tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16098970886020653602024-03-04T22:44:12.904-08:00Enchanted By A Book A place to read books that will take you to magical places. Sarah http://www.blogger.com/profile/04780976062223505344noreply@blogger.comBlogger320125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609897088602065360.post-55751021924606944462017-01-13T16:35:00.001-08:002017-01-13T16:35:55.230-08:00New Year, New Me, NEW BLOG. <span style="font-size: x-large;">Hey guys!!!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I have the biggest and the LAST news I will ever announce on this blog. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">I am moving to Wordpress!!! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I have been working with Enchanted By A Book for four years now, and I have absolutely loved it. However, I have decided that it is time for something new. I have always wanted to try Wordpress, and consequently will be moving from Blogger to Wordpress. If you have been following me on Bloglovin', you will still be following my new blog, <a href="https://breathepages.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Breathe Pages. </a></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I hope you will still continue to follow my blog! I have loved every second with you, my amazing readers. Thank you for being the best. I hope to see you over at the new blog! You can also follow my Bookstagram account on Instagram! I'm playing around with themes, and it will hopefully look a lot better in the coming weeks. Follow @breathepages to stay updated!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I LOVE YOU ALL, THANK YOU SO MUCH. Stay amazing! See you soon. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">XOXO </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Sarah </span>Sarah http://www.blogger.com/profile/04780976062223505344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609897088602065360.post-84722271630185649712016-12-10T16:00:00.003-08:002017-01-06T18:22:54.251-08:00Dreamcrate!!<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">EXCITING NEWS!!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I have been given the amazing opportunity by Lootcrate to come up with my own personal DreamCrate!! If you don’t know what Lootcrate is… </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sheesh, guys. Basically, it’s a super awesome monthly subscription for gamers, geeks, and nerds alike! You can check it out on <a href="https://www.lootcrate.com/" target="_blank">their website</a>. Each crate includes: a wearable, T-shirt, vinyl figure, household item, utility, and comic book.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> The theme of my crate is… drumroll please…. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I think you all know how much I adore </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Alice in Wonderland</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. There’s literally nothing I love more. BUT since </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Alice In Wonderland</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is not technically “geeky,” I decided to also include characters that are mad or loony, including the Joker, Harley Quinn, and Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter. Here is what I would include: </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Wearable</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><img alt="10145290_hi" height="380" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/C22yQVb7y8WNyPvOlpWPN3lJGq2jQsB99toAib9cONXbBLPj7FL9RhSLLCyJqTigPbIG8rbK9ucszrh_EcXFZXVS-diwZxV46Zd0vtVTmDg8_AXbGtC4-h-cmZe7q_JRETDW5ibC" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="282" /></span></div>
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<span style="font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Alice In Wonderland Pocket Watch from Hot Topic</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Don’t Worry, You’re Just As Sane As I Am T-shirt by SimplyCrafty2010 on Etsy</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Vinyl Figure</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Joker from POP! Vinyl Figures</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Utility </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Harley Quinn Backpack from the DC Comics Shop </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We’re All Mad Here Phone Case from YouCustomized on Etsy</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Harley Quinn #35 from DC Comics</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What would you put in your Dreamcrate?? Comment below! </span></span></div>
Sarah http://www.blogger.com/profile/04780976062223505344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609897088602065360.post-5301306671252016-08-18T11:07:00.000-07:002016-08-18T11:07:49.500-07:00Birds of Prey {A Hunger Games Fanfiction} Full <div data-p-id="fda47ad45b5d15cd3740bd188028fc4d" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYT44UycjB4-KOFsokNPtEfoKaJ1yAz6EPFpIXX64Kzu7bIY3pL59qyq8Ub4uuwZ5AUCck7IAcRUlgQ4c3kICwEEMDVkhVC_uT9sDxHPWJY-JDqC8fkgJKlkCh7LXsF9kxSzYZwoqxQRs/s1600/bird+of+prey.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYT44UycjB4-KOFsokNPtEfoKaJ1yAz6EPFpIXX64Kzu7bIY3pL59qyq8Ub4uuwZ5AUCck7IAcRUlgQ4c3kICwEEMDVkhVC_uT9sDxHPWJY-JDqC8fkgJKlkCh7LXsF9kxSzYZwoqxQRs/s400/bird+of+prey.png" width="255" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">"Is everyone in the Capitol as self-absorbed as you?" Someone asks behind me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I turn and cock an eyebrow, amused. Apparently they've sent someone to check on me. A girl, about my age. She lingers halfway behind the door, as if she's scared of me. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="box-sizing: border-box;">Good,</i> I think, my smile widening just a bit.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"You might look in the mirror too, if you were pretty," I say back, batting my eyelashes. <br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />The comment hurts her, I can tell. Probably because it's true. The girl is unbelievably plain, and, well... <i style="box-sizing: border-box;">ordinary. </i>She would never fit in at the Capitol. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="box-sizing: border-box;">At least, she wouldn't have before, </i>I think bitterly. Ever since the Districts rebelled and killed President Snow, the Capitol, once a lively and beautiful place, had been over run by common folk and was now being used as a headquarters for our new government.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">They are the reason I am here.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I turn away so the girl can't read the sadness on my face, applying an extra coat of black lipstick. She thinks looking in the mirror is self-absorbed? Ha. Maybe it is. I don't care. There is no way I'm not going to relish how absolutely stunning I look right now. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I've heard it said that black is the most intimidating color, and I can't help but to agree. At this moment, I look dangerous. I'm wearing a slick, black one-piece fighting suit. It clings to my skin tightly, allowing me to move quickly and freely without being uncomfortable. I'm glad that I packed my favorite black combat boots- they seemed like practical footwear for going into the arena- because they match perfectly with the suit. My purple hair is pulled up into a tight ponytail, and I've also adorned some fingerless black gloves with decorative spikes on the cuffs. I give myself one last glance and smile, satisfied. I turn back, half expecting the girl to be gone, but she waits patiently. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"What?" I ask, irritated. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"I'm supposed to escort you down to the loading room, where all the other candidates are. Someone's there to talk to all of you before you compete."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Compete. Right. As if this was some sort of silly child's contest, where the winner gets some useless prize and everyone else can just go home to their families.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I am positive that I'll never be seeing my family again, at least. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"Lead the way," I say, pulling the door open. She walks a good distance in front of me, putting as much space between us as possible. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">As we walk down the hall, I can't help but notice the dank smell it carries. It smells like a combination of blood and mold. I wrinkle my nose and hold my breath, breathing through my mouth. The last thing I want to do before fighting is become nauseous. <br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />When we reach the loading room, I see the girl's shoulders droop with relief. In this bright and open space, with guards posted at the doors, I can't hurt her.</span></div>
<div data-p-id="3aa97b15c57fc82d8b5000b651a66fd0" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">What a shame.</span></div>
<div data-p-id="bc167746d7d9671997155dabd6cc3431" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"Welcome to the loading room," she says brightly, waving her hand around as if she's showing me some famous attraction. I look around, unimpressed. There's nothing too unusual about it. There are some couches in the corner and a large screen on one of the walls. Some of the tributes linger in groups, talking nervously. My glance flickers away. The last thing I want is to recognize any of them. </span></div>
<div data-p-id="a486be4a608b6d9a1323ff614753d9ad" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"As you can see over there," she points to some pod shaped devices on the opposite side of the room, "tributes used to be transported to the arena from this very room. However, they have been... <i style="box-sizing: border-box;">malfunctioning</i> lately, so we will use buses to transport you instead. If you could-"</span></div>
<div data-p-id="29bb1b3792e7eecdb45293893fa54c00" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"<i style="box-sizing: border-box;">Maud?" </i>An incredulous voice interrupts behind me. My thoughts slow to a stop, because I know that voice, and I must be imagining it, because there is no way he could be <i style="box-sizing: border-box;">here</i>- </span></div>
<div data-p-id="0f4c3c556e9638865499d1a14f86e269" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I turn around, my eyes wide. That's when I see him. All six-foot two, lanky and uncoordinated bit of him. "Bo," I say, my voice disbelieving. Bo. <i style="box-sizing: border-box;">M</i>y Bo. </span></div>
<div data-p-id="32da9c23dbaf38cc7bd8957208a4a429" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">His eyes look terrified as well. He runs a hand through his fiery orange hair, something he always does when he is upset. "What are you <i style="box-sizing: border-box;">doing</i> here?" he asks, as if I would have another reason for being in this very room. I am here the same reason he is, and he knows it. </span></div>
<div data-p-id="f843e76e6329896bb2d546fd336b9101" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"My name got pulled," I say, numbly. "I thought my mom would have told you." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"<i style="box-sizing: border-box;">N</i>o," he says forcefully, shaking his head. His eyes look at me, pleading. "There has to be a way to get you out of here. Surely someone will be willing to replace you.." he trails off, thinking.</span></div>
<div data-p-id="2dba015dd684d9fc9adf0798b4b0bd1f" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I laugh once. It sounds off. "My own personal Katniss Everdeen, huh? She's the reason we're here, you know." My voice breaks on the end of the sentence, something it rarely does. "Bo, why are you here? How can you be here?"</span></div>
<div data-p-id="c9dca5c98b6cc6bcdb17abac9dc50174" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">He doesn't answer me, reaching to grab me by the arms. I have already leaned into him when his lips touch mine, something that is familiar and automatic to both of us now.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"TRIBUTES!" A voice booms, making both of us jump. We turn in surprise. Bo's hand tightens around mine and I squeeze it, trying to make him feel better. The other people in the room crowd around a small platform on the far end of the room and we gravitate towards them, curious to know what's happening.</span></div>
<div data-p-id="244cbc71ba962606c907a5b92403e9b4" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"Welcome to the 76th Hunger Games!" the voice says again, and through the heads in front of me I see a tall, sweaty man with thick black hair. He looks nervous; wringing the microphone with both hands. I can't fathom why <i style="box-sizing: border-box;">he </i>should be nervous- he's not the one being forced into an area with 23 of his neighbors with orders to kill them. </span></div>
<div data-p-id="c92fafd37f1501c25e6c34aab4031066" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"You will shortly be escorted onto buses and led to the arena. Once you reach the arena, we will show you to your personal platform. Please do not step off the platform until the countdown ends. When it does, the Games will begin. I'm sure you have grown up watching these Games, so the rules should be familiar to you," he adds. The note of anger in his voice is obvious. "It is your turn to see how inhumane this type of entertainment can be when you must actually experience it."</span></div>
<div data-p-id="11b128c6e0a750155ef3ea80ec3a384d" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I clench my teeth together and take a step forward. How <i style="box-sizing: border-box;">dare </i>this man accuse us of being inhumane when he was willingly sending us off to the same fate. </span></div>
<div data-p-id="94815dcb4d0f703be9d27745c28cbbc4" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"Maud," Bo pleads under his breath, knowing he can't stop me. I ignore him.</span></div>
<div data-p-id="557546f9ba2b1ff34bf53ac4d3db8fa5" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"Excuse me," I say loudly, causing everyone to turn towards me. I see so many familiar faces, so many people I've grown up with. Relief washes over me as I realize that no one too close to me is here, followed by guilt. These people don't deserve to be here; they can't help who their parents are.</span></div>
<div data-p-id="5f696424dbb0152416e72aa0e27b830d" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">No one seems very surprised by my outburst except the man on stage. "I was just wondering why it's suddenly less <i style="box-sizing: border-box;">inhumane </i>to put a bunch of us in an arena and force us to kill each other. Is it okay to do it now, because you're the one in charge instead of the one being oppressed?" </span></div>
<div data-p-id="7a0d379eafb6c6ab66c541aa5aaa8df5" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The man opens his mouth but I cut him off. "Sorry, I'm not done. I'm really sorry about what happened in the past, but that's not exactly <i style="box-sizing: border-box;">my </i>fault, is it? Wasn't the whole point of the rebellion to move past this? Apparently not. It seems we've replaced one evil with another." </span></div>
<div data-p-id="a86d4830be7c66b478752688f2db52ca" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The man's face is turning purple with anger at this point, but I can't stop. The words are rushing out of me like they've been waiting to spill out for ages. Maybe they have. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"I don't think you-" the man begins, but I talk over him. </span></div>
<div data-p-id="ed42359321ea2eb68c1b7a6ed052356d" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"Also, this is so much worse than before, because we all <i style="box-sizing: border-box;">know </i>each other. I'm not saying the past games were okay, but at least you didn't know the other tributes because they grew up in different districts than you. We've grown up together. These people are my friends, and you expect me to kill them."</span></div>
<div data-p-id="385d45ed48cc9d57a2c582d0f2b684d9" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Well, that's not exactly true. I don't have friends, and I never have. But that doesn't mean I'll be fine with killing any of these people, especially the boy holding my hand. </span></div>
<div data-p-id="1e0827d0654002bba8a4958a9a94d267" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The man seems to realize that I'm not going to continue. He clears his throat, twice. "What is your name?" he asks. </span></div>
<div data-p-id="875d2498cb1a2a66de78fbc1426f0ee1" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"Maudelene Drascott," I say. His expression changes quickly, horrified. Now he is genuinely afraid. </span></div>
<div data-p-id="018787521af76ae42c1717f8e57af7df" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I smile. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Whatever he was about to say has clearly left his mind. He clears his throat three more times before managing, "If you will please follow me." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I try not to notice everyone staring at me as they shuffle behind him, their eyes uneasy. No one counted on a girl from the Capitol who actually knows how to fight. They're scared of me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Some things never change. </span></div>
<div data-p-id="f1e63b8ae88984c4fd6f6d3ee0fecf82" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"Why do you have to say things like that?" Bo asks as we exit. "You know they're already mad at us. What if you push them too hard and they deliberately execute you when we get to the arena?"</span></div>
<div data-p-id="7201d078b2181f472ee83fb8b2c737d7" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">One of my boot's laces has come undone. I reach down and start to tie it, bringing us to a halt. "Good," I say firmly. "Then I won't have to kill anyone I care about."</span></div>
<div data-p-id="076a5453069ab9a16ca2d648c422a379" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I straighten and avoid his gaze. "Maud," he says softly, touching my arm. </span></div>
<div data-p-id="f121ea09093d5d8e97ba370c88b1bb87" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I yank it away, crossing my arms stubbornly. "I don't <i style="box-sizing: border-box;">want </i>to be a killer, Bo. I'm not that heartless."</span></div>
<div data-p-id="23ffaa62254227955e88e50f144bd8d7" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"I never said you were heartless," he says, obviously surprised.</span></div>
<div data-p-id="e3fc76ba2d92922061d0214a459cda9b" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="box-sizing: border-box;">Everyone else seems to think so. </i>"Whatever. This conversation is over." We've reached the buses by now, and the steps are a bit uneven. Bo reaches up behind me to steady me and I turn back to him, glaring. "I don't need your help." </span></div>
<div data-p-id="9bf9a07d38c9bd1715f9c2a6bc3726f8" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">He drops his hands to his sides. "Trust me, I know."</span></div>
<div data-p-id="a10838a2becb984b4b299a91a739f28f" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I feel a pinch of guilt squeeze in my chest and push it away, irritated. As much as I love Bo, he will never have the backbone to stand up for what's right, especially if it means actually speaking his mind. </span></div>
<div data-p-id="23955c96aa79352742bf56378fb4a65a" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I plop in one of the seats and look out the window. Bo lingers near me, hesitant, but eventually sits beside me, resting his hand on my knee. "I'm sorry. I'm not angry at you, I'm upset that you're here," I say to the window.</span></div>
<div data-p-id="9dadcecba2a09f91448f4852719401d9" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"I know," he tells me. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We sit in silence for the rest of the ride, which takes about twenty minutes. I can tell we've reached the arena; it isn't a building like I expected, but more of a transparent dome. The only giveaway that it's even there is the way the air shimmers. </span></div>
<div data-p-id="124a9190282fc3776c88b6527dbd3a1c" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"Welcome to the Hunger Games arena," the girl who escorted me earlier says as she hops off the bus. "Thanks to our many scientific experts, it has been remodeled and repaired from... previous damage." </span></div>
<div data-p-id="018df93676f5ef12c58bf76112981e27" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I raise an eyebrow at this. So the arena can be broken. Interesting. </span></div>
<div data-p-id="f7a749609ef9b2056ce0e0d5c1430e88" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"As you can see," the girl says, swinging her arm in a wide arc, "there are several platforms evenly spaced in a circle around the weaponry. Each of you will have your own platform, which we will assign to you shortly. Once everyone has mounted their platform, the countdown will begin. If you step off of your platform before the countdown reaches zero, a land mine will go off under your feet and you will be instantly killed. Stay on your platforms until the countdown finishes. After that, the games will begin. You may take anything from the weaponry pile, but also note that whatever you take will be your best defense and offense for the rest of the game." She looks at all of us expectantly. "Any questions?" </span></div>
<div data-p-id="94a193434a01568c27595d806cf80a13" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">No one says anything. She smiles. "I thought so. Platform assignments will begin in a moment. I wish you all the best of luck, may the odds be in your favor!" With that, she turns and exits the arena. The door that all of us came through suddenly shuts, leaving us alone.</span></div>
<div data-p-id="29224eb00748a53b3e04a62034c17ea5" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"Thurina Ample," a voice suddenly booms, making all of us jump. One of the platforms illuminates. Thurina, a girl with bright orange hair that I've known since I was four years old, walks forward, her eyes downcast. </span></div>
<div data-p-id="cc5b734be07b91730aaa662ce8afd16d" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Bo clenches his jaw. I look to him, not surprised. He's always been one of the friendliest of our age group; he's probably friends with everyone here. I squeeze his hand and he squeezes it back, releasing a deep shuddering breath. Maybe the reality of what's about to happen is finally sinking in. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The voice calls more people to their platforms. It seems the names are being called in alphabetical order, so I'm already expecting it when my name is called. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"Maudelene Drascott," the automated voice announces. One of the platforms suddenly illuminates. I turn to Bo and throw my arms around his neck. He hugs me back, his hands shaking.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"Come for me when you find your weapons, and don't get hurt," I say.</span></div>
