From Drafts: Recap of the Texas Teen Book Festival 2017!!

 Disclaimer & Note: The Texas teen book fest has been discontinued and has not happened since before 2020 now there is a small teen section at the Texas book festival in downtown Austin instead of having its own separate event and day.

 Also this post was created in 2017 and is now being updated years later because I was clearing out our drafts

Last year in 2017 Melissa, and I got the chance to volunteer at the Texas Teen Book Fest . This was my (Jessica's) first time ever volunteering at a Book Fest, Melissa attended the fest the previous year. Needless to say neither of us were prepared for our lovely 8:00 am shift we decided to volunteer for. Here we are at 8:00 am pumped and ready to.....we actually just signed up for shifts, and hoped for the best. By far one the most awesome things that happened, I saw JASON REYNOLDS across the way. We HAD a MOMENT! He doesn't know but ehh, he totally waved which means he acknowledged I was there. How did I know it was him...the hair! The bigger the hair the closer to GOD, they say. This probably kept me going through the entire day, even when I got a chance to meet Renee Watson, I was still on a high from waving to Jason. What did I do in front of Ms.Watson, I fan-girled, super hard. Like " you don't know me, but I am a huge fan, you're awesome, can't wait to read your book, now I'm done talking..." I also got a chance to meet Renee Watson, she is amaz-ing!

This was my(Melissa's)second year attending the Texas Teen Book Fest, and first year volunteering at the fest. I had a blast despite getting up earlier than needed for our 8 am volunteer shift. It was a bit rough at first neither Jessica, and I are what you would call morning people. Luckily we were placed at the info tent with some pretty cool people,who we befriended. I even got to hold a giant lollipop looking sign that said ask me...which doesn't sound that cool but where I was placed was directly where a lot of the authors walked by for the first keynote speaker. I got to see Adam Silvera, Jason Reynolds, E.Lockhart, and Stephanie Perkins all walk by, unlike Jessica I did not wave to my favorite authors but that's fine I got to meet Adam Silvera later on...It was hella awkward and I word vomited all over him.I told him that I loved his books and followed him on twitter  and was a huge fan*sigh* I never know what to say to authors. It was great but I was a total weirdo and it didn't help that Jessica was being her usual self (a mess) and helped make things weird.

Just like the year before  the Texas Teen Book Fest in 2017 had awesome panels, keynote speaker, and pretty kick-ass cosplay.The majority of the day was spent volunteering but on our down time we got to browse all the vendor stands,check out the books for sale,and meet all the authors at signing/just walking around!! We even got to check out a few panels and see the last keynote speaker JASON REYNOLDS  !!!One thing that was not like the year before was the fact that I spoke to more than one Author!!!

All in all It was a good time.

Rip Texas teen book fest

Adults Reading Ya Novels?!?!

Recently Jessica has sent me a link about how adults should be embarrassed to read YA books.When I read this I was just sitting there confused as hell. This is a quote from the article, : "Read whatever you want. But you should feel embarrassed when what you’re reading was written for children."
Um...excuse me I read YA as adult and I'm not all that embarrassed...yes at 18 I took a stroll down the adult fiction isle thinking that I need to move past YA novels( and I still do from time time') but I have moved on from feeling embarrassed; it is what it is, I like what I like.I find no reason to be shamed by what I like. Yes, on occasion I find my self rolling my eyes at certain situations found in YA but it isn't a huge thing.YA books are on this beautiful spectrum where you can find something for 13 yrs olds to 25-30 year olds. You can find pretty juvenile books that border on middle grade to the steamy so called hip New Adult books that border on adult fiction.(only because they include the 20something gang and sex)

Yes, I agree that YA books and that community is for young adults but there nothing wrong with adults being there. There are plenty of articles that are similar to Ruth Graham and I feel like we need to move away from the idea that an adults reading YA is shameful or that certain types of books are lesser than others.

