Weekend Hops - August 31

Best Cover? What is the best cover of a book that you’ve read and didn’t like?

Guys, I was prepared to LOVE this book.  But I just couldn't.  I occasionally think of taking this review down, because it's kind of harsh.  But then I reread it and find myself agreeing all over again.  Fair warning, my review has Twilight comparisons.  It was 2010.  Forgive me.  It's the only time I've ever done it.

What is the one book or series you are dying to see turned into a movie or tv series?

Vampire Academy.  And not just so I can see a real life flesh and blood Adrian in his silky black boxers.  Okay... yes it is.  Hey look.  Kellan Lutz is already working on the black boxer scene.  And umm... this, which maybe you don't want to click on at work.

Happy Friday, friends.

Body & Soul (Ghost and the Goth #3) by Stacey Kade

The Ghost and the Goth has quickly become one of my favorite YA series.  I believe that Body & Soul is the final installment, but I think I'll always hold out hope for more.  Will is one of my all time favorite characters.

Book: Body & Soul (Ghost and the Goth #3) by Stacey Kade
Published May 1, 2012 by Hyperion

Summary:  There are spoilers for the second book in this summary.  Alona is trapped in the body of Will's friend Lily, whose soul has passed on, but body remains in a coma.

Characters:  Even though this was my least favorite of the three Ghost and the Goth novels, I still adored Will.  Seriously, Will.  Where are you?  Let's go out.  (FYI... this is YA, but he TOTALLY GRADUATED so FAIR GAME.  Wow... I'm turning into Ashelynn with all the caps.)  So, Will?  Still awesome.  I would have liked to see him resolve things with his mom a little better, but that is my only complaint. 

As for Alona, I felt like being in a real body really tested her character growth from the previous two novels.  Again, my biggest complain is that her family issues were dealt with in a very shallow way.  There was so much that could have been explored as Alona interacted with Lily's family and her old family was barely mentioned.  She had some serious issues with both her mom and her dad and I felt like they really needed to be resolved if this was the final book.

Plot/Pacing: My biggest problem with this book is that the plot revolves around Will and Alona trying to remove Alona's ghost  from Lily's body while keeping her alive.  However, from the very first book, Will has always maintained that Lily's soul/spirit has moved on, so I didn't understand why or how they were going to accomplish this without yanking her out of heaven.  Seriously, did they not watch Season 6 of Buffy?

Moments I Loved:  I loved when Will stood up for himself with the ghosts.  It was a long time coming and showed a lot of growth for his character.

WTF Moments: All of the scenes with Erin, especially the end where you learn the truth about her death.  Girl was crazy.

Overall:  The weakest of the three Gost and Goth novels, I still enjoyed it, because it had plenty of laughs and one of my all time favorite male characters.

Reading Challenges: This book counts toward the following challenges:  316 pages toward the 15,000 page challenge, e-book challenge. Track all my progress on my 2012 Challenges page.

Body & Soul gets a FakeSteph rating of...

Waiting On Wednesday: Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare (March 19, 2013)

Waiting On Wednesday, hosted by Breaking the Spine, lets us book hoarding bloggers highlight a book we're excited for each week.  This week I'm waiting on Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare.

GoodReads Description: Danger intensifies for the Shadowhunters as the New York Times bestselling Infernal Devices trilogy comes to a close.If the only way to save the world was to destroy what you loved most, would you do it?

The clock is ticking. Everyone must choose.

Passion. Power. Secrets. Enchantment.

Danger closes in around the Shadowhunters in the final installment of the bestselling Infernal Devices trilogy.

Why I'm Excited: I'm totally behind on this series, but the covers are so pretty that I will buy all of the shadow hunter books for my shelves even if I never catch up.  But I want to catch up.

Clockwork Princess comes out March 19, 2013.

Top Ten (Tuesday) Bookish Confessions

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish that combines lists and books.  This weeks topic is... Top Ten Bookish Confessions (Anything! You dog ear, you hated a book  but said you loved it, you have $500 library fines...anything goes!).

1.  I've never read a Jane Austen novel.

2.  I used to buy books that I thought would make me look smart.

3. I judge people based on whether or not they like The Great Gatsby.

4.  I started journaling obsessively when I read the Jessica Darling novels.  In those early days, I probably journaled about Marcus as much as Jessica did.