<div data-p-id="1f7e4a9f950c5fa032b81d282387bb1a" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">He nods. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I know there is no one here who will dare hurt him this early in the game. They know what I will do to them if they do.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Holding my head high, I walk towards the platform and mount it, staring straight ahead at the mountain of weaponry. I don't see any weapons that will give me a significant advantage. I think I can see a bow and arrow, but no one in the Capitol knows how to use them, and neither do I. There are a wide variety of nets, knives, and what look like landmines. </span></div>
<div data-p-id="029a94a44ed7cab8a99d59a00436c573" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"Bodec Kyvenly," the announcer says, and my head snaps in its direction. A platform on the opposite side of me lights up. </span></div>
<div data-p-id="e41c02b00bf518424c6a29a834445a86" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Of course. How many more ways must I be punished today?</span></div>
<div data-p-id="382a63e08037ec2a9b783da3dd2269cd" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I watch as Bo walks towards the platform, hands clenched at his sides. I have no doubt he is trying to be strong for me. I try not to think of my gentle, compassionate Bo being forced to harm someone else.</span></div>
<div data-p-id="aac669b339adc0a3ec1a4e6258cb6dfb" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="box-sizing: border-box;">I won't let it happen</i>, I decide. <i style="box-sizing: border-box;">I'll do everything I can to keep the dirt off his hands, even if it means killing everyone else.</i></span></div>
<div data-p-id="de2a4e22fc3a5acbcc218b753b76a704" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">More tributes walk to their platforms. I distract myself by watching their faces. Most of them look desolate, like they've already given up. I wonder if some of them will step off the platform before the countdown finishes, just to get it over with. </span></div>
<div data-p-id="32180a3250fd08b17daba1e3f4c4cc64" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I've barely noticed that everyone is on their platforms when the countdown starts. </span></div>
<div data-p-id="d3d9446802a44259755d38e6d163e820" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px;">
<i style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">10</span></i></div>
<div data-p-id="a2afbb1b1d6d52f225669290de2c4dc1" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I jump slightly at the sound as it resonates across the arena.</span></div>
<div data-p-id="45c48cce2e2d7fbdea1afc51c7c6ad26" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px;">
<i style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">9</span></i></div>
<div data-p-id="c9f0f895fb98ab9159f51fd0297e236d" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px;">
<i style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">8</span></i></div>
<div data-p-id="8f14e45fceea167a5a36dedd4bea2543" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px;">
<i style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">7</span></i></div>
<div data-p-id="1ceaf4a1412600917af34f9af512437b" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Bo looks up and meets my eyes. I think he mouths "I love you", but I hope not. He's never said it before, and there should be no reason for him to say it now. He's going to live.</span></div>
<div data-p-id="1679091c5a880faf6fb5e6087eb1b2dc" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px;">
<i style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">6</span></i></div>
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<i style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">5</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">An explosion sounds, then another. Two bodies lay crumpled on the ground. I look at them in horror, moving my hand to cover my mouth. My movements feel sluggish, like I'm moving through water. </span></div>
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<i style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">4</span></i></div>
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<i style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">3</span></i></div>
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<i style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">2</span></i></div>
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<i style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1</span></i></div>
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<i style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">0</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm on the ground faster than anyone can blink, sprinting towards the weapons and far away from the bodies. I reach the weapons first and look around frantically for anything I can use. My hands grab a backpack and a set of throwing knives, as well as a few landmines. Someone comes up behind me and I elbow them in the nose, hard, sending them crashing to the ground. I unzip the backpack and start tossing things inside it, whatever I touch.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"Maud!" Bo yells behind me and I spin in relief, trying not to imagine his body crumpled on the ground. I grab his hand and we run for the trees, leaving everyone else to fight for the remaining weapons. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I've only climbed a tree once in my life, but Bo seems to know what he's doing. He climbs up one of the trees with little effort and reaches for me, pulling me up with a grunt. We sit on one of the thicker branches together, breathing heavily. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"What did you get?" I finally ask him, my hand clenching his tightly. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">He holds up a roll of bandages and some sort of device that I've never seen before. "Water purifier," he says as an explanation. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I nod. I'm thinking about how we'll fight, he's thinking about how we will survive. We will need both to stay alive. Maybe that's why we are so good together. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I tense as someone runs past us, but they don't look up. Maybe I could've killed them. I don't know. I don't want to know. Bo presses his face in my hair, moving his arm across my waist. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"I don't want you to die trying to save me," he whispers. "We both know I'm no good at this, but you have a chance, more than anyone else in this arena. Promise me you'll do what it takes to survive."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm already shaking my head. "We're a team," I say. "We stick together, got it?" </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"Promise me, Maud," he says again.</span></div>
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<i style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I will protect you. I will keep you alive. I promise. </span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"I promise," I say, not to him.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">He sighs in relief and moves me closer to him. I close my eyes and lay my head on his shoulder, pretending to sleep. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">There are less than 20 of us left, I'm sure of it. Occasionally we hear a scream in the distance, making that number even smaller. That means there are still plenty of people here who want to hurt Bo. The odds are not in my favor, but then again, they never have been. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I will show Katniss Everdeen what I am made of. It's time for the Mockingjay to become a bird of prey.</span></div>
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Sarah http://www.blogger.com/profile/04780976062223505344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609897088602065360.post-37763866346113690252016-08-11T18:41:00.000-07:002016-08-11T18:41:08.370-07:00I'M A PUBLISHED AUTHOR!!!! <span style="font-family: inherit;">Yes, you read that right!! I have big-time news for all of you.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I WROTE A BOOK.</span><br />
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<a href="http://uproxx.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/leslie-knope-dance.gif?w=650" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://uproxx.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/leslie-knope-dance.gif?w=650" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Four years ago, I wrote a short story called <i>The Rose Garden. </i>My mom read it and loved it. She said, "You should expand this into a novel." And four years later, here it is, with 52 more pages than the original! It's still a relatively short novel, just breaking 15, 500 words. I wanted to keep it as a story that parents could still read to their kids, but it's suitable for any age. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">AND I THINK IT'S ADORABLE.</span><br />
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<a href="http://uproxx.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/leslie-knope-smiley.gif?w=650" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://uproxx.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/leslie-knope-smiley.gif?w=650" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">(I may be slightly biased, but whatever.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So, so LISTEN. The best part about this book? If you buy it, (WHICH I WOULD LOVE IF YOU WOULD BUY IT PLEASE, OKAY? ) <u style="font-weight: bold;">all of the money goes to charity.</u> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm not even kidding. Every cent that I make is going to a charity that I started called Love Unconditional. You guys can check out the website<a href="http://loveunconditionalproject.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"> here</a>, the Instagram account <a href="https://www.instagram.com/loveunconditionalproject/" target="_blank">here</a>, and the Facebook <a href="https://www.facebook.com/loveunconditionalproject/" target="_blank">page</a> here. I'm begging you to follow as many of them as you can so you guys can stay updated on my new movement to spread kindness and creativity. Soon you'll be able to donate as much money as you want that will go towards buying books for kids in the hospital! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">What's better than donating to a children's hospital AND getting a book for it? NOTHING.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Well, except Nutella, probably. And Theo James. But this is irrelevant. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I know you guys are just dying to see the cover (I know I was!!) and so I'm about to reveal it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">HERE IT IS!!!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG41GpS0K-R53GXj-ii4Nc_0MclRmVm55yYp7WIxZ-r9o0RJy4colhwrslmx1dpASWfk6dzZV3E0IXK9A_Ru3x68rpYSV-rvUzHEfJ1LSIEUO0Rc7Z8Tz0audDr0958ekyCxyZ9WcGSo8/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-08-11+at+7.23.44+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG41GpS0K-R53GXj-ii4Nc_0MclRmVm55yYp7WIxZ-r9o0RJy4colhwrslmx1dpASWfk6dzZV3E0IXK9A_Ru3x68rpYSV-rvUzHEfJ1LSIEUO0Rc7Z8Tz0audDr0958ekyCxyZ9WcGSo8/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-08-11+at+7.23.44+PM.png" width="214" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">IS IT NOT BEAUTIFUL?? I love it so much!!!!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">But the best part about this is? YOU GUYS ARE THE FIRST ONES I HAVE TOLD ABOUT THIS BOOK! (Minus my family.) You can purchase the book NOW, at a special discount for my blog followers, before I go public with this next Thursday!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So please, please buy the book now! You can click on the link at the bottom of this post or on the widget on the top of the right sidebar. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH. Thank you so much for supporting me in all my writing endeavors and for being my number one fans. Contact me at loveunconditionalproject@gmail.com to see if you can participate in my upcoming review blog tour for this book! Please, please buy this!! I know it's more money than your average paperback, but it's supporting a cause that's really important to me and will help not only my dreams but SO many others come true!!! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Spread the word to your friends and family so they can save 25% on the book as well! This offer ends NEXT WEEK. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">To see a preview of the book and to BUY IT, click the link below! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">LOVE YOU GUYS. THANK YOU. </span><br />
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<a href="http://www.lulu.com/shop/sarah-calvert/the-rose-garden/paperback/product-22821161.html"><span style="font-family: inherit;">http://www.lulu.com/shop/sarah-calvert/the-rose-garden/paperback/product-22821161.html</span></a><br />
<br />Sarah http://www.blogger.com/profile/04780976062223505344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609897088602065360.post-57191731568714826362016-08-02T21:04:00.002-07:002016-08-02T21:11:12.875-07:00Hunger Games Fanfiction!!!Wow, I have been absolutely overwhelmed with gratitude! As of today, my The One Fanfiction has received <u style="font-weight: bold;">4,902 views!! </u> That's SO awesome, guys!! I don't even know what to say right now. A few of you have been begging me for more fan fiction, and I love to please my readers! So, I'm pleased to announce MY NEW FANFICTION.<br />
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Set after <i>The Hunger Games </i>trilogy, my completed short story, <i>Bird of Prey </i>focuses on the 76th Hunger Games: a competition between CAPITOL children!! It was so much fun to write, and I can't wait for you guys to read it.<br />
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Follow me on Wattpad for even more fan fiction and my other writing pursuits!!!<br />
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<a href="https://www.wattpad.com/user/hotcocoabliss">https://www.wattpad.com/user/hotcocoabliss</a><br />
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Here is the link to <i>Bird of Prey: </i><br />
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</i> <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="280" src="https://embed.wattpad.com/story/79852613" width="500"></iframe><br />
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Sarah http://www.blogger.com/profile/04780976062223505344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609897088602065360.post-11046284266472761522016-07-29T09:53:00.004-07:002016-07-29T09:53:35.599-07:00Books Coming Out In August 2016 <span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The Smaller Evil by Stephanie Kuehn</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Publication Date: August 2nd, 2016</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Blurb: </span></b><br />
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<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1447185617l/27774725.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1447185617l/27774725.jpg" width="263" /></span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong style="color: #181818;"><i>Sometimes the greater good requires the smaller evil.</i></strong><br style="color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"> </span><br style="color: #181818;" /><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">17-year-old Arman Dukoff is struggling with severe anxiety and a history of self-loathing when he arrives at an expensive self-help retreat in the remote hills of Big Sur. He’s taken a huge risk—and two-thousand dollars from his meth-head stepfather—for a chance to "evolve," as Beau, the retreat leader, says. </span><br style="color: #181818;" /><br style="color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Beau is complicated. A father figure? A cult leader? A con man? Arman's not sure, but more than anyone he's ever met, Beau makes Arman feel something other than what he usually feels—worthless.</span><br style="color: #181818;" /><br style="color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">The retreat compound is secluded in coastal California mountains among towering redwoods, and when the iron gates close behind him, Arman believes for a moment that he can get better. But the program is a blur of jargon, bizarre rituals, and incomprehensible encounters with a beautiful girl. Arman is certain he's failing everything. But Beau disagrees; he thinks Arman has a bright future—though he never says at what.</span><br style="color: #181818;" /><br style="color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">And then, in an instant Arman can't believe or totally recall, Beau is gone. Suicide? Or murder? Arman was the only witness and now the compound is getting tense. And maybe dangerous.</span><br style="color: #181818;" /><br style="color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">As the mysteries and paradoxes multiply and the hints become accusations, Arman must rely on the person he's always trusted the least: himself.</span></i></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Release Date: August 30th, 2016</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1454343290l/28110143.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1454343290l/28110143.jpg" width="265" /></span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><strong style="color: #181818;">The bestselling author of the Shatter Me series takes readers beyond the limits of their imagination in this captivating new middle grade adventure where color is currency, adventure is inevitable, and friendship is found in the most unexpected places.</strong><br style="color: #181818;" /><br style="color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">There are only three things that matter to twelve-year-old Alice Alexis Queensmeadow: Mother, who wouldn't miss her; magic and color, which seem to elude her; and Father, who always loved her. The day Father disappears from Ferenwood he takes nothing but a ruler with him. But it's been almost three years since then, and Alice is determined to find him. She loves her father even more than she loves adventure, and she's about to embark on one to find the other.</span><br style="color: #181818;" /><br style="color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">But bringing Father home is no small matter. In order to find him she'll have to travel through the </span></i><span style="color: #181818;"><i>mythica</i></span><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">l, dangerous land of Furthermore, where down can be up, paper is alive, and left can be both right and very, very wrong. Her only companion is a boy named Oliver whose own magical ability is based in lies and deceit--and with a liar by her side in a land where nothing is as it seems, it will take all of Alice's wits (and every limb she's got) to find Father and return home to Ferenwood in one piece. On her quest to find Father, Alice must first find herself--and hold fast to the magic of love in the face of loss.</span></i></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Enter Title Here by Rahul Kanakia </span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Release Date: August 2nd, 2016</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1463387837l/22060619.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1463387837l/22060619.jpg" width="266" /></span></a><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #181818;">I’m your protagonist—Reshma Kapoor—and if you have the free time to read this book, then you’re probably nothing like me.</span><br style="color: #181818;" /><br style="color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Reshma is a college counselor’s dream. She’s the top-ranked senior at her ultra-competitive Silicon Valley high school, with a spotless academic record and a long roster of extracurriculars. But there are plenty of perfect students in the country, and if Reshma wants to get into Stanford, and into med school after that, she needs the hook to beat them all.</span><br style="color: #181818;" /><br style="color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">What's a habitual over-achiever to do? Land herself a literary agent, of course. Which is exactly what Reshma does after agent Linda Montrose spots an article she wrote for Huffington Post. Linda wants to represent Reshma, and, with her new agent's help scoring a book deal, Reshma knows she’ll finally have the key to Stanford.</span><br style="color: #181818;" /><br style="color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">But she’s convinced no one would want to read a novel about a study machine like her. To make herself a more relatable protagonist, she must start doing all the regular American girl stuff she normally ignores. For starters, she has to make a friend, then get a boyfriend. And she's already planned the perfect ending: after struggling for three hundred pages with her own perfectionism, Reshma will learn that meaningful relationships can be more important than success—a character arc librarians and critics alike will enjoy.</span><br style="color: #181818;" /><br style="color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Of course, even with a mastermind like Reshma in charge, things can’t always go as planned. And when the valedictorian spot begins to slip from her grasp, she’ll have to decide just how far she’ll go for that satisfying ending. (Note: It’s pretty far.)</span></span></i><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>A Weekend of Mondays by Jessica Brody </b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Release Date: August 2nd, 2016</b></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1441127321l/25688998.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1441127321l/25688998.jpg" width="266" /></span></a><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong style="color: #181818;">When I made the wish, I just wanted a do-over. Another chance to make things right. I never, in a million years, thought it might actually come true... </strong><br style="color: #181818;" /><br style="color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Sixteen-year-old Ellison Sparks is having a serious case of the Mondays. She gets a ticket for running a red light, she manages to take the world’s worst school picture, she bombs softball try-outs </span><span style="color: #181818;">and </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">her class election speech (note to self: never trust a cheerleader when she swears there are no nuts in her bake-sale banana bread), and to top it all off, Tristan, her gorgeous rocker boyfriend suddenly dumps her. For no good reason!</span><br style="color: #181818;" /><br style="color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">As far as Mondays go, it doesn’t get much worse than this. And Ellie is positive that if she could just do it all over again, she would get it right. So when she wakes up the next morning to find she’s reliving the </span><span style="color: #181818;">exact </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">same day, she knows what she has to do: stop her boyfriend from breaking up with her. But it seems no matter how many do-overs she gets or how hard Ellie tries to repair her relationship, Tristan always seems bent set on ending it. Will Ellie ever figure out how to fix this broken day? Or will she be stuck in this nightmare of a Monday forever?</span><br style="color: #181818;" /><br style="color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">From the author </span><span style="color: #181818;">52 Reasons to Hate My Father </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">and The Unremembered trilogy comes a hilarious and heartwarming story about second (and third and fourth and fifth) chances. Because sometimes it takes a whole week of Mondays to figure out what you really want.</span></span></i><br />
