Beautiful Days

Review time! Beautiful Days is the sequel to Bright Young Things by Anna Godberson, the New York Times bestselling author of The Luxe series. She “specializes” in historical fiction for girls, I love her novels because they’re always glamorous! Thanks to Penguin for the review copy!

(Goodreads) For the bright young things of 1929, the beautiful days seem endless, filled with romance and heartbreak, adventure and intrigue, friendship and rivalry.

After a month in New York, Cordelia Grey and Letty Larkspur are small-town girls no longer. They spend their afternoons with Astrid Donal at the Greys’ lush Long Island estate and their nights in Manhattan’s bustling metropolis. But Letty’s not content to be a mere socialite. She is ready at last to chase her Broadway dreams—no matter the cost.

Cordelia is still reeling from the death of her father at the hands of Thom Hale, the man she thought she loved. Now she is set to honor Darius Grey’s legacy . . . and take her revenge. Promised to Cordelia’s half brother, Astrid is caught up in aworld of dazzling jewels and glittering nights—and the sparkle is blinding. Charlie Grey is a gangster playing a dangerous game; and for Astrid, Cordelia, and Letty, the stakes could be deadly.

The Short Story? – Glamorous and addictive, set in the era of the roaring twenties, Beautiful Days is a highly entertaining historical fiction that’s bound to captivate your hearts. A novel about the ambitious and glamorous lives of three best friends, Beautiful Days is not to disappoint! Gossip Girl set in the glamorous twenties!

The Long Story? – I’m in love with this series! If you have read The Luxe by Godberson you would know that it’s historical fiction about the rich and young. It’s about social classes and the scandals of the beautiful and privileged. Beautiful Days is more or less along the same lines, it’s about the rich and beautiful but it’s got this extra sparkle that only a story set in roaring twenties would have. Glamorous and dazzling, I loved the plot! Filled with exciting and luxuries parties, young love and ambition to be famous. It’s highly entertaining and worth every cent! I can’t imagine anyone who wouldn’t enjoy this novel! Fantastic!

The novel is told from the perspectives of three best friends, each with ambition to be someone in the era of glamour. My favourite characters of all would be Cordelia, the heiress to a bootlegging business. She’s filled with confidence, she funny and she’s considerate. More than anything she can support herself and make her own decisions. Her sweetheart Max, a talented pilot is irresistible! Letty would be my least favorite character. I’m a little annoyed at her dependent, self-pitying nature and I honestly don’t know how anyone can stand her! She’s living off Cordelia’s generosity and she wants to be famous yet she’s sitting around waiting! By the end of the novel, she seems to grow confident and she’s (kind of) growing on me so I’ll wait to judge :) Astrid is the poster child for rich and privileged. For her it’s all about flirting, glamorous parties and pretty dresses but she’s also furiously loyal and very kind. These three girls are going to grow on you, great development.

If you love novels about the rich, young and beautiful. If you’re looking for a glamorous novel about expensive dresses, scandals and social classes. If you’re looking for something that will dazzle you, pick up Beautiful Days. Godberson has written her best novel yet, anything goes in the roaring twenties and these three girls are having the time of their lives. Highly entertaining and addictive, it’s a guaranteed good read!

Rating – 6/5


Badass Bookie xx

Linger

Review Time! Linger is the 2nd book in the Wolves of Mercy Falls series by Maggie Stiefvater. I am perhaps the only person on earth who hasn’t read all three books of the series. I’m slowly making my way around all of Maggie’s books! Thanks so Scholastic for the review copy!

(Goodreads) the longing.


Once Grace and Sam have found each other, they know they must fight to stay together. For Sam, this means a reckoning with his werewolf past. For Grace, it means facing a future that is less and less certain.


the loss.


Into their world comes a new wolf named Cole, whose past is full of hurt and danger. He is wrestling with his own demons, embracing the life of a wolf while denying the ties of being human.


the linger.


For Grace, Sam, and Cole, life is a constant struggle between two forces -- wolf and human -- with love bearing its two sides as well. It is harrowing and euphoric, freeing and entrapping, enticing and alarming. As their world falls apart, love is what lingers. But will it be enough?
 