5.  I learned the hard way not to google image search "Jessica Darling".


6.  I cried when I found out there would be two Jessica Darling middle grade novels.

7.  I liked Captains Courageous the first time I read it, but mostly because I had just seen the TV version and thought the actor was cute (I was young!).

8.  I totally geeked out over the first Twilight movie.

9.  I bought Withering Heights because Bella read it in one of the Twilight books.  And yes, I bought the one that was packaged to look like Twilight.  I still want to read it.

10.  I want literary tattoos.

This.  On my foot.

You can totally judge me for my list.

Sara Zarr for Authors Are Rock Stars Blog Tour

Thanks to Fiktshun and Two Chicks On Books for hosting the Authors Are Rockstars Blog Tour.  They have done a phenomenal job organizing it.  When I found out I had been paired with Sara Zarr for this blog tour, I couldn't stop smiling.  Then I started panicking about what questions I wanted to ask her.  However, I am totally PSYCHED to have her here today.

THE ROCK STAR STATUS
Sara Zarr is a rock star.  I could mention the awards and honors that her books have received, but that impressive list is in her bio.  Instead, I'm going to point you to That Creative Life (her amazing PodCast that all aspiring writers need to check out) and talk about the character that cemented Sara Zarr's rock star status for me: Robin from How to Save A Life (my review is here).  This is what I said about her a few months ago:

Robin is selfless and loving and everything a mother should be.  She is the kind of person I hope really exists and the kind of person I want to be.

I don't think I've ever said that about any character, ever.  And definitely not in a contemporary.  I like contemporaries because they explore how messy life is and because they have spectacularly flawed characters.  I l don't particularly like "good" characters, but I would totally call Robin good.  I never expected Robin's character to feel so real and authentic, but she does.

Without her, both Jill and Mandy would be completely lost.  She's the kind of mother YA lit  needs, but often fails to see.  But she's become more than just a character for me.  She's become a hope for myself and the world around me.  And, yes, I totally asked Sara about Robin and found myself nodding along with the answer.

But enough about Robin.  Because Sara Zarr? Rock star.  Writer god.  She makes me laugh, she makes me cry, and she can tell a damn good story.


THE OFFICIAL INFO

website.  twitter.  goodreads.

Sara Zarr is the acclaimed author of four novels for young adults: Story of a Girl (National Book Award Finalist), Sweethearts (Cybil Award Finalist), Once Was Lost (a Kirkus Best Book of 2009, Utah Book Award winner, INSPY winner) and How to Save a Life (Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, and L.A. Public Library Best Book of 2011, ALA Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults 2012). Her short fiction and essays have appeared in Image,Hunger Mountain online, and Response. She’s also a regular contributor to Image‘s Good Letters blog on faith, life, and culture. She lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, with her husband, and online at www.sarazarr.com.

THE INTERVIEW

I recently read Ally Carter's Letter to her baby author self and loved it.  If you were going to write a similar letter to yourself at the start of your career, what would you say?

Oh, so many things! A major one would be to try to find ways to enjoy the journey more. I'm prone toward depression and anxiety, so that can be hard, but I think I could have made better efforts at celebrating all the little and big milestones rather than letting them create dread and fear of disaster (which is my inborn reaction to good news).

I read in an interview that you did years ago when Story of A Girl was first coming out, that your first few drafts had too much going on and one of the things you did in revision was to give the story more focus.  How did you make the decision about what was the most important?  What was it about Deanna's story that made you feel it was something you needed to explore?

It's been a long time since working on that book specifically, but I think that will all my books there comes a moment when I have to say okay, whose story is this and how do I make that person more active in the story and what do I need to peel away to get there? With Deanna's story, one thing in the original draft was that her dad had Gulf War Syndrome (from the first Gulf War in early nineties), and the family's problems were sort of around reacting to that. But I sensed there was something just more personal about Deanna's struggles with her dad, and I wanted that to make sense. 

I cry when I read your books and I've always wondered what it would be like to write something so emotional. Do you cry when you write them?

Not usually. I'm too caught up in getting the words right. Sometimes when I'm doing a final revision or reading through the page proofs, my eyes will prickle a bit and I'll think, whoa, okay, I captured that. I'm always perversely happy when I get that feeling in my chest or my eyes because I know all the sweating blood over the sentences paid off.

I loved Robin in How To Save A Life. Her capacity for love is something that scared me, but also something I wish I could emulate. Where did you draw inspiration for her?

