Waiting on Wednesday (11)

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

Title: Fingerprints of You

Author: Kristen-Paige Madonia

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers

Release Date: August 7, 2012

A teen embarks on the road trip of a lifetime in this authentic, beautifully written debut novel. 

Lemon grew up with Stella, a single mom who wasn’t exactly maternal. Stella always had a drink in her hand and a new boyfriend every few months, and when things got out of hand, she would whisk Lemon off to a new town for a fresh beginning. Now, just as they are moving yet again, Lemon discovers that she is pregnant from a reckless encounter—with a guy Stella had been flirting with. 

On the verge of revisiting her mother’s mistakes, Lemon struggles to cope with the idea of herself as a young unmarried mother, as well as the fact that she’s never met her own father. Determined to have at least one big adventure before she has the baby, Lemon sets off on a cross-country road trip, intending not only to meet her father, but to figure out who she wants to be. 

Lyrical and moving prose from an original voice whose writing Judy Blume calls “luminous” deftly depicts the nuanced conflicts of early motherhood and the search for identity. (Goodreads)


I don't usually read a lot of contemporary, but after I read an excerpt of the book at The Story Siren, I knew it was for me. I was completely sucked into the story, and Lemon really drew me into her life. I cannot WAIT to get my hands on this book!

Available for pre-order! Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Be sure to add it to your TBR list on Goodreads!

What are you waiting on this week?

C is for Classics

Classic - it's a word that we have all heard when it comes to literature. If you pin that label to a book, I instantly feel a reluctance to touch it, let alone read it. I realize this, embrace it, and then fight against it. I force myself to read so many a year in exchange for a reread of one of my favorite sci-fi/fantasy novels. But honestly, what defines a book as a classic? Popularity? Critical reception? A bunch of old, white guys in a tiny room? *shrugs* Who knows? I like how Esther Lombardi breaks it down on About.Com.

• A classic usually expresses some artistic quality--an expression of life, truth, and beauty. 
• A classic stands the test of time. The work is usually considered to be a representation of the period in which it was written; and the work merits lasting recognition. In other words, if the book was published in the recent past, the work is not a classic. 
• A classic has a certain universal appeal. Great works of literature touch us to our very core beings--partly because they integrate themes that are understood by readers from a wide range of backgrounds and levels of experience. Themes of love, hate, death, life, and faith touch upon some of our most basic emotional responses. 
• A classic makes connections. You can study a classic and discover influences from other writers and other great works of literature. Of course, this is partly related to the universal appeal of a classic. But, the classic also is informed by the history of ideas and literature--whether unconsciously or specifically worked into the plot of the text.

I'm sure that you have figured out by now that I absolutely must share some books that I enjoyed thoroughly that I consider to be "classic". (i.e. I was wanting to read some L. E. Modesitt, Jr. or David Eddings and forced myself to read something that my brain has been trained to "close read" or something I actually enjoyed once upon a time.)

1984 by George Orwell

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Various Works by William Blake

All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Sure, I am probably missing something awesome. Maybe I'll think of it later and kick myself. Would you like to help me along? What are some of your favorites in classic literature? Is there anything that you think will be considered "classic" in the future?

My A to Z Master List

Teaser Tuesdays (4)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! 

Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

It was a different smile than the one I had seen earlier. It was gentler, almost shy — but still just as dangerous.

-- Shadows on the Moon by Zoe Marriott

Page 173 (ARC)

Release Date: April 24, 2012

Candlewick Press

Preorder Here: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

B is for Black Comedy

Black´ com`e`dy (blăk´ kǒm`ĕd`ŷ) 
n. 1. (Drama) a comedy that treats of morbid, tragic, gloomy, or grotesque situations as a major element of the plot.

Since my post was so long yesterday, I will only point you in the direction of some of my favorite books that qualify as "black comedy". Click on the book's cover to go to its Goodreads page.

   

 

There are a lot more out there, I know. These are just the ones that burst into mind. What are your favorites?

