When my friend, the big-hearted, make-people-smile Heidi at http://www.yabibliophile.com/ decided to put together a John Green Week, I decided to join. I had already read Will Grayson, Will Grayson, which John Green co-wrote with David Levithan is one of the most unforgettable YA novels I’ve ever read. There were so many lol moments that I memorized page numbers-something I’ve never done before. I also read Looking for Alaska and found the characters to be intriguing, heartbreaking, and memorable.

I haven’t quite finished my John Green Week challenge novel, Paper Towns, so I’ll update this post when I do. But for now, I’m definitely intrigued to see how the main character could find himself in a situation may very well jeopardize everything he’s worked to accomplish in high school and keep him from attending Duke University.

If you need a laugh, take a look at Heidi’s selection of John Green’s vlogs. http://www.yabibliophile.com/2012/01/john-green-week-vlogs.html

Updated: January 18, 2011 My review of Paper Towns as posted on Goodreads:

I read Paper Towns in honor of John Green Week (Jan 3-10) put together by Heidi of YABibliophilehttp://www.yabibliophile.com/2011/11/joh…
The book is narrated by Quentin, a senior who has had a crush on his neighbor Margo Roth Spiegelman, Margo has pretty much ignored Quentin for years until one night when she knocks on his window and convinces him to take his mother’s car and help her with eleven various activities, including sneaking into SeaWorld. Against his better judgment, Quentin goes along with Margo’s plan. The evening ends up being quite eventful and life-changing for Quentin and some of the people the visit.
The next day, Margo runs away from home and since she had done it before, everyone is certain she’ll be back. But as days go by, Quentin begins to lose hope for her return and is determined to find out what happened to her.
I love how the mystery of her disappearance unfolds as Quentin tries to figure out what happened to Margo. He hopes he’ll find her alive, but is prepared for the possibility she killed herself. Quentin’s journey is guided by some clues Margo left behind, which he is certain she left for him, including the poem “Song of Myself” by Whitman.
Paper Towns is a fabulous novel with some lol moments. Page 248-250 OMG!
Another John Green winner.

Enjoy cooking? Try some yummy food inspired by ten YA novels written by eight awesome authors.

On December 19th, seven Wisconsin YA book bloggers/librarians/book addicts met for our first book club meeting. And what a night we had!!! Heidi from http://www.yabibliophile.com , Rani from Next Chapter Bookstore http://twitter.com/#!/couldberuthless, Jillian from http://heisereads.blogspot.com, Erica from http://www.thebookcellarx.com Sasha http://twitter.com/#!/FzngWizbee, Maggie http://twitter.com/#!/MaggieMelchior and me. We had a blast talking about YA novels we loved from 2011, novels we can’t believe we waited so long to read, novels that surprised us or disappointed us. We talked about the authors who have hilarious tweets and are so wonderful in person. (There are a lot of them!!!!) We talked about how we review books for our blogs and Goodreads. Time flew by! It was one of the best nights I’ve had in a long time with just the best gals to hang out with and talk books. And I can’t WAIT for our next book club meeting, which is scheduled for February. For more info check out the awesome Heidi’s post! http://www.yabibliophile.com/2011/12/my-book-club-rocks.html

Besides reading and writing YA, cooking is another one of my passions. (I used to volunteer my time and cater events for a non-profit organization. That’s how much I love to cook. ) Whenever food is mentioned in a novel, I pay attention. And so I decided to create a menu and cook a dinner as a surprise for our first book club meeting. All the recipes were inspired by YA novels. Some mentioned a specific food, like mariquitas in The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin (Noah and Mara

Mariquitas and Garlicky Sauce inspired from THE UNBECOMING OF MARA DYER by Michelle Hodkin (Click photo to enlarge)

are eating in a Cuban restaurant in Miami, page 222) while others mentioned atype of food, for example Korean in Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins (Lola runs into Mr. Lim and asks him about his Korean restaurant, referenced on page 9. Lindsey Lim is Lola’s best friend.)

Here’s the menu and the YA novels that inspired the food:

A NOVEL CUISINE (All recipes are vegetarian except the chicken tikki masala, but feel free to substitute tofu)

Pita Chips (How to Ruin a Teenage Life by Simone Elkeles)

Chummus (How to Ruin a Teenage Life by Simone Elkeles)

Guacamole (Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins, Chain Reaction by Simone Elkeles)

Mariquitas w/ Garlicky Sauce (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin)

Hot-Sour Soup (Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver, If I Stay by Gayle Forman)

Chicken Tikki Masala (We’ll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han)

Brown Rice (We’ll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han)

Bok Choy and Cucumber Kimichi inspired by LOLA AND THE BOY NEXT DOOR by Stephanie Perkins (Click photo to enlarge)

Bok Choy and Cucumber Kimichi (Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins)

Moelleux au Chocolat (Molten Lava Cakes) with Strawberry Sauce

(Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins)

Sprecher* Cherry Cola  (Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins, The Duff by Koby Keplinger)

Hot Mint Tea (Timepiece by Myra McEntire)

Water with Sliced Lime (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin)

*Note – Sprecher is a Wisconsin favorite local brewery. Try and find their soda if you can. Once you taste their cherry soda, will will never want to drink Cherry Coke or Cherry Pepsi again!

