Category: A to Z Challenge 2012

G is for Giveaway! (Lucky Me, Lucky You!)

40 Comments

If you’ve read my blog and/or followed me on Twitter for any length of time, you might know that I’m pretty lucky when it comes to giveaways. Random number generators must love me, because I win books much more often than is reasonable. It’s exciting and wonderful, and I’m always incredibly grateful for the generosity of my fellow writers and for the new books that appear magically in my mailbox. So, I think it’s time to spread the love. 🙂

Lucky Me, Lucky You!

Two winners will be chosen randomly to receive either:

A SIGNED copy of John Green’s The Fault in our Stars (open internationally)…

The Fault in Our Stars

OR

A book of the winner’s choice (up to $20) from The Book Depository (winner must live where The Book Depository ships!). Might I recommend a few of my recent favorites? Pandemonium, The Disenchantments, Wanderlove, A Million Suns, The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, The Scorpio Races, and Daughter of Smoke and Bone, but, of course, if you win, you choose!

The Book Depository

Wondering about the rules of the giveaway? They’re simple:

1. For one entry, leave a comment telling me about a 2012 release you’ve read and loved OR name a book that’s coming out in 2012 that you’re dying to read.

2. The giveaway closes one week from today, Saturday, April 14th, at midnight, PST. (I will post the winner’s name on Monday, April 16th).

3. Once the two winners’ names are posted, the first to email me will have first choice of the prize they prefer (The Fault in our Stars OR The Book Depository book). The second winner to email will receive the remaining prize.

4. Want to earn additional entries?

+1 if you subscribe to this blog today (right column, top —->;;;) or click HERE to easily subscribe via Google Friend Connect
+2 if you are already a subscriber
+1 for following me on Twitter (new or current)
+2 for tweeting about this contest (@katyupperman, please!)

*Please tally up your entries and include the total in your original comment!

Yay! I love giveaways, even my own. Good luck!

F is for Friday Five (The Hunger Games Edition)

40 Comments

Happy Friday, friends!

I’ve been wanting to post my thoughts on a little movie I saw two weeks ago, one you may have heard a bit about:

The Hunger Games

The thing is, I needed a good long while to fully absorb the undeniable epicness (totally a word) of  my viewing experience, and I didn’t want to do my review (a word I use loosely) an injustice by jumping the gun…

Me and my ticket stub. (I'll refrain from describing all the grumbling my husband did when I asked him to snap my photo in the theater.)

Spoilers Ahead!!!

So… I had a few minor issues with movie (no book-to-film adaptation is perfect, of course), but overall, I was a fan. A BIG fan. Its mood, its message, its unavoidable representation of all things YA lit — all wonderfully executed.

Here, in true Friday Five fashion, is a countdown of the things I loved most: 

5. The Overall Appearance of the Film (costumes, sets, Seneca Crane’s beard…) – The gray disparity of District 12 contrasted with the garish spectacle of the Capitol spoke volumes. The arena’s forests, the tracker-jackers, the tributes’ gear — it was all spot on. So much of what I pictured while reading The Hunger Games two years ago appeared, nearly identically, on-screen. This, as a reader and viewer and fan, was incredibly satisfying.

 

 4. The Add-Ins (or, things we didn’t get to “see” while reading) – I found the behind-the-scenes (and highly calculated) game-making fascinating, and the District 11 riot was absolutely chilling. Thanks to Katniss’ first-person narration, neither of these aspects were explicitly described in the book (we can safely assume they happened, at least in some capacity), yet they turned out to be two of my favorite bits of the movie.

3. The Acting (Woody Harrelson, Stanely Tucci, Lenny Kravitz, Amandla Stenberg, specifically) – While Liam Hemsworth is pretty, I could have done without his empty stares and choppy dialogue, but the majority of the cast… Yowza! I was in awe of the way they grabbed hold of their roles and perfectly personified their characters, often above and beyond my (admittedly high) expectations. For me, the  performances  of the actors and actresses in supporting roles are what truly brought the movie to life.

This scene: Win

2. The Reaping – I’m not a crier — never have been — but damn it if I didn’t choke up  during the Reaping. That little Prim, the way she trembles and cries out for her sister. The way Gale has to drag her, kicking and screaming, from the ceremony. The pity — and relief — in the eyes of the onlookers. The way Katniss’ voice breaks when she shouts, “I volunteer!”  That whole scene was cinematic gold.

