I have news!

BIG news!

Today Trish and I are pleased to announce the acquisition of The Book Blogger Convention by Reed Exhibitions (aka BEA).  Now, you all may have noticed that we have been pretty silent about BBC lately.  In fact all things BBC have been pretty radio silent since last year and now we can say that was by design.  We knew that we were going to be letting it go and due to some of the legalities involved we haven’t really been able to talk about anything.  But now that everything is buttoned up we can make the big announcement that BEA will be taking over BBC officially as of today.

So why are we doing this?

Time!  Quality of life!

Trish and I have organized the Book Blogger Convention together (with the help of so many fantastic bloggers) for the past two years out of love for blogging, the community and the publishing industry.  It has been our genuine pleasure to work with all of the contributors, panelists and speakers, and participants.  But as this event grows by leaps and bounds it has very quickly become apparent that neither of us has the ability to grow with it.  We both have full time (more than full time really) jobs, Trish has an ever expanding family and I am having some serious medical problems.  Neither of us, despite our desire to do so, has the ability to put the kind of time and effort an endeavor of this nature requires.  So, instead of shutting it down or putting in a weak effort and crafting a horrible event we were lucky BEA wanted to take it on.

Steven Rosato, Executive Director of BEA, has been an amazingly generous partner to BBC.  His support of the role bloggers play in the publishing industry is clearly evidenced by the fact that BEA felt us significant enough to co-locate in the same year we launched BBC.  Do you hear that y’all?  We add VALUE to their event.  So much value that they didn’t want to see it go away.  Heck, WE didn’t want to see it go away.  We want bloggers to have a place to schmooze and learn and connect with each other and the industry.  That was the purpose and goal of initiating BBC.  It was a hard choice but in the end, knowing that it was going to be difficult for us to make BBC happen this year, we approached BEA with the idea of transitioning the event to them completely.

Now, those of you who know me well know that I am a CONTROL FREAK.  So you must also know how hard it was for me to let this go.  To know that I’m not going to play a big role in something that Trish graciously invited me to take part in.  Something I helped grow into more.  It’s been a labor of love, one that I’ve enjoyed immensely, and one that I’m honored has given me the opportunity to work with and meet so many wonderful bloggers.  It has sincerely been my pleasure.

But have no fear, BBC is in GOOD hands.  It will still be BBC and is still an event I encourage ALL bloggers to avail themselves of.  I know I’ll be getting my registration on tout de suite!  Please be sure to come hang with us on Monday, June 4th when Trish and I become participants for the first time!

Title: Hold Me Closer, Necromancer [indie bound] [amazon]
Author: Lish McBride [website] [twitter] [facebook]
Genre: Horror, Fantasy
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
Series: Necromancer
Format: Print
Source: library
Reviewer: Laura
Parental Advisory: violence, sex, death
Teachable Moments: Family Pride, self confidence

“No wonder I’d always felt lost. I actually was. The knowledge felt terrible, but in a strange way, it also felt good. Now I knew why I’d never connected to anything. Why I felt like I was outside the world around me, moving at a different speed from everyone else.”

Summary (from the publisher):
Sam leads a pretty normal life. He may not have the most exciting job in the world, but he’s doing all right—until a fast food prank brings him to the attention of Douglas, a creepy guy with an intense violent streak.

Turns out Douglas is a necromancer who raises the dead for cash and sees potential in Sam. Then Sam discovers he’s a necromancer too, but with strangely latent powers. And his worst nightmare wants to join forces . . . or else.

With only a week to figure things out, Sam needs all the help he can get. Luckily he lives in Seattle, which has nearly as many paranormal types as it does coffee places. But even with newfound friends, will Sam be able to save his skin?

Opinion:
Where is the number one spot to successfully stash a severed head? What makes pressed jeans SO creepy? And where can I get homemade waffles right now? These are just a few of the many fun questions that rolled around in my head and made me laugh while reading Lish McBride’s Hold Me Closer, Necromancer.

Ms. McBride’s tone and playful attitude throughout this tale hit the spot and really tickled my funny bone. The characters find themselves in some painfully awkward conversations and dangerous situations, but they always seem to come up with a smart-alecky, whip-smart comment or response. The story moved along and possessed a quick, sarcastic, fun, laid back feel and pace that made every page, adventure, interaction, and fall out of bed hilarious! The humor eases the reader into this world of darkness filled with werewolves, fairies, magic, and more. A world Sam has a connection with in his past and within himself.

