Inspired by Alexa Loves Books’s The Monday Mix and The Mary Sue’s Things We Saw Today, A Few of My Favorite Things Friday is a round-up of my favorite internet offerings for the week.

~I found this more interesting than good: Amazon is going to allow writers to sell their fanfiction for select fandoms

~Houghton Mifflin Harcourt released their BEA schedule!

~I always love Publishing Crawl’s blog posts, and this post from Susan Dennard about trusting your own work with a Critique Partner was wonderful.

~One of my favorite authors, Diana Peterfreund redesigned her website and I love it! Check it out here.

~The panels for the Teen Author Carnival 2013 were announced! I’m thinking I’ll probably be attending the World Play and She’s No Pushover panels, but we’ll see!

~An excerpt of Maggie Stiefvater’s The Dream Thieves was released and OH LORD AM I EXCITED.

~A few awesome book bloggers have gotten together to address the lack of a place for short YA speculative fiction. Inaccurate Realities, their YA  literary magazine‘s first issue will be published in October and they are currently accepting submissions!

~Enough people pre-ordered Siege and Storm, that Leigh Bardugo’s short story from Genya’s POV was released. Gosh, I love this series.

~The man who created the .gif made a statement than “it’s pronounced jif.” Most of the internet has banded together to make a statement that we will continue to call it a GIF.

~Marissa Meyer gave us this peek into what’s on her writing desk. Like her, I always find writing spaces fascinating!

My posts this week:

~Nothing on Almost Grown-up as I’ve basically been a nervous wreck; I started querying my first novel this week! This is also why my “favorite things” list is MUCH shorter than last week’s!

~I did, however, make a post on my personal/writing blog, Speaking Jenerally, about why I’m glad I still feel like I have homework.

View the post: A Few of My Favorite Things Friday #2

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Inspired by Alexa Loves Books’s The Monday Mix and The Mary Sue’s Things We Saw Today, A Few of My Favorite Things Friday is a round-up of my favorite internet offerings for the week.

~A discussion on Books With Cass’s Thursday Thought inspired me to start including some more personal content on Almost Grown-up again. I’m excited to share with you guys!

~A new photo of Shailene Woodley as Tris Prior in Divergent was released… after which my phone was inundated with text messages, a) correctly stating that she is wearing the most Abnegation dress ever and b) demanding that the Bevy of Dauntless recreate said photo

~The third book in Laini Taylor’s ‘Daughter of Smoke & Bone’ series is going to be called ‘Dreams of Gods and Monsters.’ Plus, an INCREDIBLE fanmade trailer for Days of Blood and Starlight.

~Speaking of incredible fanmade trailers, this Shadow and Bone trailer is also absolutely UNBELIEVABLY amazing. And features the seductively complex Darkling.

~Alexa Loves Books (along with some other bloggers) is organizing a BEA Book Blogger Picnic in Central Park! Check out this post for more details .

~The Irish Banana Review shared an interview with Little, Brown publicist Faye about BEA and which LB galleys attendees should be excited for.

~If you’re attending BEA and are starting to create your schedule, you probably also want to check out Macmillan’s signings and galley drops.

~Unfortunately, Rick Riordan cleared up some rumors. A sneak peek of House of Hades will not be available at BEA. Well, I’m glad he cleared it up… it’s just unfortunate that it’s not true! ;)

~This “Ok… not this” video that Paper Lantern Lit shared on their Facebook page reminded me strongly of comments I am guilty of leaving for my Critique Partners.

~If you’re a fan of the Lizzie Bennet Diaries, Bernie Su’s newest web series launched this week. So far it’s a little more transmedia than story, but hopefully I’ll grow to love it.

~This lovely Throne of Glass wallpaper designed by Elena of Novel Sounds is now my work laptop background. I like that I can be subtly fangirl and still professional.

~Is it too soon to be excited for Fall TV? Well, too bad because the trailers for Once Upon A Time In Wonderland and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. have me excited.

~Hopefully you’re a fan of diversity in your YA and that means you should definitely check out the DiversifYA blog.

~This Book Scoffers video by PolandBananasBooks contains situations that I am all too familiar with.

~Epic Reads is ready to PUMP. YOU. UP. …with this work out for book nerds like us!

~As part of a challenge for Bout of Books, my friend Aimee over at Penmanship Smitten redesigned this adorable cover for Robin Wasserman’s The Book of Blood & Shadow.

