Being Henry David Blog Tour

Today kicks off the Being Henry David Blog Tour and I'm pleased to host Cal Armistead here for with a guest post, review, and giveaway. If you visit my blog regularly, you may know that I love to share independent bookstores every chance I get. So I when I found out that Cal works at an indie bookstore (when she isn't writing), I asked her to share her experience. She did and I admit, I'm a little jealous - to be surrounded by books and book lovers - sounds like the ideal job to me.  

Welcome Cal Armistead!

Thank you so much, Actin’ Up With Books, for inviting me to visit your blog and write about what it’s like to work at a small independent bookstore.

First, introductions:  I’m Cal Armistead, and my debut young adult novel, Being Henry David, will be officially released by Albert Whitman & Company on March 1st (but you can probably find it in your favorite store now!) 

   I’m also a bookseller at Willow Books & Café in Acton, Massachusetts. Talk about the perfect job for a writer.  I mean, books, avid reader/customers, fun co-workers, free coffee, plus an employee discount?  It doesn’t get much better than that.  

At Willow Books, I spend blissful hours shelving new releases, recommending books, writing the weekly newsletter, and chatting about books (and life) with a staff of incredibly smart, funny people. And while working at a bookstore is not the most lucrative career move, it has its perks.  Getting my hands on new books before they hit the shelves, that’s one.  Turning customers on to an author they will ultimately love, that’s another.  And then there’s watching small children who can barely see over the counter buy their first books with handfuls of coins, and older kids whose eyes light up when they discover we have the latest book in the series they adore.  The grown-up reader kids come in too, with that same aura of excited anticipation.   There’s something so gratifying about ringing up a book, tucking in a bookmark, and knowing the person in front of me will soon be immersed in a magical world that exists only on the book’s pages and within the imagination. Did I mention I love my job?

Granted, independent bookstores like mine are struggling these days, closing their doors as people turn to e-books and Amazon.  For the record, big stores like Barnes & Noble are not the enemy—we want them to succeed too, to prove that printed books and real bricks-and-mortar stores can survive.  Otherwise, the world of books will be relegated to on-line shopping and warehouses.  No more bookstore browsing.  How sad would that be??

Anyway, the nice thing is, people come in to our store every day and say, “I’m so glad you’re still here.”  They know we’re a vanishing breed, and they give us lots of love.  And in order to stay alive, the bookstore owner has added a used book section (recycling at its best), and non-book items like toys, games, gift items, chocolate, and slippers.  (Slippers at a bookstore?  Uh-huh.  Whatever it takes.  And they’re really comfy, too.) 

The best thing about being an author working at an independent bookstore is this: the Launch Party!  On March 3rd, they’re throwing a big bash at the store—for me!  (For more information visit their website at www.willowbooks.com.) We’re inviting everybody we can think of, heavily promoting the event in local media as well as our newsletter (which I just happen to write…cough), and my coworker Karen says she’s going to devote a whole front window display to my book, Thoreau, and me.  Now that’s just plain amazing. 

So to sum up, small, local independent bookstores are the best.  Show them love.  Support yours.  And thanks for reading my guest blog!

Being Henry David 

by Cal Armistead

Published by Albert Whitman Teen

Available: March 1, 2013

 

Seventeen-year-old "Hank" has found himself at Penn Station in New York City with no memory of anything --who he is, where he came from, why he's running away. His only possession is a worn copy of Walden, by Henry David Thoreau. And so he becomes Henry David-or "Hank" and takes first to the streets, and then to the only destination he can think of--Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts. Cal Armistead's remarkable debut novel is about a teen in search of himself. Hank begins to piece together recollections from his past. The only way Hank can discover his present is to face up to the realities of his grievous memories. He must come to terms with the tragedy of his past, to stop running, and to find his way home.

My Thoughts 

Being Henry David is one of those books that grabs a hold of you from the very first sentence: "The last thing I remember is now" and makes you realize that something significant is about to happen. Henry David, aka Hank, wakes up in a train station not knowing who he is or how he got there. He's alone, almost penniless, and has an aching gash on his head. It was easy to speculate what happened to him. He might have been homeless. He could've been mugged. He might have been on drugs. But like Hank, you just don't know how he came to be there and discovering what happened to him as he discovers what happened is what makes this story interesting. 

