Makeover

Yep, that's right. I'm already giving the blog a makeover. The theme I had before was never intended to be permanent. There's a reason I've never had, nor will ever get, a tattoo. I'm too indecisive and like to change things up pretty regularly. However, I really like this theme and hope to stick with it for awhile!

It's a lot of pink, I know. But....I like it.

What do you think? Are the slide shows of the book covers too much? What other widgets would you recommend?

I'll probably be playing around with it for awhile yet before I'm completely satisfied.

Feel free to leave some feedback.

If you're a lazy beeatch reading this in your rss reader, please, take a minute to stop by and give me some feed back!

Naked by Megan Hart

I almost always use a blurb from Goodreads or Amazon to summarize the story then just jump into my thoughts. But check out these two different blurbs for the book. The first is from the summary on NetGalley:

No strings. No regrets. And no going back.

I didn't think he wanted me. And I wasn't about
to get involved with him, not after what I'd heard.
Sure, Alex Kennedy was tall, dark and unbearably
hot, but I've been burned before. When I solicited
him to model for my erotic photography book,
I didn't expect such a heated, passionate photo
session. And now that we've crossed that line,
our bodies aren't the only things
that have been exposed.

But I can't give my heart to a man who's so...
unconventional.

His last sexual relationship was with a married couple.
It's enough that my ex-fiancé preferred men, I can't
take that chance again no matter how much my body
thrives on Alex's touch. I can't risk it, but I can't resist
it, either.

Alex can be very convincing when he wants something.

And he wants me.

This second one comes from Megan Hart's website:

No strings. No regrets. And no going back.

I didn’t think he wanted me. And I wasn’t about to get involved with him, not after what I’d heard. Alex Kennedy was tall, dark and unbearably hot, but I’ve been burned before. Maybe it was stupid of me to offer but he needed a place to crash and I needed to pay the rent, but now he’s my tenant…with benefits. And now that we’ve crossed that line, I can’t seem to find my way back.

But I can’t give my heart to a man who’s so…unconventional. His last sexual relationship was with a married couple. It’s enough that my ex-fiancé preferred men, I won’t take that chance again no matter how much my body thrives on Alex’s touch. I can’t risk it, but I can’t resist it, either.

Alex can be very convincing when he wants something.

And he wants me.

The first blurb really misses the mark especially this bit:

When I solicited him to model for my erotic photography book,
I didn't expect such a heated, passionate photo
session. And now that we've crossed that line,
our bodies aren't the only things
that have been exposed.

First off, she doesn't solicit him for an erotic photography book, in fact she mentions that is not the kind of photography she normally does. There was one really hot scene in which Olivia does photograph Alex but this blurb got it totally wrong. Anyway, I found that quite interesting that the one sentence in the NetGalley summary could be so off the mark. The blurb from Megan Hart's website is definitely a better representation of the book.

I read Tempted, where Alex is one of the three main characters, before reading Naked. While Megan Hart's website says all the books can be read stand alone, I would highly recommend reading Tempted before reading Naked. Because Naked is written from Olivia's perspective and she has no knowledge, until the end of the book, of Alex's involvement with a married couple, it helps to have his background story. You have a little more insight to his character.

I thought this was a pretty sweet book for being erotica. I haven't read much erotic though so I don't really have anything to compare it to. I guess after reading Tempted which was a little more emotionally draining this one seemed downright romantic. I know that many of Hart's other heroines aren't always lovable, or even likable for that matter, but I really liked Olivia. Alex has been through so much that you really just want him to get his happily ever after.

I found it interesting that Olivia seemed fairly accepting of Alex's bi-sexuality in light of her past relationship where her fiance lied to hear about his sexuality and, ultimately cheated on her with another man.

Overall, I really enjoyed Naked. Olivia and Alex's relationship felt believable and felt like it progressed naturally. Megan Hart definitely has a talent for writing true to life characters intermingled with tantalizing love scenes. I'm looking forward to reading more of Hart's back-list!

Rating:

Naked will be available August 1, 2010 from Harlequin Spice.

Disclosure: I received this as a digital ARC through NetGalley. I did not receive any compensation for this review.

