From the HC website: Prism takes us to a slightly alternate universe in which medicine and health care do not exist, and in which sick people are allowed to die without any care. Set in New Mexico and California, the novel features three teens who fall through a cave at Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico while on a field trip. They are plunged into a frightening parallel universe—seven weeks in the past, in which their "normal" worlds of family and high school remain the same…except for the fact that no medicine exists and when people die in the street they are picked up and disposed of.
This mother-daughter team will be coming to @AndersonsBkshp June 23!!!!
Secrets to Happiness Sarah Dunn Little, Brown and Company March 2009 Blog Tour - June 12, 2009
from inside jacket Holly Frick has just endured the worst kind of breakup: the kind where you're still in love with the person leaving you. While Holly's wounds are still dangerously close to the surface, her happily married best friend confesses over a bottle of wine that she is thisclose to having an affair. And another woman asks Holly for advice about her love life -- with one of Holly's exes.
Holly decides that if everyone around her can take pleasure wherever they find it, so will she. As any self-respecting woman would do, she brings two males into her life: a flawed but endearing dog and a good-natured, much younger lover. She's soon entangled in a web of emails, chance meetings, and misguided good intentions and must forge an entirely new path to Nirvana.
The Awakening (Darkest Powers, 2) by Kelley Armstrong ARC/HarperTeen/April 28, 2009
Today is the official release day of The Awakening!! Browse Inside it over in the sidebar!
The Summoning (Darkest Powers, 1) - this summary was written while I was reading the book during The Dewey ReadAThon
So far we've met Chloe and she sees dead people. She saw a custodian, at her school, who looked as if he was in a fire and he started chasing her around the school - appears he needs help so he can leave the school - she was screaming, teachers came and they sent her to a group home. Most interesting resident so far - Liz - she can moves things with her mind. Also, we just uncovered some possible powers for the other students at the Lyle House with Chloe.
Simon - can levitate things
Rae - can burn people with her touch
Chloe's Aunt Lauren seems to be hiding something. She's really upset over Derek "bothering" Chloe. Hmm.... Derek and Simon have filled Chloe in on a little of their background. Turns out Derek is sort of a superman and also extremely bright. We keep seeing Liz as a ghost so Chloe is wondering if she is now dead. Rae and Chloe broke into the closet in the basement but Chloe didn't get to talk to a ghost. She did find a box of old property records though! Simon can do some spells. Don't know about Rae yet - I think she may be hiding something. She might be a spy. It turns out that Tori is actually crazy. Also, the adults KNOW the children have powers. Apparently the founder of the Lyle House used to bring supernaturals there to do experiments on them. Chloe learned this by talking to some ghosts. Now Chloe, Derek, Simon and Rae are on the run and Dr. Davidoff and the others are chasing them. Chloe is hurt and the girls have been separated from the boys!
The Awakening
Picks up where The Summoning left off. Chloe and Rae are caught by the Edison Group but not the boys. The Edison Group are a bunch of supernatural doctors who like to do experiments. They experimented on Chloe and the other kids when they were little. They were hoping to help them assimilate better. This didn't work. Now Chloe and Tori are trying to find Simon and Derek and hopefully Kit, Simon's dad. He is a supernatural too and supposedly he can help them. They look for a friend of Simon's dad, Andrew, because they think he can tell them where Kit is. Tori and Simon are on a bus while Derek and Chloe stopped off so that Derek could change. He got about 3/4 of the way before the change reversed itself. There appears to be some sort of romance in the air between those two but Derek keeps pushing Chloe towards Simon, prolly cause he, Derek, thinks he might hurt her. They eventually find Andrew but isn't sure he can help them. They also need to find out what happened to Chloe's Aunt Lauren. Chloe has accepted her life as a necromancer and is now looking forward to kicking The Edison Group's butt and hopefully finding Kit. I can hardly wait for the next book! 5 stars and a definite purchase.
I get to see Kelley Armstrong, Melissa Marr (@Melissa_Marr), and Kim Harrison when the visit Anderson's Bookshop (@AndersonsBkshp) in Naperville, Il on June 2nd as part of the Supernatural Summer tour. It is sure to be a blast!
