Book of the Month

Where I pick my favorite book I've read and reviewed in the month

October's pick is....

You can read my review here

What was your favorite book of the month?

Mysterious Saturday Review: The Case of the Gyspy Good-bye

Enola Holmes finds a client in her office - a client that just came from her brother's establishment. Her famous brother Sherlock is out of town at the moment, which gives Enola a head start finding the missing Lady Blanchefleur.

The Lady Blanchefleur helped an elderly ladies down the steps of the subway and disappeared. Enola interviews her two ladies-in-waiting for clues.

She then goes to the subway and discovers an underground society she'd rather not enter. While wondering if the Lady, unhappy with her wealth, took it upon herself to escape from society, she heads for Florence Nightengale's house for inspiration.

There, she meets her brother Sherlock. He's searching for her to hand deliver a package from her mother. Inside the package is a skytale message. Enola will need to find the right cylinder in order to read the message.

As she's chatting with her brother, an idea pops into her head. She leaves him standing on the street as she investigates her hunch. Her hunch proves correct, but know she needs help capturing the suspect. Can she trust Sherlock enough to help her and not force her into a different lifestyle?


My Thoughts: This is the end of the series. While I did love the ending, I'm sad that it ended. I adored this series. I loved all the disguises, the relationship between Enola and her brothers, how she bested Sherlock in her ability to read feminine clues, how she bantered with Sherlock, all the codes, and how she discovered her true self.

The Cover: I love the cover -except for Enola. She seems too strange. I really only liked the first cover.

Source: ILL

Contest: Catherine Clark

Earlier this week, I reviewed her new book, Meanicures and then chatted with Catherine Clark.

Now, she's graciously hosting an awesome contest win her latest book:

Plus - one of her YA titles of your choosing
Maine Squeeze
So Inn Love
Icing on the Lake
Picture Perfect
Wish You Were Here
Banana Splitsville
Rocky Road Trip
Better Latte Than Never
What's Hot
Alison Rules

Check out her site to find out more about these awesome books

Rules:
1. Leave a comment
2. add your email address
3.contest ends Midnight November 5th
4. EDITED TO ADD: ***Open to US and Canada only ***

Ten Things

Ten Books - favorite read from my childhood in no particular order

Many of the books I read, my sister and I both read. We have similar tastes - still do some times. She read them, passed them on to me. She taught me how to read at an early age.

There's no Such Thing as a Dragon: This book we kept at my Grandparent's house. I thought it was hilarious as the dragon grew and grew.

Potter's Kitchen: I loved the idea behind this book - the kitchen is the heart of the home. I still believe this - it also could be something to do with all the goodies in the kitchen.


Ernie's Little Lie: I loved the art aspect of this book - it probably foreshadowed my love of art.


Just as Long as We're Together: I read this book until it fell apart. I didn't realize there were other books in the series until recently. I can't wait to go back and spend time with those characters again. Again - this had a very different cover.


Winter Dreams, Christmas Love: My sister and I adored this book. We borrowed it from our cousin and "forgot" to give it back. She found it in my sister's closet a year later. unfortunately, my sister gave it back. I think we had words over it :)


Witches: Another book my sister and I loved. I read this one until it fell apart. I don't know why, but I've never read any of his other works.


Leave the Cooking to Me: My Mom made me buy this in a bookstore. I thought it looked horrible, but I was wrong. I really enjoyed it.


Emily of New Moon: I read this series over and over again. I always wished they made a movie series of these books as they did with the Anne books - which I also loved.


Tales of Fourth Grade Nothing: This book was hilarious! Of course the cover was different. There are certain parts of this book - and other featuring Peter and his brother that I will always remember. I also was so excited to meet Judy Blume when I was in library school. We had "a moment" when the man introducing her got her book titles wrong. She saw me frown at him.


B is for Betsy: I loved this series -as did my sister, also named Betsey. Plus, my birthday is on Christmas Eve - I felt such a connection with the younger sister Star. I started reading these in first grade - and loved them

Spotted: Summer in the City Cover

I think this one MUCH better than the first.
It comes out in April of next year. Read more about the release

I wasn't a big fan of the first book, but I LOVED how it ended. I'll probably read it.

Review: Elixir

Clea lives in the spotlight - thanks to her two famous parents. Now, her father's been missing for a year. She'll do anything she can to uncover clues to his whereabouts as she refuses to think he's dead.