The Short Story? – A hauntingly beautiful novel of love and loss. A touch of the supernatural entwined with the grief, pain, loss and love of four very powerful characters. A lyrical prose and a captivating plot. Linger is unique and un-putdownable. Maggie Stiefvater has written a moving love story that will hold onto you and never let go.

The Long Story? - I’m a sucker for a great love story. While I usually lean towards the pride and prejudice inspired high school clichés, a true love story filled with loss and pain is not bad either. Linger is definitely not the saddest book I have read but it’s definitely one that carries the atmosphere of a touching tear-jerker. Even the title sounds so sad! I really enjoyed reading Linger, it’s got this almost lyrical quality about it. It’s beautiful and while it’s not the most action-packed novel out there, it’s one that will make a huge impact on the reader. A layered plot filled with grief, loss, pain and love, it’s as much of an emotional journey as it is of a physical journey. Beautiful, it’s one to be enjoyed by all.

I love book written in alternating perspectives and that was one of my favorite’s things about Shiver. Longer was even better, it was told from the perspective of four different characters whose lived all bind together somehow. Stiefvater has developed these complex characters that have very distinct personalities but all share the same hurt underneath their bravado. One of the biggest draws to the characters was the pain that I felt even as an outsider. Sam is probably one of the saddest characters I have ever met, it’s not that his sad but his personality suggest that he is a very lonely person. Grace is a character that I instantly liked. She’s practical and level-headed and while she seems fine on the outside, she’s secretly hurting. Isabel and Cole are both dealing with grief and the broken shards of their life. Through their hurt they came to understand each other. A beautiful characterization filled with depth.

Linger is a great love story that will captivate your hearts. Filled with grief, loss and pain, it’s a story about making the best of the broken lives of four very different teenagers. It’s about a curse that’s torn families and lives apart. It’s about the longing, the loss and linger when your loved ones are taken away and the willingness to do anything to get them back. One that will touch the hearts of all, Linger is a fantastic YA novel that will leave you craving for more.

Rating – 4.5/5


Badass Bookie xx

Debut of the Month - All About Virtuosity + Giveaway

Book Profile

Name - Virtuosity
Author - Jessica Martinez
Genre - Contemporary
Release Date - 18th of October 2011 ( today!)
Available - The Book Depository

Now is not the time for Carmen to fall in love. And Jeremy is hands-down the wrong guy for her to fall for. He is infuriating, arrogant, and the only person who can stand in the way of Carmen getting the one thing she wants most: to win the prestigious Guarneri competition. Carmen's whole life is violin, and until she met Jeremy, her whole focus was winning. But what if Jeremy isn't just hot...what if Jeremy is better?



Carmen knows that kissing Jeremy can't end well, but she just can't stay away. Nobody else understands her--and riles her up--like he does. Still, she can't trust him with her biggest secret: She is so desperate to win she takes anti-anxiety drugs to perform, and what started as an easy fix has become a hungry addiction. Carmen is sick of not feeling anything on stage and even more sick of always doing what she’s told, doing what's expected.

Sometimes, being on top just means you have a long way to fall...

Insider's Scoop

Author’s Secrets: All About Jeremy


1. Initially, Virtuosity wasn’t really a romance. That evolved in the rewrites—and there were many! Jeremy was always in the story, but in the first version, he was exactly what Carmen’s mother warned her he might be.


2. Jeremy was named after Anne of Green Gables’ oldest son, Jeremy Blythe. He went by Jem in the books, and I may have fallen in love with him at some point.


3. Without getting spoilery, there’s a scene that takes place in Jeremy’s hotel room between Carmen and Jeremy. I went into that scene not knowing what was going to happen. Other surprises in the book were planned from the beginning, but in that moment I was honestly worried about what was going to occur in that room and if they could ever recover from it.


4. Jeremy has a secret love for jazz. In college I had a friend (a violist) who played jazz piano, and it almost made me think of him as more than a friend. Almost.


5. Jeremy looks like a violinist I knew as a teenager. We never had a thing either, but I thought he was pretty cute. It’s been fifteen years and I think that’s the first time I’ve admitted that out loud. Nobody tell him.