The Chosen One Carol Lynch Williams St. Martin's Press ARC Pub Date - May 12, 2009
Kyra and her family are so excited! The Prophet is coming to visit them tonight and they are sure it's good news. Maybe their dad has been chosen to become an apostle. The apostles have the best of everything because they are blessed, so sayeth Prophet Childs. Right now Kyra and her families live in three trailers on the outskirts of the compound. Did i mention that Kyra has 20 brothers and sisters? And 3 mothers? Yeah. They live in a polygamist society that is mostly cut off from the outside world. But please, read on, don't let that stop you.
It turns out that the person who was chosen is not her dad, but Kyra herself.
"In a light bright as the sun the revelation came," Prophet Childs says. He stares over our heads like he's seeing things all over again. "The two of you at the stone altar, wearing the ceremonial dress, Brother Hyrum standing, you kneeling at his feet. I saw it all. I saw it all. You have been saved for him."
She's been chosen to marry Hyrum! But at 14 she doesn't want to get married, especially not to her uncle! She wants to wait for Joshua. He's her age and over this past year they've learned so much about each other. And what about Patrick, on the Bookmobile? The Prophet and Uncle Hyrum promise riches and ease to the family when Kyra marries. But in the meantime, the family needs to be taught about discipline, especially the baby who cried when The Prophet was talking.
What choice does Kyra really have?
I can't tell you much about this book because the beauty is in the unfolding. I read a lot of this book aloud to my daughter and she would yell everytime I stopped (cause it's faster to read silently!). Finally she came over and started reading it with me.
Carol Lynch Williams creates a world so real, I could feel the tension in Kyra. What were we going to do? How could we possibly get anywhere? What about our family? I felt as if I had to make the same decisions as Kyra. The writing was clear and concise. It moved you along in the story to the only possible ending. I absolutely loved this book! I will be adding it to the school library and as a book club book in the fall. St. Martin's Press even included a great discussion guide! I give it 5 stars!
Hello! This is my last official IMM! I'm going to start doing Library Loot and just putting in any other books as I receive them. I'm hoping this will cut down on the time I'm doing these types of posts and increase the time to do actual reviews!!!
So here's where I share what I bought, borrowed, begged for, or other ways I was able to get my grubby little hands on books!!! If you want some more titles to add to your to 2 read list, check out the Story Siren, she's the one that interested me in this.
Bought It was a bad week for me. I bought books at Barnes and Noble, both online and in the store, Amazon, and Powell's. The good part of this is that I'd won a gift card at Amazon - so I only spent abt 2 bucks. The Powell's haven't come in yet - but I used virtual credit for those!!
Vamped by Lucienne Diver - this is for my daughter Jess. She loved the cover.
Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - read this in Sept., lent my copy to a student and haven't received it back yet. Need to read for last 8th grade book discussion group.
Heartbreakers by Pamela Wells - one of my favorite students recommended I read this.
Far From You by Lisa Schroeder - read I Heart You, I Haunt You and wanted to read this one plus the cover rocks.
Death By Bikini by Linda Gerber - great title and for some reason I already bought Death by Latte so I needed to get this, it's the first book.
Initiation by Susan Fine - first, the cover attracted me, then it reminds me of Spud and Catcher in the Rye because it's about boys at all boy schools but is written by a woman...that's intriguing! Susan Fine is doing this cool 44 goals things at her blog. Sounds like a neat idea.
Lesson Learned by Earl Sewell - bought this for J because she liked The Kayla Chronicles. Also, it's a guy writing about girls. And he's from South Holland, Il - that's a hop skip and a jump from Chicago! Also, Mr. Sewell is on Twitter! Follow him here. According to his website, he'll be in Chicago in June so I will try to have this read by then so that I can go and meet him.
Borrowed I have way too many books from the library (19!) with 5 more on the hold list! So I did not even go to the library this week! Even though Very Valentine by Adriana Trigiani is in. I'm sure I will go later now that I think about it! Plus, Ms. Trigiani has a YA book coming out in Sept called Viola in Reel Life that looks pretty good!
Begged for Sleepaway Girls by Jen Calonita I got this one from Book Divas on Twitter. Ms. Calonita is going to be on their blog from May 4 - May 8. You can go there and put questions in for Ms. Calonita to answer when she is there!! The Book Divas has lots of information on authors and writing as well as cool contests. Please check them out.
Well, hope you found something to add to your TBR pile!! And don't forget to tell me What's In Your Mailbox!