My A to Z Master List

Random Acts of Kindness - April

RAK is a monthly meme hosted by Book Soulmates. You can join in on the fun HERE.

For those of you who don't know, a RAK is a Random Act of Kindness. People sign up with their wishlist and then can look at other people's wishlists and send them a Random Act of Kindness. It is really simple, but here are the rules:

COMPLETE RULES RE-CAP:

• Please read carefully & follow all rules! Thank you!
• Please sign-up each month that you can participate (and by participate, we mean give as well as receive).
• Show off your participation by grabbing our RAK button (code is in the right sidebar of the Book Soulmates page).
• Create a wish list (on Amazon, Goodreads, or your blog, etc) and post it in the Google Doc located in each R.A.K post for the month.
• If you choose to do a R.A.K for someone, check out their wish list and contact that blogger directly for their information.
• Once you receive a RAK, send us an our new email to [rakbybooksoulmates @ gmail . com] so that we can update the Google Doc. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU SEND EMAILS TO THIS ADDRESS!
• E-book participation is limited to files being gifted directly to a person from the e-book store. Amazon's Kindle Store is set up to allow this, as well as the Kobo store and we believe Barnes & Noble with Nook as well.
• At the end of the month, SHOW US YOUR R.A.K by making a "RAK Wrap-Up" post. This post should include who you SENT gifts to as well who you RECEIVED gifts from.

OPEN TO EVERYONE including all our International brethren!

Remember, there's always the Book Depository and they offer FREE shipping!

If you're feeling the urge to splurge on me this month, here is my WISHLIST! If you just want highlights, I'd really like to get my hands on these to get ready AAD-NOLA in August *squee*:

• Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton
• A Beautiful Evil by Kelly Keaton
• Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost
• Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel
• Royal Street by Suzanne Johnson

I can't wait to start sending things out to you guys!

A is for Audiobook

I'm quite glad that "Audiobook" begins with an "A" because it is one of my favorite reading formats. I think it is safe to say that it's rather popular to humanity in general. If you know anything at all about storytelling, it all goes back to the oral story. It is one of the most important factors in the continuation of historical facts, religion, moral lessons, communication, entertainment, etc. It's been around for millenia and is still just as important.

I began reading at a young age, so I went a long time without the joy of the spoken word. Sure, various teachers would read assigned stories to the class, but I would tune them out and read ahead. I enjoyed going poetry readings, plays, and other live theater (which are also a form of the spoken word), but I never paid too much attention to the significance of vocal sharing.

In My Mailbox (4)

In My Mailbox was created by Kristi at The Story Siren. It gives readers the chance to spotlight the books they received over the past week, whether they are for review, won, gifted, or borrowed.

I had a pretty nice week over here at Bibliophilia, Please. I was able to take pictures of most of my haul, but I am missing a really nice handmade bookmark that I received in the mail. As soon as I steal it back from my five year old, I'll put it up for next week's IMM.

For Review

ARCs/Finished Copies Sent by Author/Publisher

Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris (Courtesy of HarperCollins Publishers)

The Orphanmaster by Jean Zimmerman (Courtesy of Penguin and their First Flights program)

Xor: The Shape of Darkness by Moshe Sipper (Courtesy of the author)

The Hollow of Mont Noir by Jennifer Krey (Courtesy of the author)

March Giveaway Winners!

Before we get to the winners, I just wanted to make sure that you knew that I still have my Latter-Day of the Dead giveaway going until April 6th. Also, I will be changing how I do giveaways here on my blog. For the most part, if the item is going to be paid for or gifted by me personally, then there will be no requirements other than clicking "Enter". However, if it is something from an author, publisher, alien, jujitsu master, etc. - they get to pick the rules. Doesn't that sound more fun? Now to the winners -

200 Follower Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway Kristin chose the After All This Time shirt, of which I am extremely jealous. What can I say? I've always been a Snape fan. :-)

Kick-Butt Characters Giveaway Hop

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Brianne wisely chose The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman - one of my all-time favorite books.