Click here for ALL THE RECIPES: http://www.whorublog.com/?page_id=1015

Holly Schindler

 FIVE QUESTIONS FOR YA AUTHOR

HOLLY SCHINDLER

ENTER TO WIN YOUR CHOICE OF ONE OF HOLLY’S NOVELS by listing which novel you would want in the comments’ section. Tweet and/or post on Facebook for an extra entry each – let me know. Giveaway ends on December 21, 8:00 PM EST

1. From some of the things I read about you, it seems like you sacrificed quite a bit to become a published author, and if it hadn’t been for your family your dreams would not have come true. What’s the journey been like and what do you most want other aspiring authors to take from your experience?

My path to publication was long and winding—took seven and a half years to get the first acceptance! And it also took full-time tunnel vision to really learn the ins and outs of writing a novel (even though I already had a master’s in English). Without the incredible support—financial and emotional—I got from my family, I never would have gotten started. I never would have seen that first acceptance without having all that time to write. (I taught piano and guitar lessons part-time to pay my bills, but because of my family’s support, I didn’t have to seek full-time employment. My full-time job has always been writing.) I won’t lie—four, five, six years into my pursuit, I had my down moments, and I shed a few tears…but I never felt like I should be doing anything else. And in that respect, I don’t feel like I sacrificed at all. Actually, I feel as though the REAL sacrifice would have been to get the full-time job and not pursue writing! (The idea of that’s just so incredibly sad—I know I wouldn’t have been truly happy doing anything but writing.) The thing is, there’s a point in the pursuit of ANY dream when it feels like the dream is kicking your butt a little—it doesn’t matter what the dream is…maybe it’s to own your own business, or to become a surgeon, or breed ostriches. You’ll have days when you look at yourself and wonder what you’re doing. But I learned firsthand that’s the point at which it’s the most important to keep pushing.

2. Both of your novels are realistic fiction. What is the appeal for you to this particular genre and are there any other genres you see yourself writing in the future? What other genres do you enjoy reading?

I’m a fan of all genres—there’s nothing I won’t read: classics, contemporary, poetry, literary, romance. I even took a sci fi course in college, because that was the one section of the library I’d never spent much time in and I thought if I immersed myself in it for a while, I’d want to read more books in that genre. Now, no section of my public library goes unvisited! While my first books are realistic fiction, they do still differ slightly: A BLUE SO DARK is literary, and PLAYING HURT is a romance. And my writing interests are every bit as varied as my reading interests, so stay tuned!

3. As you know, I haven’t read A Blue So Dark, yet. It’s a YA novel that brings to light the difficulties of a teen dealing with her mother’s schizophrenia. From what I understand it’s very different from Playing Hurt, your second novel, which I loved. Playing Hurt is an older YA contemporary/romance novel. The main characters are out of high school and address issues such as death, physical and emotional injuries, identity crisis, choices, love, and sex. What, if any, are some of the similarities between your two novels, and what is it that you hope readers will take away from A Blue So Dark and Playing Hurt.

You’re right—on the surface, those two books are absolutely night and day different. But I think the quality I’m most proud of in both of those books is their honesty. I think both are pretty bare—BLUE maybe even more so than PLAYING HURT. I also love that the characters in both books are slightly flawed—they kind of bumble through their struggles—but they ultimately triumph. I think that’s the beautiful thing about YA, though—as a whole, I think what you’ve got are characters who are dealing with adult situations for the first time. Teen characters are in no way seasoned pros when it comes to dealing with the hardships of life. So they’re bound to make a bunch of mistakes. But they do succeed. Revisiting all those “firsts” in life is one of the reasons why writing YA is so much fun.

4. A huge congrats to you for your debut middle grade novel, The Junction of Sunshine and Lucky, which is coming out in 2012 and is being published by Dial. Please share with us what you can about this new novel.

Thanks for the congrats! THE JUNCTION OF SUNSHINE AND LUCKY is still about a year away from publication. It’s about a young artist, and will feature original cover art—the first of any of my books to have original art! I’m really excited about that…

5. What has been one of the biggest life lessons you personally have learned and how has it helped you to grow as a person?

The absolute biggest lesson I’ve learned is the benefit of persistence. You don’t get anywhere in life if you don’t just dig those heels in and really learn the art of being a bit stubborn. That’s not to say that you should be bullheaded and believe that what you write is always perfect and that you should never revise anything when rejections inevitably come in. What I mean is that you can’t let the rejections make you think it’ll never happen. One rejection of one project is just that—one rejection. And an opportunity to learn and improve. Get to work; revise and submit again. I really believe that the only authors who never get to see their books on the shelves are those who give up.

