Retrospective + In My Mailbox

I did some great posts this past week that I'd love you all to go back and comment on if you missed them the first time around! :)

Sunday- I posted about my review process as part of a little meme started by Adele at Persnickety Snark.

Monday- I reviewed Radiance by Alyson Noel, which is out in stores now!

Tuesday- I was Stop #9 on the Where She Went teaser tour and I'm giving away a signed paperback of If I Stay by Gayle Forman! Contest is open until 11:59pm on September 7th!

Wednesday- I posted the 10th edition of Ask Book Chic, where I talk about character crushes, teenagers reading and reviewing adult romance, and what authors I'd invite to a dinner!

Thursday- I reviewed Immortal Beloved by Cate Tiernan, which I think may be in stores now? I saw a copy at my B&N, I think.

Friday- I posted my Fragment Friday for The DUFF by Kody Keplinger!

Saturday- I posted my recap of the PAYA Festival from a couple weeks ago. Pics are included!


I did get a few books this week- Love Drugged by James Klise, I'll Get There It Better Be Worth the Trip by John Donovan, and an ARC of Big Nate Strikes Again by Lincoln Pierce.

PAYA Festival Recap

So I'm the late one when it comes to recaps. There's a ton more and I'll link to them all (well, all the ones I know of) below so you can see many more pics and accounts of the festival.

Anyway, the day started out kinda sucky. Along the way, I realized that toll booths were a part of my route up to West Chester, PA. I hate toll booths with a passion (you really should've seen me in the car; I was literally yelling whenever I saw a toll booth) and usually keep them out of my Mapquest directions but forgot to do so this time. So I tried to stop by a gas station with an ATM and had to go to THREE stations just to find an ATM. Also, they do not do cash back when you buy items. What's up with that?

Finally, I got one and took out a $20, thinking that would be enough for a silly toll and I'd have money left over to buy a meal somewhere and then use the rest for something else. The first toll booth was just $2 and I handed over my money and she gave me my change and all was well in the world. While stuck in traffic, I decided to count out the money I got back because it felt much heftier than $18 should feel. Do you know why that was? It was because I had gotten $23 back. The lady had given me a $10 along with 13 singles instead of a $5. I was so happy- I made a $3 profit at a toll booth! YAY!!

Well, then came the next two tolls, which sucked $9 total out of me. WHY ARE THERE THREE TOLL BOOTHS WITHIN A 40 MILE STRETCH OF 95?!?! WHY?!?!?! That's really what PO'd me. I don't mind paying a couple dollars but 3 booths in one hour, amounting to $11 spent? No, I don't think so. If I were a richer person and could therefore throw money around, I'd just throw a bunch of singles or something at the toll booth employee and be like "HERE! THIS IS WHAT YOU WANT, RIGHT? JUST TAKE IT ALL!!!" I know they're just doing their jobs but it's not as effective when I go to my politician's office and do it.

I don't understand why they can't just tax us a bit more and get rid of toll booths altogether. We already pay taxes, what's a little bit more? I also heard from my mom that VA's governer (or whatever he's called) is looking into making VA a toll booth place. I said to her "If he does, I will go and kill him." I will never want to drive again. OK, that's a lie, I love driving too much to give it up. I will just be utilizing Mapquest's Avoid Tolls checkbox more often then.

I seriously will get to the actual event soon, just one more thing. So while I was dealing with toll booths and traffic, I was texting Skyanne (the founder of PAYA and who put the whole festival together) who informed me that everyone there already was laughing at my texts. I have this image in my head of bloggers and authors alike in a huddle around Skyanne's phone whenever I texted her. I have no idea who she relayed my texts too, but I hope whoever they were that they don't think I'm crazy. Here are two texts I remember sending:

"Toll booths suck! I wish they would all die a slow, painful death."
"Well, I'm glad you are all able to find mirth in my misery."

