New Year Asplosive Giveaway

This giveaway is over.

Tomorrow, a new year begins.
Tomorrow, I start working on following my resolutions to the best of my ability.
Tomorrow, many people try to change their life, using the new year as a starter.

Today, I offer you a fantastic giveaway to kick start your new year so many hours earlier.

That's right! I'm kicking off the new year with a famazing awesome asplosive giveaway!



[1] Breaking Dawn (hardcover)
[1] boxed set of Twilight, New Moon and Eclipse
[1] OCD button (Obsessive Cullen Disorder)



[1] Edward Cullen bookmark
[1] page of tattoos
[1] page of stickers
[4] assorted buttons


What can you do to win this Twilight stack? It's really simple. Just comment with your email and your favorite book of '09! Don't worry - it's not just for Twilighters. Twihaters can use it, too. Book burnings, ripping pages - once you win, it's yours.

Sorry, international friends - this is for US and Canada only.

Want a better shot at winning? Just add your extra entries to your comment!

[+2] Follow this blog. Past or new followers.
[+2] Tweet this and link to the tweet.
[+5] Relink and tell me where.
[+1] For every (meaningful) post on the discussion boards on the Facebook page.
[+1] Link to WORD and tell me where.



Happy New Year, y'all!

Best Books

To read the contenders list, click here.

Winner For Favorite Book of '09
Not including sequels.
First Place: Same Difference by Siobhan Vivian

Runners Up:
Shiver by Maggie Steifvater
Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
Fat Cat by Robin Brande

Winner For Favorite "Brain Candy" Book of '09
First Place: Shiver by Maggie Steifvater

Runners Up:
Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev
Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George

Winner For Favorite Thought Provoking Book of '09
First Place: Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

Runner Up: Love You Hate You Miss You by Elizabeth Scott

Winner For Favorite Book To Buy of '09
Not including books sequels.
First Place: Shiver by Maggie Steifvater

Runners Up:
Fat Cat by Robin
Brande
Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

Winner For Favorite Sequel of '09
First Place: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Runners Up:
Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead
Rapture of the Deep by L.A. Meyer


Congratulations, winners. ^-^

Come back tomorrow for my special giveaway post!

Pride & Prejudice & Zombies

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
Author: Jane Austen & Seth Grahame-Smith
Series: ---
Publisher: Quirk Publishing
How Received: library

[courtesy of Barnes and Noble's website]
As our story opens, a mysterious plague has fallen upon the quiet English village of Meryton — and the dead are returning to life! Feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennet is determined to wipe out the zombie menace, but she’s soon distracted by the arrival of the haughty and arrogant Mr. Darcy. What ensues is a delightful comedy of manners with plenty of civilized sparring between the two young lovers — and even more violent sparring on the blood-soaked battlefield. Can Elizabeth vanquish the spawn of Satan? And overcome the social prejudices of the class-conscious landed gentry?

I'll admit - just like the original Pride and Prejudice, I didn't get through the entire book. This time, however, it was because of a lack-of-time, not from a lack of interest.

This book is /funny/. It's well written and original (yes, original) and just so, so much fun to read.

I wish I had had a chance to finish it!

Go read it. Do it. Now.

~ Nicole

The Life And Times Of Blogger Nicki

I hope everybody had a fantastic holiday season! (In case you're following my other blog or my deviantArt, I posted this there, as well. May be why it seems so familiar to some of you, eh?)

What gifts did y'all receive? Some of my highlights were a Kodak camera and digital frame (expect some vlogs coming soon!), Scott Westerfeld's Uglies series (which I've wanted to buy for a very long time, yay!), and some gorgeous new t-shirts.

Oh, and a Matthew Morrison personalized autograph. ;] My mother = magical.

It's been an interesting past week. I haven't had much chance to read lately - as you can tell by my lack of reviews. I had school up until Christmas Eve, and then I was running around like a goon, buying last minute presents, seeing famazing movies like Avatar and Sherlock Holmes, dealing with my exboyfriend and his relationship with one of my best friends (long story! but it's all good.), and preparing for the family visit on Sunday.

