Drum roll please!!

**rata tat tat tat**  **rata tat tat tat**  **rata tat tat tat**  **rata tat tat tat**

Without further ado Andrea from Book Blather and I would like to unveil the name of our brand new YA book club.

Introducing….

The top three picks from the contest submissions were:

1. The Literary League of YA Readers – Heather from A High & Hidden Place: Tales of a Capricious Reader
2. Read ’til YA Drop – Yan from Books By Their Cover
3. Tantalize by YA – Michelle from Windowpane Memoirs

As you can see we’ve adopted a variation on two different names from the submissions above.  As a result we’re going to structure the giveaway prizes accordingly.  Because Literary League comes first in the name Heather will have first crack at her prize, Yan’s contribution of Read ’til YA Drop qualifies her to be the second to choose and then Michelle will be the lucky recipient of the third prize.

Heather if you could send me an email (just click the flying envelope in the right sidebar) outlining your choice between the signed Paper Towns and 13 Reasons Why ARCs, a $30 gift card from B&N or a $15 gift card from Borders we can get this party train moving!  Once Heather makes her choice we’ll contact Yan and finally Michelle to keep the prize sharing going.

Congratulations ladies!  Great job and much appreciation for assisting us in naming the club

Now on to the really really super important stuff:

Inaugural Book Club Pick and Meeting:

As we mentioned in our post for the book club naming contest our first pick for the club is Suzanne Collins’ Catching Fire.  While we haven’t hashed out every single detail just yet we are moving forward with arranging the first discussion. 

Because we want to be all inclusive it is our intention to utilize an online discussion over a period of time (ie: message board, blog comments, or some other electronic means that does not tie a person to place and time) as well as Skype for a real-time interactive discussion.

We have chosen to begin the online discussion portion the week of September 22nd then culminating the weekend of October 4th with our Skype chat. This should give people plenty of time to get a copy of the book and read in preparation.

More details surrounding place and time will be forth coming so get ourself ready and keep an eye out here and at Book Blather!

Happy Trails Road Trippers!!

It’s a new week and we have some great new stops on the Literary Road Trip to put on the old odometer.  Check out these fabulous stops:

Nevada
The Biblio Blogazine interviews Elizabeth Leiknes

New York
Starting Fresh reviewed Sam Moffie’s No Mad
Starting Fresh reviewed Lori L. Tharps’ Kinky Gazpacho: Life, Love & Spain

Washington
Books and Movies interviewed and showcased Meghan Nuttall Sayres

Criss crossin’ the continent today weren’t we.  It’s been a fabulous trip this week be sure to show the bloggers some love

As always, if you are a participant who is showcasing authors from a particular location please remember to submit a link to your posts via the Mr. Linky provided on the Literary Road Trip page on Galleysmith.com.

Until next week road trippers….safe travels!

Title: Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd
Editors: Holly Black & Cecil Castellucci
Genre: Anthology, Young Adult
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers – ARC

Summary:
Shining a light on geekery at it’s finest Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci have collected approximately fifteen stories to include in Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd.  Showcasing a myriad of perspectives the authors provide readers perspective into the lives of kids who populate what is considered the least popular crowd at school.

Including work by authors such as Libba Bray, John Green and David Levithan it is impossible to summarize all stories in one review.  Below is a showcase of several stand outs:

One of Us by Tracy  Lynn
Popular, perky, blonde cheerleader  Montgomery needs to be educated in the art of geekery pronto.  Afraid of being unable to connect with her jock boyfriend Ryan she rushes to the local dork squad to be schooled in all things Lord of the Rings, comic books, and weird special interest convention stuff.

Rising to the challenge a group of misfits take Monty on and show her the ropes.  Each specializing in some area — movies, literature, television and comics – the geeks heartily welcome her into their club.  Spending weeks teaching and quizzing her they watch as the cheerleader slowly slips from the queen bee of misery they’d perceived her to be into an accepted member of their group.

