not even kidding–and, two, I’m still in the middle of finishing a few others, but my plans are to read these books (or as much of them as I can) and then talk about what I liked about them, what I didn’t, and how they differ.

THE ONCE AND FUTURE KING by T.H.White

THE WINTER OF MAGIC’S RETURN by Pamela F. Service

THE WINTER PRINCE by Elizabeth Wein

SONG OF THE SPARROW by Lisa Ann Sandell (VERSE. Not usually my thing, but for King Arthur, I’ll do anything.)

King Arthur

I’m pretty stoked about these movies and TV show. In fact, this is the one part of my Classics Retold project that I’m nearly finished with. I’ve been a Merlin superfan for a while now, but still need to watch the last five episodes. The Sword in the Stone is a Disney version of THE ONCE AND FUTURE KING, and I’ve watched it already and there’s lots of similarities between it and the little bit of the book I’ve read already. And I’ve already watched Avalon High, the Disney movie version of Meg Cabot’s book of the same name. Woot!

King Arthur

King Arthur

Because King Arthur goodness just isn’t limited to books and movies. I’m going to dig up some fangirly goodies for you (and me).

I’m so excited to be taking part in this project, friends. The prospect of immersing myself in King Arthur ANYTHING is excellent indeed, and I can’t wait to share ALL THE THINGS with you!

Book Blogger A to Z Survey

Book Blogger SurveyBook Blogger A to Z Survey

I love it when I get to this stuff, friends. Remember those notes that people used to tag-pass on Facebook where you had to answer all those questions about yourself? 25 things you don’t know about me, go through your iPod and list these random songs, favorite albums, literary stuff. Whatever it was, I always got a kick, not just out of writing it myself, but reading what other people had to say. I’m so glad that Jamie @ The Perpetual Page-Turner created these awesome bookish survey for that exact reason. Not only does it give me an excuse to run my mouth about BOOKS, but it also helps me connect with YOU GUYS! And that’s the bees knees.

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Cover Reveal + Q&A: Broken by CJ Lyons

Book cover for Broken by CJ Lyons

 Broken by CJ Lyons

November 5, 2013 from Sourcebooks Fire

For Scarlet Killian, every day is a game of Russian roulette—she has a 1 in 5 chance of dying…

New York Times bestselling author CJ Lyons makes her YA debut with a fast-paced thriller sure to keep readers guessing to the very last page.

Fifteen-year-old Scarlet Killian has one chance for a normal life. Only problem? It just might kill her. Diagnosed with a rare and untreatable heart condition, Scarlet has never taken the school bus. Or giggled with friends during lunch. Or spied on a crush out of the corner of her eye. Scarlet has come to terms with the fact that despite the best efforts of her doctors and parents, she’s going to die. Literally of a broken heart. So when her parents offer her a week to prove she can survive high school, Scarlet knows her time is now… or never.

Scarlet can feel her heart beating out of control with every slammed locker and every sideways glance in the hallway. But for the first time in her life she makes real friends. She also makes new discoveries about the truth behind her illness… a truth that might just kill her before her heart does.

Friends, I’m pretty excited to be taking part in this cover reveal for BROKEN, the YA debut from CJ Lyons. It sounds really intense and emotional, and we all know that I LOVE that stuff! Links ahoy!

Broken

Preorder BROKEN: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | IndieBound | Powell’s | iBookstore

Say “hey!” to CJ Lyons: Website | Twitter | Goodreads 

 

flower line

Q & A with CJ Lyons

Q: Is Long QT a real disease?

CJ: Yes. As a pediatrician I diagnosed my niece with Long QT Syndrome when she was born. Her heart specialists believe she’s the youngest person in the world diagnosed with Long QT. She’s had to take medicine every day of her life and can’t ever skip a day. So far that’s added up to over ten thousand pills taken.

You know that feeling you get when you’ve run as hard and fast as you can and you stop but your heart keeps galloping along? And you wonder for a second if maybe it’s not going to stop, but will keep galloping out of control? But then of course it settles back down. For people with Long QT, their heart doesn’t change gears well, going from regular to galloping and back again. So they have to avoid anything that would make their heart race. No sports or aerobic exercise. No horror films. No roller coaster rides. No jumping into cold water on a hot summer’s day.

But that doesn’t have to stop someone with Long QT like my niece from having a great life. Today she is a brilliant, active fourteen-year-old who gets straight A’s, enjoys riding horses, archery, reading, breeding Rottweilers, and who wants to grow up to be either a fashion designer or President of the United States. Her main fashion accessory is her portable defibrillator, Phil, who goes with her everywhere, including camping, to the beach, and recently to her first Broadway show.

BROKEN is dedicated to her fearless approach to life where outwitting Death is simply part of her daily routine.