SLOB Ellen Potter Philomel Books (Penguin Young Readers) May 2009 From: Advance Uncorrected Galley
First, just take a look at that cover. What comes to mind? Looking at the cover, you think you know what this book is about, but you don't.
"A three-story red-brick nightmare of educational progress." (p.2)
That's how Owen Birnbaum introduces us to school, his school at least. At Owen's school students can determine their own "educational progress" by studying whatever floats their boat at the moment.
Being the smartest kid in the school, and now the fattest, brings problems for Owen, even at such a progressive school. Someone has been stealing his Oreos and his PE teacher, Mr. Wooly, is determined to humiliate him. Owen wasn't always fat and he wishes he could go back to the moment that changed everything for him. Owen believes that his latest invention will allow him to do just that, if he can get it to work!
Using the note with the word SLOB written on it as inspiration, Owen works to uncover the cookie thief and find the missing piece to his invention. With the help of his sister, Jeremy, he has almost figured out how to uncover exactly what happened that night almost 2 years ago.
Ellen Potter is genius. I was totally captivated by the language in this book. It was funny without being stupid. "It made me feel squirrelly in my stomach. But maybe I was just hungry." (p. 29) I think this book will appeal to both boys and girls at our school and will use it for book club in the fall. It's a great middle grade read with potential as a good read-aloud. The references to old TV shows will also appeal to teachers/librarians who may have watched those shows growing up. Jeremy's participation in Girls Who Are Boys, GAWB, will resonate with the tomboys. And Mr. Wooly? I had a teacher just like that and, unfortunately, some of them still exist today. Students will see that. They will get it. It will be a great discussion. I can't wait! I give it 5 stars.
This, thankfully, was a slow week. I picked up some books from the library, received some books for a blog tour, and mooched a book. IMM is brought to you courtesy of The Story Siren. Check out her blog for more reads to add to your pile!
Bought I didn't buy any books this week! Yeah! But I wanted to. It was very hard to resist!
Borrowed:
King of the Screwups by KL Going - this was one of my WOW reads! This is What I want to Tell You by Heather Duffy Stone - looked good Fragile Eternity by Melissa Marr - another WOW read! And it doesnt officially come out until Tuesday!
Blog Tour: I will be hosting a Blog Tour during the Week of May 4 - May 8 in honor of Mother's Day. The tour is courtesy of Waterbrook Multnomah - a division of Random House.
Dear Mom by Melody Carlson - I love Carlson's Diary of a Teenage Girl Series Mama's Got a Fake I.D. by Caryn Dahlstrand Rivadeneira - This book helps you uncover the true you beyond being a mom.
Book mooched:
Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X Stork I've heard so many wonderful things about this book. I know I won't get to it anytime soon, but at least I will have it when I am ready!
That's what I'm adding to the pile. Course, I've already read King of the Screwups by KL Going for the Read-A-Thon. So that's one less book to read. Dont forget to stop by for my reviews and the blog tour.
Went to take a nap at around 4:30 am and didn't get back up until 8:30 this morning!!!!! So, I read more of King of the Screwups by KL Going. Liam has been trying to pretend that he's a nerd but he is way too dumb. I love how Going has integrated flashbacks of Liam as a kid so that we can understand why he's the way he is now. I'm trying to understand how Pete and Allan could be brothers and be so very different.
Title of book(s) read since last update:
Still working on King of the Screwups
Number of books read since you started: 3 Pages read since last update: 38 Running total of pages read since you started: 1100 Amount of time spent reading since last update: 39 min Running total of time spent reading since you started: (keep track of this one to be eligible for a prize!) 11 hrs 20 min Mini-challenges completed: 7? Other participants you’ve visited: all who hosted mini challenges plus 1 Prize you’ve won: none
That was so much fun. I know now NOT to take a nap with only four hours left and NOT to read in bed because it makes you tired. I look forward to the October Read A Thon!
Next time I might even try having this as a school fundraiser library/overnighter type thing. We could have different activities like Guitar Hero, Dance Dance Revolution, etc. Money could be raised for the library to help with our remodeling fund. Hmmm...
Started a new book: King of the Screwups by KL Going. Liam got kicked out of his house and now lives with his openly gay uncle "Aunt Pete". He's trying to convince his dad and everyone else that he's changed so he is trying to dress "studiously". KL Going has a great since of humor and it is very welcomed right now!! Only 4 more hours!
