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.

Title:  Juliet Immortal [indie bound] [amazon]
Author: Stacey Jay [website] [twitter] [facebook]
Genre:  Paranormal, Romance
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Series: Juliet Immortal
Format: Paperback (ARC)
Source: Amazon Vine
Reviewer: Michelle
Parental Advisory: language, violence, criminal activity, death
Teachable Moments: loyalty, freedom of choice, trust

“He has to be safe. What will I do if he isn’t? What will I do if I’m too late? What if Romeo has — “

Summary (from the publisher):
Juliet Capulet didn’t take her own life.  She was murdered by the person she trusted most, her new husband, Romeo Montague, who made the sacrifice to ensure his own immortality.  But Romeo didn’t anticipate that Juliet would be granted eternal life as well, and would become an agent for the Ambassadors of Light.

For seven hundred years, Juliet has struggled to preserve romantic love and the lives of the innocent, while Romeo has fought for the dark side, seeking to destroy the human heart.  Until now.

Now Juliet has found her own forbidden love, and Romeo, O Romeo, will do everything in his power to destroy their happiness.

Opinion:
I loved this book!  Loved, loved, loved it.  So very well written in a poetic yet straightforward prose.  The dialogue was modern and succinct but still provided that air of Shakespearean romance of the original.

So lets start there.  The concept of re-visioning the story of Romeo and Juliet in a more modern time but in a paranormalish way.  Now, for those of you who aren’t paranormal lovers don’t worry it’s not overwhelming.  It’s really just a means to an end.  This is a character driven read and an interesting one at that.  To see Juliet as a modern day savior of love while Romeo is the evil foe who is bound and determined to ruin it is a fantastic twist on their story.  They travel over time again and again to battle against each other — Juliet to bring soul mates together while Romeo is charged with keeping them apart.

In this story Juliet is a high-schooler who is setting forth to bring together her best friend and the boy she presumes to love.  The problem is that Juliet herself is falling in love with the same boy. Naturally this makes Romeo angry for a variety of reasons. One because he needs to keep the boy away from the girl but two because his best way to do so is to encourage his former wife and lover to be with the boy.  Jealousy ensues.

But there is a sub-plot as part of this as well.  Because the two of them are trying to finally find eternal peace where they no longer have to serve their supernatural masters.  Romeo (who Juliet doesn’t trust) has a plan to get them out of their respective purgatories.  Only it requires a lot of faith and trust on Juliet’s part….both of which are in limited supply where he is concerned.

There is romance and passion.  Plenty of it from a variety of sources and there is mystery and intrigue that kept me guessing as I was reading.  Basically this is a great action filled story with originality and fantastic characters that don’t lose their original essence while being modernized.

Fantastic read that I highly recommend.

Thanks to Disney Hyperion for providing the opportunity for me to giveaway a cool Minimergency Kit and a copy of Megan Crewe‘s book The Way We Fall!  To enter follow the rules listed below.

Here are the details on how you can win:

Please note:

1. Responses in the comments do NOT enter you into the giveaway, only completion of the above form.
2. One entry per person, if you submit more than once your additional entries will be deleted.
3. One winner will be notified via a post on this blog of their prize, should that winner not respond within 48 hours a new winner will be selected.

** This giveaway is sponsored by the publisher and will ship directly from their location at their expense

Oh, and take a look at the book trailer!

Title:  The Way We Fall [indie bound] [amazon]
Author: Megan Crewe [website] [twitter] [facebook]
Genre:  Apocalyptic
Publisher: Hyperion
Series: None
Format: Paperback (ARC)
Source: Publisher
Reviewer: Michelle
Parental Advisory: language, violence, criminal activity, death
Teachable Moments: dealing with grief, resourcefulness

“The virus has a voice, and it doesn’t sound very happy.”

Summary (from the publisher):
When sixteen-year-old Kaelyn lets her friend leave for school without saying good-bye, she never dreams she might not ever see him again.  But then a strange virus begins to sweep through her small island community.  As patients start dying, the government quarantines the island: no one can leave, and no one can come back.

Those still healthy must fight for the town’s dwindling supplies or risk losing any chance of survival.  While everything familiar is crashing down, Kaelyn discovers a friend in a girl she once saw as a rival, and a chance at love with a boy she through was an enemy.  But as the body count continues to rise and the virus touches those she holds dearest, it’s harder and harder to keep panic at bay.  Soon Kaelyn finds herself challenging not just her fears, but her sense of what make life worth living.

Opinion:
The Way We Fall was a slow-paced read through a surprisingly realistic catastrophic event.  It’s one of those stories that paints a very dire picture of events that could actually happen in our time.  In this time.  In that way, it was pretty terrifying.

Kaelyn lives on an small island with her parents and brother.  After moving back from living elsewhere she is relatively friendless and spends most of her time pining for a childhood friend she held secret feelings for.  This friend, who went off island to college, has left behind his new girlfriend who Kaelyn is not a huge fan of.  At least initially.

In short order a bird-flu like disease starts infecting the inhabitants of the island and spreads through the population like wildfire.  As people quickly begin perishing in large numbers the local medical facility, and Kaelyn’s medical researcher father, desperately try to find a cure.  As one would expect, the government quarantines the island to avoid a larger outbreak and so begins the downfall of their local civilization.

The Way We Fall was a very straight-forward read.  It was a story of day-to-day survival that showed the descent of this community and then how it’s population dealt with the fallout of this dangerous situation.  I appreciated that it wasn’t outlandish, that is truck to what one would think is the realism of such situations.  There was the inevitable darkness of hoarding, looting and violence against others.  But then there was also inspiration to be found in small pockets of charity and assistance, unexpected friendships blossom and even hints of love.  Though the story paints a bleak picture it is not too dark.

Where it fell short for me was in it’s pacing.  The story bore little action outside of the more violent sections where rioting, looting and criminal activities were taking place. The rest was much self-reflection and analysis of the situation.  Which brings me to the fact that the book felt longer than it needed to be.  There was only so many times I needed to hear about the medical research, or that another violent act was taking place.  I do realize that this it true to the situation and I appreciate that but it was just a bit slower for my liking.

Crewe does well to show the desolation and despair of the situation.  The setting is (as the story) very straightforward; there was less need here for grand world building.  Who doesn’t know about the typical small town atmosphere?  The politics of local life?  She paints a portrait of the isolation that comes with being cut off from everything else in the world. The fear of losing communication and utilities at a time when they are most needed.  The streets are dark and foreboding, houses completely silent, thus creating a highly-charged and stressful environment at a time when people are already emotional and ill at ease.

I did like the way Crewe wrote the relationships in this story.  Kaelyn comes from a loving and close family.  They have mutual respect and do their best to take great care of each other.  When it is successful they feel small moments of joy but when it is not there is much pain and sorrow.  Further, this tragedy provides Kaelyn the opportunity to develop new friendships.  Tessa (K’s former crush’s new girlfriend) is not someone she would ordinarily spend time with but circumstances push them together and the two form an unlikely bond.  Kaelyn also finds love in the tragedy with a boy named Gav.  As with her friendship with Tessa it grows slowly and allows for a true attachment as opposed to that feeling of insta-love that I am not fond of.

Was this my favorite read?  No, I felt somewhat ambivalent about it.  But, I didn’t dislike it.  It’s an interesting story and one that should be given a try if you are a fan of stories that focus on apocalyptic events that carry with them both despair and inspiration.