I'll be announcing winners and such on Mondays, not Sundays.

All right. I’m all set to start my contest.

Do ya wanna hear something amazing? I had EXACTLY the amount of bloggers I needed that contacted me. EXACTLY. There are 5 of you I still haven’t e-mailed, and that’s because you’ll be participating in the last week, and I haven’t thought of what I’ll be doing for the last week, so stay tuned.

Here’s how this is going down:

Every Sunday (like today), I’ll be giving a recap. I’ll let you know where the “hints” are going to be every day, and I’ll announce the winners of the weekly prizes. I hope to give away at least three prizes a week, possibly more. Which means that at least three people will win a week. The prizes vary from books, to jewlery, to custom t-shirts, and more. Then there’s the grand prize, of course, which I will announce the winner of on my birthday, September 22nd. And it’s gonna be grand let me tell you. At least… if I won it I would be very happy. A part of the grand prize is a personally signed copy of a certain book by a certain author. And when I say “personally” I mean it will have the grand prize winner’s name in it. And that’s just a part of the grand prize. Money may be involved. May. ;)

This week’s “hints” are simple. All you have to do is answer whatever question is asked in the comments. Amount of entries per day will be varied, so keep a lookout. The “hints” will be located:

Monday: Squeaky Books (that’s me!)
Tuesday: Wendy's Minding Spot
Wednesday: Some Fantasy in Reality
Thursday: Charbydis
Friday: Gretch-a-sketch
Saturday: The Curly Q

And then on Sunday you come back here and I announce the winners. Got it?

Every week the entries will be wiped clean for the weekly prizes. But ALL of your entries will be counted for the grand prize.

And here’s a way to earn more entries:

If you blog about my contest tomorrow (as in, September 1st) I will give you TEN ENTRIES towards the grand prize. TEN. 10. As of right now that is the most amount of entries you can earn at once. However, those ten will not count towards this week’s prizes, just the grand prize.

Now let’s get to it! (I’m so excited!)

~Enna Isilee

Have any questions? Let me know in the comments.

Allo fellow bloggers!

I sent out an e-mail today asking for your help with my contest. Please check your inboxes and spam boxes! (how could I ever be considered spam? Honestly. ;) ) If you didn't get the e-mail it either means you're not subscribed to my newsletter or you're extremely unlucky.

You can still help out though! I'd love it if you did! E-mail me at Books@Squeakybooks.com

In fact, anyone who helps me out gets 5 free entries towards my contest!

Hope to hear from you soon!

~Enna Isilee

Hey guys, you should hop on over here to Nerd Goddess' blog where she's giving away a set of her fabulous punctuation earings (Or necklace or charm). These things are so cute! And they're really cool (I've seen them in person, on Nerd Goddess' ears).

Alright, I saw someone (I think it was Book Vault) asking for donations for a contest. I thought that was a super-cool idea!

I'm going to be having a HUGE contest in September celebrating my birthday (seriously, guys. This thing is going to be massive. And I'm hoping to give away some really fantastic books and other various prizes every week!).

Any authors want to donate some of their books? Anyone made something cool that they'd like to let people know about? Send me a buzz:

Books@Squeakybooks.com

I'd love ta hear from ya!

~Enna Isilee

Okay. I'm leaving again. This time just from now until Sunday afternoon. In retrospect I probably should have gotten a guest blogger or two. Oh well.

I kept forgetting about this trip. I'd have to be reminded. It's not a big thing, just a little getaway.

However, I get to read Rumors sequel to The Luxe. I'm excited about that.

Until Sunday!

~Enna Isilee

a memory on snowy wings
has waited long to wake
and fly into that gilded world
beyond those big glass gates

but memory her heart was pierced
when she saw what lay beyond
not glitterings and friendships
but something far forgone

this wasn't the same yesteryear
that she had grown to love
this was something new and wrong
unfitting for this dove

this place where she had bloomed and grown
had turned to something stranges
he didn't know if she could make it
ever be the same

it wasn't long before despair
struck deep within my friend
a tear rolled down her now-grey cheek
she wished it was the end

and all i could say was continue on
and please be strong and true
try onward till the end
for what else can we few do?

perhaps your shine's not meant to last
but meant to see the truth
for at the close there is one thing we choose
and that is Youth.

~Yolie Matsutamo

Oh. My. Goodness.