My favorite books of '09 will be announced at the end of the week. What would you choose as your favorite book of the year?

And prepare for my New Year's Day post. Not only will New Year's Eve start with a very sparkling, fanged giveaway, but New Year's Day will list all my resolutions for the upcoming year - the easy, the difficult, the profound, and the silly.

And so that's an update from the life of Nicki.

How's your life going?

Sherlock Holmes

I caught the new Sherlock Holmes movie on Christmas.

I knew that RDJ was playing a different Holmes - one a bit rougher around the edges, a fighter, a romantic. I wasn't sure how it would work. I had friends who refused to see it because they're so attached to the original Holmes.

I'm not so attached.

And I ADORED it.

For all you Holmes fans (and even those of you who just like a good mystery!) I'd go see it. It has it's flaws, as does every movie, but it's overall a fantastic and fun film. (And hey. RDJ and Jude Law. Ow-ow!)

A Very Merry Friday - R.J. Anderson

May your Christmas be filled with joy, happiness, and a lack of zombie attacks.

On this glorious day, we have a very special visitor to cap off this month's list of authors. R.J. Anderson, author of the Faery Rebels series, has generously agreed to stop by today to chat about books, woodchucks, and the upcoming year.

You can order R.J.'s books online by going to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Borders.

N: The world is relying on your ability to choose a favorite author or book. With the fate of the world on your shoulders - what do you select?

I'm going to assume you mean a favorite author or book for teens specifically, in which case I'll have to say Megan Whalen Turner -- her Thief of Eddis books are brilliant.

N: How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck was a faery?

Depends on whether the woodchuck-faery can chuck the wood without getting eaten by a crow first...

N: What's been your favorite scene in all of the books you've written?

My favorite scene so far is in REBEL a.k.a. WAYFARER, but I can't talk about that yet without spoiling the book! So I'll have to say the part in KNIFE a.k.a. SPELL HUNTER where Knife peeks through Paul's window and sees him lifting weights, and realizes hey, I'm attracted to this guy, what's up with that?

N: Who would you cast to play you in a movie about yourself? Your love interest?

Me! I love acting. I doubt I could convince my husband to play along, however...

N: What's the best part about having a blog? The worst?

Best: Hearing from new people and having fascinating conversations with them in the comments. Worst: Trying to think of interesting topics to write about!

N: If you could have one faery quality, what would it be?

Faeries are much stronger than humans for their size. I'd think that would be pretty handy! Although being able to fly would be fantastic too...

N: I vote for flying. Why did you choose to write under "R.J." rather than Rebecca?

I grew up reading C.S. Lewis, E. Nesbit, J.R.R. Tolkien and G.K. Chesterton, so using my initials just seemed like the writerly thing to do.

N: I'd have to agree. Who wouldn't want to be J.K. Rowling? What are you looking forward to this New Year?

Starting to write my third faery book, ARROW, which is scheduled for UK release in January 2011. I can't wait to find out what my characters have been up to -- and how they're going to get out of the trouble I've put them in!


Thanks for stopping by, R.J.!

May everybody find what they want under their tree today - and for those of you who don't celebrate it, may you have a fantasmagorical day otherwise.

~ Nicole

300 Followers & Facebook

Omigod! I made it to three hundred followers!

I suppose I must fill January up with oodles and oodles of awesome contests!

On another note.

I realized I never fully announced that yes - WORD for Teens DOES have a Facebook page! Not only does joining the fan page give you a chance at extra entries in giveaways, but participating in the discussion boards gives you major brownie points.

We've currently got three discussions going on - Author Recommendations (which comes with it's own photo folder); Book Recommendations (which comes with it's own photo folder); and Twilight? - obviously, a place to debate about Twilight.

I've also got another photo folder - Nicole's Must Read Books - that has, as is rather self explanatory, all of my favorite books. There's also a whole page of important links, like interviews and contests and what have you.

I mean, who wouldn't want to check it out?

Is it me...

... or does Sweeney Todd have a lot of versions?

