Gratitude Giveaway Hop

Since starting this blog, I have met some wonderful bloggers and readers here and on Twitter. I love this community and sharing thoughts and opinions on books and bookish things. I'm happy to join this giveaway hop hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and All-Consuming Books to show my gratitude to my followers and readers.

The Prize:

Book of Your Choice Valued up to $10.00 (US) from the Book Depository or B&N.com

Contest Rules:

Must be at least 13 yrs or older

Open to US and Int'l (where BD Ships)
Following is NOT required

To Enter fill out the form below

Contest ends November 27th 2011 11:59 EST
One Winner will be selected using random.org

Now that you've entered my giveaway, visit these other blogs!
 

Review: Also Known as Rowan Pohi by Ralph Fletcher

Also Known as Rowan Pohi
by Ralph Fletcher

Publication Date: November 15, 2011

Published by Clarion Books

Pages:199

Source: Requested from Netgalley

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(from Goodreads)



Bobby Steele and his pals, Marcus and Big Poobs, all public school kids from working class backgrounds, are waiting for tenth grade to start when they come across an application form for Whitestone Academy, a prestigious and posh private school. Just for giggles, they decide that a nonexistent kid should apply—and so Rowan Pohi is born. (Named for their favorite hangout, Pohi is IHOP spelled backwards.) Amazingly enough, the phantom Rowan is accepted at Whitestone.

Eager to escape the boredom of public school and his unhappiness at home, Bobby shows up at Whitestone’s new student orientation, reinventing himself as Rowan. He begins a  suspenseful career as an impostor, hoping that the two worlds he’s living in will stay separate forever. For a short, exhilarating time, they do. Ralph Fletcher’s signature light touch in addressing serious issues in young people’s lives is evident in this story of identity lost and found.

My Thoughts


**contains Spoilers**


Ralph Fletcher doesn't waste any time jumping in to the story of Bobby Steele, aka Rowan Pohi, as we meet Bobby and his best friends right before the beginning of tenth grade. Out of boredom and a bit of mischievousness, the boys create a smart, athletic, and outgoing guy - Rowan Pohi. After submitting an application and a glowing letter of recommendation on his behalf, Rowan is admitted to Whitestone Prep. The boys are excited and a bit dumbfounded that they have pulled one over on the school admissions committee but decide that Rowan can no longer exist and decide to kill him off and bury the application as well as the acceptance letter. Poor Rowan didn't even have a chance.

Bobby Steele can stop thinking of Rowan, partly because he imagined himself as Rowan - he was athletic. He was intelligent, and he could have gone to Whitestone Prep given the right opportunity and the money to pay for tuition. And Bobby has another reason why Rowan should have a chance - a domestic incident involving his parents, leaves Bobby and his family the talk of the town and him with a name that he doesn't want to claim. Rowan Pohi is then reborn.

In a community separated by class, Bobby is able to infiltrate the school as Rowan without much opposition. He makes some friends easily - the girls are taken with him. The teachers are too as Rowan begins to prove himself academically as well as on the football field. But his pasts (both real and fake) start to catch up with him. Rowan's transcripts from his former school still haven't arrived and a classmate reveals that he knows about Rowan's little secret and wants him to pay-up. Bobby realizes that he may have jumped into this Rowan Pohi persona a bit too impulsively and it's going to catch up with him - sooner than he thinks.

I enjoyed getting to know Bobby and Rowan as he/they navigated going to a new school and created a fresh start. There were many events that happened too easily for Rowan without much question - getting into the school and then the repercussions of what happened after his true identity was revealed. But I did think the relationship that Bobby had with his family was realistic. Bobby's father's horrible actions were not easily forgiven and he continues to see his father through the eyes of a child aged beyond their years through a traumatic experience. The light-hearted moments balance out all of the heavy and make Also Known a Rowan Pohi a quick and enjoyable read about identity and acceptance - of self and others.

Readers who like this book should also read Stupid Fast by Geoff Herbach.

