A Resident Reader's Farewell

I've been a resident reader here at Across the Board since November 2014. It's been a fantastic outlet to connect with other writers and a place to chat about books or reading. I've immensely enjoyed my time here, but it's time for me to step down in an attempt to unload my overloaded plate and focus on my family. Looking back over the past (almost) two years, I've picked out a few of my favorite topics.

For my very first post on Across the Board, I talked about the importance of leaving a review after reading a book, following a massive book blog blackout as a protest when an author turned stalker.

The next month I explained the rules to my 2015 Reading Challenge with my brother. I still enjoy reading challenges, though I've been too busy to actively participate in them. I plan to change this and fall back down that rabbit hole.

SPOILERS! Anyone who has known me for any length of time likely knows how I feel about them. But just to be safe, I posted here.

Or what about that time last November that I put up my own Eek!, followed by my second one back in April?

It's been a fun couple years and I'll miss hanging out here. Who knows.,,maybe I'll be back for a guest post at some point. Until then, happy reading to you all!

Libraries- A Great American Freedom

Last Monday, my phone calendar dinged to remind me to call my local library, as it was opening day to sign up for July's summer programs for children. My children and I were excited as we browsed through the events list and picked out several interesting programs to look forward to, including a planetarium display and a self defense class to include their ages. It dawned on me that many people under appreciate their local library and all the wonderful things it can provide for the community.

I shouldn't have to point out that a building full of books to borrow for free (unless you, like me, contribute financially in late fees) is amazing in and of itself. But it goes beyond that. Libraries help local authors by buying their books and hosting them for signings and Q&A sessions. And I know my library also has a writing group that meets twice a month, encouraging writers regardless of genre or journey and offering constructive criticism along the way.

Libraries also provide internet access for those who wouldn't otherwise have it available to them. Be it for job searching, homework, or just browsing the web, it's there and ready to be used. Not sure how to use a computer? Don't worry, some libraries provide classes for this, resume building, ancestry research, and other valuable skills.

Looking to make friends? Go to the library. My children have made new friends during story and craft time, playing in the children's room, and reading to therapy dogs. I've made friends reaching for the same book as someone else. My brother and I also connected with some trivia buddies at a 90s themed trivia night (I'm still bummed that I've missed both Harry Potter trivia nights aimed at my age range). Another thing my library offers that I love are gaming events. Pokemon, board games, and even video games. OH! And the 75th anniversary of Batman event! That was amazing!

I'm sure I'm forgetting a few benefits of libraries outside of the obvious books option, but these are some of the ones we've utilized in my family. Libraries truly are wonderful places, often overlooked and brushed off without consideration for their community building efforts.  

Why do you appreciate your library and what do you use it for? Any unique programs you've found?

Fangirling: Maggie Stiefvater

I really should have posted this yesterday, but I was feeling under the weather and spent the day resting. In any case, I am feeling better today and I'm ready to make up for lost time!

According to Urban Dictionary, the definition of fangirling is as follows:

v. the reaction a fangirl has to any mention or sighting of the object of her "affection". These reactions include shortness of breath, fainting, highpitched noises, shaking, fierce head shaking as if in the midst of a seizure, wet panties, endless blog posts, etc. 

As a reader, I fangirl a lot. Over books I have cherished, memes related to favorite characters, and news of a new book or tour by a beloved author. Insert Maggie Stiefvater here.

I have been a fan of Maggie Stiefvater since I first read Shiver (which, according to Goodreads, was back in December of 2010). I have since picked up and read/listened to most of her other books (I say most because I'm rereading my Raven Boys ARC before continuing through the series). There's a certain lyrical and poetic quality to Maggie's word choice that just blows my mind and drags me deeper into her stories. In fact, she is one of the biggest inspirations behind my desire to write.

Recently, I was scrolling through my Facebook feed and saw one of those sponsored ads that I usually skip over. Only I paused because Maggie's name was attached to it. In an exciting moment that fits the above definition, I learned that my favorite author will be on a release tour for The Raven King, the last book in the series I'm working through, and SHE WILL BE STOPPING NEAR ME. [Insert more fangirling after typing that.]

I have never been to a book signing, book con, or author event before because my schedule hasn't really allowed for it. However, this is one of those events where I'm already searching for work coverage and would gladly drive to a town I'm allergic to just to meet this woman. Because, really...

What author(s) do you fangirl over? Do you go to author events?

--Brianna Lebrecht

Eek! It's ANOTHER Criteek!

I'm going to step out of my Resident Reader role again for another Eek! Criteek! post. As you may recall, I posted the first chapter of my YA dual-narrative sci-fi-ish WIP, Revealed, back in November. Today I'm sharing chapter two. 

Here's the blurb I posted last time: 

A secret society of special abilities, the Order, becomes unbalanced when Jaycen Towle acts on his desire to use the gift he was born with to become a superhero. Cara Wallace, a gifted outsider, is sucked into Jaycen’s world when she discovers his secret and believes the Order may have answers about the parents she barely knew. But are the Order’s answers really worth the shattering they cause both Cara and Jaycen?

Without further ado, here's my chapter two (hey, that rhymes!). 

