Waiting on Wednesday (29)

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we seriously can’t wait for.

 Here's my pick for the week, that I seriously can't wait for:

Sweet Shadows

by Tera Lynn Childs

Release date: Fall 2012

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I can't wait until the new book in the Medusa Girls series by Tera Lynn Childs comes ut!  Sweet Venom was so awesome, and I loved the way Childs put a spin on the mythology in the first book, and I'm interested to see where the story goes.  There isn't a summary up yet, but when it does I'll add it.  In the meantime, you should read Sweet Venom (if you have, re-read it!  That book is so good!). 

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Help Celebrate John Green Week!!!!

Starting tomorrow, a ton of blogs will be celebrating John Green Week!  This celebration counts down to the release of his new book, The Fault in Our Stars, releasing on January 10th (PS, there's still time to pre-order the book!).  I am really excited to be a part of the celebration!

I'm going to be hosting some posts about John Green's books, the Vlog Brothers Youtube channel he does with his brother Hank Green, and a giveaway where you can win some amazing prizes!!  Awesome right?

Here's a list of the great host blogs who helped conceive this awesome ode to such an awesome author!

Brittany & Farrah (I. Eat. Words.)

Ginger - (GReads Books)

Anna - (Anna Reads Books)

Lindsi (Books, Sweets, and other Treats)

Melanie (Reclusive Bibliophile) 

Tara (Fiction Folio)

Yani (The Secret Life of an Avid Reader)

Jamie (The Perpetual Page-Turner)

Liz (ElizzieBooks)

Heidi (YA Bibliophile)

Priscilla (The Readables)

You can head over to any of these fantastic blogs, and sign-up to participate, or if you personally don't want to write anything, definitely read a John Green book, check out all the awesome blog posts, and enter the many giveaways being hosted!

My posts for John Green Week:

• January 3-10: John Green Giveaway
• January 4: How John Green Changed My Classroom
• January 4: Waiting on Wednesday: The Fault in Our Stars
• January 5: Trailer Thursday: The Fault in Our Stars
• January 5: Truth Or Fail: John Green Books
• January 7: How to be a Nerdfighter
• January 8: Bookin' Round the Web: John Green Edition
• January 9: The Pretty Covers
• January 10: Happy The Fault in Our Stars Day

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HAPPY THE FAULT IN OUR STARS DAY!!

HAPPY THE FAULT IN OUR STARS RELEASE DAY!!!!!

I'm ending John Green Week with some awesome VlogBrothers videos which have something to do with  John's books!  LOTS of videos are listed!  But each one of them is awesome and will help indoctrinate you into the world of Nerdfighteria that much more!

I hope you are all enjoying reading your copies of The Fault in Our Stars (unless you're like me, who has to wait for Amazon to ship it to you...damn you postal service!!)

And as always, DON'T FORGET TO BE AWESOME!!

(p.s. I will announce the winner of my giveaway on Thursday!)

Looking for Alaska

An Abundance of Katherines

Paper Towns

Will Grayson, Will Grayson

The Fault in Our Stars

All the Books

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John Green Week: The Pretty Covers

There is ONE MORE DAY until The Fault in Our Stars comes out! (Of course, some of my friends in Europe already got their grubby hands on it :shakes fist:...just kidding!)

Today, I thought it would be fun to look at all the very pretty covers of John's books!

Looking for Alaska

 
(Hardcover)                                                (Paperback)

An Abundance of Katherines

 

(Hardcover)                                                (Paperback)

Paper Towns

 
(Hardcover)

(Paperback)

Will Grayson, Will Grayson

(Hardcover/Paperback)

The Fault in Our Stars

(Hardcover)

What I really love about each of these covers (which are all the American covers, either hardcover or paperback) is that they are really thoughtful and gorgeous.  I think each are really long lasting, even with the ones with pictures of girls.  

But my absolute favorites are the ones which rely more on symbols/text.  I've always thought the hardcover of An Abundance of Katherines was so perfect.  It is striking with the mix of math symbols used within the title.  I also really, really love the paperback cover of Paper Towns.  The big red push pin is very eye-catching while still being so appropriate for the story.

Of course my new favorite it The Fault in Our Stars.  When it was very first released, it was much less polished.  I felt the text chosen was very simple, and the quote from Jodi Picoult was just across the top.  I love the design that was settled on, and I think the text and overall design is very arresting.  Definitely the best desgin that could have been done with the subject matter at hand!

