Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Waiting on Wednesday(56)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine,  and specifically spotlights upcoming novels we can't wait to read. As always, there are some amazing upcoming books, but this week I'm particularly excited for..


At last, Alexa and King Damian are engaged to be married. But their lives are far from safe. The kingdom of Antion is under siege, and Rylan is a prisoner of the enemy. Even worse, Alexa remains at the mercy of the evil Dansiian Rafe, who controls her mind and can force Alexa to kill or harm Damian at any moment. Despite this, Alexa is determined to rescue Rylan, which soon leads her far from Damian and deep into enemy territory.

When she arrives, what awaits her is deadlier than anything she could have ever imagined: an army of black sorcerers, and a horrifying plot to destroy the world as Alexa knows it. Will she be able to gather the strength to free herself, protect the love of her life, and save the land? Will there ever be true peace?






So that's what I'm waiting. So how about you? Leave a link and let me know. :)

Saturday, November 21, 2015

Author Interview -Hannah Fielding




Hannah Fielding is an incurable romantic. The seeds for her writing career were sown in early childhood, spent in Egypt, when she came to an agreement with her governess Zula: for each fairy story Zula told, Hannah would invent and relate one of her own. Years later – following a degree in French literature, several years of travelling in Europe, falling in love with an Englishman, the arrival of two beautiful children and a career in property development – Hannah decided after so many years of yearning to write that the time was now.

Today, she lives the dream: writing full time at her homes in Kent, England, and the South of France, where she dreams up romances overlooking breath-taking views of the Mediterranean.

To date, Hannah has published four novels: Burning Embers, ‘romance like Hollywood used to make’, set in Kenya; the award-winning Echoes of Love, ‘an epic love story that is beautifully told’ set in Italy; and Indiscretion and Masquerade (from the Andalusian Nights Trilogy), her fieriest novels yet. She is currently working on her forthcoming book, Legacy, the final title in the trilogy, which is due to be published in spring 2016.




1. If you could travel back in time where/when would you go?
I would return to my early twenties, when having completed my university studies I spread my wings and left my homeland, Egypt, to live, work and travel in Europe. I met so many fascinating people, saw so many inspirational sights, experienced so much culture: those years shaped the woman – and writer! – I have become. I was something of a nomad, until one evening in London I met a man at a drinks party and I fell in love. I would love to go back to that evening once more, and see my husband again for the very first time. Such a powerful and beautiful memory.


2. What gave you the idea for Masquerade?
The hero Leandro was a face in a crowd of gypsies on a beach in France that triggered my imagination and was the muse for this story. He is passionate, mischievous and impetuous, with a smile that mesmerises and a devil-may-care attitude. He’s proud and also kind, compassionate and loving. I got all of that from a chance encounter; if only that man knew how he’d inspired me!
I also wanted to write a book in which I could weave two themes close to my heart:
1. Masquerade: since I first attended a grand masked ball as a child, I have been fascinated by the masquerade – both literally (there is such a ball in the book) and figuratively. The epigraph for masquerade is from Lord Byron: And, after all, what is a lie? ’Tis but the truth in masquerade.
2. Art: in the story, the heroine Luz is writing a biography of a prominent Spanish artist, which allowed me to could delve into the fascinating world of Surrealism.

3. What is your favorite motivational phrase?
‘Biting my truant pen, beating myself for spite: “Fool!” said my muse to me, “look in thy heart, and write.”’ I use this quotation, from Sir Philip Sidney, to keep my on focus in my writing. I believe firmly in writing what is in your heart to write; being true to yourself.

4. What is the hardest thing about writing your latest book? What is the easiest thing about writing?

The most challenging parts were the opening paragraph and the closing paragraph. The first must encourage the reader to continue his or her journey into the novel, to want to get to know the characters and their story; and the second must leave the reader with a feeling of contentment and maybe a tinge of melancholy because the voyage has come to an end and it is as if he or she is saying farewell to a friend. I wrote and rewrote the first paragraph until I settled upon:
Luz set eyes on him for the first time from her seat on Zeyna’s back as the fine white Arab mare stepped down the narrow path from the cliff that led to the beach. He was sitting on the edge of the track, leaning nonchalantly against a wild carob tree,watching her while chewing on a sprig of heather. As she drew nearer, she met his steady gaze, spirited and wild. At that moment she had no idea this man would have the power to change her world and create such havoc in her heart, that she would emerge from the experience a different person. Fate had not yet lit up the winding pathway of her life nor the echoes of history along it, but now, in front of this stranger, a disturbing awareness leapt into flame deep inside her and began to flicker intensely. Without thinking, she tugged on Zeyna’s reins to slow the mare down.
As for the final paragraph, I wouldn’t want to spoil the story!
The easiest, part for me, is the writing itself. Having researched and planned carefully, the words flow onto the page. I love that stage of the writing process, when I am immersed in the story, and when I am in other stages – publishing, marketing and so on – I yearn to get back into the creative flow.