My posts this week

~BEA tips (and my grand return to blogging)

~A review of The Heiresses by Allison Rushby

~A review of This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith

~My introduction post for the Classics Retold project. I’m delving into Twelfth Night!

~A review of Fox Forever by Mary E. Pearson

View the post: A Few of My Favorite Things Friday #1

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Series: Jenna Fox Chronicles #3

Author: Mary E. Pearson

Published March 19th 2013 by Henry Holt and Co.

Source: ARC received from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review

Buy it from: Amazon| Book Depository | IndieBound | Books & Books

Goodreads summary:

Locke Jenkins has some catching up to do. After spending 260 years as a disembodied mind in a little black box, he has a perfect new body. But before he can move on with his unexpected new life, he’ll have to return the Favor he accepted from the shadowy resistance group known as the Network.

Locke must infiltrate the home of a government official by gaining the trust of his daughter, seventeen-year-old Raine, and he soon finds himself pulled deep into the world of the resistance—and into Raine’s life.

Mary E. Pearson brings the story she began in The Adoration of Jenna Fox and continued in The Fox Inheritance to a breathtaking conclusion as Locke discovers that being truly human requires much more than flesh and blood.

Review:

Not to be too punny right off the bat here, but I adored The Adoration of Jenna Fox, which is the first book in Mary E. Pearson’s Jenna Fox Chronicles. It was lyrical and poetic and I didn’t love the sequel The Fox Inheritance quite as much because I missed all of that.

But happily, this book, Fox Forever, got me past all of that.

Now, here’s the thing: I knew to adjust my expectations with Fox Forever. I didn’t have to lower them, but after the last one, I suspected that it wouldn’t be chock full of the lyrical prose of Adoration. It’s still an excellent book: it’s full of swoony moments and some high quality action.

There’s also a kind of spy conflict here– you know the type. The “I can’t reveal my secret mission but I have the FEELINGS” kind. As I’ve expressed on this blog time and time again, I love spy novels so that element made me very happy.

Jenna isn’t the main character of this novel– really not even this series anymore, so the inclusion of her name in the titles and series is a little misleading, but Locke took over in the last book and I really enjoyed getting to know him.

Overall, Fox Forever was a fast and fun read and brought Mary E. Pearson’s Jenna Fox Chronicles to a very satisfying conclusion.

Goodreads rating: 4/5 stars.

Need a second opinion?

Me too! If you reviewed this book, leave me a link in the comments!

View the post: Fox Forever Mary E. Pearson Book Review

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It’s a goal that I’ve fallen short of thus far. It’s Mid-May and my classic challenge stands at 1. So, I was thrilled to discover the Classics Retold project. At least I know that I can expect to read two!

The Classics Retold project was inspired by Project Fairytale, originally hosted by The Cheap Reader. Basically the goal of the project is to dive into a classic. Read the story and find adaptations to love too; and really delve into things surrounding the text.

I’ve always loved Shakespeare, so for this project, I’ve chosen to read one of his plays that I’ve never read: Twelfth Night. I tend to prefer Shakespeare’s comedies over his tragedies and think Twelfth Night sounds right up my alley.

The project doesn’t begin until September, but right now, my vague plans include posts about:

• Twelfth Night: a review
• Twelfth Night: what the play was named for
• She’s the Man: a before and after my reading look
• A round table post with some Shakespeare buddies
• A post about a screen adaptation of the play itself– provided I find one
• The Fool’s Girl by Celia Rees review
• Illyria by Elizabeth Hand review
• Anything else- do you know of other Twelfth Night Adaptations that I should look at? Are you interested in guest posting about Twelfth Night? Feel free to contact me!

And that’s it! I’m really looking forward to participating in this project and can’t wait until September!

Are you participating in Classics Retold? Let me know!

View the post: Classics Retold: Twelfth Night

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Title: This Is What Happy Looks Like

Standalone

Author: Jennifer E. Smith

Published April 2nd 2013 by Poppy

Source: Received for review via Netgalley

Buy it from: Amazon | Book Depository | IndieBound | Books & Books

Goodreads summary: 

If fate sent you an email, would you answer?

When teenage movie star Graham Larkin accidentally sends small town girl Ellie O’Neill an email about his pet pig, the two seventeen-year-olds strike up a witty and unforgettable correspondence, discussing everything under the sun, except for their names or backgrounds. 