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<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1469622800l/28218953.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><b>The Thousandth Floor by Kat</b></span><b style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">harine McGee</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Release Date: August 30th, 2016</b></span></span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #181818;">New York City as you’ve never seen it before. A thousand-story tower stretching into the sky. A glittering vision of the future, where anything is possible—if you want it enough.<br /><br />Welcome to Manhattan, 2118.</span><br style="color: #181818;" /><br style="color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">A hundred years in the future, New York is a city of innovation and dreams. But people never change: everyone here wants something…and everyone has something to lose.</span><br style="color: #181818;" /><br style="color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Leda Cole’s flawless exterior belies a secret addiction—to a drug she never should have tried and a boy she never should have touched.</span><br style="color: #181818;" /><br style="color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Eris Dodd-Radson’s beautiful, carefree life falls to pieces when a heartbreaking betrayal tears her family apart.</span><br style="color: #181818;" /><br style="color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Rylin Myers’s job on one of the highest floors sweeps her into a world—and a romance—she never imagined…but will her new life cost Rylin her old one?</span><br style="color: #181818;" /><br style="color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Watt Bakradi is a tech genius with a secret: he knows everything about everyone. But when he’s hired to spy by an upper-floor girl, he finds himself caught up in a complicated web of lies.</span><br style="color: #181818;" /><br style="color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">And living above everyone else on the thousandth floor is Avery Fuller, the girl genetically designed to be perfect. The girl who seems to have it all—yet is tormented by the one thing she can never have.</span><br style="color: #181818;" /><br style="color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Debut author Katharine McGee has created a breathtakingly original series filled with high-tech luxury and futuristic glamour, where the impossible feels just within reach. But in this world, the higher you go, the farther there is to fall….</span></span></i>Sarah http://www.blogger.com/profile/04780976062223505344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609897088602065360.post-58627625929311988802016-07-28T17:06:00.000-07:002016-07-29T09:10:28.095-07:00BOOK REVIEW: P.S. I Like You by Kasie West <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Listen.</span><br />
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<a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/Ck5OhfWB2Um9RD_uVr9TKoutZRUihNtisvPiCg6h9Xas_1pVbHeY4GmisKR38Mv5BQTjzKZqSj_wyNC568wmiJIpCOnSccGXq-xRsG2CJBzEV2qNAEx40Shcy1s75L-kMdoBgHQ2" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img alt="25486998.jpg" border="0" height="475" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/Ck5OhfWB2Um9RD_uVr9TKoutZRUihNtisvPiCg6h9Xas_1pVbHeY4GmisKR38Mv5BQTjzKZqSj_wyNC568wmiJIpCOnSccGXq-xRsG2CJBzEV2qNAEx40Shcy1s75L-kMdoBgHQ2" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="317" /></span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I am a sucker for thought-provoking, life changing books that alter your perspective and make you cry, the books that leave you in a state of utter </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">messiness </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">after reading. I gulped down the monstrous 584 pages of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Book Thief </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">in a measly two and a half hours. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You know what else I am a sucker for?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Contemporary. Romance.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’ve seen Austenland more than two dozen times (if you’ve been following this blog, you know that I love Austenland, so I’ll get over it.) I swoon in Win A Date With Tad Hamilton and laugh in She’s The Man.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I love those cheesy, predictable, adorable plot lines more than anything in the world. And although I have seen every Marvel movie ever, I also won’t hesitate to slap down my money to buy a ticket for the newest rom com.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Another thing you probably know about me? My favorite book of all time is </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://enchantedbyabook.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-distance-between-us.html" target="_blank">The Distance Between Us</a></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. You’d know just by looking at it. I treat my books like they’re made of glass- none of them have bent covers or smudged pages. They look like they are brand-new. But, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Distance Between Us </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">is worn out. Not because I wasn’t careful with it, but because I’ve read it so much. So so much. At least once a week. It pulls me out of a sour mood faster than anything else.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As a result, I have purchased every Kasie West book that has come out since. They are </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">all </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">adorable, but none of them have come even close to </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Distance Between Us. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Until now.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I sat in a chair by the window and waited for the UPS guy to deliver it. Seriously. Is this what my sad, boring life has amounted to? I was kind of annoyed at that UPS guy, too. My book was supposed to come on Tuesday, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">two </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">days ago. I know it’s not technically the UPS guy’s fault, but I’m still a little resentful.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Eager, I pulled my treasured copy of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">P.S. I Like You </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">out of the box… and the smile slid off my face. You know what I said earlier about my books being perfect? Yeah, well… the book’s edges were bent.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Oh, I hope you’re happy, UPS guy. Someone will be receiving a very angry review on Yelp. Or… whatever you rate your crappy mail delivery guys with. Maybe I’ll send my dog after your truck. Or a shark. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img alt="shark-jaws-attack-animated-gif-2.gif" height="222" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/FKQazaR43wH72CYRuerMsB9WjY-H3o81-B3ooiUDi4BpWTtrT8Zs7q4UoSnTgCFtCFkouhaoTnPAF9eq73K_BFsa4tXU-Rxs_Ra-uv1YzvSSq6gFNtzuafYfSJwP-rcNta_aoHUX" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="500" /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ARE YOU SCARED NOW??? </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Anyway, on to the book. I ran downstairs (begrudgingly, with the book being damaged and all) and sat down on my bed. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I read it all in one sitting, and when I finished, I had a huge goofy smile on my face that prompted a “What?” out of my mom when I finally came upstairs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This book is </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">good. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Very good. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On to the actual review, Sarah. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Characters </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Maybe I liked this book so much because I related so well to Lily. Not only did was she a bit quirky, (again, did I mention that I </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">waited next to a window </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">for the UPS guy?) but she loved playing her guitar, made many frustrating attempts to write some good lyrics, and had two little brothers that would not stop bothering her.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Oh, and she couldn’t seem to work up the guts to talk to the guy she liked.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">DOES THIS NOT SOUND LIKE MY TWIN BECAUSE I THINK SHE DOES.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And, I loved some of the deep thoughts she had, even if they were not appreciated by other characters.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Silence is kind of awkward, don’t you think?” he said.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Oh. Or not. “No. I’m okay with silence. We’re in a library after all. This is the birthplace of silence.”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“The library is the birthplace of silence?” David asked.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“All the words are being used by the books. When I was little, that’s what I used to think. That people were told to be quiet so that all their words didn’t get stolen by the books. I thought books needed words to exist. Well, obviously they do, but I thought they needed spoken words. Yeah … I was always weird.”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“And here I thought libraries were quiet because people were trying to study,” David whispered.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“That might be another explanation.” </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Also, can we talk about her best friend for a bit? Isabel? Wow, she was the perfect best friend. Lily and Isabel get into a fight at some point in the book and Isabel is ready to forgive her completely after a couple of days with the cutest apology ever. Take notes, people! This is friendship done right. Don’t let a boy interfere with your sister bonds! It aint worth it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And the boy. I will not mention his name because it is a mystery for most of the book, even though the truth becomes pretty obvious at some point. (Lily didn’t see it coming. Facepalm. Come on, girl. You were totally in denial.) Let me get this straight, he was no Xander Spence, but he was enough to make my inner fangirl swoon quite a bit. I think you’re going to </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">love </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">him. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img alt="tumblr_ljr5hkLi2J1qzhvg4o1_500.gif" height="266" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/Zmyl_vvBhPSqV1GLYQ0DLKgKR5ON8MhFvXVO4ZxcOssbePaW5F3ftQpLAA5wLgDlHnlATxNYzVPeRgSOn6jNAaVJ4Ac-n0YmozS8iC8_s-jKOLMY8wE8qeachnkpspgob6O3Sxgg" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="500" /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(Yes, I know he’s fictional. But you’ll be thinking it too.) </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Plot</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I loved her family; Kasie West always does such a wonderful job of bringing a family element into all of her books. It’s refreshing and something you don’t see very often in contemporary romances. But family is important, whether they be blood related or not. Romantic love is not the only kind of love we need in our lives. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Although her brothers were not as endearing as Charlie’s in </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://enchantedbyabook.blogspot.com/2014/07/review-on-fence.html" target="_blank">On The Fence</a>, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">they were still pretty adorable. I wished there was more detail about her dad, because he seems so awesome. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My favorite thing about the plot was the LETTER WRITING. Yes!! Ugh, I could rant about this all day. Texting is all about instant gratification and requires little thought and effort. (Maybe this is embarrasing to admit, but I keep every single card that people get me. I love recieving cards.) AND LETTERS ARE EVEN CUTER. Oh, my goodness! I think I would die if someone wrote me a letter. Is it not the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">cutest </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">thing ever? It is!! Trust me. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Oh, also, if Mr. Ortega catches me writing you this letter, I am committed to shoving it in my mouth and swallowing. I hope I can count on the same commitment from you.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you have read this entire review, I congratulate you. I’m still a little disoriented from all this cutness. If you haven’t caught on by now, this book is amazing. It’s definitely what I needed to read. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thank you, Kasie West, for writing another book that I am absolutely in love with. I will definitely be reading this again.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a Yelp review to write. </span><br />
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</span> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Up Next Week: All Fall Down by Ally Carter </span></div>
<br />Sarah http://www.blogger.com/profile/04780976062223505344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609897088602065360.post-4324357162168000082016-07-19T11:13:00.000-07:002016-07-19T11:13:49.757-07:00BOOK REVIEW: The Young Elites by Marie Lu <div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQRemdF1Pw0u-seACJB95oEGty98DXeVUNjjZ1Yq3Ymh8qEk1tYaZ6PCYnQqrVY3Lyk_HNxiiw5lWfsr4lH07j1b2nk0GRMCtmqmMVQZeu-fctym0e8HUzBpVgPkv24xWBvGXsoxP_N_U/s1600/stars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQRemdF1Pw0u-seACJB95oEGty98DXeVUNjjZ1Yq3Ymh8qEk1tYaZ6PCYnQqrVY3Lyk_HNxiiw5lWfsr4lH07j1b2nk0GRMCtmqmMVQZeu-fctym0e8HUzBpVgPkv24xWBvGXsoxP_N_U/s320/stars.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Blurb: </b></div>
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<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1407318399l/20821111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1407318399l/20821111.jpg" width="263" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><em style="color: #181818;">I am tired of being used, hurt, and cast aside.</em><br style="color: #181818;" /><br style="color: #181818;" /><strong style="color: #181818;">Adelina Amouteru is a survivor of the blood fever.</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"> A decade ago, the deadly illness swept through her nation. Most of the infected perished, while many of the children who survived were left with strange markings. Adelina’s black hair turned silver, her lashes went pale, and now she has only a jagged scar where her left eye once was. Her cruel father believes she is a malfetto, an abomination, ruining their family’s good name and standing in the way of their fortune. But some of the fever’s survivors are rumored to possess more than just scars—they are believed to have mysterious and powerful gifts, and though their identities remain secret, they have come to be called the Young Elites.</span><br style="color: #181818;" /><br style="color: #181818;" /><strong style="color: #181818;">Teren Santoro works for the king.</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"> As Leader of the Inquisition Axis, it is his job to seek out the Young Elites, to destroy them before they destroy the nation. He believes the Young Elites to be dangerous and vengeful, but it’s Teren who may possess the darkest secret of all. </span><br style="color: #181818;" /><br style="color: #181818;" /><strong style="color: #181818;">Enzo Valenciano is a member of the Dagger Society.</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"> This secret sect of Young Elites seeks out others like them before the Inquisition Axis can. But when the Daggers find Adelina, they discover someone with powers like they’ve never seen. </span><br style="color: #181818;" /><br style="color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Adelina wants to believe Enzo is on her side, and that Teren is the true enemy. But the lives of these three will collide in unexpected ways, as each fights a very different and personal battle. But of one thing they are all certain: Adelina has abilities that shouldn’t belong in this world. A vengeful blackness in her heart. And a desire to destroy all who dare to cross her.</span><br style="color: #181818;" /><br style="color: #181818;" /><em style="color: #181818;">It is my turn to use. My turn to hurt.</em></span></div>
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<b>My Thoughts: </b></div>
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I was so excited for this book because I absolutely <i>loved </i>Marie Lu's Legend series. However, actually getting around to reading it proved to be difficult. I read halfway through it three times before I finally finished.</div>
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That doesn't mean the book was <i>bad, </i>it just means I was distracted. In fact, this book was very good. It's like eating chocolate; once you start, you can't stop. </div>
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I think the fascinating thing about this book is that it's written from the point of view of the villain. I don't think I've ever read a book like that before, and Lu did it <i>wonderfully. </i>I loved Adelina but at the same time I hated her so much.</div>
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This book was so addicting simply because it was so <i>interesting. </i>As I'm sure you could tell by the blurb, the plot is full of strange powers, caused by a deadly plague that killed several people and changed several more, marking them as <i>malfettos. </i>Adelina has silver hair and is missing an eye (although that was not technically a Marking.) The characters are dark, mysterious, and very flawed. However, their intentions are good: to overthrow the Inquisition that burns innocent <i>malfettos </i>at the stake. </div>
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Once you start reading this, I guarantee you will not be able to put it down. The language is written beautifully, the plot turns and twists more than a roller coaster ride, and the characters are unique and unpredictable. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves fiction. </div>
<span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 193px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 0.85; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 36px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span><span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 193px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 0.85; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 36px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span>Sarah http://www.blogger.com/profile/04780976062223505344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609897088602065360.post-70134581418917131262016-06-25T17:00:00.000-07:002016-06-25T17:00:17.084-07:00I'm Back!!I can't really give an excuse for my er... six months of absence.<br />
School and everything just got tangled in a huge mess and I kind of filed this blog in the very back of my priorities.<br />
Sorry guys.<br />
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What's happened since I was gone?<br />
Well, first off... I've read a ton of different books. Here are some of my favorites: (that I will be reviewing as soon as possible, promise.) Yes, there are a lot of really pretty dresses.<br />
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I'll be back soon, with a whole new design for reviewing books!!Sarah http://www.blogger.com/profile/04780976062223505344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609897088602065360.post-70738277641706566682015-12-28T09:54:00.001-08:002015-12-28T09:54:01.922-08:00BOOK REVIEW: Atlantia by Ally Condie<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I'll admit, I was a bit skeptical when I first cracked open <i>Atlantia</i>. Condie is one of those authors that I remain on the fence about; although I thoroughly enjoyed <i>Matched, </i>the next two books were a bit dry. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">And, despite the fact that <i>Atlantia</i> is about an underwater city, I also found it to be a bit dry. </span><br />