Clea returns from a European vacation with her BFF Rayna. While she's looking over the pictures she took, she spots something strange. There's a man standing in almost all of her pictures even though they toured different countries.

Clea's sure he's not someone trailing her for protection. She can't explain his presence. She begins have dreams about him, sometimes romantic and sometimes nightmares.

Clea's a photojournalist under a pen name. She receives an assignment to travel to the last known location of her father. She jumps at the chance. There on the beach, she spies the man from her pictures. She bolts after him.

When she does meet him, she discovers a dangerous world - a world of a repetitive cycle that has in the past lead to her death. Can she fight fate and change the cycle?


My Thoughts: The start of a new series by Hilary Duff. I've heard a lot about this book - some good, some bad. I'm interested to see if my teens will be reading it. I liked the past lives and the fight to change the future. I find Rayna refreshing. I had a hard time liking the boys at the end of the book - though I loved Ben until the climax. I'm curious as to what will happen next.

The Cover: I like it, it reminds me for Forget-Her-Nots

Source: My Library

Ghost and Graves Tour: Otis Library recap

The treat table

Goodies that Nancy from Cataloging made for the event

Gravestone cookies I made

Fun Candelabras

The book table

giving out the awesome prizes

Chatting with many teens and adults

Jessica Verday and Michelle Zink visited the library on Monday night. As you can see in addition to their great books, we had great treats. The authors chatted about their books.

The Hollow (read my review)

The Haunted (I have this one on hold)

3rd book coming next year: Title is NOT the Horror which is listed on Goodreads and it's about choices

Jessica talked about her perfume making - which you can read about in her books. She also made the character's perfumes which is awesome. She mentioned reading the latest Joe Hill novel (who is Stephen King's son). She talked about researching religion and how there's at least one common thread throughout the burial process.

Prophecy of the Sisters (read my review)

Guardian of the Gate (Read my review)

3rd book coming next year: Circle of Fire

Michelle mentioned combining mythologies in her book - Celtic, Norse, and others. She mentioned loving Stephen King and horror. She spoke about not reading while she writes so the voices don't combine and so she won't lose her muse. However, after the book is complete the reading begins.

Here's Jessica (From I Read to Relax) and I posing with the authors

And the awesome READ poster:

Spy Glass Winner!

IS.... jpetroroy
Congrats :)

Chatting with Catherine Clark

Catherine Clark is one of my favorite authors - I adore her romances especially Icing on the Lake and Maine Squeeze. With her latest book, she's trying something new for tweens. Thanks for joining us!

What made you choose to write? Uh, destiny? Love of reading, probably. Love of books. Having a dad who taught high school English and filled our house with books. Living close to a library and visiting it often for all the others I wanted to read.

Same here, my house - both now and growing up was filled with books

Where do you write best? A combination of places. For each book I tend to choose a couple of spots, and return to them over and over—certain coffee shops, a studio rental, or libraries. Then afterward I have to find new places because, you know, you can’t go home again.

How do you get your ideas? Do you use real events in your novels and if so, can you describe one? Well, they come from all over the place. The inspiration for “Meanicures” came from a friend of mine who still celebrates her former BFF’s birthday, even though said BFF became a mean girl and their friendship ended. A bunch of us got together and went out for dinner and started talking about the mean girls in our lives… At the end of dinner, I noticed we were kind of making some not-so-nice comments about people, and I thought, “What if the nice girls turned mean?” That was how the idea for the book came about.

What a great idea! I love how the book came to you.

How did you come up with your titles? Some of them appear instantly as I’m dreaming up the concept for a book, and they’re tied to the book from day one. (Like “Maine Squeeze,” “Truth or Dairy,” and “Meanicures.”) Others are a bit more difficult and requite tons and tons of thought and silly lists of brainstormed ridiculous titles.

Can you tell us a little bit about Meanicures? Three best friends have a particularly bad Monday at school with their former friends, and decide enough is enough. They can’t take being pushed around by the “mean girls” one more day. They decide to have a somewhat magical ceremony to get the girls out of their lives; instead of that happening, they turn into mean girls themselves… which is NOT what they wanted. So they have to figure out how to turn things back.