Thank you! I love her, too, and always think of that book as having three protagonists even though it's only written in the two teen voices. I do feel it's as much Robin's story as Jill and Mandy's. At one point when I was writing her, I realized she seemed kind of stereotypically The Mom, or on the old side, and I thought, hey, I have lots of friends in their early fifties and they are cool, interesting, strong, wise women. Why can't Robin be like them? And despite her wisdom, sometimes her approach to life is a bit rash. But it's rash in a way that errs toward love and optimism--in contrast to Mandy's mom, whose rashness errs on the side of fear and selfishness.

Your new book, The Lucy Variations, comes out next year. You've mentioned that this was a very hard book for you to write, but what was the most enjoyable part of the process?

The most enjoyable thing, and best thing for me, probably, was writing outside of the first-person narrative that I've done for the last four books. And my last two were first person, present tense, which can be fairly limiting. So getting into third-person past, though it daunted me, was stretching in a good way. Also, in The Lucy Variations, everyone has money--plenty of it--and privilege. That's new for me, as well, and when you have a character with those needs met you sort of have to climb up the hierarchy of needs and think about okay, what about this person's life is hard and challenging, where is the true conflict? That was also challenging in a good way.

You mentioned in your podcast, The Creative Life, that you took a screenwriting class. What was something that you learned through screenwriting that then helped you when writing novels? And do you have any plans to pursue screenwriting seriously or was it just something fun to do?

I learned more about seeing the story as a whole from the beginning, and structuring conflict in ways that don't get obsessed with the word-by-word work. I've always tinkered with screenplays and have collaborated on a completed one, but one of my goals for the next year is to actually finish one on my own. Whether it will turn out to be "for serious" or "for fun", I don't know, and I'm trying not to make that distinction right now.

I love book recommendations, especially from authors I already love. What books do you find yourself constantly recommending?

I'm kind of obsessed with Rita Williams-Garcia's One Crazy Summer. It's middle grade, but I think adults will (and do) love it. It's just one of those special books to me--maybe because it's set right around the time and place I grew up, or because stories of abandoned children trying to connect with a parent always get to me. In adult fiction, Anne Tyler's Back When We Were Grownups is a semi-recent favorite (or really anything by her), and I also connected with All Is Forgotten, Nothing Is Lost by Lan Samantha Chang. And I can't say enough about the genius of Alice Munro's collection Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage.

And to wrap up, what is one question that you've always wanted someone to ask you in an interview?

"Tell us all about your fountain pen collection, Sara!"


THE NEW BOOK

From GoodReads: Lucy Beck-Moreau once had a promising future as a concert pianist. The right people knew her name, her performances were booked months in advance, and her future seemed certain.
That was all before she turned fourteen.
Now, at sixteen, it's over. A death, and a betrayal, led her to walk away. That leaves her talented ten-year-old brother, Gus, to shoulder the full weight of the Beck-Moreau family expectations. Then Gus gets a new piano teacher who is young, kind, and interested in helping Lucy rekindle her love of piano -- on her own terms. But when you're used to performing for sold-out audiences and world-famous critics, can you ever learn to play just for yourself?
National Book Award finalist Sara Zarr takes readers inside the exclusive world of privileged San Francisco families, top junior music competitions, and intense mentorships. The Lucy Variations is a story of one girl's struggle to reclaim her love of music and herself. It's about finding joy again, even when things don't go according to plan. Because life isn't a performance, and everyone deserves the chance to make a few mistakes along the way.

Thanks to Sara Zarr for stopping by.  The answer to the last question is my favorite, but I had so much fun reading all the answers.  She really is a rock star.  Check out all the tour stops and please make sure to stop by today's other stops: Cynthia Hand stops at The Starrey-eyed Review, Simone Elkeles stops at YA Reads, Amber Kizer stops at BelleBooks, Lisa and Laura Roecker stop at Gypsy Book Reviews and Michelle Hodkin stops at Word Spelunking.

Sundays In Bed With... The Yellow Wall Paper

Sundays in bed with is hosted by Kate at Midnight Book Girl.  This week I'm on Kim's couch with my pillow and my kindle.  I'm reading The Yellow Wall Paper for school, but then I'm going to read another novel.  Probably The Perks of Being A Wallflower, which I want to read before I see the movie.

This is probably my favorite picture that I've ever taken for Sundays In Bed.  I would make out with The Great Gatsby, too, Tink.

