Hey y'all, I know I haven't been super-duper active recently, even after I said I would. The truth is two-fold: 1) spring term and crazy job situations have melted my brain, and 2) I've actually started reading less and doing... other things?

What other things, you ask? Well, it's a little strange actually. After my Halloween adventures in costume making I kind of became... obsessed. And if you're going to dress up like random characters, watching anime just kind of comes with the territory. I didn't do anything like this as a kid or teen, and so all of the floodgates have opened. I know it's weird. Believe me. I know.

SO, that brings me to my question: I hopefully post more often when spring term ends (one more week!) and my friends move back home (so lonely, need books!). But, I would DEFINITELY post more often if I were to post about some of the new things I'm into. BUT, those aren't exactly book related.

So if you wouldn't mind taking a couple seconds to take this little survey. I'd be much obliged. Please be honest. This may be MY blog, but I do it for YOU readers. I will listen to you, promise!

So... it's okay if you haven't noticed, but I haven't been around very much. I have very big goals for being around this spring/summer, though. The semester ends tomorrow, and finals end on the next Wednesday (4/24). After that: I AM BACK, BABY!

Promise.

Ready for a random question?

This semester I’m in a makeup class. For our final project we have to turn ourselves into a character/creature from a book/play. It has to be from a book or play (as opposed to TV or film) because we have to interpret the textual description to create our own character. We cannot copy something that has already been done.

I have NO IDEA what to do! I would really rather avoid something that has a beard/hair (it’s gross). I can do wounds/scars really well. I could also do something like put a third eye in my forehead.

Can you think of any characters/creatures I could do? I need your collective brain power, squeakers! The two ideas I have right now are the guy who's turning to stone from Reckless or a special from the Uglies books. But I can't really remember the description of the specials...

Much love and appreciation!

I have to admit that I have a weakspot when it comes to books with maps. I adore them. I love being able to see the world right there on the page! While reading Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (which I am head-over-heels in love with, review soon!), I kept wishing that there was a map. The world was just so rich and intricate, I wanted to SEE it. I was about ready to draw my own map. Lo and behold! The final version DOES have a map! And it looks like this! Isn't it amazing?

I got some great questions, guys! Thanks! I broke them up into four categories: "Blogging," "Reading," "Personal," and "Random." Feel free to peruse my answers at your leisure. Is there a question you'd like me to answer? Click here to submit it, or you can submit questions at the bottom of this post!

Enjoy! Thanks for asking!


Why did you decide to start a blog?

• Well, I wanted to get free books (bad motive!) at first, but pretty quickly it just became a place for me to put down my thoughts. I love being able to go back and remember how I felt about a book years after I finished. Before the blog everything would just float away in my brain.

Is it hard to keep the blog updated?

• Sometimes, especially if I don’t have time to read. I don’t want to fill the blog with random crap, but I also don’t want to just leave it blank while I’m waiting to finish a book. That’s why I always try to have some kind of interesting discussion post in my pocket.

What's the most challenging when it comes to blogging?

• Probably finding time to read, and then writing my reviews right after I finish a book. Sometimes I wait too long and I forget the specifics of what I wanted to say/how I felt.

Do you read other blogs, if so, what kind of blogs?

• I read a ton of other blogs! All of them are book blogs, and almost all are specifically YA fantasy/non-realistic fiction like me.

What do you think attracts people to start a blog or read blogs?

• There are too many things to list! I think people start a blog when they have something to say, and maybe because they want someone to hear it. I think people read blogs if they are interested in other people’s opinions or finding people like them. For me, I read blogs so that I can figure out what great books are coming out!

What's the best thing about blogging? What is your favorite thing about blogging?

• The best/my favorite thing would definitely be the people I meet. Some of my blogging buddies have become real life buddies! Probably half of my real life friends I met through blogging. And meeting authors is SO FREAKING COOL! Seriously. Those are my rock stars.

Why does blogging often feel like I am talking into a black hole? How do I make blogging more of an interactive experience and less of a me talking to myself experience?

• Twitter. Seriously. If it weren’t for Twitter I would feel like I was talking into a black hole, too. I love my twitter peeps.

Do you review every book you read?

• Almost. If I finish a book and don’t review it it’s usually because I feel like I wouldn’t be able to provide a review that wasn’t EXTREMELY biased.

Why does it seem like writing the review sometimes spoils the reading experience?

