It's week #2 in the read-along! By now you should have read to CHAPTER 14 in Crossed. Participate in the discussion here and at Benji's blog to be entered to win one of the Breathless Reads prize packs! Remember, only if you signed up before today can you participate!

Today's discussion question:



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Welcome citizens and traders. Your fifth challenge has just arrived from the Pilot. Please read, act, and then fill out the rafflecopter. Click here for Challenge #1, Challenge #2,  Challenge #3, Challenge #4.


That trailer is really great, guys. You should check it out!

There's a new option at the bottom of the rafflecopter! Enjoy!

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Release Date: April 28th, 2009
Genre: Romance, Fantasy
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Pages: 410
Rating:
Amazon Link*: Click here
Goodreads Page: Click here
Series: Fire and Thorns #2 (Review of #1)
Summary (Spoilers, highlight to view):

Elisa is the hero of her country. She led her people to victory against a terrifying enemy, and now she is their queen. But she is only seventeen years old. Her rivals may have simply retreated, choosing stealth over battle. And no one within her court trusts her-except Hector, the commander of the royal guard, and her companions. As the country begins to crumble beneath her and her enemies emerge from the shadows, Elisa will take another journey. With a one-eyed warrior, a loyal friend, an enemy defector, and the man she is falling in love with, Elisa crosses the ocean in search of the perilous, uncharted, and mythical source of the Godstone's power. That is not all she finds.

Blurb: A second book that isn't terrible?! WHAT?!

Review: I LOVED this book. Did I love it as much as the first? No. But that's okay, 'cause I still loved it.

I loved how we are introduced to a bunch of new characters, while still getting to meet some old ones. Rae is a brilliant character creator, and I loved each and everyone of them, even the bad guys.

I also though she did a great job of portraying Elisa as queen. Once again, Rae doesn't stand for the typical YA novel. Oh no. Because what's really interesting is that Elisa is not a very good queen. The people are rioting up around her, and for good reason! But what makes this book truly magnificent is Elisa's journey to self-discovery and finding out how to be a good queen.

I wasn't a huge fan of the romance in the book. Yes, it was better than most romance books, but there was something that really bothered me... HUGE SPOILER! Do not read unless you have read this book already!  Why did it take so long for Elisa to decide to marry Hector? Why did she spend the whole book saying things like "I can't marry him." And him saying things like "We can never be together because I'm your subordinate." And then at the end Elisa says "The only way to fix things is to Marry Hector!" WHY did it take you so long to reach that conclusion?!!?

But overall, this was a great follow-up to a great book, and I cannot WAIT to get my hands on the third!

Other Reviews (most contain The Girl of Fire and Thorns spoilers!):

• Reading Teen (Loved it!)
• The YA Kitten (It was okay/Didn't like it)

*I am an amazon affiliate. If you purchase this book using my link, I will get a tiny fraction of the purchase, which goes toward contests.

Here are all my answers to the questions I was asked about blogging. Enjoy!

Describe your perfect author event.

• Oh. Probably one where I already know the author and there's plenty we can talk about. Along those same lines, I wouldn't want there to be a lot of people so I could talk to the author one-on-one without feeling guilty.

If Squeaky Books was somehow deleted from the internet, would you start a new blog and continue blogging? Would your new blog be the same as Squeaky Books? Or if not, what would be different about your new blog?

• Oh jeez! Nightmare of nightmares! I really don't know. I suppose it would be really disheartening, but I like to think that I could indeed start over again. But yes, the new blog would be the same as the old. I really love the name of my blog, my design works for me, and so does my review format. There's not a lot I would change to my blog. There's some things I would change about my life to make my blog better (more reading time, etc.) but that's it.

Do your penguins (sidebar) have names?

• Nope. They're just the pengins. I name too many things to name some pixels.

How much does your domain name cost a month (or however your plan is set out)?

• My domain was a gift for my birthday a few years ago. I believe it costs $10 a year through Go Daddy. But I'm not sure.

Do you ever have a hard time writing a review after you've read a book? Like you don't know what to say? What do you do about it?