Weekend Readathon

This weekend I'm at Kim (On the Wings of Books)'s house with Kate (Midnight Book Girl) for a weekend readathon.  We've been talking about this since the bus ride to BEA and the idea is to spend the weekend making a dent in our ARCS.  This morning we went to aqua zumba, then Panera for breakfast.  Now we're back at Kim's on her comfy couches.

Like always, I brought way too many books with me, a mix of ARCs and TBR.

What I'm reading (will be updated throughout the day):
11AM- Starting Ten by Gretchen McNeil.  Kate is reading Skinny.  Kim is planning on reading Ashfall.
6PM - I just made a horrible looking lasagna.  Kim saved it so hopefully it will taste good.  I'm about to start Body & Soul, Kate is reading The Killing Hour, and Kim is reading... something.  She just finished Burn for Burn.

Sunday 1:30PM - I just finished Body & Soul, which is awesome.  Kim finished Uncommon Criminals this morning and now she's doing work.  Kate is technically on the phone right now, but she's in the middle of Darren Shan's new book, Zom-B, which Kim picked up at BEA and I definitely want to borrow.

Blog Tour: The Dark Light by Sara Walsh (Interview and Giveaway)

I'm so excited to be a part of Sara's tour for The Dark Light.  Sara is the first author I've interviewed here and I'm delighted that she is so charming.  She's also providing a signed hardcover copy of The Dark Light, so make sure you enter below.

Mysterious lights have flickered above Crownsville for as long as Mia can remember. And as far as she's concerned, that's about the only interesting thing to happen in her small town.
That is, until Sol arrives. Mia's not one to fall for just any guy, but she can't get Sol--or the brilliant tattoo on his back--out of her mind.
Then Mia's brother goes missing, and Mia's convinced that Sol knows more than he's sharing. But getting closer to Sol means reevaluating everything Mia once believed to be true. Because Sol's not who Mia thought he was--and neither is she.

Sara Walsh is British, but happily lives in Annapolis, Maryland. She graduated college with a degree in psychology, but soon decided that telling stories was much more fun. When not writing, Sara is usually reading, drowning in tea, or frolicking around town with the world's cutest St. Bernard. The Dark Light is her first novel.

Now on to the interview....

How long did it take you to write your first draft of the The Dark Light?


The first draft took me about five months, but I had been thinking about the story for several months before, so I kind of knew where I was going with it. Of course, you never can tell how a story is going to behave once you start writing, so it’s always an adventure when you first start out.


Where did you write it?  (Would you be willing to share pictures of the place or places where you write?  I totally understand if you aren't comfortable with that, though).

No, you can see my pit! Notice the mess? I’m such a slob. My office is still completely cobbled together. I moved to the States from Britain about four years ago, and everything you see is what we originally picked up from family and at garage sales to set ourselves up. I guess we writers get pretty comfortable with our writing spaces and don’t like to change things around too much! It’s my little corner of the world.

What did your rewriting/revising process look like?

I tend to tackle revisions from the top down. Big picture stuff comes first--plot, character, pacing. Does everything link together? Are my characters driving the story as they should? Is there a nice balance between action and quieter moments? Are there scenes that can be amalgamated? I’m always looking for ways where one scene can serve multiple purposes. Then it’s on to the detailed work. Language. Flow. Rhythm. Is there a better way to say this? Is every word playing its part? I’ll usually make well over ten passes of a manuscript before it goes out to readers.


Do you rewrite/revise in the same place as you write or somewhere different?

Same place. I find it really hard to write in a public places like a coffee shop or library, because I’m so easily distracted. I’ll start browsing the bookshelves or people watching instead!
How different is your first draft from the finished book?

Structurally, the finished version of The Dark Light is very similar to how it looked after the first draft. We didn’t make any major structural changes in edits, though I did break up a couple of chapters and incorporated those scenes into different parts of the manuscript. I did write a couple of additional scenes at the end of the book, mainly to tie up a couple of loose threads and to give some sense about how Mia’s life had now changed.


From initial concept to final book, what was the most difficult part of the process?

For me, the most difficult part of writing any novel is the point where you’re way into the story and all the elements that you’ve previously planted begin to converge. It can feel as if you’re holding six or seven stories in your head. You don’t want to lose focus on any one part, but you also need to keep everything balanced, and that can mean switching from very action orientated scenes to more emotional scenes, while keeping everything on pace.  It’s difficult, but worth the effort once the story comes together.