Pages read since last update: 92
Running total of pages read since you started: 1062
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 64 min
Running total of time spent reading since you started: (keep track of this one to be eligible for a prize!) 10hr 41min
Just finished The Awakening. There will definitely be another book. For now, I'm unsure about Andrew and what has happened to Aunt Lauren. Still not sure if Chloe will end up with Derek but I hope so. Great books, will have to get for school.
Title of book(s) read since last update: The Summoning The Awakening Broken Soup Number of books read since you started: 3 Pages read since last update: 123 Running total of pages read since you started: 975 Amount of time spent reading since last update: 1hr 10 min Running total of time spent reading since you started: (keep track of this one to be eligible for a prize!) 9hr 37 min Mini-challenges completed: 6? Other participants you’ve visited: 9 Prize you’ve won: none
Still reading The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong. pg 236 of 359. Tori, Simon, Chloe and Derek are trying to find a friend of Simon's dad. They've had to move around a lot and Chloe had her face cut by a homeless girl. Tori and Simon are on a bus while Derek and Chloe stopped off so that Derek could change. He got about 3/4 of the way before the change reversed itself. There appears to be some sort of romance in the air between those two but Derek keeps pushing Chloe towards Simon, prolly cause he thinks he might hurt her.
Pages read since last update: 103
Running total of pages read since you started: 852
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 61 min
Running total of time spent reading since you started: (keep track of this one to be eligible for a prize!) 8hr 27min
I took the color test. You had to arrange colors in order on four different bars. It was really hard. Especially since I dont have the lights on because my DD is sleeping on the couch to be near me! Here are my results:
My eyes feel a little better though. Gave me something different to focus on since it's a different color!
Reading The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong alright it's really starting to pick up. We know everyone's powers and we've found out that Tori's mom is a witch just like Tori! Dr. Davidoff runs a group called the Edison Group that Tori's mom is part of. Chloe's Aunt Lauren is also part of the group but she doesn't have any powers. Her brother, Chloe's uncle, was a necromancer too. The edison group experimented on Chloe and the other kids when they were little. They were hoping to decrease their powers so that they could assimilate better. This didnt work. Their powers actually became stronger and less controllable. Now Chloe and Tori are trying to find Simon and Derek and hopefully Kit, Simon's dad. He is a supernatural too and supposedly he can help them.
Pages read since last update: 72
Running total of pages read since you started: 749
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 48 min
Running total of time spent reading since you started: (keep track of this one to be eligible for a prize!) 7hr 26min
Woo hoo - I finished another book. I am on a roll. Almost there!!
Title of book(s) read since last update: The Summoning Broken Soup Number of books read since you started: 2 Pages read since last update: 66 Running total of pages read since you started: 617 Amount of time spent reading since last update: 60 min Running total of time spent reading since you started: (keep track of this one to be eligible for a prize!) 6 hrs Mini-challenges completed: Library Love Comic Book Mid Event Survey Other participants you’ve visited: secret dreamworld, Priyanka dreams Prize you’ve won: None so far!
Mid-Event Survey: 1. What are you reading right now?
I'm reading Broken Soup by Jenny Valentine
2. How many books have you read so far?
This is my second book. I also went to see 17 Again!
3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?
The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong is sounding good!
4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day?
Not really - I just havent really done anything productive like laundry or cooking dinner!
5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?
I had to take my 13yo out to the movies and its on the other side of town. We also had to pick up her friend and then drop the friend off. My daughter then wanted to talk for a while.
6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?
I dont really read that fast!!!!
7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
NO, I really love it. I love the challenges and the cheerleaders and everything!
8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year?
Next year I will follow the advice and start with shorter books or I will just change my expectations. I'm also going to talk my daughter into doing it with me!
9. Are you getting tired yet?
Not really. The movie really helped. It was a long break in the middle.
10. Do you have any tips for other Readers or Cheerleaders, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered?
I'm using this mark my time bookmark timer thingy and helps me keep a running total of the time I've read.
This is an interesting book. Jenny Valentine likes coincidences. There is one in Me, The Missing and The Dead and there is one in this book too. Harper Greene is my favorite character in the book. He travels a lot and right now he is living in an ambulance that's been converted into a van.