OK, so the actual event. I got there like right at 1 when the signing started. Do you know when I meant to be there by? 11:30/12. Yes. I was LATE! And also missed lunch. As soon as I got there, I bought my books- Sleepless by Cyn Balog, The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin by Josh Berk, and Rae by Chelsea Swiggett. After that, I went and found Skyanne, Kristi, and Steph Su. Skyanne ran up and hugged me. Kristi probably hit me in my arm because she likes to abuse me and I'm too scared to stand up for myself. :P

Kristi and I spent the day joined at the hip except for the times when we weren't together which wasn't often. We stalked authors, got our books signed, and drooled over hot authors (Jon Skovron, Andrew Auseon) from afar and then did go say hi and chat with them after we gathered our courage (we are both shy people). It was funny to watch us because we were like "OMG is right down there. Should we go say hi?" We spent several minutes talking about going up to say hi to Josh Berk because Kristi wanted to touch his hair (see her recap for explanation) but didn't want to seem weird, creepy, or stalker-ish while asking. We did eventually chat with him and got some funny pictures. We had a slight problem with mine, but it ended up being very useful because Josh put two photos of me and him together to create a little show.

During the first hour, I got to meet Cyn Balog, who I've been chatting with for so long and we've been wanting to meet up for forever. We didn't get to chat as much as we would have liked but we got to hug and chat for a few while she signed mine and Kristi's books. That was the only author I had a book for, so I mainly followed Kristi around cuz she either brought or bought everyone's books, lol. Once we were done with that, we hung out in the hallway and got to talk to a few authors, like Holly Nicole Hoxter (who recognized me right away and I feel very bad for not having gotten to her book yet) and Josh Berk. We also got to chat with some bloggers and occasionally the mother of those bloggers. Kristi, Steph and I spent some time talking with Veronica, mother of Anne, who runs the blog Potter, Percy and I. It was really fun, though I went mute because I am shy and didn't think I had anything to contribute to the conversation (this happens a lot, lol).

In the second hour, Kristi and I got books signed by Holly Nicole Hoxter, Josh Berk, Chelsea Swiggett, and Andrew Auseon. It was so fun to see Chelsea, who I adore, signing her own book. Go Chelsea!! Kristi got books signed by other people too. Andrew was actually running late and I told Kristi how sad I was that he wasn't there because I'd brought my book of his with me. And OK, maybe someone else heard me too, but anyway, when Andrew finally showed up, and I was in the hallway when this happened, so I saw him pass right by me, I had three people in the span of two minutes tell me he had arrived. I was like "I get it, he's here!" LOL. I then went and grabbed my book for him to sign and went in. We chatted for a few minutes, mainly about how awful traffic was on 95. After I went away and was hanging out with a multitude of bloggers (btw, Steph Su actually came and got Kristi and I and said "I have some bloggers who really want to meet you." Now, even though I'm sure no one knew who I was and they just really wanted Kristi, I still felt famous, lol), Kristi asked if I'd gone to see Andrew yet and I was like "Uh yeah, right after you guys told me he was here." She hit me in the arm because she wanted to go with me since she didn't have a book for him to sign but wasn't sure if he'd even remember her from the blog tour she took part in for his newest book, Freak Magnet. But we got to hang out with him for a few minutes more and he recognized her so that was fun.

Wrapping up the day, there was a group author photo though two or three authors were missing from it. And the raffle was held- Kristi yelled out the winners' names (she was really good at that) and I held a notebook and checked off each prize as it was given away. After most everyone had left, I took part in the Crescendo Cookie Blogger videos for Fallen Archangel because the two lovely ladies who run the site were there. Mine hasn't gone up yet but when it does, I'll link to it. There may even be some bloopers too! Not of me because I'm a professional reader and don't mess things up, but the others had some good bloopers. :P It was a really fun experience and I'm so glad I got to be a part of it! It's really all thanks to hanging around Kristi and Steph Su.

Before I left, I was able to grab some hardcovers from the Library room, which I'll be donating to my library, as well as an ARC or two. I helped package the leftover books up and take them out to the car. I know it may be hard to believe, but I can lift heavy things. BEA and ALA prepared me for that moment, lol. Then I called my parents to get a toll-less route back, though I still got caught in traffic like 40 miles from home. Le sigh. It took me an hour to go like 4 miles; I went through a whole CD (Mizundaztood by Pink), for crying out loud!