- books
-- Sweeney Todd: The Real Story of the Demon Barber of Fleet Street by Peter Haining
-- Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street by Robert Mack
-- Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street by Mark Salisbury
- play
- musical
- movie

For those of you who know it, which is your favorite? I love the movie myself.

Avatar

I saw Avatar last night.

For all you fantasy/sci-fi/good plotline/good characterization people out there: GO SEE IT.

It's freaking fantastic.
Consider me a nicely converted little fangirl.

I could talk about it more, but go see it for yourself. You'll understand.

Friday - Jessica Burkhart

It's going to be an excellent Friday. We have the weekend to look forward to. Avatar comes out today.

And, best news of all, Jessica Burkhart has stopped by as our next Holiday Friday author!

Jessica Burkhart is the author of the Canterwood Crest series. She's only twenty years old and she's already managed to publish eight excellent novels, all of which have been picked up for a made-for-TV movie. She also has an excellent blog that she updates on a regular basis.

N: Welcome, Jessica! What's been your favorite part about writing the Canterwood Crest series?

J: Working with my editor, Kate Angelella. Every time we get together to brainstorm, it always involves one or all of the following: large amounts of caffeine, mani/pedis, crazy-laughter and sparkles. She's incredibly talented and I'm lucky to have her on my side through every step of the process.

N: Mani/pedis rock. Let's go out on some wild limb here and assume you like horses. ;] If you could pick any horse to ride - breed, or color, or specific horse - what would you pick? (I'd choose The Black Stallion, myself - pure black Arabian love.)

J: Ohhh, I love the Black Stallion, too. I'd have to go with Secretariat. I'd love to ride him on a track and just let him go. Can you imagine the speed? What a rush!

N: On the topic of horses - which of the Canterwood horses is your favorite?

J: I've got to go with the main horse--Charm. He's got a personality all of his own and he's like a character in the books.

N: What was it like, going through your entire ordeal with scoliosis?

J: Honestly, it was painful both physically and mentally. I had to stop riding at thirteen and lost what I thought was going to be my career for the rest of my life. At that age, it was devastating. Now, though, I think it was actually one of the best things that's happened to me because it got me to the place I am right now, which is really, truly happy writing and living life.

N: What do your fans have to look forward to in the future? Do you plan on writing other things besides Canterwood?

J: I do plan to write more tween and to venture into YA. For the Canterwood fans, the series has been optioned for a made-for-TV movie, so fingers crossed that a network picks it up. I'd love to see it on screen. :)

N: Ooo-ooo-ooo! Can't wait to see that. I know it's difficult, but if you had to pick a favorite author, who would you choose?

J: This is an adult author, but Jeannette Walls who wrote The Glass Castle is my favorite.

N: QUICK. Leprechauns have taken over the world, and the only way to save humanity is to... write a limerick.

J: Oh, man! I'm going to be lame and claim my brain is fried from just turning in a book (which it is!) and forgo writing. Perhaps I'll write that limerick into my next book. ;)

N: La-ame. Nah, I get it. (However, if I see a limerick on leprechauns taking over the world in the next book... I think I'll die laughing.) Now, we're all dying to know - what presents do you want for this holiday season?

J: I really want to spend time with my friends. Everyone's crazy-busy and some one-on-one time watching reality TV, movies or just chilling sounds so perfect.


Thanks for stopping by, Jess! Looking for a last minute stocking stuffer? You can order her books online or pick them up/request them at your local book store.

~ Nicole

Cover Look Alikes

Ya see it?

If I Stay

If I Stay
Author: Gayle Forman
Series: ---
Publisher: Penguin Group
How Received: library

A few minutes ago, her biggest decision was what to wear to her boyfriend's concert.

Now Mia watches as her body is slid into the ambulance. She has no recollection of the accident. All she can do is watch and wait as her body is flown off to a hospital; as they slide tubes into her body to keep her lungs inflated; as her friends and family rush around her, telling her to stay alive; as she finds out her mother and brother and father are long gone.

Now her biggest decision is to live or let go.

Was it good? Definitely.
Something particularly special? Not really.

Forman's use of flashbacks in this particular novel are excellently twirled into the story and gave it all more of a feel of being real. The characters were well developed and the story line interesting.

