I Love Sarah Dessen Blog Tour

My First Sarah Dessen Book

Like many Sarah Dessen fans, I will always remember the first Sarah Dessen book that I ever read. It was Someone Like You and it was during the Summer of 2003. I’d just finished graduate school, I was looking for a full-time “grown-up” job, and wanted an entertaining book to take my mind off of the worries of that stress. There was a bookstore near the restaurant where I worked part-time and I grabbed up the book just about as soon as I saw it. It was the How to Deal movie bind-up which included Someone Like You and That Summer. I willingly admit that it was the upcoming movie and my love for Mandy Moore that pushed me to read it. :-)

I took the book in to work with me with the hopes of getting to read a few chapters throughout the night. I was a cashier at the restaurant and on slow nights, like that night, I could spend my time reading. Thank goodness we didn't have many customers, because once I started reading, I didn't want to stop. I loved Halley and Scarlett and their story. It touched my heart.

What I love most about Sarah’s books is that they are about so much more than romance. Sometimes it is an element of her stories, but it isn’t what motivates the characters. I love reading of the character growth as they navigate their way in the world. There is a lot of depth to her characters and their relationships and friendships.

While the movie was my initial motivation to read Someone Like You, I didn’t see How to Deal until it came out on DVD. I thought it was unusual to combine the elements of both books to make one movie. I've yet to read That Summer (hey, I can still be a Sarah fan with a few unread books on my shelves), but I want to so I can see how each book was made into the movie that I adore so much. How to Deal does have mixed reviews, but any Sarah Dessen fan (and Mandy Moore fan) needs to see it!

Sarah signing my copy of How to Deal!!

With Sarah Dessen at YALLFest 2014

Readers, Do you remember the first book by Sarah Dessen that you read? Tell me about it (in the comments below) and then enter for a chance to win another one of her books for your shelf.

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Countdown to #YALLFest2014: 8 weeks

YALLFest is coming!!! 

8 Weeks until AWESOME!

Details (from YALLFest.org)

YALLFest 2014

Who’s coming: 60 of the country’s top YA authors, including 25 New York Times bestsellers.

What: Panels, presentations and signings on three stages on Upper King Street, as well as the infamous YA Smackdown!

When: Fri., Nov. 7 and Sat., Nov. 8, 2014

Where: Blue Bicycle Books, the American Theatre, Charleston Music Hall, Upper King Street, Charleston, SC

Cost: FREE!

Every Saturday until YALLFest, I'll share why I'm looking forward to this event.

This week's topic:

Books I Want to Read Before YALLFest

Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

Panic by Lauren Oliver

This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith
Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige 
(not pictured, I'm picking up a copy today)

And
at least one Sarah Dessen book

I have all of Sarah's published books, but have ready only half of them. With all of the books I want to read and all of the review books I need to read, it's likely I'll only read from the picture above. 

Which one should I choose?

The Friday Five

1. Earlier this week I confessed that I am in a blogging rut. Something happened in making that claim that freed me and invigorated me. Who knew that it would be that simple? Part of the lull that I was experiencing had a lot to do with the fact that I wasn't sharing that much about myself in my blog posts. I need more of me on my blog. While I will continue to share mostly books at Actin' Up with Books because this is a YA book blog, I plan to share more about myself too.

2. I have read some pretty incredible contemporary books lately. Most recently was Amy Reed's Crazy which I reviewed yesterday. You can read the review here if you are interested. For reasons that I didn't reveal in my review, the book spoke to me on so many levels. It helped bring some clarity and perspective to incidents in my life that I didn't fully understand. I love it when a book and give you something that you needed that you didn't even know that you were looking for. Crazy did that for me. I'd love for more people to read this book so I wanted to share that Amy Reed is currently hosting a giveaway for three copies of Crazy. You can check out the details and enter her giveaway at

http://amyreedfiction.com/2012/06/12/a-personal-message-about-crazy-and-a-book-giveaway/

  

3. I need to properly thank Ginger of GReads! for introducing me to one of her favorite bands (in not her favorite), SafetySuit. It all started with a tweet of a song she was listening to. Then there was a blog post, and then another tweet and then I started paying attention. I'm constantly in my Maroon 5 music haze (more about that here) but SafetySuit has really caught my attention and it really is all that I've listened to for the past 3 months. I couldn't even tell you what other music is popular right now. Songs of the summer? I couldn't sing along to a single one.  

Back in April I went to see them in concert with one of my best girlfriends, Lisa. It was such an amazing time and a ton of fun.  We even meet the band!! It was one of the best live performances that I have ever seen.