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Honestly, I had no idea that people felt this way nor do I care about how others feel about books I choose to read. Yes, I could read New Adult but I don't, not really my genre haha! But really Ruth Graham's article is talking about two specific books "The Fault in Our Stars, and Elanor and Park", I have read neither nor do I plan on reading them... Ruth has issues that these books are becoming movies because we ADULTS are reading YA...I'm not sure it works that way, sometimes the movie rights are bought before the book even comes out. Ruth herself stated in her NPR interview that "the best YA is much richer than, and more sophisticated than I give them credit for..." Ruth is simply saying that her opinion is her opinion even if it is unwarranted, and we should listen because her voice matters?? I'm being dramatic but whatever. Ruth has an issue when ADULTS read "teen love stories" me too but I can't tell you, that you should be embarrassed to read them. I think people should be embarrassed to read fiftyshadesofbland but I keep that to myself...Maybe Ruth was tired of all the fiftyshadesofbland slander , When Ruth states ya is a guilty pleasure for ADULTS..Personally I don't like the idea of  YA being a "guilty pleasure", I just like the books..

Review/Rant: Hawkeye Comics

 
I don't normally review comic books like at all,however  not to long ago I finished reading Matt Fraction and David Aja’s extremely excellent Hawkeye series.Followed by Jeff Lemire and  Ramon Perez's splended Hawkeye series. And I just had to write a post ranting about both...

 I have never been that into comics or graphic novels.It wasn't until early last year that I really started reading comics.The comics that really got me into them are The Black Widow seris by,The Ms. Mavel series by,Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur and of course the Hawk series.
While all those are really great comics it's the Hawkeye comics that have a special place in my heart.

They made me laugh and have also made me cry, and I was sad that Matt Fraction and David Aja’s awesome Hawkeye series came to an end. And that the Clint Barton as he existed in that particular series was no more.All six volumes of comics were great and pulled in the reader by the heartstrings.I enjoyed reading about and everyday flawed super hero who was very baseline human. No superpowers in sight.No suit of amour. Clint was a regular guy just trying to get by and do the right thing.
The art work was magic! From all of Aja's work to the beautiful back story art done by Perez. I loved it all.The stories in all six volumes were ell done as well.I really like the Kate bishop was portrayed as her own version of Hawkeye not a sidekick or anything else like that.(Fun Fact Kate Bishop has her own series now by Kelly Thompson  & It is wonderful)

When I look up what people say about all 6 volumes People constantly compare Matt Fraction and David Aja’s run to Jeff Lemire and  Ramon Perez's run.Which is understandable but I think both runs have pro&cons that make them stand out. To quote one of the most over used phrases ever that I used as a camp counselor I think when talking about both runs people should, "Share not Compare."

So there you go there's my rant/kinda review on the Hawkeye comics.I recommend that everyone check them out!!! 5/5

Theme of The Day:Is it a bird?A plane? No it's SUPERHEROS!!

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Today theme of the day is Superheroes!!!

That right today's post is about Miler Morales, and Diana Prince, better known as Spider-Man and Wonder Woman!! I'm a huge fan of comic books, so the fact that a lot of DC and some marvel comics are being turned into middle grade or YA books has me super jazzed!

Title: Miles Morales Spider-Man
Author: Jason Reynelds
Publisher:  Marvel Press

"Everyone gets mad at hustlers, especially if you're on the victim side of the hustle. And Miles knew hustling was in his veins."
Miles Morales is just your average teenager. Dinner every Sunday with his parents, chilling out playing old-school video games with his best friend, Ganke, crushing on brainy, beautiful poet Alicia. He's even got a scholarship spot at the prestigious Brooklyn Visions Academy. Oh yeah, and he's Spider Man.

But lately, Miles's spidey-sense has been on the fritz. When a misunderstanding leads to his suspension from school, Miles begins to question his abilities. After all, his dad and uncle were Brooklyn jack-boys with criminal records. Maybe kids like Miles aren't meant to be superheroes. Maybe Miles should take his dad's advice and focus on saving himself.