As a person with friends obsessed with music, I particularly loved the bits about the cello.

Overall Rating & Final Comments: 9/10. Though it was good, it wasn't anything spectacular - undoubtedly well written and worth reading, but not worth buying.

Short review for a short book.

~ Nicole

Eek.

I hate this cover. I'm sorry. But I do.

The picture itself isn't a bad picture; I'm certain it serves the purpose of the novel. But it's that big chunk in the center.

The text box.

It's icky.

It makes it look as if the cover was thrown together last minute; nothing's catchy. It's just... urgh.

[/rant]

You Know You Work At A Library When...

You know you work at a library when...
You can't find books because they're not in alphabetical order.
You speak Dewey Decimal System: books on history are referred to as 900s, etc.
You spy books pushed to the back of the shelf and have to pull them back out.
Your friends ask you to pick up their holds.
You have over sixty books checked out because, as an employee, you don't get fined.
If you see a book out of place, you have to put it back. Even if you're in a classroom.
Barnes and Noble and Borders annoy you because they're not organized like the library.
The highlight of your day comes from successfully shelf reading...
... anything.
Your teachers ask you to organize things because they know how good you are at it.
The teachers and school librarian ask you questions on libraries and organization.
Books that don't fit properly on a shelf annoy you.
You freak out when you see books stacked on top of other books.
Fines aren't fines. They're library donations.
Little old ladies who love romance novels make your day.



... Oh, library.

Reason #1 I Will Go Broke

Barnes and Noble.

I swear, that store is like a drug. I go in and I just need one thing... and maybe one more... and that looks so nice...

Thankfully, I have a job and a cellphone for pictures so I can put on hold what I don't REALLY want to buy.

What did I buy?
Well, three Christmas presents that I can't post here. (Shh.)
And...

This famazingly gorgeous journal.
I saw it and could not resist picking it up. I mean, look at how pretty it is! They also have a blue journal with a white wing that's just as gorgeous.

Wicked by Gregory Maguire.
Anybody whose anybody knows how much I love this book and how much I love the Broadway musical. I had the money, so I finally picked it up. (Notice that it's not the cover based on the musical or the horrid cover that Borders offered. I wanted the original cover.)

"An astonishingly rich re-creation of the land of Oz, this book retells the story of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, who wasn't so wicked after all. Taking readers past the yellow brick road and into a phantasmagoric world rich with imagination and allegory, Wicked just might change the reputation of one of the most sinister characters in literature."

and Grania by Morgan Llywelyn.
What's lesser known, but as equally important as my love of Wicked the Musical, is my love of The Pirate Queen, which had a very short run on Broadway. The music was amazing, as was the cast. I never got a chance to see it live, though.
When I saw that it was based off of this book, I squealed and decided to purchase it in about a half of second. (Ironically, it was right under the Sweeney Todd book. Broadway musical books much?) I normally don't like Morgan Llywelyn's writing, but for this plot, who cares!?

Grania (Gaelic for Grace) is no ordinary female. And she lives in extraordinary times. For even as Grania rises as her clan's unofficial head and breadwinner and learns to love a man, she enters a lifelong struggle against the English forces of Queen Elizabeth -- her nemesis and alter ego.

Elizabeth intends to destroy Grania's piracy and shipping empire--and so subjugate Ireland once and for all. But Grania, aided by Tiernan, her faithful (and secretly adoring) lieutenant, has no choice but to fight back. The story of her life is the story of Ireland's fight for solidarity and survival--but it's also the story of Grania's growing ability to love and be strong at the same time.

Then, of course, there's what I want to buy. (Or just read. I'd be happy with just reading them.) Click to read summaries.
(Warning: I seem to be on some sort of historical fiction kick.)

WANT.

Friday - Alyson Noel

We've all seen her books. They've been on the New York Times bestsellers list. They seem to be in every library known to man. I've even seen advertisements for them in magazines.

And now I'm proud to introduce the one. the only.

Alyson Noel, everybody!

She's the author of The Immortals series, Fly Me To The Moon and some other books. She runs a blog and - let's face it. She's just generally awesome.