I really enjoyed this book - check out my review

Was it harder to write a middle grade novel after writing teens novels? Did you find it very different? For me it was fun to write something that was purely about friendship and (to a light degree) family. I wished I could have gone into more detail on several things. I think I could have, in retrospect, but I was trying to keep things moving quickly as I flipped their situation.

What will did you do on your release day? Our daughter gets out of pre-K at noon, so we’ll have lunch, then we have to go get her hair cut because tomorrow is picture day, then maybe buy some pumpkins for the front steps. Mostly I tend to freak out a little bit, so if I can distract myself from the fact that it IS release day, that will be a good thing. It’s nerve wracking.

Update: she had the haircut, then we went bike riding and she smashed into a metal pole and now has a giant bruise on her face. More nerve wracking than pub day, so it put things in perspective. Poor girl.

What’s your favorite part about working in a bookstore? Opening the boxes of books and toys and doing receiving. I seriously love that. I’ve worked in 5 different bookstores. I love meeting people who enjoy the same books I do, and working with other people who like books is the best. I also like seeing the authors and illustrators who come to our store on tour.

Those are my favorite parts of being a librarian too! Opening boxes of books always feels like Christmas to me.

What’s up next? I just finished another MG novel tentatively titled “Clarinet Hero” about a boy who gets swept up in the presidential campaign with hilarious (and heroic) results. I’ll be rewriting it over the coming months and it should be out from Egmont in Spring 2012. Now I’m working on a more serious YA that I’m dying to get to.

Also, I should mention that my book “Maine Squeeze” is being reissued in a couple months with a new cover – and I have the sequel to “Rocky Road Trip” coming out next summer in a big trade paperback edition. It was delayed so they could redo the cover and format, so it moved from winter to summer, which is ironic because the publisher wanted me to write a winter story. Oh well!

I notice from your website that you’ve written under the name Caitlyn Davis. Do you have other pen names? What made you choose to write under a different name?

At the time I wrote that book (“What’s Hot”) I was under contract with one publisher, and writing for a different one. I couldn’t write something that would compete with myself (“Catherine”) (This sounds weird, I know). I’ve written a TON of books under various pen names, as a “writer for hire.” It can be a lot of fun, but you don’t get the feeling of satisfactionction you get when you create the entire thing yourself.

What was the last book you’ve read that you’ve been recommending to everyone? Birthmarked by Caragh O’Brien. I am not into paranormal, but I do like dystopian novels. I can somehow see those as happening. Plus they tend to be political and I enjoy that aspect in a vision of the future and as a statement regarding the present.

Are there any authors you’d love to meet? Many! But being authors we’d be too awkward to talk to each other. Maybe I could meet him/her by email. ;-)

Do you have a favorite literary quote? “In the end, they just ask you those crappy little questions.” –Robert Penn Warren, All the King’s Men

Listing of your favorites:
Candy – caramel creams
Pizza topping – black olives, pineapple, banana peppers
Genre of books – adult fiction, young adult fiction, children’s fiction
Singer and/or Song – Elvis Costello
Restaurant – Pizza Luce
TV show /Movie – The Office, Glee
Color - green
Shoe – new red Converse sneakers from TJ Maxx
Video Game – not my thing, but I have made a fool of myself on Rock Band

Anything I didn’t ask? I take my coffee with cream. ;-)

Review: Meanicures

Madison, Taylor, and Olivia are best friends - but they used to be friends with three other girls - Cassidy, Alexis, and Kayley. Now those girls have joined forces and they're taking over the school leaving Madison and her friends far behind. It wouldn't have mattered so much to Madison and her friends if Cassidy and company didn't try to humiliate them every chance they got.

After a disaster hair day, on a whim, Madison runs into a hair salon to change her look and hopefully her luck. There, she hears her stylist talking about how to get rid of negative people.

Madison takes her advice to heart. She, Taylor, and Olivia gather together to purge the mean girls from their lives. They take items of the past friendship and pack them away.

On Monday, things have changed, but it's not what the trio expected. Instead, they've turned into mean girls. They're mean to Cassidy, Alexis, and Kayley and worst of all, they're mean to each other. Can the reverse the spell and return things to normal?

My Thoughts: Meanicures is a great book for tween girls and understanding friendships. It's a cute tale all about relationships- straying apart from your friends, but still treating them with respect - eventually. The girls go through rocky times as they dread dealing with these girls, morph into these girls, and then find a way to co-exist together.