• If it feels like that to you, don’t write the review! Reviewing isn’t supposed to spoil reading, it’s supposed to enhance it. If you finish a book and don’t want to review it… don’t!

What would you say are key points to hit in a review?

• Hm… I don’t know. I think it’s important to say whether your liked it or not, of course. But other than that… just be as clear as you can about why you liked it or didn’t like it. I’ve never really thought about hitting “key points” in a review.

Do you ever take breaks from your blog or reading?

• Yes. I just took a 10 day break for finals in April. And I don’t ever intentionally take a break from reading, but sometimes life gets so crazy that I just don’t have time. I usually don’t take a break from either blogging or reading just for the sake of taking a break. I love both too much!

What is one thing you wish you could change or improve about your blogging experience but haven't or aren't able to?

• I wish I was better at communicating with publishers. I don’t ever send my reviews to publishers, or send review requests because most publishers I don’t feel comfortable talking to. I wish I could work on my rapport with the big six.

How come you're starting to call yourself Enna, instead of the full Enna Isilee?

• I used to be REALLY picky about people calling me Enna Isilee, but as I met more and more people in real life I realized that Enna is just easier. And I still love it just as much.

Do you plan to continue Squeaky Books after college?

• Certainly! I’ve always said that Squeaky Books will always exist as long as I’m reading books. Which I hope to always do!

Have you ever considered making a back up blog somewhere like Tumblr or word press to back up your reviews? And if so would you backup only your favorite reviews or every single review you have ever done?

• I have never even thought about this… Sometimes I think about doing one of those blog-to-book things. That would be cool! But I’ve never thought of backing up my reviews… except maybe on GoodReads. I keep meaning to transfer my reviews over there. I would transfer every single one, for sure.

How do you prepare for your reviews?

• I read the book… and that’s it. Oh. And I turn on my computer. But that’s all I do to “prepare.” I’ve tried taking metacognitive notes while I read, but it never works out.

Are you ever going to show your face on the blog?

• I’ve thought a lot about this. My thought is that if I ever go to BEA I will show my face on my blog before I go so people can find me. Until then, I’m cool with the headless thing.

I have started my own book blog and was wondering for you how long it took to get a "big" following?

• For one thing, I don’t know if you EVER feel like you have a “big” following. You always end up comparing yourselves to people “bigger” than you. BUT to answer your question, I started blogging almost exactly FIVE YEARS ago. But I’m also a very passive blogger. If you are active on twitter and commenting on other people’s blogs and hosting giveaways, your following will probably grow much quicker. However, generally the people who get A LOT of followers REALLY fast don’t have “good” followers (meaning followers who actually care and comment).

Favorite superhero and do you read comic books?

• My answer to that question has always been Spiderman, and I haven’t put a lot of thought into it recently… so I guess I’m gonna stick with him. I don’t read comic books generally. I really WISH I could read manga, but for some reason I just can’t read backwards. It gets all jumbled up in my brain.

Why do I feel compelled to finish books that aren't holding my interest? How can I stop myself or reach an understanding so that I can put the book down?

• I went to a conference a few years ago where the speaker said something along the lines of “If you don’t like the book, stop reading it!” And that’s how I feel. If it’s not holding my interest, I’ll just stop. You might feel compelled because you’ve already put in so much effort, or you feel like you need to support the author (even if you don’t know them). But just think about this: how many MORE books could you put effort into in the time it takes you to finish this one, and then you’ll be supporting even more authors! And it’ll just be more fun.

Do you like to take time out and re-read your favorite books?

• Certainly! I re-read Shannon Hale’s books all the time. Generally, though, I don’t re-read so much as re-listen. Whenever a sequel to a book I love comes out (INSURGENT, REBEL HEART, DAYS OF BLOOD AND STARLIGHT) I will listen to the audio of the first one.

Do you attend a book club?

• Nope! I’d like to, but at the same time I’ve never liked being forced to read books I don’t want to read… and there are no pure YA book clubs in my area.

Ever read a book you expected to dislike but instead absolutely adored, if so what book?

• Oh. I’m sure this has happened to me a ton! But the only one I can remember currently is Between Shades of Gray. I read it just because a friend really wanted me to go to the signing with her, and I didn’t think I’d like it, but I loved it!

Do you like to meet the authors of books you have read? Does meeting an author enhance the reading experience or dampen it for you?

