Annie Dillard Love

I've recently been branching out in my reading habits as of late. This means that I've been reading books outside of the YA genre, which is a GOOD thing. A really good thing, actually. Having a broad spectrum of genres and authors that you read is going to make you a better, more informed writer, and reader for that matter.

One of my favorites lately has been Annie Dillard. Honestly, I think she is simply fantastic. She writes a lot of memoir based pieces. Memoirs are what I enjoy writing the most, and so I am very interested in both the genre and in what she has to say. Her imagery is beautiful and her purpose is clear, poignant and thought-provoking. If you're looking for a good short story to pick up and read in just five or so minutes, I would definitely recommend Transfiguration, also known as the moth essay, a truly beautiful piece of hers that talks about writing by way of a very cool and captivating metaphor.

Promises, Promises

I have learned something recently about myself. About this blog.

I keep making promises I cannot keep. Not that I don't love blogging, love reading and love writing. I just love the idea of me getting into college more. I've read a ton of ARCs lately, some that I loved, some that I loved less. For example, I absolutely loved Cassandra Clare's new book that I read in July. I only have two critisms: 1) the characters seemed a little too much like their ancenstors, Clary and Jace, among others. 2) The back cover wasn't exactly a correct description of the book. Less love triangle, less love in general, actually. The plot moved the book, not necesarily the relationships, like in Cassandra's other books.

I adored Holly Black's WHITE CAT. I read it in a day, locked in my room over spring break.

I couldn't get through THE MARK. I just couldn't help but feel like I'd read it before. A few times, actually.

And that's just naming a few of the many oboks that I read and loved over the summmer.

So here's what I have to say about my promises: there are none. My post will be sporatic. I'm just trying to get through my junior year. But I've also decided that this blog is not something I want to give up. I love the YA community, and I love the stories that I read.

In other news:

I'm starting a lit club at my school. It'll consist of writing, a little bit of reading, editing and submission to publications. It will mainly be short stories. Do you guys have any ideas about formats, great creative writing or fun editing activities? I want to hear!

More to come,

Mary

It has been far too long

I feel so incredibly guilty for not posting in such a long time, but unfortunately, my schoolwork comes first. However, I have been reading and I have a ton to review on. So.. how would you all feel about a video blog sometime this week on all the books I have missed? Yes? No?
As a side note:
I am participating in Relay For Life this coming Friday. Relay for Life, for those of you who don't know, is the signature fundraiser of the National Cancer Society. NCS is a fantastic cause and I am so excited to be participating in such a meaningful and powerful event. Cancer has affected so many different people in my life, and in many others' lifes as well so this is a very special thing for me to be doing. So far, I have raised $190 and am still recieving donations. If you would like to sponsor me, comment with your email address and I can send you the email required to donate. Even just five dollars makes a difference.

I'll be signing on again soon. :)
More to come,
OfficiallyMRS

HELP!!!

So guys, I know I haven't posted in a while, I've been reading, just the writing part hasn't exactly gotten done. (Soon! I promise!) But I need all of your help! I am leaving for Mexico in the morning and I have a huge stack of books and not enough room in my bag (or time to read all of them in a week). SO... of the list below, which books should I bring?!!?! SOS!!!
The Timekeeper's Moon by Joni Sensel (Bloomsbury, March 2010)
Girlfriend Material by Melisa Kantor (Disney Hyperion, May 2009)
The Mark by Jen Nadol (February, 2010)
White Cat by Holly Black (May, 2010)
The Naughty List by Suzanne Young (February, 2010)
Morpheus Road: The Light by D.J. MacHale (April, 2010)
Claire de Lune by Christine Johnson (May, 2010)
An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

Please comment!!!
Thanks,
OfficiallyMRS

Valentine's Day Contest

If you were to look up Valentine's Day on Wikipedia, this is what you would find.
Saint Valentine's Day (commonly simply Valentine's Day) is an annual holiday held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. The holiday is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Valentine and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496 AD. It is traditionally a day on which lovers express their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as "valentines"). The holiday first became associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, hen the tradition of courtly love flourished.

ModernValentine's Day symbols include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have largely given way to mass produced greeting cards, and Valentine's Day has become the second-largest greeting card-sending holiday in the United States, behind only Christmas.

Interesting, right? And I mean, what an awesome day! When you get to celebrate everyone and everything you love! With all of this hate and sadness in the world, how fabulous is it that we get to say, "you know what, despite it all, I love you"? It should be something that happens everyday, but somehow it seems limited to February 14th.

