Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish People I Want To Meet

Top Ten Tuesday is weekly meme created by the lovely folks at The Broke and the Bookish. They created it because they're "particularly fond of lists" and since I also enjoy lists, I've decided to participate in this fun feature. 

This week we're to come up with ten bookish people we want to meet. They could be authors, bloggers, and the like. I decided to split my list into the two (since I couldn't think of any other bookish people I'd like to meet! haha).

Don't forget to check out their blog for a full list of everyone participating.

Authors (in no particular order)

1. Jane Austen

I think this is a no-brainer for me. I figure if I have the power to meet anyone, I also have the power to bring people back from the dead! I love Austen's work and I'd love to be able to talk to her about what it was like to live and write when she did. 

2. J.K. Rowling

Another no-brainer. Rowling is the author of one of the best series ever and it would be so awesome to just be able to talk to her about her life and how it changed after publishing Harry Potter.

3. Emily Giffin 

I actually just recently "met" Emily when she was in Toronto but she seems like so much fun and I'd love to hang out with her for the day.

4. Sarah Dessen

Again, I did get the chance to meet Sarah when she was in Toronto last September. That was when I realized how much we had in common. I love reading her blog and think it'd be great to hang out at the beach with her - her favourite place. 

5. Cat Lavoie author of Breaking the Rules

I recently read Cat's debut novel and also had the chance to interview her. Not only did she write a kick ass book but it turns out we have a lot in common. We live in the same country so it shouldn't be too difficult to pop over to Montreal to share a good chat over cupcakes!

Bloggers (in no particular order)

1. Samantha from Chick Lit Plus 

I'm cheating a bit since Samantha is also an author :) Samantha's been a great help to me since I started my blog. If I have a question she never hesitates in answering it for me. We've had several entertaining email exchanges and I'd love to meet this fabulous lady in person!

2. Liz and Lisa from Chick Lit is Not Dead 

Another author/blogger pair! I think it would be so cool to meet them and have a drink or two and chat about the chick lit genre.

3. Laura from Change the Word

Laura and I have similar tastes in books. Most important is our love of the Little House series. Laura has actually been to Laurapalooza - which sounds amazing. I'd love to buy her a drink to thank her for the bookmark and pen she picked up for me while she was there and then chat books - and sports!

4. Lindsay from Turning the Pages

Lindsay and I read a lot of the same books and we've recently been messaging back and forth about various things and books. And - this is the awesome part - I will actually be meeting her tonight! We're off to the same bookish event in Toronto and will finally meet in person! Yay!

5. Amy from Chick Lit Central

Really, any of the ladies from CLC would be great to meet but Amy's always first to retweet one of my reviews or mention any giveaways I do. She's incredibly supportive to everyone in the book blogging world. She deserves a chocolate cupcake for all she does (two of her favourite things) and I'd love to be able to give her one in person!

Wow. I didn't realize how easy that would be. There are soooo many other bookish people I'd like to meet! How about you? What author would you LOVE to be able to meet in person?

Blog Tour: Released PLUS a Giveaway!

Welcome to a stop on the blog tour for Amber Polo's novel Released: The Shapeshifters' Library! The tour is hosted by Collette over at ABG Reads. Make sure you stop by the tour page to see what others have to say about this interesting, unique, and thoroughly enjoyable fantasy novel. After you read my review, of course ;)

Here's the synopsis:

Love dogs? Love books? Love libraries? Hate Book-burning werewolves?

Once long ago the Shipsfeather Academy was a training ground for an ancient race of dog-shifters whose mission was to protect the world’s knowledge. A powerful curse sealed these librarians in the basement of their building and gave the control of the town to a pack of book-burning werewolves.

