Friday Finds: Angsty Stuff. And Some Fantasy. (November 2, 2012)

FRIDAY FINDS is hosted by Should Be Reading and showcases the books you ‘found’ and added to your To Be Read (TBR) list… whether you found them online, or in a bookstore, or in the library — wherever! (they aren’t necessarily books you purchased).

Some weeks I add several books to my list. I’ll be limiting my Friday Finds posts to 5 books each week. Those that don’t make this week’s list will be on next week’s. So many books, so little time!

Fault Line by Christa Desir

Goodreads
Summary:

Ben could date anyone he wants, but he only has eyes for the new girl — sarcastic free-spirit, Ani. Luckily for Ben, Ani wants him too. She’s everything Ben could ever imagine. Everything he could ever want.

But that all changes after the party. The one Ben misses. The one Ani goes to alone.

Now Ani isn’t the girl she used to be, and Ben can’t sort out the truth from the lies. What really happened, and who is to blame?

Ben wants to help her, but she refuses to be helped. The more she pushes Ben away, the more he wonders if there’s anything he can do to save the girl he loves.

Troll Or Derby by Red Tash

Amazon | Goodreads
Summary:

In Troll Or Derby, fifteen-year-old Roller Deb is singled out by town bullies for both her skates, and for being different. When her popular homecoming queen of a sister is kidnapped by a scuzzy drug dealer, Deb must flee the trailer park in which she’s grown up, and rescue her. Along the way, Deb becomes enmeshed in the magical realm of trolls and fairies, and the blood-thirsty version of roller derby at which these beings excel. But spending too much time among the fairies comes with a price. Will Deb choose to save her sister, with the aid of a mysterious troll? Or will she be lost to the lures of roller derby, and the blonde temptress April, forever?

The Truth About Faking by Leigh Talbert Moore

Amazon | Goodreads
Summary:

 Jason just wants a date with Harley.
Harley just wants a date with Trent.
Trent’s still getting over Stephanie.

When Harley and Jason decide to fake date, they uncover a school of deceptions. Trent’s got a secret, but so does Jason. And the more time Harley spends secretly kissing her fake boyfriend, the further she gets from her dreams with Trent.

Worst of all, Harley’s mom is getting cozy with her hot massage therapy student, and even Harley’s Reverend Dad can’t fake not being bothered by it. But when the masks finally come off, can everyone handle the real truth?

Forever My Girl by Heidi McLaughlin

 Amazon | Goodreads
Summary:

I was never supposed to be a rock star. I had my life all planned out for me. Play football in college. Go to the NFL. Marry my high school sweetheart and live happily ever after.

I broke both our hearts that day when I told her I was leaving. I was young. I made the right decision for me, but the wrong decision for us. I’ve poured my soul into my music, but I’ve never forgotten her. Her smell, her smile.

And now I’m going back.

After ten years.

I hope I can explain that after all this time.

I still want her to be my forever girl.

Always and Forever by Karla J. Nellenbach

Amazon | Goodreads
Summary:

Mia’s first reaction is outright disbelief. Obviously, a mistake has been made. Sixteen-year-old girls don’t die. But, when the diagnosis is confirmed, she dives headlong into anger. If she has to die, why should it be of cancer? In fact, anything would be preferable to cancer. Better for her to say when, where, and especially how.

Determined to meet death on her own terms, Mia devises scheme after scheme to get the job done. A “fall” down the basement stairs, driving her car off a bridge, and even a dance with a train all end in her survival.

And through it all, Mia keeps her family and friends at arms’ length with her destructive and hurtful behavior. With each failed suicide attempt and burned relationship, she slowly realizes that it’s not the dying that she’s afraid of, but the life she’ll be leaving behind. Now, that life is in a shambles. As time begins to slip through her fingers and death is upon her, Mia fights to rebuild the bridges she has destroyed, but can she do it before the clock runs out?

 

Road Trip Wednesday: Scary Books & Movies


Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway’s contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question that begs to be answered.

This Week’s Topic: Halloween! What’s your favorite scary book or movie?


I don’t do scary. Nope. Not at all.

The last scary books I read?


I think I was in junior high. Maybe even elementary school. And even though that was ages ago, looking them up on Amazon and seeing the book covers again sent chills down my spine and I got goosebumps. For realz.



The last scary movie I watched?  What Lies Beneath, which I dragged my husband to see with me in theatres, because it starred Harrison Ford. Yeah…never again.  *shudders*
It’s kind of ironic given that Halloween is one of my favorite holidays.  The things I really like about Halloween are the pumpkins (carving and eating), the costumes, walking around the neighborhood in the dark, the crisp fall air.

And the candy. Definitely the candy.

 

 HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Friday Finds: Humor, Romance, and Sci-Fi… (October 26, 2012)

FRIDAY FINDS is hosted by Should Be Reading and showcases the books you ‘found’ and added to your To Be Read (TBR) list… whether you found them online, or in a bookstore, or in the library — wherever! (they aren’t necessarily books you purchased).

Some weeks I add several books to my list. I’ll be limiting my Friday Finds posts to 5 books each week. Those that don’t make this week’s list will be on next week’s. So many books, so little time!