As Miles tries to get his school life back on track, he can't shake the vivid nightmares that continue to haunt him. Nor can he avoid the relentless buzz of his spidey-sense every day in history class, amidst his teacher's lectures on the historical "benefits" of slavery and the importance of the modern-day prison system. But after his scholarship is threatened, Miles uncovers a chilling plot, one that puts his friends, his neighborhood, and himself at risk.  It's time for Miles to suit up.

The Cover: What I love about the cover for Miles Morales Spider-Man is that you see his face and it's not just him in his suit. Another thing I love is that the cover just screams comic book, and it's super vibrant.
My Thoughts: Honestly I'm a bit on the fence about how I feel about this book.It might just because I'm an adult and this is a middle grade book but  I didn't connect at all with the book.I thought a lot was rushed and the backstory was bare bones. Objectively it was a good book, and the villain was pretty inspired. I just wish the reader got to know more about Miles's uncle, and what happened between them. 2.5/5

Title: Wonder Woman :WarBringer
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Publisher: Random House Children's Books

Princess Diana longs to prove herself to her legendary warrior sisters. But when the opportunity finally comes, she throws away her chance at glory and breaks Amazon law—risking exile—to save a mortal. Diana will soon learn that she has rescued no ordinary girl, and that with this single brave act, she may have doomed the world.

Daughter of death.

Alia Keralis just wanted to escape her overprotective brother with a semester at sea. She doesn’t know she is being hunted by people who think her very existence could spark a world war. When a bomb detonates aboard her ship, Alia is rescued by a mysterious girl of extraordinary strength and forced to confront a horrible truth: Alia is a Warbringer—a direct descendant of the infamous Helen of Troy, fated to bring about an age of bloodshed and misery.

Together.

Two girls will face an army of enemies—mortal and divine—determined to either destroy or possess the Warbringer. Tested beyond the bounds of their abilities, Diana and Alia must find a way to unleash hidden strengths and forge an unlikely alliance. Because if they have any hope of saving both their worlds, they will have to stand side by side against the tide of war.

The Cover: That is absolutely lovely. It has the comic book feel, and I like the fact the everything in the background is dark, and eerie while the shield looks like it's glowing.
My Thoughts: I could probably rant for hours about my thought on Wonder Women Warbringer but I'll keep it short. This book is more than an origin story it's a story about family, friendship and becoming who you were always meant to be.5/5

Welcome Jessica!!

Rambling of a Book Nerd is now gaining a new reviewer.We are both avid readers with the tendency to borrow way too many books at the library,spend a ridiculous about of time talking about characters as if they are real and  lurk in the library/book store on the weekends.

Jessica will post reviews,participate in weekly post like W.O.W,Teaser Tuesday,etc and  ramble about her own bookish interests.

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Hey hey hey, it's me Jessica but you can call me Jess! I have been reading for fun since I was 6 but now many moons later I am an avid reader, who just loves reading. I'm from Southern Illinois but I tell people St.Louis, MO because no knows anything about Southern IL. I am a 20-something book novice who is known to read multiple books at once, then confuse the stories (we can't all be great). I believe in multitasking....I read during my down time, and I have a lot down time lol! I would love to write adult satire picture books, and young adult novels.

Favorite Color:  All colors associated with Purple!!

Favorite Book: I actually do not have a favorite book. I do have books that I re-read all the time which include Wicked by Gregory Maguire, and Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat.

Favorite Author: Unfortunately, I do not have a favorite author. I just love books and if the book is awesome I will give it a read

Favorite Movie: Interview with a Vampire, Queen of the Damned (Idk about the CGI, its so good lol), all the Harry Potter Movies, and last but not least the last Twilight Sage: Breaking Dawn pt.2 (yes, the fight scene was that good!) #TeamJacob4Life


What are you currently reading?
As of right now I am reading two books: The Raven Kings Maggie Stiefvater and Witch Child Celia Rees .