The Cover: Cute and it really captures a significant portion of the book

Source: My Library

Fun Fact: Stay tuned tomorrow for an interview with Catherine Clark!

Have you read these books?

So which of the Top 100 Children's Novels have you read? The ones I've read are in bold...and No, I don't think all of these are childrens's titles. I've read about half - not too shabby.

100. The Egypt Game - Snyder (1967)

99. The Indian in the Cupboard - Banks (1980)

98. Children of Green Knowe - Boston (1954)

97. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane - DiCamillo (2006)

96. The Witches - Dahl (1983)

95. Pippi Longstocking - Lindgren (1950

94. Swallows and Amazons - Ransome (1930)

93. Caddie Woodlawn - Brink (1935)

92. Ella Enchanted - Levine (1997)

91. Sideways Stories from Wayside School - Sachar (1978)

90. Sarah, Plain and Tall - MacLachlan (1985)

89. Ramona and Her Father - Cleary (1977)

88. The High King - Alexander (1968)

87. The View from Saturday - Konigsburg (1996)

86. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - Rowling (1999)

85. On the Banks of Plum Creek - Wilder (1937)

84. The Little White Horse - Goudge (1946)

83. The Thief - Turner (1997)

82. The Book of Three - Alexander (1964)

81. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon - Lin (2009)

80. The Graveyard Book - Gaiman (2008)

79. All-of-a-Kind-Family - Taylor (1951)

78. Johnny Tremain - Forbes (1943)

77. The City of Ember - DuPrau (2003)

76. Out of the Dust - Hesse (1997)

75. Love That Dog - Creech (2001)

74. The Borrowers - Norton (1953)

73. My Side of the Mountain - George (1959)

72. My Father's Dragon - Gannett (1948)

71. The Bad Beginning - Snicket (1999)

70. Betsy-Tacy - Lovelae (1940)

69. The Mysterious Benedict Society - Stewart ( 2007)

68. Walk Two Moons - Creech (1994)

67. Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher - Coville (1991)

66. Henry Huggins - Cleary (1950)

65. Ballet Shoes - Stratfeild (1936)

64. A Long Way from Chicago - Peck (1998)

63. Gone-Away Lake - Enright (1957)

62. The Secret of the Old Clock - Keene (1959)

61. Stargirl - Spinelli (2000)

60. The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle - Avi (1990)

59. Inkheart - Funke (2003)

58. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase - Aiken (1962)

57. Ramona Quimby, Age 8 - Cleary (1981)

56. Number the Stars - Lowry (1989)

55. The Great Gilly Hopkins - Paterson (1978)

54. The BFG - Dahl (1982)

53. Wind in the Willows - Grahame (1908)

52. The Invention of Hugo Cabret (2007)

51. The Saturdays - Enright (1941)

50. Island of the Blue Dolphins - O'Dell (1960)

49. Frindle - Clements (1996)

48. The Penderwicks - Birdsall (2005)

47. Bud, Not Buddy - Curtis (1999)

46. Where the Red Fern Grows - Rawls (1961)

45. The Golden Compass - Pullman (1995)

44. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing - Blume (1972)

43. Ramona the Pest - Cleary (1968)

42. Little House on the Prairie - Wilder (1935)

41. The Witch of Blackbird Pond - Speare (1958)

40. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - Baum (1900)

39. When You Reach Me - Stead (2009)

38. HP and the Order of the Phoenix - Rowling (2003)

37. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry - Taylor (1976)

36. Are You there, God? It's Me, Margaret - Blume (1970)

35. HP and the Goblet of Fire - Rowling (2000)

34. The Watson's Go to Birmingham - Curtis (1995)

33. James and the Giant Peach - Dahl (1961)

32. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH - O'Brian (1971)

31. Half Magic - Eager (1954)

30. Winnie-the-Pooh - Milne (1926)

29. The Dark Is Rising - Cooper (1973)

28. A Little Princess - Burnett (1905)

27. Alice I and II - Carroll (1865/72)

26. Hatchet - Paulsen (1989)

25. Little Women - Alcott (1868/9)

24. HP and the Deathly Hallows - Rowling (2007)

23. Little House in the Big Woods - Wilder (1932)

22. The Tale of Despereaux - DiCamillo (2003)

21. The Lightening Thief - Riordan (2005)

20. Tuck Everlasting - Babbitt (1975)

19. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Dahl (1964)