Jaycen

   “Come in,” my father’s rough voice called through the thick wood of his office door before I even had a chance to drop my fist. My heart hammered and my hand shook ever so slightly when I twisted the cold metal knob. The door closed behind me and my father, Salem Towle, looked up. “Ah, Jaycen,” he smiled. “Take a seat.” He motioned toward the padded chairs across from his mahogany desk, but continued skimming through the stack of papers in front of him. It would be an eventful summer at the bed and breakfast we used as a cover for the Order’s headquarters, so I wasn’t surprised to find him in his office at this late hour. It bothered me when he did that, though. I needed his undivided attention.

   I spoke while standing, too nervous to sit. “There’s this girl at school,” I blurted out.

   He finally looked up with a smirk, a glint to the same blue eyes I saw in the mirror every morning. “Are we due for another one of those talks?” he asked. I wasn’t in the mood. In fact, his untimely joke rubbed me the wrong way and, however briefly the thought flashed, I almost backed out of the office. My awkwardness must have been pretty obvious because his face cleared and he simply waited. The clock above his head ticked away the empty seconds. When I didn’t start again, he impatiently asked, “Well, who is she?”

   “Her name is Cara Wallace.” Just saying her name sent chills up my spine.

   He shook his head. “The name doesn’t ring a bell. What’s her Talent?”

   I reached up to rub the back of my neck nervously. Just spit it out, I urged myself. “Well, that’s the thing. You don’t know her. She’s, um…well, she’s not in the Order.” As soon as the words were out, relief washed over me at finally confiding in someone. After all, I had been observing her for the better part of a year now. But at the sharp look on my father’s face and the wrinkles that lined his forehead, I wanted to suck them back in.

   “Jaycen, there are rules against that,” he said, solemnly. Here I was telling him about my first crush and instead of clapping me on the back, he was crushing me with rules of the secret organization he held so dearly.

   I started to say, “But dad, it’s different with her. She’s different--” before he cut me off with a movement of his hand that brushed aside my words.

   His sigh was made louder by the quiet room. “Is this really worth discussing? I can’t change the rules, even for you.” While he managed the Order’s headquarters, he was right. He was not a Superior- the leaders and enforcers of our organization. And since Cara hadn’t been born into our exclusive society the way everyone was...

   “Dad, I really think there’s something there.” I paused to consider my words. “I mean, it’s weird. She doesn’t even watch where she’s going. I swear, it’s like she can tell where people are around her, but it’s only with people. She walked right into a door one day.” The memory caused a smile to tug at the corners of my lips, but I cleared my expression to mirror my father’s. He had to take me seriously with this.

   “That doesn’t mean anything, son.” He continued shuffling papers around his desk, again making me feel like I was interrupting him, even with the late time. “Maybe she’s really looking under her lashes or something.”

   My eyes rolled. “What about her facial expressions then?” He looked up, but only for a moment. “The looks she gives people…” I sighed, exasperated. How could I make him understand if I wasn’t even sure I understood myself? “Her face contorts like someone insulted her, but no one addresses her at all. She always has this look of…panicked concentration.” I hesitated. “I gave her a ride home tonight.” He didn’t need to know the context in which that ride was offered.

   My father’s head jerked up to study my face before he leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest. His attention was on me now. There was no turning back, but I wasn’t sure how to proceed.

   “And?” he prompted. His graying eyebrows hovered toward his hairline.

   I slipped into one of the padded chairs in front of his desk, scooting to the edge with anxiousness. “Her parents are dead. I don’t know the details, but she’s adopted. Isn’t it possible that she doesn’t know anything about the Order?” His eyes widened while mine narrowed in response. “Well, is it possible?”

   I watched as my father took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, but it did nothing to release his tension. His body held rigid and his appearance took on his actual mid-fifties age. When he leaned forward and clasped his hands on his desk, I realized I was about to fall out of the chair, hanging onto what he might say. I wanted him to tell me it was possible. I wanted him to say there was a chance I could get to know Cara.

   Finally, my father spoke, slicing the silence like a knife through butter. “Jaycen, why wouldn’t she know about the Order, if in fact she has a Talent?” His question dimmed the light inside me, but I wouldn’t let it extinguish entirely. My father continued on without a beat, knowing I wouldn’t have an answer. “And even if that was a possibility, how would you approach such a topic without revealing what you are?” Part of me wanted to see the curiosity in his eyes, but his tone said otherwise. If only he knew I’d already crossed that bridge.

   I sighed in exasperation and hung my head with my fists balled against the seat. This wasn’t what I had hoped to get out of our conversation. Saying nothing at all would have been more inspiring. And I needed some inspiration. At least something to get me thinking about anything other than how to talk to her.

   My father took my silence as an invitation to lecture me. “Son, you know the rule. And you know why that rule is in place. ‘Good order is the foundation of all great things.’ We need to protect those great things, which is why it is vital for us to blend in. You’re not going to blend in so well if you’re spending your time chasing after a girl you may very well never have a chance with. Not to mention you’re bound to secrecy. Could you really keep that secret in a relationship with a Norm? The Order won’t allow it and I stand by that.”

   I didn’t have to look up at him to see his expression. His eyes would be hard, his eyebrows straight lines above them, with lips pressed together in solidarity. I had seen it before- when I had asked to join one of the school’s clubs, try out for a sport, or get a job working for someone who wasn’t in the Order. It was ridiculous how controlled my life was by the Order when, in fact, the Order was supposed to be the one place I was free to be my true, Talented self. “That great thing is my prison,” I mumbled.