A BLUE SO DARK: Fifteen-year-old Aura Ambrose has been hiding a secret. Her mother, a talent artist and art teacher, is slowly being consumed by schizophrenia, and Aura has been her sole caretaker ever since Aura’s dad left them. Convinced that “creative” equals crazy, Aura shuns her own artistic talent. But as her mother sinks deeper into the darkness of mental illness, the hunger for a creative outlet draws Aura toward the depths of her imagination. Just as desperation threatens to swallow her whole, Aura discovers that art, love, and family are profoundly linked—and together may offer an escape from her fears. One of Booklist’s Top 10 Novels for Youth (2010) Silver Medal, ForeWord Reviews Book of the Year (Young Adult Fiction) Gold Medal, IPPY Awards (Juvenile / Young Adult Fiction)

PLAYING HURT: Star basketball player Chelsea “Nitro” Keyes had the promise of a full ride to college—and everyone’s admiration in her hometown. But everything changed senior year, when she took a horrible fall during a game. Now a metal plate holds her together and she feels like a stranger in her own family. As a graduation present, Chelsea’s dad springs for a three-week summer “boot camp” program at a northern Minnesota lake resort. There, she’s immediately drawn to her trainer, Clint, a nineteen-year-old ex-hockey player who’s haunted by his own traumatic past. As they grow close, Chelsea is torn between her feelings for Clint and her loyalty to her devoted boyfriend back home. Will an unexpected romance just end up causing Chelsea and Clint more pain—or finally heal their heartbreak?

For more information about Holly go to hollyschindler.com  Holly’s blog: hollyschindler.blogspot.com, Twitter: @holly_schindler, and Facebook: facebook.com/HollySchindlerAuthor

Are you slammed with writing papers and studying for exams? Freaking out and feeling paralyzed on how to get through this intense time? Most likely, there aren’t enough hours in the day for you to get all the work done. Perhaps you procrastinated and now it feels like you’re living in HELL. Been there. Done that. Hopefully, these tips will be helpful.

1. Start with the basics. If you haven’t done so already, write out the date and time for the exams and when the papers are due.

2. Get organized. Know what you need in order to study or write. Need to go to the library and check out books? Research on the net? Borrow notes from a classmate? Actually read the material? (If you haven’t done this, obviously you know you’re in a rough spot and most likely can’t make up a quarter or semesters’ worth of reading. Do your best. Read the first three paragraphs of each chapter section and skim until you reach the last three paragraphs. Read those. In no way am I advocating this as a method of learning – but if you’re in crisis mode, it’s a decent solution.)

3. Block out time to work on the papers and study for the exams, then stick with the schedule. Isolate yourself if you need to and whatever you do, make a promise to yourself that you’ll avoid all social networking during that time. Social networking has a way of being a total time sucker! Don’t fall into the trap.

4. Know your teacher/TA/professors’ office hours. Take advantage of any study sessions they may have. If you have questions or know that you don’t understand something, don’t wait to get help. If you’re writing a paper and you’re not sure you’re on target, BRING IT TO YOUR PROF and ask her to look at it and give you direction. This shows you care and are concerned, so don’t worry about looking stupid or that you’ll feel foolish. If necessary, explain to your prof what’s going on and see if you can get an extension. If you don’t ask, you won’t get it. And if you don’t get it, at least you asked.

5. Load up on protein. Protein prevents sugar highs and lows so it’ll help sustain you. Keep a few of your favorite munchies and caffeinated drinks and water with you.

6. Do your own work.

7. Avoid taking someone else’s prescription drug to enhance your ability to concentrate or focus. You might believe that you can do it once or justify it in order to get through this difficult time, but everyone’s body reacts differently to meds, and like any drug there can be serious ramifications. Or maybe not. But is it worth the risk? Once tempted who’s to say you won’t be tempted again? Be respectful of yourself and your body. Look at the big picture. Ask yourself: A year from now, five years from now how important was this?

8. Destroy your unrealistic expectations. Just flush the idea of perfection right down the toilet. Who the heck is ever perfect? Do your best in the moment based on the circumstances you’re facing. Teachers/professors can and do overburden their students. They don’t have a clue what others have assigned. Live with doing your best in the here and now. Don’t ask more of yourself. It’s totally unreasonable. Don’t berate yourself for any reason. Even if you procrastinated, move on. Take hold of the here and now and do what it takes so that you can be satisfied that you took charge in the moment. Negative self-talk is a huge waste of time and destructive. Stop. STOP!

9. Don’t take a “screw-it” attitude. If you’re thinking that you’ve already screwed it up, so why try, you’ll only hurt yourself. Self-destruction isn’t pretty. Seriously, just do something positive with the assignment. Even if you know that you could have done better, accept what you ARE doing as the best in the moment. And if you’re in crisis, even if it’s of your own making, talk to your teacher/TA/professor. Not everyone has a heart of gold and will cut you slack. But go in with a clear plan. Show that you have given it some serious thought and be reasonable. I’m hopeful that these educators will want to see you succeed.

10. Many need to pull all-nighters. If you can, snatch a twenty to thirty minute snooze during the day. SET YOUR ALARM. Good luck. And when it’s all over, do something nice for yourself. ☺

Second Annual Holiday #Readathon

December 2-4, 2011

Bonus: EVERYONE who signs

up for this Readathon will be entered into a random drawing to win a SIGNED first edition copy of Cassandra Clare’s Clockwork Prince. Novel will be sent from Books of Wonder after December 6, 2011

 Thanks for being a part of this! Winner was Kayla from Caught Between the Pages 

It is with great excitement that I’m hosting the Holiday #Readathon once again, thanks to the incredible encouragement and enthusiasm from those who participated last year. Together, we’ll make it even BETTER this year.