• YES. I love to meet authors. But sometimes it does dampen the experience. I read a book a few years ago that I thought was okay, but not great. I met the author and he/she was a total jerk to me. Treated me like I was bothering him/her even though I just made a comment about something I liked in his/her book. I didn’t read any more of the books in the series. But there are other authors I’ve met who I LOVE and it makes me love their books even more (I’m looking at you, Utah friends!)

Ever read a book and wish you could live in it?

• Usually not. Books (especially YA books) are usually interesting because there is something twisted about the world. I suppose if I really had to choose I would cop-out and say post-Voldemort Harry Potter-world. Only if I was a witch, of course.

Any characters you wish could be your real life friends?

• Oh yes. Too many to list! I adore them all!

Which Shannon Hale characters (besides Enna) are you most like?

• Hm… I’ve got quite a bit of Razo in me. I also have a lot of the same self-doubt feelings that Rin does. Dashti is who I WANT to be most like, but I’m not nearly selfless enough.

What is the worst book you've ever read?

• Worst book EVER? Phht. That’s hard to say. I usually try to forget worst books, and there are so many things that make a book “worst.” Usually any book I really dislike I will just stop reading, so I’m going to say Beloved by Toni Morrison because I had to read it for class last semester and so I couldn’t stop reading. That book was just plain weird.

Generally, do you like to multi-task when you read?

• I don’t LIKE to, but I almost always do. Usually I will refresh my twitter page, or see if anyone fun is on IM, etc.

Why do you feel the need to have a secret identity? Do you find it hard to connect with bloggers/readers who are honest about who they are and what they do? Do you feel like you're missing part of the blogging community?

• I actually don’t feel a “need” anymore. The secret identity came about when I was a minor and was afraid of internet prowlers. I’m still afraid of prowlers, but mostly I think having a secret identity is just fun! And I don’t find it hard to connect because I am completely honest about who I am and what I do. The only thing I leave out is my name. I’m a college student studying to be a math teacher. I work at a library and I’m a snake handler (no joke). If you follow me on twitter then you probably know exactly where I live and go to school. I do sometimes wish I could do a vlog where I actually TALK to you guys, but at the same time I like having a type of IMM that no one else does. :) So I don’t really feel like I’m missing out on anything. In fact, I think my secret identity gets me more attention than if I didn’t have one!

Which celebrity do you look the most like?

• Um… maybe a young Tina Fey? I’d be okay with that. But I really don't know.

Are you still in high school or in college?

• College. I’m a senior, but my major and minor are so big that I’ve got a couple years left.

What do you hope to pursue after college?

• I want to be a high school mathematics teacher, hopefully AP. Fingers crossed!

I heard that you were a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (or you're Mormon). Is that true? How do you think that has influenced you in your choice of media?

• Yup. That's true. I actually answered that in my last round of Q&A. You can click here to see the long answer (it's the last question in the "personal" section). But the short answer is that my church influences me, and that influences what I read. But I have NEVER said “I’m not going to read this book because my religion says I can’t.” I think that’s silly. I don’t believe in “blind faith.” I think that you should always find the truth for yourself. And luckily for me, I’ve found a truth I believe in.

Are you dating anyone? If not, is there anyone you'd LIKE to date? Or even any cute, non-fictional boys?

• No. No. And no. Who are you? Is that you SC? I have no problem talking to boys, but I’ve never gotten past the friends stage. And I’ve never even gotten to just the “hanging out” stage, let alone the dating seriously stage. My problem is that I am almost never attracted to someone physically, it’s all about the brains for me. And getting to know someone’s brain is a lot harder than getting to know their body. Oh dear… that doesn’t sound right.

Best bit of dating advice you've ever received?

• "Don’t sweat about it. Just be friendly and things will work out." I'm hoping that's true.

Why is everyone obsessed with Formspring?

• Probably because people by nature want to think that someone cares about their opinions? I don’t know. I just think it’s fun!

Why does rafflecopter hate me?

• Because Pluto was your lucky planet, and after it was removed from the planets all your lucky went down the drain.

If you were a plant, what type of plant would you be?

• A pansy. They’re actually really hardy flowers. I don’t know why it means someone is weak when they’re called a “pansy.”

Over the past week or so, what have you watched on Youtube?

• I watch A LOT of clips from Ellen Degeneres. Also this Easter prank. And these steeple chasing rabbits.