   His blue eyes narrowed, but he pretended not to hear my remark. “Son, I'm warning you. Do not get involved with her.” My eyes shot up and locked on his. He put his hands up, palms out, to silence my protest. “If you cannot be trusted to do that, I will not be able to stop the consequences. If she had confessed an ability to you, now that would be an entirely different story. But you cannot take any chance of exposing us for some little crush you’ve developed.” His gaze held mine for a moment to seal his words before returning to his paperwork. That was my dismissal.

   I almost growled as I stormed out of his office, letting the door slam behind me as I went. I had barely made it down the hallway when a voice broke the silence.

   “That was a nice trick you played,” Brian barked. Of course he was pissed at me. Using my Talent on him wasn’t something I did. Another rule I broke tonight. I should have been defending him, not working against him.

   “Don’t take it personally,” I replied, not meeting his harsh glare. I had other things--other people--on my mind and the last thing I wanted to do was listen to Brian lecture me after my dad had already done that. And if that’s the only reason he was at Headquarters this late, he was wasting his time.

   Brian laughed and took a step closer to block my way toward the door I needed. “You know the rule. Do you have any idea what you’ve done tonight?”

   My eyes rolled away from him as I tried to step around him. He shifted to stop me again and I finally met the gray daggers of his eyes. “Like I said before, it wasn’t your place. Just like it’s not your place to lecture me about it.” This time I slipped around him and our shoulders rubbed as I passed.

   His words slammed into my back. “Do you really think the Order’s going to let you go through with this?” My jaw clenched. “I heard your dad tell you to stay away from her. It doesn’t matter what you think you’ve seen in her. All the Order is going to hear is that she’s a liability, a loose end that needs to be taken care of.” My back absorbed the heat of his words. “And I will be ready to take care of it when you can’t.”

   Every muscle in my body braced for a fight. I wanted nothing more in that moment than to whip around and crush his nose, friend or not. But I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of sending me over the edge. Before he could act on the Order’s behalf, he’d have to tell a Superior. And he wasn’t going to risk having to explain what we were doing in the alley in the first place, not to his grandfather. Without even a backward glance, I forced my feet, one step at a time, to carry me through the door and down the stairs to my room.  

--Brianna Lebrecht 

Graphic novels are...taboo?

I seem to have several taboo reader habits: reading YA as an adult, audiobooks, and--the subject of today's post--graphic novels. I'm relatively new to graphic novels, as I've only been enjoying them since December 2014. But just as with audiobooks, I'm often taken aback by the negative reaction I receive when I mention them. In fact, an online discussion I was involved in regarding graphic novels yielded a comment that claimed they were the video games of the book world (note: I also fancy myself a gamer), a waste of time and killer of brain cells.

The thing with graphic novels is that they have pictures. And you know what? I actually had to teach myself how to read these correctly because of the pictures. That's right. I had to retrain my mind because I was reading all the words, but missing out on everything else. Those pictures are there for a reason. You need to observe the images to get the whole picture (no pun intended). Facial expressions, someone creeping up on someone else, objects in the scene, etc. are all on the page without being in the wording. I found that without looking at the pictures for full context, those words didn't make sense most of the time.

Graphic novels, just like audiobooks, require a different set of reading skills. Observation, for one, and interpretation of what you've observed that isn't written down. It's like reading body language and facial cues, not just the inflection of the spoken word. Not everyone is great at reading others, though, so graphic novels aren't for everyone.

In case you're interested in expanding your taboo reader habits, here are some graphic novels that I can recommend:

• Revenge: the Origin of Emily Thorne (my first graphic novel)
• Sandman by Neil Gaiman
• Fables (awesome for fans of fairy tales) 
• Amulet (MG graphic novel series that my daughter loved and insisted I read) 

The Baron also suggested:

• Preacher (he cautions that it is not family friendly)
• Locke & Key 
• Saga

Other popular ones you may be interested in:

• Y the Last Man
• The Walking Dead
• V for Vendetta
• Watchmen
• Scott Pilgrim

So, do you read graphic novels? What is your favorite? And if you haven't read any, why not?

Thank You, Mr. Presidents

As a homeschool family, we don't have scheduled school breaks, thus leaving me unaware of today's holiday (thanks, Facebook, for reminding me!). Fortunately, we happen to have several books on United States presidents and have been able to pull some interesting facts out of them.

For example:

John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Monroe all died on July 4th. Zachary Taylor died on July 9th, following a Fourth of July celebration.

Martin Van Buren grew up speaking Dutch, so he had to learn English later in life. He was the only president who had to do so.

Millard Fillmore's wife started the Presidential Library at the White House.

Ulysses S. Grant changed his name to avoid having initials that spelled HUG.

With those fun facts in mind, I've elected (ha, see what I did there?) to take a mental health day. By that I mean I sewed some sleep masks simply because I wanted to sew. Here's a picture for attention/some of these are book-relevant.

Now I'm going to go snuggle up in a few blankets, pretend it isn't snowing, and finish reading Fight Club so I can move on to Kristina Cook's second Undone by Love book, Unveiled. 

