In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox was created by the lovely Kristi at The Story Siren.

For Review:

Fifteen-year-old Shifty knows all about moving around and next to nothing about where he came from. When he's assigned to a new foster home and family, he tries hard to keep cool and stay out of trouble. But it seems like the more he tries to do the right thing, the more trouble he finds. As Shifty navigates a series of messy summer adventures, he struggles to find a balance between the street-wise spirit that has helped him survive and his longing for a place to call home. -Goodreads

"Smart writing and an engaging narrative keep the story fresh, while an interesting plot will keep readers turning the pages." -Kirkus Reviews. I haven't heard much about Lynn E. Hazen, but I have high hopes!! Have any of you read this one?


For Fun:
Also, I know this isn't book-related, but my mom bought me the most adorable pillow from this shop called The Lavendar Tree on Etsy. The owner sells the most sweet pillows, scarves, and odds and ends she's made from recycled wool. She also has a blog, here. Go check her out!

<3 Cate

An Amazingly Cool Blogger Event!!

Have you heard about the incredibly EPIC YA Bloggers Debut Book Battle hosted by Alyssa at The Shady Glade? That's right- we, the book bloggers, will be making the incredibly difficult choice of best YA debut book published between 2009 and early 2010!

How will it work? This comes directly from Alyssa:

"People will have a chance to nominate a book of their choice to take place in the battle. After nominations close, the books will be narrowed down and fit into brackets for our lovely volunteer judges to read. Starting in late April each judge will read two books and choose a winner. One will move on, one will not. It will all come down to two books in a epic book battle to choose the best!"

So, not only can you nominate books to be considered, but you could also judge! Click here to find more information!! I hope you'll participate; this looks like so much fun!

<3 Cate

Wishlist Wednesday

It's been a year since a meteor collided with the moon, catastrophically altering the earth’s climate. For Miranda Evans life as she knew it no longer exists. Her friends and neighbors are dead, the landscape is frozen, and food is increasingly scarce.

The struggle to survive intensifies when Miranda’s father and stepmother arrive with a baby and three strangers in tow. One of the newcomers is Alex Morales, and as Miranda’s complicated feelings for him turn to love, his plans for his future thwart their relationship. Then a devastating tornado hits the town of Howell, and Miranda makes a decision that will change their lives forever.

I actually read the first two books in this series about two years ago, and enjoyed both. I've been waiting for the third installment to come out, but I have a feeling I'll need to reread the first two before I even think about opening the this one.

<3 Cate

Hold Still by Nina LaCour Review

Dear caitlin, there are so many things that i want so badly to tell you but i just can't.

Devastating, hopeful, hopeless, playful . . . in words and illustrations, Ingrid left behind a painful farewell in her journal for Caitlin. Now Caitlin is left alone, by loss and by choice, struggling to find renewed hope in the wake of her best friend's suicide. With the help of family and newfound friends, Caitlin will encounter first love, broaden her horizons, and start to realize that true friendship didn't die with Ingrid. And the journal which once seemed only to chronicle Ingrid's descent into depression, becomes the tool by which Caitlin once again reaches out to all those who loved Ingrid—and Caitlin herself.- Barnes and Noble website

Hold Still breaks your heart and somehow manages to sew it back together again. It's hard to exactly describe my feelings as I began reading, because, for me at least, it was incredibly difficult to take in Caitlin's situation and her way of dealing with death. It took me a few chapters to get a firm grip on the story and the emotional weight that came with it. But once I was able to do that, the story took off.

I loved how LaCour wrote simply, yet poetically. She tells Caitlin's story with a painful grace that helps you to overlook the tragedy and focus on the healing. Although you may have to read this book in chunks- it's not one I would recommend reading in one night- there was always a fluidity to the novel. Even the drawings were beautiful; they added yet another meaningful layer to the story.

This is no doubt my favorite book that I've read this year. Please go pick it up; you truly won't regret it.

Rating: 9.5/10

Some Improvements...

Hi everyone! How was your Easter holiday? Here, I've spent all my time relaxing, as well as updating a few things on the blog.

The first thing you may notice is my nifty new navigation bar, equipped with several tabs including a new About section, as well as all my policies and archives. I hope everything is a little more accessible this way; it's much more space-efficient than the clunky tabs I used to have on my left sidebar.