Librarian Liberty Cutter watches in horror as the town’s public library goes up in flames and plans to re-establish the library in the abandoned Shipsfeather Academy building. Chronus, the Old English Sheepdog headmaster of the academy and leader of the dog-shifters, knows he must make some changes to continue to keep his pack safe. But even if he could persuade Liberty to believe in a talking sheepdog, how far can she be trusted? And will she ever be able to care for him as a man. He has to try, because Liberty Cutter and her staff of zany librarians may hold the key to the dog-shifters’ freedom…and the future of the town

When I first read the synopsis for Released I was a little hesitant. It seemed a little...out there. Shapeshifters? Book-burning werewolves? Right. Author Amber Polo had actually originally requested I review her novel and when she emailed me she noted that I don't usually read fantasty/paranormal but would I enjoy one set in a library? I thought, what the heck. I sometimes read these kinds of books and since I adore libraries, I thought it couldn't hurt to give it a try. Guys. I am SO glad that I did. Released ended up being well written and entertaining.

I definitely really liked the fact that this book was so library focused. It was interesting to think that there was some sort of power in the books that helped the dogs become stronger. I love small town libraries (used to work in one myself) and the new library in Shipsfeather was lovely. Except for the whole having to fight off book hating werewolves thing... :)

There was a lot of action in this book, which was great. It kept the plot moving and kept me interested. There was always something going on. I also loved that I didn't exactly know what was going to happen. I had ideas of why things had happened (Liberty's parents disappearing when she was young, for example) but I still ended up being surprised (in a good way!) once everything was revealed.

Overall, I really enjoyed Released. It kept me interested with the town history, library, magic, action, and characters. I'm looking forward to the second novel in the series - Retrieved. I need to see if the town can get rid of those werewolves once and for all! I do think that you need to enjoy fantasy stories to really like this one so if that's your thing I definitely recommend Amber Polo's Released.

Oh, and did I mention the best news? There's a giveaway with this tour! Amber is giving away a lot of really neat goodies: large canvas Shipsfeather Library book bag, 4 signed books by Amber Polo including The Shapeshifters’ Library Book 1: Released, Amber's Relaxation CD, 2 collectible dogs, a tuft of Arctic wolf fur! Trust me, it's worth it just for winning this novel. Though I'm jealous the winner gets a bag! I'd LOVE a Shipsfeather library bag :) All you have to do is follow the steps found here - a Rafflecopter giveaway - and hope Rafflecopter randomly picks you at the end of the tour! Bonus: the giveaway is for US AND Canada, yay!

Good luck and happy reading! :)

Just Finished: Sex, Life, & Hannah: Volume 2

I was away on vacation at the beginning of September and thought it was the perfect time to dive into the second volume of Sex, Life, and Hannah series by Dorata Skrzypek. I read the first a few months ago (my review is here if you're interested) and while it didn't rate at the top of my list, I was genuinely curious about what was going to happen in Hannah's life. As it turned out, I felt the same way about the Spring Season volume.

Here's the synopsis of Volume 2: 

Hannah feels him stir. Holding an ice pack to her swollen face and stuck in a hospital elevator is not how she envisioned running into The Ex. She assesses the situation: Is she still in love with him? Is he still in love with her? They start kissing, then petting, then heavy petting, until she can feel his growing hardness against the inside of her thigh...
The Spring Season is a continuation of Hannah’s fall from perfect twenty-something grace. Hannah’s run-in with The Ex is more about icing her nose than melting her heart. She seems to be making all the wrong decisions about all the right men; rejecting the doctor who makes her vagina quiver for Mr. Smyth who turns out to be tall, dark, and sophisticated...with just one problem. The unexpected twists would drive any woman to the opposite side of nice girl, which is exactly what happens to Hannah. But a bad girl can have some fun along the way.

Let me start off by saying that I don't consider myself a prude. I love the ladies of Sex and the City and I did read the Fifty Shades trilogy. However, there's something about Hannah and her friends that just makes me cringe when I read about their escapades! Perhaps it's because I think there should be some mystery between friends. I really don't need to know the specifics from my BFF's night with her boyfriend, thank you very much. This shouldn't have been such a big deal, and it wasn't really when I read the first volume, but I think the over-sexualized content of this novella sort of turned me off (wow...that really makes me sound like I'm 25 years older than I am...). Do I think others would enjoy it? Most likely, yes. If you also enjoy the tell all nature of SATC, give Hannah a try.