• I always try to write my thoughts immediately after I finish the book. I don't write it in review format. I just write it. Then later I try to turn it into a review. If that doesn't work... that's when I write mini-reviews.

I'm newish to blogging and it's the technical side of it that is giving me trouble. Any suggestions for helping non-tech savvy bloggers figure out what the heck we're doing?!? :)

• GOOGLE! That's my biggest advice. Whenever you can't figure out how to do something, Google the crap out of it. That's how I taught myself HTML and design, just googling. It isn't the fastest way to learn, but it's the most easily accessible. I'm also up for giving advice, go ahead and ask any time!

What is your favorite post to put together?

• Even though they take forever, I usually have a lot of fun putting together my IMM vlogs. Aside from those, I love my discussion posts. I like having to have a dialogue with my readers.

What is your least favorite post to put together?

• Hm... I don't know if I have a least favorite so much as I have posts that are quite difficult. Reviews are, naturally, hard sometimes. It takes a long time to gather the information for my upcoming releases posts. And my IMM vlog sometimes take a LONG time for only being 3-4 minutes long. But I still like doing all of those things, otherwise I wouldn't do them. :)

What is your favorite question to ask authors?

• Hm, I don't usually have a single question that I ask authors. I try to tailor my questions specifically to the author. BUT, I do love asking authors who have theatre backgrounds how theatre has affected their writing. Is it hard for them to be an extroverted person in an introverted career? As a theatre person I just like to know these things.

If you could meet any author, whom would you pick?

• Assuming that you mean an author I haven't yet met, my current answer is Laini Taylor. But that could change depending on my mood/what I read.

What was your happiest moment in blogging this year?

• Oh... well, I have a short memory, so I'm going to say getting invited to be part of the Reached promotion. I love Ally so much!

What was your biggest disappointment in blogging this year?

• My disappointment with blogging is almost always the same every year: blogger envy/hate. There's been a lot of envy and hate going around the blogosphere. It's really gotten me down. As a personal disappointment, I wish I had been able to read more this summer. I ended up working A LOT, and didn't read as much as I wanted. I don't think that I'll reach my goal.

Who designed your blog?

• I did! I designed the HTML and 92% of the graphics. That extra 8% came from my old layout which I did NOT design. I cannot remember where I found that layout. I wish I could so I could give them credit!

Why did you decide to take on a guest reviewer?

• I think it is very important to note that I did NOT decide to have River be a guest reviewer. I decided to have a guest reviewer because she was River. Does that make sense? I wasn't planning on taking on a guest reviewer. I didn't think I needed a guest reviewer. But I really loved River, and only a few weeks after I met her I invited her to be a guest reviewer 'cause I just think she's great! You'll be seeing more from her soon. We're gonna start doing dialogue-reviews!

Release Date: June 13th, 2006
Genre: Graphic Novel, Sci-fi
Publisher: Image Comics
Pages: 112
Rating:
Amazon Link*: Click here
Goodreads Page: Click here
Summary:

True story: in 1899, Mark Twain and Nikola Tesla decided to end war forever. With Twain's connections and Tesla's inventions, they went into business selling world peace. So, what happened? Only now can the tale be told - in which Twain and Tesla collided with Edison and Morgan, an evil science cabal merging the Black Arts and the Industrial Age. Turn of the century New York City sets the stage for a titanic battle over the very fate of mankind.

Blurb: Woah. This book was crazy.

Review: This review is probably going to be a little rocky since it's my first real graphic novel review. I haven't quite built up the pallette to say what makes a graphic novel great/not great. So I'm going to give this my best shot:

I really liked the little historically accurate tidbits. The authors took A LOT of liberties with the story, but they also made it very clear where the truth was within the fiction. It was really cool.

I also loved how much was in here! There's a science, humor, magic, monsters, and more! Just when I thought I had figured out where the story was going, it twisted another way. Loved it!

The only thing I didn't like was how short it was. I felt it EASILY could have been twice as long. There were some things that were skimmed over so fast that I couldn't follow what was happening even after going back and re-reading.