N: Welcome, welcome, my dear Alyson! Let's start simple - which, of all the books you've written so far, has been your favorite?
A: My favorite book is always the one I'm currently working on--I just love the process of writing and creating! But looking back on all of my books, I'd probably say EVERMORE because even though it was born out of a time of grief, I was able to take those emotions and turn it into something positive.

N: Writing is a good therapy, I think. How does it feel, having /fans/?!
A: Amazingly surreal! I feel so lucky to have such nice, generous, wonderful readers and I'm incredibly grateful for them!

N: Aw. We feel loved! So you've lived in a gazillion different places. Okay, three. Do you prefer the OC, Greece, or Manhattan?
A: Hmmm, tough choice since they all have something wonderful to offer. But if pressed, I'd probably pick the OC because if offers some beautiful beaches like Greece, and good restaurants and shopping like Manhattan!

N: What's your favorite song on your Evermore playlist?
A: FADE INTO YOU--there's just something so dreamy about it!

N: On your site, you have the instructions for how to read auras. What color is your aura?
A: I've never seen my own aura, but I imagine it to be blue!

N: It would suit you. Now, on your site, you say, "If I could go back in time I would travel to Renaissance Florence—but only if I could bring my modern day grooming habits with me!" What would be your ideal outfit to wear from that time era? (And I, too, would go back in time to there in a second.)
A: Oh, such a good question! Well, I'd want to be dressed in the finery of the day, which I imagine to be a beautiful, square necked gown, with a tight bodice, flowing skirt, and sleeves trimmed with lace and jewels!

N: I adore bodices, though I'm a corset girl myself. (I'd be a bit off on the time period if I wore that, though!) On the mention of outfits, every girl needs good arm candy. Who's your dream guy? Besides your husband, of course. *cough*
A: Well, it's actually a tie between Richard Branson (owner of the Virgin companies) and Bono of U2 fame. They're both rebels, trailblazers, big dreamers, and they do some amazing philanthropic work to help others. Oh, and I happen to think they're both pretty cute too!

N: Every girl loves a good rebel. Now, most importantly... what present do you want the most this holiday season?
A: Same thing I ask for every holiday season--not to be cliche, but if someone could ever, finally, deliver World Peace, I'd be a happy camper! But aside from that, my husband and I have agreed to donate to Heifer International in each other's names. We get little gifts for each other all year long, so during the holidays, we like to pay it forward.


Thanks for stopping by, Alyson! It was lovely having you.
You can pick Alyson's books up at any online bookstore or at your local bookstore. They make great last minute presents!

Castration Celebration

Castration Celebration
Author: Jake Wizner
Series: ---
Publisher: Random House
How Received: library

I can't even properly summarize or review this without risking offending somebody. How do you give a review to a book that's likely to offend on one level or another? You can't...

... so I'll just straight to final comments.

Final Comments: LOVED it, and it's hysterical, but only read if you're not easily offended. Contains mucho sarcastic humor. Also don't read if you're a die hard Twilight fan.
Cover Comments: I love it, but at the same time, it just screams High School Musical. Irony.

Oh, CC... how I adore thee.

~Nicole

Rampant

Rampant
Author: Diana Peterfreund
Series: ---
Publisher: HarperCollins
How Received: school library

And then it got worse, because I spotted movement below. The unicorn was rising, shaking itself off and staring up at us. There was blood smeared along its white coat, but when it moved, it didn't look injured at all.

Since Astrid was little, her mother has always told her stories about unicorns. Man-eating beasts with razor sharp teeth who won't hesitate to kill you. Needless to say, the older she got, the more she scoffed.

That is, until her (ex)boyfriend gets run through by one.

Luckily, her mother has enough of the Remedy left to cure him, but by then it's too late. Her mother is ready to ship her off to Rome to learn how to train as a hunter. Oh, joy of joys...

It didn't live up to the reviews I read.

I mean, the concept of the novel was great! I loved the unicorns and adored the plotline.

The way it was written, however...