I still wondered why Hannah was so set on The Ex. He seems like a bit of an idiot. Sure, she did spend a good chunk of time in a relationship with him but if something's not meant to be it shouldn't be forced. Right? Or does that sound too self help-y? :) She gets the chance to spend some time with some great guys but throws it away for a non-relationship with an older guy who doesn't actually want to be in a committed relationship. It was hard to read at parts because I wanted to realize what was best for her but at the same time I knew she had to go through these growing pains to, well, grow up.

There's not a whole lot I can add to my review of volume one. Hannah still has crazy neighbours and friends, she's still trying to find The One, and wants to figure out what's in store in the future for her career. I still also thought the format was pretty neat - being laid out like a magazine. There were some flow issues though and I don't know if that was more to do with the way the book was set up or with the actual writing.

Like I said, I wasn't crazy about the book as a whole but I really do want to find out how Hannah's life all turns out in the end. Does she get back together with The Ex? Does Mr. Smyth decide to make a commitment? Is she finally going to find her dream career? I'm looking forward to seeing how things work out for Hannah so I'm glad I have Volume 3 waiting for me on my bookshelf!

Happy reading :)

Guest Post: Sarah Bridgeton

I want to thank author Sarah Bridgeton for stopping by Books Etc. today! Earlier this week I reviewed her novella The Undiscovered Novelist as part of a CLP Blog Tour. (If you missed it you can check out my review here). I was curious to find out what Sarah's inspiration was for both writing in general and for her story ideas. Below is her response. I really enjoyed learning more about her process and I hope you all do too!

My own experiences inspire me. The good, the bad and the humiliating! Despite my best intentions to keep it impersonal, I always start with my own agenda. Eventually, I get sick of writing about myself and my imagination takes over. The process goes like this. First, take an event, usually something deeply personal, and use it for a story idea. Once I have an idea, my imagination spews it into a story.   

The Undiscovered Novelist is about a naive writer trying to break into the publishing industry. As a writer, I could definitely relate to it. I was totally clueless about how the business worked when I set out to find a publisher for my first manuscript. Once I figured it out, I thought it would be a great setting. And the best part was I could give it a different ending. It left plenty of room for my imagination.

Then I created my heroine.  

At first, she was just like me—an ordinary stay-at-home mom. But that became old rather fast. Who was my heroine? Well, she was definitely a mom. Motherhood is a major theme in my story. So I had the beginnings of my heroine, but she still needed some backstory and a personality. I had such fun imagining a young, stylish, former New Yorker who loves books and literature. Jordyn is a delicious character. Ambitious and hard-headed, she’s the girl I wish I had been when I was twenty-seven.  

I am also inspired by the places I write about. New York was my inspiration for The Undiscovered Novelist. With many publishers based in New York, it only seemed appropriate to use it for a backdrop. I live in Tampa. Can you get any different? I’m used to quiet beaches. Not city streets or crowded subways. I fell in love with New York while writing this story.

About Sarah:

Sarah Bridgeton never thought she would become a novelist. She has always loved books, but in college she majored in Economics. After college, she held a variety of jobs in the insurance and health care industries. She left the workforce to be a stay-at-home mom when her daughter was born. When her daughter started preschool, she decided to write a novel.

She currently resides in Tampa with her husband, daughter, and two cats. When she’s not reading, writing, or taking care of her family, she likes to exercise. 

CLP Blog Tour: The Undiscovered Novelist

Thanks for coming by for another stop on the CLP Blog Tour for The Undiscovered Novelist! I really enjoyed this novella by Sarah Bridgeton.