This is the kind of assigned reading they should have in schools. This book had so much to offer psychologically, symbolically, and philosophically and yet it was a FACINATING story. If you really wanted to, you could read it exactly as it's written, just a story. But you have the ability at the end to go back and see everything with wider eyes.

Here's the summary from GoodReads:

Actually, I've decided not to give you a summary. It's so much the better when you don't know exactly all the details. I'll let you know what I knew when I first began this book:

Boy doesn't like his name. Boy gets trapped on a lifeboat with a tiger.

That's all I knew.

I started this book yesterday evening and I finished it about 25 minutes ago. I was that enraptured (Plus I had to have it finished by tomorrow for school).

And even if you're going through the whole book going "What in the world is going on. I'm so confused." know that it's totally worth it at the end.

MY WARNING: It really helps if you read this book and then have someone to discuss it with. I would recommend an entire book club. For me, I had my mom. I would have been completely shocked and frozen by this book if it hadn't been for my mom telling me, "Calm down, this is what happened:" Also, there's a bit of gore. After all, he had to kill his own food.

Ah! I loved it!

~Enna Isilee

**I've decided to star all books that qualify as "Squeaky" books. So if you see asterisks before the book title, you'll know it's squeaky!

All right, I discovered these as well when I was gone. Made me laugh out loud. This is the Arkansas 12th grade reading test, would you pass?

Please read the following out loud:

MR DUCKS
MR NOT
SAR
CM WINGS
LIB
MR DUCKS

Did ya get it? Let's try a few more:

MR MICE
MR NOT
SAR
CM EDBD FEET
LIB
MR MICE


MR PUPPIES
MR NOT
SAR
CM PN
LIB
MR PUPPIES


MR TAXPAYERS
MR NOT
SAR
CM MT POCKETS
LIB
MR TAXPAYERS


MR SNAKES
MR NOT
SAR
CM BD EYES
LIB
MR SNAKES

Heh. Made me giggle. Expecially because I like to draw out the LIB. L I---- B.

Y'all have probably seen these before, but I just had to share.

~Enna Isilee

Alright, I'm back and I've removed my guest bloggers from my blog. I was slightly hesitant to do this because it seems that they do such a better job than me. I read their posts and went: "Wow. No one wants to hear from plain old me anymore."

Guest blogging is so fun, I think I'm going to have people do it more often. Even when I'm not out of town.

Okay, in other news please note Book Vault's Birthday Riddle, it's one post down. I really wanted to write a "I'm Back!" post, or else I would have waited until tomorrow to write a new post.

Things that happened to me while I was gone:

1. I got no sleep
2. I got a cold
3. I swallowed a pill for the FIRST TIME IN MY ENTIRE LIFE
4. I ate WAY too much...
5. ...but I had to walk A LOT so I didn't feel so guilty
6. I just about tore out my hair when I realized there was NO computer access
7. I finished Silksinger by Laini Taylor (It's AMAZING)
8. I'm so excited to be back.

*sigh* Happy days.

~Enna Isilee

Post:
This is the next leg of The Book Vault’s birthday book riddle contest! For more information on the contest, go here: http://the-book-vault.blogspot.com/2008/08/birthday-contest.html
Each correct answer counts as an entry into the drawing on August 29th!

Riddle:
She was less talked about than her infamous sister, but she and her sister shared the same thing with a certain well-known figure from Great Britain, who was known for his numerous spouses and some drastic political moves. This novel features the girl who was overshadowed by her ambitious sister.
Which book is this?

Know the answer? Send Dominique an email at bookvault@yahoo.com with:

“BDAY CONTEST” in the subject line
and:
Name:
The Riddle: She was less talked about than her infamous sister, but she and her sister shared the same thing with a certain well-known figure from Great Britain, who was known for his numerous spouses and some drastic political moves. This novel features the girl who was overshadowed by her ambitious sister.
Which book is this?
Answer: (full book title + author)
The name of the site where you found the riddle: Squeaky Books
Your site’s URL: (if you have one)

Please send a separate email for each riddle you answer!

Good luck!!

Hello fellow Squeaky Book readers! This is Nerd Goddess, a fan of Enna Isilee's blog as well as her friend/writing buddy out in the 3D world. ;)

Since this is a book blog, I figured I'd write a post about books, but I've had a hard time trying to decide what to come up with. So, since lists seem to be popular around here, I think I'll make one of my own. ;)

How I read:

1. Position: My favorite reading position is, at the moment, lying on my stomach on my bed with pillows under my chest. I like it because the pillows prop me up, and I can read without having to hold the book. This works better for hardback books and longer books, as they stay propped open better. The downside is that it tends to hurt my ribs. When I was at college, though, I preferred reading while I was sprawled out on the couch in the kitchen, as it was often more quiet than my room. So this is something that changes.