Join us ANY TIME during the #Readathon!  

Sign up is below – Fill in the simple Mr. Linky form! You can use a Twitter or Facebook URL if you don’t have a website.

My mini-challenge is below (You do not have to sign up for my mini-challenge to participate in this readathon! All are welcome!)

I will be updating the list of CONFIRMED bloggers/authors who are participating in giveaways as they come in as well as their mini-challenges/giveaways. Here is are the bloggers/authors we have so far:

1. Kai from Fiction State of Mind: Mini-challenge is so simple – just visit her blog and enter to win a novel of your choice (up to $10 from the Book Depository) http://fictionstateofmind.blogspot.com

2. Deb from Just Deb Reading and Writing for Children and Teens: Mini-challenge is to read  (or donate) a Middle Grade Novel, let me know what it is, what you did and I will enter you to in a giveaway for  a book of your choice, up to 20.00 value. Making this international so you can make your pick from the Book Depository.  http://www.debamarshall.com/

3. Author Laurie Viera Rigler: Mini-challenge – We all like to escape into a good novel and enter the lives of our favorite characters, especially during the holiday season. But did you ever wonder what your favorite characters read when they feel like entering another world? Let your imagination soar, and visit Laurie Viera Rigler’s blog (http://blog.janeaustenaddict.com/2011/11/holiday-readathon-double-giveaway.html) to enter this fun and easy challenge. You could win two books: THE JOURNEYS OF JOHN AND JULIA: GENESIS by Aurelia and RUDE AWAKENINGS OF A JANE AUSTEN ADDICT by Laurie Viera Rigler.

4. Heidi from YA Bibliophile: Mini-challenge is what was the best gift you ever received or gave? One person will win a signed paperback copy of Anna & the French Kiss, chapter sampler of John Green’s newest The Fault in Our Stars (chapters 1&2) and Magnetic poetry set from Maureen Johnson. http://yabibliophile.blogspot.com/

5. April from Good Books and Good Wine: Mini-challenge - Create a 5 song playlist pertaining to a book you are reading for the readathon. You can do this in a post just leave me a link in the comments, or just leave me your playlist in the comments. One entrant will be randomly selected to win a prize pack of three 2012 ARCs! Black Boy, White School by Brian F. Walker, Lovetorn by Kavita Daswani, Forbidden by Syrie James and Ryan M. James http://goo.gl/fb/LNyvk

6. Melissa from YA Bookshelf: Mini-challenge is to name your favorite boy narrator & what makes him so great. One lucky person will win iBoy, The 13th Plague, & The Underdogs.  http://www.yabookshelf.com/

7. Courtney from Stiletto Storytime: Mini-challenge is to share a favorite holiday read & why that book, be it classic or modern, means so much to you. My giveaway is a prize pack from author Heather Vogel Frederick w/a copy of Home for the Holidays, a Betsy Tacy Treasury & tote bag!  http://www.stilettostorytime.wordpress.com

8. Author Wendy Delsol: Mini-challenge- 1. Make a good faith pledge to donate this holiday season. 2. Make a character-name suggestion (see notes below) for me via Twitter (@wendydelsol), a facebook comment, or comment on my blog post – http://www.wendydelsol.com/holiday-readathon  

So about the character name I’m looking for: My work in progress is a modern day retelling of Pride and Prejudice. In the Jane Austen classic, Elizabeth Bennet’s mother is simply Mrs. Bennet. I’m looking, therefore, for a first name that fits this matriarch’s personality. As in the original, Mrs. Bennet is a shallow woman. The adjectives that best describe my version of the character are temperamental, vapid, and shrill. (Austen showed the character no sympathy. I probably won’t, either.) So … let’s hear some suggestions. You could win your choice of Stork, Frost, or The McCloud Home for Wayward Boys  http://www.wendydelsol.com/holiday-readathon

9. Author Audrey Hart: Mini-challenge is if you could ask the Greek god Zeus any question, what would it be? Win the YA novel Zoe and Zeus (ebook edition). Post your answer on Twitter with the #ZoeandZeus  or http://www.ZoeandZeus.com or  http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13014354-the-dig

10. Rani from Perks of Being a Bookseller: Mini-challenge is what fictional character would you want to kiss under the mistletoe? Prize is a copy of Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi.   http://perksofbeingabookseller.blogspot.com

11. Jen and Kellee from Teach Mentor Texts: Their mini-challenge – Share your favorite meme, find a meme you are going to join, or share a meme you would join if you had a blog and you will be entered to win one of three MG/YA ARCs. Three winners! http://www.teachmentortexts.com/

12. Cassay from Vamps, Weres, and Cassay OH My!: Mini-challenge is which reindeer is your favorite and why? One random lucky winner will receive a $15 shopping spree at the Book Depository! http://vampsweresandcassay.blogspot.com/

13. Courtney Rae from Courtney Reads: Mini-challenge is to share your favorite holiday dish or dessert and you’ll be entered to win a custom-made ornament by Courtney!  http://courtney-reads.blogspot.com/

14. Stacy, Shannon, Nancy from Girls in the Stacks: Here’s their mini-challenge or as Girls In the Stacks call it “The Good Deed Mini-Challenge”  

Are you up for our challenge? Or should we say our mini-challenge? We hope so, because it’s super easy and totally all good cheer. We challenge you to do something nice for someone, whether it be a genuine compliment on work well done, buying someone’s Starbucks, gifting a book to your local library, profusely declaring your love of a book on twitter, holding your tongue when you want to bite back with cutting sarcasm, working a toy drive or simply holding the door for a stream of people on the subway.  Or whatever, it’s your choice.