The scenes seemed squashed together: I need this this this that and that to happen, so let's make it happen. Rampant could easily have been stretched out into a trilogy, each part dissected more thoroughly and made into a much better read.

I didn't really get into the I-want-to-know-what-happens next mode until about page 240, where Astrid really begins to connect with her power. Even then, though, Astrid as a character isn't consistent throughout the entire novel. Her personality constantly shifts and her thought process changes - normal, yes, but not to the extent that it happens with Astrid. Her mother, too, is a huge problem. There seem to be three different versions of the character that Peterfreund toyed with, and she seems to have decided to use all of them at different points: the crazy-but-normal, the crazy-psychotic, and the crazy-depressed. They're all equally frustrating.

Parts of the plot were rather frustrating, too.
[SPOILER ALERT]
The Remedy was never revealed, even though it was, apparently, a HUGE part of the plot. Um. Hello?

Talking to the unicorns... through the mind. That would have been acceptable had it not been so sudden.

Where did the Simon (I think that was his name), the man that raped Astrid's cousin, go? Apparently, that's important, but never revealed either.

And learning how to hunt by sitting on a chair is rather anti-climatic.
[/SPOILER ALERT]

I do hope that there's a sequel; if there's not, I'll be rather disappointed.

Final Comments: Read it for the idea, because that was fantastic, but as a novel it was only so-so.
Cover Comments: Take a look at all the details on the sword. Loooooooooove it!

~ N

Favorite Book of '09

I'm sure you've been asking yourself, what will win for Nicole's favorite book?

You've probably been lying in bed, awake, unable to sleep because this is haunting you. So many choices. You've analyzed and calculated and you still can't figure out the system that Nicole uses to pick. It's just so difficult. It's driving you insane.

... or you don't think of it at all/are only mildly curious. There's that, too.

Contenders For Favorite Book of '09
Not including books I have yet to read or sequels.
The Summoning by Kelly Armstrong
Love You Hate You Miss You by Elizabeth Scott
Same Difference by Siobhan Vivian
Shiver by Maggie Steifvater
My Soul To Take by Rachel Vincent
Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev
Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
Fat Cat by Robin Brande

Contenders For Favorite "Brain Candy" Book of '09
Not including books I have yet to read.
Shiver by Maggie Steifvater
My Soul To Take by Rachel Vincent
Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev
Nobody's Princess by Esther Friesner
Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway
Oh. My. Gods. by Tera Lynn Childs
Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George

Contenders For Favorite Thought Provoking Book of '09
Not including books I have yet to read.
Love You Hate You Miss You by Elizabeth Scott
Same Difference by Siobhan Vivian
The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams
Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

Contenders For Favorite Book To Buy of '09
Not including books I have yet to read or sequels.
Same Difference by Siobhan Vivian
Shiver by Maggie Steifvater
Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev
Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George
Fat Cat by Robin
Brande
Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

Contenders For Favorite Sequel of '09
Not including books I have yet to read.
Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead
The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Blood Promise by Richelle Mead
Rapture of the Deep by L.A. Meyer

Fat Cat

Fat Cat
Author: Robin Brande
Series: ---
Publisher: Random House
How Received: library

The picture was worse than I thought.
Naked Neanderthals.

Cat is many things. She's funny. She's smart - one of the smartest in her class. She's a fantastic cook. She loves science (particularly bug related science.) But skinny she is not.

So when she gets assigned a picture of Naked Neanderthals and is told to ake a project out of it, she freaks out a bit - until she looks closely at the woman in the picture. Cat would kill to be her.

Or, perhaps, just make a kick ass science project.

I remember one of my authors mentioning this book as their favorite so far this year. I put it on my list.

I now know why they loved it so much.

Fat Cat was fan-freaking-tastic. The characters were amazingly well developed, the project interesting and informative without being in-your-face, the plot line well created...

The only fault was that the love plot line was awfully predictable. But that's okay, because I couldn't put it down - this novel rocks. It's made my Favorite Books of '09 list.

Go read it. DO IT.

That's all.

Overall Rating & Final Comments: 10/10. Go buy it or check it out of the library. Totally worth the money and the time.
Cover Comments: I didn't notice that it was squeezing a book until I looked closely. So clever; love it!