All-in-all I have only one wish: that there was more than one book, or that it had been longer. Both because I just want to read more about this world, and because I think it would have made it easier to understand.

*I am an amazon affiliate. If you purchase this book using my link, I will get a tiny fraction of the purchase, which goes toward contests.

It's week #2 in the read-along! By now you should have FINISHED MATCHED. Participate in the discussion here and at Benji's blog to be entered to win one of the Breathless Reads prize packs! Remember, only if you signed up before today can you participate!

Today's discussion question:



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Welcome citizens and traders. Your fourth challenge has just arrived from the Pilot. Please read, act, and then fill out the rafflecopter. Click here for Challenge #1, Challenge #2, and Challenge #3.


There are three new options at the bottom of the rafflecopter! Enjoy!

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Guess what, guys. I have discovered something. It's something that's been around forever, but it's taken me a long time to get around to it:

Graphic Novels.

I have a friend who LOVES to read graphic novels, and she's been letting me borrow some of hers. I LOVE THEM! So far I've read The Five Fists of Science, Green Arrow: Year One, and I'm partway through Watchmen (which so far is pretty okay in terms of "graphic" content).

BUT I NEED MORE! Since this territory is unfamiliar to me, I'd love it if any of you have any suggestions on what to read. So far I've only read sci-fi/super-hero GNs, but I don't know if that's all that I like. So suggest any and all things!

Keep in mind that I cannot read manga. As in, I literally can't. I've tried the whole "reading backwards" thing and I always end up getting jumbled. I wish I could read manga because I love anime, but... my brain doesn't work that way.

So I'm begging you:


Thank you, squeakers and friends!

This last Saturday I had the AMAZING opportunity to attend the Libba Bray and Shannon Hale event. It was BRILLIANT. Probably the funniest author event I've ever gone to. And you can enjoy it to! I uploaded the entire hour to YouTube!

The first video is the entire event, the second video is Libba and Shannon singing "Total Eclipse of the Heart" and the third video is my favorite rendition of "Total Eclipse of the Heart" (Which you can only see if you actually come to the blog. No feed readers!). Enjoy! When I have more time I'll try to come back and add bookmarks to my favorite parts. But no promises.

It's week #2 in the read-along! By now you should have finished up to Chapter 22. Participate in the discussion here and at Benji's blog to be entered to win one of the Breathless Reads prize packs! Remember, only if you signed up before today can you participate!

Today's discussion question:


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Welcome citizens and traders. Your second challenge has just arrived from the Pilot. Please read, act, and then fill out the rafflecopter. Click here for Challenge #1 and Challenge #2.




There are two new options on the Rafflecopter now! You can gain extra entries for "liking" the Facebook page, and tweeting with the link to the Facebook page! Now Rafflecopter away!

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A while ago I posted the teaser-trailer for the upcoming movie version of Life Of Pi. The full theatrical trailer has been released, and I thought y'all might like to see it.

I'm still dubious about how this will translate into a movie (and it looks like they've made up a love interest for Pi which bugs me like crazy!), but the closer we get to the release the more I'm excited to see it. It is one of the best books ever, so... either the movie will be awesome or terrible.

All right, earlier today I posted ALL of my answers to ALL of your questions, and I realized that was a little much. So I'm going to break them up into the four categories (Blogging, Personal, Writing, and Reading) and make four different posts over the next couple weeks. Let's start with the Personal questions!


Are there any Persons of Interest (and by Persons, I mean Young Men) in your life NOW?

• No. Still no. And you know what, I'm still so bad at male-female interactions that it will probably be a LONG time before that happens. On the bright side, I do have friends now! IRL friends! And they're all super-awesome nerds! Readers, anime-watchers, chain-mail makers, ... and you wonder why I don't have any Persons of Interest in my life.

Do you think I will ever get to be employee of the month if I punch a coworker in the face?

• Take a deep breath, S. We can have our own lunch.

If you could get away with stealing Halloween candy from little kids what would be the candy you would target?

• I love cookies and cream bars, whoppers, and butterfingers. Those were always my targets.