Our hero, Samhain LaCroix, is struggling to find his place in this world. He has always felt a little incomplete or outside looking in, but a big missing piece of his life just fell into place when Douglas Montgomery comes walking through his door. Douglas is the most powerful necromancer (aka “ghostmaster” or “dead wrangler”) in town, who recognizes Sam’s power and potential as a fellow necromancer within seconds of meeting him. Can you imagine how frustrating and disconcerting that must have felt for Sam? Struggling his whole life to find a place or meaning and this guy just walks in, gives it a name, and pretty much challenges him for control of his powers. Let the showdown begin! Sam finds himself in a struggle filled with dark magic and new powers he will have to learn about and use in a hurry to defeat Douglas. Troubles even more terrifying than a life as a bitter fast food warrior fighting to survive the lunch rush with his soul intact! It’s a good thing Sam has his friends and family for support and to issue a good slap upside his head!

Even with all the sarcasm and smart-ass comments, the love and warmth all the characters feel for each other jumps off the page. I truly adored every character and how their love, fierce loyalty, and pride shined through in every situation. Sam, Ramon, Frank, Brooke, Brid (worst name ever), Haley, the Moms, and so many more were the backbone of this book for me. I just knew and felt they all had each other’s backs! A small to “could-develop-into-a-huge” crush has begun to burn for Sean! Hehe….He made me giggle and he wasn’t even in there all that much! Can’t wait for more scene stealing from that guy!

One of my favorite aspects of horror and fantasy is the “yes we have been right here in front of your face” angle. This tale does a beautiful job of creating a matter-of-fact vibe about the whole monster world with leaders, councils, bitter rivalries and even paperwork under the surface of everyday society. Sam is so “yeah-so-what” about the whole hanging out with werewolves, fairies, seers, and the undead. It makes me giggle. It notches up the pay attention to your surroundings to a whole new level. I so want to gossip about some of my favorite parts, but I feel like even explaining the setting will spoil some of the fun. Readers should just dive in and discover the giggles all on their own!

Raising and communicating with the dead is not all fun and games though. Several strong messages of loyalty, finding your way, and facing your past run deep through these pages. As we all know, history always has a way of catching up, repeating herself, or just plain beating the sense out of us eventually if it is not dealt with. Sam must find his past before he can fight for his future.

My only disappointment with the book was the big confrontation. I felt like it lacked bite! Come on! That’s all you got for me? The scene and Douglas himself felt a little reigned in at times, but that could just be my bloodlust calling out. Next time—I hope Ms. McBride knows her readers can take it. Bring it on!

Have fun with Necromancer and all the gang! I cannot wait for more!

Title:  The Beginning of After [indie bound] [amazon]
Author: Jennifer Castle [website] [twitter] [facebook]
Genre:  Contemporary
Publisher: Harper Teen
Series: None
Format: Paperback
Source: Publisher (via BEA)
Parental Advisory: death, language
Teachable Moments: dealing with grief

Describing Venus (from publisher):
Laurel’s world changes instantly when her parents and brother are killed in a terrible car accident.  As she tries to piece together the shards of what remains in the eerie stillness of life after the tragedy, DAvid — the son of the man responsible — swoops in an out of her life.  Laurel finds herself attracted to him against her better judgment, and their connection will change them both in unexpected ways.

How Mars & Venus Don’t Meet:
Oh how I wish I loved this book.  I really wanted to, a lot.  The copy on the back had me hooked months in advance of publication.  I mean, I’m a fan of emotional and angsty stories like this.  Sadly, The Beginning of After fell short on both.

To start, there wasn’t an overwhelming amount of originality to the story.  Though I wasn’t expecting it to be wildly unique I was hopeful that there would be a few twists and turns that made it stand out a bit.  But that didn’t happen.  Furthermore, what would have helped would have been dynamic characters that built strong connections which also were not present.  Laurel and David were bland and their romance lacked the spark or chemistry needed to make it understandable given the circumstances.

With the exception of the last several chapters of the book, where there was some remote emotional connection for me, this book felt flat.  That it took well over 200 pages to get to a place of significance; a place where it wasn’t just completely benign didn’t work for me.  Now, this may have been a conscious choice on the part of the author.  Perhaps she wanted readers to feel as numb to the situation as Laurel was. In that way, I suppose it was successful.  But as a person who likes to feel hopeful and inspired or at the very least have the ability to root for things to get better I was left feeling at a loss.

The Beginning of After wasn’t a book I had to put down completely. It was easy to read and I was interested enough in it to see how it all ended.  It just fell short of my expectations and desires.