This challenge is from Jessica - The Curious Reader
What is the name of your local library? What city is it located in? My favorite local library is the St. Francis branch of the St. Joseph County Public Library. It's in South Bend, IN
How often do you go to the library? If you're a regular, do the staff know you? I go to the library once a week. They don't really know me yet but they always have what I need!
Do you browse while you're there or just pick up items you have placed on reserve? Some days I browse and some days I pick up reserves. Depends on my supply levels! Some days I do both!
What is your favorite thing about your local library? My favorite thing about the library is that they either have what I want or they quickly get it.
I also love my school library, since I am the librarian! It is the second place I look for books!
This is my first official update. I am doing ok but not great. Definitely will pick different books next time. I've only finished one book and I started 5 hrs and 50 minutes ago!!
Title of book(s) read since last update: 1 Number of books read since you started: 1 Pages read since last update: 77 pgs Running total of pages read since you started: 389 plus 11 in back of book Amount of time spent reading since last update: 45 min Running total of time spent reading since you started: (keep track of this one to be eligible for a prize!) 4hrs 15 min Mini-challenges completed: 2 - Bart's Bookshelf and Kim's Sophisticated Dorkiness Other participants you’ve visited: Anna Prize you’ve won: None so far
We found out Derek is a werewolf. Simon can do some spells. Dont know about Rae yet - I think she may be hiding something. She might be a spy. It turns out that Tori is actually crazy. Also, the adults KNOW the children have powers. Apparently the founder of the Lyle House used to bring supernaturals there to do experiments on them. Chloe learned this by talking to the ghosts. Now Chloe, Derek, Simon and Rae are on the run and Dr. Davidoff and the others are chasing them. Chloe is hurt and the girls have been separated from the boys!
Derek and Simon have filled Chloe in on a little of their background. Turns out Derek is sort of a superman and also extremely bright. We keep seeing Liz as a ghost so Chloe is wondering if she is dead. Rae and Chloe broke into the closet in the basement but Chloe didn't get to talk to a ghost. She did find a box of old property records though!
Ok, I'm about 2 hrs in and only on p. 169. Im a lot slower than I thought! Anyway, we just uncovered some possible powers for the other students at the Lyle House with Chloe.
Simon - can levitate things
Rae - can burn people with their touch
Chloe's Aunt Lauren seems to be hiding something. She's really upset over Derek "bothering" Chloe. Hmm....
Started at 8:09. Took a while to get the Mark-my-time book mark timer thingy working. 87 pages in. So far we've met Chloe and she sees dead people. She saw a custodian who looked as if he was in a fire and he started chasing her around the school - appears he needs help so he can leave the school - she was screaming, teachers came and they sent her to a group home. Most interesting resident so far - Liz - she can moves things with her mind.
Almost went to bed without doing my Friday Five. Here are five things on my mind right now:
1. @Readathon - It starts tomorrow people!!! I can hardly wait! I have my books all ready. I was going to start at 9am but my Book Blather buds talked me into starting at 8am (7am for them!) So, I added some additional books to my pile just in case this list isn't enough. I will be taking a break to go see Zac Efron in 17 again!!
2. Zac Efron - the one thing Ellen and I have in common - our "love" of Zac! He is good to look at and I think I would enjoy watching him mow my yard and clean out my pool - and I don't have a pool. Check him out! Rawr!
3. Book Talks - Love doing book talks to students who don't really read a lot and they sit up and take notice of the books. Some of them wanted to make sure that I had enough copies because they heard about "at least 3 books they wanted to read". I heart my job!
4. Book Groups - Every time I decide that it's just too much work to do book groups - some kid will tell me they heard about them and they want to sign up and my softie wittle heart makes me offer them again! The 3 this year meet every two weeks! Sure, we talk about the books, but mostly we just talk about...books! They love it, I love it, my principal loves it...it's pretty flippin sweet!
5. Cinda Williams Chima - I love authors and consider what they do to be nothing short of miraculous. They take stories i know and flip them around and they introduce me to new stories and mesmerize me. I stand in awe of them. Cinda has agreed to Skype with me and my 6th graders who read Wizard Heir. The students cannot believe that she would do that - they said - "it's like we are Oprah!" - no joke, that's what they said. We are going to finish Dragon Heir before our May 8th meeting and I will blog about it here.