The story begins in New York City -fast-paced and chaotic - where Hank runs into a lot of new people, but no one who knows who he is. Hank gets into some trouble, meets some shady people, and begins to question what could have happened in his life to bring him to this moment. He questions if he is a good person when the rage he experiences comes so naturally. We never really know if he is someone we should be rooting for. Is he the bad guy? I didn't want to think so. I mean, would a bad guy carry around a copy of Walden?

Once Hank reaches Walden Pond, his mind gets to settle down and he tries figure out his past. Like Thoreau who left for Walden Pond, he hopes to discover some answers and find some peace. But that doesn't happen. One of my favorites lines is from when Hank reconsiders leaving the train station in New York for the cold wilderness of Walden Pond:

"I hate Thoreau for luring me here and making me think that by coming here, I might actually figure out who I am." (page 80)

Hank realizes there must be a reason why can't remember and he is exhausted from trying to remember. So instead, he embraces his new identity as Hank and begins to live, to quote Thoreau, "deliberately." And it is then that he begins to remember.

I really enjoyed reading Being Henry David because it kept me guessing and curious and entertained. The passages from Thoreau's Walden were a great contribution to the story because, while often left up to interpretation, they helped Hank figure out who he was and who he wanted to be. 

A little side note: There were several passages that I read which I thought were Walt Whitman and not Thoreau and I felt somewhat shameful and not a good scholar of American Literature. 

The Giveaway

one signed copy of Being Henry David

U.S./Canada Addresses Only 

must be 16 or older to enter

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 Tomorrow's Tour Stop

The Cozy Reading Corner
Interview and Giveaway

Favorite Quotes: Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

With the Valentine's Day Release of Beautiful Creatures, bloggers have been all abuzz. It seems like EVERYONE is talking about Beautiful Creatures. And now I am too. I didn't see it yesterday, but my book club, Provisions and Paperbacks, will see it together next week. Beautiful Creatures was one of the first books read when we were only 3 members. Now we are a much larger group, and many of us are going to see the film, but I'm pretty sure that the original three are the only ones that have read the book. I would bet that several will go back a read it after. 

To get ready for the movie night and then continue on with the series, I am listening the Beautiful Creatures audiobook right now. Seventeen hours plus. Yes, I would say that's a commitment, but I'm really enjoying revisiting the characters. Early on Ethan shares something about himself that I didn't remember when I first read it, but it has stuck with me this time. He says:

"A little-known fact to me: I read all of the time. Books were one thing that got me out of Gatlin, even if it was only for a little while. I had a map on my wall, and every time I read about a place I wanted to go, I marked it in the map. New York was Catcher in the Rye, Into the Wild got me to Alaska. When I read On the Road, I added Chicago, Denver, L.A., and Mexico City. Kerouac could get you pretty much everywhere. Every few months, I drew a line to connect the marks. A thin green line I'd follow on a road trip, the summer before college, if I ever got out of this town. I kept the map and the reading thing to myself." (pg. 16)

When I was teenager, I had a map on my wall, marked it will press pins, and imagined all of the places I would like to travel some day when I would finally leave my small town. But unlike Ethan, I didn't read nearly enough and didn't "travel" through books like he has. I do now and love it when I get to visit places that I'd once only read about. This quote is just a small part of the story but it shows a lot about Ethan's character and where he is from and the life he has led up to this point. Of all the many things that exist and occur in Beautiful Creatures the book, I really hope that map made it into Beautiful Creatures the movie. 

Waiting on Wednesday: Jessica Darling's It List #1

"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:

COVER NOT FINAL

Jessica Darling's It List #1: The (Totally Not) Guaranteed Guide to Popularity, Prettiness & Perfection 
by Megan McCafferty
Expected publication date: September 3, 2013
Published by Poppy  












There isn't an official synopsis yet,  but I couldn't contain my excitement and just had to share this asap! Megan McCafferty has given us a little bit info on her website from her post New Year, New Book. Jessica and Marcus and Hope in junior high. It's going to be a ton of fun. I just know it!

Update!!

(from Amazon)

Jessica Darling wasn't nervous about starting Pineville Junior High. That is, until her older sister, Bethany, told her that entering seventh grade means that everything will change. Hoping to continue the "Darling Domination of Popularity," Bethany presents Jessica with The IT List: The Guaranteed Guide to Popularity, Prettiness & Perfection.

But even armed with her instructions, Jessica stumbles her way through the start of the school year and inadvertently becomes Pineville Junior High's mascot, the mighty New Jersey seagull. Totally not the type of attention-getting her sister had in mind.

New York Times bestselling author Megan McCafferty's hilarious series opener will have you laughing, cringing, and cheering for the inimitable Jessica Darling.

Review: Uses for Boys by Erica Lorraine Scheidt

Uses for Boys
by Erica Lorraine Scheidt
Publication Date: January 15, 2013
Published by St. Martin's Press
Pages: 240
Source: Purchased









(from Goodreads)

Anna remembers a time before boys, when she was little and everything made sense. When she and her mom were a family, just the two of them against the world. But now her mom is gone most of the time, chasing the next marriage, bringing home the next stepfather. Anna is left on her own—until she discovers that she can make boys her family. From Desmond to Joey, Todd to Sam, Anna learns that if you give boys what they want, you can get what you need. But the price is high—the other kids make fun of her; the girls call her a slut. Anna's new friend, Toy, seems to have found a way around the loneliness, but Toy has her own secrets that even Anna can't know.

Then comes Sam. When Anna actually meets a boy who is more than just useful, whose family eats dinner together, laughs, and tells stories, the truth about love becomes clear. And she finally learns how it feels to have something to lose—and something to offer. Real, shocking, uplifting, and stunningly lyrical,  Uses for Boys  is a story of breaking down and growing up.

My Thoughts 

Uses for Boys is not a book for everyone, but it is for me. When a book evokes strong emotions, makes me feel empathy toward a character - whether I can identify with the character or not, and keeps me engaged throughout, then it is a book that I want to read. 
Uses for Boys did just that and so much more.

For years Anna grew up with her single mother who night after night would tell her the story of how all she ever wanted was a little girl so she wouldn't be lonely. Anna loved to her the story which she called the "tell-me-again" times. Then one day, her mother didn't want to be lonely anymore and decided to get married. Then divorced. And then married again and then divorced. Her mother's pursuit for companionship continued until Anna was the one left alone. She wasn't just alone, she was lonely. And all but abandoned. She sought comfort in the "tell-me-again" times - the story she tells herself to get by.

Anna is sexualized at a young age. She doesn't quite understand what happened to her while it is happening, but it changes her. Soon after she starts up a relationship with Joey, who seems to like her and makes her feel not so alone. They are intimate and everyone knows and everyone is gossiping about her, even her former friends. But she wants to tell them that they've got it all wrong: 

"It's hard to remember there was a time when she wasn't staring and whispering. Joey holds my hand. He doesn't notice the stares . . . . Joey changed everything for me, I want to tell her. I'm not alone. The place where my hand fits in his, that place, that feeling? I belong there." (pg 43)

This moment, like so many others, just screams of Anna's loneliness and made my extremely sad for her. She just needed a connection - someone to make her feel safe and loved and valued. Throughout the book, all of her needs were confused with sexual intimacy and a desperateness that would overwhelm anyone, let alone a sixteen year old. She wanted to confide in someone, but her mother was never there. Her new best friend, Toy, only wanted to share her stories of her own love-life and boys who always seemed so perfect. Anna was scared to share her feelings, afraid of being rejected or betrayed by a friend again, so she stayed silent. Alone.

Not every moment is filled with an overwhelming sadness (which I realize this review is beginning to portray). There are tender moments when a new friendship begins for Anna. Caring adults do come into her life and her mother does eventually come around. I definitely wouldn't say that she is present, but there are times when there is genuine concern for Anna's welfare. I can't say that there is a happily ever after because Anna is still so young and she's only really beginning to live. But there are possibilities. And clarity. And connections - just want Anna needs.
 
When I started thinking about writing this review, I found that a lot of what I wanted to say was in defense of the book. I'd noticed a lot of low-star ratings and not-so positive reviews. It almost made me hesitant to read the book. But I've read and enjoyed many a book that a lot of people didn't like, so I just knew that I needed to read Uses for Boys and decide for myself. We each have our own experiences with reading - what we bring of ourselves to the story and what we take away. What resonates with us will always be different for each reader. I think that Uses for Boys is a story that needs to be read and I hope that more readers will consider the low-starred reviews but still give this book the chance it deserves. 
       

  Goodreads * Amazon * IndieBound

Disclaimer: This review is based on the paperback version which I purchased for my personal library. I was not compensated in any way for providing this review. Thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Love My Indie with Author Rita Arens

Love My Indie is a feature where fellow bloggers, readers, and authors tell me about their favorite independent bookstores. I love the feeling I get when I go into an independent bookstore - like it is filled with hidden treasures just waiting for me to find them.

Showing some Indie Love today is:

 

Rita Arens

author of The Obvious Game 

THE OBVIOUS GAME is set in a fictional small town in Iowa, so I thought I'd share my favorite Iowa indie bookstore, Prairie Lights in Iowa City. I got my undergraduate degree at Iowa and liked to duck into Prairie Lights to smell the new books and step out of school stress for a few minutes -- even though at the time I couldn't afford to buy any books for fun.

Prairie Lights recently announced they are also getting into the publishing game in conjunction with the University of Iowa Press, which I think is just cool as hell. Way to adapt to the times, Prairie Lights! 

 

Rita sure does have great taste. Soon after receiving her guest post of her favorite independent bookstore, Prairie Lights was named one of America's Best Bookstores by Travel + Leisure Magazine.

Many thanks to Rita for sharing her favorite indie. Her young adult novel, The Obvious Game is available now. You should read my review here and then get a copy of your own.

 

       Goodreads * Amazon * IndieBound * Barnes and Noble

 

 

 

 

Rita Arens is is the senior editor of BlogHer.com and the blogger behind Surrender, Dorothy. She edited the award-winning parenting anthology SLEEP IS FOR THE WEAK (Chicago Review Press, 2008). THE OBVIOUS GAME is her first young adult novel. She is at work on her second. She lives with her husband and daughter in Kansas City.

 

 

 

 

Review: The Obvious Game by Rita Arens

The Obvious Game
by Rita Arens
Published by Inkspell Publishing
Publication Date: February 7, 2013
Pages 312
Source: Requested ARC from author










(from Goodreads)
“Everyone trusted me back then. Good old, dependable Diana. Which is why most people didn’t notice at first.”

"Your shirt is yellow."
"Your eyes are blue."
"You have to stop running away from your problems."
"You're too skinny."

Fifteen-year-old Diana Keller accidentally begins teaching The Obvious Game to new kid Jesse on his sixteenth birthday. As their relationship deepens, Diana avoids Jesse's past with her own secrets -- which she'll protect at any cost.

My Thoughts 

I came across a review for The Obvious Game where the blogger (whose name or blog I cannot remember) highlighted a quote from the book. "Fat isn't a feeling." That was enough to let me know that I needed to read The Obvious Game. Having just finished it, I must say that this is a book that makes me want to go all-confessional and share my own story rather than offer an official review.

No I am not a fifteen year old like Diana, and no my mother does not have cancer. But when I was fifteen I struggled with weight issues and self-esteem and relationships (friendships and familial) and in so many ways I related to Diana's character. My weight issues weren't anywhere close to being as extreme as what Diana went through, but there were passages of Diana's thoughts where I thought, "Yes - I know that feeling." Sometimes while reading The Obvious Game, I felt like I was reading my own diary from when I was a teenager. 

A few weeks ago my mother and I were talking about weight-loss and weight-gain and how it is always something that we've both dealt with throughout our lives. She told me that she remembered a time when I was a teen when she was really worried about me because I wouldn't eat. I had no idea what she was talking about because I didn't remember that at all. I remembered times when I didn't eat that much and was restrictive, but not times when I would starve myself. I guess like Diana, my self-perception was skewed. I can remember how I thought of myself as fat, not as thin as my friends, and when I look at pictures of that time now, I see that I was too thin. I could have had an extra 10 pounds on my bones. 

I knew that reading about weight and eating disorders and self-perception and control would bring up some memories for me and be an emotional read. It is exactly why I seek out books like The Obvious Game which make me consider how I think about my physical self, both then and now.

What I liked about The Obvious Game:

• set in 1990 - no cell-phones, no texting, no social media
• realistic teenage relationships: Seth - the best friend, Amanda - the frenemy, Jesse - the perfect? boyfriend
• present parents - the family is central to the story
• small-town Iowa -  Homecoming, field parties; create your-own-fun: been there, done that! 

What I didn't like as much:

• the jump in time-span between the last 2 chapters

I'd like to thank the blogger who highlighted "Fat isn't a feeling" - without that acknowledgment, who knows if I ever would have found this book. And I'd like to thank Rita Arens for giving us Diana and sharing her experience which, I'm sure, many readers will be able to identify with.

Would I recommend The Obvious Game? Yes. Obviously.

       Goodreads * Amazon * IndieBound

Disclaimer: I requested and received this ARC from the author in exchange for my honest review.  I was not compensated in any way other than the ARC provided. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Boys of Summer by C.J. Duggan: Excerpt and Giveaway

Hosted by Xpresso Book Tours

The Boys of Summer  (Summer Series, #1)

by C.J. Duggan

New Adult Contemporary Romance  

Publication date: December 17th 2012 

 Goodreads * Amazon * Barnes & Noble  * i-Tunes

Synopsis:

It seemed only natural to nickname them the ‘Onslow Boys’. Every time they swaggered in the front door of the Onslow Hotel after a hard week’s work, their laughter was loud and genuine as they settled onto their bar stools. I peeked through the restaurant partition, a flimsy divider between my world and theirs. I couldn’t help but smile whenever I saw them, saw him ... Toby Morrison.

Quiet seventeen-year-old Tess doesn’t relish the thought of a summertime job. She wants nothing more than to forget the past haunts of high school and have fun with her best friends before the dreaded Year Twelve begins.
To Tess, summer is when everything happens: riding bikes down to the lake, watching the fireworks at the Onslow Show and water bomb fights at the sweltering Sunday markets.

How did she let her friends talk her into working?

After first-shift disasters, rude, wealthy tourists and a taunting ex-boyfriend, Tess is convinced nothing good can come of working her summer away. However, Tess finds unlikely allies in a group of locals dubbed ‘The Onslow Boys’, who are old enough to drive cars, drink beer and not worry about curfews. Tess’s summer of working expands her world with a series of first times with new friends, forbidden love and heartbreaking chaos.

All with the one boy she has never been able to forget.

It will be a summer she will always remember.
Warning: sexual references, and occasional course language.

Don't settle for just the synopsis. Read this teaser of an excerpt then 
enter for chance to win an e-book of your own. Open internationally.

The Boys of Summer

“Don’t you dare.” I grabbed his arm, pulling him backwards. His eyes darted to where my hand rested on him. I didn’t move my hand, I couldn’t physically bring myself to break the contact; all of a sudden there were no smiles, no jokes, just him and me and our space on the couch. I could only hear the music and be aware of the heat of his skin and the rapid rise and fall of my chest in this moment.

The only thing that snapped me out of my daze was Toby’s words which seemed low and raspy.

“Is Adam your boyfriend?” His gaze flicked over my face as he waited for my answer. My mouth gaped open; I couldn’t hide the fact I was dumbfounded by the question.

I blinked quickly and took my hand from his arm. I struggled to construct a legible sentence.

“Oh – um, no, we’re just friends, it’s not like that.”

His stony expression didn’t falter, didn’t reveal any kind of emotion. He was so hard to read, and I wanted to read him so badly. He gave a small nod and handed me the CD cover.

“Better go and make sure these guys aren’t cheating.” And without another word, he got up and headed towards the pool table.

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