Slavery is not Sexy

In my review of Tempted by Megan Hart I mentioned briefly a conversation in the book that disturbed me because of it's implications regarding child sex slavery. In the novel, Alex has just returned from Asia to visit his long lost best friend, James, and his wife, Anne. The novel details the love affair between these three over the course of the summer. The following excerpt is the discussion that bothered me. To set the scene up: James, Anne, and Alex have just had dinner. They're sitting around talking. Anne is sitting on her husband, James's lap covered by a blanket. James is slowly teasing Anne under the blanket. It's a pretty hot scene until this portion of the conversation:

James's hands, Alex's voice as he told us stories about living in Asia. About the sex shops there, where you could buy anything you wanted.

"I thought Singapore didn't have sex shops. I thought they were illegal." How did my husband know about Singaporean sex laws?

"In Singapore, yeah. . . but not in other places. There are always places to find it, if you want it."

"And you wanted." James's voice had grown hoarse.

The night had grown downright cold, though beneath our blanket James I were hot enough to start a fire. Alex didn't seem to mind the chill. He'd buttoned his shirt up to the throat but seemed otherwise unaffected.

"Who wouldn't, man?" came Alex's shadow-voiced answer. "Find a girl, find a boy. One of each. . ."

I had to stop reading at this point. I'm not sure what about this is supposed to be sexy. Especially in light of the fact that most of the girls, boys, and women available in said sex shops (in Singapore or elsewhere in the world) are not there by choice. In many cases families have sold their own daughters into the sex industry. When I read this portion of the novel the only thing I could think about was the story I'd heard about a girl known only as #146. The following is the story of how the non-profit organization Love146 ,dedicated to ending child sex slavery and exploitation, got their name. (Emphasis is mine.)

In 2002, the co-founders of Love 146 traveled to South East Asia on an exploratory trip to determine how they could serve in the fight against child sex trafficking. In one experience, a couple of our co-founders were taken undercover with investigators to a brothel, where they witnessed children being sold for sex. This was their experience. This is the story that changed our lives.


"We found ourselves standing shoulder to shoulder with predators in a small room, looking at little girls through a pane of glass. All of the girls wore red dresses with a number pinned to their dress for identification. They sat, blankly watching cartoons on TV. They were vacant, shells of what a child should be. There was no light in their eyes, no life left. Their light had been taken from them. These children...raped each night... seven, ten, fifteen times every night. They were so young. Thirteen, eleven… it was hard to tell. Sorrow covered their faces with nothingness. Except one girl. One girl who wouldn’t watch the cartoons. Her number was 146. She was looking beyond the glass. She was staring out at us, with a piercing gaze. There was still fight left in her eyes. There was still life left in this girl...


"...All of these emotions begin to wreck you. Break you. It is agony. It is aching. It is grief. It is sorrow. The reaction is intuitive, instinctive. It is visceral. It releases a wailing cry inside of you. It elicits gut-level indignation. It is unbearable. I remember wanting to break through the glass. To take her away from that place. To scoop up as many of them as I could into my arms. To take all of them away. I wanted to break through the glass to tell her to keep fighting. To not give up. To tell her that we were coming for her…"

“Because we went in as part of an ongoing, undercover investigation on this particular brothel, we were unable to immediately respond. Evidence had to be collected in order to bring about a raid, and eventually justice on those running the brothel. It is an immensely difficult problem when an immediate response cannot address an emergency. Some time later, there was a raid on this brothel and children were rescued. But the girl who wore #146 was no longer there. We do not know what happened to her, but we will never forget her. She changed the course of all of our lives." -Rob Morris, President and Co-founder

We have taken her number so that we remember why this all started. So that we must tell her story. It is a number that was pinned to one girl, but that represents the millions enslaved. We wear her number with honor, with sorrow, and with a growing hope. Her story can be a different one for so many more.

Child sex slavery falls under the larger crime of human trafficking which, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime "is the fastest growing means by which people are enslaved, the fastest growing international crime, and one of the largest sources of income for organised crime" and is the 3rd largest organized crime following drug and arms trafficking (UNODC). Human trafficking is defined by the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 as:

(a) sex trafficking in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such an act has not attained 18 years of age; or (b) the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery. - US Department of State

Human trafficking is in no uncertain terms, modern day slavery. It's estimated that 27 million people worldwide are currently enslaved due to human trafficking. This is more than any point during the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. It's horrifying to know this is million's of people's reality.

