On the Tenth Day of Christmas, Katie @ Magic Is In Words Reviews Dash & Lily's book of Dares by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan

Dash & Lily's book of Dares by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan

I read Dash & Lily's Book of Dares and it was wonderful!:

"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 lates 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 locatiions across New York? Could their in-person selves possible connect as well as their notebook versions? Or will they be a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions?

Ramblings: This book just looked absolutely adorable--and I was right! I couldn't put this book down. I've been heading downhill with my reading lately ): but this book has brought me back on top! I was so gripped by this story that I read it in one day!

Characters: Lily and Dash were pretty compatible characters, although at one point in the story I was so mad at both of them! Lily for being dumb, and Dash for judging Lily! (Even though she didn't give off the best first impression.) Once I got over that though, I was pretty pleased with how the story progressed. Although, the characters didn't seem fully developed to me, maybe the story just needed more to it so I could get a better feel of the characters.

Plot: This plot moved rapidly and kept me turning the pages. There were a few key points to the story, but the rest of the time there didn't seem to have much going on. Even though there wasn't too much to the story (I felt it wasn't very deep) I still really enjoyed this book and the plot was new and refreshing!

Overall: A sweet romance, good for a stressed day and if you aren't looking for anything too deep. Don't pass up this sweet Christmas read!

Overall Rating: 3 Stars
Cover Love: 4 Hearts 

And, on my blog I'm giving away an ebook copy of The Magi until Christmas, so don't forget to sign up!

Katie @ Magic Is In Words

On the Fifth Day of Christmas, Place of Reads Interviews Heather Jensen

On the Fifth Day of Christmas, Place of Reads Interviews

Heather Jensen, Author of Blood and Guitars

PoR: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

H.J.: I grew up in a small town in Southeastern Utah. I'm the oldest of three girls. My family did a structured foster care program when I was growing up and before I moved out we had had more than thirty at-risk teenage girls in our home from the time I was twelve to the time I moved out. I married my high-school sweetheart and we live in sunny St. George, Utah now. I’m a stay-at-home mom so I do most of my writing while my son is at school. Aside from spending time with my family and friends, when I’m not writing I like to decorate cakes, play my guitar, watch movies and play board games.        

PoR: When you were a kid, did you want to grow up and be a writer?  Or was there something else you wanted to do?

H.J.: I was constantly writing stories from the time I could read and write, although I’m not sure I was aware that people could do that for a living. Maybe that’s why I never really found any other career path that fit. I’ve only had a couple of jobs that I actually enjoyed doing. One of those was working as a relay for the deaf. That’s probably because I got paid for my mad typing skills, and I was allowed to write during my downtime between calls. The other was when I worked in a recording studio. I’ve always been a big music fan and I’m obsessed with all the behind-the-scenes work that goes into creating music. Writing Blood And Guitars has been very rewarding in the sense that it has allowed me to mesh together two of my biggest loves: music and writing.

PoR: In Blood and Guitars, your vampires are a bit different than your standard vampire or even the other vampires you might read about today.  What inspired your version of the vampire myth? 

H.J.: I was in high school when the idea for Blood And Guitars came to me. At that time, I was only aware of a select few vampire books. To this day I’m grateful that I created my vampire world six or seven years before Twilight came along, or vampires became the mainstream. I think it helped me to stay original and let my vampires be who they wanted to be without getting caught up in all the vampire hype that has been around for the last few years.

I don’t have any one thing I can name that inspired my vampires, but when I was creating them, I knew that several things had to be true in their world in order for the story to be what I wanted. First, they would injest human blood to sustain themselves, but they wouldn’t necessarily be blood-thirsty killers because of it. Secondly, although my vampires can function during the daylight hours, there is a pricetag to deviating from their naturally nocturnal schedule. During the day, my vampires only have access to the most basic physical gifts necessary to their survival (speed, strength, ect....) At night they can take full advantage of their mental abilities, such as reading or shielding minds, mentally tracking others and more.

PoR: In Blood and Guitars, you have an artist and several musicians.  Are you an artist or musician or have you always wanted to be one?