One of Us ultimately allows readers to take part in a heartwarming story of expanding horizons and finding friendship in unlikely and unexpected places.

I Never by Cassandra Clare
Ever want to be someone you’re not?  Well Jane didn’t until she was drawn into the world of an online roll playing game by her friend Lisle.  Taking on the identity of her favorite literary heroine Catherine Earnshaw.  Not immediately taking to the online environment Jane meets her Heathcliff in Ben.

Ben (as Heathcliff) has sent her flowery letters and shared personal stories and seemingly loving moments with his Cathy.  As star-crossed as their literary counterparts Jane reluctantly agrees to attend a weekend meetup with a group of the roll players including Ben and a friend.  Unfortunately, once there reality quickly overcomes the happy fallacy she’d been living when her original negative perceptions of the game were realized.  Ben is not necessarily what he has made himself out to be through his online persona.

In a series of mortifying and humiliating events Jane navigates her way through befriending and observing a diverse group of misfits until she finds happiness online and off.

Further stories exemplify any number of additional situations in Quiz Bowl Antichrist romantic entanglements of all persuasions seep through a small team of quiz bowlers.  In The Stars at the Finish Line intellectual competition turns a one sided crush into a blooming romance as two students set out to both be the best in the same subject.

Thematic elements in this anthology also include bulling, mockery persecution, class structure, sexuality, independent thought and peer pressure and other issues children of the perceived geekish class in high school are asked to endure and overcome.

Opinion:
Who says nerds and geeks are out of style?  Certainly not Black and Catellucci as they’ve done an amazing job of collecting stories that highlight the  dorkdom of quiz bowl athletes, nerd quotient of roll playing gamers, and flighty disinterest of a popular princess prom queen turning to the dark side and befriending a loveable group of losers.

While it is difficult to provide a succinct summary of this book or review its many stories with great detail it is safe to say that there truly is something for everyone in this collection.   As a reader I did not enjoy every story, in fact I skipped over a couple entirely, but the majority were entertaining, enlightening and heart-warming.   I mean, honestly, we’ve all been through high school and most of us have also felt periods of inadequacy so I doubt there isn’t at least some small something somewhere in these stories that a reader won’t relate to.

Though difficult to read at times stories surrounding the persecution of teens for being different (Lyga’s The Truth About Dino Girl for example) all seemed quite realistic to me.  High school is a brutal place where kids who are different are treated like social pariah and even worse abused mentally and physically.  This issue is addressed in multiple ways in multiple stories — from the dork subtly changing their own lives to fit in with a more mainstream crowd or by acts of revenge that turn the nerd into a bully themselves.

All in all I would recommend this book to anyone who finds different types of culture interesting or engaging.  I admit I do not have a great deal of knowledge of much in the way of roll playing games, quiz bowls, or other such thinky and different past times but I walked away from these stories a better person for having learned more.

Some time ago I created a post where I encouraged readers to ask me questions they thought would be interested to hear answers to.  I’d been meaning to finally get a post up doing just that but it kept getting pushed back for various reasons.

Until now that is!  Now I get the opportunity to roll out the newest feature here at Galleysmith.  For this inaugural posting of Inside the Bloggers Studio I’m going to showcase myself by answering not only the questions posed to me by readers but also some of what will become the regular questions of participants I showcase.

Hold on to your hats!  Here we go:

Melanie of  Melanie’s Musings asked:
Q: Other than reading, what are some of your favorite hobbies?
M: I love me some television!  I’m about as addicted to television as I am to reading.  My tastes cover a wide spectrum from Sci-Fi to drama.  If you follow me on Twitter you might have heard of a new project that a group of us (@myfriendamy, @beatccr, @skrishna & @awaitinserenity) are working on – a blog about television.  I’m super excited about it so keep an eye out for more!

I also enjoy writing tremendously.  I tend to write chick-lit best but have recently been contemplating dabbling in the YA genre.  I’m still on the fence there though, I think I just need to come up with an original premise that I’d enjoy jumping into.