This little public service announcement was definitely prompted by the above scene in Tempted. However, this issue has been continually brought to my attention over the last year or so and I feel this is not a coincidence. First, I heard about it through the church I was attending. They actually had an entire weekend workshop dedicated to the issue, which I was unable to attend. Then one of the musicians from this same church became a vocal activist and as her fan on Facebook I would occasionally see her updates on the issue. She has a moving video to her song Priceless written for the victims of human trafficking (check out the video below). Then one rainy Saturday, I was flipping through the channels and stopped on our local Columbus channel highlighting Human Trafficking in the state of Ohio. Then, I heard about the Price of Life even at Ohio State which, again, I was unable to attend.

All of this leads me to believe this is a fight I can and should be involved with. I don't know how to make a difference but I figure a post on my blog, in response to section of a book that, in my opinion glamorizes the issue, to raise awareness is a start.

You might notice I gave Tempted a rating of 4 chocolate covered strawberries. I really enjoyed the book, I did. However, this conversation between characters really bothered me long after finishing the book. While I thought the novel, overall, was excellent, sexy, and emotionally engaging. This disturbing discussion really took me out of the book. The scene was really hot. If I were a dude, I'd have had major woody but this conversation? A complete turn-off. I know there are many books within the romance genre that deal with the issue of human trafficking. However, most of those books are not condoning the practice. That is what set this conversation apart for me. This conversation was attempt to make this type of behavior sexy. It failed. Slavery is not sexy folks.

Priceless music video by Heather Evans:


For more information about the issue of human trafficking please check out these resources.

• Amnesty International
• Change.org
• Human Trafficking.org
• International Justice Mission
• Intrpol
• Love146
• Not For Sale Campaign
• Polaris Project
• Stop the Traffick
• UNICEF
• United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
• US Department of State

Tempted by Megan Hart

I had everything a woman could want.
My husband James. The house on the lake. My life. Our perfect life. And then Alex came to visit.

The first time I saw my husband's best friend, I didn't like him. Didn't like how James changed when he was around, didn't like how his penetrating eyes followed me everywhere. But that didn't stop me from wanting him. And surprisingly, James didn't seem to mind.

It was meant to be fun. Something the three of us shared for those hot summer weeks Alex stayed with us. Nobody was supposed to fall in or out of love. I didn't need another man, not even one who oozed sex like honey and knew all the secrets I didn't know, the secrets my husband hadn't shared. After all, we had a perfect life. I loved my husband.

But I wasn't the only one.

So I have to say the blurb for this book and it's sequel, Naked, which I read via Netgalley and will be reviewing soon, are both kinda off the mark. When I read this novel I didn't get the feeling that Anne didn't like Alex the first time she saw him, yes she appeared uncomfortable about this long lost friend of her husband's that she knew so little about and with the way James changed around him. But I NEVER got the impression she didn't like Alex, in fact I thought she was pretty much immediately attracted to him. Anyway, that's my little quibble with the blurb.

Tempted is my first foray into erotica. I was a little apprehensive, I wasn't sure what to expect or how I would like it. It was afraid it would be a literary version of porn: all sex, no plot. I've read some reviews of Hart's other books and was intrigued. They sounded like really gripping, intense reads. When I saw Naked available on NetGalley I wanted to read it but knew this book came first and had Alex in it. It's not necessary to read Tempted first to enjoy Naked but Tempted really gives you a background on what happened between Alex, James and Anne and helps the reader understand Alex better in Naked. So I would highly recommend picking this up before reading Naked.

I'm really glad I gave Tempted a chance. It's hot, it's sexually and emotionally intense. It's sweet and sad all at the same time. It's not a light read, which, I gather, not many of Hart's books are. However, I'm now a bona fide Hart fangirl and have also picked up Deeper and Stranger and intend to get her entire backlist! Yay for trying something out of my comfort zone and finding an amazing new-to-me author!

Rating:
One side note: there was a short conversation between Alex, James, and Anne that really disturbed me because of it's perceived (at least by me) glamorization, or at the very least acceptance of, child sex slavery. However, I intend to discuss/analyze this very brief conversation in the novel in a separate post. (Read it here.)

Disclosure: I purchased this book. I did not receive any compensation for this review.