What you can win: One good deed-er will win a signed paperback of The Maze Runner by James Dashner, a signed ARC of Perfect by Ellen Hopkins, a signed hardcover of The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater treat. http://girlsinthestacks.com

15. Author Elizabeth Rosner: Mini-challenge - “Begin Again” is a repeating line in my novel, BLUE NUDE, a motto for perseverance in my own life too. What’s your motto? Enter your answer on Twitter – click here: http://www.twitter.com by putting in @elizabethrosner & #Readathon to your tweet or on my Facebook page – click here: http://www.facebook.com/elizabethrosnerbooks & post #HolidayReadathon or put your answer in comments below but add: Elizabeth my motto is _____ and your answer and you will be randomly chosen for a signed copy of your choice of one of my novels, National Bestseller THE SPEED OF LIGHT or BLUE NUDE.   http://redroom.com/member/elizabeth-rosner/blog

Mini-challenges/giveaways end on Sunday, December 4th at midnight PST. Please note that all the bloggers/authors have their own rules for their challenges.

I will be on Twitter using the hashtag #Readathon. Please feel free to let us know what you’re reading and how you are doing!

Also, we will have a Twitter Party on Sunday, December 4th night at 9PM EST, which can be accessed by entering #Readathon. We’ll talk about the books we are reading and holiday memories and anything else you’d like to share. I will be hosting several giveaways during that time. Here’s just a preview of what you could win – beautiful handmade book thongs by Briana McNair (@TheBookPixie on Twitter) http://tinyurl.com/66nlnc4

You can participate in this #READATHON without doing my challenge below.

All Participants for my Holiday #Readathon Challenge are automatically entered for a $20.00 gift certificate for Amazon.com or BN.com – your choice! Just list your participation in COMMENTS! Give and you have a chance to receive! YES!

My Holiday #Readathon Challenge: Winner was Gaby from Oh My Books

1. Pledge a penny or two or three (or any amount you want!) per page that you read.  Put a minimum number that you will pledge.  For example:  100 pages – $1.00. And then donate the amount to your favorite charity.

OR

2. ANY type of donation for the holiday season – a can(s) of food, book to a library, Toy for Tots, gently used books or clothes donated to a shelter, school – qualifies. Just list it. (Feel free to come up with your own ideas!)

3. Click on comments below and write down your pledge/donation. THIS IS ON THE HONOR SYSTEM! 

Remember, this is a set-your-own-pace/start-whenever-you-want #readathon. Don’t wear yourself out, I will be cheering you all on and checking up on your progress. I hope you all have a lot of fun!

This event ended 1 month, 22 days, 17 hours, 59 minutes, 36 seconds ago.

1.	Justin report	2.	Lynn Wiese report	3.	Joli @ Actin' Up with Books report
4.	Betsy Kaplan report	5.	Jenn B-H report	6.	Sarah Kealy report
7.	Wendy Delsol report	8.	Kai Charles report	9.	Laurie Viera Rigler report
10.	HD report	11.	Melina report	12.	Joe Roper report
13.	Liza report	14.	Heidi At YABibliophile report	15.	Courtney (Stiletto Storytime) report
16.	Girls in the STACKS report	17.	Briana (The Book Pixie) report	18.	Melissa (YA Bookshelf) report
19.	Rani report	20.	Melissa @Must Read Faster report	21.	Mary (Sparkling Reviews) report
22.	cessie report	23.	Jen report	24.	Kellee @ Teach Mentor Texts report
25.	Audrey Hart report	26.	Jeffrey West report	27.	April (Good Books and Good Wine) report
28.	Stella (Ex Libris) report	29.	Gaby @ Oh My Books! report	30.	Julie @ Manga Maniac Cafe report
31.	Moirae book reviews report	32.	Amanda @ The Hopeless Bibliophile report	33.	Grace @ Books Like Breathing report
34.	Evika report	35.	Cassay report	36.	Jessica @ Firefly Book Loft report
37.	Kayla report	38.	Alex Baugh report	39.	Monica Millard report
40.	Courtney Rae (Courtney Reads) report	41.	Denise report	42.	Benji @ The Non Reluctant Reader report
43.	Author Mimi Barbour - Believe! report	44.	Sheila (Bookjourney) report	45.	Orchid @ The Haunting of Orchid Forsythia report
46.	Kate (Verb Vixen) report	47.	Erica report	48.	April @Book Away report
49.	Kellye report	50.	Kate @ Literary Explorations report	51.	Melody @ Melody with words report
52.	Shaunesay @ The Space Between report	53.	Defying the Spectrum report	54.	Erica @ The Book Cellar report
55.	Christine report	56.	Nina @ Lost in the Pages report	57.	Kate @ Kate's Book Nook report
58.	Elizabeth Rosner report	59.	Ashley report	60.	Gina @ Book Dragon's Lair report
61.	Gabbi @ BookBreather report	62.	Deb @ Just Deb report	63.	Katelyn's Blog report
64.	Bitsy (Ex Libris Bitsy) report	65.	Ems @ In Which Ems Reviews Books report	66.	Dawn Ruminski report
67.	Faye @ Ramblings of a Teenageg Bookworm report	68.	Ellen report	69.	Psique @ Book Travels report
70.	Maria @ To Read, Perchance to Dream report	71.	Mindy @ my hidden bookshelf report	72.	Sam @ Books For All Seasons report
73.	Steph @stephlovescsd (the caffeinated reader) report	74.	Melissa @ YA Book Shelf report	75.	Kira Dineen report
76.	commutinggirl report	77.	Amy report	78.	Laurie Viera Rigler report
79.	You're next!