Thanks for the great questions, guys! Is there anything that wasn't answered here that you'd like me to answer? Got a burning question? Feel free to ask me here:

Today is the last day of the Divergent Nation promotion! That means that Insurgent comes out tomorrow and it's the last day you have to support Team Amity!! Doesn't Veronica look so cute in Amity colors? She posted about Amity here.

As a reminder, you support Team Amity by clicking this link AND this link. And to motivate you there are a TON of Team Amity giveaways. Here they are:

• I'm giving away a finished copy of Insurgent
• HUGE Giveaway of 15 prize packs (including 2 kindles!)
• Better Read Than Dead- Insurgent Giveaway & Divergent Casting Giveaway
• Hippies, Beauty, and Books- Insurgent ARC Giveaway & Blogoversary Giveaway
• I Swim For Oceans- Insurgent ARC Giveaway
• A Life Bound By Books- UK Insurgent & Divergent Giveaway
• Emily's Reading Room- Dystopian Grab Bag Giveaway
• All Things Urban Fantasy- Insurgent Recreate the cover Contest

Remember that you should click the links for EACH contest you enter. Don't just click them once and then enter all contests.

Thank you so much to everyone who has been supporting Team Amity. I love you!

Finals week begins tomorrow. I don't have very many, but I still need to focus. Since I don't have anything pre-scheduled, Squeaky Books will return next week (the 23rd) with some awesome stuff (unless something comes up between now and then that I just HAVE to post). See you then!

I currently do not review self-published books or indie-published books, but that doesn't stop me from getting review requests from self/indie authors. I feel bad declining, and so I like to suggest other bloggers who might be interested. Unfortunately, I've noticed that my old list is woefully outdated, so I'm starting over.

If you review self-published or indie-published books and wouldn't mind me sending authors your way, please fill out this form! Anyone can sign up!

All right, guys, this is kind of a special circumstance:

So there's this super-awesome person named Asenath Rallison (you may recognize her last name. See? This is totally book-related) and she's getting married! That's exciting in its own right, but it gets better. She's entered to win a $10,000 dollar wedding package, and she's a finalist! But the winner is chosen by votes. That's where you come in.

If you wouldn't mind, would you vote for her? CLICK HERE to vote. She's #4.

She's also offered a little incentive. Those who vote will be entered to win either a $10 Amazon gift card or a book of $10 or less at TBD. So this is open international! That's enough to get this book, or this one, or this one, or this one. Or anything under $10! Lots of choices!

And all you have to do is vote. Really. That's it. Just tell me you did it using the rafflecopter below!

And if you want to, you can go tell Jannette Rallison you voted and she'll enter you to win one of her books!

Please feel free to ignore this post. I feel a need to both kvetch and document this horrendously busy week

What I have done/has happened this week:

• Written a paper on the cognitive development of adolescents
• Analyzed A Streetcar Named Desire (blegh)
• Made 3 different posters for costume design
• Taken a mathematical task design test
• Solved the area for any three-dimensional step-wedge
• Graded about 30% of the papers I need to grade (I have over 100)
• Designed the costumes for my favorite musical
• Taken my brothers to school/piano/scouts every day
• Fed said brothers
• Fought off a cold
• Watched A LOT of crime dramas (they're easy to watch while you're doing something else)
• Had my iPhone finally kick the bucket (it was an iPhone original. A dinosaur, but I loved it)
• Spend $50 I don't have on a loaner phone
• Had to learn how to text using T9 again (#FirstWorldProblems)
• Leftsideofmy spacebar doesn'twork anymore

What I still have to do tomorrow:

• Continue to make sure my brothers stay alive
• Go WATCH the show I costumed
• Figure out how to get a new iPhone (I can't live this way!!)
• Write a lesson plan on how to do character analysis
• Write a MAP (mathematical analysis paper) on my proof of the 3-dimensional step-wedge
• Finish this blog post
• Make fliers for Writing for Charity
• Choose a scene from Streetcar to over-analyze and blah
• Figure out where I put my pants
• Remember all the things I have left to do.

What I have not done (and feels like I will never have time to do again):

• Read
• Written
• Blogged

The end.



P.S. I've noticed that my happiness level DRASTICALLY decreases the longer I go without reading a novel. Am I the only one who feels that way?