Reading Recap: April 2010

Alright, I read more than one book in April! That makes it 100x better than last month! So here's a summary. I want to get some reviews written of Megan Hart's books since they were my first experience with erotica. Hopefully I'll find some time soon to get them written! Here's a breakdown by rating:

Five chocolate covered strawberries:

Proof by Seduction by Courtney Milan
The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson


Four chocolate covered strawberries:

Magic Lost, Trouble Found by Lisa Shearin
Naked by Megan Hart
Tempted by Megan Hart

Three chocolate covered strawberries:

Incarceron by Catherine Fisher
Sharp Teeth by Toby Barlow

Only one book in March, seven in April; a vast improvement I'd say! How was your April?!

Lightening Reviews

Proof by Seduction by Courtney Milan

She is his last chance for a future of happiness…

Jenny Keeble has never let her humble upbringing stop her. She’s made her way in the world as a fortune teller, one who convinces her clients her predictions are correct by telling them what they most want to hear. Business is good… until she meets her match in the form of Gareth Carhart, the Marquess of Blakely, a scientist and sworn bachelor.

He just doesn’t know it yet.

Broodingly handsome, Gareth is appalled to discover his cousin has fallen under the spell of "Madame Esmerelda," and he vows to prove her a fraud. But his unexpected attraction to the fiery enchantress defies logic. Jenny disrupts every facet of Gareth's calculated plan— until he can’t decide whether to ruin her or claim her for his own. Now, as they engage in a passionate battle of wills, two lonely souls must choose between everything they know… and the boundless possibilities of love.

A big thanks to Stacy for putting this one on my radar with her review and post on intellectual romance. I really enjoyed this book! It was smart, funny, and sexy. The characters were flawed but endearing. And I kept picturing Gareth as our lovely Mr. Thornton from North & South. Sigh. Definitely pick this one up folks!

Rating:






Magic Lost, Trouble Found by Lisa Shearin

Raine Benares is a Sorceress Seeker of average ability until she comes into possession of an amulet that amplifies her powers-and her enemies.

Can I tell you how much I enjoy being on Twitter? I likely would have never picked up this book if I hadn't seen @kmont, @angiebookgirl and @janicu debating between the two hotties in this series. I haven't read a lot of fantasy and what I have read has been mostly YA. It always seems to take me a little longer to get into fantasy because of the world-building and in this book's case, the names. They had some weirdo names. However, it didn't take me long before I was sucked into the story.There wasn't much wrapped up in this book as it's an on going series. I'm looking forward to getting the next book. I really love the young character Piaras. I'm looking forward to more interactions between Raine and her two love interests: Tam and Mychael. :)

The series in order:

1. Magic Lost, Trouble Found
2. Armed & Magical
3. The Trouble with Demons
4. Bewitched & Betrayed

Rating:






Sharp Teeth by Toby Barlow

An ancient race of lycanthropes has survived to the present day, and its numbers are growing. Bent on dominance, rival factions are initiating the down-and-out of L.A. into their ranks. Caught in the middle are Anthony, a kindhearted, lovesick dogcatcher, and the object of his affection: a female werewolf who has abandoned her pack.

This was my Book Club's April pick in honor of National Poetry Month. I had some trouble finding novels in verse that weren't for YA's. I'd seen Sharp Teeth before and had wanted to read it for awhile now. One of my friend's finished before I did and said she didn't like it. We have pretty similar tastes so after that I wasn't super excited about reading it. However, as the leader of my Book Club felt kind of obliged. I'm glad I read it. It was a good read. Not great, not something I'll ever re-read. Not even something I'll tell people you HAVE to read this. But I enjoyed it. When we discussed it at my Book Club, my friend who didn't like it, had just jumped right into reading it and was confused about all the "fur" references and took her awhile to figure out it was about werewolves. Some other things slipped by her in reading it as well so after I filled her in on the pieces she didn't put together she seemed to like it a little better. We also discussed why the author chose to write in verse. As I was preparing for our Book Club meeting to discuss the book I found an article or interview where Barlow was discussing that writing in verse was writing the bare-bones of a story it was stripped down. We also discussed how the use of verse made some of the gory details less disturbing. Had this been written in prose, I think a lot of the violence would have been too much for some readers. There's an excellent review of Sharp Teeth in New York Magazine.

Rating:






Disclosure: I checked all books out from the library. I did not receive any compensation for these reviews.