Also, I now have a chatbox! Feel free to leave comments, questions, or anything else (besides spam)! ;)

Look forward to a review of Nina LaCour's Hold Still this week, as well as a few other posts.

<3 Cate

Under the Lamplight: Debbie from Debbie's Book Bag

Under the Lamplight is a bi-weekly meme that I have created to get to know the blogging community! If you're interested in being interviewed, please email me.

Debbie from Debbie's Book Bag was kind enough to be interviewed this week!



Could you give a little blurb on your blog?
When I first started blogging, I found it really hard to pin myself down to one genre of books. So, my blog, Debbie's Book Bag reviews a variety of books from many genre's. I review a lot of Christian Fiction and Romance, a few Mystery's and Thrillers (James Patterson is one my favs!), and a little bit of everything else. My blog participates in several weekly meme's including, What are you reading on Monday's and Tuesday Teasers. I love challenges and post my progress toward all the challenges I have for this year on my sidebar. I have very eclectic tastes when it comes to books, so you never know what you might find.

What got you hooked on reading- did you love it as a child, or was it something you grew into?
I started reading when I was in grade school and never looked back. I began reading the Laura Ingalls Wilder, Little House series from my school library and then began to branch out to other books and genre's. When I was in high school there was many a night that I sat up to one or two in the morning reading and I still do! I am the type of reader, that just really enjoys reading anything. I very rarely find a book that doesn't have something to interest me and I have never given up on a book and just never finished it. Because of that I don't usually have to many reviews, where I just didn't like the book.

How were you introduced into the blogging world?
I stumbled into the blogging world completely by accident. I am a diabetic and was put off work for awhile and I had a lot of time on my hands. I started focusing a lot on my writing and journalistic efforts and spent a lot more time on the computer than I had ever before. In the process of working with different magazines and editors, someone mentioned to me that they had a book blog and asked me to check it out. I did and the rest is history. I had no idea that you could go to blogs, enter contests and win books and that you could post reviews and do your own blog. I absolutely love it! It's a great outlet, for my ideas on other writers as I continue my own writing career.

What’s been the most fun or exciting thing you’ve been able to do on your blog lately?
The most fun thing for me since I started my blog was becoming acquainted with other people in the book blogging community. I think it's wonderful to be able to share my love of reading with others, so I've had a giveaway or two and I've just started doing a monthly comment contest for a book of the readers choice under $25 dollars. That has been really exciting and I have had a lot of success with that so far.

What’s your opinion of books made into movies? Love ‘em or Hate ‘em?
I have a thing about watching a movie that comes from a book. I rarely ever go see the movie until after I have read the book. The reason for this is because, the book is always so much better. They have to leave so much of the back story and so much of the character development. I do like to watch them though and see what differences there are between the book and the movie and that sort of thing. Pride and Prejudice would have to be my favorite book, made into a movie. The version with Kiera Knightley is my favorite.

You can only afford to purchase one book at the bookstore today. What do you choose?
The book at the very top of my Wish List right now is, Hope's Folly by Linnea Sinclair, it is the 3rd book in the Dock Five Universe series. It is a paranormal romance. It's been out for a little while, but I really, really want to read it.

What’s your favorite guilty-pleasure T.V. show? Or book?
My favorite guilty pleasure T.V. show would have to be Lost! I absolutely love that show. I don't watch much T.V. at all, but I don't miss Lost. I have no idea what I will watch after this final season.

What is one thing that most people don’t know about you?
There are so many things to choose from. Most people don't know that I have two beautiful daughters, ages 10 and 12 and a very rowdy service dog, names Sundae.

If your life were being made into a movie, what would it be called, and who would you cast?
LOL! This is hard. I think it would be called, "A Country Writer", because essentially that's me. I have no idea who to cast. The heroine would have to be divinely beautiful and full of sass and spirit. LOL! Just kidding. I would probably cast someone like Holly Hunter or Kyra Sedgwick, both have some spunk. I definitely do not look anything like them though.

Anything else you’d like to add?
The only thing I want to add is a big thank you for the interview and I hope everyone will come by and visit my blog. I think there is something for everybody. I love books and I love reading and instilling that love of the written word in other people.



Thanks so much for stopping by, Debbie!