1. Jennifer Lawrence – There was a time, many moons ago, when I rooted for Hailee Steinfeld to earn the lead role of Katniss Everdeen. While I still think Hailee is adorable, having now seen Jennifer Lawrence so totally embody Katniss, I can’t imagine any other actress playing the part. Jennifer was subtle and controlled, yet she executed a flawless Katniss: brave and bold and bright, self-sufficient and pragmatic, so obviously passionate. I could not take my eyes off her, and I cannot wait to see how she helps Katniss evolve as the trilogy progresses onscreen.

Jennifer Lawrence + Katniss Everdeen = Badass

Looking for more on The Hunger Games movie? Check out these thoughtful reviews from fellow reader-writer-bloggers Sarah Enni, Caroline Richmond, Maggie Stiefvater, and Farrah Penn.

Have you seen The Hunger Games yet? What did YOU love?

E is for Eleanor

35 Comments

Today’s Bookanista recommendation: Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard (July 24, 2012)

Something Strange and Deadly

From Goodreads:  Eleanor Fitt has a lot to worry about. Her brother has gone missing, her family has fallen on hard times, and her mother is determined to marry her off to any rich young man who walks by. But this is nothing compared to what she’s just read in the newspaper—The Dead are rising in Philadelphia. And then, in a frightening attack, a zombie delivers a letter to Eleanor… from her brother. Whoever is controlling the Dead army has taken her brother as well. If Eleanor is going to find him, she’ll have to venture into the lab of the notorious Spirit-Hunters, who protect the city from supernatural forces. But as Eleanor spends more time with the Spirit-Hunters, including their maddeningly stubborn yet handsome inventor, Daniel, the situation becomes dire. And now, not only is her reputation on the line, but her very life may hang in the balance.

There is so much to love about Something Strange and Deadly, and I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to give this book an early read. It’s a mash-up that shouldn’t work, an equation that looks something like this:

A scant pinch of historical + a few shakes of steam punk + a generous dollop of horror (spirits and zombies — oh my!) = Something Strange and Splendid

Eleanor Fitt is a fantastic protagonist: strong and smart and funny, definitely no damsel in distress. And Daniel! He’s equal parts hilarious and alluring. He and Eleanor have awesome banter. But my, do they have problems. Their world is falling apart around them, and they learn pretty quickly that nothing is as it seems. There are twists and turns and tremendously written action sequences around every corner, which made this book the best kind of page-turner.

One of my favorite aspects of Something Strange and Deadly was  the way the elegant Victorian setting contrasted with the eerie creepiness of the Dead. It was a trip to be immersed in fancy turn-of-the-century customs in one scene, then, in the next, to be thrust into a spine-tingling supernatural confrontation. But it TOTALLY worked. Susan Dennard’s voice and style and attention to detail are amazing — perfect for this unique and suspenseful story. Definitely check out Something Strange and Deadly when it debuts in July.

Thanks so much to Holly Dodson for arranging the
Something Strange & Deadly ARC Tour!

Check out what my Bookanista friends are up to today!

Christine Fonseca  is wowed by WANDERLOVE
Stasia Ward Kehoe reads for National Poetry Month
Tracy Banghart honors THE HEX HALL trilogy
Corrine Jackson is thrilled over A TRUTH ABOUT FOREVER
Hilary Wagner deems the DANNY DRAGONBREATH Series fantastic

Tell me: What’s your favorite scary story?

D is for Delusions

36 Comments

Delusions.

All writers have them. In our heads, they often masquerade as confidence. Confidence is a GOOD thing. We need to be confident, to believe that our work is (or will one day be) worthy of being read, and that our efforts aren’t for nothing. We need confidence in order to press on.

Delusions are confidence’s evil step-sister. They keep us from moving forward, from honing our craft, and from growing as writers. They can be incredibly disadvantageous. Delusions keep us from reaching the success we dream of.

A few delusions I’ve entertained over the years:

Plot and structure are for conformists.

I don’t need to have my work critiqued; no one knows my story as well as I do.

Revisions are unnecessary; my story will be perfect the first time around.

I don’t need to abide by word count guidelines; every word of my (133,000 word) manuscript is golden.

Just wait until agents see this FIRST DRAFT of my FIRST MANUSCRIPT… They’ll be falling all over themselves to sign me.

I’ll definitely be one of those rare debut authors who sells at auction for six figures.

I know. Ridiculous, right?! It was sort of embarrassing even typing that insanity out, but looking back reminds me of how far I’ve come, and how vastly I’ve been educated.

Confidence = Good ~ Delusions = Bad

Delusional

Admit it… you’ve entertained a few writing delusions of your own. Care to share?