5. Super Hero or Super Villain. Why?
Hero, definitely. Aren’t all romantics eternal optimists with soft hearts? The heroines and heroes in my novels may struggle at times with their pride, their courage, their faith, but they are all good people at heart.

**************************
From the award-winning author of The Echoes of Love. Love, mystery and desire under the
scorching Spanish sun. 

A young writer becomes entangled in an illicit gypsy love affair, pulling her into a world of secrets, deception and dark desire. 

Summer, 1976. Luz de Rueda returns to her beloved Spain and takes a job as the biographer of a famous artist. On her first day back in Cádiz, she encounters a bewitching, passionate young gypsy, Leandro, who immediately captures her heart, even though relationships with his kind are taboo. Haunted by this forbidden love, she meets her new employer, the sophisticated Andrés de Calderón. Reserved yet darkly compelling, he is totally different to Leandro but almost the gypsy's double. Both men stir unfamiliar and exciting feelings in Luz, although mystery and danger surround them in ways she has still to discover.

Luz must decide what she truly desires as glistening Cádiz, with its enigmatic moon and whispering turquoise shores, seeps back into her blood. Why is she so drawn to the wild and magical sea gypsies? What is behind the old fortune-teller’s sinister warnings about ‘Gemini’? Through this maze of secrets and lies, will Luz finally find her happiness… or her ruin?

Masquerade is a story of forbidden love, truth and trust. Are appearances always deceptive

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Waiting on Wednesday(55)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine and specifically spotlights upcoming novels we can't wait to read. As always, there are some amazing upcoming books, but this week I'm particularly excited for..


Title: Walk The Edge
Author: Katie McGarry
Release Date: March 29,2016
Publisher:  Harlequin TEEN

One moment of recklessness will change their worlds 

Smart. Responsible. That's seventeen-year-old Breanna's role in her large family, and heaven forbid she put a toe out of line. Until one night of shockingly un-Breanna-like behavior puts her into a vicious cyber-bully's line of fire—and brings fellow senior Thomas "Razor" Turner into her life. 

Razor lives for the Reign of Terror motorcycle club, and good girls like Breanna just don't belong. But when he learns she's being blackmailed over a compromising picture of the two of them—a picture that turns one unexpected and beautiful moment into ugliness—he knows it's time to step outside the rules. 

And so they make a pact: he'll help her track down her blackmailer, and in return she'll help him seek answers to the mystery that's haunted him—one that not even his club brothers have been willing to discuss. But the more time they spend together, the more their feelings grow. And suddenly they're both walking the edge of discovering who they really are, what they want, and where they're going from here


So that's what I'm waiting. So how about you? Leave a link and let me know. :)

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Waiting on Wednesday(54)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine, and specifically spotlights upcoming novels we can't wait to read. As always, there are some amazing upcoming books, but this week I'm particularly excited for..


Title: For The Record
Author: Charlotte Huang
Release Date: November 10,2015
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

If Almost Famous were a YA novel... a raw, honest debut celebrating music, friendship, romance, and life on the road.

Chelsea thought she knew what being a rock star was like... until she became one. After losing a TV talent show, she slid back into small-town anonymity. But one phone call changed everything

Now she’s the lead singer of the band Melbourne, performing in sold-out clubs every night and living on a bus with three gorgeous and talented guys. The bummer is that the band barely tolerates her. And when teen heartthrob Lucas Rivers take an interest in her, Chelsea is suddenly famous, bringing Melbourne to the next level—not that they’re happy about that. Her feelings for Beckett, Melbourne’s bassist, are making life even more complicated.