Kathy of  Bermuda Onion’s Weblog asks:
Q: Is there any significance to the name GalleySmith?
M: I don’t know that it is significant in the grand sense but I wanted to create a name that was unique, somewhat relative to the publishing industry, and incorporated my love of reading and writing.  We all know what galleys are and the “smith” part is an abbreviation of wordsmithing.

Voila Galleysmith was born!

Nicole of Linus’s Blanket asked:
Q: What’s your favorite meal that you prepare yourself?
M: Oh man…ask anyone who knows me really well and they’ll tell you that I am so**not** a kitchen girl.  If by cooking you mean what is my favorite meal to pick up from take-out and bring home then yea, I’m a total master chef!  LOL .  All joking aside, when forced I do alright with salad, chicken breast and this awesome homemade macaroni and cheese dish my mom taught me how to make.

Lisa of  Books on the Brain asked:
Q: What’s under your bed?
M: Dust bunnies!  I am actually pretty good about not having loads of stuff under there.  Sadly the vacuum only goes so far so I imagine it might be a tad scary under there in sections.

Dawn of She’s Too Fond of Books asks two great questions:
Q1: Why did you start a book blog?
M: This is a great question that has many different answers.  I’ve been writing fiction for about 3 years now and I really felt like I was starting to get a tad burnt out but I didn’t want to stop writing entirely.  I decided that blogging might give me that creative outlet in a different way.  Secondly, I am a **huge** fan of community.  I love to gab and connect and hang out with new and interesting people.  I thought a book blog would give me that opportunity (and it did in spades!).  Lastly, I just love to read.  Escaping into a place that doesn’t involve the rush of my everyday life is beyond appealing.  Mash it all together and it creates a spark that energizes me.

Q2: Beach vacation or city vacation?
M: A little from column A a little from column B though I think I tend to lean more towards the city.  I like the calming effects of the beach and a beach-like community but I’m not a girl who can sit in the sun so I don’t actually go to the beach proper but I like the lifestyle.  On the other hand the city is great for the exact opposite reason  it moves and shakes and it’s all go, go, go.  More times than not there is something to do at any time of the day and a good portion of it may be more culturally inclined.  I think ultimately it depends on my mood at the time.

SuziQOregon of Whimpulsive asks:
Q: What are your pet peeves?
M: Oh man, I don’t know that you want me to list it all!  haha  Only kidding, but I have to admit laziness is not really a favorite of mine.  I don’t mean the taking the time to relax kind of laziness but the kind that leaves tasks undone or avoided because a person can’t be bothered.  I also have those OCD type of peeves — I always have to have the toilet lid down and get frustrated when someone forgets, I don’t like someone eating in my bed so crumbs get me super annoyed, I get beside myself when people paw at my books without asking first.  Things like that.

Rhapsodyinbooks of Rhapsodyinbooks Weblog asked:
Q: With work, blogging, and twittering, when do you get time to read?!!
M: Seriously, I know right?  All of us are all over the place aren’t we?

Sadly, if you took a picture of me after work every night it would be the same.  Me on the couch with the television remote, the laptop in my lap (Twitter open amongst other things) and a book resting on my chest.  I’m a big fan of multi-tasking so I’ll volley back and forth between it all until around 10ish sometimes 11 and then head to bed where I’ll read another chapter or two.  Now, don’t tell my boss but sometimes I’ll sneak in a chapter during work too.  Oh and I’ll read on my lunch hour if I’m not working through it some times.

In the end, the bulk of my reading happens on the weekends –  Friday nights, Saturday and Sunday afternoons into the evening.  I try to write early in the morning and afternoon while my motivation levels are higher and my ability to construct coherent thought is more likely.

Trish of Hey Lady! Whatcha Readin’? asked:
Q: What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done?
M: Ok, so I’m going to tell this story and I’ll preface it by saying I was young and stupid and impulsive so don’t hold it against me!