Then Graham finds out that Ellie’s Maine hometown is the perfect location for his latest film, and he decides to take their relationship from online to in-person. But can a star as famous as Graham really start a relationship with an ordinary girl like Ellie? And why does Ellie want to avoid the media’s spotlight at all costs?

Review:

I was chomping at the bit to get to This is What Happy Looks Like. Having read and adored Jennifer E. Smith’s The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, I was looking forward to another adorable romance. I was not disappointed.

And when I say adorable, I mean pretty much everything about it, right down to the adorable Maine coastal town that Smith sets her story in. I got some strong Dessen vibes from it and that is a HIGH compliment from me. 

The initial e-mails that Ellie and Graham exchange are chock-full of OMG-squeeeeeees. The two of them are absolutely darling and I loved that while their romance definitely has drama, it’s not weird contrived drama over he said/she said stuff. It has to do with the lives that they both lead. Ellie’s not sure she can handle Graham’s limelight for personal reasons and he totally steps up to the plate when it comes to those personal issues to help her deal with it.

I loved that about their relationship. They’re cutesy and they laugh but both try to help each other out with whatever’s going on– even if sometimes that don’t make the best decisions in how they do it (*cough* Graham *cough cough*).

The biggest thing that bothered me about this book was the fact that… well, let’s be honest guys, the way that Graham winds up in Ellie’s town is kiiinda creepazoid of him. There was a big part of me that was like “OMG HE FOUND HER, STRANGER DANGER, ELLIE.”

Thankfully, he’s a sweetie in every other way. I tremendously enjoyed This is What Happy Looks Like.

Goodreads rating: 4/5.

If you haven’t read This is What Happy Looks Like  yet, I encourage you to check out Books With Cass’s Spring into Summer Read Along! This is their first book and they just started it yesterday!

Need a second opinion?

“Sometimes you read a book that’s absolutely adorable, and it charms you so much that you don’t even mind how impossible some of the circumstances in the book may be.” – Penmanship Smitten

“There can be no denying it. This book is cute. Like puppies and kitties cute.” - More Than Just Magic

“I love how Jennifer E. Smith writes. Like, her words are really smooth and just go down easy, ya know?” – Good Books and Good Wine

View the post: This Is What Happy Looks Like Jennifer E. Smith Book Review

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Standalone

Author: Allison Rushby

Publish date: May 7th 2013 by St. Martin’s Griffin

Source: Received for review via NetGalley

Buy it from: Amazon | Book Depository | IndieBound | Books & Books

Goodreads summary:

In Allison Rushby’s Heiresses, three triplets—estranged since birth—are thrust together in glittering 1926 London to fight for their inheritance, only to learn they can’t trust anyone—least of all each other.

When three teenage girls, Thalia, Erato and Clio, are summoned to the excitement of fast-paced London—a frivolous, heady city full of bright young things—by Hestia, an aunt they never knew they had, they are shocked to learn they are triplets and the rightful heiresses to their deceased mother’s fortune. All they need to do is find a way to claim the fortune from their greedy half-brother, Charles. But with the odds stacked against them, coming together as sisters may be harder than they think.

Review:

Historical fiction is a genre that I rarely pass up the chance to read, and when Allison Rushby’s New Adult novel The Heiresses was likened to Downton Abbey, I knew it was a book that I’d be reading.

Initially, the book started off strong and the hook will have Downton Abbey fans experiencing sad flashbacks to a depressing point in the series. I was eager to get to know Thalia, Ro, and Clio and see how they bonded together. But that’s where a big part of the book fell flat for me. I’m a person who really needs to like a main character (or main characters) in order to like the book. I didn’t get that in The Heiresses. The sisters are so often out for themselves and make decisions that I rarely respected.

Further, Allison Rushby’s The Heiresses was originally published as an e-serial and sort of suffers from what I’m going to call “Soap Opera Syndrome.” Each “episode” is overly dramatic and the overarching plot suffers as a result.

I did enjoy the history present in The Heiresses. The Roaring Twenties, whether in America or England, are fascinatingly decadent to me and I liked what I saw of that in this one. There was also one character (Clio) that I did care about and I genuinely felt invested in her romance and problems, but unfortunately, she was often overshadowed by her sisters– who I just plain didn’t like.

Goodreads rating: 3/5 stars.

Need a second opinion?

Me too! If you reviewed this book, link me in the comments!