What are you going to be for Halloween?

• I'm so excited about my Halloween costume, guys! Ever since I turned about 11 years old I have been WAY too self-conscious to dress up for Halloween. But remember how I said I had a bunch of new nerd-friends? They have inspired me to go all out this year. So this year I am going as Sheik from the Legend of Zelda (or, more specifically, the version of Sheik that is in Super Smash Brothers Brawl). I'm making everything myself. I've already got all the leg guards and arm guards done. All I have left are the corset, the tabbard (the shirt-thing), the hat, and the shoes. It's already looking really good!

What was your favorite Halloween costume you wore as a kid?

• I had a costume that was a spider/bug. There were multiple sets of arms connected to my actual arms, so when I moved my arms all 6-8 arms moved (I can't remember how many arms there were).

What are your favourite bands/musicians?

• I have a bunch. So I'm just gonna list them. I also love all of the artists that I use for my IMM vlogs, but I usually only have that one song by that artist, so I don't consider them "favorite bands" just favorite songs. These are the bands that I actually own the CDs or entire album:
• Florence and the Machine
• Marina & the Diamonds (NOT her new album)
• Muse
• Mika
• Shayna Zaid
• Foster the People
• Two Door Cinema Club
• No Doubt
• Ellie Goulding
• Evanescence
• Julie Zenatti
• La Roux
• Regina Spektor

Have a question you want to ask? Ask it here!

It's week #2 in the read-along! By now you should have finished up to Chapter 12. Participate in the discussion here and at Benji's blog to be entered to win one of the Breathless Reads prize packs! Remember, only if you signed up before today can you participate!

Today's discussion question:


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Welcome citizens and traders. Your second challenge has just arrived from the Pilot. Please read, act, and then fill out the rafflecopter. For challenge #1, click here.


Now rafflecopter away!

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Release Date: April 28th, 2009
Genre: Horror, Fantasy, Romance
Publisher: Athenum
Pages: 362
Rating:
Amazon Link*: Click here
Goodreads Page: Click here
Series: Nevermore #2 (Review of #1)
Summary (Spoilers, highlight to view):

Varen Nethers is trapped in a perilous dream world -- a treacherous and desolate realm where the terrifying stories of Edgar Allan Poe come to life. Isobel Lanley, plagued by strange visions and haunted by the nightmares of Varen's creation, is the only one who can save him.

Isobel knows that her only hope lies within a Baltimore cemetery. There, in the early morning hours of Edgar Allan Poe's birthday, a mysterious stranger known as the "Poe Toaster" will make his annual homage at the legendary poet's grave.

Only the Poe Toaster holds the key to the way between worlds. But even greater dangers lie ahead for Isobel. An ancient evil, draped in veils of white, is watching, challenging her for Varen's affections. When Isobel finally finds Varen, he is no longer the quiet and brooding boy who once captivated her, but a dark force, powerful and malevolent.

Blurb: Disappointing after the awesomeness that is Nevermore.

Review: To be honest, this book disappointed me. Almost NOTHING was resolved. In fact, it was primarily made worse. And about 80% of the book was just us seeing how broken Isobel was. If you were to ask me what happened in that 80%, all I would be able to tell you was "Isobel had strange dreams and argued with her parents." Granted, the last 20% was EPIC beyond belief. This would make the best movie ever. But... after NEVERMORE I was expecting... more.

Did I still like it? Heck yes. I love how Kelly weaves in truth among the fiction. And as a Poe-lover, I adored the references to his books. Will I read the next book? HECK yes. I still really want to know what happens to Varen and Isobel. But did I love this book? No. Honestly, you probably could read JUST that last 20% and be totally fine. This book definitely suffers from 2nd-book-bridge syndrome*.

*2nd-book-bridge syndrome is where the second book in a trilogy does nothing but set us up for the third book. Not much happens, but you can tell something WILL happen eventually.

Other Reviews (most contain Nevermore spoilers!):

• Reading After Midnight (Loved it!)
• Some Like it Paranormal (It was okay)
• The Book Smugglers (Didn't like it)

*I am an amazon affiliate. If you purchase this book using my link, I will get a tiny fraction of the purchase, which goes toward contests.