Do you have a special stack or shelf that has all your favorite books in one place?  If you do, what's in that stack?  If not, what books would you include if you had one?

I really don’t. I’m so disorganized! There are piles of books all over the house. In the bedroom. The office. The spare room. It drives my husband crazy. If I had one shelf, it would contain all the Harry Potters (love!), the Chronicles of Narnia (a huge influence on me as a child), a ton of Stephen King (I love The Stand, The Shining, Salems’ Lot…), The Complete Works of Hans Christian Anderson (adore), and a copy of Gone with the Wind (Go Scarlett!).


That last answer sounds familiar to a lot of us, I think. Now time for the giveaway... Because Sara is awesome, it is open internationally and will run through the remainder of Sara's tour, September 5, 2012.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Huge thanks to Sara Walsh for stopping by and providing a copy of The Dark Light.  Don't forget to visit The Book Goddess on Monday where Sara with be talking all things British.  Or, you can check out the entire tour schedule.  There are chances to win The Dark Light at every tour stop.

Book Blogger Hop - August 24

Blogging Question: What is your favorite thing about blogging?

Absolutely, it is making friends.  I've met some awesome people in real life after becoming friends online.  I had dinner with Kate and Kim for Kim's birthday on Wednesday and this weekend we are having a weekend readathon at Kim's house.  I don't have a picture of the three of us, but this is me and Kate on the megabus to NYC for BEA.  Kim was there, too, but she's not in the picture.  So sad.

And Kate and Kim are just the local bloggers I've met.  Meeting Jen Ryland at BEA was a huge highlight of the week (she's awesome!).  I text Ashelynn about boys (poor Ashelynn) and chat on the phone with Courtney.  Plus there are so many other awesome bloggers that I've met in real life and hope to meet soon.  Book bloggers are some seriously awesome people.

Ruse: The Victorian Guide to Murder by Mark Waid

Graphic Novel: Ruse: The Victorian Guide to Murder by Mark Waid
Published October 5, 2011 by Marvel

Summary (from Good Reads):  Renowned as the Victorian world's greatest detective, Simon Archard is the most intelligent of men. But when he crosses paths with the mysterious and enchanting Emma Bishop, has the smartest man in the world met his equal? Brought to readers by superstar writer Mark Waid (Amazing Spider-Man) and red-hot artist Mirco Pierfederici (Tron: Original Movie Adaptation), this is the new comic series that'll leave you breathless.

Characters:  I love Emma Bishop, like I did in the original.  I do find it funny that she is constantly underestimated, although I would have liked it if she would have been able to show her badassery or brains more than she did.  Simon is, as in the original, a jerk and while I occasionally liked him, the WTF moment sealed the deal for me and I am officially not a fan.  The other characters we meet are fun and I felt that I learned just enough about each for the story to be told well.

Plot/Pacing:  The Victorian Guide to Murder loses the confusing supernatural elements of the original and gives us a straightforward mystery that is easy to follow.  There aren't too many story lines or villains for me to juggle and the story unfolded quick enough for me to never be bored, but slow enough that I was never overwhelmed.

Moments I Loved:  Revealing the answers to the mystery at the end is a lot of fun.  I was on the fence between two and three lipstick kisses, but the end is satisfying and pushed the rating up.

WTF Moments:  Simon enters Emma into a bare knuckle fight to cause a distraction in order for him to snoop.  Seriously, dude?  You're a jackass.  Up until this point, it was barely charming when he got Emma in trouble.  He had done it unintentionally, he was distracted by his need to solve the mystery, and she was never in any real danger.  But putting her in that fight crossed a line for me, both in the way Simon's character treated her and because it felt like something the writer/artist did as an excuse to undress the Victorian lady.

Artwork: The original Ruse graphic novels had their issues, but I am just now starting to appreciate how wonderful the artwork is.  This Marvel reboot has clearer storytelling and a more defined world, but none of the detailed artwork that I loved in the first volumes.  Emma and Simon have completely inconsistent looks and Emma is treated the way all women in comic books seem to be treated.  Lots of unnecessary cleavage shots.  Lots of up-skirt views (for Victorian era clothing... seriously you justified that many?).  And several girl fights.  The cover photo for part four is Emma standing next to an impeccably dressed Simon, but her hair is a mess and her clothes are ripped.  Seriously?  It has absolutely nothing at all to do with the story, they just needed to objectify her, because you can't have a woman who is both smart and respectable.  Ridiculous.