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<a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1398784253l/17731926.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1398784253l/17731926.jpg" height="400" width="265" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">In the beginning,<i> Atlantia</i> gave me a <i>Divergent </i>sort of vibe; it's an underwater city, built because things above water had become so intolerable (as far as conditions for humans to thrive), that a group of humans were sent to an underwater city to ensure the continuity of the human race. Over the generations, the population of Atlantia grew, as did the families within it. When each citizen turns a certain age, they can choose to stay in Atlantia or to go Above.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Rio, a girl who has always yearned to see the Above, promises that she will stay in Atlantia with her sister, Bay. Bay has never wanted to leave the city, and with the recent death of their mother, she is terrified of being left alone. However, (surprise!!) Bay decides to go Above. Because of the rule that only one of each family may go Above, Rio is the one left behind in the Below.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Confused by her sister's actions, she seeks counsel in her aunt, Maire, a dangerous siren who supposedly uses the power of her voice to control others against their will. From Maire, she learns things about herself and the well-kept secrets of her city; things that will change her perspective forever. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">It sounds like a good story, doesn't it? At least, that's what I thought from reading the blurb on the back of the book. I think we should have a new saying: "Don't judge a book by its blurb." In fact, maybe we shouldn't judge the book by anything but the book itself. Judging it by anything other than that often leads to disappointment.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">There was nothing inherently wrong with the plot. Although it had many dystopia elements that you've seen before (thus the <i>Divergent </i>reference above) it was fairly intriguing, and that kept me going. What I hated was simply the writing style. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">If I could give this book an award, it would be the "Dullest Characters of All Time" award. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Rio, the narrator, is the MOST BORING OF THEM ALL. She's supposed to be *spoiler alert* a siren, but at the end of the book I still wasn't entirely sure what a siren actually was. And there was some emphasis of her being the "last siren." What is the significance in this?? I DON'T GET IT.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I don't know how to explain what I felt, reading through Rio's eyes. Her voice feels flat and emotionless, and she sees things through almost a tilted perspective. Her sentences were choppy and repetitive, like a kindergartener wrote them. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>She’s going to tell me the story, and I’m going to listen. And I am afraid.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I am going to pick up this book, and I am going to read. And I am bored.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Seriously, where was this girl's spunk? I'm not saying she has to be one of those heroine's that refuses to let anyone stand in her way and eats men for breakfast, but she should at least be a <i>little </i>pissed off that her sister left her </span></span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit;">behind. Instead of being mad, she throws a Rio pity party. </span></div>
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What is my point...<br />
Think, Sarah, THINK.<br />
Oh right... So, in short terms, this book had a beautiful "feel" to it, Atlantia was serene and magical. BUT,<br />
her characters were ill-developed and made me want to yawn.<br />
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Short and sweet! (Sort of.)<br />
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Sarah http://www.blogger.com/profile/04780976062223505344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609897088602065360.post-79533004005372423172015-11-25T12:30:00.003-08:002015-11-25T12:31:55.083-08:00Book Review: Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This book is nothing like I thought it would be. The summary suggests that it’s about two disappearances, two missing girls. The entire book, I kept thinking… one of the sisters is going to go missing, and the other sister will embark on a quest to find her. That’s the only way the summary made sense to me.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Apparently not, because none of that happened.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The thing about this book is that it’s written in eloquent metaphors and confusing similes that make me want to say “Huh?” I think Oliver was trying to spice up her writing- but she tried a little too hard. Sentences such as:</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1414618400l/22465597.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1414618400l/22465597.jpg" width="211" /></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #181818; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It feels wrong that she knows—like a doctor probing your mouth with his fingers.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #181818; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Or</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #181818; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">That's what life is, pretty much: full of holes and tangles and ways to get stuck. Uncomfortable and itchy. A present you never asked for, never wanted, never chose. A present you're supposed to be excited to wear, day after day, even when you'd rather stay in bed and do nothing.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #181818; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Don’t get me wrong, a few of those every once and awhile is fine, but this book is littered with them. If I turned it upside down and shook it, I’d have a mess of metaphors papering my floor. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #181818; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">On to the actual plot line.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #181818; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A few months ago, Nick was driving in the car with her sister, Dara, when they drove off the side of the road and suffered a terrible accident. Although Nick walked away physically unscathed, Dara was scratched and bruised beyond recognition. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #181818; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As a result, the sisters’ fragile relationship was shattered beyond repair. Nick went to live with her father and his girlfriend, Cheryl, and Dara stayed with their slightly crazed mother. After months of separation, the girl’s therapist, Dr. Lichme, thought it would be best if they were reunited. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #181818; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> I thoroughly enjoyed the relationship with the two sisters, Nick and Dara. The book frequently alternated between Before (the accident) and After. Their memories from Before did a /decent/ job of showing their relationship; as close as most sisters can be. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #181818; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Everything else basically sucked. </span></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #181818; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">One thing I hated: Dara’s character. Dara is shown as the typical “bad girl,” going to parties, getting drunk, playing hearts of all the boys, dripping in lipstick and eyeliner. Meanwhile, during all of this, Nick, the “goody goody” keeps quiet because they “made a pact never to tell on one another.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #181818; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">That’s cute and all, but if your sister is coming home drunk every night and going to parties with random guys, I think you’d be pretty concerned. Nick talks about throwing away cigarettes in Dara’s room so her mother wouldn’t find them, or holding back her hair as she threw up. Why wouldn’t you be worried for her safety? If you truly love someone, their safety always comes first.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #181818; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Another thing that bugged me? The Nick/Parker/Dara relationship. Nick and Dara grew up next door to a boy named Parker. Nick was always his best friend, the one he favored. They did everything together throughout their childhood, leaving Dara trailing behind. But for some reason one day Parker decides to make out with Dara and they become a “thing.” Meanwhile, Nick stands on the sidelines, broken hearted.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #181818; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Um, no. CAN WE PLEASE STOP MAKING LOVE TRIANGLES JUST FOR THE SAKE OF HAVING A LOVE TRIANGLE??</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #181818; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I didn’t feel any chemistry between Dara and Parker. Zip. Zero. Nice try!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #181818; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As for the “twist” ending… nah, not original. I wasn’t expecting it, sure, but only because I was dragging myself through the last few pages and it was so awkwardly constructed. If you read a lot of modern thrillers, you’ll see it coming from a mile away. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #181818; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I don’t know, Lauren Oliver. You had a chance to hit a homerun with this one, but you swung a little too hard. </span></span></div>
Sarah http://www.blogger.com/profile/04780976062223505344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609897088602065360.post-49689860000935179112015-11-11T17:19:00.001-08:002017-01-19T14:52:07.867-08:00BOOK REVIEW: The Fill In Boyfriend by Kasie West <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1414605032l/18660447.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1414605032l/18660447.jpg" width="225" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kasie West is my favorite contemporary romance author. Her stories never fail to make me laugh and tug at my heartstrings. The wonderful thing about her stories is that they always have a second layer- the entire purpose of the story is never the element of romance itself. Her stories are family oriented and have strong underlying messages of life, self-acceptance, and love. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In The Distance Between Us</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, (my personal favorite) Caymen questions the absence of her father in her life and how she can continue to support her mother. In </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On The Fence, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Charlie struggles to find her femininity in a house with only brothers and her father. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Fill-In Boyfriend </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">is similar to all of West’s previous stories in that it also contains another layer of solemness that adds a serious tone to the story. On the surface, the story is light and fluffy. Gia, the main character, is dumped by her boyfriend, Bradley, only a few minutes before prom begins. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Gia is faced with a big problem. None of her friends have ever met Bradley; he lived far away, and she always went up to see him. For the past couple months, one of the most popular girls in school has been telling everyone that Bradley is simply a lie, a perfect boyfriend that Gia made up to make everyone else jealous. Afraid of being ridiculed, she does the only thing she can think of. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">She sees a boy around her age drop off his younger sister. Before he can drive away, she stops him and proposes a deal. If he will pretend to be her boyfriend, only for the night, she will owe him a favor in return. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“I can pay you."</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">He raised his eyebrows. "I'm sure there are services for that. Maybe you can try calling 1-800-HOOKERS or something?"</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"You know the number well?” </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">After some persuading, the mystery boy finally agrees. They go in together, he pretends to be Bradley, and everything happens perfectly, much to Gia’s relief. At the end of the night, she thanks him and they go their separate ways, back to their own lives. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img alt="thats-funny.gif" height="230px;" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/alBfyC2Bl7ll5WssyGhUXlLFxmLwGGySAifG8cdK0eDbITP3xqYqgMVb7NeAoi747e35ha73b1aWRjchfxS6_n59ah1z9hZyt1-TF-CJ84YolEs4IXaTn1cIRjvh-rmDJjt5E31M" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="500px;" /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At least, maybe that’s what Gia thinks- and she is dead wrong. Soon after prom night, he calls in a favor, or rather, his sister does. Gia reluctantly agrees [what else can she do?] and attends a party with Fill-In Bradley.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This story was definitely not perfect. In the beginning of the book, Gia was incredibly vain and selfish. I found her character annoying- to the point that I had to resist the urge to bash my head against the wall.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img alt="lpm32614ryangosling.gif" height="250px;" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/BO5zR--5ro5fcdqUGI98s4Zf9aHo62hGjY28zTMxBoqmsD0GGXQhGTHLf5u0ie2UjEZtsg7cQ6Try3oy277jzt3F0M11BEWGYAJfE5v4JqEKuniVd1zuI6dewq6Xv2hEHKlUgBMS" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="500px;" /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Luckily, she went through some fantastic character development. At the end, she went through an epiphany and figured out most of her problems with life. She did some deep soul searching, and I have a feeling that she liked who she had become. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fill-In Bradley was definitely the best part of the entire story. He was a total </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">nerd, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">which is refreshing to see in male characters! I fell in love with him at the very first scene simply because he was wearing a Tardis shirt. He was polite and kind without being completely infatuated and gaga over her. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #181818; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"This is Gia, by the way, Mom."</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #181818; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"Oh, I'm sorry, where are my manners?" She extended her hand to me. "I'm Olivia. I'm sorry for stealing this boy away but I need his gorgeous face. I mean, tell me that face doesn't inspire creativity."</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #181818; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Both [Fill-In Bradley] and Bec rolled their eyes.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #181818; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"She says that every time she pulls us in here and then she creates things like that." He pointed to a painting of a half-insect, half-zebra face splitting open to reveal a blooming flower. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #181818; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> "My face did not inspire that."</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Once again, West has completely captivated me with a light, cheesy romance that’s a bunch of fun to read. If you need a stress free book, pick it up and start reading. I ate this up like peanut butter m&ms!</span></span><br />
<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D1609897088602065360%23editor%2Fsrc%3Dsidebar&media=https%3A%2F%2Fd.gr-assets.com%2Fbooks%2F1414605032l%2F18660447.jpg&xm=h&xv=sa1.37.01&xuid=nAv1nP6gRpiF&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 454px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 58px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D1609897088602065360%23editor%2Fsrc%3Dsidebar&media=https%3A%2F%2Fd.gr-assets.com%2Fbooks%2F1414605032l%2F18660447.jpg&xm=h&xv=sa1.37.01&xuid=nAv1nP6gRpiF&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 454px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 58px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a>Sarah http://www.blogger.com/profile/04780976062223505344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609897088602065360.post-62905584505059206272015-10-05T18:19:00.004-07:002015-10-05T18:20:23.072-07:00Review: Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As I was pacing back and forth between the shelves of my school library, a title caught my eye. I’d seen advertisements of its cover plastered on bookstore windows and even in Walmart. It had been praised by several critics as one of the best Young Adult books of all time, yet I still had not read it. So, out of simple curiosity, I picked it up and started reading.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I wish I could say that I went home and fell in love with this book. I wish I could say that I immersed myself into the pages and wasn’t able to put it down. I wish I could say that I didn’t force myself to finish it simply to write this review. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I wish I could, but I can’t.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Eleanor and Park </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">was not the book for me.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1341952742l/15745753.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1341952742l/15745753.jpg" width="265" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The story itself wasn’t necessarily awful- it was a simple love story of two misfits. Park, an outcast because of his ethnicity, and Eleanor an outcast for her obesity and her overall appearance. Both of their family lives are less than fortunate, although Eleanor’s is more so. She lives with her mother and alcoholic stepfather, who abuses her verbally and often loses his temper. Park has to live with the disappointment his father feels for him constantly hanging over his head. These two misfits meet, they fall in love, and everything in their lives start to change the moment they meet each other.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Does it sound familiar?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That is </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">exactly </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">why Eleanor and Park did not work for me. It was a good story, a heartwarming story, of two teenagers who can’t find their place in the world- yet somehow find each other. This is nothing new. It’s the basic love story, the one we’ve watched on Disney Channel and read in John Green novels and seen in countless romance novels and films. There seems to be some sort of recipe: a boy and a girl who don’t conform to social norms that end up meeting each other; a conflict, whether it be internal or external, that is forcing them farther and farther apart, etc etc. Finally, the inevitable goodbye- the type of goodbye that gives you an ending (yet it could possibly be a new beginning.)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’ve read it all before. Sometimes I even love that kind of story, but more than often I grow tired of it. To me, in order for that recipe to work, the author has to throw something else into the mix that brings variety to the flavor. A different voice or language style or an unexpected turn in the storyline usually does the trick. I think I was supposed to be shocked- but the shock value was decreased dramatically because this story was so </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">predictable. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It measured out every ingredient of the recipe perfectly and followed all the steps. In the end, it came out as a perfect chocolate chip cookie type of story.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I don’t want chocolate chip. From time to time, I enjoy it. Yet, most of the time I want something different. A snickerdoodle. A pumpkin cookie. An apple cinnamon cookie. For me, this story just wasn’t different enough. It had flavor- it had plenty of flavor. It was just the same flavor of every other romance novel. I liked it, but I didn’t love it. There was nothing remarkable that will stick in the back of my mind. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-bebf678c-3ab8-d6ac-32cf-da67279fb4f6"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It wasn’t life changing and it didn’t sit down and make me rethink my perspective. It was simply a good book. </span></span></span>Sarah http://www.blogger.com/profile/04780976062223505344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609897088602065360.post-55388446682098314792015-08-28T15:32:00.004-07:002015-08-28T15:32:43.384-07:00The Sisterhood of The World Bloggers Award<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Guys!!! I got nominated for an AWARD!!! The Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award!!! I was nominated by the lovely Shikha, Leah, and Nina over at <a href="http://theoverflowingshelf.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Overflowing Shelf.</a> THANK YOU!!!!! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://brinasbooksblog.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/sisterhood-of-the-world-bloggers-award.jpg?w=227&h=1&crop=1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://brinasbooksblog.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/sisterhood-of-the-world-bloggers-award.jpg?w=227&h=1&crop=1" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Here are the rules:</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Thank the blogger that nominated you and link their website.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Use the award’s logo on your post.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Answer the 10 questions provided by the blogger that tagged you.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Nominate other bloggers.</span></span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ask them 10 questions.</span></span></li>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Here are my answers:</span></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-9614bf93-765b-6b66-b497-efc774ce1723"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><ol style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="font-weight: 700; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.6434782608695653; margin-bottom: 3pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What is your favorite reading spot?</span></div>
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In bed. Always the bed. Bed is heaven. Bed is love. </span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="font-weight: 700; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.6434782608695653; margin-bottom: 3pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Do you eat snacks while reading?</span></div>