Honestly, life is good right now. Nothing is too exciting. Nothing is too boring. It's just flowing and I'm moving along nicely. These are just five of my favorite things. What's one of yours?
Waiting on Wednesday is brought to you courtesy of Breaking the Spine. Check out her blog for more ideas.
Fire by Kristin Cashore Publisher: Dial Pub Date: October 5th
from Penguin catalog:
It is not a peaceful time in the Dells. In King City, the young King Nash is clinging to the throne, while rebel lords in the north and south build armies to unseat him. War is coming. And the mountains and forest are filled with spies and thieves. This is where Fire lives, a girl whose beauty is impossibly irresistible and who can control the minds of everyone around her.
Exquisitely romantic, this companion to the highly praised Graceling has an entirely new cast of characters, save for one person who plays a pivotal role in both books. You don’t need to have read Graceling to love Fire. But if you haven’t, you’ll be dying to read it next.
I loved Graceling. My 7th grade book club loved Graceling. Rumor has it that Fire is even better!!!
This was a good week for me mailbox wise. If you need more information on the idea behind this - check out The Story Siren, plus there will be many more books to add to your TBR pile!
Bought: I actually "bought" these with some of my virtual credit from Powell's Bookstore. I traded in over 60 bks and they gave me over $100 in credit! You can take cash but I know I will want to buy books so I took the credit. 3 of these are on my Books I Want to Read list!
Anybody Out There by Marian Keyes The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong Fool by Christopher Moore Three Girls and Their Brother by Theresa Rebeck
Borrowed: I placed some orders at my favorite library and these came in. They are both on my Books I Want to Read list!
Broken Soup by Jenny Valentine
My Life in Pink and Green by Lisa Greenwald
Begged: I'm trying to review more YA books this year as part of my blog focus. Many of the books will be read by my YA summer book club and/or booktalked for 8th graders. Here are some ARCs I received from HarperTeen. I hope to do well with these so that I can receive more!
Radiant Darkness by Emily Whitman (5/09) The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong (5/09) W00t! And I just bought the first book! Love You, Hate You, Miss You by Elizabeth Scott (6/09) Broken Soup by Jenny Valentine (4/09) Just got this from library - Now I own it!!!!
This was a very awesome week for me! I really feel like my blog is starting to come into focus!! To see my reading schedule, check out It's Monday, What Are You Reading over at Book Blather!
I will be participating in my first 24-hr ReadAThon on Saturday, April 18th starting at 8am! I will NOT read for 24hrs straight but will be pretty close!! I plan on reading at least 10 books, listed in no particular order:
Radiant Darkness by Emily Whitman
The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong
The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong
Broken Soup by Jenny Valentine
Love You, Hate You, Miss You by Elizabeth Scott
Ghost Girl by Tonya Hurley
Ghost Girl: Homecoming by Tonya Hurley
The Alchemist by Paul Coelho
Three Girls and Their Brother by Theresa Rebeck
NOT SURE - Jellicoe Rd, Wintergirls, or Willow
5 of the books are ARCs so I will review those. I will update my progress, or lack thereof on Twitter. So sign up to follow: @ReadAThon for near constant updates! For more info on the ReadAThon, click the bookstack!
1. Fridays! - I love Fridays. For some reason they seem more relaxed than any other day of the week. We're off school today, cheated out of an extra day for Spring Break, so Jess and I are going to go into Chicago and hang out. She has a crazy schedule - "collect ourselves" being a point on it!
2. Books - I received a shipment of books from HarperTeen! I finally feel as if I've arrived. I can't wait to read and review them. I'm especially looking forward to the Kelley Armstrong books because she will be at Anderson's Bookshop in Naperville on June 2nd with Melissa Marr! Can't wait to meet them!
3. Twitter - it is so much fun. I think it's even more fun than Facebook! I've learned a lot and have such a great group of people to follow: bookstores, booksellers, authors, librarians, publishers, and reviewers. Book people love to talk about what they read! I get so many great ideas. And they are helpful. If you want to reach a ton of people quickly you should be on Twitter.
4. The Office - they are funny again! There was a point when it was kinda blah but now they are back on top! Ryan's hair! Hah! You can also follow Kevin, Dwight, and Kelly on Twitter.
5. J. Chen - the best Chinese restaurant around here! Jess and I love it. And the prices are great. Our top choice: Governor's chicken. Complete with british accent - guv'na.