Chelsea only has the summer tour to make the band—and their fans—love her. If she doesn’t, she’ll be back in Michigan for senior year, dying a slow death. The paparazzi, the haters, the grueling schedule... Chelsea believed she could handle it. But what if she can’t?

So that's what I'm waiting. So how about you? Leave a link and let me know. :)

Sunday, October 18, 2015

Camp Awesomeness



So I know i did the summer camp list type oost before but guess what I have recently applied and accepted a job at a camp from now till next summer.This camp is a lot more serious than previous ones I worked at but just as fun so I decide to revise summer camp for a post.

Title: Don't Ever Change
Author: Beth Bloom

Eva has always wanted to write a modern classic—one that actually appeals to her generation. The only problem is that she has realized she can't "write what she knows" because she hasn't yet begun to live. So before heading off to college, Eva is determined to get a life worth writing about.

Soon Eva's life encounters a few unexpected plot twists. She becomes a counselor at a nearby summer camp—a job she is completely unqualified for. She starts growing apart from her best friends before they've even left for school. And most surprising of all, she begins to fall for the last guy she would have ever imagined. But no matter the roadblocks, or writer's blocks, it is all up to Eva to figure out how she wants this chapter in her story to end. 




Title: moose: a memoir of a fat camp
Author: Stephanie Klein
With her signature acerbic wit and captivating insight, the author of the wildly popular Straight Up and Dirty offers a powerful and beautifully stark portrait of adolescence

While she is pregnant with twins, one sentence uttered by her doctor sends Stephanie Klein reeling: "You need to gain fifty pounds." Instantly, an adolescence filled with insecurity and embarrassment comes flooding back. Though she is determined to gain the weight for the health of her babies—even if it means she'll "weigh more than a Honda"—she can only express her deep fear by telling her doctor simply, "I used to be fat."





Title: The Firelight Girls

Author: Kaya McLaren
The summers you spend at summer camp are indelibly etched on your heart. But what happens when the camp you love is about to close? Can you ever really say goodbye to the place that made you who you are? These are the questions that plagues Ethel, the seventy-year-old former camp director who is nursing a broken heart after losing the love of her life as she now faces the impending closure of the camp on Lake Wenatchee that she called home

. It's also a question that inspires change in forty-year-old Shannon, who spent the summers of her youth as a vibrant, capable camp counselor and is now directionless after watching her career implode. And there's Laura, who has lost all intimacy with her husband and doesn't know if she can save what seems to be gone forever. 

Finally, Ruby, who betrayed Ethel years ago and hasn't spoken to her since, hopes this will be her chance to make amends. When the four women learn that a homeless teen has been hiding at camp, they realize camp is something much more immediate for all: survival.


And so the three generations of women search for a way to save the place that saved them all, finding in the process a way back to themselves and each other in The Firelight Girls, Kaya McLaren's novel of love and loss, heartbreak and healing



Title: The Lost Summer

Author: Katherine Williams 

"I died one summer, or I almost did. Part of me did. I don't say that to be dramatic, only because it's true."

For the past nine years, Helena Waite has been returning to summer camp at Southpoint. Every year the camp and its familiar routines, landmarks, and people have welcomed her back like a long-lost family member. But this year she is returning not as a camper, but as a counselor, while her best friend, Katie Bell remains behind. All too quickly, Helena discovers that the innocent world of campfires, singalongs, and field days have been pushed aside for late night pranks on the boys' camp, skinny dipping in the lake, and stolen kisses in the hayloft. As she struggles to define herself in this new world, Helena begins to lose sight of what made camp special and the friendships that have sustained her for so many years. And when Ransome, her longtime crush, becomes a romantic reality, life gets even more confusing.

Told with honesty and heart, Kathryn Williams' second novel tackles the timeless theme of growing up, set at a camp where innocence is created and lost.




Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Waiting on Wednesday (53)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine, and specifically spotlights upcoming novels we can't wait to read. As always, there are some amazing upcoming books, but this week I'm particularly excited for..
 
 
Title: first & then

Author: Emma Mills
Release Date: October 13,2015
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
  
Devon Tennyson wouldn't change a thing. She's happy watching Friday night games from the bleachers, silently crushing on best friend Cas, and blissfully ignoring the future after high school. But the universe has other plans. It delivers Devon's cousin Foster, an unrepentant social outlier with a surprising talent for football, and the obnoxiously superior and maddeningly attractive star running back, Ezra, right where she doesn't want them first into her P.E. class and then into every other aspect of her life.