Help! I know this is one of Shannon Hale's books, and I think it's Enna Burning, but all my searches have been inconclusive and the translations don't make sense. If you speak Korean, can you tell me what this means?

I'm feeling a little overwhelmed with all the reviews I have to write, so what would YOU like to see first? It'll help me put some order to my life. Answer in this poll!

EDIT: Apparently custom blog designs need to do an extra step in order to get threaded comments (Click here for instructions) and when I do it it makes my fonts and format go wackado. So until this issue is fixed, I'll be going without threaded comments.

So, some of you may not know that blogger now does threaded comments! This means that we can reply to individual comments. Cool eh? And ABOUT TIME! But here's the thing, it requires embedded comments, which look like this:

I've always HATED embedded comments. They're so buggy. But is it worth having embedded comments in order to be able to reply to individual comments? I want your opinion. PLEASE let me know either in the comments or just by answering this poll:

All right, I answered your questions so I hope you don't mind answering one of mine. If you don't know what the royal "we" is, click here.

I don't understand when bloggers call themselves "we." I mean, it makes sense if your blog has more than one author and you share an account. For example, I have a blog reader who comments under the name "We Heart YA." And if you go to their blog you can see that "We Heart YA" is actually four people. So that makes sense.

But explain to me why some bloggers (who are the ONLY authors on their blogs) call themselves "we." Is it some kind of subliminal thing? If people read that a blogger is a "we" will they like them more? That doesn't make sense to me, but I don't know! It's like how "Five for Fighting" is actually just one dude. But calling himselves "Five for Fighting" makes people think he's a band.

Any insights? Did you even know this was happening? Am I making things up? Does it bother you? I promise that tomorrow I'll have some legitimate content on my blog (I'm so behind in reviews) but right now I'M SO CONFUSED!!

WOW! I got a lot more questions than I expected. I've sorted them into four categories: Blogging, Reading, Personal, and Writing. Sorry that I have a tendancy to be long winded. But this was such fun!

• To be honest, I wish I could tell you that I don’t remember. But I do. The reason I become a book blogger was to get free books. Which is COMPLETELY THE WRONG REASON. You’ll see in a later question that getting free books is HARD and UNPREDICTABLE. What’s more important is why I chose to STAY a book-blogger. If I wasn’t a book-blogger, I probably wouldn’t read half as much as I do. I’m not very good at internal motivation. But if I know someone, somewhere wants to read my review, then I’m going to read more. Also, reviewing helps me organize my thoughts and remember how I felt about a book long after I’ve finished.

How did you make your blog so well known?

• “Well known” is a relative term. I still think this same thing about many other blogs. The simple answer is networking. Get to know other bloggers, host multi-blog contests, and just be persistent. It didn’t happen overnight. I was blogging for about 2 years before people actually started to notice me. A pretty blog design helps. *wink*

Who volunteered to sponsor your international contests? I mean, I don't want to know the person's name, but how it happened and how you know them and stuff.  I assume someone didn't just come up to you on the street... :)

• Actually… that’s kind of how it happened. Of course, it wasn’t a stranger. That would be crazy. I can’t say much for fear of giving away HER secret identity, but my international contest “sponsor” isn’t really a sponsor. I still pay for the books. But instead of ME buying them from the Book Depository, I pay HER and then SHE buys them. That way her name is on the packages instead of mine, thus protecting my secret identity. She’s someone I’ve known… forever, really. And not on the internet, in real life. And she has always been very supportive of my blog ‘cause she’s a fellow bibliophile. And… that’s the whole story.

How do you get ARCs? Every time I ask a blogger I get vague answers. "There's lots of different ways..." What ways do YOU know of? Especially getting ARCs in the mail.  That one seems the most mysterious to me.  A step by step process of your experience would be immensely helpful to me.