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Heck to the no… I’ve had way too many chocolate and water stains on my pages… no. Snacks are for breaks only. </span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="font-weight: 700; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.6434782608695653; margin-bottom: 3pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How many books have you read in 2015 so far?</span></div>
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Close to 70… I think it’s 64. </span></div>
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What book would you turn into a movie if you could?</span></div>
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US BY KASIE WEST!!! But nobody would get Xander right…. </span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="font-weight: 700; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.6434782608695653; margin-bottom: 3pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Who are your top three autobuy authors?</span></div>
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Oh… so hard… ugh. I think Kasie West, Marissa Meyer, and James Dashner. Those guys are prime. </span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="font-weight: 700; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.6434782608695653; margin-bottom: 3pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you could only read 5 books for the rest of your life, what would they be?</span></div>
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Such hard questions!! Hmm… which books have I read a million times?? ;) Okay here are my choices.</span><span style="font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">All the Bright Places</span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> by Jennifer Niven</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="font-style: italic; list-style-type: lower-alpha; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.6434782608695653; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Book Thief </span><span style="font-style: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">by Markus Zusak</span></div>
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Distance Between Us </span><span style="font-style: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">by Kasie West</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="font-style: italic; list-style-type: lower-alpha; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.6434782608695653; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ten </span><span style="font-style: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">by Gretchen McNeil </span></div>
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Entwined </span><span style="font-style: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">by Heather Dixon </span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="list-style-type: lower-alpha; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.6434782608695653; margin-bottom: 3pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(runner up) After Hello by Lisa Magnum </span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="font-weight: 700; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.6434782608695653; margin-bottom: 3pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What book(s) got you into reading?</span></div>
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Definitely </span><span style="font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bony Legs </span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">by Joanna Cole. It’s small and short, but I completely memorized the words by the time I was three years old. Not that I’m bragging or anything… you know. </span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="font-weight: 700; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.6434782608695653; margin-bottom: 3pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Who is your favorite male character?</span></div>
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It’s gonna have to be my top three… Xander Spence from </span><span style="font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Distance Between Us, </span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Maxon Schreave from </span><span style="font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Selection Series </span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">or Dante from </span><span style="font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Hourglass Door Series. </span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="font-weight: 700; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.6434782608695653; margin-bottom: 3pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Do you read more in the morning or at night?</span></div>
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Definitely at night, I am so busy during the day that it’s only in the night I can find time to settle down and cuddle with a book. </span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="font-weight: 700; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.6434782608695653; margin-bottom: 3pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Which is your least favorite read of 2015?</span></div>
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Giver by Lois Lowry. Sorry, I know it’s an extremely popular book… but, well, it didn’t work out for me. (See my rant for it <a href="http://enchantedbyabook.blogspot.com/2014/06/review-giver-by-lois-lowry.html" target="_blank">here</a>.)</span></span></span></div>
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<span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Here are my questions for my nominees!! </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1. Three male characters you would kiss, marry, and kill?</span></span></div>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">2. One plot twist you NEVER would have expected? (Add a spoiler warning before hand)</span></span></div>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">3. Character you would ship your best friend with?</span></span></div>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">4. Least favorite book you've had to read for school? </span></span></div>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">5. Best movie adaption soundtrack?</span></span></div>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">6. Three books that have changed your perspective on life? (And why)</span></span></div>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">7. Hardback, paper copy, or Ebook?</span></span></div>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">8. Do you still visit the public library? How often?</span></span></div>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">9. Open the closest book to you- what's the first sentence on page 115?</span></span></div>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">10. What is one book scene you wish you could change and why?</span></span></div>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Finally, here are my nominees!!</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">(I love you ALL, so please do it if you want... you can say I nominated you even if I didn't. Also, post links to your responses below in the comments!)</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The lovely Alex @ <a href="http://www.thebooksbuzz.com/" target="_blank">The Book's Buzz</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The beautiful Erika @ <a href="http://erikabooksandstars.blogspot.ca/" target="_blank">Books, Stars, Writing. And Everything In Between</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The wonderful The Day Dreamer Reader @ <a href="http://thebookwhorediaries.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Bookwhore Diaries</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The dazzling Eclectic Introspections @<a href="http://eclecticintrospections.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_16.html" target="_blank"> Flickering Lights</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The spectacular Aime @ <a href="http://amie-corner.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Magic of Words</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The elegant Tanya @ <a href="http://abookparadise.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">A Book Paradise</a> </span></div>
<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D1609897088602065360%23editor%2Fsrc%3Dsidebar&media=https%3A%2F%2Fbrinasbooksblog.files.wordpress.com%2F2015%2F08%2Fsisterhood-of-the-world-bloggers-award.jpg%3Fw%3D227%26h%3D1%26crop%3D1&xm=h&xv=sa1.37.01&xuid=nAv1nP6gRpiF&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 239px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 54px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D1609897088602065360%23editor%2Fsrc%3Dsidebar&media=https%3A%2F%2Fbrinasbooksblog.files.wordpress.com%2F2015%2F08%2Fsisterhood-of-the-world-bloggers-award.jpg%3Fw%3D227%26h%3D1%26crop%3D1&xm=h&xv=sa1.37.01&xuid=nAv1nP6gRpiF&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 239px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 54px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a>Sarah http://www.blogger.com/profile/04780976062223505344noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609897088602065360.post-77093124330760760892015-08-27T17:52:00.002-07:002015-08-27T17:52:58.035-07:00AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Marissa Meyer <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/loyJkxb09wDRbGjR1PQ0Zo1GZ1xYujR6TmPRmxvbVZ0EbO_qXKnEpDAsMsJKxqhRmkabm43HQqzEJJIAiHMKnzEkvKaVtNBM_y6FoMP4sRMZG2I2-CxUyzg0VpKg6GwRw99ahuw" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="382px;" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/loyJkxb09wDRbGjR1PQ0Zo1GZ1xYujR6TmPRmxvbVZ0EbO_qXKnEpDAsMsJKxqhRmkabm43HQqzEJJIAiHMKnzEkvKaVtNBM_y6FoMP4sRMZG2I2-CxUyzg0VpKg6GwRw99ahuw" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0rad); border: none;" width="255px;" /></a></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-43c997d1-71ca-8876-be4d-b38ac5d82c80" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I am excited for this post the very most, because Marissa is one of the best and most talented authors that I know. 4. Besides Cress, Marissa has also written Cinder, Scarlet, The Queen’s Army, and Glitches. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fun Facts:</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Family/Pets: I have a husband, Jesse, and three cats: Callie Jo, Blackie, and Stormus Enormous.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Where you live: Tacoma, WA, USA, in the house Jesse built (literally)</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">3-4 Hobbies or things you do in your spare time: Eat, cook so I can eat, go antique shopping, and I pretty much enjoy any sort of live entertainment (concerts, musicals, stand-up comedy, etc.)</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Favorite ice-cream flavor: Chocolate chip cookie dough</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Childhood dream job: Writer!! Though I also went through a stint where I wanted to be a fashion designer.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Favorite movie: I don't know that I have one... Pride and Prejudice, maybe?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Favorite scent: Fresh-baked cookies.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Interview:</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How did your idea for Cinder come to you? What inspired you, if anything?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It began when I entered a writing contest in which the host had listed about ten random prompts and writers had to choose two of them to include in their stories. My two prompts: set it in the future and include a fairy-tale character. My contest entry was a sci-fi version of Puss in Boots and I had so much fun writing it that I thought I would try to do an entire series of sci-fi fairy tales! A couple months after that I was drifting off to sleep when the lightning bolt struck: Cinderella… as a cyborg! I crawled out of bed and spent about an hour brainstorming and jotting notes. Thus, The Lunar Chronicles was born.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What did you want to be when you were a kid growing up?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A writer! Always a writer. Though I also went through periods where I wanted to be a Broadway actress (before I realized that I can't sing) or a fashion designer (before I realized that would require learning how to sew, which seemed like a drag).</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Did you plan for the Lunar Chronicles to be a dystopian fairytale? Were they originally supposed to just be a fairytale? Just dystopia?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The initial concept I had was to write futuristic retellings of fairy tales - so I knew I wanted to give science-fiction twists to some of these classic stories. I had that idea in mind even before I knew which fairy tales I was going to retell! But I don't really think of them as "dystopian." With the exception of the plague and an impending war, the world that Cinder lives in isn't half-bad. It's obviously not perfect, but I think 126 years of world peace is something for Earth to be proud of.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Do you have any future writing plans?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Many! I hope the Chronicles are just the start of a long writing career. Right now I have one confirmed book that will follow this series: HEARTLESS, a prequel to Alice in Wonderland focused on the Queen of Hearts. I'm very excited about it!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Who is one of your favorite characters in the Lunar Chronicles?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I honestly adore all of my characters - even the evil ones! - but my favorites to write are Iko and Thorne. It's the funny characters that excite me the most, because I feel like they tend to write themselves, and I'm never quite sure what crazy thing they'll say or do next. It's so much fun to put them in a chapter and see what happens.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Was Cinder always the lost princess, or did you decide that ending later?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When I first outlined the series, I left it fairly open - it was possible that it could be Cinder, Scarlet, or Cress. But by the time I'd finished the first draft of Cinder, I was pretty sure it was her, and DEFINITELY sure by the time I finished the second draft.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What was your favorite scene to write in the series?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My favorite scene actually takes place in Book 4: WINTER, so I obviously can't tell you much about it. But I've had the idea from really early on, and I can see this scene so clearly in my head. A lot of chapters end up having a movie-like feel to them in my head, but this one really felt like watching a movie when I wrote it. I only hope my writing can do it justice so the readers experience it the same way!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Did you have to delete any scenes? What were some alternative character names?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ha! I have entirely deleted DRAFTS! Two major characters have changed their names. Captain Carswell Thorne was originally Alexander Woods (but Woods and Wolf were too similar and I kept getting them mixed up), and Princess Winter was originally Princess Ebony (but that was before I realized she was black, at which point the name Ebony just seemed like a cliche). Oh, and when I was naming Cress, I spent about twenty minutes wanting to call her Arugula, lol.</span>Sarah http://www.blogger.com/profile/04780976062223505344noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609897088602065360.post-78294146003898378722015-07-12T13:12:00.001-07:002015-07-12T13:12:59.146-07:00Hey Guys!!I know that I've really sucked at posting in the last few months... this summer has been very busy.. I've been out camping a lot and haven't had any wifi in order to post. Now that I'm finally home, I thought I would post a few things within the next few days!! Here are the books coming out in July and August!!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Release Date: July 14th </span><br />
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<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Originally written in the mid-1950s, </span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Go Set a Watchman</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> was the novel Harper Lee first submitted to her publishers before </span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">To Kill a Mockingbird</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">. Assumed to have been lost, the manuscript was discovered in late 2014.</span></i><br />
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<i><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Go Set a Watchman</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> features many of the characters from </span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">To Kill a Mockingbird</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> some twenty years later. Returning home to Maycomb to visit her father, Jean Louise Finch—Scout—struggles with issues both personal and political, involving Atticus, society, and the small Alabama town that shaped her.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Exploring how the characters from </span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">To Kill a Mockingbird</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> are adjusting to the turbulent events transforming mid-1950s America, </span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Go Set a Watchman</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> casts a fascinating new light on Harper Lee’s enduring classic. Moving, funny and compelling, it stands as a magnificent novel in its own right.</span></i><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;">The Heartbreakers by Ali Novak</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1431108553l/24862103.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1431108553l/24862103.jpg" width="214" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">"When I met Oliver Perry, I had no clue he was the lead singer for The Heartbreakers. Unbeknownst to him, I was the only girl in the world who hated his music."</span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Stella will do anything for her sister—even stand in line for an autographed Heartbreakers CD... for three hours. At least she met a cute boy at the Starbucks beforehand. A blue-eyed boy who looks an awful lot like...</span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Oliver Perry. Of course Starbucks guy is the lead singer for her least favorite band. Thanks, universe. But there may be more to Oliver than his world-famous charm, because even after she insults his music—to his face—he still gives her his number. Seriously, what is her life?</span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">But how can Stella even think about being with Oliver—dating and laughing and pulling pranks with the band—when her sister could be </span></i></span><i style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">dying of cancer?</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: x-large; line-height: 19px;">The Rest of Us Live Here by Patrick Ness</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: x-large; line-height: 19px;">Release Date: August 27th </span></span><br />
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<span id="freeText13266677862893928883" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i>What if you aren’t the Chosen One?<br /><br />The one who’s supposed to fight the zombies, or the soul-eating ghosts, or whatever the heck this new thing is, with the blue lights and the death?<br /><br />What if you’re like Mikey? Who just wants to graduate and go to prom and maybe finally work up the courage to ask Henna out before someone goes and blows up the high school. Again.<br /><br />Because sometimes there are problems bigger than this week’s end of the world, and sometimes you just have to find the extraordinary in your ordinary life.<br /><br />Even if your best friend is worshiped by mountain lions.<br /><br />Award-winning writer Patrick Ness’s bold and irreverent novel powerfully reminds us that there are many different types of remarkable.</i></span>Sarah http://www.blogger.com/profile/04780976062223505344noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609897088602065360.post-70175042558665752062015-05-29T13:54:00.002-07:002015-05-29T13:55:05.859-07:00BOOK REVIEW: The Heir<span style="font-family: inherit;">Ladies and gentlemen, let me tell you something.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I have a rule for authors that none of them obviously follow, since... none of them probably know me. But this rule is-</span><br />
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">If you keep continuing a series that you already said was finished, the rest of the books are going to suck.</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">After reading The Heir, I still stand by my rule. However, I am willing to make a few exceptions. There were some parts that, in fact, sucked, and some that did not suck. Here is a list: </span><br />
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<b><u><span style="font-family: inherit;">Things that Sucked</span></u></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Eadlyn. </span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">When reading some other reviews on Goodreads prior to picking up this book, I found that Eadlyn, the main character, was receiving a lot of hate. However, when I first started reading it, I really, really admired her. Almost more than I admired America. (Let's be honest, most times America got on my nerves. I basically only read The One so I could gobble up the parts with Maxon.) America was okay, she was tolerable. But she was so indecisive about everything that it drove me CRAZY. Eadlyn knew what she wanted, and she was determined to get it by herself. <i>Finally! </i>My inside happiness screamed, <i>Some girl power!!! </i>She had spunk and bravery and I thought everything was going well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Until things started sucking. There are many problems with Eadlyn, mostly:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Through the entire duration of the book, she holds herself like she is the queen of the world. She is disrespectful to her maid (who is a total sweetheart, by the way) and Josie.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">WHY DOES SHE FIND JOSIE SO ANNOYING??</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I must admit I do not understand how Eadlyn gets so pissed at Josie about everything that she does. Oh, what, Josie is trying to make a <i>conversation </i>with you? Because she sees you as a <i>friend</i>? But how <i>dare </i>she treat you like an equal even though</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">SHE HAS ALSO LIVED AT THE PALACE HER ENTIRE LIFE.....</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Of <i>course </i>she is going to be caught up in your glamorous lifestyle. Of <i>course </i>she will want to wear a crown every once in a while. If I lived in a palace all my life, I think I would want to try on the tiaras and at least pretend to be royal. </span><br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-style: italic; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #181818; font-style: italic; line-height: 19px;">"</span><i style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Kile, could you please go talk to your sister?"</i></span><br />