It's time again for Ask Enna Anything! You can ask me any question your heart desires, and so long as it isn't cruel, and doesn't risk revealing my secret identity, I WILL ANSWER! So go ahead! Ask away!

And maybe you'll want to look at the previous Ask Ennas? I answer a lot of questions about why I have a secret identity, and my religion. Here and here.

It's time to start the read-along! If you haven't already, grab a copy of Matched and START READING!

Each Tuesday we'll come back together to discuss what we've read so far. If you participate in the discussion and answer the questions you'll be entered to win these babies:


That's right! Each discussion you participate in will gain you entries toward your choice of either of these sets of Breathless Reads books! Isn't that amazing?! We'll give away a set for each book we read (so one winner when we finished Matched and another when we finished Crossed)

Please note that you must have signed up in order to be qualified to win. And you can only enter the giveaway if you answer the question BEFORE the next question is posted. So you have until 10/9 to answer this one.

So let's get to today's discussion! Since we haven't started yet, I'll keep things simple:


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Welcome, citizens of the society. My name is Archivist Enna Isilee. You may call me Enna. Perhaps you've heard of the new uprising, perhaps you haven't. The point is, we need to get the word out as much as possible. And I need your help.

This is how it's going to work, every Monday I'm going to offer you a challenge. Should you complete this challenge, you will both help the resistance and gain entries to win a finished and PERSONALIZED copy of Reached and some one-of-a-kind swag. Buttons, posters, everything!

You also have one more day to sign up for the read-along and enter to win the first two books in the series. Click here to do that.

Are you ready? Here is your first challenge. This comes directly from management:


Here's the code for the countdown widget! Add it to your blog and fill out the rafflecopter!

<script type="text/javascript" src="http://cdn.widgetserver.com/syndication/subscriber/InsertWidget.js"></script><script type="text/javascript">if (WIDGETBOX) WIDGETBOX.renderWidget('cbb6a754-5c12-4e9d-9fee-82ef85b0a5ef');</script>

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All review content © Enna Isilee, Squeaky Books 2007-2012

Today I have a very special treat! Back when I was still a fairly new blogger I met this super-awesome blogger named Chantele. She had fabulous taste, and was oh-so nice.

Well, Chantele doesn't book blog anymore. BUT, now SHE'S AN AUTHOR! It's so cool to get to know her both before and after her being published. She's here today to write about:


Thank you so much for having me on your blog today, Enna!

I'm always nervous when people ask me to talk about a certain topic pertaining to my writing. I was happy though, when Enna let me choose between a few different topics to talk about. One of her questions, was how I create real and authentic challenges for my characters.

The truth is ... it just sort of happens! My characters tell their own stories and I just write them down! ;) But truthfully, I love a good story. But a good story has to have believable characters with specific challenges they face throughout the book. In Not Your Average Fairy Tale, one of my main character's, Kendall, loses her father in a car accident. There seems to be a lot of dead parents in YA, so I wanted to make her's a little different. I gave the accident a little twist and had Kendall in the driver's seat when her father died. She has a lot of guilt since she was the one driving, and it was interesting to see how she handled everything. Not well at first, if you can imagine.

When I was writing her story, I kept thinking, how would I ever get over something like that? The truth is, she handled it so much better than I would if something like that happened to me. She's a very strong person, but to make her emotions authentic, (when she showed them) I put my own feelings about death into her character. I've lost a few people during my life and a few of the scenes showing Kendall's grief were really hard for me to write since it brought back so many of my own memories. And for that reason, I think it made the story much better. I believe if you have a hard, emotionally charged scene to write, you have to dig deep into yourself and pull out memories of your own, so the impact and emotion that comes out on the page feels real. I love Kendall's character, not only because she falls in love with a really hot fairy, but because she changes a lot throughout the book. She's very very hard on herself, but there's a point where she realizes how important she is to her loved ones and she has to let go of past things she can't control. Just like in real life. :)

Thank you for having me, Enna!!



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