Rant on Ratings Bloggers Give When Reviewing a Book

Recently I have been checking out other book bloggers and one blog in particular has made me start thinking about how bloggers review books. I use a five star rating but for the most part I hardly ever put up a post where i give a book a 2/5 or below. Have I read books that I thought were trash,yeah it has happened.Have I started a book only to give up 3 or five chapters in,yeah definitely.Have I picked up a book only to realize it features problematic content that I can't get behind,Yeah absolutely. What I'm trying to get at is that yeah I've read books that I wasn't a fan of at all.I could have churned out a blog post rating on how those books sucked and then put it online and tagged the author but honestly to me that's not cool.

I think there's a very fine line between bashing an author in a really unkind way and simple stating that you read a book and didn't really like said book. Now I get it freedom of option rocks.The fact that others bloggers and I can express how we feel about the books we read online is great.The downside of the internet is that you can say all this mean and nasty stuff to people with little consequence.It goes the same  for authors. I've seen reviewers give not so stellar reviews and then you have the author talking trash on Goodreads or the person blog.

Anyway what i'm getting at in a very round about way is that yeah reviewing a book is subjective and it bothers me when a review is harshly dragging a book and author though the mud.It also ridiculousness when an author attacks a review for their opinion. I'm not saying both parties should hold back on their opinion just think both parties should just chill on the harshness, 

Blog Update and a Rambling Rant

So it's been awhile since I've posted a review and while i would like to say that things will change I can't.Mainly do to life and who I am as a person...

I will say this I will try my best to do at least two non-review post a week. And two review posts a month.I'd like to try and blog more because it is something I genuinely like to do.I love talking to authors over twitter,checking out other book blogs,receiving request to review books and so much more...

I try not to post personal thing on this blog but i feel like I need to share somethings.I started this blog after realizing that the fist blog I started wasn't something I truly cared about or felt comfortable with....my first blog was personal it was where i shared badly written poems when i was fresh out of high school*Cringes in embarrassment* After that i vowed no more personal blogs.It didn't talk me long to decide that a book blog was what i wanted to do.I like books,I like writing and talking about books and a book blog could help me connect with other bookish people so why not.So with all that being said the moral of the story is that even if at time i fade away and don't post anything for a while i haven't given up i'm just busy at the moment.

When those Good Girls Go Bad

Everyday loves a tattooed  bad boy all brooding,edgy,and mysterious but what about the bad girls.The girls that bite back and aren't afraid to not pull any punches There are so many freakin  books that  have the stereotypical bad boy that are  universally accepted.

 I want books with a bad girl whose not ashamed of it.In my search for books centered around the bad girl I came up short. A lot of the girls in the books with the so called bad girl that i found are labeled bad girls mainly because the promiscuous/date around.I decided not to include those books.

Title:Dare You To(Pushing The Limits 2)
Author: Katie McGarry

Ryan lowers his lips to my ear. "Dance with me, Beth."

"No." I whisper the reply. I hate him and I hate myself for wanting him to touch me again....

"I dare you..."

If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk's home life, they'd send her mother to jail and seventeen-year-old Beth who knows where. So she protects her mom at all costs. Until the day her uncle swoops in and forces Beth to choose between her mom's freedom and her own happiness. That's how Beth finds herself living with an aunt who doesn't want her and going to a school that doesn't understand her. At all. Except for the one guy who shouldn't get her, but does....

Ryan Stone is the town golden boy, a popular baseball star jock-with secrets he can't tell anyone. Not even the friends he shares everything with, including the constant dares to do crazy things. The craziest? Asking out the Skater girl who couldn't be less interested in him.

But what begins as a dare becomes an intense attraction neither Ryan nor Beth expected. Suddenly, the boy with the flawless image risks his dreams-and his life-for the girl he loves, and the girl who won't let anyone get too close is daring herself to want it all....

Title: Going To Far
Author Jennifer Echols 
HOW FAR WOULD YOU GO? 

All Meg has ever wanted is to get away. Away from high school. Away from her backwater town. Away from her parents who seem determined to keep her imprisoned in their dead-end lives. But one crazy evening involving a dare and forbidden railroad tracks, she goes way too far...and almost doesn't make it back. 