What about you? Did you learn anything nifty on this holiday? If you have the day off, what are you doing? 

The Reading Slump

As readers, there's always the risk of ailments we'll suffer. The book hangover, one more chapter syndrome, the ugly cry, spoilers, etc. Right now, this reader is suffering the reading slump. As in, I can't get through a book.

Oh, I've tried.

I made it a few chapters into The Martian before gently and temporarily setting it down for a book more appropriate of my mood at the time. Given, I did finish Paper Towns by John Green, but I dragged it out way longer than I needed to because, well, reading slump. I've tried listening to an audiobook, the next in a series I've really enjoyed. I'm also most of the way through Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk, one of my favorite authors, most of which was read through in one day. But I just can't find the final push I need to finish it out for no other reason than reading slump.

I think it's possible the last book I read before this reading slump was Truths We Tell, book two in the Truth series by our very own Brenda St. John Brown. That was back in November, which should stand as an example of how bad of a slump I'm in. November. Of last year.

Usually, the reading slump is treated with the right book at the right time, but my book choices and timing haven't been matching up. There is hope, though. While catching up on my shows and sewing this afternoon I saw the trailer for The 5th Wave and it caught my interest enough that I'm contemplating jumping into it before the timing escapes me. Wish me luck!

In the event the next book is also a bust, what is your go-to to pull you out of a reading slump?

--Brianna Lebrecht

Happy Veterans Day!

As the resident reader, I skimmed my Goodreads list to see which books I could recommend in honor of Veterans Day. However, it appears military books don't fall within my niche. In fact, the last book I read with a form of military was Prodigy, book two in Marie Lu's Legend trilogy. And the last book I read with a realistic (as opposed to the aforementioned dystopia) veteran was one of the Jack Reacher novels by Lee Child, read before I fell into Young Adult reading. I can say, though, that I listened to parts of both Band of Brothers and Beyond Band of Brothers by Stephen E. Ambrose as the Baron listened to them. Those, I would recommend.

In any case, I'd still like to wish all those who serve or have served a happy Veterans Day. Without you, I probably wouldn't have as much time as I do to read or the freedom to read and write what I want.

So thank you.

Eek! Put Some Pages Up for Criteek!

I know I'm one of the resident readers here at Across the Board, but I also write and asked to be added into the rotation for the Eek! segment Jonathan started. 

I have been playing around with Revealed, my dual-narrative YA sci-fi-ish WIP, for the better part of five years and I finally feel like I'm getting closer to where I want it to be. Here's a blurb: 

A secret society of special abilities, the Order, becomes unbalanced when Jaycen Towle acts on his desire to use the gift he was born with to become a superhero. Cara Wallace, a gifted outsider, is sucked into Jaycen’s world when she discovers his secret and believes the Order may have answers about the parents she barely knew. But are the Order’s answers really worth the shattering they cause both Cara and Jaycen?

Now that you know what you're getting yourself into, here's the first chapter for you to help me make better. 

Jaycen

Trevor’s attempted screams were muffled by the gag in his mouth, but I still cringed at the sound. I hated this game of harvesting a gift. I hated Brian for dragging me into this--to cover his own indiscretions, of course--and Trevor for agreeing to spill his blood in the first place, even if he would heal quickly. The blood would be flowing and soon it would be over.

            To distract myself I racked my brain for a way to reach out to Cara, to get her to reveal herself to me so I could reciprocate. There was nothing I could do until she made the first move unless I wanted to break the rules. The brick walls that lined the narrow way were like a reminder of their constraint on my life. 

            As if in reaction to my thoughts, there was movement at the opening of the dark alley. I wasn’t worried--I was shielding to keep us from being detected--but my shield faltered with the adrenaline rush when I recognized those auburn curls. What were the odds that Cara Wallace, the one person I couldn’t stop thinking about, would happen down the same alley I was to be guarding? 

            Crap. It was obvious from her look that she spotted us. Brian appeared by my side and muttered something as the lightbulb affixed to the side of the building went out with a pop. In the span of those few pitch black seconds, instead of fortifying our protection, I made a rash decision, one I would pay for later. I took the first step. This was the revelation. I was inviting her into my world.

***

Cara

            The light in the alley was out, bringing about the eerie realization that I had turned too soon. That somehow made the pounding of my heart seem much louder in my ears. I felt them just before I saw them. The spike of anxiousness, surprise, irritation, and pain ambushed me simultaneously. These weren’t just the feelings of one person. No, the gruesome image revealed four people, all staring at me with mixed expressions of anger and mischief. I threw my hand over my mouth to stifle a gasp and noted the new location of my stomach in my throat. One of them bled from where his arm used to be and I had no idea how he was still standing. Oh, please let him still be standing.

            Before I could process what sort of trick my brain was playing on me, a buzzing crack relit the light in the alley. The four guys, who I recognized from our small town school, had moved closer in the dark to where I stood frozen, though one hung back cautiously. My wide eyes darted between their defensive stances and I counted appendages. All arms were correctly placed, but there was a visible puddle glinting in the dim light of the dead end alley. My throat tightened. I didn’t want to think about what that was.

I took an automatic step backwards toward the sound of cars back on the street I should still be on. My heart tried to beat out of my chest and for the first time, I was so overwhelmed by my own emotions that I couldn’t pick up on anyone else’s. The raven-haired guy in the middle flinched before taking a step towards me.