Pride and Prejudice meets Friday Night Lights in this contemporary novel about falling in love with the unexpected boy, with a new brother, and with yourself

I'm a sucker for any Jane Austen adaptions...even though *gasps* I have yet to read a Jane Austen Novel.So that's what I'm waiting. So how about you? Leave a link and let me know. :)

Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Teaser Tuesdays (6)


Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm. 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 & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
“If things happen for a reason, I was meant to get fucked over.”   Nina LaCour, The Disenchantments
 
There you go a quote from The Disenchantments. I adore this book so much it's not even funny.

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Waiting on Wednesday(52):Cut Both Ways

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine, and specifically spotlights upcoming novels we can't wait to read. As always, there are some amazing upcoming books, but this week I'm particularly excited for..
Title:Cut Both Ways

Author: Carrie Mesrobian
Release Date:September 1,2015
Publisher: HarperCollins
Will Caynes never has been good with girls. At seventeen, he’s still waiting for his first kiss. He’s certainly not expecting it to happen in a drunken make-out session with his best friend, Angus. But it does and now Will’s conflicted—he knows he likes girls, but he didn’t exactly hate kissing a guy.

Then Will meets Brandy, a cute and easy-to-talk-to sophomore. He’s totally into her too—which proves, for sure, that he’s not gay. So why does he keep hooking up with Angus on the sly?

Will knows he can’t keep seeing both of them, but besides his new job in a diner, being with Brandy and Angus are the best parts of his whole messed-up life. His divorced parents just complicate everything. His father, after many half-baked business ventures and endless house renovations, has started drinking again. And his mom is no help—unless loading him up with a bunch of stuff he doesn’t need plus sticking him with his twin half-sisters counts as parenting. He’s been bouncing between both of them for years, and neither one feels like home.

Deciding who to love, who to choose, where to live. Whichever way Will goes, someone will get hurt. Himself, probably the most

The synopsis definitely has me intrigued especially because the subject matter is not something that is written about often.

So that's what I'm waiting. So how about you? Leave a link and let me know. :)

Review:Bound Together


Title:Bound Together
Author:Eliza Jane

Seventeen-year-old Zoey needs an escape from some personal drama, like her mom’s depression and taking care of her four younger siblings. She finds the perfect distraction in a frenemies-with-benefits arrangement with irritatingly hot football captain, Matt, during their class trip to Paris. There’s no chance of falling for someone whose only ambition in life is to stay in their hick town and one day take over his parent’s tire store. But far from home and personal responsibilities, his cocky grin and easy attitude start to grow on her as they explore the seductive city of Paris together.

Once they’re back at home, Zoey finds herself texting him for a secret rendezvous whenever she needs an escape. Though she’s been explicitly clear she’s using him for one thing, whenever Matt picks her up, he acts more like it’s a date-date rather than a backseat playdate –making sure she has eaten, or stopping to color with her little sister before they go out. Despite her best efforts at keeping their arrangement physical only, Zoey begins to realize – with fear and disgust – that she’s falling for him. When things fall apart with her mom, letting Matt see her real life takes more courage than she has – but if she’s brave enough to let him, he might be just the one person who can help. 



**********

So I have just reread bound together and I'm glad i did.I forgot how much I enjoyed this book. Zoey has it tough from school work to taking care of the house and her younger siblings.Deciding she needs space and to see if her family can survive without here just in case she goes to college she goes abroad to Paris for a class trip.That's were things get interesting starting with Matt as her partner.

The characters were well written and I liked that Matt and Zoey seemed so real.There was no insta-love it was gradual and adorable filled with plenty of snark.I enjoyed the character development a lot and i liked how the character from the main ones o secondary stood out and seem genuine.

The cover is lovely and sums up Zoey &Matt nicely. Occasionally the plot dragged but eventually you were pulled back in to the book.I'd definitely recommend this to someone needing a calm ya romance type book.3/5


Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Waiting on Wednesday(51):Queen Of Shadows

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine, and specifically spotlights upcoming novels we can't wait to read. As always, there are some amazing upcoming books, but this week I'm particularly excited for..