John made a choice to stay. To enforce the rules. To serve and protect. He has nothing but contempt for what he sees as childish rebellion, and he wants to teach Meg a lesson she won't soon forget. But Meg pushes him to the limit by questioning everything he learned at the police academy. And when he pushes back, demanding to know why she won't be tied down, they will drive each other to the edge -- and over...

Title: Geek Girl
Author:Cindy C Bennet

"Think I can turn that boy bad?" 17-year-old Jen turns her life upside down when, out of boredom, she makes a bet that she can turn school geek Trevor into someone like her.

Instead, the goth girl finds herself sucked into his world of sci-fi movies, charity work, and even -ugh!- bowling. To truly belong with him -and with her new foster family- she must first come to terms with her violent past.








Title;Be My Downfall
Author: Lyla Payne
Toby Wright has always prided himself on being one of the most normal guys at Whitman University. He loves his parents, has a great job lined up after graduation, and with the exception of attempting to cross the unbalanced Sebastian Blair sophomore year, has kept his nose pretty clean.

But the rich never have empty closets, and memories long stashed away come spilling free when notorious party girl Kennedy Gilbert almost dies in his dorm room.

Nobody really knows how Kennedy manages to stay in good standing at Whitman–she never goes to class, doesn’t pretend to care about her future, and as far as people can tell, is never sober. This isn’t her first meeting with a stomach pump, but it is the first time she’s woken up to Toby’s concerned brown eyes. Despite the fact that she prefers life without friends, he gets under her skin with his insistence on playing her guardian angel.

No one knows better than Toby that people can only be saved if they want to be, but the realization that she has no one else draws him back into the shadows of Kennedy’s life–and eventually into her bed. But she long ago came to terms with a truth that Toby refuses to accept: she doesn’t want to be rescued, she only wants to forget.

Unwilling to give up on her, Toby’s dragged under by this broken girl and her dark, twisted Whitman University he never guessed existed. If he struggles to the surface, he’ll abandon someone he loves for the second time in his life. If he doesn’t, it won’t be long until they both drown.

What's Your Label??

I have just recently seen the tailor for the movie The DUFF and it got me thinking about the book equivalent of the movie  by Kody Keplinger,as well as my own melodramatic high school experiences with labels. If your reading this and have no idea what a DUFF is that is A-Ok it's a term Kody K made up it simply means "Designated Ugly Fat Friend" basically the duff is that not so pretty  friend that makes the other girls/woman or men of the group appear more attractive.A pretty  rude term to describe someone right? If you think about it  though is it any different than any of the other labels people use?Jock.Nerd.Geek. Emo.Prep.Hipster.Gamer.Punk

 Each of those words are used to label some one to put a multifaceted person in a box based on one descriptor.If you like sports Bam you are a jock.If you dress in all black Boom you're Goth.
Labels are every where even after High School what i think is important is that people young and old rember that you're more than one thing.Also you're not a can of soup people don't come with predetermined words on there forehead.


What I liked about Kody Keplingers novel is that she wrote about how you're more than what someone labels you or what you label yourself.The main character of her novel realizes that so what if she is the supposed DUFF and every one feels like the Duff at some point of their life it's all about moving forward and embrace your labels or moving pass them because at the end of the day they are just words.

Brief Rant

So this may or may not be a pointless post but i decided to do it any way.After reading Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver i become a fan of the author so i was super excited when she came out with Delirium The last book  Requiem of the Delirium trilogy is coming out in March and guess what i won an ARC of it from HarperTeen because of the #DeliriaSlogan contest on twitter.

 So it may seem like i'm bragging but i never win any thing this is the second time i ever won anything awesome(Last time it was Warped Tour Tickets) so that pretty much why i made this post.Like i wrote this post is pretty much pointless.So if any one is  actually reading this(Or is actually reading my Blog) then thanks your awesome!!!! So now that I'm done ranting enjoy the video and song End of the Road by Mgk featuring Mat Musto My favorite song at the moment...
 XOXO Melissa.

 

Comment with something awesome that you recently won or the name of you 

favorite song at the moment.