• Oh boy. I asked this question a MILLION times when I first started blogging, and the sad fact is that it’s really vague. But I’m going to be as specific as I can here. I can’t tell you how EVERYONE gets ARCs, but I will tell you the various ways I get mine:
• The #1 way I get ARCs is from TOURS. Namely, Around the World Tours. I don’t get to keep them, but I do get to read them pretty far in advance. Any blogger who meets the requirements can join tours.
• #2 The next most lucrative way is through Amazon Vine. This is Amazon.com’s reviewer program. Every month they send out a list of things and you can choose 4. They usually have some big-name books as well as smaller ones. Vine is invitation only. I found out about vine about 3 years ago and have just been DROOLING to get in ever since. People gave me tips, but nothing worked. I couldn’t get that stupid invite! Fast forward 3 years. This summer I got an invite. Just out of the blue. It might be because e have Amazon Prime. It might be because I post reviews on Amazon. It might be because I buy a TON of books through Amazon. Or all of the above. I don’t know! I really don’t!
• #3 The next way I get books is directly from publishers. I’m currently on the mailing list for Bloomsbury, Macmillan, and Tor. By mailing list I mean THEY send ME lists of books sometimes and let me choose what I want. How did this happen? I’m not entirely sure… I know Bloomsbury heard of me because I always sent them requests for Shannon Hale’s books, and I’m kind of a Hale super-fan. I was part of Macmillan’s “In Group” back when it still existed, and when it went away I guess I stayed on their list. Tor just randomly sent me an e-mail one day and asked if I’d like to be on their mailing list.
• #4 DUMB LUCK. In case it isn’t clear that most of this is dumb luck anyway, I’ll say it again. It’s DUMB LUCK. Some of my ARCs I get because I’m lucky enough to actually know the authors. Sometimes, though, they really do just show up. When A Million Suns showed up I TOTALLY wasn’t expecting it. Sometimes Candlewick just surprises me with books in the mail (which is awesome. I love everything from Candlewick). I’ve never gotten a Harper book for review from Harper. Never.
• So what’s my advice? BE LOUD. Tweet your reviews and include the publisher’s tag. E-mail them your reviews (do this for at least a few MONTHS before you request books). And then cross your fingers. Do I tweet at publishers? Nope. Do I e-mail them? Nope. But remember that it’s taken me over FOUR YEARS to get where I am. If you want to speed up the process, BE LOUD.
• But my even BETTER advice is to be happy with just blogging. If the only thing making you blog is getting ARCs, you should just stop now. You’re gonna end up being super-jealous of everybody all the time, and jealousy does not breed happiness. Just saying.

Do you ever give away the ARC's you get once you've read them? I've always wanted to have one, even if it's super old.

• Usually if I LIKED a book then I keep the ARC and don’t buy a finished copy. If I LOVED the book then I keep the ARC and buy a finished copy. But if I DON’T LIKE a book then things get hairy. I have a policy where I don’t ever give away anything I wouldn’t want to win. It drives me NUTSO when there are those blogs who have a MILLION contests but all they give away is crap they don’t want. If I’m going to hold a contest, it’s going to be for something that I think is worth winning. This usually means that I host all of my contests. I can’t remember the last contest I had that was publisher-hosted. So, I have a bunch of ARCs that I don’t want, but I don’t give them away. When they really build up then I usually put them up for trade or “pay shipping and it’s yours” or give away a “box of ARCs.” Some of my ARCs, though (like the ones I get from Amazon Vine) cannot be traded or given away. Either I have to keep them, or I have to destroy them. It’s in the Vine agreement. Kinda annoying.

I've always wanted to know what was the thing you had with bad language in books.

• I’ve talked about this before. The simple answer is that it just bothers me. Plain and simple. Call it a pet peeve. I grew up being told that profanity is what people used when they weren’t smart enough to fully express themselves. (I know that’s kind of extreme and not entirely true, but that’s what you get for growing up around a bunch of public schoolteachers). (You also asked about A Touch Mortal. To be honest, I can’t even remember what it was about. So sorry. Can’t answer you!)

How many hours per week do you spend reading YA novels?

• This is a hard question because it totally depends on the week. Do I have a test this week? Any required reading? Did a new Zelda game just come out? Are my friends in town? Am I in a reading slump? If you were to average my total reading throughout the year, then I read about 7 hours a week. But that’s an average. If you’re a math person you know that averages are not always super-reliable. The median is probably closer to… 12? In the summer I can read up to 20-30 hours a week.

Have you ever read any adult novels that you like, or do you ONLY like YA novels? (If you do like any adult novels, please list them! We'd like to know!)

• Um… usually I read adult books on accident (as in, I thought they were YA). Technically Maria V. Snyder’s books are adult books, and I love those. I also love Shannon Hale’s adult books. But… I think that’s it. I just think that YA novels are usually much more interesting, and they have less questionable content on average (in my brain at least), and they usually aren’t as preachy or fluffy. But this is coming from someone who has almost no experience with adult lit. I still don’t really consider myself an adult.