We told them that Ginger sent us and Tate was like "GReadsBooks, yeah she's great."  I love that they knew who I was talking about (I was tweeting her throughout the concert) and that I found about them because of this blogging community. Thank you Ginger!!

4. I've started to make plans for attending YALLFest this November. I'm checking out the hotels now and am saving all my pennies (and nickels and dimes and quarters). I've been to several author signing but nothing of this magnitude. I'm excited about meeting some of my favorite authors and attending the various panels and meet up with some lovely bloggers!

5. I finished the City of Bones audiobook earlier this week and it wasn't entirely what I expected. Did anyone else think that music was involved in The Mortal Instruments in some way or another? I guess I didn't read the synopsis before starting the book. I am a dork. That is all.

The Friday Five is inspired by Sarah Dessen's blog posts The Friday Five, aka The Five. Her blog on LiveJournal was the first blog that I ever followed. You can can now visit her posts at sarahdessen.com.

About Me: Starting Actin' Up with books

After almost five months of blogging, I still don't have an About Me section. I think it is about time I let you know a bit more about the gal behind the blog. To lessen the embarrassment level of talking about myself, I'm including my response to a series feature I participated in at Page by Page a few months ago. I shared about my blog, my favorite books and authors.  

Why did you start your blog in the first place? What is one of the biggest things that has happened to you since you started it?

For years I had read blogs by Sarah Dessen, Megan McCafferty and Sara Zarr because I am such a huge fan of their books. I hadn't really considered starting a blog myself because I am not a published writer and thought that I should be because honestly, who would want to read what I have to say. One day I read an author's post, not sure which one, commenting how their book was featured on a reviewer's blog. I'm pretty sure it was The Compulsive Reader, (maybe Persnickety Snark). And it was from there, that I was introduced to this huge blogging community. I was in heaven. Honestly, I had no idea there was such a great community for sharing a love for books, especially for adult readers of young adult books. It took me a while to convince myself to start the blog because I wondered if I really do have something to say and would anyone want to read about it. I mean in person, I can go on for on for hours talking (to anyone who will listen) about why I love a book and why they should read it. But can I convey it in a blog that will be interesting? Finally, I kicked my self-doubt to the curb, and just decided to have some fun with it because that really is what it should be about. So, to make this very long story short, I started my blog to have a place to share my love (obsession) of books and introduce some of my favorite books to readers of my blog. I also wanted to have a place to openly discuss books with readers with similar interests. I'm still trying to find my voice as a blogger (I'm sure I've found it), but I am having a lot of fun with it.

One big thing that has happened to me since I have started this blog is some amazing writers have agreed to participate in an upcoming feature on my blog. I don't want to give too much away as it is still in the works, but it will include author interviews, book reviews and some giveaways. I'm so excited! I have since interviewed PUSH authors Brian James, Siobhan Vivian, and Samantha Schutz. You can find my interviews on the Interview page of the blog. I have also reviewed Same Difference by Siobhan Vivian and featured Perfect World by Brian James.

The Friday Five (5)

The Friday Five is inspired by Sarah Dessen's blog on LiveJournal. I've been following this blog the longest and love how she recaps her week with the Friday Five, now called The Five.

Here, I recap my week with connections to books I am reading, have read, want to read and other random musings.

1. My To Be Read List is becoming never ending. I know right now I have a minimum list of at least 75 books, and these are ones that I have already purchased. This doesn't even include the books that I have checked out of the library and returned, unread, before I was charged late fees. This week I have a new book to add to the list (wish list, that is) After reading Persnickety Snark's review, I know Friend is Not a Verb is not a book I want to overlook.

2. So . . . I'm still trying to get a handle on blogging and following of other blogs. Sometimes when I sign up to follow a blog using Google Friend Connect, my user name Actin' Up with books appears and other times, my real name appears. I can't figure out to have only my blog user name to appear. I feel pretty lame, but if anyone knows what to do to fix this, please let me know. Again . . . feeling pretty lame. 

3. Currently Reading: a little wanting song by Cath Crowley - I am loving this book. It is the second book in a row that I have read where the chapters alternate between the perspectives of the two main characters. Review coming soon.

4. Soon to leave the shelf: Not That Kind of Girl by Siobhan Vivian - I am gearing up to dish in the caf at Forever Young Adult for the FYABC I can't wait!

5. Random Rambling: I want to share some love for one of my favorite musicians, Toby Lightman. I'm currently listening to her Let Go cd, So Natural to Love is constantly on replay. You can check out her songs in their entirety here Enjoy!

Happy Friday!