“You look lost,” he said. Brian James. That was his name. I might have been mistaken, but I thought he had a faint grin on his face. I focused on him and his irritation washed over me, even though his sharp features remained relaxed.

I cleared my throat, swallowing the scream that wanted so badly to escape. “You’re right. I think I got too wrapped up in my book and took the wrong turn.” I waved my e-reader like a white flag. Another step backwards followed by another step forward by Brian. He glanced at Trevor Quade and Marcus Sandusky standing to his right, who nodded in response before stepping towards me as well. The fourth guy held back. I tried to catch his eye in a weak plea for help, but a shadow masked his face. 

            “Don’t leave yet,” Brian called. “We want to talk to you for a minute.” Yes, he definitely had a Cheshire Cat grin on his face.

            I took a deep breath to steady myself. “Look, I didn’t see anything. I’ll be on my way. This never happened.” I held my gloved hands up in a shaky gesture, nearly dropping my device.

The guys stopped marching forward, so I started to turn. A hand grasped my left arm and I wheeled around to see who had a hold on me. I couldn’t decide whether or not I was thankful for the thick sweater creating a barrier against Brian’s thoughts as he towered over me. At this proximity, though, I felt him as if I were experiencing his emotions first hand. There was a devious air about him. 

            “I said we need to talk.” He pronounced each syllable fully as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders and turned me to walk back the way we came. The sounds behind me faded and the alley suddenly represented one of those caves people disappeared into and never came back.

My heart pounded.

The fourth guy, whose face I could see once we were closer, was still standing where he had stopped. Jaycen Towle kept silent, but I could feel his contemplative state. Fierce blue eyes met mine and he held my gaze. Please don’t let them hurt me, please don’t let them hurt me, I thought over and over again, willing him to hear me.

            “It will be OK,” Jaycen said, still several feet away. The guys around me didn’t seem to hear this. I glanced at them nervously and then back at Jaycen in time to catch his wink. “Brian, let her go,” he said firmly. Brian stood straighter and Trevor and Marcus glanced between them, obviously hearing him this time.  

            “No way. We have to handle this, Jay.” Brian’s hold on me tightened and a whimper rushed out of my mouth. 

            Jaycen took a step forward. “That isn’t your job and you know it.” He looked at me briefly. When he looked back at Brian and friends, his pale brows were furrowed in concentration. All of a sudden, Brian yelped. He released me, placing his hands out in front of himself to swat the empty air. The other two followed suit, stumbling as if they were blind, while I stared, confused, at the scene before me. 

            Jaycen grabbed my gloved hand and pulled me away. “Come on,” he said. We took off in an awkward run with him dragging me. When we reached the mouth of the alley, he pulled me left and guided me towards a dirt-colored truck at the curb. Without asking where we were going, I climbed inside and slammed the door behind me, shoving the lock down with a shaky hand. Relief washed over me as Jaycen’s door closed and he thrust the keys into the ignition. He threw the truck into drive and pulled away from the curb just as his friends appeared in my side view mirror. 

 His truck bumped along the road in silence. My mind raced, dodging the things I wasn’t ready to think about and dancing around the things I was. So many questions slapped me in the face at once. I wasn’t even sure where to start, but I was overwhelmed with the tense emotional atmosphere and couldn’t stand the silence anymore. “I live on Oak Street,” I mumbled. He maneuvered the truck accordingly.

“You didn’t have to do that, you know.” I wanted to make it very clear that it was his choice to step in. I didn’t want to feel like I owed him anything, though I couldn’t help but feel like I did. “Stand up to your friends, I mean.”

He sighed, not a happy sound at all. “I know,” he said with furrowed brows, as if realizing this for the first time. His emotions shocked me. He was so conflicted. “Trust me, I’ll pay the price for it.” I stared at him for a moment, not sure how to respond. He looked over at me with a quick shift of his ice blue eyes. “Don’t worry about it, okay? I’ll be fine.” His voice was reassuring, but I was still hesitant.

I cocked my head to the side out of curiosity. “Is this...um, whatever you were doing…why you keep to yourself? I mean, to your group?” I thought about all the times I had seen him at school with his friends. And trust me, I had seen him. They seemed to operate as a small diverse community, not allowing new people into their loop and never kicking anyone out.

He chuckled and the sound sent something fluttering inside me. “Could be.” He seemed happier as he looked in my direction again. “So what’s your secret then?”

He caught me off guard, so I looked away. “I don’t have a secret. Why would you assume I have a secret?” I fumbled my hands in my lap.

“Well, you’re not exactly a party animal, are you? I mean, any time I see you, you’re reading on that thing.”

I blushed as I stroked the e-reader where I clutched it in my lap and he smiled. He was starting to relax, which made things more comfortable for me. “It’s a good distraction…” I muttered. His curiosity was piqued and I looked out the window with relief as we turned onto my street. “It’s that one with the red door.” I pointed out the windshield.

Jaycen put the truck in park at the curb and turned to look at me. His apprehension radiated at me, which made me feel nervous too. His blue eyes sizzled and I was lost in them for a moment waiting for him to speak. “Are your parents home?”