Anyway, that was my PAYA experience and I can't wait for next year's! It's gonna be awesome!

Pictures-
1) Cyn Balog and Shelena Shorts signing books
2) Josh Berk taking his hand away from my hair- the animated gif can be found here- http://twitpic.com/2js3bs
3) Skyanne, Kristi, and I
4) Myself, Cyn Balog, Kristi, and Skyanne
5) Skyanne, myself, Jon Skovron, and Kristi. Jon and I are making our "crazy faces" (his idea)
6) Blogger pic! Jamie, Steph, myself, Anne, Jenn, Kristi and Christina
7) The majority of the authors there for PAYA with Skyanne in the middle
8) Another blogger pic- Chelsea, Steph, Kristi, Skyanne and myself (notice I am wearing my big ass boots whereas all of them are wearing flipflops).


More PAYA Recaps-
http://potterpercyandi.blogspot.com/2010/08/paya.html

http://www.amybrecountwhite.com/?p=1302

http://jberkj.livejournal.com/20878.html

http://scarrletreader.blogspot.com/2010/08/my-journey-to-paya-author-signing.html

http://ainesrealm.blogspot.com/2010/08/meeting-authors-paya-2010.html

http://stephaniekuehnert.blogspot.com/2010/08/progress-report-and-inspiration-from.html

http://bookshelfsophisticate.blogspot.com/2010/08/paya-book-festival.html

http://perpetualpageturner.blogspot.com/2010/08/in-which-book-bloggers-take-paya-by.html

http://kierynnicolas.blogspot.com/2010/08/paya.html

http://cyn2write.livejournal.com/161294.html

http://community.livejournal.com/michelesminionz/35738.html

http://www.thestorysiren.com/2010/08/paya-recap.html

http://stephsureads.blogspot.com/2010/08/paya-festival.html

Most of this list was stolen from Josh Berk's post where he did a roundup too.

Fragment Friday- The DUFF by Kody Keplinger

Fragment Friday is a meme where you record yourself reading a small excerpt from a book you're either currently reading or one of your past favorites. Join in the fun!

Here's my Fragment Friday where I read The DUFF by Kody Keplinger:



Please leave your link in the Mr. Linky!

Immortal Beloved by Cate Tiernan

Immortal Beloved by Cate Tiernan
"Nastasya has spent the last century living as a spoiled, drugged-out party girl. She feels nothing and cares for no one. But when she witnesses her best friend, a Dark Immortal, torture a human, she realizes something's got to change. She seeks refuge at a rehab for wayward immortals, where she meets the gorgeous, undeniably sexy Reyn, who seems inexplicably linked to her past.

Nastasya finally begins to deal with life, and even feels safe--until the night she learns that someone wants her dead."- summary from Amazon

I really enjoyed this book and flew through it pretty quickly. I was always turning pages, wanting to know what happened next. Right in the beginning, I wasn't sure if I would want to read this book as Nastasya (and her friends) got on my nerves a little bit, but I kept reading and she grew on me. She's a character that's really well-fleshed out and you learn so much about her emotionally and about her past. Tiernan did a great job of weaving in Nastasya's past into the storyline, floating between the present and the past. It was a really clever way of showing off her immortal life so far and how she got to where she was at the beginning of the novel.

One thing that had me intrigued before I started reading was the fact that this was about immortals. We see paranormal creatures all the time, but you hardly ever see just plain old immortals. It was interesting to read about all that Nastasya's been through.

The last 200 pages or so were particularly suspenseful as that was when the whole "someone trying to kill her" thing occured. There were many twists and turns leading to a surprise ending. There were some questions left unanswered (one in particular that wasn't answered completely to my satisfaction) that I'm not sure will be covered in the sequel though I hope they are. If you've read the book, you can email me and we can discuss.

If you're not into romance, this book is for you. The romance is there in the book, but it's not at the forefront and doesn't really come into play until later in the novel. There's also some humor sprinkled throughout that made me laugh; Nastasya has a sarcastic sense of humor and I loved it!