What do you think of the covers?

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Enclave (Review)

Title: Enclave

Author(s): Ann Aguirre
Edition: Hardcover, 259 pages

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Publication Date: April 12, 2011

Source: Borrowed from library

Buy: Amazon, Barnes & Noble

The Summary

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In Deuce’s world, people earn the right to a name only if they survive their first fifteen years. By that point, each unnamed ‘brat’ has trained into one of three groups–Breeders, Builders, or Hunters, identifiable by the number of scars they bear on their arms. Deuce has wanted to be a Huntress for as long as she can remember.

As a Huntress, her purpose is clear—to brave the dangerous tunnels outside the enclave and bring back meat to feed the group while evading ferocious monsters known as Freaks. She’s worked toward this goal her whole life, and nothing’s going to stop her, not even a beautiful, brooding Hunter named Fade. When the mysterious boy becomes her partner, Deuce’s troubles are just beginning.

Down below, deviation from the rules is punished swiftly and harshly, and Fade doesn’t like following orders. At first Deuce thinks he’s crazy, but as death stalks their sanctuary, and it becomes clear the elders don’t always know best, Deuce wonders if Fade might be telling the truth. Her partner confuses her; she’s never known a boy like him before, as prone to touching her gently as using his knives with feral grace.

As Deuce’s perception shifts, so does the balance in the constant battle for survival. The mindless Freaks, once considered a threat only due to their sheer numbers, show signs of cunning and strategy… but the elders refuse to heed any warnings. Despite imminent disaster, the enclave puts their faith in strictures and sacrifice instead. No matter how she tries, Deuce cannot stem the dark tide that carries her far from the only world she’s ever known.

(Goodreads)

My Opinion
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I could not put Enclave down the moment I started reading it!  I literally stayed up till 2:00am after I started at 11:00pm to finish it.  It sucks you in and spits you out; just the way I like a good action book!  Ann Aguirre has made her young adult debut memorable.

Deuce is one of the strongest, but still most vulnerable heroines.  I love love love this mix of hard and soft.  The world she grows up in requires her to develop the skills necessary to survive, but she still maintains her innocence in certain aspects of life.  Every time Deuce ran out into the corridors to do her patrol, my heart was in my chest, anxious for her to make it out alive.

Then there's Fade, one of the most swoon-worthy boys I've read.  I want him to swoop in and rescue me from the Freaks any day.  He's intense and, even though he was adopted by the Enclave, he still maintains his own views and opinions.  Fade is the perfect compliment to Deuce, and they make an amazing  team.

Speaking of the Freaks, Aguirre has written a terrifying villain.  They remind me of the mutated humans from I Am Legend, but more terrifying because they can go every where.  The mystery of why they're like that also creates a more sinister air around them; then throw in the fact that they dwell underground in tunnels I freaked out every time they were on page.

The journey of Deuce and Fade is extensive for such a short book, but Aguirre doesn't waste words, creating a fleshed out world with real danger, and clear living systems.  Not everything is as it appears, and Deuce has to come to terms with the disappointments and deaths from the exposure to these lies.  Overall, Enclave was an amazingly entertaining read, and I can't wait until Outpost, Book 2, comes out in September of this year!  So for all you lovers of dystopia, you CAN'T miss Enclave by Ann Aguirre because it is fantastic!

Extras

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Trailer for Enclave

Read the first two chapters of Enclave

Final Rating

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Book Cover: 5/5

Book Title: 5/5

Plot: 10/10

Characters: 10/10

Writing: 9/10

Ending: 9/10

Overall: 48/50: A+

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Bookin' It Round the Web: John Green Edition

Everything about books intrigues me.  Because of this I'm subscribed to couple magazines, like American Libraries and the Chronicle of Higher Education, as well as a frequent troller of Publishers Weekly, NPR Books, and The New York Times Book section.   

Through these awesome resources, I've gathered a few interesting articles having to do with the book world!  I'm calling this feature Bookin' It Round the Web, and it will be periodically posted when I find some interesting news to share! 

This edition of Bookin' It Round the Web is going to be featuring John Green, the author we all know and love (or have learned about and started to love thanks to this awesome week!!).

If you haven't already figured it out, John is a pretty smart guy.  He gives really interesting interviews, and I don't really think he repeats himself as often as some authors I've read interviews about.  Just like his books, he tries to give a different perspective on things, which is so cool!