2. Munchies: I know for some people eating while reading is an absolute taboo. But I find I like munching on things whilst I read. Especially popcorn, Smarties, Nerds (heh, Nerd Goddess...), anything with chocolate in it, and anything else that can be eaten with one hand without getting crumbs all everywhere. However, if I don't want to get a book dirty (like if it's new, or I'm borrowing it) I will refrain from doing this, just in case.

3. Page Count: This one's a little weird. I am always acutely aware of what page I'm on when I read. It matters not if the book is so gripping I forget how to breathe, or if it's so boring I can hardly stand it, I always check what page I'm on. And I always know how many pages are left. I never read the last page of the book, but I always carefully check to see what that page number is, and I silently count down in my head as I go. 300 pages left, 200 pages left, 100 pages left. I don't know why I do this, but I'm kind of curious to see who else does this.

4. Critiquing: I only just started critiquing books as I read, and I think Goodreads is probably to blame, since you can post your reviews on there. I find that when I read now, I note when things are bothering me, like if I haven't gotten enough time to know the characters, or the dialouge is stiff, or if the writing isn't smooth. It's kind of distracting, but I think it also shows that I'm starting to pay more attention to things other than the plot. It makes for more informed decisions on reviews, but it makes it a tad harder for me to enjoy a book if "ly" adverbs keep glaring at me from the page.


I think that'll do for now. I'm sure I do other, random things, like make funny faces or grunt at the book or something, but if I do I don't know about them, so they shall not be told of in this post. So my well-read friends, how do you read?

Edit: If any of you happened to read the post that got posted an hour ago, sorry about that. I had it scheduled, but I meant to delete it, since I wrote this post instead. My apologies on any confusion.

A guest blog by Q

What makes a book (in the words of my esteemed patroness Enna Isilee) squeaky? I've compiled a short list of things a book ought to have to be awarded this prestigious adjective.

1. Characters
In my opinion, characters can make or break the book. If I don't like the characters, chances are I won't like the book very much either, unless I don't like the characters (i.e. the first Artemis Fowl) in a good way (if that makes any sense at all). Squeaky characters should be distinct and real--and having a funny character in a book isn't a bad plan, either. There shouldn't be so many characters that it gets confusing. And I usually think it's a good thing when I yell and scream at the characters, because it means I care about them. Unless it's Eldest, in which case yelling and screaming at the characters is not good at all.

2. Plot
Plot is kind of like a character. It should make sense, and it shouldn't be too complex to follow, especially in a short book. I often like it when the author strings the reader along and then when you think everything is resolved says, "Just kidding! You didn't really solve the problem!" and makes everything fall apart. If they do it well, that mean twist can be really fun.

3. Beginning and ending
A beginning should introduce the reader to the setting and characters, but most importantly it should get the reader involved with the plot. Squeaky beginings should draw readers in, wrapping tendrils of story around them until they couldn't put the book down if they wanted to.
Endings should wraps everything up--all the loose ends, subplots, everything. The very last pages of a book should make readers cry (The Book Thief), laugh (Rapunzel's Revenge), swoon (The Queen of Attolia), tear their hair out in a good way (The Well of Ascension), or just sit back contentedly with the knowledge that for one brief moment all is at peace in the world (Harry Potter).

4. Length
The book should be just long enough to tell the story--no shorter, no longer. Length is an often overlooked but crucial element in a story. All too often long stories fizzle out in the middle while characters do almost nothing, then the author seems to remember that there is a story to tell and makes the ending really good. Long books should not run out of crucial plot elements to tell--even if the author wants to give a sense of waiting. A squeaky long book (Elantris) should have a lot happening all the time. Waiting for something to happen should be kept to a minimum (Not a book, but "Ratatouille" does a good job with this). Short books can feel rushed. A squeaky short book should feel tight--like it told exactly the story it wanted to with no ifs, ands, or buts (The Adoration of Jenna Fox, Speak).

5. Language
Is extremely important. After all, I can't very well read it if it's in Bali, can I?
Just kidding. That's not what I meant.
Some writers do really well with wordiness (Robin McKinley). However, I think it takes a special kind of writer to make wordiness squeaky. Most of the time, writers should strive to take out any unnecessary words.