View the post: The Heiresses Allison Rushby Book Review

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HELLO FRIENDS. I have returned. There are many many reasons for this, but chief among them are:

1. I miss blogging a lot.
2. Book Expo America is in merely WEEKS.

The fact that BEA is omgsosoon is really what decided things for me, despite the fact that I’m still working on revisions for my novel (lordy be, they are taking longer than I expected).

And since this is going to be my second year going to BEA, I thought I’d offer some TIPS for anyone who is going to be new to the conference this year. I know that last year when I was preparing, I stalked every blog that I could think of for advice, so here are my two cents.

1. I hope those boots are made for walking. I literally do not think that I can stress this point enough: WEAR COMFORTABLE SHOES. I honestly scoffed when I saw this on a bunch of posts last year because I wear heels and I wear heels often. So listen to me when I tell you: if you wear high heels, your feet will want to break up with you. Last year, I wore boat shoes for most of my trip, and my feet and I still went through a rough patch. You want comfortable flats. Trust me on this.

Among the flats I am packing this year.

2. This isn’t a job fair, but you’re not hanging out at a friend’s house either. You don’t need to wear a suit, but you’ll probably want to leave the T-shirts back at your hotel. My wardrobe options this year include dresses, sundresses, cardigans, comfortable black slacks and sweaters, and maybe even nice white jeans with button-ups. And I’m sure all of them will be fine. Also, check the weather before you pack because NYC is colder in May/June than Florida is, and I almost wasn’t prepared for that last year.

Wardrobe examples!

3. The bag situation. My personal preference is for a backpack or cross body because it keeps your hands free. As for what goes in your backpack, last year I was a little too prepared, I think. You’ll want your phone and/or your camera, maybe your charger, and definitely your wallet. You don’t need to bring large amounts of tote bags, I promise. They’ll have them at a bazillion booths and you’ll be able to grab them as needed soon enough.

Tote we received at the morning of the blogger conference (aka the 1st day) last year.

4. Business cards. No, they’re not a must and no one is going to judgy-face you if you don’t have them, but I exchanged a LOT of cards with people at BEA and started following their blogs/Twitter accounts because of that.

My cards (designed by SophistiKatied!)

5. ARCs. Don’t be greedy, my dudes. I know that there can be a little bit of a starry-eyed ZOMG-SO-MANY-BOOKS factor, but rein your self-control in tight. Yes, there are MANY books, but I have ARCs from last year that I still haven’t gotten to. Grab the stuff that really appeals to you and that you don’t expect to get from a publishing contact. You’ll be glad later.

This is kind of what it’s like.

6. I ship it. Hopefully you took my advice re: the selectiveness of your ARC-grabbing because dudes, if you’re not from NYC (as I am not), shipping can be expensive. The two ways to go about this depend on what matters most to you: price or convenience.

If convenience, there is a giant room at the Javits where you can reserve a box to add your books to throughout the conference and mail it at the end. You never have to carry any ARCs out, but I hear it’s a little pricey.

If price matters most, some of my BEA roomies and I packed our books into our suitcases and wheeled them to the nearest NYC post office where we sat on the ground and assembled many boxes to ship them home. It took a while because we did not exercise great self-control last year and also, shipping that many boxes to Canada, where Lindsey lives, was more complicated than we expected.

Don’t we look happy.

7. See the big apple. You’re in New York! It’s an awesome city. The conference and surrounding events are probably going to eat up most of your time, but you should definitely make an effort to do some typical tourist stuff.

ATLAS.

8. In your face. Finally, before you go, make sure your Twitter avatar, etc, is YOUR FACE so that we can all recognize each other! This is my face. I met so many bloggers last year and I look forward to meeting more of you this year! We’re going to have a great time!

9. Armchair BEA. If you’re not making the trip out to NYC this year, we’ll miss you! But there’s a great event called Armchair BEA that is a wonderful virtual alternative and I definitely recommend it.

Are any of you going to Book Expo America this year? Do you have tips that I missed? Let me know!

*Thanks to Lindsey for this post title, from our planning e-mail chain ;)

View the post: BEA is coming.*

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Author: Jane Austen

First published: December 1817

Source: Ambling Books

Goodreads summary:

Twenty-seven-year old Anne Elliot is Austen’s most adult heroine. Eight years before the story proper begins, she is happily betrothed to a naval officer, Frederick Wentworth, but she precipitously breaks off the engagement when persuaded by her friend Lady Russell that such a match is unworthy. The breakup produces in Anne a deep and long-lasting regret. When later Wentworth returns from sea a rich and successful captain, he finds Anne’s family on the brink of financial ruin and his own sister a tenant in Kellynch Hall, the Elliot estate. All the tension of the novel revolves around one question: Will Anne and Wentworth be reunited in their love?

