TOP TEN TUESDAY

This is my first Top Ten Tuesday post!  It's a great topic and not just because Thanksgiving is right around the corner.  I have so many reasons to be thankful :-).  In no particular order, here are the Top Ten Things I'm Most Thankful For:

1.  My loved ones -- This includes my amazing family, friends and everyone who makes my life better just by being in it.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

2.  My job(s) -- I'm so fortunate to be able to love what I do and to do what I love.  My jobs as a dance teacher and writer are absolutely the best professions in the world.  Wouldn't trade them for anything.

3.  Eleanor & Park -- The best book.  It changed my life, broke my heart, put it back together again, and made me feel so much.  I'm thankful for the depth of raw emotion and to Rainbow Rowell for having the lady balls to put it all down on paper.

4.  The Ideas -- I don't know where they come from, but whether it be new choreography or a new story, I am so, SO grateful.

5.  Music -- Makes life worth living.  I <3 great music.

6.  People who hold the door open for the person behind them -- Politeness...always appreciated.

7.  J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter -- Two of my most favorite people, one b/c she opened my eyes to the world of books, the other b/c he made that world such a fantastic place to be :).

8.  Catching Fire -- Book or movie form, I'm just glad it exists!

9.  Richard Armitage -- Again, dwarf or human doesn't matter.  Yes, just yes.

10.  Warm socks on a cold night.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Ninja Girl



WAITING ON WEDNESDAY

Hey there, "Waiting on Wednesday" is a meme hosted over at Breaking the Spine, featuring those books that you wish were out. Right. This. Second.

My WOWs this week are: the 4th installment in the Darkest London series.  I'm such a fan!!  Can't wait to read Jack Talent and Mary Chase's story :).  And an amazing book I saw last week on another blog (thanks, Readdicts!).

Goodreads summary:

Once a heart is lost in shadow...

Life has been anything but kind to Mary Chase. But the Society for the Suppression of Supernaturals has given her purpose. Now she's been tasked with catching a vicious murderer dubbed the Bishop of Charing Cross. But someone is already on the case—and the last thing he relishes is a partner.

Only someone who lives in darkness can find it.

Jack Talent has been alone with his demons for many years. He never expected to have the willful Mary Chase assist him on the Bishop case. Their age-old rivalry reaches new heights—even as their desire for one another reaches a fever pitch. Though he aches to bring her close, Jack's dark secrets are a chasm between them. With dangerous enemies closing in, Jack must find the strength to face the past...or risk losing Mary forever.

Goodreads summary:

I want someone who will talk to me honestly about things. You're the only person who ever has. Maybe you don't know this, but when you're disabled almost no one tells you the truth. They feel too awkward because the truth seems too sad, I guess. You were very brave to walk up to the crippled girl and say, essentially, wipe that sunny expression off your face and look at reality. That's what I want you to do next year. Tell me the truth. That's all.

Amy and Matthew didn't know each other, really. They weren't friends. Matthew remembered her, sure, but he remembered a lot of people from elementary school that he wasn't friends with now.

Matthew never planned to tell Amy what he thought of her cheerful facade, but after he does, Amy realizes she needs someone like him in her life.

As they begin to spend more time with each other, Amy learns that Matthew has his own secrets and she decides to try to help him in the same way he's helped her. And when what started out as a friendship turns into something neither of them expected, they realize that they tell each other everything—except the one thing that matters most.

So, these are the 2 books I'm waiting on--how about you? :-)

Hope you're having a great week,

Ninja Girl

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

MINI-REVIEWS: STIR ME UP & UNDECLARED

Hi all!  I'm trying something new.  Instead of one big review, I'm going to post two mini-reviews today.  Both books have one major plot point in common: A hot ex-Marine J.  Apparently, that's a big draw for me--who knew???

 

This YA romance features a love-hate relationship--which I love!   Our main characters are Cami, a 17-year-old with dreams of becoming a chef after graduation, and Julian, the ex-Marine who moves in with her family after being injured in the war.  And when I say "injured," I mean he literally had to have part of his leg amputated after an IED attack where the rest of his unit was killed.  Heavy stuff for YA.  Elkins didn't shy away from actually giving Julian a jerk-y, at times hostile personality as well as a true injury.  And through it all, he was HOT as heck!  Whenever Julian trash-talked Cami, she gave as good as she got.  Their arguments (which could get pretty steamy; the first kiss was the result of an impassioned yelling match *swoon*) were some of the best parts in the book.  And again, steamy romance abounds with a 20-year-old male lead and the girl who won't take any of his crap.  Quick, snappy dialogue, loads of tension, and two main characters you want to see end up together.  Can't ask for more than that!

Here's an NA that I actually enjoyed!  (Quick sidenote: My favorite is still Easy by Tammara Webber.  It was the first NA I read--again, THE BEST--and most of the others have been a bit …disappointing L.)  But anyway, Undeclared broke the streak!  This one features another ex-Marine.  Grace Sullivan has been writing to Noah for years.  They've never met; he's a Marine overseas, and she falls in love with him through their letters.  But then he breaks it off with her, telling her he sees her as more of a "kid sister."  Gah!  Brutal, right?  The story starts off right where it should.  It's two years later; Grace is in college but still head-over-heels for Noah--and he's come to win her back J.  Throughout the novel, we get to read letters from Noah's deployment, which add much to the story.  These letters gave the book a personal touch.  Plus, in this romance, we get two characters who've never met, but who have this amazing backstory.  Loved seeing Noah insert himself into Grace's life, and Grace trying to deny her true feelings while making him earn her trust.  The plot was unique for NA (at least it was to me), and I really enjoyed it!

So, two good romance reads...I guess, I need to be on the lookout for books with military heroes ;-).

Happy reading,

Ninja Girl