~Giveaway~

Jessica has kindly offered ONE (1) Finished Copy of Virtuosity for a US Winner! Sorry to my international readers ( look out for a int'l giveaway later today!) but it was a publisher's request! Remember to leave a meaniful comment on this post or Jessica's first post ( compulsory). Thank-you!

Rules of Entry -

US ONLY
Ends 10th of November
Must leave a meaniful comment on this post or Jessica's first post
Must be 13 years or older
Must fill out this FORM

Badass Bookie xx

Sirenz Back In Fashion Cover Reveal Bomb! + Giveaway (Int'l)

The Sirenz Back In Fashion Cover Reveal Bomb is ON! As part of the Sirenz Team, I bring you the cover without further ado... TA DA!!!! *throws confetti*
 

Sirenz Back In Fashion, the sequel to Sirenz by Charlotte Bennardo and Natalie Zaman will be hitting the shelves in June 2012—but for now, enjoy the new cover! We’re having a mega-giveaway to celebrate. The Sirenz Back In Fashion cover is debuting simultaneously on SEVEN different blogs. Visit all of us to enter and win prizes—yes, that’s PRIZES as in more than one!
How will the adventures of Meg and Shar continue? Visit these blogs to see if you can figure out what happens next:


http://dfordarlasdefinitereads.blogspot.com/

http://bookchicclub.blogspot.com/

http://speedyreader-allthingsbooks.blogspot.com/

http://www.whatsyourstorybookreviews.com/

http://badassbookie.blogspot.com/ ( YOU ARE HERE!)

http://beasbooknook.blogspot.com/

http://aten-ra.blogspot.com/

Each blogger is giving away a very special charm necklace which symbolizes something from Sirenz Back In Fashion. It could be an important object, or represent a significant place or character… or god! Leave a comment on what you think of the new cover and what you think that particular charm means, along with your email address to enter. You can comment to win on EVERY participating blog! This giveaway is INTERNATIONAL—let’s spread the Sirenz love around the world!

Drawing end dates will be determined by individual bloggers. Once all blogger drawings are complete, another drawing of ALL entries from ALL blogs will take place for a grand prize to be announced at Sirenz Official Website  and/or Natalie's Blog  and Charlotte's Blog.

~Badass Bookie's Giveaway~

As part of the Sirenz Back in Fashion Cover Reveal Team I'll be giving away a Horse Necklace ( shown below) It's INTERNATIONAL and all you need to do to enter is "LEAVE COMMENT telling me what you think of the cover and what you think this necklace represents along with your email address! "Remember each blogger is giving away a different necklace so make sure you stopover at the other blogs too!

Rules of Entry -

- Open Internationally

- Ends October 31st

- Leave a comment answering the question ( above in paragraph) and email address

- Please tweet, sidebar, facebook and spread the word about the cover reveal using hastag #sirenzcover ( not compulsory but it would be great!)

Badass Bookie xx

Debut of the Month - All About Jessica Martinez (Virtuosity)

Debutante Profile

Name - Jessica Martinez

Debut - Virtuosity

Genre - Contemporary

Website - HERE

Blog - HERE

Twitter - HERE

I was born to two music lovers in Calgary, Canada. When I was just three years old, they put a violin under my chin.  Miraculously, it stuck.  I went on to perform as a soloist all over the world, and somehow ended up studying English at Brigham Young University.  Since then have been a high school English teacher, symphony violinist, elementary school teacher, violin teacher, and mother. I currently live in Orlando, Florida with my husband and two children.  My days are spent writing, running, and teaching my children to be music lovers too.  My greatest hope is that some day my siblings will quit harassing me about ruining their childhoods with my violin-ing.

Dream Debutante Dress - Black and white polka dots always make me smile. And the metallic heels? Those too, please. I thought about picking an Oscar-worthy gown, but I do better at cute than glamorous.

Notes from a YA Debutante

Ten Random Things About Me

1. I used to be the worst waitress ever. EVER. At the beginning of one lunch shift, I spilled a tray of eight iced teas all over myself in front of a table of men on a business lunch. Soaked through to my underwear with iced tea, I said, “Aren’t you so glad I’m your server?” Not one of the jerks laughed.


2. I hate scary movies, or being scared in any way, shape, or form. Once (on our honeymoon) my husband jumped out and scared me when I thought I was alone in our hotel room. I burst into tears and then I punched him as hard as I could and then I cried some more. He has not done that since.