<i style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The contentment in his eyes quickly turned to frustration. "Why? What'd she do this time?"</span></i><br />
<i style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"She's taken yet another one of my tiaras."</span></i><br />
<i style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"Don't you have, like, a thousand of those?"</span></i><br />
<i style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I huffed. "That's hardly the point. It's mine, and she shouldn't be wearing it. When she walks around like that, she gives the impression that she's royal when she's not. It's inappropriate."</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Sheesh. Cut her some slack. So she's wearing a tiara. Nobody is going to start bowing down to Josie instead of you. Calm down. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Instead of being grateful for this power, more than half the time she actually complains about it. </span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Maxon and America gave their daughter one of the greatest gifts that they could... the right to rule the country even though she is a woman. Do you realize what a big step this is? How incredible it is? I thought this was a lovely show of feminism, that they were willing to give their daughter something which, up until that point, had been controlled completely by the male gender. That is amazing. She should be proud and grateful for this opportunity.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">But is she?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">No... instead she <i>complains </i>over and over about how <i>unfair </i>it is that she was given the right to rule. She thinks those rights should have been passed down to Ahren, her twin brother, instead. She talks constantly about what "kind of queen" she will be.</span><br />
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Didn't they know who I was, what they'd trained me for? I was Eadlyn Schreave. No one was more powerful than me.</span></i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></span>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Yet she spends most of the book whining about how she wishes she didn't have to be queen. Oh, poor me, one day I get to rule as the first woman leader in history, boo hoo </span></span><span style="line-height: 19px;">hoo. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">She is cruel, has little regard for other's feelings, and utterly selfish. </span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b>
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">"Prince Nathaniel looks like a zombie, Prince Hector dances like a zombie, and if the prince from the German Confederation doesn't learn to embrace personal hygiene by the Christmas party, he shouldn't be invited."</span></i><br />
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Eadlyn dismissed the feelings of almost everyone in the book like they were absolutely nothing. The one that bugged me the most was definitely how she was unable to see how tired her father is. One of the Selected tells her, "Your dad is super tired all the time," and she thinks... "Oh really, he's tired? I didn't notice." Yeah, no worries, he is just trying to handle tons of rioting against the monarchy and restore peace to his country. I'm sure it doesn't make him tired at all!! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">In the original Selection series, one of my favorite qualities about Maxon was how kindly he treated all of the girls. He had genuine interest in their feelings and was sure to let them down easy. Eadlyn, however, did nothing of the sort. A handful of quotes to demonstrate: </span><br />
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">"This is strange," I said, picking up one of he applications. "I don't want to be judgmental, but look at this. I caught three different spelling mistakes for this one."</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Mom took the form. "It's possible he was nervous."</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">"Or an idiot," I offered.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">[As it turns out, the "idiot" who filled out this form barely speaks any English, as Illea is not his native country.]</span><br />
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">"My father used to be a Two."</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">"Is that all?"</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Undeterred, he went on. "I think it's pretty impressive."</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">"Not as impressive as having a father who used to be a One."</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">[Sure, he's a little prideful, but you are guilty of that as well... suck it up, princess.]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">He took a breath. "You are so beautiful."</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>"So I've been told. You can go now." I swept my arm across my body, pointing to the Men's Parlor</i>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">[Yikes. So the guy wants to pay you a compliment. What the heck is wrong with that?]</span><br />
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">"Why were you so harsh? For a few you simply said 'no' or flicked your hand."</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">I tried not to let the worry show on my face. At the time those things had seemed kind of funny.</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">[Oh yes, because whenever someone cries after you leave the room, it's hilarious!! Let's all go to dinner and laugh about it, hahahahaha!! So funny!!]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Seriously, if you are going to be a host for all of these men, the best way to uphold a good image is to be kind and gentle in sending them home. You aren't supposed to be the evil villain here! You can let them down easy! That's much better than just dismissing them by saying things such as "The longer you stay, the more embarrassing it becomes. You should leave."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I am not kidding. <b>She seriously said that. On camera. </b></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">One thing that I actually found sort of funny is that she acts surprised whenever the public doesn't agree with what she is doing. She seems <i>surprised </i>that they don't like her when she is a selfish brat. What's not to like, right?? I mean, during a parade, those standing in the streets throw vegetables at her, and the girl can't catch a hint!! Seriously, she sucks at being kind to a whole bunch of teenage boys, and if she can't handle that, who knows how she will treat her subjects? No wonder they are upset that the country is in her hands. She'll probably ruin it if she keeps up the freaking attitude. Luckily, Ahren, her twin brother, figuratively slaps her in the face and finally wakes her up when he says:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-style: italic; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">More provinces are protesting the monarchy than you could guess. Not all of them, but plenty. And while it pains me to tell you this, the problem people have with the monarchy stems from one person: you.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-style: italic; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">YES!! THANK YOU AHREN! SOMEONE FINALLY UNDERSTANDS HOW WE HAVE BEEN FEELING DURING THE ENTIRE BOOK!!!!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">You're probably getting the point. Eadlyn is a horrible main character with way too much confidence and power. I think Cass may have been trying to start her off as a horrible person so we could watch her change through character development, but the truth is that all it did was make me hate her even more. She's a horrible person!! Ugh. Just. No. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Moving on to the second thing that sucked.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Romance.</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Seriously, there was literally no actual good romance in this book. Nothing that gave me the butterflies. She kisses one guy that gives her "the sparks" and suddenly for the rest of the book they start making out at the most <i>random times. </i>Just.... why???</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I think there were definitely parts thrown in there to try and make us helpless romantics over here melt. But that's exactly what they felt like... <b>thrown at us. </b></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Sure, were some of the boys likable? Yeah, of course. But I could not feel any romantic tensions between them and Eadlyn. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Zero. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Seriously, the book was three hundred pages, and she doesn't even feel like marrying any of them!! She hasn't even fallen in love- not even a tiny bit!!! </span><br />
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<b><u><span style="font-family: inherit;">Things that Actually Managed NOT to suck. </span></u></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Maxon and America</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The only reason I was super excited to read the Heir was simply because I loved The Selection series. I was head over heels in love with Maxon. America had plenty of flaws, but by the end of The One I actually liked her. My OTP had finally reached their happily ever after, and I was content.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Yup, twenty years later? Still adorable. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ahren and his French girlfriend. </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I think Ahren, overall, was my favorite character. He was open to new ideas and much more generous than his twin sister. I loved his girlfriend, too. Their romance was super cute. Guess who didn't agree with me? Eadlyn. </span></div>
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<blockquote style="color: #181818; font-style: italic; line-height: 19px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I swallowed, daring to say what I'd been deliberating over for a very long time. "Look, Ahren, she's a great girl. There's no denying it. But maybe she's not the one."<br />His smile finally faltered. "What do you mean?"<br />"Just that you might want to consider other options. There are so many eligible girls in Illea that you've completely bypassed. Don't rush into something that you can't undo. If you and Camille broke up, it would be nothing. If you got divorced, we could lose our alliance to France."<br />Ahren stared at me. "Eadlyn, I know you're hesitant to fall in love, but I know how I feel about her. Just because you're scared--"<br />"I'm not scared!" I insisted. "I'm trying to help you. I love you maybe more than anyone. I'd do nearly anything for you, and I thought you'd do the same for me."</span></blockquote>
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<b><u>If that doesn't make you want to strangle her, I don't know what will. </u></b><br />
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So, that was a pretty long rant... If you've come this far, congratulations! Thanks for sticking with me. I hope you don't hate this book as much as I did. If you loved it, I apologize for any feelings I may have damaged. :) Overall, this book was nowhere near as good as The Selection.Sarah http://www.blogger.com/profile/04780976062223505344noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609897088602065360.post-75693001052171270672015-05-10T06:45:00.001-07:002015-05-10T06:45:50.218-07:00Books Coming Out This Month <span style="font-size: x-large;">End of Days by Susan Ee</span><br />
<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1424765194l/13638020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1424765194l/13638020.jpg" width="212" /></a><span style="font-size: x-large;">Release Date: May 12th </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">End of Days</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"> is the explosive conclusion to Susan Ee’s bestselling </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Penryn & the End of Days</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"> trilogy.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">After a daring escape from the angels, Penryn and Raffe are on the run. They’re both desperate to find a doctor who can reverse the twisted changes inflicted by the angels on Raffe and Penryn’s sister. As they set off in search of answers, a startling revelation about Raffe’s past unleashes dark forces that threaten them all.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">When the angels release an apocalyptic nightmare onto humans, both sides are set on a path toward war. As unlikely alliances form and strategies shift, who will emerge victorious? Forced to pick sides in the fight for control of the earthly </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px;">, Raffe and Penryn must choose: Their own kind, or each other?</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">The Fill In Boyfriend by Kasie West </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Release Date: May 5</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">When Gia Montgomery's boyfriend, Bradley, dumps her in the parking lot of her high school prom, she has to think fast. After all, she'd been telling her friends about him for months now. This was supposed to be the night she proved he existed. So when she sees a cute guy waiting to pick up his sister, she enlists his help. The task is simple: be her fill-in boyfriend— two hours, zero commitment, a few white lies. After that, she can win back the real Bradley.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">The problem is that days after prom, it's not the real Bradley she's thinking about, but the stand-in. The one whose name she doesn't even know. But tracking him down doesn't mean they're done faking a relationship. Gia owes him a favor and his sister intends to see that he collects: his ex-girlfriend's graduation party — three hours, zero commitment, a few white lies.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Just when Gia begins to wonder if she could turn her fake boyfriend into a real one, Bradley comes waltzing back into her life, exposing her lie, and threatening to destroy her friendships and her new-found relationship.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Illusionarium by Heather Dixon</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-size: x-large;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Release Date: May 19th </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1413484726l/22840398.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1413484726l/22840398.jpg" width="212" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">What if the world holds more dangers—and more wonders—than we have ever known? And what if there is more than one world? From Heather Dixon, author of the acclaimed </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Entwined</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">, comes a brilliantly conceived adventure that sweeps us from the inner workings of our souls to the far reaches of our imaginations.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Jonathan is perfectly ordinary. But then—as every good adventure begins—the king swoops into port, and Jonathan and his father are enlisted to find the cure to a deadly plague. Jonathan discovers that he's a prodigy at working with a new chemical called fantillium, which creates shared hallucinations—or illusions. And just like that, Jonathan is knocked off his path. Through richly developed parallel worlds, vivid action, a healthy dose of humor, and gorgeous writing, Heather Dixon spins a story that calls to mind </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">The Night Circus</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"> and Pixar movies, but is wholly its own.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">The Heir by Kiera Cass</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Release Date: May 5th </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span>
<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1422993526l/22918050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1422993526l/22918050.jpg" width="211" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Princess Eadlyn has grown up hearing endless stories about how her mother and father met. Twenty years ago, America Singer entered the Selection and won the heart of Prince Maxon—and they lived happily ever after. Eadlyn has always found their fairy-tale story romantic, but she has no interest in trying to repeat it. If it were up to her, she'd put off marriage for as long as possible.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">But a princess's life is never entirely her own, and Eadlyn can't escape her very own Selection—no matter how fervently she protests.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Eadlyn doesn't expect her story to end in romance. But as the competition begins, one entry may just capture Eadlyn's heart, showing her all the possibilities that lie in front of her . . . and proving that finding her own happily ever after isn't as impossible as she's always thought.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-size: x-large;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-size: x-large;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Release Date: May 26th </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Lara Jean didn’t expect to </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">really</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"> fall for Peter.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">She and Peter were just pretending. Except suddenly they weren’t. Now Lara Jean is more confused than ever.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">When another boy from her past returns to her life, Lara Jean’s feelings for him return too. Can a girl be in love with two boys at once?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">In this charming and heartfelt sequel to the </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">New York Times</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"> bestseller</span><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">To All the Boys I've Loved Before</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">, we see first love through the eyes of the unforgettable Lara Jean. Love is never easy, but maybe that’s part of what makes it so amazing.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Release Date: May 5th </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1413217438l/21570318.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1413217438l/21570318.jpg" width="211" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">When Rachelle was fifteen she was good—apprenticed to her aunt and in training to protect her village from dark magic. But she was also reckless— straying from the forest path in search of a way to free her world from the threat of eternal darkness. After an illicit meeting goes dreadfully wrong, Rachelle is forced to make a terrible choice that binds her to the very evil she had hoped to defeat.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Three years later, Rachelle has given her life to serving the realm, fighting deadly creatures in an effort to atone. When the king orders her to guard his son Armand—the man she hates most—Rachelle forces Armand to help her find the legendary sword that might save their world. As the two become unexpected allies, they uncover far-reaching conspiracies, hidden magic, and a love that may be their undoing. In a palace built on unbelievable wealth and dangerous secrets, can Rachelle discover the truth and stop the fall of endless night?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Inspired by the classic fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood, Crimson Bound is an exhilarating tale of darkness, love, and redemption.</span></span>Sarah http://www.blogger.com/profile/04780976062223505344noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609897088602065360.post-78931857967047200942015-04-25T17:29:00.002-07:002015-04-25T17:29:53.935-07:00The Heir {Fanfiction Part 1} <div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-fb651aa6-f31a-3e06-b86c-1df9f91727b7" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Heir</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A Fanfiction by Sarah Calvert</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Disclaimer: This is merely a fan fiction. All rights to the Selection series go to Kiera Cass. Please note that I was not aware of the name of the boy she will fall for so I MADE ONE UP. I have no clue how The Heir will go whatsoever and this is from my own crazy brain. Thank you and please enjoy the story :) </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1422993526l/22918050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="22918050" border="0" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1422993526l/22918050.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I stormed outside, basically fuming. How </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">dare </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Mom say she knew how I felt. She didn’t know! She was never the one having to choose from a bunch of boys fighting over her- if anyone knew what I was going through, it was Dad. And I still didn’t understand why a stupid Selection was so crucial to me finding a husband. I broke down and sat at the edge of the fountain. The world blurred around me as I sobbed angry tears, kicking the ground repeatedly with my shoe. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Your Highness?”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A voice came up from behind me, making me jump. I crashed backwards into the fountain, the water completely immersing me. I barely had time to register how </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">absolutely freezing </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">it was before a pair of arms yanked me out of the water and onto the grass. Barely thinking, I clung to the person who had rescued me, my teeth chattering, soaking wet in liquid ice, before I realized it was a boy I had never seen before. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Your Highness?” he tried again. “Are you alright?” </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“What in the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">world </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">do you think you’re doing?” I burst out. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A princess never curses, a princess never curses, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I repeated in my head. “How did you even get back here?”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Well, technically I am not supposed to be back here, but I heard crying and I came to see if everything was okay-” he started, but I cut him off.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Actually, I was perfectly fine until </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">you </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">showed up and gave me a heart attack. Thank you so very much for that, by the way.” I gestured to my dress, giving him a glare of pure hatred.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">If it bothered him, he didn’t show it. He moved to take of his coat before crouching down and wrapping it around me. I was squished between the base of the fountain and his arms. His face was dangerously close to mine and I could feel my cheeks flushing with embarrassment. I tried to pull it off as anger instead. “No, thank you. I appreciate your courtesy, even though this is </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">your fault </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">in the first place, but this coat isn’t even helping.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I was lying, and he knew it. The coat was warm against my skin, and it felt heavenly. I wanted nothing more in that moment than to keep it wrapped around me. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I shrugged it off. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">He glared at me, and I couldn’t contain my surprise. What was going on with him? First chivalry and now glaring? I couldn’t think of a single person besides my brother who had ever glared at me. “Princess,” he said. “I’m not going to lie, you look absolutely awful. You </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">need </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">to wear a coat until you get dry.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Now an insult, as well as a glare? “Well! If all of the men are this dreadfully honest, I think I should cancel the Selection right away.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“If this is how you always act, I think you’ll scare most of them off,” he mumbled, wrapping the coat around me again. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I tried to shrug it off, but his arms pinned me on both sides, stopping the action. “Princess, please,” he said, more gently than before. “Your nose is turning purple.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Oh, no,” I said, absolutely mortified. “Do I really look that awful?” I could only imagine my dreadful hair. Whenever it got wet, it curled until I looked like a poodle. It would take hours for me to straighten it again. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Well,” he said, offering me a small smile. “It’s my understanding that purple noses only magnify a woman’s beauty.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I blushed at the compliment. If all of the boys were going to make me blush this way, I didn’t stand a chance. “Did you just call me beautiful?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">He raised his eyebrows as well. “Do you think I would be here if I didn’t think so?”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I rolled my eyes. “So you’re saying the only reason you came is because I’m nice to look at and you wanted to steal a peek every once in a while? Well, I’m telling you right now that I am not planning to </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">ever </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">show any skin other than my ankles and my wrists to any of you </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">barbarians.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">” </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">He laughed. “Are you always this funny?” he asked.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Are you always this straightforward?” I retorted.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Yes,” he said, surprising me. “If a woman is beautiful, she should be told so. Just because I point out the truth does not mean I have any intentions of using it to my advantage.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Oh?” I shoved him off of me, quite rougher than I had meant to. He stumbled back in surprise as I stood, tossing his coat to the ground. “Of course, you have no intentions of using it to my advantage. You’re simply here for a party, am I right? Not because you want my money, or the crown, or the chance to take advantage of the princess.” The bitterness rolled off my tongue, and he stared at me in astonishment, still knelt on the ground. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">He opened his mouth to speak, but I cut him off. “Do </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">not </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">humor me with your lies. You’re here for the same reason as everybody else, and I am all too well aware of that.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Your Highness-” he tried again. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Go,” I said, softly. “The Selection begins tomorrow, and we both require rest.” </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I turned away, folding my arms. He was silent for a moment, both of us waiting for the other to speak again. Then, he rose and picked up his coat. When I was certain he had gone, I turned back, tears trailing down my cheeks. He was still there, his coat slung over one of his arms. He watched me with a soft expression, saying nothing.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Tentatively, he stepped towards me, waiting for my reaction. When I did nothing, closed the distance between us, taking one of my hands in his. Never dropping his gaze from mine, he pressed my fingers to his lips. “Forgive me,” he whispered, his breath tickling my skin. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Then, without another word, he turned and exited the garden, leaving me in a stunned silence, my dress still dripping with fountain water. </span></span>Sarah http://www.blogger.com/profile/04780976062223505344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609897088602065360.post-75751818039779656652015-04-17T21:16:00.005-07:002015-04-17T21:16:46.724-07:00Part Three of The One Fanfiction <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Hey guys!! As promised, here is the third and final part to The One Fanfiction [original series by Kiera Cass.] I do not own any of the copyrights to the Selection Series, all of the rights go to Kiera Cass. If you have not read the at least the first two books, please, do NOT read my Fanfictions. *** IF YOU REPOST, PLEASE GIVE ME CREDIT. ANY UNAUTHORIZED USE IS CONSIDERED PLAGIARISM. Thank you. Don't miss out on my fan fiction for The Heir, coming out on April 23rd! </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Also, if you missed out on Part One and Part Two:</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 20px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><a href="http://enchantedbyabook.blogspot.com/2013/05/fanfiction-1-one-i-do-not-own-this-it.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Part One </span></a></b></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 20px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><a href="http://enchantedbyabook.blogspot.com/2013/05/part-two-of-one-fanfiction-continued.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Part Two </span></a></b></span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-5f806cb1-cab8-e5d6-78ee-1dc28989b3b6" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Enjoy! </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">XOXO </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sarah </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Part Three</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://p.gr-assets.com/540x540/fit/hostedimages/1380860857/3138132.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://p.gr-assets.com/540x540/fit/hostedimages/1380860857/3138132.jpg" width="263" /></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The first thing I think after the gunshot is how odd Maxon sounds. His screams sound like a tortured animal, like someone ripped his heart out and crushed it. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The second thing I find odd is the fact that I don’t feel any pain. None at all, not even pain where blood should be blossoming from my chest. I don’t feel like I am slipping into an abyss of endless darkness, either.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That’s when I feel arms engulf me, holding me as delicately as glass. I pry open my eyes to see Maxon above me, his eyes wide and rimmed with red. Yet he doesn’t look worried. He does not call for help. “America, darling. You aren’t dying. He didn’t shoot you. He didn’t shoot you,” he insists. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That’s when I realize that it is not his body shaking, but mine. I feel extremely cold, with drops of sweat dripping down my forehead. I try to open my mouth to reply, but it feels like it has been glued shut.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“He didn’t shoot you, America. You’re fine. You’re alive.” </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Then, another face appears above me, next to Maxon’s. Their expression is a mix of relief and amusement.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Aspen.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Is he dead?” Maxon asks him. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Yeah,” Aspen replies, crouching down next to me. “Are you alright, Mer? You look a little pale.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Is he dead? </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The words echo in my thoughts and finally realization comes to me. The gunshot was not from the rebel. It was from Aspen.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Aspen shot the rebel.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Aspen saved my life. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Maxon seems to realize this fact the same moment that I do. “Thank you,” he tells him, turning his head so they are looking eye to eye. “I thought I hated you after I realized you were with her, but now I am forever in your debt. You saved the only thing in the world that matters to me. I can see now how you were able to steal her heart.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Her heart has been stolen,” Aspen agrees. “But I am not the thief.” Then he leans down and kisses me on the forehead. “I love you, Mer. But I can see the truth now. And it’s okay,” he whispers in my ear. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I kiss his cheek, softly. He stands and sends me a grin that once made my heart fly. Now, it simply makes it smile. “I need to go, Your Highness,” he says, turning to Maxon. “You will be safe now.” Maxon nods, giving him permission to leave. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He does, and the door closes quietly behind him, leaving me alone with Maxon.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He is the first to speak. “Are you alright? I was certain you were just going into shock, but you look so pale…”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Yes.” My voice comes out hoarse, and I clear my throat. “I’m fine, thank you.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There is silence for a few moments, apart from the quiet, ragged breathing coming from his chest. Then he finds his voice again. “I thought I’d lost you,” he chokes out, and I look up to see that his eyes are filling with tears. “When I heard the gunshot, I assumed that… I thought..” he swallows, unable to finish his sentence. Some of his tears fall onto my own cheeks, and his embrace around me tightens. “You never know how much you love someone until you lose them,” he whispers. “I love you, America. If I ever lost you again… there are no words to describe the agonies of a breaking heart.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Maxon,” I whisper, stroking his face, but he shakes his head, interrupting me.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I love you. I do not deserve to love you. A simple caste, a simple title, a simple ranking, can not define the value of a human soul. And yours is much lovelier than mine. You have an exquisitely beautiful soul, and there is nothing more that I would want than for our souls to be joined forever, so I never have to lose you again without losing myself. America Singer, will you marry me?”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The words are barely out of his mouth before I’m kissing him. Our mouths blend together, two souls that will never again be separated. I kiss him more tenderly, more passionately, than any person has ever been kissed. Our tears mix, becoming one wave of water as I fix him, and he fixes me. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The truth is that someone is never made fully whole until they finally find the person who fills in the holes.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Maxon is fixing me, mending me, and sewing me back together, one kiss at a time. And though a word is never uttered, it passes through us: through his lips, through mine, through the scars on his back and the scars on my heart, through both of our tears, through his hands around me and through my hands in his hair. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yes. </span></span>Sarah http://www.blogger.com/profile/04780976062223505344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609897088602065360.post-84300621247061179942015-04-17T05:28:00.001-07:002015-04-17T05:30:22.108-07:00Books Coming Out In April <span style="font-size: large;">Sorry that this is a little bit late. We still have half of the month left, right? Enjoy!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">An E<span style="font-family: inherit;">mber In the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="freeText8353041011157936366" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><strong>Set in a terrifyingly brutal Rome-like world, <em>An Ember in the Ashes</em> is an epic fantasy debut about an orphan fighting for her family and a soldier fighting for his freedom. It’s a story that’s literally burning to be told.</strong><br /><br />LAIA is a Scholar living under the iron-fisted rule of the Martial Empire. When her brother is arrested for treason, Laia goes undercover as a slave at the empire’s greatest military academy in exchange for assistance from rebel Scholars who claim that they will help to save her brother from execution.<br /><br />ELIAS is the academy’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias is considering deserting the military, but before he can, he’s ordered to participate in a ruthless contest to choose the next Martial emperor.<br /><br />When Laia and Elias’s paths cross at the academy, they find that their destinies are more intertwined than either could have imagined and that their choices will change the future of the empire itself.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-size: x-large;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Things We Know By Heart by Jessi Kirby</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">When Quinn Sullivan meets the recipient of her boyfriend’s donated heart, the two form an unexpected connection.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">After Quinn loses her boyfriend, Trent, in an accident their junior year, she reaches out to the recipients of his donated organs in hopes of picking up the pieces of her now-unrecognizable life. She hears back from some of them, but the person who received Trent’s heart has remained silent. The essence of a person, she has always believed, is in the heart. If she finds Trent’s, then maybe she can have peace once and for all. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Risking everything in order to finally lay her memories to rest, Quinn goes outside the system to track down nineteen-year-old Colton Thomas—a guy whose life has been forever changed by this priceless gift. But what starts as an accidental run-in quickly develops into more, sparking an undeniable attraction. She doesn't want to give in to it—especially since he has no idea how they're connected—but their time together has made Quinn feel alive again. No matter how hard she’s falling for Colton, each beat of his heart reminds her of all she’s lost…and all that remains at stake.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">99 Days by </span></span><span itemprop="name"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Katie Cotugno</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1413808926l/22836575.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1413808926l/22836575.jpg" width="211" /></a><span itemprop="name"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Day 1: Julia Donnelly eggs my house my first night back in Star Lake, and that’s how I know everyone still remembers everything—how I destroyed my relationship with Patrick the night everything happened with his brother, Gabe. How I wrecked their whole family. Now I’m serving out my summer like a jail sentence: Just ninety-nine days till I can leave for college, and be done.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Day 4: A nasty note on my windshield makes it clear Julia isn’t finished. I’m expecting a fight when someone taps me on the shoulder, but it’s just Gabe, home from college and actually happy to see me. “For what it’s worth, Molly Barlow,” he says, “I’m really glad you’re back.”</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Day 12: Gabe got me to come to this party, and I’m actually having fun. I think he’s about to kiss me—and that’s when I see Patrick. My Patrick, who’s supposed to be clear across the country. My Patrick, who’s never going to forgive me.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Life is </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">almost</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"> back to normal for Harper Price. The Ephors have been silent after their deadly attack at Cotillion months ago, and best friend Bee has returned after a mysterious disappearance. Now Harper can return her focus to the important things in life: school, canoodling with David, her nemesis-turned-ward-slash-boyfie, and even competing in the Miss Pine Grove pageant.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Unfortunately, supernatural chores are never done. The Ephors have decided they’d rather train David than kill him. The catch: Harper has to come along for the ride, but she can’t stay David’s Paladin unless she undergoes an ancient trial that will either kill her . . . or connect her to David for life.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Happy Again by Jennifer E Smith</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Ellie O'Neill and Graham Larkin fell hard for each other when a misspelled email address unexpectedly brought them together. Now, over a year has passed since they said goodbye with the promise to stay in touch, and their daily emails have dwindled to nothing. Ellie is a freshman in college and has told herself to move on, and Graham has kept himself busy starring in more movies, as well as a few tabloid columns. But fate brought these two together once before—and it isn't done with them yet.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">In this sequel novella to </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">This Is What Happy Looks Like</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">, Jennifer E. Smith revisits two beloved characters to tell the story of one magical night in Manhattan. When Ellie and Graham come face to face once more, can they get past the months of silence and the hurt feelings to find their happily-ever-after again?</span></span><br />
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Sarah http://www.blogger.com/profile/04780976062223505344noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609897088602065360.post-23176537111323465112015-04-07T15:58:00.000-07:002015-04-12T13:05:27.561-07:00Interview With Heather DixonToday I interviewed one of my favorite authors of all time, Heather Dixon. I find it sad that she doesn't have all the fame she deserves. I absolutely adored her book, Entwined. (You guys must have liked <a href="http://enchantedbyabook.blogspot.com/2013/05/entwined.html">the review,</a> it is the second most popular review on this blog!) Anyway, check out the interview and watch the trailer for her new book, Illusionarium, out this May!<br />