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

Seventeen-year-old Lennie Walker, bookworm and band geek, plays second clarinet and spends her time tucked safely and happily in the shadow of her fiery olde

r sister, Bailey. But when Bailey dies abruptly, Lennie is catapulted to center stage of her own life—and, despite her nonexistent history with boys, suddenly finds herself struggling to balance two. Toby was Bailey’s boyfriend; his grief mirrors Lennie’s own. Joe is the new boy in town, a transplant from Paris whose nearly magical grin is matched only by his musical talent. For Lennie, they’re the sun and the moon; one boy takes her out of her sorrow, the other comforts her in it. But just like their celestial counterparts, they can’t collide without the whole wide world exploding.

With The Sky is Everywhere, debut author Jandy Nelson has penned an honest, heartbreaking but ultimately uplifting, and, at times, surprisingly humorous, novel about the complex nature of grief.

Lennie, having lost her sister, has to navigate, often stumbling and falling flat on her face, through this new reality; this world without her be-loved sister. This paradigm shift has an effect on all her relationships: with Toby, her sister's boyfriend, Sarah, Lennie's best friend, Gram, and her Uncle. She has to redefine who she is without Baily and in the context of each of these relationships. Then there's the new guy, Joe. The guy who never knew Bailey. The guy, whose infectious smile can, for brief periods of time, make her forget her all encompassing grief.
Halfway through this book, I thought "there is NO way someone couldn't like this book."

No. Way.

So, I hopped on Goodreads to see the kind of ratings the book was getting. I was delighted to see it was mostly four and five stars. Then I saw a two star. I had to see what this person didn't like about this book. This book that so accurately and honestly portrays the sadness, anger, frustration, guilt, and confusion that accompanies losing a loved one.

Much to my chagrin this particular review compared it to.....Twi-fucking-light. Why, oh why does everyone seem to compare every YA book where a girl has a choice between two guys to Twilight?! I was actually pretty taken a back. Aside from the two possible love interests, this book has nothing in common with the popular vamp novel. I really felt that particular reivewer was grasping at straws on that one! And as much as I was entertained by Twilight it is a far cry from being as well written and deeply emotional as The Sky is Everywhere.
The reviewer also mentions how selfish Lennie is and yes while I agree, to an extent, I also think Lennie deserves a break. Grief sucks. It makes you do irrational things. Things like kissing your dead sister's boyfriend to drown both your sorrows even when you know it's wrong. Things like shutting out those closest to you when you really need them most. Grief isn't rational. It can make you a little selfish, a little bitter, a little angry.

In the story, Lennie, her Grandmother, and her Uncle are all grieving the loss of Bailey. It isn't until near the end of the novel that Lennie realizes she's been pushing her family away, not considering the fact that their attempts engage with her were not only to comfort her but that they too were seeking comfort for their own loss. She realizes how thoughtless she's been. She has that "a ha!" moment where she realizes just how hard it is for everyone else. So yea, it took her awhile to come up for air and realize, "damn, everyone else has been drowning here too". But she does, and I think she deserves credit for that.

Something else I loved about the book were the poems Lennie wrote. The poems were at the beginning of every chapter and give readers additional glimpses into Lennie and Bailey's relationship and is another avenue for Lennie to express her grief. They really add to the story.

I really wish I could do a better job of expressing how wonderful this novel is. As long as you don't mind a more serious read, I have no doubt you'll enjoy The Sky is Everywhere!

Rating:

Disclosure: I checked this book out from the library. I did not receive any compensation for this review.

The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott

I figured since this was the only book I finished in March (le sigh), I better get my review up!

I've loved Scott's books since my very first introduction with Bloom, which up until now was my favorite. But I can officially say that The Unwritten Rule is now my favorite Elizabeth Scott book. While there's nothing terribly unique about the story line:

Somewhat shy, insecure girl likes the nerdy boy turned hottie over the summer. Insert gorgeous, snotty best friend who takes sudden interest in newly hot nerd-boy resulting in an instant love triangle!

What is unique, is Scott's ability to write characters that are complex and turn a familiar plot-line into something exceptional. For example, Scott wrote the "gorgeous, snotty best friend", Brianna, in such a way that while you know she's the "villain" of the story, you can't help but feel sorry for her because of her family life. Meanwhile, while you're rooting for the main protagonist, Sarah, you're also frustrated with her for letting Brianna walk all over her and for not TAKING ACTION when it comes to Ryan.