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An Open Letter to Lauren Myracle:

Shine, By Lauren Myracle

I have never met you, but I am a member of what I would call a family of YA lit bloggers, enthusiasts, and writers. What happened to you regarding the National Book Award fiasco must have been personally frustrating, painful, perhaps even devastating. I can only imagine the roller coaster of emotions you must have gone through once told that Shine had been nominated in the Young People’s Literature category, and then having it recanted, announced to the world that it was a mistake, a slip-up of the letter, “C” for “S” and an “n” for an “m” that it was Chime by Franny Billingsley, which was the novel that was actually nominated for this award.

And then you were asked to do something really tough – withdraw your book from the nomination. Once again, I can only imagine how this request squeezed your heart, left you reeling.

But somehow you did it. You found the inner strength to set aside what I envision to be tremendous disappointment and you withdrew Shine from the NBA. You did it with incredible dignity. (Readers, if you haven’t read the statement, here is a link to the Publisher’s Weekly article: http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/49143-shine-withdrawn-as-nba-young-people–s-literature-nominee.html) More information can be obtained through the Huffington Post Article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/17/lauren-myracle-withdraws-national-book-awards_n_1015649.html

I want to thank you, Lauren. Because your behavior, your response to this unimaginable experience was totally first class. Despite the turmoil, you didn’t sling mud or have a public fit. You show others what it means to handle tremendous disappointment and personal pain with respect and grace. In turn, you also have bolstered the message of Shine. Bullying of any kind is unacceptable.

I understand people are outraged for you. I too am outraged. But setting that aside I want you to know how much I deeply admire you and respect you for being a role model. We get more than enough of the opposite every day – so much so that some have lost all sense of boundaries and will say anything and everything to others and justify being rude and disrespectful and abusive because whatever happened justifies their reaction. Personally, it’s cool to be classy. It’s cool to have dignity. It’s cool to write a book that is so powerful and important that it can change the way people act and react toward others. It’s uncool to bully. It’s uncool to call others names.

You have shown through your actions how to take a major disappointment and use it to make a difference in other peoples’ lives. In your time of distress you thought about the young adults who could benefit, asking NBA to make a donation to the Matthew Shepard Foundation (http://www.matthewshepard.org/), which works tirelessly to “replace the hate in this world with understanding, compassion, and acceptance.”

I wish you tremendous success, Lauren. And encourage everyone to go out and support you by purchasing and/or reading your novels.

To learn more about Lauren Myracle her is a link to her website: http://www.laurenmyracle.com/ Readers can find a list of all her books on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/157676.Lauren_Myracle?origin For a synopsis of Shine here is the direct link to the Goodreads page: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8928054-shine

Lauren Oliver, October 11, 2011

On Tuesday, October 11th I, along with two other Wisconsin bloggers, Heidi Zweifel http://yabibliophile.blogspot.com/ and Jillian   Heise http://heisereads.blogspot.com, had the great pleasure of conducting video interviews with New York Times Bestselling Author Lauren Oliver, who was in town to speak about her new middle grade novel, Liesel & Po. The experience was fantastic. It’s not every day you get to meet someone you admire deeply and I’m sure by the look on my face you’ll be able to see how thrilled I was. Thank you Lauren!

Giveaway:

In honor of my first video interview, readers will have a chance to win a signed ARC of Liesl & Po. To enter answer the following question: Winter, spring, summer, or fall? What’s your season and why? (This was the last question I asked Lauren – something fun and different. ) Followers of this blog receive an extra entry, please let me know if you are. Tweet this post or link it on Facebook also adds an extra entry. Please let me know. Giveaway ends October 23, 8:00 PM CST.  Ashley Gafford is the randomly selected winner! Congrats.

Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver

To learn more about Liesl & Po, read my five star Goodreads review here: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/160806945

Here are a few quotes from Lauren:

“The only thing that nauseates me more than writing is not writing.”

Books don’t live without readers to read them.”

“My father always would tell me, ‘The life of a writer has as least as many difficulties as it does rewards. But also if you are a writer you cannot choose not to write.’”

“I try do what I can to kill the fear.”