Maybe your Mars & Venus Align:
My inability to get into this book should not be the only thing you hear.  I’d much prefer you end on a positive note.  Please visit these reviews to get more information and make a more informed choice:

The Allure of Books
Miss Remmers’ Reviews
Books with Bite
Lauren’s Crammed Bookshelf
A Musing Reviews

Hello my bloggy friends!

I know, I know….it’s been awhile.  But, this thing called work has been kicking my patoot so I haven’t been able to do much in the way of chattering about Twitter or visiting blogs.  I miss you all!

I did want to stop by and say….TV Talk is going on indefinite hiatus.  I’m working 16+ hour days and weekends right now so that doesn’t leave much in the way of time for enjoying television.  Let’s not even get started on the backlog of my DVR.  To put it even further in perspective I didn’t even read a single page of a book this week.  THAT was disconcerting and tragic to say the least.  Not only that but it doesn’t look like it’s going to get much better any time soon.

On a happy note, aren’t Andi and Laura great?  Such wonderful additions to the blog!  Be sure to show them some comment love.  Or, more comment love if you already are.

What’s the latest?  Any good gossip floating around that I’ve missed?  If you see me lingering around Twitter for five minutes be sure to say hello.

Title:  Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares [amazon] [indie bound]
Author: Rachel Cohn, David Levithan [Cohn's website] [Cohn's twitter][Levithan's websiste] [Levithan's facebook]
Genre:  Contemporary
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books
Series: None
Format: hardcover
Source: purchased
Reviewer: Andi
Parental Advisory: language, adult situations
Teachable Moments: taking chances

“I want to believe there is a somebody out there for me. I want to believe that I exist to be there for that somebody.”

Summary (from the publisher):
“I’ve left some clues for you. If you want them, turn the page. If you don’t, put the book back on the shelf, please.”

So begins the latest whirlwind romance from the New York Times bestselling authors of Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist. Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on a favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. But is Dash that right guy? Or are Dash and Lily only destined to trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations across New York? Could their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions? Or will they be a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions?

Opinion:
The age old question…is there someone out there for everyone?  We’ve all thought it or asked it out loud or discussed it with friends, but have we ever actively gone out and searched for the answer?  I’ve always assumed the answer is yes, that there is someone for everyone.  I never went on the hunt for it though.  I never sought it out on my own, went out of my comfort zone for it.  I was never as brave as 16 year olds Lily and Dash.

Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares is a story of two teens in New York at Christmas time searching for something. They are lonely and alone for the holiday and want something more then their average existence. They want a connection of some sort.  It starts out with a notebook, with a dare, left in a book store for someone to find and evolves into so much more.  It evolves into opening yourself up to someone and seeing where it could go.  Dash is the first one to take the bait and from that point on he and Lily have a connection that can’t be explained.  They pass the notebook back and forth traipsing through the streets of New York.

Through a series of bizarre dares and occurrences Dash and Lily get to know each other and themselves in a way they couldn’t have imagined.  Lily had always lived a very sheltered life, being watched closely by her overbearing grandfather.  She was considered the baby of the family so she was just never allowed to do things on her own.  No dates, no boys, no freedom.  She was kind of timid and unsure at the beginning but blossomed into a confident, capable teen as each dare pushed her farther and farther out of her comfort zone.  Dash on the other hand learned how to not be so serious.  Did he have a sense of humor through the whole thing, sure, but there was also a ‘wise beyond his years’ feel to him.  He seemed to stuffy at points, but with each of Lily’s dares he got to know the silly side of himself and for that I was appreciative.

Although I enjoyed Dash and Lily’s voices, their use of random SAT words, their snark and humor, their all around weirdness, and I loved how they connected the way they did through a form of trust and a notebook, the main part of this book that I loved was the role New York played. From the bookstore where you could actually smell the books to FAO Schwartz where you could feel the holiday crowd congestion to a neighborhood in Brooklyn twinkling in Christmas lights, I felt like I was in that red moleskin notebook. I felt like Dash and Lily were bringing me with them as they opened themselves up and learned more and more about each other.

There was a part of this book that left me cold.  Toward the end Cohn and Levithan added an pointless gimmick that gets Dash and Lily into trouble with a group of mothers and the cops and really should have had no part in the book.  It was silly and contrived because it wasn’t needed or necessary, the voices given to Dash and Lily were enough without a random gimmick.  It took something away from the book instead of adding something which is a cardinal mistake. But besides that, all in all a fun, really quick enjoyable story about friendship and young love.