YALLFEST!!

 

Hi everyone!  Ninja Aunt P and I had an adventure this weekend with loads of bookish fun!!  This is where we were :-)

YALLFest a.k.a. The Charleston Young Adult Book Festival a.k.a. The best place on Earth (sorry, Disney.  You've been replaced lol!)

Once we finally found our way through SC's crazy one-way streets, I loved every second of it.  I got to meet a couple of my favorite authors, sat in on a few interesting (and informative) talks, and even came away with some awesome swag!

YES, that's a real, live I <3 Eleanor & Park pin :).  Want a closer look?

Ninja Aunt P called dibs on the pin, but that's cool.  I still got Siege and Storm!   Meeting Rainbow Rowell and Stephanie Perkins and having my books signed was definitely the highlight of the trip for me.  They were both so amazing and gracious and hilarious.  When faced with all that awesome, my ninja skills went right out the window!  Not to mention I was a little tired after waiting in looooooooong, energy-sucking lines.  But it was totally worth it!  They were great sports even in the face of my fangirl awkwardness :).

I intend to do another post about YALLFest (maybe a couple of posts), so if you want more info, it's on the way.  But for now, I'll just say this: I got to meet the authors of Eleanor & Park and Anna and the French Kiss!!!  Mission complete, life goal accomplished.  At this point, I'm happy dancing in my sleep.

Hope everyone has a great Veterans Day!

Ninja Girl

NINJA GIRL'S BEST OF 2012

Happy (almost) New Year everyone!!   Here's my list of the best books/authors I discovered in 2012.  Yes, I was a little late to the party on some.  But they still kicked major a** :-)

 

BEST YA CONTEMPORARY:

 

 

BEST YA PARANORMAL/FANTASY:

 

 

BEST ROMANCE:

 

 

BEST PARANORMAL ROMANCE:

 

 

BEST NEW YA SERIES:

 

 

BEST ADULT SERIES:

 

 

BEST NEW AUTHORS:

 

1) Ilona Andrews (I devoured the Kate Daniels series)

2) Stephanie Perkins (will read anything by her after AatFK)

3) Courtney Milan (the woman knows romance <3)

 

BEST HERO:

 

Three-way tie: Lucas (Easy) and Ash Turner (Unvelied) and Gavriel (Grave Mercy).

 

 

BEST HEROINE:

 

Kate Daniels (aka the most kick-ass chick you'll ever meet :p)

 

 

Hope everyone has an awesome New Year's!!

 

Ninja Girl





TUNE IN TUESDAY

Hi all! Tune in Tuesday is a meme hosted over at GReads that showcases music.  This week it's the Book Edition, which means pairing great songs with great books.  I've been watching so much of The Voice lately (totally my guilty pleasure/obsessionJ) that I couldn't resist sharing some of my faves!

First off, Jamar Rogers's rendition of Seven Nation Army and Tahereh Mafi's Shatter Me.  I just think this song and the way he performed it was so bad a**.  Could totally be either Juliette's or Warner's theme song.

Next, Lindsey Pavao singing Say Aah.   I've paired it with Ward's Dark Lover (the first book of BDB) b/c it's smooth yet gritty, more than a little in your face, and Pavao's voice gives it a dangerous quality.  And Ward's writing is always all of those things ;D

Then, of course, I have to include my favorite audition: Jesse Campbell singing A Song For You.  I had to pair a favorite with a favorite, so I went with Anna and the French Kiss.  The man is so darn likable! Doesn't hurt that he has a powerhouse voice and is so modest about it.  Just wow!!

And as an added bonus…Jamie Lono's version of Folsom Prison Blues.  No book, just Jamie.  I LOVE that guy!

Do any of you watch The Voice???  If not, look up; four great reasons why you might want to start*wink wink*

Have a great one,

Ninja Girl

ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS by Stephanie Perkins

Another Anna I loved!  Like I said in previous posts, Anna Dressed in Blood was my favorite read of 2011 (It was beyond phenomenal!).  Now, Anna and the French Kiss has rocked my world, so I'm just thinking MC's named Anna are probably a sign of a great book J.

Why'd I wait so long to read this one???  I have no idea.  Great title to draw you in, great cover art…honestly, it was probably b/c it's set in France.  Usually, I find stories set in the real world but outside the U.S. give too much description.  I don't love reading long, sweeping paragraphs about landscapes/setting; they usually take me out of the story instead of putting me in it.

I'm happy to say that this book gave just the right amount of detail.  I think part of this is b/c we see/learn everything with Anna, who's new to the country as well.  Anna is the heart and soul of this book, and I was a fan of hers from the beginning.  Her crap dad just sent her to bordering school for her senior year where she has no friends and doesn't speak the language.  But when she meets Etienne St. Clair, the ridiculously handsome French/British American with the incredible hair, things start looking up.  Too bad he has a girlfriend.  And Anna's new best girl friend has a huge crush on him.  And Anna may or may not have left her heart in Atlanta.  With all these obstacles, will Anna and Etienne ever get their happily ever after?

It's YA romance, people--of course, they do!

But the reason to read this book is to see how they finally get together.  If you haven't read Anna, get ready to meet your new book boyfriend.  Etienne: great sense of humor, fun-loving, hint-dropping, drop-dead gorgeous heartthrob with to-die-for hair (note: Anna has a thing about great hair)…and he's short.  This is mentioned several times throughout the novel.  Think a shortie can't be as attractive as the tall-ies?  Get ready to be proven wrong ladies b/c Etienne was one of the best male love interests I've come across.

Anna was hilarious, and her friendship with Etienne rang true.  Their "near misses" rang true as well.  They'll make you want to rip your hair out sometimes, but when they finally do get together, it seems all the more satisfying.  Their first kiss is electric.  If nothing else (the humor, the great friendships, the great characters), read the book for that kiss.  With all the build up, it's guaranteed to make you melt.  The scenes with Anna and Etienne were my favorites.  It's like Perkins took everything you'd want to find in a YA romance and packed it all into this book.  The longing, the almost-having, the heartbreak, and the long-awaited HEA.

This one's a definite keeper.  I'd recommend Anna and the French Kiss to anyone who loves great romance.  Honestly, though it was one of the first books I've read in 2012, it'll be hard to top this read J

Happy Friday all and happy reading,

Ninja Girl