Title: Queen of Shadows
Author: Sarah J Mass
Release Date: September 1,2015
Publisher:Bloomsbury USA Childrens

Everyone Celaena Sardothien loves has been taken from her. But she's at last returned to the empire—for vengeance, to rescue her once-glorious kingdom, and to confront the shadows of her past . . .

She will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die just to see her again. She will fight for her friend, a young man trapped in an unspeakable prison. And she will fight for her people, enslaved to a brutal king and awaiting their lost queen's triumphant return.

Celaena’s epic journey has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions across the globe. This fourth volume will hold readers rapt as Celaena’s story builds to a passionate, agonizing crescendo that might just shatter her world.





So that's what I'm waiting. So how about you? Leave a link and let me know. :)

Friday, May 29, 2015

Review:Between Us and The Moon

Title: Between Us and The Moon
Author: Rebecca Maizel

A luminous young adult novel that evokes Judy Blume’s Forever for a new generation.

Ever since Sarah was born, she’s lived in the shadow of her beautiful older sister, Scarlett. But this summer on Cape Cod, she’s determined to finally grow up. Then she meets gorgeous college boy Andrew. He sees her as the girl she wants to be. A girl who’s older than she is. A girl like Scarlett.

Before she knows what’s happened, one little lie has transformed into something real. And by the end of August, she might have to choose between falling in love, and finding herself.





***************************************
Between us and the moon is the perfect book about summer romance and discovering who you are. I plan to reread this book again on the beach while I soak up some sun. What I really enjoyed about the book was how much the plot and characters kept you hooked. Bean/Sarah is a young teen aged girl just trying to find her self and while a few of her lies made me cringe when I thought about the possible consequences  I couldn't fault her for them. Realistically who hasn't lied about themselves at least once.

Bean/Sarah she was the type of main character that made me think back to my own awkward teen years. Rebecca M created perfectly relate-able characters that I just wanted to learn more about. From Scarlet and her ballerina bitchiness, to yes even Curtis who faced his own demons. Then there was sweet Andrew who I just wanted to hug at the end there.


That ending  killed me I want to dislike it but it was perfect in it's believability and just a bit bittersweet. Not going to lie I'm kind of wising there ends up being a random sequel,novella or fringe companion book just so I can get more of Sarah and Andrew's story. The cover seems life it embodies a summer night on the beach. If you want a light but sincerely touching summer read look no further than Between Us and The Moon.5/5



Armchair BEA Day 3: Character Chatter


Armchair BEA is for those people who cannot visit Book Expo America but still want to join in the fun. 

Day 3 Character Chatter


Character Chatter!! Todays Armchair BEA topic is all about the book characters.So I'm going to talk/write about some of my favorite types of book character. I like my book characters like I like my life lessons awkward,bitter sweet and makes me feel all the feels.

It's not just about a good plot and setting if I can't relate to a character in the first couple chapters then I’m DNFing whatever book I’m reading. Sometimes I’ll stick it out think the character will change for the better but it's always a let down when that doesn't happens. I'm a huge fan of the whole redemption thing so give me a character with some angst that turns their s**t around and I’m happy. However what I dislike is when a character has no type of growth. You know the type the character starts out awful ie: selfish,whinny,a liar,or etc and then the climax/life alternating thing happens and boom nothing maybe the character is slightly less awful but you finish the book and are just like that's it...what was that why..??Stuff like that bugs the hell out of me.

Another thing I enjoy in relation to book characters is when there's snark in abundance a well written snarky character is the best. For examples see Puck from The Iron Fey Series,Adrian from the Vampire Academy books and the Bloodline spin off series ,as well as Bianca from the DUFF. Snarky slightly bitchy characters and people in IRL make my soul happy,the reason for this is I always enjoy meeting/reading about kindred spirits.

Basically the type of character I enjoy reading about no matter the genre or if it's a main character or secondary second has to be relate-able. I have to feel like every thing that that characters going though is similar to my issues. Me feeling this way all comes down to a lot of different variables that I’d rather not get in to mainly because I like keeping my post short and sweet. Comment and let me know what you think?

What is your favorite type of character? Brooding?Male or Female?Let me know in the comment section along with the link to your Armchair BEA post on Characters or Blogging Q&A
Have a Happy Armchair BEA 2015!!Thnks for stopping by.