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<b><u>NOTE: She is extremely gorgeous and could cause fainting, squealing, evil pangs of jealousy, shattered mirrors, crying, or obsessed staring at this screen for several hours. </u></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> <b style="line-height: 18px;"><u>Entwined</u></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Why did you choose the twelve dancing princesses? What is your favorite fairytale besides that one?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal;">I've always loved the Twelve Dancing Princesses. I remember looking through page after page of a beautifully illustrated storybook when I was a kid, and just wishing I could live in their world. So, the visual element just really stuck for me. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal;">I also have, like, a million sisters. :D</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal;">Some of my other favorite fairy tales are Cinderella and the Seven Swans, because those characters are so selfless. I really admire that.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Who was your least favorite character to write about and why did you dislike them?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal;">I liked writing all the characters, but I will admit, I<span style="line-height: 18px;"> had a hard time writing the scenes where Azalea and her father were fighting--particularly when he gets back from the war, and he wants to mend everything, and they're being so bratty and unforgiving. That was difficult.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Does Mr. Bradford have a first name?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal;">Hahaha. Of all the questions people ask me, this is the one I hear the most! Yes, he does. It's William :) <b>(Cue Sarah's internal screaming!!!!!! Ship name: Azaliam?)</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>What do you think are the pros and cons of doing retellings, where you already have the basic storyline to start from?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal;">I think the biggest pro of doing a retelling is that the structure and idea is already there--now you just need to build on it. That really give a jump start into the story. On the other hand, if it's a popular story you're retelling, a lot of readers may be purists and have a hard time with how you've elaborated on it. So there's definitely good and bad to both.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>What was, in your opinion, the best new element added in <i>Entwined </i>tha</b></span><b style="font-family: inherit;">t was not in the twelve dancing princesses?</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal;">You know, I think the theme of forgiveness, and the element of the girls vs. their father goes really well with this story. I also liked the Victorian element--dancing was so huge in that era, and b<span style="line-height: 18px;">eing in Mourning gave the princesses a sympathetic reason to break the rules.</span></span></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-family: inherit;">Illusionarium</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>What, in a nutshell, is this exactly about?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Illusionarium</i> is a story about inner compasses. If a person doesn't consistently point north, they'll veer into southerly darkness. in the story, Jonathan, who is 16-years-old, has to find a cure for his dying mother and sister within 6 days. He becomes so desperate, he resorts to doing morally questionable things--like stealing, and breaking a prisoner out of her cell. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal;">Eventually, he ends up in <span style="line-height: 18px;">an alternate London where--like him--the civilization refused to always point north, and now everything is falling apart. Jonathan can either play along with their games in order to get the cure, or do what he knows is right--even if it means death.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Is it similar to <i>Entwined </i>in any way? What different aspects of writing did you get to explore?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal;">It's both similar and very different. Like Entwined, it takes place in the Victorian era, and it has a similar wry sense of humor. Family is the drive of the story. But unlike Entwined, it doesn't have much romance. Instead, there's a lot more action, adventure, & monsters. I think people who liked the humor and characters in Entwined will probably like Illusionarium for those same reasons.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>What is one of your favorite scenes in the book?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal;">I love the scenes where Jonathan is fighting with Lockwood, an airship lieutenant who's about Jonathan's age. At the first of the book, they hate each other and are at the jugular. Eventually, they have to put their issues aside and fight the baddies together.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal;">Every scene with Lieutenant Lockwood is a whole lot of fun. He steals the show.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>This is from a male perspective, whereas <i>Entwined </i>was from a female. Is it more challenging or easier to write from the POV from the opposite gender of yourself? What did you have to do to make sure the POV sounded more convincing?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: normal;">It was a definite challenge! Thankfully a lot of the guys I work with, who also have excellent story sense, were willing to read and give me some tough feedback through the writing process. I described clothes <i style="line-height: 18px;">waaay</i> too much, and weapons not enough. And I often spent too much time on feelings, and not enough time on action. Which of course was great for me to learn as I revised. More importantly than writing from just a guy's POV, though, I had to write from Jonathan's POV. That was a great experience. H</span>e's a funny, good-natured character who gets the holy tar beat out of him. Time after time, he pulls himself up again to fight the baddies for the sake of his family and friends. He's really a selfless character. I enjoyed spending time in his head.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Favorite quote or a teaser quote?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal;">Here's one. Jonathan and his father are discussing fantillium, a chemical that causes shared hallucinations:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal;"><br style="line-height: 18px;" /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal;">"It causes acedia," my father said.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal;">"Aced--what?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal;">"It means," said my father, "it dulls the conscience."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal;">I paused. I hadn't noticed that. I'd felt more alive with the chemical in my blood--lights were brighter, sounds were clearer. The lab even smelled sharper. I hadn't really paid attention to much else.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Is there anything you are particularly nervous about as this book is getting into the world? Why?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal;">Yes. I'm concerned that it won't reach the audience I wrote it for. The publisher has chosen to market it for the same audience as Entwined, and I don't think those readers will like it as much! But I'm taking steps to get <i style="line-height: 18px;">Illusionarium</i> to the people who will.</span></div>
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<b><u>Illusionarium Book Trailer: </u></b></div>
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<b><u><br /></u></b></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/QsoK4zDddck/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/QsoK4zDddck?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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<b><u><br /></u></b></div>
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<b><u>Links: </u></b></div>
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<b><u><br /></u></b></div>
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-Her blog: (It is hilarious. The only author blog I regularly visit.) http://story-monster.blogspot.com</div>
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-Preorder Illusionarium on Amazon by clicking <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Illusionarium-Heather-Dixon/dp/0062001051">here.</a></div>
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- Order Entwined on Amazon by clicking <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Entwined-Heather-Dixon/dp/0062001043/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1428447063&sr=1-1&keywords=entwined" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
Sarah http://www.blogger.com/profile/04780976062223505344noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609897088602065360.post-19447249913741235542015-04-01T21:26:00.000-07:002015-04-12T13:08:44.891-07:00INTERVIEW WITH JOHN GREEN!!!<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">GUYS GUYS GUYS</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So you may have heard about the little contest that Penguin was holding a few months ago that bloggers could enter for a chance to win a short little interview with JOHN GREEN.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So I entered, and one day I get this email</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">AND</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">FOUND</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">THAT</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">WON</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">AN</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">INTERVIEW</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">WITH</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">JOHN</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqc1w4ElzL9Bsy18525z62g6cDUhO7CVwcxP0IXAEYoPg-ugvz1GdhxBWFF_FwHKUf1txJAx2J9VMUlDfJjmlZ2AWdJWu1omvFJ6aAdNGdCTYnhyphenhyphensQpcZ-znd3s8NV1uuy10K1_mWUP4Y/s1600/9a6decfb-2829-468f-9f1b-0c14d41fe540.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqc1w4ElzL9Bsy18525z62g6cDUhO7CVwcxP0IXAEYoPg-ugvz1GdhxBWFF_FwHKUf1txJAx2J9VMUlDfJjmlZ2AWdJWu1omvFJ6aAdNGdCTYnhyphenhyphensQpcZ-znd3s8NV1uuy10K1_mWUP4Y/s1600/9a6decfb-2829-468f-9f1b-0c14d41fe540.png" height="185" width="320" /></span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">GREEN!!!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I was kind of freaking out… just…. there are no words to describe the feeling. The feeling that I am still having. I can’t articulate. No words.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Anyway, I was only allowed three questions because he is KIND OF A BIG DEAL, GUYS. Here they are.</span></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">First thing is first, please don’t pull a Peter Van Houten on us.. there HAS to be a story after The Fault In Our Stars. Can you please just tell us if Hazel finds a happy ending? Issac? His parents?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’ve been asked this sort of question quite frequently throughout my career, and you can find the in depth answer here:</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://johngreenbooks.com/questions-about-the-fault-in-our-stars-spoilers/#after" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://johngreenbooks.com/questions-about-the-fault-in-our-stars-spoilers/#after</span></a></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In short, I don’t know. I only have access to as much of the story as you do. I believe that readers can take the book and find their own imaginative endings. Maybe Isaac gets those robotic eyes and ends up causing world domination because they contain some sort of awesome, freakishly weird super powers. Really, it’s up to you. My publishing company has announced a new extremely short story from Isaac’s point of view in the duration of TFIOS, although we have kept it kind of quiet. It will be released in the spring of 2016 and is entitled </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Through My Eyes. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">[I came up with the title myself, that’s just the kind of wickedly cruel humor I possess. Bow down to me, you weak and unwitty nerds.]</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijv9E6WAFAqfreUazrXvVnvNX_3h7zUnTL9YDDHBpMAvwYDkWfW7qigoI6IoiesDV2EdximpHC2ihpHWwkeah8OlXVYY7Icq9dZ_fQvyWfuY9M65Fb-GwFfHJ-DMTVaa6emAtrZmpum5w/s1600/Fault_in_our_stars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijv9E6WAFAqfreUazrXvVnvNX_3h7zUnTL9YDDHBpMAvwYDkWfW7qigoI6IoiesDV2EdximpHC2ihpHWwkeah8OlXVYY7Icq9dZ_fQvyWfuY9M65Fb-GwFfHJ-DMTVaa6emAtrZmpum5w/s1600/Fault_in_our_stars.jpg" height="320" width="216" /></span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Fault In Our Stars, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hazel is convinced that there will be many who will die without achieving greatness, that oblivion is inevitable, and that she is going to die anyway and one day whatever memory she leaves won’t matter. Is there some sort of symbolism in that, or does her view upon this change throughout the book?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You know, I think the best thing about Hazel’s perspective is that it is shockingly real. Doesn’t everyone want to think like Augustus, to believe that throughout the duration of our lives we will become these honored heroes with some sort of </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">prodigious legacy to leave behind us? [I know I do, because imagine how stunningly beautiful the paintings of me will be- people will worship them for eons to come.] However, that isn’t the case. The truth is, some of us will only be remembered in the hearts of those close to us, and I think the point Hazel is trying to make is that we only need to be important to those important to us- if we can accomplish that, we can all become our own heroes. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Are you excited for the Paper Towns movie coming out? Have you seen any of it so far, and is it any good?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Actually, I have seen the movie. [I even have a cameo in it, and it was so good they told me they might kick Nat out and replace me as Q instead. I could win an Oscar.] I think the director, Jake Schreier, did a pretty amazing job, as well as the cast. I’m happy with the outcome and I hope the fans are too. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">HAPPY APRIL FOOLS, GUYS! Please don’t hate me too much, I love you all! Share this link with your TFIOS and Paper Towns friends to freak them out. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>Sarah http://www.blogger.com/profile/04780976062223505344noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609897088602065360.post-21009765823364068962015-03-30T14:02:00.000-07:002015-04-12T13:09:03.586-07:00Versatile Blog Award!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/hSNYmxpXgAejWr02f5A1tGTcbZ_Sb6n_n2yl7crNR-r6rlHGyBuZy8MjIqGR5LfcGmHNRf43ml1YC-shRuK5w0yq7wT2KZoYJbwgZKktExlGCJq9S10qHVlSV01knfTYIa-CQN8" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="versatile blogger.png" border="0" height="150px;" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/hSNYmxpXgAejWr02f5A1tGTcbZ_Sb6n_n2yl7crNR-r6rlHGyBuZy8MjIqGR5LfcGmHNRf43ml1YC-shRuK5w0yq7wT2KZoYJbwgZKktExlGCJq9S10qHVlSV01knfTYIa-CQN8" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0rad); border: none;" width="150px;" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Hey guys! So I was nominated for the Versatile Blogger Award by Maureen @ <a href="http://diariesofabooklover.blogspot.com/">Diaries of A Book Lover</a> (THANK YOU, sorry it took so long!!) Here are the rules of nomination:</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Rules:</span></span></h4>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This is what must happen now:</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1. Nominate other bloggers relatively new to blogging.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">2. Let the bloggers know that you've nominated them.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">3. Share 10 random facts about yourself.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">4. Thank the blogger who nominated you and link back to their blog.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">5. Add the Versatile Blogger Award picture to your post.</span></span><br />
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<a name='more'></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I Nominate: </span></span></div>
<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Aime at <a href="http://amie-corner.blogspot.com/p/welcome-welcome-to-my-book-blog-i-am.html" target="_blank">The Magic of Words </a></span></span><br />
<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Electic Introspections at <a href="http://eclecticintrospections.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Flickering Lights</a></span><br />
Maisha at <a href="http://booksequalawesomeness.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Books Equal Awesomeness</a><br />
Cambrie Nicole at <a href="http://andsothebookbegins.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">And So The Book Begins</a><br />
June at <a href="http://melodyinjune1206.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Journeys of My Beating Heart </a><br />
Rachel at <a href="http://aperfectioncalledbooks.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">A Perfection Called Books </a><br />
Michelle at <a href="http://thatgirlybookworm.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">A Thousand Lives Lived</a><br />
Noelia at A <a href="http://adayinbookland.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Day In Bookland</a><br />
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<b><u>My Facts: </u></b><br />
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1. I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (aka Mormons.... check out this <b>super cool </b>video about Easter that I would love to share by clicking <a href="http://www.mormon.org/easter?cid=HP_FR_3-27-2015_dMIS_fMRMN_xLIDyL1-A_">here.</a> )<br />
2. I'm 5 feet and 7 inches and 15 years old. (Sixteen in July, guys!!!)<br />
3. I absolutely adore eating Nutella on anything. ANYTHING.<br />
4. I play guitar and love to sing, but I have intense stage fright. I also love writing my own songs.<br />
5. When I grow up I want to be one of those special investigators you see on crime shows, even though I get squeamish around blood. Euh.<br />
6. I have written a novel but it isn't published yet!! Got to keep dreaming, I guess.<br />
7. My eyebrows are super thick and when I am confused it looks like I have a unibrow. I call them my pet caterpillars.<br />
8. I really, really, hate hamburgers with a passion. And fast food.<br />
9. I am in love with Tom Cruise. Fun fact: I've liked him for YEARS and just barely found out a little while ago that we have the same birthday. Crazy, right?<br />
10. Chocolate is my bae.<br />
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<br />Sarah http://www.blogger.com/profile/04780976062223505344noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609897088602065360.post-57824562204291713212015-03-29T21:04:00.001-07:002015-04-12T13:09:23.704-07:00BLOG ANNIVERSARY <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: inherit;">Translation: I am really excited!!!! This will be pretty short because there really isn't that much to say... um.. you guys are seriously the best readers ever- I love getting all your comments and questions and receiving emails from you once in a while. You're the reason I get on here all the time and try my best to recommend things that I hope you will enjoy. Thanks so much for being here to read all of my fangirling or blubbering or angry shouting. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: inherit;">In short, I love you guys. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: inherit;">So, here are some quick stats, goals, and if you stay all the way through, a special announcement. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: inherit;"><b><u>This Year</u></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: inherit;">-Over 45,000 page views (Double what I had last year, way to go!!)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: inherit;">- 31 Bloglovin' Followers</span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: inherit;">-62 Followers via GFC</span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: inherit;">-8 Movie Reviews</span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: inherit;">-2 Album Reviews</span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: inherit;">-5 Author Interviews</span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: inherit;">-Over 115 Book Reviews</span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: inherit;">-126 Total Comments</span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: inherit;"><b>Most Popular Book Review: </b><a href="http://enchantedbyabook.blogspot.com/2013/06/clockwork-prince_22.html" target="_blank">The Clockwork Prince</a> (565 Page Views)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: inherit;"><b>Most Popular Post: </b><a href="http://enchantedbyabook.blogspot.com/2013/05/fanfiction-1-one-i-do-not-own-this-it.html" target="_blank">The One Fanfiction</a> (2527 Page Views) </span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: inherit;"><b><u>Goals for Next Year</u></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: inherit;">I am super excited for THIS YEAR!! Here are some of my goals! (Based on what is above)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: inherit;">-Over 100,000 page views (WE CAN DO IT)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: inherit;">-40 Bloglovin' Followers</span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: inherit;">- 80 Followers via GFC</span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: inherit;">-20 Movie Reviews</span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: inherit;">- 10 Album Reviews</span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: inherit;">- 10 Author Interviews</span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: inherit;">- Over 150 Book Reviews</span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: inherit;">-200 Total Comments</span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: inherit;"><b><u>The Biggest Announcement of All</u></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: inherit;">You guys may have noticed up there that the most page views I have ever received is from my The One Fanfiction. I have received plenty of emails begging me to continue by closing it off with a Part Three. So, in celebration of TODAY, I am happy to tell you that THIS. IS. HAPPENING.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: inherit;">That is not all.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: inherit;">No, darlings. What I am about to tell you might make you freak out.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: inherit;">Just kidding. It won't. But I am excited. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: inherit;">I am also posting a Fanfiction for "The Heir" by Kiera Cass.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: inherit;">Yes.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: inherit;">You read that right- mean, selfish, Sarah who refuses to ever post any more fan fictions as of a year ago, is going to be posting TWO.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: inherit;">Here are the dates. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: inherit;">April 17th- Part Three of The One Fanfiction</span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: inherit;">April 23rd- The Heir Fanfiction</span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: inherit;">I love you guys!!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: inherit;">Did this sound snobby and self-centered? Dear heavens, I hope not. Comment below if you thought it did so I can fix it.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: inherit;">HAPPY BLOGAVERSARY GUYS!!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7;">ASDFGHJKL</span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7;">Here's to another three years!!</span></div>
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Sarah http://www.blogger.com/profile/04780976062223505344noreply@blogger.com0