Austin Teen Book Festival 2011

The Austin Teen Book Festival is a free event connecting teens (and other book lovers) with authors of teen books. Authors will be participating in panels discussing "themed topics" (themes pertaining to their books) as well as signing books and meeting their readers. Books will of course be on sale as well as concessions and souvenirs of sorts.

In Honor of Banned Book Week (September 24th - October 1st)

"Banned Books Week (BBW) is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment. Held during the last week of September, Banned Books Week highlights the benefits of free and open access to information while drawing attention to the harms of censorship by spotlighting actual or attempted bannings of books across the United States." -- ALA website: Banned Books Week

*steps on soap-box* Whatever side you take on the Banned Book Debt,  it still has an effect on every single one of us. I believe that everyone has the right to choose what they want to read (or watch or listen to or believe in). If they are children or teens, then it should between themselves and their parents. If they are adults, then they should be allowed the choice. If you don't like something, then don't read it. There are several banned or challenged or regular books that I have no interest in reading or didn't like when I did read them. They just aren't "my cup of tea". But my opinion should not prevent others from reading it and making their own choice about it. Of course, I do think that content vs. age appropriatness should be highly considered when choosing what books to teach in schools. Something that is "right" for the average ninth grader is different from your average third grader...and even every "average" ninth grader is different from another. But some kids mature faster than others, so every case should be treated as an individual. *steps down* Alrighty then, "serious" May-Day is done for the day...

"Meet Me Monday" Blog Hop

I don’t normally post on Mondays, but I decided to participate in Rachel Firasek’s first MMM Blog Hop today. On this hop, bloggers will share a little about themselves that their readers/followers might not know about them, and then the readers/followers can share a little about themselves in the comments (if they want). The point is to have fun and learn new things about each other!

Below I have a list of links to all the blogs involved. Go check out as many as you can!

First off, check out my “About Me” page to find out some basic info about me (if you haven’t already). If you want to learn some things that might not come up in my posts or bio page, read on…

Beware the Wolves: Book Review of Sisters Red

Last post I mentioned the trend of fairy-tales and mythology popping up in books recently, and how many of them are ending up on my to-read list. Well, one of these fairy-tale "revisions" is Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce (whom I also blogged about several posts back). 

I heard about this book because other blogger mentioned Jackson's newest book, Sweetly (a companion book set in the same "fairy-tale" world). I looked up both books on goodreads and instantly fell in love with their covers and concepts. Soon after, Sweetly released and I bought both books on Amazon. (I even got signed book plates for each book from Jackson through a "special contest" she was running the first week of her new release.) And I wasn't disappointed in my purchase!

Mermaids & Gorgons

Earlier this month I won a copy of Karen Amanda Hooper's debut book, Tangled Tides. I was thrilled! (Check out the awesome cover art! And yes, it's about mermaids, selkies, and other fantastical sea-creatures.) I've been a follower of her blog for a while now, even before her book deal. So when she had her first giveaway of her beloved book, I jumped at the chance to enter...and I won! *squee*

Of course, the book was originally scheduled to be released sometime next year, so it'd be a while before I would get it. But Karen recently found out from her awesome publishers (Rhemalda Publishing) that Tangled Tides will be releasing later this year. *double squee* I couldn't be more happy for her (and for myself since I'll be getting my copy sooner than I thought). If you would like a chance to win her sea-creature fantasy novel, check out the international giveaway at GoodReads or click on the widget to your left in my sidebar.

Monarch Blog Tour (Review & Giveaway!)

***Giveaway Now Closed***

Welcome to my stop on the Monarch blog tour! First off, I'd like to say "Happy Launch Day" to Michelle Davidson Argyle, the author of Monarch. Her second novel and debut book from Rhemalda Publishing released today, September 15 2011. 

When Michelle asked for potential reviewers and participants for this tour on her blog, I immediately threw my name into the pile. And I'm glad I did because Monarch is a gritty, detailed, emotional-fueled page-turner! Continue reading to check out the official synopsis, book trailer, my personal thoughts, and a chance to win your own copy from the publisher.

Mushy Confession...you've been warned!

<.< >.> I have a confession to make...I once read a book in order to talk to a boy. *grasp* *horror* *shock* Okay, so maybe not. Maybe this happens more often than I realize, but as a teenage girl who thought of boys as either good friends or a nuisance, it was a huge deal to me at the time. Perhaps I should explain a little back-story first. (And yes, this post has relevance to today specifically.)


I have always loved fantasy books. It stems from my love of fairy tales as a small child, which then lead to a love of mythology and all things fantasy. When I was younger, one of my favorite book series as "The Chronicles of Narnia" by C.S. Lewis. (They still are a favorite of mine.) My dad had older copies from when he was younger that I use to read all the time. Then one day he showed me a copy of "The Hobbit" by J.R.R. Tolkien and told me I should read it. I tried...but I never finished it despite watching the old animated version whenever it came on TV. (It's vastly different from the book version, but at the time I didn't realize so I thought I knew what happened in the book.) Flash forward to my sophomore year of high school when my nerdy theatre teacher decided to perform a play adaption of "The Hobbit" (which was also vastly different from the book as I later found out).

Random Acts of Publicity Strikes Again

*I was supposed to post this Saturday evening, but unfortunately I was distracted by the TV. *cough* DOCTOR WHO *cough* I apologize for my lateness.*

Welcome to my third and final installment of Random Acts of Publicity week. (Again, click here for R.A.P FAQs and click for Tuesday's or Thursday's installments.) For this post, I'm going to focus on a few authors I've recently had the pleasure of meeting in person, as well as my top 3 reads of 2011.

More Random Acts of Publicity

*Update: Still forgive my formatting issues! My tech-guy fiancee took a look, but he can't figure out what's wrong with the font or spacing issues either! Grrr, Blogger! DX*


This is my second installment of Random Acts of Publicity week. (If you missed my last post, click here to read about some awesome authors and click here to find out more about R.A.P.) Today I will share some more authors and their books that I have discovered here on the blog-o-sphere. (And come back Saturday for my post about authors I have met in person!)

You can find many things on the internet these days, including fantastic books you have never read. Then after finding said books, you can find their authors' websites and twitter accounts as well. And while you don't need to know the author and learn anything about the author to enjoy a book, I have found that it's often entertaining and allows me to enjoy the book even more.

Random Acts of Publicity

It's Random Acts of Publicity week! And what is R.A.P. you ask?

The 3rd Annual Random Acts of Publicity, September 6-9, is a week to celebrate your friend’s book, or your favorite book, by doing a Random Act of Publicity: Blog, Link, Like, Review, or Talk about the book . (BLLuRT it Out!) Click here for FAQs. 

So today I'm going to share with you some of my blogger friends who have books coming out soon: