Bout of Books 8.0: Goals

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 19th and runs through Sunday, August 25th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 8.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

 I'm setting just a few goals for this week's Bout of Books read-a-thon. I expect to have a really busy week at work and we have friends in town, so I don't think I will get a lot of reading in, but I still want to participate and reconnect with other readers. 

So, here are my goals:

• Finish Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (audiobook)
• Finish Collateral by Ellen Hopkins
• Read one review book
• Read at least one book from my YALLFest TBR pile

YALLFest TBR

 
I'll post my updates here and on Twitter: @ActinUpwb

Monday, Day 1: Listened to 3 chapters of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Tuesday, Day 2: Listened to 1 chapter of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Wednesday, Day 3: read between 30-40 pages of Collateral by Ellen Hopkins

Thursday, Day 4: Finish Collateral by Ellen Hopkins. I've read all of her (published) books and I think this one may be my favorite.

Friday, Day 5: Listened to a few chapters of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Saturday, Day 6: read Keeping Her (A LOSING IT novella) by Cora Carmack

Sunday, Day 7: Finished Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets audiobook

Waiting on Wednesday: The Geography of You and Me

"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 Geography of You and Me 
by Jennifer E. Smith
Published by Little, Brown for Young Readers
Publication Date: April 15, 2014
Pages: 352
Goodreads








(from Goodreads)

Lucy and Owen meet somewhere between the tenth and eleventh floors of a New York City apartment building, on an elevator rendered useless by a citywide blackout. After they're rescued, they spend a single night together, wandering the darkened streets and marveling at the rare appearance of stars above Manhattan. But once the power is restored, so is reality. Lucy soon moves to Edinburgh with her parents, while Owen heads out west with his father.

Lucy and Owen's relationship plays out across the globe as they stay in touch through postcards, occasional e-mails, and -- finally -- a reunion in the city where they first met.

A carefully charted map of a long-distance relationship, Jennifer E. Smith's new novel shows that the center of the world isn't necessarily a place. It can be a person, too.

Why I'm Waiting 

I recently read a novella about two strangers stuck on an elevator and loved the connection developed between the two of  them in the confined space. I know that this book probably isn't going to be anything like it, but I like the concept. And I want to see how these characters stay connected when kept apart by such a vast distance. So far I've only read one of Jennifer's books, The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, but I enjoyed it so much that I want to read all of her books.

Over the Rainbow by Brian Rowe: Excerpt and Giveaway

Over the Rainbow

by Brian Rowe
Publication date: August 6, 2013

Young Adult, LGBTQ

  Goodreads * Amazon * Barnes & Noble

About Over the Rainbow:

Zippy Green never meant to fall in love with a girl, but when she does, her ultra-conservative father tries to send her to anti-gay camp. At the Kansas City airport, however, she hides inside a giant suitcase and sneaks onto an airplane headed not to the camp, but to Seattle, where her online love Mira lives. Halfway through the flight, the plane barrels out of control and crashes into the ground, knocking her unconscious.

When Zippy awakens, she finds that most of the passengers have vanished. She doesn’t know what’s happened, but she’s determined to find out. She begins a quest on foot toward Seattle, and along the way, she meets a teenager with a concussion, a homeless man with a heart condition, a child without a shred of bravery, and a terrier named Judy. Together the group discovers that more than two-thirds of the world's population have mysteriously disappeared. But that's only the beginning...

All Zippy wants is to find her Mira, but before she can she has to contend with two outside forces. The first is her homophobic father, who does everything in his power to keep her from the girl she loves. And the second is extinct creatures of all shapes and sizes, including living, breathing dinosaurs, which have replaced the missing population.

Excerpt

I swooped back down and landed on my feet. I started to walk again, toward a cluster of tulips, violets, and dandelions. The flowers were all growing, and the multi-colored faces only stopped when they reached my eye-level. I passed through them, as I did a flutter of butterflies, until I reached a woman sitting on a high chair smoking a double filtered cigarette.

My jaw dropped. “Oh my God,” I said. “Mommy?”

She blew the smoke into the air and the swarm of butterflies brushed it away. “Yes, Zippy, it’s me.” She took another puff and smiled. She didn’t look me in the face.

“Mommy. I’ve missed you so much.”

I ran toward her high chair, but the closer I approached, the taller it became. I collided against the four legs, then looked up to see that she was ten feet off the ground.

“Come down! I want to talk to you!”

“It’s too late, Zippy,” she said, as the sky above withered from a tranquil blue sky to a consternation of clouds. “Nothing lasts forever.”

“But I need you!”

I tried to climb the legs of the chair, but gravity pulled me back. Just seconds ago, I could fly; now I couldn’t even shimmy up that stupid chair leg.

I lay back on the ground, as tears streamed down my cheeks. As soon as I gave up, heavy restraint devices clinked over my wrists. I looked down to see silver handcuffs.

I collapsed back into darkness, my mother waving to me from the meadow beyond.

“Enjoy your first session!” she shouted. “Remember, Zippy, I love you!”

“Mommy! Mommy, wait!”

I stuck my feet out, but I couldn’t stop moving; I was on an invisible rollercoaster track with no end in sight. I tumbled into the sides of trees, smashed my face against bushes, struck thorns and logs and irritated honeybees. A small purple cat with a grin on its face gazed at me from the clouds but didn’t say a word. The trees disappeared, the forest shriveled away from me, and I landed head first in the middle of a hedge maze.

Author Links:

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

Brian Rowe is a writing fiend, book devotee, film fanatic, and constant dreamer. He's written ten novels, dozens of short stories, five feature-length screenplays, and hundreds of film articles and essays. He is currently pursuing his MA in English at the University of Nevada, Reno, and is hard at work on his next novel.





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Bout of Books 8.0 Sign-Up

I'm Participating!!

I need to reconnect with my bookish peeps so I'm participating in the Bout of Books 8.0. The read-a-thon is during one of my busiest weeks at work so I'm not sure how much reading I'll accomplish, so I'm mainly participating for the community aspect.

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 19th and runs through Sunday, August 25th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 8.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

Want to join?? Sign-Up Here!!

Camp Boyfriend by J.K. Rock: Book Blitz

Camp Boyfriend (Camp Boyfriend #1)

by J.K. Rock

Release Date: 07/02/13

From Spencer Hill Press

Summary from Goodreads:

The summer of her dreams is about to get a reality check.

They said it couldn't be done, but geeky sophomore Lauren Carlson transformed herself into a popular girl after moving to a new school halfway across the country. Amazing what losing her braces and going out for cheerleading will do. Only trouble is, the popular crowd is wearing on Lauren's nerves and she can't wait to return to summer camp where she's valued for her brain instead of her handsprings. She misses her old friends and most of all, her long time camp-only boyfriend, Seth. This year she intends to upgrade their relationship to year-round status once she's broken up with her new, jock boyfriend, Matt. He doesn't even begin to know the real her, a girl fascinated by the night sky who dreams of discovering new planets and galaxies.

But Matt isn't giving her up without a fight. As he makes his case to stay together, Lauren begins to realize his feelings run deeper than she ever would have guessed. What if the guy she thought she was meant to be with forever isn't really The One? Returning to Camp Juniper Point was supposed to ground her uprooted life, but she's more adrift than ever. Everything feels different and soon Lauren's friends are turning on her and both guys question what she really wants. As summer tensions escalate, Lauren wonders if she's changed more than she thought. Will her first big discovery be herself?

Available from:

   

"Fun, romantic and giddy, Camp Boyfriend brings real romance to summer camp with grace, humor and passion." - Carrie Jones, New York Times Best-selling Author of the NEED series

Camp Boyfriend Excerpt:

…Seth continued to grip my hand. “Please hear me out, Lauren. This will only take a minute.”

“Fine. But just for a minute. That’s it.” I plunked down on the rooftop and swung my legs over the edge, back hunched, arms crossed.

All around us slept campers in lean-tos. By the moon’s low position, I guessed it was well past midnight. An owl hooted from a nearby pine, then took flight in a blur of white and grey.

“Strix varia,” Seth breathed behind me. “Must be after a frog. Look at him dive.”

I tracked the bird to the river. The current made a soft shhhhh sound as it flowed over and around rocks and boulders. I’d forgotten how much I loved this time of night- the peaceful, natural feel of it.

Seth’s shoulder brushed mine as he lowered himself beside me. Goosebumps broke out on my skin, every molecule in my bloodstream screaming to life. I took a steadying breath.

He wrapped an arm around me. “Cold?”

I shook my head and edged away. “You said this would take a minute, so…?”

His finger pressed against my lips while the other hand pointed. My eyes widened at the sight of a portable field telescope set up to our left. Stargazing. As science geeks, it’d always been one of our favorite things to do together. I couldn’t believe he lugged the collapsible apparatus on the trip. Given the limited gear we were allowed to pack, he’d made some sacrifices to have this moment with me.

“C’mon.” Seth scrambled across the roof, peered into the eyepiece, and focused the lens. He looked up. “Last year we talked about seeing the Perseids together and tonight’s a good clear night for viewing. I didn’t want you to miss it. Have a look.”

He remembered this meteor shower that only an astronomer would love. My heart leaped. Say no, I told myself sternly in spite of its sudden jump.

“Okay,” came out instead.

My eyes flew to the sky. I hadn’t forgotten about the meteor shower and our promise to watch the skies together, but I’d put it out of my mind when I brought Matt to camp. But now… this was science, right? We could be nerds for a few minutes without acting on our hormones, couldn’t we? This was exactly what I needed. To rediscover my passion for astronomy, a part of me that I’d ignored all year, mostly because my dad had checked out of my life.

And didn’t that make me a lot like Matt—spiting myself to get back at my dad for ignoring me? I felt ashamed of myself and my pettiness.

Now, I knelt behind the telescope and looked down into the eyepiece. My breath caught at the otherworldly view. A streak of white light shown against an onyx sky dotted with twinkling stars. Behind it blazed another stream of periwinkle and azure blue.

Wonder filled me. I was transported, aware of the vastness of life and my tiny place in it. The familiar, otherworldly feel brought back my Aerospace Scholar ambition and memories of planetarium trips with Dad.

I grabbed Seth’s hand, wanting him to share this amazing moment.  But then his arms wrapped around me and he stared into my eyes, the stars reflected in his gaze.

Our breaths synchronized. He exhaled against my temple, making my chest flutter. I turned to tell him I had to go. But before I could speak, his lips captured mine.

My feelings for Seth rushed back with a pull as unstoppable as gravity itself. We tumbled against the roof, every nerve-ending awakening at his familiar touch. He was fantasy come to life. A forgotten dream remembered.

Seth pulled back and looked down at me with his expressive eyes. “I’ve missed you so much, Lauren.”

“Me too,” I admitted.

He rolled us over so that I was on top. My hair hung down like a curtain, the dark strands blotting out the world….

About the Authors:

J. K. Rock is the writing partnership of sisters-in-law Joanne & Karen Rock. Separately, they write adult romance. Together, they dream up Young Adult books like CAMP BOYFRIEND, the first in a three-book series. The summer camp stories continue with CAMP PAYBACK (4/14) and CAMP FORGET-ME-NOT (8/14), plus bonus free novellas in between stories. Visit http://campboyfriend.net to learn more about the series and the free prequel novella, CAMP KISS, which you can download here.

***Author Links***

Author Website / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Goodreads / Karen's Twitter / Joanne's Twitter / Facebook

***GIVEAWAY***

Grand prize - Signed copies Amanda Ink's SUN, Jennifer Armentrout writing as J. Lynn's FRIGID and JK Rock's CAMP BOYFRIEND. Also included, advance sneak peek copy Laurie Halse Anderson's THE IMPOSSIBLE KNIFE OF MEMORY and Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian's FIRE WITH FIRE, plus an "I <3 my Camp Boyfriend" tee shirt, friendship bracelets,  'I <3 Camp' temporary tattoos, and a bookmark with the download code for CAMP KISS.

Three other winners will receive $10 Amazon gift cards

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Book Blitz Hosted by:

Guest Post: Authors Trish Cook and Brendan Halpin

 




A Really Awesome Mess
by Trish Cook and Brendan Halpin
Published by Egmont USA
Publication Date: July 23, 2013
Pages 288
Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Indiebound









Last week I read and reviewed A Really Awesome Mess by Trish Cook and Brendan Halpin. The fun cover and title appealed to me and made me want to read it, but the characters and their stories prove that this book is more than just a cute cover. A Really Awesome Mess "is witty, a bit raunchy (but not too much), sometimes a little far-fetched (but weirder things have happened), and completely entertaining" (from my review). 

I'm hosting a giveaway for a copy of A Really Awesome Mess. For a chance for you own copy, you can enter to win it HERE. 

Today I am happy to host both Trish and Brendan at Actin' Up with Books. I asked that they share some of their favorite bookish memories - their favorite books that introduced them to a love for reading or a memorable experience visiting a favorite bookstore.

 Welcome Trish and Brendan!!

From Trish Cook:

I don't think it's a stretch to say I've loved books since birth. My mom was so big on reading to my brother and I as kids, I caught on to the process naturally when I was three or four and was already a total bookworm by the time I entered kindergarten.  I've fallen in love with so many books since then, but I think the author that still inspires me most is Judy Blume. It was such a revelation to me that a grown-up could not only remember exactly what it was like to be a kid, but that she treated our worries and dreams with such respect and compassion and seriousness. Also, her honesty blew me away. How great was it that she could discuss periods, boobs, boys and sex in a way that made you feel like she was your best friend and not some judgmental adult? In fourth grade, I took Are You there God? It's Me Margaret out of the school library so many times the librarian started teasing me about my addiction. When I was thirteen, my mom handed me a copy of Forever, and I soon became the neighborhood dealer of this book--no one else's parents would buy it for them. So yeah, totally Judy Blume. She rules. What a great role model.

From Brendan Halphin:

My best book memories don't involve bookstores; they involve libraries.  As an only child growing up in an era where there were only 3 TV channels, I had a lot of time to read.  And so the library always felt like a magical place to me: you walk in and you can look around at all these books and then they let you take a bunch of them home!  For free! Many of my best library moments are tied to specific spots. I remember these places and can instantly feel the excitement: I can read anything! 

The children's room at the Hyde Park branch library was in the basement.  There was a little fountain with water pouring over rocks in the hallway that led to the stairs. 

The Mount Washington branch housed its fairy tale collection in a cramped little hallway that always felt cozy and homey and where I was always the only patron.

The main branch of the Cincinnati Public Library had its science fiction and fantasy collection in a little nook of a mezzanine accessible only via a very long ramp. 

The Somerville Public Library had its new releases on the lower level of its beautiful two-story atrium of a library.

 And the Boston Public Library's courtyard is one of the best public spaces in America, with a fountain, a statue, and wooden chairs and benches around the perimeter. Summers when I was my daughter's primary caregiver, we used to take the T down to the BPL and grab a bunch of books that I would read to her on a wooden bench in the shade.  Once a Korean student of English came and sat down next to us and asked if she could sit in while I read a Junie B Jones book so that she could improve her English. 

At a time when the very idea of a public good is under attack and some people even assert that the internet has rendered libraries obsolete, I feel like it's important to speak up for the libraries that made me the reader and writer I am today, and for the great joy and beauty of having places to go where you can just sit and read.


About the Authors

Trish Cook

Trish Cook is the author of Notes from the Blender, So Lyrical, and Overnight Sensation. She lives outside of Chicago with her husband and daughters. You can visit her online at www.trishcook.com.

Brendan Halpin

Brendan Halpin is the author of Notes from the Blender, How Ya Like Me Now, Forever Changes, and Donorboy, an Alex Award Winner. He lives in Boston with his wife, Suzanne, their three children, and their dog. You can visit him online at www.brendanhalpin.com.

Sneak Peek: Finally, Forever by Katie Kacvinsky

With her books First Comes Love and Second Chance author Katie Kacvinsky has given readers two memorable characters in contemporary fiction: Gray and Dylan  I was hooked by their story by the very first line. "Out of the corner of my eye, I'm watching a girl." Theirs isn't a perfect love story but it is one that has captured my heart and hasn't let go. If you want to know just why I loved First Comes Love, you can read my review here.

I am beyond thrilled to be share a sneak peek of Finally, Forever, the last book of the series. The release date of Finally, Forever isn't available just yet, but like all good things, I just know it will be worth the wait. 

From Katie Kacvinsky:

Here is a short clip from Finally, Forever, the last book in the First Comes Love series. If I had to sum up Finally, Forever in one word it would be: comedy.  Whether writers will admit to it or not, events and situations in their own lives bleed into their stories. I’m at a point in my life where I just want to laugh. I want to relax. I want to take time to appreciate the people around me who love me and who help me to shine, because man, without those people I would shrivel. I would be weak. I would break apart. Love is what makes us strong.

Here is the excerpt. Enjoy, and keep up with me on twitter (@KatieKacvinsky) to find out more about the release date.

From Finally, Forever:

Dylan scoots into a booth and I almost slip in right next to her, until I remember she isn’t mine and I have a pretend girlfriend and Dylan has an over-achieving, smart, outdoorsy boyfriend that could model for a Patagonia catalogue with all his stupid dogs. I hope they get married and own a dog shelter together and start a reality show about their stupid, charitable, perfect life.

For some reason, I feel the pathetic need to annoy Dylan, because her presence is sexually annoying the crap out of me. I had a hard-on three times last night, and I woke up with one. It’s like a headache in my pants.

Dylan opens her menu and I open mine and the waitress comes up and asks if we’re ready to order.  I clear my throat.

“I have a question,” I speak up, and pin my eyes directly on Dylan’s.  “I was wondering which was moister,” I say moister slowly and delicately, giving every consonant and vowel careful annunciation. “The cinnamon rolls, or the muffins?” I finish.

Dylan scrunches her nose like she smells something foul. When we first met she told me what her three least favorite words were. Her long term memory sucks, but mine is prolific. It’s one of my weaknesses. I remember everything. The challenge is to try and forget.   

I look away from Dylan and smile at the waitress, an elderly woman who appears to have more red lipstick on her teeth than her lips. She chews on the end of her pen while she considers my question.

“By moister, you mean?”

“I mean exactly that,” I say. “Moist, as in having a spongy, porous texture saturated in pockets of moisture.”

Dylan covers her mouth with one hand like she’s about to gag. She takes a long breath and blows it out slowly to stay calm.
“Ah-huh,” the waitress mumbles. “The homemade raspberry muffins are popular,” she offers.

“Great,” I say. “I’ll have one.”

I smile at Dylan’s frown. This is going to be fun. Hey, if I have to be mentally, emotionally, and sexually tortured by her presence, then the least I can do is return the torture. I’m mature like that.

Dylan orders coffee and when the waitress walks away, she narrows her eyes. “Is it torture-Dylan day?” she asks and my smile widens. “I hate the m-word. Passionately hate.”

“I know,” I tell her. “You hate the words moist, protoplasm and membrane.”

She sets down her menu. “How do you know that?” she asks, her eyes suspicious, as if I was reading her diary.

“You told me,” I remind her. “When we first met.”

She blinks with surprise. “I don’t remember saying that.”

I shrug. “I do.”

“What else do you remember?” she asks.

I stare at her. “Everything. It’s my curse,” I say.

“Wow,” she says. “I have a tough time remembering anything. Names. Places. Dates. I barely passed freshman history.”

Must be nice. “That’s probably why you take so many pictures,” I tell her. “It’s your way of remembering.”

She smiles at me, a Dylan smile that’s part lips and part laugh and it always catches the corners of my lips and pulls them up. Even when I fight to hold them down.  

About the Author

Katie Kacvinsky with Grass Roots store manager

Katie Kacvinsky is a young adult and new adult fiction writer. Her books have been nominated for YALSA awards and First Comes Love was a finalist for the Oregon Book Award. She currently lives in Madison, Wisconsin.

 Find Katie Kacvinsky

Blog * Goodreads * Twitter