Thursday, May 28, 2015

Armchair BEA Day 2:Social Media


Armchair BEA is for those people who cannot visit Book Expo America but still want to join in the fun. 
Day 2 Social Media 

Okay so the topic of the days are social media or Visual expressions. I thought about doing both but decided on social media. So in this day and age there's a lot of sites for social media Twitter, Facebook,Google+ and if your feeling nostalgic and out dated there's good ole MySpace plus a bunch more that I have no clue about.

When it comes to using social media to expand my blogging/writing horizon I am seriously lacking. I know blogging and life in general is all about making connection and networking but I'm just an awkward turtle all around. The only social media sites I use in relation to my blog are blogger and twitter. I have a Facebook but I keep that separate from my blogging world I do this mainly because Fb is more personal and I’m a bit shy/awkward when it come to sharing my blog with people I know. 
Strangers no prob people I know every day..mehh not as cool with it. 

I like using twitter a lot when it come to interacting with author and fellow bloggers verses comments on blogger mainly because it more of an instant  interaction. 
 I think social media and the whole instant  interaction is great but also when misused can be pretty awful. What makes it awful is sometimes people for get that the are sending these mean comments toward a real person not just  a little picture icon. Also what you post online stays online even if you think it doesn't. I recently read a blog post talking about how bloggers  interact with them authors on social media and the person brought up a lot of good points.(If I can find the blog/post I’ll link it to give her credit where credits due) 

Her post got me thinking about when I should and shouldn't link/tag/etc an author. I tend to do so only if the review is 4 or up and on occasion a 3.The whole sending mean comment online can go both ways authors to blogger to bloggers to authors and etc. So with all that being said I tend to be causes with my online presence. I like to  make more connection with others though any tips would be appreciated. Find me on Twitter @talamelis 

Hope you enjoyed my rambling slightly non cohesive post on social media. Thanks for stopping by and have a great Armchair BEA 2015!! :D 

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Armchair BEA Day 1:Introduction

Armchair BEA is for those people who cannot visit Book Expo America but still want to join in the fun. I really wish I was in NYC with my fellow bloggers who are attending BEA (Book Expo America), but sadly I can't. It all good though I’m more than happy to be a part of Armchair BEA!


Day 1 Introductions.

Tell us a bit about yourself: How long have you been blogging? Where are you from? How did you get into blogging?
Hello fellow bloggers/blog readers my name is Melissa and I've been blogging for the last 5 yrs give or take since 2011.I'm from Chicago and I got into blogging after discovering one of my friends blog. From there I started reading different book blogs and decided to start my own.So far I have 3 blogs two for personal uses and on for a college class. I really only keep my book blog up to date and the other personal on only every now and then.

Why do you loving reading and blogging?
I love to read because it gets me out of my own head and I can just explore the mind of someone else s for a little bit. I I enjoy blogging because I like giving my opinions on something I love be it mainly books,music,or something else entirely

What is your theme song?
Okay so in an awesome world my theme song would be the opening music for the Harry Potter movies but alas while the world is awesome it is not that awesome.*Le sigh* I can dream though.

What is one book everyone should read?
One book everyone should read especially if your interested in becoming a educator is Educating Esme:Diary of A Teacher's First Year by Esmé Raji Codell. I loved this book on so many levels its not even funny. If your not into memoirs than the next must read is The Realm of Possibilities by David Levithan.

What is your favorite genre and why?
I like a bit of every genre but if I had to chose a favorite it would be fantasy followed closely by YA/NA contemporary.

What book are you reading right now?
As of right now I’m rereading Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn.

What book are you most looking forward to reading this summer?
The Summer of Chasing Mermaids Sarah Ockler. I adore Sarah's books!!!

If you were stranded on a deserted island, what author would you want to bring with you? Why?
Tough question I’m really tempted to say J.K Rowling just so i can pick her brain about all things Harry potter  but my pick would be Maureen Johnson because based of her twitter she seems like a fun time.



*Apparently we were only supposed to pick/answer  5 questions...I was so excited that i skimmed the instructions. Oh well enjoy my Armchair BEA intro.



Waiting on Wednesday(50):The Summer Of Chasing Mermaids

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine, and specifically spotlights upcoming novels we can't wait to read. As always, there are some amazing upcoming books, but this week I'm particularly excited for..