Overall: The Ruse reboot has a great title (The Victorian Guide To Murder!) and a great tag line (He's the world's greatest detective.  She's even better.) and while the story line is much clearer than in the original two volumes, Simon is impossible to like and the art is disappointing.

Ruse: The Victorian Guide to Murder gets a FakeSteph rating of...

Waiting On Wednesday: The Dark Light by Sara Walsh

Waiting On Wednesday, hosted by Breaking the Spine, lets us book hoarding bloggers highlight a book we're excited for each week.  This week I'm waiting on The Dark Light by Sara Walsh.

GoodReads Description: Mia is torn between two guys—and two worlds—in this epic, romantic fantasy.  Mysterious lights have flickered above Crownsville for as long as Mia can remember. And as far as she’s concerned, that’s about the only interesting thing to happen in her small town.

That is, until Sol arrives. Mia’s not one to fall for just any guy, but she can’t get Sol—or the brilliant tattoo on his back—out of her mind.

Then Mia’s brother goes missing, and Mia’s convinced that Sol knows more than he’s sharing. But getting closer to Sol means reevaluating everything Mia once believed to be true. Because Sol’s not who Mia thought he was—and neither is she.
Why I'm Excited:  I'm not going to lie.  I originally wanted to buy this book because of the sexy cover.  But the more I learn about it, the more awesome it sounds (epic romantic fantasy!?!?) and I can't wait until next week so that I can read it.

The Dark Light comes out August 28, 2012.  Remember, I'll be posting an interview with Sara here on Friday, August 24, 2012 as part of her blog tour and you'll have the chance to win a copy of The Dark Light.

Top Ten (Tuesday) Favorite Books During the Lifespan of My Blog

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish that combines lists and books.  This weeks topic is... Top Ten Favorite Books You've Read During The Lifespan Of Your Blog.  This week, I'll be linking to my past reviews instead of GoodReads.

    

    

  

  

This was probably the hardest Top Ten Tuesday ever.  And I totally replaced some of the books in my original list, because I thought my review sucked (it was from when I first started the blog).  But I'm definitely seeing a trend in what I picked: complicated relationships with EVERYONE, not just the love interest, tough choices, and sad times.  What does that say about me?

The Walking Dead, Volume 3: Safety Behind Bars by Robert Kirkman

Graphic Novel: The Walking Dead, Volume 3: Safety Behind Bars by Robert Kirkman (creator, writer, letterer), Charlie Adlard (Penciler, Inker), Cliff Rathburn (Gray Tones), Tony Moore (cover).  Published by Image Comics June 18, 2005

Summary (From GoodReads):  An epidemic of apocalyptic proportions has swept the globe, causing the dead to rise and feed on the living. In a matter of months, society has crumbled: there is no government, no grocery stores, no mail delivery, no cable TV. In a world ruled by the dead, we are forced to finally begin living. This volume follows our band of survivors as they set up a permanent camp inside a prison. Relationships change, characters die, and our team of survivors learn there's something far more deadly than zombies out there: each other.

Characters:  I really like the main character, Rick, who is a former cop and leader of the group of uninfected who are just trying to find a place in the world after it has been over run by zombies.  Sometimes, he barely holds it together, but I like him even more for it.  There are a ton of characters and relationships in this series and even though I couldn't always remember who someone was, the storytelling made it very easy to tell what was going on.  I was always clued in to important bits about the past and any recaps are done in a completely unintrusive way.

Plot/Pacing:  Like the previous volumes, this reads very fast, but also forces the reader to think about the world.  There is a ton of action as well as plenty of interpersonal drama.  Things do not go so well for Rick and his group of survivors, which makes for very excellent reading.  This volume is especially interesting, because it reminds us that zombies aren't the only threat on the character's lives.  They have found a prison that they think will be the answer to keeping them safe... a place where they can build a new home.  But there is some honest-to-goodness murder in this book and it forces all of the characters, especially Rick, to figure out how they want their semblance of society to work.

Moments I Loved:  When Rick realizes that people are coming back even if they weren't killed by Zombies, he risks his life to travel to the camp they stayed at in the first volume.  There, he digs up his former best friend, the man who tried to kill him, and shoots him so that he's dead for good.  He does it out of friendship, even though he knows that Steve wouldn't do the same for him.  It reinforces what a good guy Rick is and I liked it, even though I think it was as stupid thing to do.