Heidi Zweifel’s  YA Bibliophile’s Part 1 – Interview with Lauren Oliver (Learn more about Liesl & Po!): http://tinyurl.com/6hx8mwq

Jillian Heise’s Heise & Recommends Part 2 – Interview with Lauren Oliver: http://tinyurl.com/6fyt5ad

And here’s my interview Part 3 – Interview with Lauren Oliver:

Don’t miss Lauren’s other fabulous YA novels:

Find Your Inspiration!

Win a signed copy of Lisa McMann’s latest MG novel, The Unwanteds 

I would like to share some inspiration with WhoRuBlog readers. Here’s your chance to win a signed first edition of Lisa McMann’s latest MG novel, The Unwanteds. Giveaway ends October 11, 2011 at 8:00 P.M. CST. It’s easy to enter. Leave a comment about what inspires you. If you follow this blog it’s an extra entry, so please let me know. If you Tweet or post it to Facebook, that too is an extra entry. 

Congrats to Joy Kirr, winner of the signed copy of The Unwanteds.

Truthfully, I had no expectations walking into the room where Lisa greeted people. I certainly wasn’t thinking about inspiration. As a matter of fact, it was more like a process of osmosis, absorbing the experience with people who were excited to hear Lisa. I listened to how the idea for The Unwanteds started. Her children’s school was cutting its arts programs and Lisa was upset because he children participated in theater and art classes. The cut seemed like punishment for creative kids. That led to her thinking about a world where people were punished for being creative. Her son Kilian expanded on the idea, imagining a world where creative people would be put to death. Can you imagine? Lisa McMann did. The Unwanteds was born. And isn’t it ironic that squelching creativity can inspire! But Lisa has a love for the ironic. One of the cities in The Unwanteds is Quill, a place where writing is forbidden.Inspiration can hit at any time. Wasn’t looking for it, but nevertheless on September 22^nd “she” was there! The “she” was Lisa McMann, New York Times Bestselling Author of the Wake Trilogy, Cryer’s Cross, and her latest middle grade novel, The Unwanteds. Fourteen hours later I still feel a high from her presentation and book signing. No doubt Lisa has had much larger crowds than the one at the West Allis Library where I heard her speak. But that didn’t stop her from sharing her energy and enthusiasm with those in attendance.

A few hours after I heard Lisa speak, I saw this license plate in a parking lot. How perfect!

Lisa inspired me long before this talk. Wake was among one of the first dozen YA novels I read when I began thinking about writing YA myself. And I was hooked! Hearing Lisa speak brought those memories back to me. The giddy excitement I felt from reading her novels, how I couldn’t put them down, how I couldn’t wait for Gone, the third one in the series, to come out.

As I said my good-byes and thank yous, I realized that I was smiling. I also realized that a fuel for life is inspiration. A person doesn’t always have to consciously seek it to find it, but nevertheless, I think inspiration is a key ingredient to living a joyous and fulfilled life.

So, if you’re feeling down, if you’re not sure what you want out of life, or if you just want to grow more with the talents you’re already nurturing, seek inspiration. Hear an author speak, visit an art museum, put on some music, take a walk, talk to a neighbor, read a great book. Then utilize the positives from the experience and to do something productive with it. Write a poem, paint a picture, reorganize your closet, take steps to find a new job that will make you happy, or make what you’re working on even better. Whatever it is, just do it! In Lisa’s acknowledgments in The Unwanteds, she ends with “And finally, to all you artists out there: keep creating. Don’t give up.”

Thanks Lisa, for being my inspiration!

An interview with award-winning YA author, Swati Avasthi

Enter to win a SIGNED copy of SPLIT by leaving your name and e-mail address under comments. If you follow this blog (it’s easy click on Google Follower) then you qualify for a another entry. Tweet it or post on Facebook and it is another one. Just let me know. Giveaway ends August 16th, 2011 at 8:00 PM CST. Good luck. 

Congrats to Andrea – winner of SPLIT!

On June 15, 2011 I had the privilege to spend part of the morning hanging out and talking with the incredibly gifted and warm Swati Avasthi. She was in Milwaukee to speak and sign books for the Southeast Wisconsin Festival of Books. I read SPLIT and was blown away.  There is no doubt that Swati is in the elite category of brilliant authors such as Laurie Halse Anderson, Cheryl Rainfield, and Jay Asher.

Swati and me, June 15th at the Southeast Wisconsin Book Festival

SPLIT is an extremely important must-read YA novel about child abuse and spousal abuse told from the point-of-view of the younger son, Jace–one of the most unforgettable male YA characters I have ever read. The story he narrates is raw, honest, heartbreaking, revealing. I am haunted (in a good way) by his experiences.

Ultimately, SPLIT is a novel about hope, a novel where the main character breaks free – makes the split – from the past and moves on to build a future. The title reveals many “key” moments, and is a metaphor for many situations presented in  the novel. Readers should ponder the meaning of the word and the different scenes that it represents.

Here’s my question and answer “Take Five with Swati Avasthi.”

1. The title of your book, SPLIT, represents many different situations presented in your novel. It’s a powerful metaphor and symbolizes so many aspects of Jace and Christian’s lives.  Were you conscious of this when you were writing the book or did it evolve? What would you like to see readers take from it?

Thanks.