So, when I was 17ish I was dating this boy.  LOL, don’t these types of stories always start this way?

No wait, I can’t tell this story here.  Incriminating myself in print and all.  You’ll have to ask me again in person at the Book Blogger Convention.  Just remind me by saying “Hey Michelle tell me about that crazy thing you did to that boy and his car….you know the one where you used your car.”  I’ll tell you this right now though…just so you know, I’ve since matured significantly and gained some impulse control.

Now onto the Inside the Blogger’s Studio Questions:

Q: What is your favorite word?
M: Egads!  It works in so many different scnearios — surprise, outrage, frustration….it’s so fabulously multifaceted.

Q: What is your least favorite word?
M: As cliched as it may sound I’m not a fan of the word hate.  I rarely, if ever, use it.  It’s too harsh and other words (you’ll see me use loathe a lot) tend to be more fitting.

Q: What turns you on?
M: Yikes, ummmm isn’t that a little personal?  But yea, I’d have to say honesty, loyalty, understanding, compassion….those are pretty big turn ons.

Q: What turns you off?
A: Close mindedness.

Q: What sound or noise do you love?
A: Music — all kinds.  With the exception of hard-core metal and gangsta rap I can listen to pretty much anything.

Q: What sound or noise do you hate?
A: Silence

Q: What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
A: Milliondy-billiondy dollar lottery winner!  But if that doesn’t work out writer, editor, multi-media expert helping authors (which is the most likely route given my experience).

Q: What profession would you not like to attempt?
A: Anything medical. I’m a **huge** germaphobe and my immune system couldn’t take it.

Q: If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
A: Your family and friends missed you, welcome home.

Q: What is your favorite curse word?
A: I’ve been known to drop the F-bomb on many an occasion.

So there you have it, the very first Inside the Bloggers Studio.  I hope you found some of it entertaining.

Next time I’ll be spotlighting Ann-Kat of Today I Read.  Ann-Kat holds a special place here at Inside the Bloggers Studio because she is the amazing artist who created the gorgeous banner you see at the top of this post.  Make sure you give her some applause she’s done a wonderful job hasn’t she?

Until next time….

Envision what it would be like to be in New York City in May of 2010?

Now, envision what it would be like to be in New York City in May of 2010 to go to one of the largest book events imaginable.

Wait….there’s more.

Envision what it would be like to be in New York City in May of 2010, going to one of the largest book events imaginable, and then finish it off with a day long extravaganza of book bloggery goodness.

SQUEE – book bloggers!

SQUEE – book blogging seminars, panels, and other learning thinky thunk fabulousness!

That’s right my friends, there is talk of kinda, sorta, maybe having the often talked of Book Blogger Convention during the week of Book Expo America.  So here is what Trish and I have started to formulate as a plan:

• A one day event from 8am-5pm
• Price of admission/participation = $110 (though there will be the potential for an early bird registration price of $75 for a limited time)
• Price includes continental breakfast and lunch
• Registration for conference will allow you to avail yourself of a deeply discounted overnight room rate (better than BEA themselves negotiated we hear) for the entire week

So what’s the rub?  Well we kinda, sorta, maybe need to know who and how many of you are seriously interested in attending just such an event.  We know it’s early to start thinking about that but in order to move forward with planning we have to make certain commitments (think contractually obliging ourselves all) so getting a good idea of who is truly serious here is imperative.

If you are SUPER serious about attending and not really waffling about it wanna give us some help by answering a couple of quick questions?

Great… click the link below:

Book Blogger Convention 2010 Potential Interest Form

No one is committing themselves to anything.  We’re testing the waters for the viability of actually doing something like this before we move any further forward.

Pause for thought:

With the deep discount we got on hotel rooms, over the course of at least 3 nights you’re saving way more than the $100 you’d pay to attend the event!  Just sayin’ ….