Giveaway Winner: ALL THE TRUTH THAT'S IN ME by Julie Berry

Sorry for the late posting about this guys!  Today was kinda a hard week over here.  Anywho!  Our winner chosen by Random.org is lucky #13...

LINDSEY RUSSELL!

Thanks to all who entered! And happy reading this weekend!

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Giveaway Reminder

Today is the last day to enter for your own signed copy of Julie Berry's ALL THE TRUTH THAT'S IN ME!  Scroll down to the book signing report post to enter.

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Review: JANITORS by Tyler Whitesides

JANITORS
by Tyler Whitesides

300 pages

Published August 1st 2011 by Shadow Mountain

 

Placement in the Pile:  Middle of the Stack

 

Summary:

The magical, secretive society of JANITORS will sweep the country in the fall of 2011. Have you ever fallen asleep during math class? Are you easily distracted while listening to your English teacher? Do you find yourself completely uninterested in geography? Well, it may not be your fault. The janitors at Welcher Elementary know a secret, and it s draining all the smarts out of the kids. Twelveyear- old Spencer Zumbro, with the help of his classmate Daisy Gullible Gates, must fight with and against a secret, janitorial society that wields wizard-like powers. Who can Spencer and Daisy trust and how will they protect their school and possibly the world? Janitors is book 1 in a new children s fantasy series by debut novelist Tyler Whitesides. You ll never look at a mop the same way again.

 

Review:

So here's what's hard for me about this book.  It's clearly middle grade.  Which is fine and great, but middle grade isn't always my thing.  My issue with middle grade is usually the simplicity of the narrative.  It takes something really unique to get me interested in a MG.  However, when I heard about this series it's one I wanted to pick up.  

 

So when I was offered a review copy of book #3 and expressed that I hadn't read them at all yet, but was interested Shadow Mountain was kind enough to send me all 3!  Wow!  So here I am reading them for ya!  

The best part about JANITORS was it's pure unique-ness.  The theory of magic, and what is plaguing the schools and what a Janitor's job is (as compared to a custodian) was really intriguing. 

I think this is a book middle grade readers will love.  The characters are fun too and each wholly unique with their own set of quirks, which I loved as well.  I've only heard each book gets better, so as I read on I will let you know how I feel about that. But for now, I'd say if you like MG or have a child reading MG this is certainly a good one to pick up!

Plus, the cover art is really cool. 

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Book Signing and Giveaway! - Julie Berry ALL THE TRUTH THAT'S IN ME

I am so, so lucky to live where I do, and so lucky that Julie Berry usually travels here for book signings!  I met Julie years ago when I was pretty new to blogging and reviewed her fabulous debut novel THE AMARANTH ENCHANTMENT.  She is a lovely person and has been a dear friend ever since!

I was lucky enough to go out to dinner with her and another author friend of mine, Sara B Larson when she arrived in SLC on Friday night. 



Then I attended her SLC signing at The King's English bookshop in Sugarhouse.

Julie was beautiful and eloquent.  I just adore her!  Here's some pics and goings on from that event.

• Julie told us that this was the third book she'd ever written, as part of her Masters Degree program at Vermont College.  After it had been rejected by a publisher she thought it would never be published again.  Years later they pitched it to 10 publishers and got 6 bids!  That's incredible!  It truly is an amazing book!

• Julie talked about how when she was in Jr. High she had a stalker crush on a 9th grade boy.  She knew his schedule and it just made her day to see him in the halls.  Even though he probably had no clue who she was.  Didn't we all have crushes like that?  This sort of puppy love behavior had a big impact on ALL THE TRUTH THAT'S IN ME.  When you read it, you'll know why.  ;)

• Perhaps my favorite thing Julie talked about was the idea of Judith finding her voice, and the theme of voice and silence.  This book teaches us to find our own voice and speak up for what is right.  I just adore it!. 

 

•  I took my daughter with me to the event to get some of the SPLURCH ACADEMY books as well.  Julie is truly a talented author!

• I just love this person so much!  I am so happy I could support her and this amazing novel!  And see those two copies, well guess what?  One of those is for one of you lucky readers!  So fill out the form below to enter to win your very own hardcover, signed copy, of ALL THE TRUTH THAT'S IN ME!

Giveaway open until 10/21/13 11:59 PM EST. *If you're new and want to follow the blog for the extra entry the follow stuff is down at the bottom.  Still need to figure out why all of my sidebar stuff is down at the bottom...