I'm always a little concerned with this storyline, if an author fails to make readers empathize with the protagonist, then she's just becomes "that girl" that's after her best friend's boyfriend. However, Scott effectively demonstrates Sarah's efforts to be happy for her friend and avoid Ryan. Leaving the reader rooting for her to ditch the bitch and get her man!

Scott, with The Unwritten Rule and its hidden yearnings, stolen kisses, friendship, and first love, has hit the mark!

Rating:







Disclosure: I checked this book out from the library. I did not receive any compensation for this review.

On Reading YA Lit

Awhile back CindyS posted about romance readers who read YA literature. She expressed some befuddlement about why romance readers would venture into YA lit with its mostly chaste love interactions. Like Cindy, I enjoy some (ok, usually a lot) of heat in my romance novels. However, when I pick up a YA novel, I go into it knowing there will not be the intimacy levels of one of my beloved romance novels.

Cindy said, "Having puzzled on this for years it occurred to me that maybe it's because I read YA books when I was a YA."

As, did I! However, I find I'm just generally jealous of the quality and diversity of current YA literature. When I was reading YA lit I read the classics (Judy Blume), and pretty much what was available at the time: R.L. Stine, Christopher Pike, Joan Lowery Nixon, Richie Tankersley Cusick, Caroline B. Cooney, and Sweet Valley High (and University too! Yea, I admit it!). While that's not an extensive list, those were pretty much the major players when I was a young adult. I really just wish I'd had Sarah Dessen, Elizabeth Scott, Suzanne Collins, J.K.Rowling, Laurie Halse Anderson, Ellen Hopkins, John Green, Rachel Cohn, Maureen Johnson, and so many others when I was teen.

I think there's an awkward, angsty teen lurking deep down somewhere in all of us and while I'm glad I NEVER have to live through adolescence again, there's something nostalgic and endearing (for lack of a better word) about reading YA lit.

I think YA lit tackles some universal themes that most people, adults and teens alike, can relate to. Themes such as finding your place in the world, finding the strength and courage to be who you are, not what others want you to be.

YA lit also introduced me to other genres I thought I wouldn't be interested in: sci-fi and fantasy especially. Speculative fiction books like The Hunger Games and Life as We Knew It, encouraged me to seek out comparative adult titles such as Cormac McCarthy's The Road. The Harry Potter series and Kristen Cashore's Graceling & Fire allowed me to see the wonders of fantasy.

I think a post about teen lit without mentioning the Twilight series would leave an obvious hole, considering it's popularity. I read all the Twilight books. Enjoyed them well enough. Have never re-read them. On one hand, I'm glad it's so popular because, as with the Harry Potter series, a lot of adults who might normally turn their nose up at books written for teens were falling in love with the books. On the other hand, I think there are way more well written teen books out there and I'm sorry they're not getting the kind of attention that Meyer's mediocre series is receiving.

A few months back, my Book Club's book was the speculative fiction teen title, Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer. There were a number of reactions to reading a "teen" book. Some members didn't think twice. One of our few male members, later said, "Oh I didn't read it because it was a girl book, right? For teens?" Ummm, no but ok?! Several others just flat out didn't want to read it because it was a teen book. All those that did read it? LOVED IT.

I think Wendy, The Super Librarian, said it best in the comments on Cindy's post:

At the end of the day I've liked YA novels for the same reason I like grown-up novels - the characters. If I believe in the characters I'll follow them just about anywhere.

While the teen books may not contain the hot and heavy action that most of us romance readers have come to expect, they often take us on just as satisfying a ride as any adult novel!

Do you read YA lit? Why or why not? Would you be willing to give it a go?



Additional Reading:

Carpenter, Susan. "Young adult lit comes of age." Los Angeles Times 8 March 2010

Webber, Carlisle. "What they don't know won't hurt them: Persuading adults to read YA literature." Publishers Weekly 16 February 2009

In My Mailbox (2)

Won:

Little Bee by Chris Cleave
ReadingGroupGuides.com

Bought:

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
I LOVE these Penguin Classic hardcovers. So pretty!

That be it!

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristy, The Story Siren.