18. Matilda - Dahl (1988)
17. Maniac Magee - Spinelli (1990)

16. Harriet the Spy - Fitzhugh (1964)

15. Because of Winn-Dixie - DiCamillo (2000)

14. HP and the Prisoner of Azkaban - Rowling (1999)

13. Bridge to Terabithia - Paterson (1977)

12. The Hobbit - Tolkien (1938)

11. The Westing Game - Raskin (1978)

10. The Phantom Tollbooth - Juster (1961)

9. Anne of Green Gables - Montgomery (1908)

8. The Secret Garden - Burnett (1911)

7. The Giver -Lowry (1993)

6. Holes - Sachar (1998)

5. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler - Koningsburg (1967)

4. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe - Lewis (1950)

3. Harry Potter #1 - Rowling (1997)

2. A Wrinkle in Time - L'Engle (1962)

1. Charlotte's Web - White (1952)

Mysterious Saturday Review: Royal Blood

Lady Georgiana is asked by the Queen to attend the wedding of an old school classmate while representing the Crown of England. She's also asked to be one of the bridesmaids.

Georgiana is happy to escape the cold foggy London - where her sister-in-law and her brother have joined her. They aren't used to her style of living and they're making her crazy. The one downside about traveling to Transylvania is that Georgiana must travel with her maid and she can't afford one.

After her grandfather works out a deal - she acquires a rough around the edges maid. Together they travel from England by boat to France and then by train to their destination.

Once they arrive at the castle, the weather changes. Everyone's trapped inside the castle due to the snow. One night, at dinner, between the toasts the man sitting next to Georgiana falls face first into his food.

He's taken into another room, where it's discovered he's been poisoned. however, because of his political connections, the few in the know decide to announce he's had a heart attack. His death could mean a civil war between the two countries uniting by marriage. they can't stop the marriage, so they whisk the body away.

As Georgiana looks into the mysterious death, she remember the glass the man drank out of was not his own. Instead, he drank from the Prince's glass. Does someone desire to stop this wedding at all costs?

My Thoughts: This is the fourth in the Royal Spyness series - a charming blend of Royal life with everyday living as Georgiana has virtually no monies. There's always danger, a spark of romance, and snooty Royals involved.

The Cover: Elegant and in connection with the three previous books

Source: ILL

Review: Guardian of the Gate

*READ only if you've read PROPHECY OF THE SISTERS as this review contains SPOILERS*

Lia made her way to London after the tragedy of her brother's death. She knows that Alice is now truly her enemy. Lia continues to hunt for the missing keys while discovering how to gain power amongst the planes. She's no where near as strong as Alice and that thought frightens her.

When she receives word that her Aunt Abigail, guardian of Altus, lay dying, Lia must travel to her to discover the location of the hidden pages. These pages will tell Lia how to use the keys to close the gate once and for all.

However, traveling to Altus will be a dangerous journey. During the trek, Sophie begins to turn on Lia. The Souls have captured her and force her to tempt Lia into opening the Gate. Lia refuses, but the betrayal deeply griefs her.

Through her journey, she meets a man Dimitri. At first, he's a friend, but soon, he captured her heart. Lia doesn't know how to choose between him and James. Unfortunately, the in wake of Lia's disappearance, Alice has been comforting James. The thought of her twin with her childhood love, makes Lia sick. She vows to straighten out everything after she accomplishes her mission. Until then, she finds comfort with Dimitri.

The journey to uncover the pages will be extraordinarily dangerous. Dimitri will accompany her along with several riders along the way - each only knowing part of the journey. Will Lia and Dimitri escape with the pages unscathed and the secret knowledge or will Alice and the Souls intervene?

My Thoughts: I loved the second book in this trilogy - and I can't wait for the third book and the showdown. I enjoyed the tension between Lia and the rest of the characters as she pulls away from everyone due to the weight on her shoulders. I like the introduction of Dimitri and then now love triangle for Lia.

The Cover: I like it, it goes together with paperback cover of Prophecy of Sisters

Source: Arc from the publisher

Fun Fact: Michelle Zink will be visiting Otis Library with author Jessica Verday as part of the Ghost and Graves tour on Monday!

Spotted: Demonglass

Isn't it BEAUTIFUL?