What's the most overrated YA book you've ever read? By that I mean: is there a book that everyone and their brother raved about, couldn't gush enough about, etc....but you didn't like it?

• Hm… I’m going to briefly mention Twilight, only because I read it before it was cool. I read it only a few months after it came out after the insistence of all my friends and neighbors and I thought it was SUPER lame. But, for a more modern example? Um… there are loads. I’ll just list some of them: Criss Cross, The Scorpio Races, Carrier of the Mark, The Replacement, Crown Duel (which I liked, but everyone promised me I’d LOVE).

What book from 2011 surprised you the most? By that I mean perhaps you thought you'd dislike it but wound up truly loving it.

• Aha! An easy question! Blood Red Road. I didn’t even really want it, but Amazon offered it to me and I wasn’t gonna say no to a free book. Then I got it and saw that it was HUGE and without quotation marks AND written phonetically and I was like “NOOOOOO!!!!!!” It ended up being my favorite book of 2011.

I love the fairy tale type of books. I also hate ANY profanity or sex scenes at all. What book like that is your absolute favorite that you would recommend?

• If you’re looking for totally clean, and AMAZING books then you must read Shannon Hale’s books (though Book of a Thousand Days and Enna Burning do have very, very slight nudity[and they tie for my favorite book of all time]). Others would be Heather Tomlinson’s books, The Swan Kingdom by Zoe Marriott (but if you’re that sensitive then avoid Shadows on the Moon), Beauty by Robin McKinley, Sun & Moon, Ice & Snow by Jessica Day George, Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George, and… oh. I could go on for hours.

If you owned only copy of your all time favorite book left in the world and someone came up to you offering you ten thousand dollars for it, would you sell it?

• WHAT KIND OF TERRORIST ARE YOU!? This is hard for me to imagine because I have about 6 copies each of my favorite books (Book of a Thousand Days and Enna Burning). To be honest… I’d probably find some way to contact Shannon. I do know someone who can contact her directly. :) Maybe if I gave Shannon $5,000 then she could write me a new one.

Thoughts on Mockingjay?

• All I’ve ever said and all I’m ever going to say is that it was a necessary evil. She couldn’t make everyone happy, so she decided to make no one happy, and it kinda worked. In a crappy, necessary-evil way.

• Ugh. Hard. I’m not very good at it. My problem is that I always let reading suffer the most. If I have a ton of homework, then I feel like I can’t read for pleasure, but I don’t want to do my homework, so I’ll waste time online or something. I need to be better than that.

Are you going to see the Austenland movie?

• Nah. It sounds super-lame. I mean, Keri Russell? Fer real? Psh. She’s not in ANYTHING. And she’s certainly not in Waitress which is certainly not my FAVORITE MOVIE OF ALL TIME. And Shannon Hale isn’t all that great. I mean, it’s not like she’s my favorite author and actually co-wrote the screenplay or anything. What kind of question is this? *wink*

What size are your feet?

• This is actually a crazy story. My feet USED to be a size 9, but now I can wear as low as a size 7 and prefer and 8. What’s up with that?!

What are some of your favorite movies?

• My favorite movie of all time is Waitress with Keri Russell and Nathan Fillion. I also love Baby Mama, anything by Hayao Miyazaki, Jean De Florette, and Inception. Let’s see… am I missing anything big? I don’t think so.

Do you like proofs?

• NO! BIG FAT NO! For one thing, no one actually does proof like it’s meant to be done! For another, at my school the proofs professors are all codgerly old men who love math more than people and are very nice but have no idea how to teach it. It’s hard to love proofs when you don’t know what you’re proving.

What is one unusual trait you would like to find in a husband?

• I’ve been musing over this one ALL DAY. Unusual trait? He has to be tall enough so I can wear heels (Thank you Shannon Hale for making me realize how important this was). I’m not a big fan of freckles. He has to care about how he looks, but not be vain. And, oh yeah, he has to EXIST. That’s pretty unusual for me.

What classes are you taking this semester?

• Mathematical task design (I love this class already, seriously), Theoretical Literary Analysis (everything I hate about English in one class. Blah!), multicultural education, theatre teaching strategies, a religion class, and… one other that starts in second block. I can’t remember. My last semester was so crazy, and I’m taking spring semester classes this year, so this semester is pretty light.