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A Collection of Thoughts and Poor Excuses

I think I should start out by saying, Hello. I can't believe it has been so long since I have posted anything here! When I last posted, I announced the new look I gave Off The Shelf, and I was feeling very mopey about the summer coming to a close. Now, almost two months later, I am feeling mopey about being a high school student, and I feel the need to announce what I have been up too.

1. Just because I haven't posted any new book reviews, doesn't mean I have not been reading. I've actually been reading quite a lot! While trying to understand the epic poetry in The Odyssey and the Old English text of Beowulf, I've been obsessed with Veronica Roth's Divergent series. (review to be coming shortly...I promise!) Now there is only one more week until Allegiant! If you don't mind, I think I will skip reviewing The Odyssey and Beowulf, as I don't think I have it in me to dwell on those stories anymore than I have too...

2. I got a new camera! I have been busy using the new Nikon D3200 in my photography class, and have been spending time learning some cool new tricks for how to take great photographs. Previously, all photos posted on here have been taken with my iPhone, but now I hope to be a bit more professional by using the DSLR to take photos that will enhance and accompany my posts.

 

3. Most of my days have been looking like this: wake up at 5:30, go to school, go to volleyball practice, come home and do endless amounts of homework, eat dinner, go to sleep - this tiring cycle has left very little free time, and the only thing that really keeps me going is the likelihood of some extra hours of sleep on Sunday mornings.

 

So, that was my list of very poor excuses for not writing (not writing? actually I have been doing a ton of writing lately for my creative writing class - I hope in the next few days to post some of that here - I just haven't been blogging nearly enough) lately, and I am making a promise to myself now, that I will put aside some time each week to write a review or the like, because I need something else to keep me going - and writing has always put a smile on my face. :)

 

 

P.S - I have my ticket to Catching Fire! Whoohoo! The movie theater in town began selling advance tickets last weekend, so I headed over there to purchase tickets for me and some friends!

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ARC Giveaway of DEFY by Sara B Larson (from her site)

Hey everyone!  I wanted to give you a heads up of an awesome ARC giveaway of my friend Sara B Larson's debut novel DEFY!  It's seriously going to be big!  So go check out the giveaway and good luck!  (P.S. isn't the cover pretty!?)

http://sarablarson.blogspot.com/2013/10/3-months-until-defy-comes-out-arc.html

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Review: ALL THE TRUTH THAT'S IN ME by Julie Berry

ALL THE TRUTH THAT'S IN ME 
by Julie Berry

Hardcover, 274 pages
Published September 26th 2013 by Viking Juvenile

Placement in the Pile: Top Picks!

Summary: 
Four years ago, Judith and her best friend disappeared from their small town of Roswell Station. Two years ago, only Judith returned, permanently mutilated, reviled and ignored by those who were once her friends and family. Unable to speak, Judith lives like a ghost in her own home, silently pouring out her thoughts to the boy who’s owned her heart as long as she can remember—even if he doesn’t know it—her childhood friend, Lucas. But when Roswell Station is attacked, long-buried secrets come to light, and Judith is forced to choose: continue to live in silence, or recover her voice, even if it means changing her world, and the lives around her, forever. This startlingly original novel will shock and disturb you; it will fill you with Judith’s passion and longing; and its mysteries will keep you feverishly turning the pages until the very last.

Review: 

Oh my goodness! This book was absolutely fascinating and beautiful. I simply could not put it down. The writing was lyrical, the voice so strong and unique. I love Judith and her strong will. She'd have to have one to be so amazing after all she's been through.

This book takes you through a journey of discovery to find out just what did happen to Judith. You know very little information at the beginning and literally are kept guessing of the entire truth until the end. Judith holds it all inside of her because of her fear that the truth she holds may destroy the people she loves, and because she just doesn't really know how to tell it. Keeping it from both reader and community, we follow her through her journey of self discovery, finding love, and making peace with her community that has shunned her.

This book deserves awards and praise far above what I can give. Pick this one up, you will NOT be sorry!

If you are in Utah, Julie will be signing books in Provo and Salt Lake City on Sat. Oct 12th!  For event details go to her website http://www.julieberrybooks.com/  and click on events.