Overall, a good start to what seems like it'll be a great series. I loved the backstories here and how fleshed out all the characters were. Nastasya's time at River's Edge though was probably my favorite part of the novel and that's where most of it takes place. This book's release date is Sept. 7, but I've seen it in stores already so you might be able to go get your copy today!!

FTC: Received ARC at BEA. Link above is an Amazon Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.

Ask Book Chic (10)

Kelsey asks "What character, from any book, would you be most willing to date?"

This is a different question, but I touched on this a bit back in this post (the first Ask Book Chic on this site!). My answer still remains Jonathan Parrish from Straight Road to Kylie by Nico Medina. I. LOVE. HIM.

Aside from him, I think I'd also enjoy dating Jamie from the Demon's series by Sarah Rees Brennan. He's so funny and sounds adorable and I don't care if he's gone evil or whatever, I want him! Please be mine, Jamie!

I also mentioned Tiny Cooper in that post above. He was really sweet and seemed like such a great guy. He deserves the best and I hope he found it in the ending, but I'll never know BECAUSE THE BOOK WAS ENDED ABRUPTLY AND WITH NO RESOLUTION TO THAT STORYLINE (AMONG OTHERS)!!

No, I'm not still bitter about the ending. Why do you ask?

I did quite enjoy will grayson (the gay, uncapitalized one) too, but I think he'd be too emo for me. But I think I would like to shower him with cuddles. He needs them.

I also have crushes on straight male characters too, but I figured I'd spotlight the gay ones since I would actually have a shot with them, if they were, you know, real (and also legal- I am still 24).

Bailey asks "My Question: I am new to the blogging world and I am 16. I enjoy reading YA romance and also adult romance. Do you think it's okay for a 16 year old to review adult romance?"

I don't see why not. It's your blog- you can review whatever you like! If your current readers don't like them, they'll skip over them, but there are plenty of people who will pick up the slack and comment on your adult romance reviews. Don't be afraid to switch things up just because of your age or anything else. Also, I know a 15 year old gay boy who reads and reviews adult romance on his blog. If you're mature enough to handle adult romance, I don't see why you shouldn't review it on your blog as well.

Alexa asks "Questions - 1) Why blogger? 2) Do you looks at your stats and, um, how do you do this (I know I'm such a technical genius!) 3) i=If you do check your stats does that influence what you post? 4) If you were having a dinner party which five authors would you invite?"

First off, you ask way too many questions, lol. :P Just kidding. Thanks for all these!

1) Well, I originally started out as Myspace but by the time 2009 rolled around, no one was really paying much attention to it. I already had a livejournal account that was personal and now only use it to read author blogs, but didn't think it was a good fit for a new blog space. I had no idea how to deal with Wordpress. I went with Blogger because everyone else seemed to have one and they all loved it. So I joined the horde. What can I say? I'm a follower with no mind of my own.

2) Believe me, I know nothing too. I'm pretty sure I asked Kristi about how to add it and look at it and all that. I still don't think my Google Analytics works properly but I don't know how to fix it. I do use Sitemeter which is a lot easier because they send me a report every week telling me everything I need to know! That's usually what I use (along with Follower count) when publishers ask for stats, which isn't too often but it has happened.

3) My stats aren't that specific. I know they could be but again, I'm not a technical genius (or even competent) so mine just tells me how many people showed up day-to-day and a final weekly count. So my stats don't influence what I post at all. I continue to blog blissfully unaware of what my readers like and don't like. ;) I should probably do one of those things where I ask people what they like and where I can improve but I am too lazy, lol.

4) Thank you for only asking who'd I'd invite instead of also including what I'd serve and all that. I'm not that creative. Anyway, my 5 authors would be:
1) Meg Cabot (duh!)
2) Michele Jaffe (because her and Meg together are HILARIOUS)
3) Ellen Hopkins (because she keeps getting disinvited to places- what's up with that?! She's AWESOME!)
4) Markus Zusak (because I need my eye candy; close contenders include Jon Skovron, Dan Elconin and John Green), and finally
5) Carol Burnett (because I love her so much. hey, she's written some books; ok, they're autobiographies but STILL BOOKS!)