Below, I've compiled a collection of interviews all around the web!  I hope you all enjoy them as much as I did (some are even videos! Bonus!).

• John Green talks with BWI Books about the success of his novels
• John Green - Printz Winner, Nerd Fighter, WorldSuck Decreaser
• Let It Snow, Twice Told Tales, and 21 Proms, John Green and his short stories
• John Green on "The Interview Show" with host Mark Bazer - Part One (video)
• John Green on "The Interview Show" with host Mark Bazer - Part Two (video)
• John Green and The Art of Lying
• Want to know more about Looking for Alaska
• AdLit.org: John Green On Screen (video)
• Writers Talk featuring John Green (video)
• All about Will Grayson, Will Grayson - Bonus David Levithan
• Chicago Public Library gets down with John Green
• Boys Blogging Books review Looking for Alaska with an interview thrown in too
• Nerdfighter Lit: An Interview with John Green
• Missouri Association of School Librarians ask real questions from real Nerdfighters (video)

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How To Be a Nerdfighter!

After I was done reading Looking for Alaska for the first time in Fall 2007 (I know, I was late to the party), I went online and searched for information about John Green to see if he had written any other books I could get my hands on.  Lo and behold, I found An Abundance of Katherines (which I immediately bought), but also this other thing called Brotherhood 2.0 on Youtube.


Brotherhood 2.0 was started on January 1 2007, by John and Hank Green, with the premise that the brothers would cease all text-based communication for a year and instead converse by video blogs every weekday.  For a whole year, John and Hank communicated this way, and it was fascinating!  Their channel, Vlogbrothers, has since gone beyond Brotherhood 2.0, and is now in it's 5th year of inception!


Through Brotherhood 2.0 a community was created called Nerdfighteria.  Nerdfighters are people who are full of awesome, who can be: other YouTube users; fans of John Green, Hank Green, or the Vlogbrothers show; as well as people who adopt the term because they believe they fit in with the community.  Pretty much if you follow the two rules: 1) Don’t be mean, and 2) DFTBA (Don't Forget to be Awesome) then you are also a Nerdfighter!


To learn more about the Vlogbrothers & Nerdfighteria, check out the videos below, & DFTBA!

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Elisquared's Epic Giveaway: Book Packs

Here's the FIRST giveaway!

I really really LOVED these three following books, and I wanted to share them with my followers!!

So what's up to win?

Well there are TWO packs of awesome books, so there will be TWO winners!!

Stephanie Perkins Pack:

SIGNED copy of Anna and the French Kiss

SIGNED copy of Lola and the Boy Next Door

(1 winner will win BOTH books!)

Ransom Riggs Pack:

Copy of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Book cover poster

Bookmark

(1 winner will win each item!)

See the rafflecopters below to enter, and good luck!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Let's Play Truth Or Fail: John Green Books

John and Hank Green (who, for all you newbies to their awesome, are brothers) have this amazing Youtube channel called Vlogbrothers.  Through this channel, we, as fans of either John or Hank or Both (I'd go with both!), get to learn some crazy things, go on adventures, and just immerse in the awesome of Nerdfighteria (we'll learn more about this later in the week!)

But through their channel, Hank invented this awesome game called Truth Or Fail:

"An online test of your brain power, Truth or Fail is YouTube's first game show. Hosted by a variety of YouTube celebrities, Truth or Fail presents you with two supposed facts. All you have to do is click on the true one, or you fail."

And thus, entertainment for nerds around the world was born!

Below you will find the Truth Or Fail episode which is the most apt for John Green Week!

If you fancy yourself a true John Green fan (or you just know a lot about a lot of stuff) then I urge you to try your hand at the game, and DFTBA!

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Trailer Thursday: The Fault in Our Stars

For this week's Trailer Thursday, I have an awesome one to show off!

Entertainment Weekly debuted the trailer for John Green's new book, The Fault in Our Stars, today and I have it here to share with all of you!!  

Oh wait, I have the LINK to it because it is exclusive to EW.com for right now.  But you can bet as soon it goes up on Youtube I'm embedding it right HERE!

As promised, the trailer:

(Still check out the nice interview with John)

Wasn't it awesome?

I think it's the first book trailer that is officially for one of his books; as far as I can tell others are fanmade.

I hope this is helping wet your appetite for this amazing book, and don't forget I'm hosting a giveaway in celebration of John Green Week (enter!), and "Don't forget to be awesome!"

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