“Yes. I mean no. My parents are dead.” How did that spill out? “Nana’s home. I’m, uh, adopted.”

His eyebrows rose into his sandy hair, accompanied by a weird jolt of excitement, but he didn’t say anything else.

Clearing my throat, I mumbled, “Thanks for the ride and...stuff.” 

He nodded and as I reached for the door handle, the same anxious spike I had felt from him earlier filled the truck now. But all he said was, “I’ll see you around. Be careful.”

I scrambled to exit the truck and jogged to my front door, ready to dismiss this whole weird evening. Listening for the truck to pull away, I fiddled with the keys, but it idled there. I turned to wave as the lock clicked and then stepped inside. Once the door was closed, his truck rumbled away, and I leaned against the door for a moment to catch my breath.

“Is that you?” Nana called from her craft room down the hall. I breathed in the familiar scent of home and safety, relaxing at the sound of her voice.

“Yes, Nana. Sorry I’m late. I got caught up on my way home from the bookstore.” I shuddered at this truth.

She chuckled, a comforting sound on a night like this. “I should have known when you missed dinner. I set a plate aside in the microwave for you. Should still be warm.”

The air buzzed the further down the hall I walked. “Thanks. I’m just going to take it up to my room. Homework, you know.” I could hear her sewing machine and knew I was safe to slip away without further elaboration.

When I got upstairs I set my plate of garlic lemon chicken, broccoli, and mashed potatoes on my nightstand and collapsed onto my neatly made bed. Squeezing my eyes shut, I let the evening play out against my eyelids. It was obvious I had witnessed something I wasn’t supposed to, but I wasn’t sure exactly what that was. Sighing, I opened my eyes and sat up to eat before my chicken was completely cold. But as I cut my first piece and lifted the fork to my mouth, my stomach clenched against the food I was about to offer it. My appetite was gone, just like any chance of sleep after such a crazy evening.

Wimps Can Enjoy Scary Books Too!

If you're like me and scared of pretty much anything that goes bump-in-the-night, then Halloween might not be your favorite holiday. (But the fact that there's free candy and dressing up saves this holiday from being ranked dead last for me.) I hate being scared, I'm not a fan of horror movies, and I'm terrified of the dark and of spiders (both of which are pretty much synonymous with All Hallows Eve). And yet, I love books that are able to put me on edge. I haven't read many "traditional" horror books, but I have read a fair amount of creepy, thrilling, dark books that make you want to look over your shoulder or check under your bed. I'll call them horror-esque. And while some of them aren't considered horror, they still have that element of gore or scare, or "oh my gosh turn around it's right behind you TURN AROUND!" element to them. So here's a short list of books that I've read and liked (but aren't too scary for those wimps out there like me) that you might want to give a try:

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey (Aliens invade! But they look like humans.)

The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton (People suddenly die from a mysterious cause.)

Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer (An environmental anomaly consumes all who enter.)

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn (The only survivor of a mass killing tries to find the real killer.)

Day Four by Sarah Lotz (Cruise ship stops dead in the water. Very strange events begin to happen.)

Fiend by Peter Stenson (The only way to stave off the zombie apocalypse is with... drugs?)

Fragment by Warren Fahy (Jurrasic Park + Reality TV show)

The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey (Young girl wonders why she's hated and why people suddenly smell so tasty.)

The Hot Zone by Richard Preston (Based on real-life events of a close encounter with Ebola in the US.)

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski (Family buys house. House reveals terrifying secrets.)

Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist (Scandanavian child vampire seeks a friend.)

One Second After by William R. Forstchen (Scary-real account of what could happen after an EMP detonation.)

The Passage by Justin Cronin (Epic tale of how an immortality experiment turned most of the population into blood-thirsty killers.)

Robopocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson (Exactly what the title sounds like. AI becomes self-aware. Decides to take over.)

The Three by Sarah Lotz (Three children survive unsurvivable plane crashes. That happen at the exact same time in different parts of the world.)

World War Z by Max Brooks (A "first-hand" account of the survivors of the zombie apocalypse.)

Out of these, I'd have to say that House of Leaves is the scariest one for me. If you've never heard of it, I urge you to go to your nearest bookstore and just take a look at it. It's unique in that there are stories within stories, footnotes that go on for pages, passages that are written in spirals (literally) and more. It takes commitment to read and is certainly not for everyone. It can be very confusing at times and gives the sense of what "going mad" must feel like. It's a book that stays with the reader (I'm getting goosebumps as I think about it) and has a cult following intent on breaking a supposed code that is written within the stories. It may not sound like a horror book from my description, but it leaves you feeling extremely uneasy every time you put it down.

Have you read any of these? What are some of your favorite horror books and why? What is the scariest book you've ever read?

Fall Equals Book Sales

IT'S FALL!

Fall is my favorite season. What's better than snuggling up with a blanket and a book in front of the woodstove?

Well, I'll tell you. Book sales.

Every spring and fall my local library has a book sale. I'm always too busy in the spring with gardening, writing (remember the Seasons of Writing post by Beth?), and a few volunteer projects that I never end up making it to the spring sale, much to my wallet's approval. But I happened to be in the vicinity of the sale last weekend after work, which meant I also didn't have my kiddos in tow.

So, of course, I stopped. And I spent some money.