Q: What was it like working in an ER? Is it like on TV?

CJ: Definitely nothing like Grey’s Anatomy, but the first few seasons of ER get it right. Working in the ER is basically about learning how to control (and live with) chaos, the art of listening, and how to quickly decide what’s the most important thing you need to tackle next. I worked three jobs to put myself through medical school and one of them was waitressing at a very busy family restaurant. Honestly, that was the best preparation I ever could have had for life in the ER.

Q: Why did you leave medicine to write books?

CJ: I’ve been a storyteller all my life—a fact that used to get me placed in time-out a lot as a kid. But writing stories has always been my way of making sense of the chaos that goes on in the world around us. I wrote my first novel in college and wrote two more science fiction novels in medical school.

Then, while I was an intern at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, one of my close friends was murdered. Dealing with that grief and trauma while still working seventy hours a week and trying to save lives—I wasn’t prepared for that. So I turned to my writing and that’s when I wrote my first thriller. I never thought about actually making a career of it until years later when friends who were published authors encouraged me to enter a national writing contest and I was a finalist. This led to several publishing contracts and I realized that as much as I loved being a doctor, here was a chance for a second dream come true: being a full time writer.

It was a huge leap of faith leaving my job (and my patients—I missed them, a lot!) but I’ve always believed that if you’re going to dream, you should dream big, so I went for it. Since then I’ve published twenty books, hit #2 on the New York Times bestseller list, won awards for my writing, and most importantly, have had the chance to impact millions of people through my novels. Talk about a dream come true!

Q: What’s your best advice for someone who wants to be a writer?

CJ: Never surrender, never give up. Writing is hard work, it takes years to master the craft, so you need to stick with it. And read, read, read…pay attention to what makes the books you like work as well as why the books you don’t like fail. You never stop learning in this job, but that’s also what makes it so much fun.

About CJ Lyons

A New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of sixteen novels, former pediatric ER doctor CJ Lyons has lived the life she writes about in her cutting edge thrillers with heart. CJ has been called a “master within the genre” (Pittsburgh Magazine), and her work has been praised as “breathtakingly fast-paced” and “riveting” (Publishers Weekly) with “characters with beating hearts and three dimensions” (Newsday). The author of thrillers such as the Lucy Guardino FBI series, she has sold over 1 million books in the last year.

When not writing, she can be found walking the beaches near her South Carolina Lowcountry home in Columbia, SC, listening to the voices in her head and plotting new and devious ways to create mayhem for her characters. To learn more about her Thrillers with Heart go to www.CJLyons.net.

15 Day Book Blogger Challenge: Day 5

book blogger challenge

I know that I’m falling behind with this awesome 15 Day Book Blogger Challenge of April‘s, but I’m trying to catch up wherever I can! When I saw that I missed day 5’s prompt to recommend a tear-jerker, I knew I had to hop back in and give a shout out to a book that made me ugly cry like crazy:

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

Book cover for A Monster Calls by Patrick NessThis incredibly powerful story about a young boy, Conor, who is visited by a monster, an animated yew tree from his backyard, and they develop an intense, very important relationship over time. Conor, you see, has got a lot on his little dude plate: his parents are divorced, his father isn’t around very much, he doesn’t have many friends, and his grandma is kind of pushy, but most–and worst–of all, Conor’s mother–his very best bff–is dying. As Conor struggles with his grief, the monster becomes his nighttime companion who guides him through his feelings and gives Conor the support he needs and craves to deal with his mother’s impending death.

As you might be able to tell from my little synopsis, and as you might guess just from the look of the cover, A MONSTER CALLS is not a happy, warm-fuzzy kind of book. It’s dark, sad, and brutally emotional. I CRIED FOR DAYS AND DAYS.

One of the big bonuses of this edition, too, is the illustrations. They’re stunning. Candlewick is releasing a paperback version with a very different, but still pretty, cover. I might have to snatch it up (although the illustrations are absent from the new edition). Like other people I’ve talked to about it, I think the original cover matches the tone SO PERFECTLY that I can’t imagine this story without it. But I like to collect books I love, and I LOVE A MONSTER CALLS. Extreme tear-jerker. EXTREME. It was a no brainer to feature it on the 15 Day Book Blogger Challenge.

Book cover for A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

15 Day Book Blogger Challenge: Day 2

Book blogger challenge

I’m having such a fun time with April’s challenge, guys! I love that she’s asking us to chat about stuff that I don’t think I’ve EVER talked about before, like the prompt for today: bedtime reading rituals. AWESOME. Although, my bedtime reading routine is not very exciting. Since it mostly involves me…umm, reading. And then sleeping. Still, reading is the last thing I usually do before falling asleep, but I’ll fight it of as long as I can.

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