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Divergent & Insurgent by Veronica Roth Joint Review

 Divergent Summary

In Beatrice Prior’s Dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). ON an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the Decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she’s chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she’s kept hidden from everyone because she’s been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

• Number of pages: 487

Insurgent Summary

One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity, and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris’s initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guild, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

• Number of pages: 525

Joint Review

Completely different from what you would expect from a dystopian series about to be made into a movie with enough buzz to almost catch up to the Hunger Game Movies. Completely different in a good way, that is. I read Divergent and became instantly entranced in this new societal world where the best virtues are separated into different societies within a society, and how each virtue standing alone could corrupt the very system they were trying to protect. The way this system of factions was set up was absolutely incredible with the amount of detail and surprisingly believability. The characters only served to cement that world into reality with the profoundness of the characters, their depth.

Before I get carried away with the admiration of the characters and their stories, I was to distinguish the assets of this series as a whole because this is a joint review after all. I am writing a joint review because I loved the first book so much that I barely left enough time to drive to Barnes & Noble to get book 2, Insurgent, and start reading. By the time I finished I slowed down enough to realize that the best parts of both books became mashed together in my mind and I ended up seeing it as one really big book. Probably not my best idea for blogging purposes, but it had its perks. In conclusion, this series captured me enough to feel it was absolutely necessary to read it continuously. That’s got to be saying something, right?

Tris is a rock star. I am not even exaggerating that. She was everything a protagonist should be: BELIEVABLE. I think that’s why I liked this book so much. Although completely improbable and we all know that this will never happen in real life, there was reality interwoven between all aspects of it. A huge part of that were Tris and the other characters. They were not too strong, nor were they too weak but miraculously reached their goals or whatever. That kind of stuff happens too often in Young Adult fiction, unfortunately. Tri, for instance, was strong willed but not untouchable. And she was not the weepy-damsel-in-distress-heroine, yet real enough to show emotions, tears, fears, and etc. Very admirable, yet very relatable.

Personally, if I had to say which book was my favorite so far, I would have to say Insurgent (book 2). Which I think is great, my reason being that many times in series like this one sequel sometimes do not live up to the original installment and can leave fans unsatisfied. Insurgent totally satisfies and does much more. Both books alone were great and had great aspects, but Insurgent just seemed to have more depth.  Book one, to me, was very much a set up of everything to come. This world is so complex that I think it needed a whole book to break out the characters and situation, which is clearly does with the amount of information on the initiation and different ways of the factions. Book two really seemed to break the shell set up in the first book and bring the true conflict. There was more variety in scenes and situation, and I was always left on the edge of my seat. Yeah, it was one of those. Amazing.

As I looked up the summary for Divergent for my post, I came across the information for the Divergent movie premiering March of next year. I can definitely say I got chills from the trailers. If those are any indication then I believe that this will fortunately be one of those book adaption movies that stay true to the book’s plot. I CAN’T WAIT. This series was honestly great, and comes highly recommended from me. From 1-10 as a whole? Divergent series (Divergent and Insurgent) gets a 9. 

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Wrap Up of New York Trip

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Book Cover Reveal: THE ACCIDENTAL MARRIAGE by Annette Haws and Cash Giveaway!

I am happy to be part of this cover reveal day for Annette Haws!  First off, here's some info about the book!

Summary:
Nina Rushforth was born with a silver spoon caught in her throat. She and her father have mapped out a future that includes a brilliant legal career, a marriage to an equally stellar attorney or Wall Street whiz kid, and eventually the production of three perfect children. A semester at St. Andrew's University in Scotland, was part of the plan, but falling in love with a handsome missionary was not.

Six months later, after Elliot returns from his mission and after a tumultuous courtship, Nina finds herself teaching at a junior high school, learning to keep house in a minuscule apartment, and living with a man who doesn't know any more about being married than she does. Intimacy, cooking, laundry, lesson plans, and a tug-of-war with a possessive mother-in-law prove to be more overwhelming than Nina can successfully manage. The newlyweds awaken to realize the head on the adjacent pillow belongs to a stranger.

This novel captures the heartbreak of young love caught in the turbulent social crosscurrents of the 70's, at a time when brave women struggled to find dignity and equality in the workplace, as well as peace at home.

Publication Date: December 10, 2013
ISBN: 9781462113743
Publisher: Cedar Fort Publishing

For more information on Annette check out her website  http://annettehaws.com/

And without further adeu, the cover!

And just for coming and checking out the cover reveal there's a $25 cash giveaway!  Just go to the link below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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