Gosh, that sounded an awful lot like writing advice. Oops. Who am I to be giving anyone advice about writing?

Salutations! I'm Gretchen--I write at Gretch-a-sketch and the very-under-construction Soda Pop Reviews. Given the choice to write about anything on Enna Isilee's blog, I choose books.
Real creative, right?

Because I'm a list maker by nature (you should read the one where I talk about the literary characters I want to marry), I present you with...

The Ten Kid Books Every Child, Teen, and Adult Should Read
(By no means comprehensive or in any particular order...)

1. Charlotte's Web, by E.B. White
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't tearing up just thinking about it right now. Charlotte and Wilbur are such a dynamic duo and it effectively combines the worlds of the farm animals and humans. The animated movie is awesome, but I never saw the recent version, because Dakota Fanning weirds me out.

2. From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, by E.L. Konigsberg
I have a little brother who's four years younger than I am. He's 100% Jamie and I'm 100% Claudia, so this book means so much to both of us. Answer me this: What person doesn't want to run away from home and live in a museum? Even just a little? I know, I can't think of anyone either.

3. Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, by Betty MacDonald
They're kind of old-fashioned, but the humor and lessons involved are classic. Read the whole series--you will not be let down. (Also see: Amelia Bedelia)

4. Sideways Stories From Wayside School, by Louis Sachar
I hesitated to put this instead of Holes, but I think I made the right choice. This is one of the funniest books I have ever read. For example, three of the students are named Eric Bacon, Eric Fry, and Eric Ovens. Hee!

5. Princess Academy, by Shannon Hale
It would be seriously remiss of me to not include Shannon Hale on this list. Miri is so pure and wise that all girls (and guys!) can learn from her.

6. Matilda, by Roald Dahl
This is the first chapter book that I ever sat down and read all at once, thus leading to a long and grand tradition of consuming books in one sitting. Roald Dahl truly knew how to connect to a person's inner child. It's also a great introduction to dark humor.

7. The Ordinary Princess, by M.M. Kaye
Have any of you read this? I'm under the impression that it's lesser-known, which is a darn shame. Brief synopsis: Amy is the seventh daughter of the King and Queen. She's blessed/cursed with the gift of ordinariness. There's even a dash of romance. Read it. Soon. Trust me.

8. Where the Sidewalk Ends, by Shel Silverstein
Shel needs no introduction. It's bizarre and punny and the best collection of poetry out there.

9. The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark, by Jill Tomlinson
Plop the Barn Owl is scared of the night-time. This is an issue if you're an owl. If you have the chance, listen to this delightful tale of discovery on tape.

10. The Giver/A Wrinkle in Time/The Dark is Rising
Three-way tie! Things they have in common: 1. Great moral endings 2. They're all my favorite. 3. Their respective series all rock.

What books have influenced you?

By: Lauren
Blog: www.shootingstarsmag.blogspot.com
Come and Visit!

I’m pretty excited about doing a guest blog today. I only wish I had more time to come up with something AWESOME to post. Alas, I did not…and I’m not very creative, so this is what you get: A list of books that I would love to read. I’m always coming across new finds and if I had a ton of money…I would get these titles as soon as I could.

Note: I don’t know how to get pictures to stay next to the number…so sorry for the lack of them!

1. In Search of Adam by Caroline Smailes

Amazon Summary: Motherless, rootless, and unprotected, Jude Williams childhood is fractured by the horror and experience of sexual abuse, forcing her to exist somewhere and nowhere in between childhood and adulthood. Caught within the limitations of her own language and trapped within a family secret, Jude becomes the consequence of her mothers tragedy. As she moves through the 1980s, Judes life is buffeted by choice and destiny and she collects experiences that layer her personal tragedy and plunge her into the darkest of worlds.

Why I want it: I’m always interested in these types of stories. I realize they are very sad and intense, but it’s interesting to see a life so different from my own.

2.What the Dormouse Said: Lessons for Grownups from Children’s Books by Amy Gash

What it’s about: A list of quotes from children’s books that can very well apply to teens and/or adults.

Why I want it: It just seems like a really sweet book, and I’m a big fan of finding quotes.

3.The Ninth Life of Louis Drax by Liz Jensen

What it’s about: I think giving you a link would help more than trying to write up my own summary of the book. Go here!