3. I’m freakishly double jointed. I can pull my shoulders in and out of their sockets, but don’t ask me to do it—my doctor got pretty mad at me when I told him it’s my best party trick. It is though.


4. I’m not so good with plants or pets or decorating or cleaning. My family likes me anyway though, because I make a mean cheesecake and tell awesome bedtime stories.


5. I’ve lived in the U.S. for fourteen years now, and just when I think I’m thoroughly Americanized, I visit Canada and feel so utterly and completely like myself that it’s hard to make myself go back.


6. I have an unholy love for boots. I need to stop buying them. Or buy more of them? Yeah, buy more, that’s what I meant.


7. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and just stay up because it’s too hard to get back to sleep and too much of a waste of time to just lie there. And when I say sometimes, I mean regularly.


8. I’m second of six children. I think I’m my dad’s favorite and my mom’s least favorite, and my siblings agree. When called on it, my mom vehemently denies it and my dad just laughs. I think we know what that means.


9. I rap. Only two people in the world have ever heard me and I WILL NOT do it for anyone else, probably not even at gunpoint. Both of my audience members think I’m the coolest person on earth, but they are six and four. I give it two years.


10. I have a thing for geeks. Geeks may apply here. Oh wait, I’m married. Never mind.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank-you Jessica for the lovely post! I'll like to see this party trick!!! I'm double jointed at all :( And *confession* I like to rap has well, it's sad but I know every word to Super Bass ( Nicki Minaj is like my idol - going to rap like her one day). I have an unholy love for shoes ( it's in the genes) I think I bought 14 pairs of shoes in the last two month... O_O Anyway Lovlies, see the second half of Jessica's hilarious feature tomorrow!

Badass Bookie xx

Debut of the Month - All About Audition + Giveaway

Book Profile

Name - Audition (Goodreads)

Author - Stasia Ward Kehoe

Genre - Contemporary

Release Date - October 13th 2011
Avaliable - The Book Depository/ The Nile

When high school junior Sara wins a coveted scholarship to study ballet, she must sacrifice everything for her new life as a professional dancer-in-training. Living in a strange city with a host family, she's deeply lonely-until she falls into the arms of Remington, a choreographer in his early twenties. At first, she loves being Rem's muse, but as she discovers a surprising passion for writing, she begins to question whether she's chosen the right path. Is Rem using her, or is it the other way around? And is dancing still her dream, or does she need something more? This debut novel in verse is as intense and romantic as it is eloquent

The Insider's Scoop

IF THE SECONDARY CHARACTERS IN AUDITION HAD SUPERNATURAL POWERS…


Sometimes I wish I wrote about wizards or girls with other-worldly powers. Ideally, it’d be a snazzy, six-figure-book-deal trilogy that would be made into the kind of 3D movie you have to wear those migraine-inducing glasses to see. Then again, I kind of think my ballerina girls are badasses in their own ways. So, I’m gonna make ‘em into superheroes. Just for you!

Madison – A ballerina with an eye for business, thanks to her executive dad. As much as she loves dancing, she’ll likely grow up to rule boardrooms. She can look right through you and she doesn’t take any crap. Superpower: Laser gaze.

Bonnie – If wars could be won with sheer determination, Bonnie would be head of the United Nations. She’s got serious issues with body image for which she is being treated, but she will win her eating disorder battle if anyone can because she is incredibly pragmatic and can figure out how to get things done. Superpower: Ultimate endurance fighter.

Simone – Has an eye for fun and knows the power of love. Simone isn’t afraid to speak up for herself—or her friends. With her elegant charm she somehow manages to get people to tell her about their romantic woes. Superpower: She carries one of Cupid’s arrows.

Lisette – Nobody realizes what a great advantage intelligence is to the ballerina. Lisette spends extra hours practices in the ballet studio and, unbeknownst to the other girls, almost as many hours reading about great dancers, studying music and, well, doing homework. Her eye for grace, and her appreciation of history help her bring great passion and character to her dancing—she stands above the rest as a dancer from breath to bone. Superpower: photographic memory.

