Cover Love: 2012 Debut - Reunited by Hilary Weisman Graham

Reunited by Hilary Weisman Graham

June 12, 2012 from Simon and Schuster

1 Concert 

2,000 Miles 

3 Ex-Best Friends 

Alice, Summer, and Tiernan are ex-best friends. 

Back in middle school, the three girls were inseparable. They were also the number one fans of the rock band Level3. 

But when the band broke up, so did their friendship. Summer ran with the popular crowd, Tiernan was a rebellious wild-child, and Alice spent high school with her nose buried in books. 

Now, just as the girls are about to graduate, Level3 announces a one-time-only reunion show. 

Even though the concert’s 2000 miles away, Alice buys three tickets on impulse. And as it turns out, Summer and Tiernan have their own reasons for wanting to get out of town. Good thing Alice’s graduation gift (a pea-green 1976 VW camper van know as the Pea Pod) is just the vehicle to get them there. 

But on the long drive cross-country, the girls hit more than a few bumps in the road. Will their friendship get an encore or is the show really over? (from Goodreads)

June is a long way away but Reunited has been on my radar since I met Hilary at BEA this year. She's supper sweet and I'm really excited for her debut!

There's something about the color yellow that really draws my eye. I would definitely impulse buy this one if I saw it on the shelf.

What do you think? Sound like a good one to you? Do you like the cover?

Book Review: Griffin Rising by Darby Karchut

***2011 Debut Author***

Reading Level: Young Adult
Publication Date: June 2011
Pages: 174
Series: 1st in a series
Acquisition: received for review

Summary:

For centuries, rumors have abounded of a lowly caste of supernatural beings known as the Terrae Angeli. Armed with the power to control Earth, Fire, Wind and Water, these warriors secretly serve as guardians for mortals in danger.

But for one young angel-in-training, Griffin, life is hell as a cruel master makes his apprenticeship a nightmare. On the verge of failing, a new mentor, Basil, enters his life and changes it forever.

Taking on the identity of father and son, Griffin and Basil forge a special bond where honesty and trust go hand in hand to secure Griffin’s destiny as a Terrae Angeli. Griffin’s belief in himself and the love of a mortal girl are the perfect combination in overcoming the darkest days of his life. But will it be enough for him to succeed?

For Griffin, it’s time to angel up. (from author's webpage)

My thoughts:
A short and sweet coming of age story with some pretty cool paranormal elements. I very much enjoyed this book. Told as a series of journal entries, as a reader, we are treated to a few different characters and their POVs. I really liked this aspect of the book as It helped me feel connected to each character in a different way. Each journal entry was so personal - the core of each character was right there - I felt drawn into the story very quickly and even with it's short length, the power and strength of story was very well played out.

My favorite aspect of Griffin Rising is it's characters. In the world Griffin finds himself in, his life very easily could have turned out very different. I loved his interactions with Basil and it was uplifting to see how much they loved and took care of each other. Perhaps a little confusing when a new character, Katie, was added into the mix but it passed quickly as I got used to her voice and looked forward to seeing her take on Griffin, Basil and their strange life.

A quick read with lots of background details that kept me interested and a strong cast of characters that gave the story depth. A book I really think younger male readers would really enjoy.

I'm keeping my eye on Darby and I would definitely read more of her books in the future.

Overall Rating:

4 / 5 Stars

Books in the Series:
Griffin Rising
Griffin's Fire (April 2012)

Linkage Love:
Twilight Times Books
Author's Website
Goodreads

Week 1 NetGalley October Tips: Registering and Filling Out Your Bio

Welcome to Week 1 of NetGalley Ocotober :)

Today Lindsey Rudnickas, NetGalley Digital Concierge has some tips on getting started.

Registering and Filling Out your NetGalley Bio:
After you log in for the first time, make sure to fill in your Profile and Public Bio, so publishers know who you are and what you do. The information in your bio is what publishers see when deciding to approve your galley requests.

It’s very important to check the Publisher Approval Preferences page for guidance. Publishers are telling you exactly what they’re looking for in your Bio in order to approve you, so be sure to follow their advice!