Well… I wish I could say that I was brilliant enough to say I had planned it all, or even that the title evolved, but no.  The title was practically the last word I wrote for this novel.  My editor wisely told me that my former title, GRAVEDIGGERS, was too metaphorical and too paranormal-sounding for the content of SPLIT.  So, I went on a rather long title hunt — over 200 titles that my husband and I came up with and quickly disregarded.  After a couple of weeks of that, you start getting a little slap-happy.  So we started joking about how everything else I’ve had published (personal essay, short stories, flash fiction) were all one word, titled with the letter “S.”  And my husband got out the dictionary, opened it to the “S”s and handed it to me.

I submitted the title, along with 7 or 8 other titles to my editor, who took it to marketing.  They returned, saying that I could chose from two: SPLIT of WHAT WE LEAVE.  I chose SPLIT for a few reasons, but primarily because it has so many resonances within the work:  it seemed to capture the physical and emotional state of Jace and Christian in terms of abuse, their relationship, what they hope their mother will do, and how they have both left their own home.  And most of all, I liked how the one word felt more consistent with Jace’s voice.

SPOILERS, BEWARE 2. Jace is one of the most powerful male characters I have ever read in a YA novel. He’s taken a tremendous amount of abuse and then almost begs his girlfriend Lauren to report him after he physically hurts her. Clearly, he crossed a line. Does his actions make him an abuser? Is he on the same level as his father? What is important for readers to know?

As a society, I think we tend to paint abusers as “bad” and then wash our hands of them.  But, I think that this approach has some serious consequences.  First, I think that we don’t actually prevent further violence this way.  The victim may, thank goodness, go on and live a better life.  But in the meantime, the abuser is moving on to his/her next victim.  Second, I think that the abusers tend to get worse and worse.  Which is frightening.

I think of abuse as a spectrum — born of the same impulses, but different in degree.  Jace has the same impulses as his father and yes, he is an abuser, but his actions are very different in degree.

Jace does not demonstrate a lot of the controlling features that most abusers typically do:  he didn’t isolate Lauren from her friends, didn’t insult her, didn’t slowly erode her barriers about what was and wasn’t acceptable.  Most importantly, Jace blames himself for his actions — he takes responsibility for what he has done emotionally.   Which gives me hope for him.  He’s an abuser, to borrow a term from addiction rhetoric, but a recovering abuser.

SPOILERS BEWARE 3. Jace goes through tremendous growth, yet even in the end we’re unsure where his life ends up. If you could continue his story, where do you think he’d be today? What kind of person would he be?

I love this question.  Thanks for asking it.

In my view, Jace finishes high school, never dating Dakota, and goes to Stanford (something that was a strong dream of his all they way through draft 5).  Every holiday, he returns to his home in Albuquerque with Christian and Mirriam.  Each year he and Christian meet up in Somewhere, USA  to run a Destination Marathon together, step for step.  In his senior year of college, he brings a girlfriend home with him to join them in their ritual Thanksgiving dinner  (half mushroom, half pepperoni pizza), having never raised his fists to any woman or anyone again.

In my view, that Jace knows he has to work everyday to control his temper is what keeps his fists down.

SPOILERS BEWARE 4. In SPLIT no one reports the abuse. What’s your advice to readers if they find themselves in a similar situation to Jace and Christian?

First and foremost, get safe.  Whatever that means and whatever it takes.  I do believe that Orders of Protection/Restraining Orders are surprisingly effective. There are some very good organizations out there to help.  To find one in your area, call 800 799-SAFE (TTY: 800-787-3224) or go to www.ncadv.org.  For dating violence, try: 866- 361-9474 (TTY: 866-361-8474).  But do call or click from a safe phone or computer (Remember that computer histories can be tracked, so the library can be good for that.)

Beyond that, I tend to focus on is putting the power back into the victim’s hands.  I think part of recovery is learning to trust yourself again and learning to make decisions about what is best for you.  So, I’m not one to give advice in these situations.  Instead, I’m one to listen and support whatever decision feels right to the victim.

5. Toward the end of SPLIT Jace comes clean about his past to Dakota, a girl he’s hoping to get more involved with. Why do you feel it was important for him to be honest with her, to take the risk of losing her by sharing his history?

It was an important move narratively.  Since abuse is so frequently enabled through silence, his confession was about speaking.  More specifically, Jace does need to stop all controlling behavior, if he has a chance at becoming someone other than his father.  And so, his confession to Dakota was about relinquishing that control; it was about the ability to be vulnerable and leave the decision in her hands.

To learn more about Swati, please go to her website: http://swatiavasthi.blogspot.com/

After a few conversations with some teens, I compiled this list to help readers determine whether a friend is really a frienemy. Take a look:

A frienemy…

…goes behind your back, undermines you.

…sabotages your successes.

…will say one thing to your face, then tells someone else the opposite.

…blames you for his poor choices or actions.

…will use subtle and not so subtle putdowns to eat at your self-esteem.

…makes you have self-doubts.

…has to ‘one up’ you all the time.

…shows off.

…encourages failure not success or encourages you to do something that seems unattainable or dangerous.

…tells your secrets.

…laughs at you or makes fun of you, especially in front of others (And often says, “I was joking.” Can’t you take a joke?”)

If you have a frienemy in your life, my advice is to break off this relationship. Clearly, it’s unhealthy.