H.J.: Music has always been a big part of my life. I played piano when I was younger and I’ve been playing drums for more than half of my life. I didn’t get serious about playing guitar until high school but I own three now and play as often as I can. I dabble in songwriting, and it’s weird, but I do my best work when I’m inside of Trey’s head, writing songs from his point of view and experiences. I’ve always been fascinated with painting, especially oil painting. I’ve done a few paintings here and there but I don’t have the time to paint as often as I’d like to.

PoR: Is anything in your book based on real life experiences or purely all imagination?

H.J.: More than specific experiences, I draw mostly from emotions that I think everyone has felt at one time or another. Aurora is a fiercely independent and capable young woman, but those qualities actually make her feel isolated from the rest of her kind. Trey, despite having success, money, fame, a career he loves, and everything else a man could possibly dream of, yearns for someone to love him for who he is and not what he is. Both characters have feelings that most of us can identify with at some point in our lives.

PoR: What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why?

H.J.: It’s really hard to pick a favorite scene or chapter, but I particularly enjoyed writing about Aurora, Trey, and the rest of Catalyst going to the MTV Video Music Awards. I think I enjoyed it so much because it’s really the first time Aurora gets to see Trey in his element as the lead singer in a majorly famous band. She’s been with him in the studio a bunch but this is the first time she sees him and the rest of the guys in the band interact with their fans on that level. Aurora really gets to see another side of Trey and his life that she’s really only glimpsed so far, and it’s just the beginning.

PoR: If you suddenly found out that your vampires were real, what would you mostly likely do?

H.J.: I’m intrigued and terrified by that idea all at once. What a great question! If my vampires were real, and in turn, the characters from the story were real, I’d head to Clearwater and beg Aurora for a painting lesson, hoping she’d already had her fill of fresh blood for the week. My vampires are immortal, not invincible, so I like to think the pistol I pack would be a good insurance policy against any vengeful vamps looking for trouble...lol. Most vampires aren’t looking to harm humans, so I imagine I’d feel just as safe as I do now, considering there are more humans out there creating violence than there ever would be vampires. Also, I’d join Catalyst’s fan club and buy their new album when it hits stores. ;)

PoR: Random question time!  What Christmas Traditions do you and your family have that you can’t live without?

H.J.: My grandma’s hungarian cookies. My sisters and I always help my grandma make a giant batch of her famous cookies. They are seriously the best cookies on the planet. They take forever to make since you have to hand shape them so we only do it once a year. Also, we always take inner tubes and sleds out in the mountains and slide down the snow with them. If the hills are too crowded with other people, my dad will tie a rope to the back of his pickup truck and pull everyone around on the icy roads instead. It doesn’t get better than that.

PoR: What was the last book that you read?

H.J.: I’m currently reading Blood Promise by Richelle Mead and listening to the fourth Maximum Ride book by James Patterson on my iPod.

PoR: Is there anything that you would like to say to your readers and fans?

H.J.: Thank you for your support! There’s nothing better than getting feedback from readers who enjoy what you write, whether it’s by way of a review or a tweet or a note on my site. Also, I’m aiming for a summer of 2012 release for the second book in the Blood And Guitars installment, tentatively titled Immortals And Melodies. Stay on top of the news at my site/blog www.heatherjensen.info .

Books by Heather Jensen

On the First Day of Christmas, Place of Reads Tells Its Favorite Christmas Stories (And A Giveaway Extravaganza!)

Welcome to Place of Reads 12 Days of Christmas!  
I hope you are prepared for unwrapping some delicious interviews, guest posts, reviews, and trying to win some of the wonderful prizes that we will have!


So to kick it all of, I want to introduce you to some of my favorite Christmas books:

The Littlest Angel by Charles Tazewell

Description:

The classic Christmas story tells of an adorable little angel who just cannot stay out of trouble in the celestial city. When the Christ child is born, the mischievous angel learns the timeless lesson of giving, a lesson that has long endured as the true spirit of Christmas.

Why?

First, I'm biased.  I played the Angel Love in this play, but the whole story is a beautiful story.  The lessons that are learned through this book are told in a cute way that, even after we grow up, we still remember. 