Here's the synopsis:

Twenty-seven-year-old Jordyn Simmons has almost everything she’s ever wanted—a sexy live-in boyfriend, an adorable son, and a finished novel she plans to publish. The only two things missing from her life are a publisher for her book and a relationship with her estranged mother, Debra. As Jordyn pursues her novelist ambitions, her world collides with Debra’s, and both women are forced to make decisions that will change their lives forever.

This novella was cute and quick and I really loved reading about Jordyn. She was very relatable and it was a joy to read her story. I felt her successes and disappointments right along with her, which is a testament to Bridgeton's writing. She created a story and characters that I connected with, which was great.

That being said, I was a little confused about how I should be feeling about certain characters. Was I supposed to dislike Debra because Jordyn was having issues with her? Was Tyler (Jordyn's boyfriend) a bad guy just because Debra thought he was? Turns out both of those characters were good people. Tyler was a loving father and boyfriend and in my head he and Jordyn eventually get married - just for them and not because they're "supposed" to. I initially disliked Debra because she seemed to be a negative influence on Jordyn. Then I realized that Jordyn was behaving just as badly and I desperately wished for them to make up. Debra was actually a wonderful character and I'm so glad that Bridgeton wrote from Debra's perspective as well.

I also wish there had been a bit more information at times but I think that came just from the structure of the story. It is a novella after all. I think this would be excellent as a more developed novel. For example, I wanted to learn more about Jordyn's twin sister, Naomi. There could even be a whole other story with her as I felt she had a journey to go on as well and I'd love to find out if she eventually got a husband and/or a baby. What do you think Sarah? I think it'd make a great stand alone story! :)

Also - a quick note: I am incredibly jealous that Debra fell into a job as an editorial assistant. (No, that's not in the synopsis but I'm not really giving anything away.) I want to be reading in a coffee shop and be hired by the head of a huge publishing house who just happened to come in and start chatting to me. Note to self: start reading more in coffee shops...

Overall, I'd definitely recommend The Undiscovered Novelist by Sarah Bridgeton. It's a great read for someone looking for a pick me up kind of story because you learn that things really can work out if you work hard and have the right kind of people around you. I'll be keeping an eye on what Bridgeton writes next and think you should too. Stay tuned for a guest post from Sarah tomorrow when she writes about her inspiration for writing and her story ideas.

Happy reading :)

Just Finished: Spellbound Hearts

I never used to be a fan of short stories. I didn't think I could get the full experience from a little snippet of a story. My mind was changed in the last few years as I encountered several short stories that gave me everything a novel did. But...the anthology Spellbound Hearts left me wanting a lot more.

Before I get too much into my thoughts, here's the synopsis of these four stories:

Boxers or Briefs by Jillian Chantal
Magical Foundations, so much more than a lingerie shop.

The Beauty Within by Olivia Devereaux
Adele lives a privileged life. When one of the Council of Eight decides Adele needs to be taught a lesson, the pixie is cast down into the world of the sprite. Without the finery that made her one of the privileged of the society, Adele must find the meaning of true beauty and what love entails or be cast out forever.

Witchy by Clara Waibel
Love spells are illegal. The Council sends witches to jail for much less, but when Sally falls for the new guy at the office, resorting to an evil Fae's help will be her only hope.

Temptations Touch by Liv Rancourt
Geri cringes at the thought of a single touch, but when she finds herself stranded in the Fae world, the temptation is too strong to resist, connecting her to a binding love.

Let me start out by saying that I'm usually a fan of magical stories. I adore Harry Potter and devoured (the more grown up) All Souls Trilogy featuring witches, vampires, and daemons. I've always enjoyed these kinds of stories - confession: I had a huge fairy obsession when I was younger - so I'm not really sure why I didn't love the four stories in this anthology.

I think some of my issues came with the writing itself. Magical stories can be tricky to write and read. If things aren't written well or explained in a relatable way, they can seem sort of...well...hokey, I suppose. Maybe I just notice these things more now that I've been blogging for almost two years. I never used to pay attention to the way things were written but I now find myself editing the books I read when they're not working for me. Mostly I found some flow issues and some awkward phrasing and dialogue. Could I have done better? Probably not, but, as a reader, these little things did make a negative impact on my enjoyment of the stories.