And don't forget to indicate if you are a member of any Associations, like the ALA or ABA (under Account Information).

*HINT* In your Profile, the "Company" should not be the same as your first and last name, or else publishers might not be able to see your Public Bio when you request titles. Please at least put an underscore (example: first_last) to avoid the issue. Thanks!

*****************************************************************************

Have questions about Week 1's tips?

Comment below and I'll be sure to share them with Lindsey when we Twitter Chat on the 28th.

Haven't declared yourself yet?

DO IT NOW! :)

Coming up next week: Requesting and Getting Approved

In My Mailbox - October 1, 2011

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren :)

Vlog in which I know nothing about everything.....otherwise known as "The Vlog For Those Who Love To Watch Emily Spaz Out"




Awesomeness mentioned
Links are to Goodreads

Bought
Matched by Ally Condie
The Owl Keeper by Christine Brodien-Jones
Thirst #2 by Christopher Pike
Beyond The Grave by Mara Purnhagen
Thanks to Annie's Bookshop and Scholastic Book Fair!

Swapped
The Amaranth Enchantment by Julie Berry

Recieved For Review
The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann (Audio Book)
Perfect by Ellen Hopkins (Audio Book)
Goliath by Scott Westerfeld (Audio Book)
Under The Mesquite by Guadalupe Garcia McCall (ARC)
Reasons to be Happy by Katrina Kittle
Triangles by Ellen Hopkins (ARC)
Big Thanks to Simon and Schuster Audio, LibraryThing, Sourcebooks and Simon and Schuster / Atria Books

Won
Awesome swag for The Poison Diaries
Big Thanks to Maryrose Wood

Other Awesomeness mentioned!
NETGALLEY OCTOBER IS HERE!!! 

I still have BOOKS TO TRADE - including my ancient ARC of Matched that I am ashamed I haven't read yet (it's signed!)

CONTEST for Boyfriend from Hell by E. Van Lowe (now ends on October 5th!)

So! That's it's for me, what's in your mailbox?

NetGalley October Is Here! Declare Yourself!

This past April and July, Red House Books hosted and celebrated a month long NetGalley read-a-thon

I failed slightly in July but I still had a blast and I know a bunch of you did too.

So! We're doing it all again :)

NetGalley October is here! Confetti and fireworks and rainbows and puppies! Woo hoo!!!!

Basically, NetGalley Months are month long read-a-thons in which we all read as many NetGalley books as humanly possible. 

For those of you that don't know, NetGalley is a service for people who read and recommend books. Publishers upload galleys to the site for NetGalley members to request.
One of my favorite things about NetGalley is that anyone who reads and recommends books can use it for free. If you haven't already, you can register here.

I started NetGalley read-a-thon months to help myself and my overflowing request log of NetGalley titles just begging to be read. I'm overjoyed at how many people joined me in April and July and I'm hoping October will be even better.

You're probably asking yourself a few questions right about now...good thing I have answers ;)

What can I expect this month?

Mark your calendars for the 28th. At 5pm EST Lindsey Rudnickas, NetGalley's own Digital Concierge will join us for another Twitter Chat. 

Also! Because she is awesome, Lindsey will be providing us with NetGalley Tips all month long. Stay tuned for Monday and Week 1's tip, Registering and Filling Out Your NetGalley Bio.

What do I have to do to join in on the fun?

READ YOUR NETGALLEY BOOKS! Easy, right?

AND! Declare yourself by sharing your NetGalley October love somehow - blog post, Tweet (use the hashtag #NetGalleyMonth), Facebook update. Anything really but it must include a link back to this post and you need to fill out the form below for your declaration to 'count'

Why should I join the fun?

Because it's fun, duh! And I know you are behind on your NetGalley readings....at least I know I am :)

AND there are prizes!

2 participants (who have declared themselves and filled out the form below!) will win $15 worth of books from The Book Depository.

Sound good? Are you in? Are you excited? ARE YOU READY?!?!

I've Declared NetGalley October!

Now it's your turn :)