Top Ten Tuesday: Books that Sat on my Shelf for the Longest Time

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. This meme was created because they are particularly fond of lists. I am too so that is why I am participating this week.

Books that Sat on my Shelf for the Longest Time

I have finally started to accept the fact that I am not going to read every book that I own. So I have been taking a look at the books on my shelves, selecting the books I am ready to give away (and giving them away) and reading some titles that have been there forever. It has been a slow process, but I'm making some progress.

Recently Removed: 

Anthem  by Ayn Rand - donated to local literacy program

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand - gifted to coworker

The Bean Trees [BEAN TREES] [Mass Market Paperback] by Barbara Kingsolver - gifted for RAK!!

FINALLY Read:

 Our Town: A Play in Three Acts by Thornton Wilder - I read this one last month after having owned it for about 8 years. 

Still Sitting There (at least 5 years and counting):

I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb  (ready to give this away)

Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry (ready to give this away)

Dreamland by Sarah Dessen (don't know why I haven't read it yet)

Emma by Jane Austen (kept it because I think it is a book I should read)

Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger (kept it because I think it is a book I should read)
Complete Works (Oxford Shakespeare S.) (this was a gift from a friend who has passed and I will always keep it)

In My Mailbox (53)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme run by Kristi at The Story Siren which explores the books that have been delivered to our mailbox or doorstep or directly into our hot little hands.

For Review:

Dream School by Blake Nelson
Thank you Figment!

Won:

Beautiful Chaos (Beautiful Creatures, Book 3) by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Thank you Yani - The Secret Life of an Avid Reader

Dream School is the follow-up novel to Blake Nelson's Girl, a book that I loved and identified with on so many levels and wished that I had read in high school. When I found out about Dream School, I knew that I just had to read it. Many thanks to Figment for sending me a copy for review!

 

And I am just excited to have won a copy of Beautiful Chaos. I am just starting to read this series by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. My book club will be reading Beautiful Creatures in a few weeks. Now I just need to get a copy of Beautiful Darkness and I will be all set!

"No Book-Buying November" has proven to be easier than I thought. That's not to say that I don't already have a list of books that I may get in December, but even then I may reconsider and hold out just a little bit longer before I get them.

Thanks for stopping by this week! I'll be checking out your mailboxes too.

Tour de Troops - Terri Giuliano Long Guest Post and Giveaway

 

 Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.
Winston Churchill

This weekend, November 11 – 14, Terri Giuliano Long, author of the bestselling novel In Leah’s Wake, joins 50 indie authors in Blog Tour de Troops, a charity blog hop sponsored by the Indie Book Collective.

To celebrate, Terri is hosting Emmy-winning film editor Nina Gilberti, currently a full-time editor for the hit CBS crime drama Criminal Minds. Nina is also an indie filmmaker. On Terri’s blog, Nina talks about her upcoming documentary, When Jane and Johnny Coming Marching Homeless, a powerful film about the horrors faced by some veterans upon their return home after war.

In my dreams I hear again the crash of guns, the rattle of musketry, the strange, mournful mutter of the battlefield.
Douglas MacArthur

Did you know that one-third of the people living on the streets are veterans who served in the Vietnam War?

In addition to physical homelessness - whether couch surfing, living in a car or existing on the street – many vets also face emotional, psychological, and spiritual homelessness. While they may seem fine on the outside, within they struggle with the hidden wounds of war - issues like Post Traumatic Stress (PTSD), nightmares, hyper-vigilance, meaning they are on high alert all the time, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), drug & alcohol abuse and addiction, prescription drug addiction – resulting in high divorce rates, joblessness, spousal abuse, and suicide. Naturally, these life-altering problems also affect the spouse, children, and parents of veterans.

With her film, When Jane & Johnny Come Marching Homeless, Nina hopes to inspire our nation to care, to generate real compassion - and perhaps create a movement towards profound healing and understanding for these veterans and their families.