~ Nicole

Damn straight I'm gonna see it.

I'm so excited
And I just can't hide it!

Friday - Barry Lyga

Well, it's not a Final Friday... just Friday.

This month, for the holidays, every Friday I'll be hosting an interview with an author. And this week's author?

Yes. It IS Barry Lyga.

For those of you who don't know who Barry Lyga is (are you living in a cave?), you can check out his website here. He's the author of The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Gothgirl, Boy Toy, Hero Type, and several other novels. You can find him on Twitter here.

N: Welcome, Barry! Which of your characters has been the most interesting to work with, and what would happen if they were real?
B: Definitely Kyra (Goth Girl). She’s the character I’ve done the most with — she was a major character in my first book and she’s the main character in my new book, GOTH GIRL RISING. I really had to get myself into a different sort of head-space whenever I was dealing with her.

As to what would happen if she was real… Wow. I guess the world’s sarcasm and snark supplies would jump drastically. And she would probably be pretty pissed at me for showing the world the inside of her soul.

N: Perhaps she would right a book about what's in your soul to get revenge... Favorite comic book. Go.
B: You know, I get this one a lot when I’m on panels and such, and I always have to give this long explanation. But since this interview is being done online, I can just drop in a Wikipedia link! Yay! Prepare to have your eyeballs bleed and your brain explode: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legion_of_super-heroes.

And no, I wasn’t around in 1958 when it started! I started reading it around this time: [link]

N: Hey, comic references I actually understood! Now, what was it like at Yale?
B: I’m not sure how to answer that. It was college, you know? I don’t have any other college experiences to compare it to. I know that I was surrounded by some incredibly brilliant people, which was exhilarating and also humbling. I started a bunch of novels at Yale, but never finished them. I almost hate to say it, but it was fun. Sure, the work was difficult, but it was fun, too. I majored in English, so I got to do all sorts of geeky English major stuff, but I also took cool classes on fractal geometry and stuff like that.

N:... you implied something with math was cool. ... -shudder- I hate math.
N: Every time somebody in this universe Tweets, a baby chicken is born in an alternate universe. What would you do with all the extra chickens?
B: Free hot wings for EVERYONE!

N: Yum. What are some of your favorite books to read?
B: I like discovering new books and new writers, but I’m always up for giving the latest Stephen King novel a chance. His Dark Tower series is one of my favorite extended pieces of fiction ever. I like re-reading the book Jumper every now and again. They made a movie based on it a little while back, but the book is so much better that it’s ridiculous. Oh, and everyone should read Godless by Pete Hautmann, which is quite simply one of my favorite books ever.

N: I'll b e sure to add those to my list. You're working on a graphic novel. How different is that than writing a regular novel?
B: Well, the way I typically describe it is this way: With a novel, you’re writing a story. With a graphic novel, you’re writing TWO stories. The first story is one that you’re telling to the artist so that the artist can help you tell the SECOND story, which is the one the audience will read. With a novel, you only have your words. You have letters and words and paragraphs and that’s it. But with a graphic novel, the pictures carry most of the story. I’m a really wordy, long-winded writer, so with the graphic novel, I’m learning how to shut up and get out of the way and let the images communicate to the reader. It’s not easy, but I like the challenge.

N: I can't wait to see what you come up with! What is your favorite piece of writing advice?
B: Probably that every writer has a million bad words in him, and until you’ve written those million bad words, you won’t write anything that anyone will want to read. That’s basically permission to suck when you’re starting out. It translates to: Be patient. Keep writing. Don’t freak out. You’ll get there — it just takes a LONG time.

If anyone is interested, I have a series of blog entries on Writing Advice with all kinds of goodies: [link]

Now, most importantly... what present do you want for the holidays?
Ooh, what are you getting me??? :)

I sort of want a USB piano keyboard to connect to my Mac. That would be cool.








That sounds interesting! Thanks for stopping by, Barry!
You can order his books online or pick them up at your local bookstore.