Why I want it: I suppose this would be the same reason that I gave for In Search of Adam. It deals with big, tough issues. It just seems like a very fascinating book to me.

4.Disconnected by Emily Davidson

Amazon Summary: Devon Wilkins is a bored, middle-class, self-proclaimed anarchist who feels as if he’s stuck in an uninterested world. He is confronted daily with what he calls “fake” people whose lives are consumed with keeping up appearances—people who are slaves to “the man.” When Devon’s therapist leaves for a book-signing tour, he asks Devon to keep a detailed journal of his thoughts and daily life as a form of personal therapy.

Devon fills his journal with rants about society, religion, school, and everything else he feels contributes to humanity’s slow demise. Devon begins to fixate on his next-door neighbor, a fifteen-year-old girl he’s never spoken to. The girl, whom he calls April, even though her real name is Stephanie, goes through a difficult time during the period that he watches her through his bedroom window. His life begins to change as his obsession grows.

Why I want it: I love books that are told through letters or diaries and the like, so this fits that idea. It also seems like a thought-provoking book in many ways, especially if Devon is stating his opinion on so many topics.



There you go! Four books that I have come across and would love to get at some point in the near future. Four books here…a TON more on my actual list!


So what books are you pining for these days? Are they out yet, or are you still waiting for the release?

All right, assuming that everyone I asked to guest-blog accepts, here's what you have to look forward to:

Tuesday: Lauren
Wednesday: Gretchen
Thursday: Q
Friday: Nerd Goddess

And I'll be back on Saturday.

Thanks guys!

~Enna Isilee

Hey, I'm going away for the next week, and rather than pre-schedule my posts, I'd like to get some guest-bloggers!

If you're interested in having control of my blog for a day, just comment here then send me an e-mail.

Super-coolio!

~Enna Isilee

Because I could not stop for Death,
He kindly stopped for me;
The carriage held but just ourselves
And Immortality.

We slowly drove, he knew no haste,
And I had put away
My labor, and my leisure too,
For his civility.

We passed the school, where children strove
At recess, in the ring;
We passed the fields of gazing grain,
We passed the setting sun.

Or rather, be passed us;
The dews grew quivering and chill,
For only gossamer my gown,
My tippet only tulle.

We paused before house that seemed
A swelling of the ground;
The roof was scarcely visible,
The cornice but a mound.

Since then 'tis centuries, and yet each
Feels shorter than the day
I first surmised the horses' heads
Were toward eternity.


~Emily Dickinson

This is the first real rain we've had all summer. Right now! I'm soaked to the bone and wearing a towel over my clothes.

Ah. It's great. It rained like this on my birthday last year and I knew that was Mother Nature's gift to me.

I love rain.

Okay. So, I have a question:

Would any of my readers be interested if I had a big contest, similar to what The Book Vault is currently doing? This contest would span almost an entire month, and there would be many books/various prizes given away and many opportunties to win.

Eh?

No spoilers in this post

I’m going to start out by bluntly saying: I liked it. I really did.

I’ve heard a lot of people say that they didn’t like it because it seemed so different from the other books. That’s why I liked it. It definitely seemed more HOST-ish to me than TWILIGHT-ish. But that’s all right because I really liked THE HOST.

For the first… oh… five or six hundred pages I just read with my mouth agape. As a Twilight pessimist I had thought up a lot of really random plot-lines that were just stupid jokes.

Imagine my amazement when one of my “Really Stupid, Random Plot-Lines” turned out to be the actual plotline.

So for a majority of the time I was reading it I was going “WHAT IN THE WORLD?!”

But then at the end I kind of realized why all that crazy had to happen. The ending satisfied me. And, in my opinion, made everyone happy (if in an odd way).

With the previous three books I could never really get over how… not good the writing was. I immediately thought the book was not good because the writing was not good. I couldn’t really see the plot through the errors and… not goodness. (Wow, I am articulate today!) With this one the plot (despite weirdness) immediately sucked me in. I’m going to have to re-read it in a couple months to see if the writing is any better, but from first glance I’d say that it is. I’ve heard someone say that it reads a lot like fanfiction, but not BAD fanfiction, in my opinion.

Another plus for me is that there wasn’t any… sin in the book, per say. No sex until they were married, and no swear words beyond hell and damn. And I have to concede that it’s perfectly normal for some people to say those things.

I know that opinions are going to be wildly different about this book, but there’s mine. I liked it. I thought it was a little weird, but I liked it.

~Enna Isilee