Northanger Alibi by Jenni James

Amazon | GoodReads

Why I Added It: The summary made me laugh out loud. I am a Twilight fan, and will be going to see Breaking Dawn Part 2 in Seattle with a couple friends, complete with a trip to Forks.

Summary:

The Russo family and Seattle, Washington, are no match for Claire Hart and her savvy knowledge of all things vampire-related. Thanks to her obsession with the Twilight series, if there is anyone who would know a vampire when she saw one, it’s Claire. And she’s positive totally hot Tony Russo is a vampire – she just has to prove it!

In this modern retelling of Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey, follow Claire’s hilarious journey on her first summer adventure away from home, where she learns everything isn’t what it seems, and that in some instances, reality is way better than anything she’d ever find in a book.

 

An Unconventional Courtship by Scotty Cade

Amazon | Goodreads

Why I Added It: Forbidden office romance…need I say more?

Summary:

Tristan Moreau loves his job as chief administrative officer and personal assistant to Webber Kincaid, President, Chairman, and CEO of Kincaid International. It would be the perfect job… if only he hadn’t fallen in love with his boss as well as the work. After two years, he’s still doing everything in his power to keep his feelings hidden—mostly because he wants to protect the reputation of his famous boss but also because he wants to keep his job.

Webber Kincaid has stayed in the closet, using his best friend and confidante as his beard. Everything in his life was working out just fine until he met Tristan Moreau. Within months, Tristan stole his heart and became his lifeline. But Webber knows the rules of the workplace better than anyone, so he’s kept his distance.

But two years is too long to wonder “what if?”—especially when business takes them to a private Caribbean island. When Tristan and Webber succumb to the tropical heat, their professionalism starts to backslide. It’s a seemingly impossible relationship, making a go at it under the paparazzi’s microscope. It may be the best—or the worst—business decision they ever made.

 


A Lie I Can Live With by Eden Winters

Amazon | Goodreads

Why I Added It: Geekiness and opposites attraction.

Summary:

With a few extra pounds and a geek reputation, Otis Tucker despairs of ever finding someone to share his life with. When the GLBT dating service GetaDate.com matches him with handsome hunk Garret, he thinks it’s some kind of joke. But the more he learns of Garret, the more he realizes that even gorgeous people can be taken at face value and that Mr. Perfects come in many different sizes.

 

Witchy, Witchy by Penelope King

Amazon | Goodreads

Why I Added It:

Summary: Boy-Next-Door romance with a touch of paranormal.

When Calista McCoy moves from the slums of the Louisiana Bayou to an illustrious beach community in California, she knows her life is going to take a drastic turn. But once she arrives at the beautiful mansion by the sea, dark secrets are revealed…secrets that become even more complicated when she meets the gorgeous neighbor boy, Nicholas, and she feels an unexplainable–and undeniable–attraction. He’s everything she’s ever dreamed of. Literally.

Her new life seems almost too good to be true. But as everyone knows, when something seems too good to be true, it usually is.

…And in Calista’s case, it could be deadly.

 

Perception by Lee Strauss

Amazon | Goodreads

Why I Added It: This is a little more sci-fi-sounding than I usually tend to read, but it was free on Amazon last week so I figured I’d give it a try.

Summary:

Seventeen year old Zoe Vanderveen is a GAP—a genetically altered person. She lives in the security of a walled city on prime water-front property along-side other equally beautiful people with extended life spans.

Her brother Liam is missing.

Noah Brody is a natural who lives on the outside. He leads protests against the GAPs and detests the widening chasm they’ve created between those who have and those who don’t. He doesn’t like girls like Zoe and he has good reason not to like her specifically.

Zoe’s carefree life takes a traumatic turn. She’s in trouble and it turns out that Noah, the last guy on earth she should trust, is the only one who can help her.

Teaser Tuesday: Plot vs. Character (October 23, 2012)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 Plot vs. Character by Jeff Gerke

Plot Versus Character

I’ve actually already read this book, but I’m reading it again in preparation for NaNoWriMo.  I’m hoping it will help me with my plotting woes. I’ve got my characters, but what will they do? Who is the antagonist that will push the protagonist towards the change she needs?

The Holy Grail of fiction is to write the novel with the perfect balance of character and plot, of memorable people and a stirring story. The reader cares for these people and is desperately engaged in what they’ve been caught up in.

~ pg 17, Plot Versus Character by Jeff Gerke

 Summary from Goodreads

What’s more important to a story: a gripping plot or compelling characters? Literary-minded novelists argue in favor of character-based novels while commercial novelists argue in favor of plot-based stories, but the truth of the matter is this: The best fiction is rich in both.

Enter “Plot Versus Character.” This hands-on guide to creating a well-rounded novel embraces both of these crucial story components. You’ll learn to:

  • Create layered characters by considering personality traits, natural attributes, and backgrounds
  • Develop your character’s emotional journey and tie it to your plot’s inciting incident
  • Construct a three-act story structure that can complement and sustain your character arc
  • Expose character backstory in a manner that accentuates plot points
  • Seamlessly intertwine plot and character to create a compelling page-turner filled with characters to whom readers can’t help but relate
  • And much more

Filled with helpful examples and friendly instruction, “Plot Versus Character” takes the guesswork out of creating great fiction by giving you the tools you need to inject life into your characters and momentum into your plots.