I mostly spent money on books for my homeschoolers, including Charlotte's Web and a few junior novels for Disney Channel movies my daughter loves. But I also bought these:

I happen to be a HUGE Cassandra Clare fan, so I snagged the book without a second thought. And it's in amazing condition! I could stare at it all day if I wasn't so interested in actually reading it...

I also picked up The Giver, which I read in elementary school years ago, because I figured it would be a great discussion book for my daughter and me. Also, I feel like I'd appreciate this book much more as an adult choosing to read it, rather than a child being told I have to read it, especially because I have a special appreciation for dystopia now.

And because I'm also an audiobook lover, I had to grab these:

I haven't actually started the Dresden Files yet, but my brother insists I need to and the first book glares at me every time I step into my office. I took proactive measures in buying it, knowing I'll get there at some point. And Neil Gaiman...I don't believe he requires an explanation.

I feel like I lucked out. My daughter would actually say the best find was Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets on DVD (she reminded me almost daily that we didn't have it).

Do you visit book sales? If you do, what's the first thing you look for?

Banned Book Week

While banned book week is nearly over, it’s still a very important topic to mention. In a world where a large portion of the population seems to be offended by one thing or another, tensions (and opinions) can run high when discussing anything from politics to baby names and religion to what we choose to eat. Thankfully, we (well those of us in the U.S. and parts of Europe) are lucky to live in a place where we can exercise our freedom of speech. Mostly.
I say “mostly” because there are still parts of this country (referring to the U.S. from here on out) where it is thought to be acceptable to ban or prohibit people from reading certain books and learning about certain topics. And while there’s a wide spectrum on how people feel about banning books, reading and writing books regardless of content is protected under the first amendment of the constitution.
Many books are banned because the behavior and language is incongruent with the personal beliefs of the group that is doing the banning. Banning typically means that the book is not to be made readily available to community members via schools or libraries. Most of these challenges/bannings are initiated by parents or guardians and for reasons pertaining to sexual explicitness or offensive language. And since 1990, the year of 1995 had the most challenges/bannings with a total of 762 books. Below is a list of frequently challenged or banned books in the U.S. and their reason(s)...

Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl (Anne Frank) - Too Depressing
Harry Potter Series (J.K. Rowling) - Witchcraft, Bad Behavior
Howl (Allen Ginsberg) - Homosexuality
Eleanor & Park (Rainbow Rowell) - Profanity, Sexual Content
And Tango Makes Three (J. Richardson, P. Parnell) - Homosexuality
The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Stephen Chbosky) - Inappropriate Behavior, Sexual Content, Offensive Language
Lady Chatterley's Lover (DH Lawrence) - Sexual Content
Brave New World (Aldous Huxley) - Sexual Content
Tropic of Cancer (Henry Miller) - Sexual Content, Homosexuality
The Satanic Verses (Salman Rushdie) - Blasphemy
Lolita (Vladimir Nabokov) - Sexual Content
Animal Farm (George Orwell) - Goes Against God (talking animals is unnatural)

...and perhaps the most ridiculous of all…

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? (Bill Martin Jr.) - Banned because an author with the same name as this book’s author (Bill Martin, no relation)—who, to be clear, is an entirely different person—was a Marxist who wrote a different book about Marxism and people don’t know how to check their facts.

For more information on banned books please see http://www.ala.org/bbooks/.

How do feel about banning books? Which banned books have you read and do you agree or disagree with their decision to be banned? Remember to please keep the conversation friendly and respectful!

And now for my first trick - Predicting this summers’ bestsellers!

Summer is hands down my favorite season. I love the sun, the warmth, and being outside with a cold drink and a great book. Summer is the season of cookouts, beach days, and road trips. It’s also the season of the “beach read”. But what exactly is a “beach read”?

This + Rum = Happy Tara! Yay!

My personal definition of a beach read is a book that is easy to read, doesn’t take a lot of concentration, and is something that, despite many interruptions, can be devoured in one or two sittings. Beach reads are those books that you can take on airplanes (and leave for the next passenger), get sand between the pages, and spill your margarita on and not have the world end. It’s one that you’ll happily lend to your friends when they ask for a book to take on their vacation. I like to think of them as peacocking-books; you read them at beaches and public pools in the hopes that maybe the good looking lifeguard or the sunbathing hottie next to you will ask you about it.

You’ll probably see a movie or tv adaptation of these books in a year or so, thanks to their popularity and general relatable-ness. Probably not award winners but most likely have some pop culture relevance. Maybe an A-List actor in the starring role. Beach reads are lovely because they can be guilty pleasure books that you aren’t “embarrassed” to get “caught” reading. (Note: Never be embarrassed about something you like to read. Haters gonna hate.) “Oh, this? I just picked it up at the airport bookstore on my layover since I had already read everything else there.” Great ice-breaker books.

But really the definition of a beach read is totally subjective and open to interpretation. It doesn’t have to necessarily be of any one genre either. It can be romance, mystery, sci-fi, even a memoir. Each genre has its own beach read.

Past beach reads include Beautiful Ruins, The Paris Wife, Fifty Shades of Grey, Gone Girl, Orphan Train, The Longest Ride, Me Before You, Inferno, Orange Is the New Black, The Boys in the Boat, The Tipping Point, The Help, Water For Elephants, and One Day… just to name a few.