What makes all this negativity surprising is that when I think about the actual stories, I can't find anything about them that I disliked. It was interesting to see how the witchy matchmaker fared when faced with a curious stranger. The relationship between the pixies and sprites was reminiscent of the class struggles we all face as humans. I wondered what I would do if I was a powerful witch who couldn't seem to find a guy who liked me. And I was intrigued about the Fae world that orphan Geri found herself in.

I've read stories by some of these authors before and enjoyed them so I found it odd that these ones didn't connect. Because of this, and because of the fact that I didn't dislike the stories themselves, I'd still give this anthology a recommend. I will say that you should definitely be into magic and fantasy stories to enjoy these though. If those kinds of stories only sometimes thrill you, I'd check out one of the other anthologies Still Moments Publishing has to offer (I'd recommend those anyway - they've got something for everyone!). A bit of a downer review, I know, but just know that this less than stellar reading experience hasn't deterred me from reading more short stories in the future.

Happy reading :)

Thank you to Still Moments Publishing for the copy to review.

Recap: Meeting Emily Giffin

That's right my friends. I got to meet Emily Giffin!

I was so excited when I found out she'd be coming to Toronto at the end of August and knew I had to make the trip to see her - no matter what! I'm a couple of hours away so I knew it would require some planning to get there. Luckily, my coworker, who was just as excited about this event as I was, grew up in Toronto and would be able to show my small town self where to go. However...she ended up having to cancel as she had plans for the Labour Day weekend. Hm. Ok, not to worry! I decided to hook up with some of my fellow book bloggers to see if any of them would want to attend. Happy days - two of them wanted to go as well! But THEN...they both ended up having to cancel as well. Seriously?? Is there something wrong with me that no one wants to hang out with me at a super awesome signing?

I'm pretty sure this picture was taken as I was telling Emily that I was there by myself as I got bailed on three times. She felt sorry for me and made sure I got a t-shirt. So, ladies who missed out (who shall remain nameless to protect the not-so-innocent... ;) kidding! love you all!) thank you for making me seem like a huge loser as I got a pretty adorable t-shirt out of it! Also, I babbled like an idiot when I got up to get my books signed. Anyone else experience complete stupideness when faced with someone famous and awesome? Ugh. Mildly embarrassing. Anyway...enough about my pathetic self!

All my goodies - plus a Starbucks treat!

Emily was amazing. Right off the bat she took photos of the crowd which we were to tag ourselves in on Facebook (if you're a fan of her page you can see the pics in her Toronto album). After telling us that she loves coming to Toronto, she spoke for about 20 minutes or so and we got to learn some fun tidbits. The one that stuck out the most for me was that Kirby (the teenager in her latest novel Where We Belong - you can read my review of this one here) has overtaken Darcy from Something Borrowed/Something Blue as her favourite character. She also shared that when her brother-in-law told her that he hated Marian (she's heard that a lot) her sister told him to be quiet. Emily said it was alright as the characters aren't actually real. She also told us that she relates most to Ethan (SOBO/SOBl) and Claudia (Baby Proof). She chatted with us for a bit longer before signing books for the insane number of fans who showed up at Indigo to see her.

My signed books! Could only manage to bring a couple with me :)

Thanks to Twitter, I got to share a wave with Michele from Just a Lil' Lost (check out her recap post here!) and Andrea from Cozy Up with a Good Read as well as a quick chat with Anum from Paper Wings and Ink. Love our book blogging community :)

Even though I went by myself, I'm so glad that I decided to go. Emily's one of my favourite authors and I would have been kicking myself if I didn't go see her while she was in Canada. I'll probably even go see her again the next time she's here so I can get a couple more books signed!

Here I am with the gorgeous Emily Giffin - note how crouched down I am :)
(Yes, the pic's blurry...stupid no flash rule and useless camera)