I LOVED Hex Hall and I can't wait read this book!!!

It comes out next March!

Found on Twitter: Sweep the movie

The SWEEP books by Cate Tiernan (the pen name of Gabrielle Charbonnet) will be adapted for the big screen - (Mitali Perkins tweeted the news)



You can read more about it here


I LOVE this series, she just made my morning. Alloy also has some other great projects in the works including The AU Pairs (Melissa de la Cruz)!

Review: Bright Young Things

Right after the wedding she never wanted, Cordelia and Letty decide to leave small-town life in Ohio for the dazzling city life of New York City. They've been best friends forever.

Once in the city, they find a boarding house and go out on the town. In a speakeasy, Cordelia meets a boy. They have a moment. In that moment, she tells him the truth about why she really came to New York. She wants to find her father. Unfortunately, Letty overhears. The two girls end up fighting and homeless.

Cordelia comes to find her father. He welcomes her with open arms. His lifestyle isn't what she's used to - as he runs an illicit business. He also lives in high glamor.

When he discovers the identity of the boy Cordelia dates, he forbids her to see him again. Cordelia doesn't want to go against her new family, but she can't stay away from Thom.

At one of her father's infamous parties, she meets Astrid. Astrid dates her brother Charlie. She's ultra glamorous, but her relationship with Charlie is on the rocks. Astrid isn't sure she can trust him, but she loves Cordelia.

Meanwhile, Letty tries to make it as a star. She's got an amazing voice and a new job at a speakeasy. There she meets a man who could propel her on the fast track to stardom.

Will the three girls find romance and the answer to their huge dreams within New York City?

My Thoughts: I've been waiting to read this book since BEA. When it arrived in the library, there *might* have been squealing and a happy dance. The author of the Luxe series strikes again! I loved the fashion of the Twenties, the romance, the luxury, and seeing New York City from an architectural standpoint. I love how the three girls lives mingled together - even though they weren't always friends. I can't wait to find out what happens next.

The Cover: Amazing. I Love the dress!

Source: My Library


Up soon: VIXEN - another book about the Twenties that I'm dying to read.

Scholastic Webcast

Several of you asked about the other books displayed within the Webcast. I was going to reply as a comment, but figured this might be better. Here are some of them that caught my attention. It was an awesome webcast - done through videos where we met authors and publishers.

They talked about their books ranging from picture books to YA - all with videos.

I really loved the Garth Nix and Sean Williams video of brainstorming their novel TROUBLETWISTERS. I will definitely be checking that book out. It's a middle grade novel due out next May


Beauty Queens by Libba Bray sounds funny - love the cover. If I remember correctly, it's about a bunch of beauty queens who must survive together on a deserted island when their plane crashes.


Chaos - the sequel to numbers. I love how this cover matches Numbers

Relaunch of Dear America series - I dreamed about writing one when I was young. I did write up something for a school project along the similar lines about a girl crossing the ocean from Wales to New England due to the slate strike at Penrhyn quarry.

Here's the new one Winter of Red Snow



Cyborg sequel to Clone Codes - great cover


Clarity - which was already on my radar and looks awesome :)

Two pictures books that caught my eye.
LaRue Across America - I love these books

Story County - I couldn't find the cover of this one, but the inside looks super cute, it's about a farmer who befriends farm animals - including a high heel wearing cow and they make farm life extraordinarily different.

Quest for the Spark - New Bone book - but a novel with pictures.

Profiles - one event from the eyes of six historical figures. The first one will be based on the Civil War. This sounds cool, I do hope that they include more women not just 1/6 in each book.

Big Crunch - a year of a relationship - similar to 500 days of Summer


Thoughts?

Contest: Win Spy Glass

Yesterday, we had the good fortune to chat with Maria V. Snyder. She's graciously offered to host a contest on the blog: One Lucky Winner will win

To Win:

1. Leave a comment by midnight 10/27
2. include your email address

*I'll announce the contest winner 10/28*

Spotted: Abandon

I just watched Scholastic's Librarian Preview for titles coming in the Spring. As you know, I'm a HUGE Meg Cabot fan. So I was super excited to see the cover from her new series displayed. It's the modern re-telling of Persephone. I can't WAIT to read it!

I really like the cover. I remember reading Meg's blog about the cover shoot saying there needed to be more dirt!

What do you all think?