How did that job at the library work out? Are you still stocking shelves or are you a librarian?

• I’ve never wanted to be a librarian (well, not professionally). I’m technically still employed at the library, but when school got to be too crazy I went from part-time to on-call. So they only call me in if they need me.

You've said that you're a Christian, but I was wondering what type and how much does it play into what you will and will not read?

• I’m a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I don’t mention this specifically very often because I don’t feel like it’s very important to my blog. It doesn’t matter what religion I am or you are if you read my blog. And does it play into what I will and will not read? Um… not directly. I’ve NEVER said “I won’t read this because my religion tells me not to.” That’s a silly thing to say. I also don’t read LDS fiction because it’s usually so cheesy I want to gag.
• However, my religion has definitely affected my life and my life affects what I read. For example, I don’t hate swearing because Mormons don’t swear (and sometimes we do. Hey! We aren’t perfect!). I hate swearing because I was raised to believe that profanity is what people used when they weren’t smart enough to fully express themselves. I don’t like explicit sex in books because I think that intercourse is a very private act. Do I still read books with pre-martial sex? Absolutely! You can’t escape it. And I’m not naïve enough to think that grit doesn’t exist in the real world. I have no problem reading books with witchcraft or devils, BECAUSE IT’S FICTION. Silly goose. But I know some people do, and that’s fine!
• I don’t believe in “blind faith.” I think that you should always find the truth for yourself. If my religion has an effect on what I read, it’s because I really believe in what it tells me. Not just because it tells it to me.

Are you ever going to write a book? I'd love to read it when you do!
Have you ever tried to write a book?
Have you ever written a book? If so, would you ever consider publishing it or sharing it? If not, would you ever consider writing a book?

• When I was in high school I KNEW I wanted to be an author when I grew up. I idolized them. They were my heroes. And they still are. But writing… has become less important to me. I don’t “write” per say, but I do have a TON of ideas. My longest attempt at a novel before I stopped ended up around 20,000 words. I’ve already mentioned that I have a hard time with internal motivation. If I had a critique group, I could probably write a book. Because I would know that there were people counting on me to keep writing. But I don’t know how to find a good critique group, and as I am now, I just don’t have the motivation. There is something I want to be more than a writer, and that’s a teacher. I’m working toward that goal right now. But writing might happen someday.

WOW! That was FUN! I've gotta do this more often. I LOVE talking about myself! And this was a great writing exercise. Excuse me while I go find a quiet place to pop my ego.

I get to be hunt stop for the 2011 YA Story Scavenger Hunt again!

Follow the hunt every day during the month of December! Answer the daily trivia questions from MG and YA books published during 2011 to be entered into the YA book giveaway.

Today's question is from Bloodlines by Richelle Mead.

Question #53: What kind of job is offered to Jill?

Remember to fill out your answer in the form at Most Important Letter here!

I'm today's hunt stop for the 2011 YA Story Scavenger Hunt!

Follow the hunt every day during the month of December! Answer the daily trivia questions from MG and YA books published during 2011 to be entered into the YA book giveaway.

Today's question is from Wither by Lauren DeStefano.


Remember to fill out your answer in the form at Most Important Letter here!

The semester is over, and for the next 8 days I will be in the throes of finals. My life already looks like this:

especially my psyche. Imagine that rope is braided out of my nerves. I'm in a dark, dark place right now. (Do you know how TERRIBLE finals is for a math major? I know they're bad for everyone. But SERIOUSLY, people!)

As such, I've just decided to put Squeaky Books on pause until the 16th. PLEASE REMEMBER TO NOMINATE YOUR FAVORITE BOOKS! The running is SO CLOSE that I can't call it. PLEASE HELP!

First of all, I promised to remind you when Marie Lu's Legend came out. It's out now, and it's wonderful. See my review here.

Secondly, since I didn't want that to be the only thing in this post, here's a purty funny video.

HELP! If you've read Mara Dyer, and feel like you know HER (Mara) fairly well, PLEASE e-mail me! I have some questions for you! THIS IS A MATTER OF [fictional] LIFE AND DEATH!

Here's my email: SqueakyBooks@yahoo.com

You don't have to LIKE the book. In fact, if you DIDN'T like the book, I especially want to hear from you! But no, I'm not going to ask you to bash it. We keep things nice and violent happy on Squeaky Books. *wink*