The Chosen One

The Chosen One
Author: Carol Lynch Williams
Series: ---
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
How Received: library

"If I was going to kill the Prophet," I say, not keeping my voice low, "I'd do it in Africa."

Her mother is the third wife to her father; she's the oldest girl of all 21 of the children. Kyra is thirteen, and she has been Chosen to marry her sixty year old uncle.

When her whole family as it as stake, dare she rebel to live the life she wants?

Gregory Maguire said, "The Chosen One makes the heart race, the teeth grind, and the brow bead up in sweat." Now, I love Maguire, and the book was excellent, but I'm not so sure I would go that far. (Well. Maybe for the last few chapters.)

The novel itself was excellent. Though I've never lived in a polygamist colony and never plan to, I do hope it was a solid interpretation of one. I love Kyra's devotion to her family, but her overall devotion to herself and doing what she knew was right for her.

The only thing that bothered me was the occasional flashbacks to previous times. Overall, they worked fine, but there were one or two times where I wasn't sure if it was a flashback or the present.

Overall Rating & Final Comments: 9/10 - a quick, but deep, read.
Cover Comments: A rather well designed cover, if I do say so myself.

~ Nicole

Wintergirls

Wintergirls
Author: Laurie Halse Anderson
Series: ---
Publisher: Penguin Group
How Received: library

It's not nice when girls die.

"Lia and Cassie are best friends, wintergirls frozen in fragile bodies, competitors in a deadly contest to see who can be the thinnest. But then Cassie suffers the ultimate loss-her life-and Lia is left behind, haunted by her friend's memory and racked with guilt for not being able to help save her."

I kidnapped the B&N summary, because they did it better than I could.

Loved loved loved loved
loved loved loved loved
loved loved loved loved this book. (Possible contender for favorite book of 2009? We'll see.)

From the characters down to the writing style, Anderson delivers another flawless piece of literature. It's moving, it's quotable, it changes lives. I loved the plot, I loved the way she wrote it, I loved it all.

Favorite quotes?

Why? You want to know why?

Step into a tanning booth and fry yourself for two or three days. After your skin bubbles and peels off, roll in coarse salt, then pull on long underwear woven from spun glass and razor wire. Over that goes your regular clothes, as long as they are tight.

Smoke gunpowder and go to school to jump through hoops, sit up and beg, and roll over on command. Listen to the whispers that curl into your head at night, calling you ugly and fat and stupid and bitch and whore and worst of all "a disappointment." Puke and starve and cut and drink because you don't want to feel any of this. Puke and starve and cut and drink because you need an anesthetic and it works. For a while. But then the anesthetic turns into poison and by then it's too late because you are mainlining it now, straight into your soul. It is rotting you and you can't stop.

Look in a mirror and find a ghost. Hear every heartbeat, scream that everysinglething is wrong with you.

"Why?" is the wrong question.

"Why not?"

People see the log and call it a twig. They yell at me because I can't see what they see. Nobody can explain to me why my eyes work different than theirs. Nobody can make it stop.

The merry-go-round spins again. To get off this thing I think I have to scream. But I can't. My bone corset is laced so tight, I can barely breathe.

I am beginning to measure myself in strength, not pounds. Sometimes in smiles.

Overall Rating & Final Comments: 10/10, in a heartbeat. It's a beautiful, gut wrenching novel.

~ Nicole

Holiday Bonanza

I was quite tempted to make the title, "Holiday Bananas," but that wouldn't have made sense.

Anyway.

Guess what? It's DECEMBER! -le gasp- Where has the year gone? Just a little while ago, it was January. I interviewed Megan McCafferty in January. And this month-

Well, this month, it's interview crazy!

This Friday, Barry Lyga is stopping by! (Yes. THAT Barry Lyga.)
And we have Alyson Noel stopping by, too...
And two other authors to be announced soon.
Oh, and two giveaways. But those'll be announced later.

Meanwhile, I am composing a list of my favorite books from 2009. Who will win for best book? Best brain candy? Most likely to reread?

You'll find out soon.

While you wait eagerly for those giveaways, though, why don't you tell me what you're looking forward to for the holidays? I really want to know.