Review:

Note: WHOA, can’t believe it’s been a month already. But the hiatus isn’t really over, even if it HAS been a month. I still need to concentrate on my manuscript right now. Soon though, guys! Soooooon.

View the post: Persuasion Jane Austen Audiobook BookTube Review

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I need to take a brief hiatus from blogging.

I’m not quitting, by any means. It’s just that I’m currently trying to balance a new full-time job with a social life, an internship, blogging responsibilities, and finishing revisions on the first novel that I want to query. I wanted to make BookTubing a regular thing too, but that was a goal that hasn’t happened. I simply don’t have time to do it all right now and I hate doing something halfway the way that I’ve been blogging lately.

If I have time, I might still throw the odd post up about a book that I just need to talk about. But no promises.

Give me around a month– maybe a little more– to get my first query letters out into great, wide world, and I’ll be back to blogging with bells on.*

I’ll see you guys then!

Until then, though, you can find me doing my usual thing on ze Twittah.

*Disclaimer: Will not actually wear bells while blogging. ;)

View the post: Hiatus

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Series: Currently a standalone– but the author’s working on a sequel!

Author: Alex Lidell

Source: Purchased

Buy it from:Amazon| Book Depository | IndieBound | Books & Books

Publish date: January 10th 2013 by Dial

Goodreads summary:

There is a new king on the throne of Tildor. Currents of political unrest sweep the country as two warring crime families seek power, angling to exploit the young Crown’s inexperience. At the Academy of Tildor, the training ground for elite soldiers, Cadet Renee de Winter struggles to keep up with her male peers. But when her mentor, a notorious commander recalled from active duty to teach at the Academy, is kidnapped to fight in illegal gladiator games, Renee and her best friend Alec find themselves thrust into a world rife with crime, sorting through a maze of political intrigue, and struggling to resolve what they want, what is legal, and what is right.

Review:

GOOD MORROW, FRIENDS.

Go buy this book.

Oh wait, I’m supposed to tell you WHY you should go buy this book first, right? Well, then, let’s hop to it!

We all know what a big fan of Tamora Pierce I am, right? Which is why a pitch that includes her name is guaranteed to draw my eye. But nothing besides the quality of a story will guarantee that it will hold my attention.

And boy oh boy, did The Cadet of Tildor hold my attention.

It wasn’t only that it held so many of my favorite elements: there was magic, a castle, and a strong female MC– it was that Alex Lidell crafted those elements so well.

For instance, our strong female MC, Renee de Winter is so proud of her future as a Cadet and so fearful that it won’t come to fruition– so she works at it. And the best thing about her is how much she grows as a character over the course of the novel. When the novel starts, she sees the world as very black and white. It was interesting as things changed for her so that she could see that there wasn’t always a clear answer.

Another character that I really enjoyed was Savoy, who was absolutely fascinating. He’s almost surly when he is called back to the castle in order to teach the cadets, but does a good job teaching. It was particularly interesting when we caught glimpses of what his character may have been like back when he was a student himself.

But the political unrest present in its pages is what gives The Cadet of Tildor life. The royal family fights against two crime families, who, in turn fight against each other as well. The seed of corruption runs deep in the world and as more was revealed about the families’ beliefs and the laws of the realms, I found myself actually understanding why different characters would ally themselves in certain ways.

The Cadet of Tildor is a fantasy novel that you’ll want sitting on your shelves alongside other YA fantasy favorites like Throne of Glass, Graceling… and yes, Tamora Pierce’s novels too.

…Is it okay if I tell you to go buy it now?

Goodreads rating: 5/5 stars.

Need a second opinion?

“The Cadet of Tildor was an incredibly addictive and enchanting novel.” -More Than Just Magic

“The strength of this novel … is in its story, filled with revelations, betrayals, truths, lies, and plenty of twists.” -Book Brats

“There are strong threads tying Lidell to Pierce, and I mean that in the best way possible.” -A Backwards Story

View the post: The Cadet of Tildor Alex Lidell Book Review

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