Now I’m no fortune teller or foreseer of the future but I have been selling books for the last 10 years and I like to think that I can spot trends when it comes to reading material. So with nothing but my gut instinct and a bunch of two sentence descriptions here’s a list of books that I think will be this years popular beach reads and ones that I will most likely be recommending to my friends and customers.

The Martian by Andy Weir (Sci Fi)

The Vacationers by Emma Straub (Fiction)

Pretty Is by Maggie Mitchell (Fiction)

The Life and Death of Sophie Stark by Anna North (Fiction)

The Rocks by Peter Nichols (Fiction)

Local Girls by Caroline Zancan (Fiction)

Pretty Baby by Mary Kubica (Mystery/Thriller)

Hugo and Rose by Bridget Foley (Fiction)

China Rich Girlfriend by Kevin Kwan (Fiction)

Suicide Notes From Beautiful Girls by Lynn Weingarten (YA Fiction)

The Hand That Feeds You by A.J. Rich (Mystery/Thriller)

Sick in the Head by Judd Apatow (Humor)

The Rumor by Elin Hilderbrand (Fiction)

Killing Monica by Candace Bushnell (Fiction)

In the Unlikely Event by Judy Blume (Fiction)

...and of course…

Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee (Fiction)

What do you consider to be a beach read? What book(s) are you looking forward to reading this summer?

Hello! My name is Tara and I have a reading addiction.

Being a “reader” doesn’t seem like an active choice that one makes in his or her lifetime. It’s something that most people, I suspect, become naturally and gradually. Not me. I remember the exact moment I knew I wanted to be a reader. There were actually four very important books in my life that solidified my love of books and love of getting lost in them.

The very first time was while I was reading Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. Looking back on it, this is the first book that I remember getting the “feels” during. I was in fifth grade and we were learning about the Holocaust. To make it more relatable for our young minds our teacher had us read Number the Stars and write an essay about whether or not we would help a Jewish family during this terrifying time. This was also the first and only time I’ve ever “stolen” a book (from a school no less). I was so in love with this story that I had to have it for myself. (I was unaware of bookstores at the time and thought the library was my only option.) At the end of the year I did return the book after I got a copy for my birthday.

The next book, or series rather, was the Animorphs series. These were the books that started my love of series and of science fiction. I remember waiting anxiously for my dad to get home on the first Tuesday of every month with the newest book in his hands for me. I was amazed that a book could turn into multiple books (I think 54 was the last one I read) and that storylines and characters could develop over time, that people and plot lines could be resolved and new ones created. These were also the books that introduced me to the concept (and lie) that was “just one more chapter”.

The third book that blew my mind was The Giver by Lois Lowry. The ending of this book completely turned reading on its head for me. Because I was a reading nerd by this point I read ahead and finished the book a good week before most of my classmates. When I got to the end and the story just ended I was devastated. I thought that my copy must be missing pages. I went to my teacher and asked for a different copy so that I could find out what happened; the anticipation was killing me. When she told me that that was the ending, that there was no resolution, I was outraged. Why would she pick such a book?! What author wouldn’t tell the reader exactly what happened to the characters? There were so many questions going through my young head at this point that I spent my entire lunch period in her classroom discussing the book. At the end of our talk she told me to do something unimaginable. Write my own ending. (I did and she gave me extra credit, not that I needed it. I passed seventh grade English with a 107. Yes, I was that girl.)

I won’t go into the last book in detail because I’m sure many of you already know this story. I was in seventh grade and I met a boy. His name was Harry Potter.

So why am I boring you all with this? (I hope I’m not boring you! This is only my first post!) To demonstrate my love, addiction, and obsession with books and reading. Having succumbed to this addiction at a youngish age I was able to cultivate and nurture my love of learning everything I could from books. Books had the answers to almost every question I had even the ones my parents and teachers didn’t have the answers too. (This was also before the internet and the instantaneous answers one could get from Google. I had to actually work at finding the answers and I’m so grateful that I had this opportunity to live in a time where the internet wasn’t there to be used as a crutch.) Not only was I exposed to facts about the world but I also learned about other cultures, other parts of the world, about situations I hadn’t been exposed to yet, about people I hadn’t heard of, etc. It was a way of exploring the world without leaving my house.

So as your newest resident reader I hope to be able to recommend books to you that you’ll like and find interesting. I read just about everything with a noticeable bias towards fiction (as opposed to non-fiction) and will try any genre at least once. And even though it’s early in my blog writing days I have a feeling that most of my posts will be about reading (as opposed to writing) and things going on in the book world. (I am currently in my 10th year of being a bookseller, so I feel like I know my stuff.)

Here’s a VERY SHORT list of some of my favorite books, in no particular order. I hope this gives you some insight into what I enjoy and that it opens the door for some conversations. I’m always happy to give recommendations!

• Wool (series) by Hugh Howey
• The Hunger Games (series) by Suzanne Collins
• Harry Potter (series) by J.K. Rowling
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
• Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
• Red Rising by Pierce Brown
• The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
• The Passage by Justin Cronin
• The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

• To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
• The Secret History by Donna Tartt
• Lexicon by Max Barry
• World War Z by Max Brooks
• Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
• 1984 by George Orwell