WTF Moments:  This series has never shied away from violence involving children, which is realistic, but still horrifying.  There is a scene where two little girls have their throats slit.  It's horrifying and emotions are high, so there is plenty more violence that comes from it as Rick and his group try to find and deal with the murderer.  But... this whole story is pretty wtf.

Artwork: I love the covers for this series.  They capture the tone perfectly.  Inside the pages are black and white and, once again, I think that color would cross the line because of the amount of bloodshed.  All of the characters and settings are distinct, making it easy to get lost in the story.

Overall:  Entertaining and violent, it is surprisingly deep, making it a great addition to one of my favorite graphic novel series.

Reading Challenges: This book counts toward the following challenges: Support Your Local Library.  Track all my progress on my 2012 Challenges page.

Sundays In Bed With... Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake

Sundays in bed with is hosted by Kate at Midnight Book Girl.  This week, I'm in bed with... my kindle again.

I'm reading Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake, the sequel to the amazing Anna Dressed In Blood.  I'm not very far in, but I still love Cas and his friends.  I can't wait to finish this adventure with them.

I have big plans for this week, both for reading and for real life.  So, you'll probably see me procrastinating on Twitter a lot.  Wish me luck.

Steph On Saturday and Upcoming Blog Tours

Things have been a little crazy lately, but I have some Looks From Books that I'm hoping to do soon and also maybe some cover recreations.  Because... why not?  So... something personal, then some blog tour announcements, because I'm excited and I want you to be, too.

Story time.  This is point that I started using the phrase "my life is a sitcom".  When I lived in LA, I didn't have a TV.  Even now, when I own a TV, I usually stream Netflix on my computer if I watch anything.  But people freak out when they find out how much TV I don't watch (most of the time.  Thanks to Midnyte Reader, I'm currently addicted to Supernatural and there are quite a few seasons to get through).

So my boss is horrified that I don't own a TV and gives me this old one that she has lying around, because she is awesome and that is the kind of person she is.  It was top of the line when she bought it, but by this point it's old, so it's HUGE and easily 100 pounds.  I had just moved into a house and didn't really know the other people living there, so I didn't feel comfortable asking anybody for help carrying this thing in (because I'm an idiot).

I am totally signing POD right now.

I manage to pick the TV up and am doing okay, but then I trip or stumble or something, because the next thing I know, I'm on my back with a hundred pound TV on top of me.  Then I realize that I am lying on top of an ant hill.  (I freak out at the thought of bugs.)

When I get out of the shower (dude, there were ants ON me), I go to set up the TV.  And realize it is a computer monitor.

This is the kind of story that I think needs witnesses.  But, tell me, is it a had-to-be-there kind of story?

BLOG TOURS

FRIDAY AUGUST 24 - Interview with Sara Walsh for The Dark Light Tour.  Sexy, sexy cover.  It sounds fantastic.  And Sara has shared a picture of her writing space that I'm super excited to share with you, because I'm totally nosy about things like that and, I mean, awesome, right?  Plus, Sara is providing a signed copy of the book to give away!

MONDAY AUGUST 27 - Author Are Rockstars hosted by Fiktshun and Two Chicks On Books.  I'M INTERVIEWING SARA ZARR.  GUYS SERIOUSLY.  It didn't feel real until she sent me her answers, but I'm psyched.  I'll let you know exactly why she is my rock star and share the interview with you.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6 - A Bad Day For VooDoo by Jeff Strand Review.  Dark comedy.  Enough said.  I am psyched to read this one and be a part of the blog tour.

Weekend Hops - August 17

Pimp Your Review: Feature a favorite book review you've written in the past that you feel deserves more love! 

Let me go ahead and pimp my favorite book of the year.  No prize if you guess what it is.

What blogger inspires you? It can be any kind, it doesn’t have to be a book blog.

 Definitely The Bloggess.  The hobby she is most passionate about is ethically taxidermied animals (with puntastic names) AND she has a picture of Wil Wheaton collating paper.  But seriously, she is so open about her depression and her piece of the internet is a seriously awesome and positive place to hang out at.  Perfect people piss me off (also, they're boring) and Jenny Lawson embraces her imperfections in a way that make me wish I knew her in real life.   Also, she used the term "lady garden" on national television and she's got the cutest laugh.