So to celebrate this day of giving what we love to those people who mean most to us, whether they be a boyfriend, hubby, child, cousin, best friend, frien-enemy or some random person you meet on the street, my friend Venessa from Simon and Schuster and I are hosting a contest!!! In place of a box of chocolates or a card, we've decided to give what we love the most (books, that is. What else?!) to you!

The books that you can win are...

STUPID CUPID by Rhonda Stapleton

WHAT WOULD EMMA DO by Eileen Cook

PERFECT YOU by Elizabeth Scott

KISSED BY AN ANGEL by Elizabeth Chandler

PERFECT SHOT by Debbie Rigaud

All of these books are ones that I either LOVED or heard great things about!!!

How to enter:

Simply comment on this post with your email address and one person, thing, book, activity, animal, ect. that you love by February 21st (one week after Valentine's Day). The first winner will be able to choose out of the five, then the second winner out of the four that are left, ect. until they are gone!!! This contest is open to those living in the United States only!

Don't forget to SPREAD THE LOVE by chatting about this post on Twitter, Facebook, your blog, ect.!!!

Happy Valentine's Day,

OfficiallyMRS

And the winner is....

And the winner of the signed copy of Melissa De La Cruz's BLUE BLOODS book is

Leigh!!!

Congratulations!! I've sent you an email!
Thanks to everyone who entered!!!!
More to come,
OfficiallyMRS

Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves ARC Review

So you guys remember how I am freaking obsessed with ARC copies? How I like knowing stuff before everyone else? You want to know what is better than an ARC copy?
An ARC with a story behind it.
While sending out emails to different publishers and authors about ARCs, I came upon Dia's book and immediately sent out an email to her.... requesting someone else's book. I was so embarrassed and immediately sent her an email explaining my add and complete lack of organization. Sorry about that Dia!!!


When I did get her book, I opened the envelope and stared at the sexy, beautiful and extremely purple cover.

Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves, 1/5/10, Simon and Schuster

Love can be a dangerous thing. Hanna simply wants to be loved. With a head
plagued by hallucinations, a medicine cabinet full of pills, and a closet
stuffed with frilly violet dresses, Hanna's tired of being the outcast, the
weird girl, the freak. So she runs away to Portero, Texas, in search of a new
home. But Portero is a stranger town than Hanna expects. As she tries to make a
place for herself, she discovers the dark secrets that would terrify any normal
soul. Good thing for Hanna, she's far from normal. As this crazy girl meets an
even crazier town, only two things are certain: Anything can happen and no one
is safe.

From page one, I was fascinated by the beautiful and unique writing style, the strong sense of character, both from the main character, Hanna and her mother Rosalee. Add to it Hanna's hallucinations, a product of her maniac depression, and the strange town of Portero, Texas, and I could not put the book down.
People say that the difference between writing fantasy and writing real-life fiction can be defined by two questions. When an author chooses to write fantasy, the question the characters are trying to answer is what am I?
When writing fiction, they ask who am I?

"'I'm Finnish. And American. And white and black. And neither thing
excludes the other, regardless of what you've been taught to believe
(100).'"

While reading Dia's book, I found that both of these questions played a significant role as Hanna tries to cope with her mental instability, finding a place within this strange town, race, and unresolved family problems while also learning about the monsters that reside in Portero and how to become one of the Porterenes who have learned to live with and destroy them.

"'Because I'm biracial. People look at me and can't figure me out, so they
ask, 'What are you?' Like I', a whole other species. But you... are you
another species (97)?'"

Another thing I absolutely loved about BLEEDING VIOLET is that Hanna is a very strong character, and although she does have a tendency to vomit when under stress, she doesn't underestimate herself. As she says herself, she doesn't need a boy to take care of her, a fact which I don't think many teenage girls grasp. That being said, she does make mistakes, like any teenager. She isn't perfect by any definition, but she knows who she is and learns to deal with the consequences of her actions.
The subtle and gentle blend of the two questions is what makes BLEEDING VIOLET a unique and incredibly beautiful masterpiece. Although the book was a little gory for my taste, it had a perfect blend of romance, self-discovery, fantasy, and southern atmosphere, making it a book that is not to be missed. I loved it.
BLEEDING VIOLET is on sale January 5th, 2010. You can learn more about Dia Reeves by going to her website or following her on twitter.
Thank you Dia for the great read (and being cool with the whole I-emailed-you-about-someone-else's-book thing).
More to come,
OfficiallyMRS