Title:The Summer Of Chasing Mermaids 
Author:Sarah Ockler
Release Date: June 2,2015
Publisher:Simon Pulse
The youngest of six talented sisters, Elyse d’Abreau was destined for stardom—until a boating accident took everything from her. Now, the most beautiful singer in Tobago can’t sing. She can’t even speak.

Seeking quiet solitude, Elyse accepts a friend’s invitation to Atargatis Cove. Named for the mythical first mermaid, the Oregon seaside town is everything Elyse’s home in the Caribbean isn’t: An ocean too cold for swimming, parties too tame for singing, and people too polite to pry—except for one.

Christian Kane is a notorious playboy—insolent, arrogant, and completely charming. He’s also the only person in Atargatis Cove who doesn’t treat Elyse like a glass statue. He challenges her to express herself, and he admires the way she treats his younger brother Sebastian, who believes Elyse is the legendary mermaid come to life. 

When Christian needs a first mate for the Cove’s high-stakes Pirate Regatta, Elyse reluctantly stows her fear of the sea and climbs aboard. The ocean isn’t the only thing making waves, though—swept up in Christian’s seductive tide and entranced by the Cove’s charms, Elyse begins to wonder if a life of solitude isn’t what she needs. But changing course again means facing her past. It means finding her inner voice. And scariest of all, it means opening her heart to a boy who’s best known for breaking them . . .


Sarah Ockler is one of my favorite authors and i'm looking forward to reading this new book.Check out my reviews of a few of her other books if you want. Here!

So that's what I'm waiting. So how about you? Leave a link and let me know. :)


Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Teaser Tuesdays(5)


Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm. 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 & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

“How can you spend hours every day trying in small ways to figure out who you are, then have a near-stranger give you a sentence of yourself that says it better than you ever could? -Bruce the Second Pg 20 Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List Rachel Cohn, David Levithan 
So here's my qoute for Teaser Tuesday hope you enjoyed it and check out Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List.

Fun fact apparently this book is being turned into a movie!! After finding this out pretty much today i spent way to much time scouring the internet for info on the movie.However i can't seem to find a movie trailer,the release date or any up to date information. 
So if you know these thing please comment and let me know.

Top Ten Tuesday(31)Ten Books I Plan To Have In My Beach Bag This Summer

Check out how Top Ten Tuesday works & the future schedule of topics HERE.The Top Ten Tuesday, is hosted by the ever-fabulous The Broke and the Bookish   This  meme was created because they are particularly fond of lists at The Broke and the Bookish.

Ten Books I Plan To Have In My Beach Bag This Summer or Ten Books I Think Make Great Beach Reads
Books I've Read
  1. Between Us and The Moon Rebecca Maizel I've just read this book and i adored it.Perfect to read while soaking up some sun.
  2. The Summer of Yesterday Gaby Triana Great summer read involving Disney,Cute boys and a trip in time and learning about appreciating the past.
  3. How to Meet Boys Catherine Clark Great book about a summer a group og friends will never forget.
  4. Any of the books co written by Rachel Choen & David Lethivan So this might be cheating because i guess this can count as 3 book but I really enjoyed reading these books and would mind rereading them on a beach.
  5. The Curiosity because i can reread this anthology anywhere a million times and not get tired of it.
Book I've Yet to read

  1. #Nerd Cambria Hebert The whole opposites attract thing always interests me.
  2. Joyride Anna Banks Defying expectations who wouldn't want to curl up on a gorgeous day and read about that.
  3. The Summer Of Chasing Mermaids That cover is absolutely lovely and when I get my hands on that book in a week or so its going to look great with me hanging on the beach.
  4. The Cost Of All The Things Maggie Lehrman Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind meets We Were Liars enough said.
  5. Second Star Alyssa b. Sheinmel Three wordon why this book is on my list :Summer,Surfing,Peter Pan

Sunday, May 24, 2015

It's A Summer Thing


So for the third summer in a row I'm off to work at a sleep away camp for the summer.This summer will be a bit different however because I'm not returning to Camp K but instead working at a Girl Scout Camp in Wisconsin.I just got word a few days ago that I got the job and needless to say I have camp on the brain. I leave for staff training in a week and while deciding what books to bring on the very slim chance that I get some time on my days off to read I started to wonder if there were any good books revolving around a summer camp. 
I couldn't think of any that I've read besides OyMG by Amy Fellner Dominy-which is pretty hilarious and touching-so i searched for camp related books on Goodreads and discovered a bunch of campish books.So below Iv'e included both fiction and non fiction books with a camp setting that I would really like to read at some point.