If your friends were superheroes, what would you call them? What colors and special effects would you add to their photographs? It's a lot of fun to think about. In fact, I'm kind of distracted thinking about the awesomeness that are my friends Julie, Janet, and Mo who've been helping me plan my book launch part. Or my cyber-buddies Lisa and Laura, who made my gorgeous book trailer. Or my critique group partners, my theater, dance and literary pals. Fact is, writing is a lonely job but launching a book into the world in these crazy publishing times takes a village. Mine is filled with cupcake-baking, carpool-driving, breakfast-and-gripe-session, proofread-anything-for-you superheroes. Here's hoping yours is, too!

~Giveaway~

Alright Lovelies! Stasia has kindly offered TWO (2) Audition Swag Packs (signed poster; ballerina sticky notes; bookmarks) for ONE (1) US/CAN Winner and (1) AUS Winner! Please make sure you leave a comment on one of Stasia's posts ( compulsory!) and fill out the form below! Thank-you!

Rules of Entry -

Open to US/CAN/AUS
Ends 10th of November
Must leave a comment on one of Stasia's posts!
Must be 13 or older
Must fill out this FORM

Badass Bookie xx

Debut of the Month - Stasia Ward Kehoe ( Audition)

Debutante Profile

Name - Stasia Ward Kehoe
Debut - Audition
Genre - Contemporary
Website - HERE
Blog - HERE
Twitter - HERE

Stasia Ward Kehoe grew up acting and dancing on stages throughout New England. She has a BA in English from Georgetown University and an MA in Performance Studies from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. She has worked as a choreographer and dance teacher, a baker and a bank teller, and is currently and most happily a mom to four fantastic sons!

Dream Debutante Dress - I found this gorgeous lace number at vintageous.com, where it notes that the label reads “Designed in Paris by Lanvin Castillo.”  Cool, huh?

Notes from a YA Debutante...

FIVE THINGS ABOUT ME:

*I’M A COUNTRY GIRL
I was born in a little house on the prairie…just kidding. But I was practically born reading the books of Laura Ingalls Wilder. As a kid, I read them repeatedly, along with novels by Noel Streatfield and Frances Hodgson Burnett. I read Streatfield’s BALLET SHOES so many times I could recite the opening pages. (Actually, I still can!)


*FOREVER ONSTAGE
I can’t really remember a time when I wasn’t involved in the arts. I danced ballet, wrote and acted in plays, was an All State soprano in high school, and choreographed for a modern dance troupe in college. Seriously, I was a major Gleek before gleekdom was cool. Or even a word.



PROOF! Our debutante smack bang in the middle holding flowers in Show Choir!

 *COULD BE A VAMPIRE
I grew up with asthma which I think is one of the reasons I gravitated toward ballet and drama—indoor sports away from the pollen, hay and trees that made me wheeze. My landscapes were all interiors—ballet studios with fingerprinted mirrors or the splintery wood surfaces of community theaters. I sometimes call myself a “mole person.” I could spend a week indoors, reading, writing, baking, listening to music…and not miss the sun at all. Maybe I’m not so much a mole as a vampire?

*MY AFFAIR WITH CARS
I dislike driving yet I get some of my best writing inspirations while driving in the car. I’ll be going along and suddenly get this great idea and have to pull over and reach for my ever-present notebook. While I’m grateful for the many stories that I’ve started on the road, I must confess that I sometimes drive to wrong destinations while in my fiction trance. My kids find this very irritating.

*DRIVING RED
Cars are also a motif in Audition, and I included one in my favorite color: red. Sometimes I wonder if my fondness for crimson hues means I am actually a lot bolder than I think I am. I have a red front door, red couches in my living room, and paintings with red elements (red boat; red bicycle red cars) on my walls. I don’t wear much red, though. Perhaps I use up most of my scarlet audacity in my imagination (and maybe on pages of paper).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Debut of the Month is back with an AWESOME October Debutate! Stasia, I can't WAIT to read Audition! I think it's possible that you are a vampire, have you tried walking into the sun? If you sparkle then you have proof! BTW I love red too but purple is my favourite colour! My lovlies! Don't forget to come back tomorrow for the second half of Stasia's feature and an AWESOME giveaway!

Badass Bookie xx