Blog Tour de Troops

This Veteran’s Day Weekend, November 11 – 14, 50 indie authors are participating in a daisy chain blog hop to support U.S. troops. Anyone who leaves a comment on a participating author’s blog will receive a coupon for a free eBook  - plus the author will give a free eBook to one active-duty U.S. troop. This means you have a chance to collect 50, yes 50, FREE eBooks.  

For details and a list of participating authors, please visit the Indie Book Collective site: http://indiebookcollective.wordpress.com/

AMAZING PRIZES

Leave a comment on Terri’s blog and receive a coupon for an In Leah’s Wake eBook – for every comment, Terri will also give a free eBook to an active-duty troop.

PLUS, just for leaving a comment, you’ll be entered in a random drawing for one of these amazing prizes:

FIRST PRIZE – a $ 50 Amazon gift card, a copy of the Criminal Minds script for episode 701- the season seven opener written by executive producer and writer Erica Messer, SIGNED BY MS. MESSER AND THE ENTIRE CM CAST, PLUS an autographed photo of the Criminal Minds cast!

SECOND PRIZE (total 3) – autographed photograph of the Criminal Minds cast!

WIN A CARE PACKAGE FOR YOUR FAVORITE SOLDIER

With your comment, leave the name of a U.S. troop and he or she will be eligible to win an awesome care package, consisting of:  $ 100 Amazon gift card, a boxed video set of Criminal Minds, Season 6, PLUS an autographed photo of the CM cast!

* Winners to be determined by a random number generator, using random.org. 


To learn more about the film When Jane & Johnny Come Marching Homeless and to enter the raffle, please visit Terri’s blog: http://www.tglong.com/blog/2011/11/blog-tour-de-troops

In Leah's Wake, is a Kindle bestseller (top 100) and the Book Bundlz 2011 Book Pick
  
Leah grew up in a privileged upper-middle class world. She had all-but secured an Ivy League scholarship and a future as a star athlete. Then she met Todd.

Leah’s parents watch helplessly as their daughter falls into a world of drugs, sex, and wild parties. Their divided approach drives their daughter out of their home and a wedge into their marriage. 


Meanwhile, twelve-year-old Justine observes Leah’s rebellion from the shadows of their fragmented family, leaving her to question whether her parents love her and whether God even knows she exists.

Who will pay the consequences of Leah’s vagrant lifestyle? What happens when love just isn’t enough? 

This mesmerizing debut novel tells the tale of a contemporary American family caught in the throes of adolescent rebellion - a heartbreaking, funny, ultimately redemptive quest for love, independence, connection and grace.

Waiting on Wednesday - The Selection

 

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

The Selection 
by Kiera Cass
Published by Harper Teen
Publication Date: April 24, 2012











 For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in the palace and compete for the heart of the gorgeous Prince Maxon. 

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.
Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself- and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined. (from Goodreads)


 I have wanted to share that I have been waiting on this title for a while and now that Kiera Cass has released finally revealed the cover art on her blog, I can. I expect to see a lot of people waiting on The Selection this week. Who can resist a story about identity and expectations, filled with love and conflict? Not me. 

In My Mailbox (52)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme run by Kristi at The Story Siren which explores the books that have been delivered to our mailbox or doorstep or directly into our hot little hands.

For Review:

Borrowing Abby Grace by Kelly Green (e-book)

Girl Steals Guy (Borrowing Abby Grace) by Kelly Green (e-book)

The Bards of Bone Plain by Patricia McKillip

Gifted:

Major Crush (Romantic Comedies (Mass Market)) by Jennifer Echols (e-book)

Sophie & Carter by Chelsea Fine (e-book)

Her and Me and You by Lauren Strasnick

The "No Book-Buying November" is still going on. Five days in and I'm staying strong. I did go to the bookstore twice in the past too days just to check out what's new on the shelves. So this week all of the books I received were gifted to me through Random Acts of Kindness or are for review.

I'd like to thank Penguin, Kelly Green and Backlit Fiction for the review books and Lisa, Alyssa, and Temara for the Random Acts of Kindness!