There Was No Snow on Christmas Eve by Pam Munoz Ryan

Description:

There was no snow on Christmas Eve. Instead, a desert zephyr blew And palm fronds sang a rustling tune To welcome the awaited birth. There was no snow, no fireplace, no need for woolen caps and gloves on that very first Christmas. Instead there was a humble stable, and weary travelers with light robes and sandals on a desert night. This luminous picture book manages to take the familiar story of the Nativity and make it fresh and immediate, reminding young children of the miracle of Christmas and the true nature of the spirit of the season, no matter what the weather.

Why?

Everyone has a picture of what they think the first Christmas was like.  We see movies and story books all give different ideas.  I love Ms. Ryan's take on the First Christmas. It is the perfect book for any Christmas (white, green, brown, desert or tropical island), and with the beautiful pictures in it, you can't help but wish to be there.  

The Legend of St. Nicholas by Dandi Daley Mackall

Description:

This gentle Christmas book introduces the original St. Nicholas and tells why we give gifts in remembrance of the greatest gift of all. Nick is much more interested in contemplating his presents under the tree than he is in being dragged along for last-minute shopping with his dad. But while his father’s off shopping, Nick hears someone say his name—it’s a mall Santa, telling a group of children a story about the original St. Nick. In the long-ago story, a wealthy boy named Nicholas is moved by the sight of poor children and decides to use his family’s wealth to help the needy, starting anonymously with his less-fortunate friends. Young Nick is inspired as at last he—and young readers—understand the joy of giving. A note at the end explains how the story of this early Nicholas might have grown into the Santa Claus of legend.

Why?

And for those of us who love the story of St. Nicholas, and want our children to know the true story of "Santa Claus", I think this is a great book to use.  I have always loved the story of St. Nicholas (the man, not the fat jolly man that can scare younger kids!), and this beautifully illustrated story just reminds us of what Christmas is really about. 

Happy Reading!


Cana

Coming soon! 12 Days of Christmas Blog Event!

It happens every year.  All the gifts have been unwrapped, your Christmas tree is dying, and you are wondering if you will make it past the New Year's eve this year.  And lets be honest, it is all exhausting!  Well, have no fear, our wrap up for the end of the year is here!  Here at Place of Reads, we will be celebrating all the wonderful books we have read, giving away some of those great books that we have enjoyed reading this past year, and getting ready to start fresh with new books, new challenges, and new authors with our 12 Days of Christmas Event.  From December 26 through January 6, we will be hosting author interviews, guest blog posts and giveaways.  There might even be a little bit of "Christmas Caroling", through a blog hop (this plan is still in the works, so don't hold me to the Christmas Caroling part just yet! :P).  


Rules/Registration for Bloggers and Reviewers is in Green.
Authors, please note the Red section!




Calling All Bloggers/Reviewers:

1) You don't have to review a new book, it can be one you have already reviewed or your one of your favorite books.  The only thing we would like is that it have Christmas in the book, and it isn't as hard as you would think!


2) You don't have to have a regular blog, this is open for anyone.  This will give you a chance to try out blogging.  If you have never done a blog before, look at some previous blogs to see about your layout for a book review.  


3) Grab our event button and post it on your blog!  


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Interested?  Then Sign Up Here!


Sign up for the Christmas Caroling Blog Hop here:



**Please fill out both the form and the Linksy if you want to take ANY part of this event.**


Calling ALL Authors:


It doesn't matter if you prefer your characters undead, living in Victorian England, or live on another Planet as a alien, we would love to have you join in on the fun and promote your book during our 12 Days of Christmas Blog Event!  So if you would be interested in participating, either by having us host a giveaway of your favorite/latest book, doing a guest post, or an interview, please let us know by contacting us at placeofreads@gmail.com (Subject should read 12 Days, just to help us out!). Some ideas for a guest post might be telling your favorite Christmas story, sharing a Christmas memory, or your top ten list of things you like to do during the Christmas season.  If you would like us to host a giveaway with your post, that would be absolutely amazing.  you can send books out directly to the winners or you can post them to us at your convenience, and we will take care of it for you.  The deadline for author's response is November 17, 2011 by 11:59 pm.  Anytime between now and then will be great, that way we can set up the posts and plan the week out.  




Happy Reading!


Cana