Title:Five Summer
Author: Una LaMarche
Fiction,YA
Four best friends, five summers of camp memories. 

The summer we were nine: Emma was branded “Skylar’s friend Emma” by the infamous Adam Loring...
The summer we were ten: Maddie realized she was too far into her lies to think about telling the truth...
The summer we were eleven: Johanna totally freaked out during her first game of Spin the Bottle...
The summer we were twelve: Skylar’s love letters from her boyfriend back home were exciting to all of us—except Skylar...
Our last summer together: Emma and Adam almost kissed. Jo found out Maddie’s secret. Skylar did something unthinkable... and whether we knew it then or not, five summers of friendship began to fall apart. 

Three years after the fateful last night of camp, the four of us are coming back to camp for reunion weekend—and for a second chance. Bittersweet, funny, and achingly honest, Five Summers is a story of friendship, love, and growing up that is perfect for fans of Anne Brashares and Judy Blume's Summer Sisters.




Title:Things I Can't Forget
Author:Miranda Keneally
Fiction,YA
Kate has always been the good girl. Too good, according to some people at school—although they have no idea the guilty secret she carries. But this summer, everything is different…

This summer she’s a counselor at Cumberland Creek summer camp, and she wants to put the past behind her. This summer Matt is back as a counselor too. He’s the first guy she ever kissed, and he’s gone from a geeky songwriter who loved The Hardy Boys to a buff lifeguard who loves to flirt--with her.

Kate used to think the world was black and white, right and wrong. Turns out, life isn’t that easy…




Title:Not A Happer Camper 

Author:Mindy Schneider
Non-Fiction,Memoir 

Remember those long sultry summer days at camp, the sun setting over the lake as you sang Kumbaya? Well, Mindy Schneider remembers her summer at Camp Kin-A-Hurra in 1974 just a wee bit differently. Not a Happy Camper chronicles a young girl’s adventures at a camp where the sun never shines, the breakfast cereal dates back to the summer of 1922, and many of the counselors speak no English. For eight eye-opening and unforgettable weeks, 
Mindy and her eccentric band of friends — including Autumn Evening Schwartz, the daughter of hippies who communicates with the dead, and the sleep-dancing, bibliophile Betty Gilbert — keep busy feuding in color wars, failing at sports, and uncovering the camp’s hidden past. As she focuses on landing the perfect boyfriend and longs for her first kiss, Mindy unexpectedly stumbles across something infinitely grander: herself. Hilarious, charming, and glowing with nostalgia, Mindy Schneider’s memoir is a must-read for anyone who’s ever been to summer camp, or wishes they had


Title:Cabin Pressure: One Man's Desperate Attempt to Recapture His Youth as a Camp Counselor
Author:Josh Wolk
Non-Fiction,Memoir 
Three months before getting married at age thirty-four, Josh Wolk decides to treat himself to a "farewell to childhood" extravaganza: one last summer working at the beloved Maine boys' camp where he spent most of the eighties. And there he finds out that there's no better way to see how much you've changed than to revisit a place that hasn't changed at all.In these eight hilarious, uncomfortable, enlightening weeks, Josh readjusts to life teaching swimming and balancing on a thin metal cot in a cabin of shouting, wrestling, wet-willie-dispensing fourteen-year-olds who, contrary to the warnings of doom saying sociologists, he finds indistinguishable from the rowdy fourteen-year-olds of his day in any way other than their haircuts. With his old camp friends gone, he finds himself working alongside guys who used to be his campers.
 Moments of feeling cripplingly old are offset by the corrosive insecurities of his youth when he's paired in the cabin with Mitch, the forty-two-year-old jack-of-all- extreme-sports whose machismo intimidated Josh so much fifteen years earlier, and whom their current campers idolize. And throughout all this disorienting regression, Josh's telephone conversations with his fiance, Christine, grow increasingly intense as their often comical discussions over the wedding become a flimsy cover for her worries that he's not ready to relinquish his death-grip on the comforts of the past.
So there ya go fellow bloggers and blog reader my list of books related to summer camps.
Have any camp related book recommendationsA funny stories when you were a camper or counselor then go right ahead and leave me a comment I'd love to hear from you.

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