Category Archives: Book of the Month

Book of the Month

August 27, 2016 posted by Nichole

Book of the Month: Guest Post from Bridget Hodder:

I’m a dreamer and a do-gooder. When I realized (around age 9) that my efforts to make this world a better place were falling pretty flat, I decided to make up entirely different, better worlds of my own, and ask readers to join me there.

“WHY RATS?”

I didn’t add a “rat” dimension to the story simply to tweak the original, or for sheer enjoyment of their unexpected situations and witty dialogue.

The rats allow us to explore what it really means to be human. Is humanity a birthright, or a way of being? At some point, if “humans” behave monstrously enough, do they forfeit their humanity?

My all-time favorite Middle Grade books had some pretty deep philosophy at the core, while entertaining me so much I hardly noticed the depth until I thought about it afterwards. Then I would go back and read those books again, to put it all together. That’s what I wanted to do in THE RAT PRINCE. It flowed naturally from my beliefs about respect, love, courage and the worth of striving even when there seems to be no chance of success.

We all fight the same existential battles, and the books that stay with us are the ones offering insight or hope, reminding us we’re all in this together.

THANKS, NICHOLE!!!

The dashing Prince of the Rats–who’s in love with Cinderella–is changed into her coachman on the night of the big ball. And he’s about to turn the legend (and the evening) upside down on his way to a most unexpected happy ending!

Buy the Rat Prince Today!

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-rat-prince-bridget-hodder/1122087547?ean=9780374302139

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Rat-Prince-Bridget-Hodder/dp/0374302138

You guys, this book sounds SUPER CUTE! I love that this is an MG Cinderella retelling. I LOVE the cover. I just love it all!

Book of the Month

August 20, 2016 posted by Nichole

Book of the Month: The Rat Prince by Bridget Hodder Giveaway

Hi, everyone!

I’m super excited to be able to offer all of you the chance to enter to win our August Book of the Month, The Rat Prince by Bridget Hodder. This giveaway will run until the end of August and is open to US residents only. Good luck!!!!

Buy the Rat Prince Today!

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-rat-prince-bridget-hodder/1122087547?ean=9780374302139

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Rat-Prince-Bridget-Hodder/dp/0374302138

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Author Interviews

August 13, 2016 posted by Nichole

Book of the Month: Author Interview with Bridget Hodder

Can you tell us about your debut, The Rat Prince, in 45 words or less?

The dashing, unstoppable Rat Prince is turned into Cinderella’s coachman for one night, to help save her family. At the royal ball, he and Cinderella discover the kingdom itself is under threat. What can they do? And this is a fairytale…so, what about a happy ending?

What was your favorite scene to write?

Hmm, that’s a hard choice!

I wrote the fairy goddess scene in a summer loft in Provence, and the lavender-infused magic of the place just shimmered through it. I can still feel that enchantment whenever I go back to read it.

But I particularly loved the final scenes in The Rat Prince, with the duel (I won’t give away who’s fighting who) and justice being done, and…I’d better stop right there! I love happy endings, and this one had many levels to it!

Do you have a favorite quote from the book?

“… I am always truthful, unless it is not to the purpose.” — Prince Char

And:

“The Rose of those idyllic days had been thrust aside to make way for a new girl named Cinderella. She was stubborn, watchful, desperate. But she was not yet defeated.” — Lady Rose (Cinderella)

What theme song would you give The Rat Prince?

There are two vintage, gorgeous songs, actually.

For Prince Char:

Northern Sky by Nick Drake

For Cinderella:

Somewhere Along the Road (by Rick Kemp, sung by Maddy Prior)

The links are just YouTubes; close your eyes and listen

What made you want to write a Cinderella retelling?

I know it sounds strange, but I was thinking about the tale of Cinderella, and how dissatisfied I was with the whole thing… then I felt like I heard the voice of the Rat Prince in my head, telling me the original tale didn’t make sense simply because it wasn’t the real story!

So I had to get the “true” story out there.

It basically took over my life for several months. As in, I did nothing else. Not even sleep. (Well, not much, anyway.)

How many similarities are there between The Rat Prince and Cinderella?

I set myself the challenge with this book to keep the outline of the old “Cinderella” plot while turning the whole thing sideways. So don’t expect this to take place on an interstellar ship, or to find out that “Stepmother” is really a code word for a hallucinogenic drug that brought this all on in a vision. We’ve got a castle, a ball, a real, live stepmother…a traditional framework for a very non-traditional version!

Equally important: The original “Cinderella” tells us that beauty and riches are what we should value. My story challenges that notion head-on. And along those lines, if you look closely at the old Cinderella story, it’s not even romantic. My version puts love back into the story, on all levels (where I think it belongs).

Series/standalone/companion?

It is definitely complete as a standalone. But there may be some companion stories coming out in this same universe… I may even have written a couple of holiday short stories with the same characters…stay tuned!

What is the best book you’ve read recently? What is your most anticipated 2016 debut?

So, I’ve read about 50 books so far this year, and I can’t choose among the new debuts. They’re all amazing. I will say that I’ve been re-reading Sharon Shinn’s “Safe-Keeper” Middle Grade novels– beautiful, quiet, satisfying gems. They refresh my spirit.

Buy the Rat Prince Today!

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-rat-prince-bridget-hodder/1122087547?ean=9780374302139

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Rat-Prince-Bridget-Hodder/dp/0374302138

Book of the Month

July 28, 2016 posted by Pavan

Book of the Month: P.S. I Like You Book Review

Hi Everyone! I have our last Book of the Month post for July for you today. It’s book review time!

What if the person you were falling for was a total mystery?

While Lily is spacing out in Chemistry one day, she picks up her pencil and scribbles a line from one of her favorite songs on the desk. The next day, someone else has written back to her on the desk! Soon enough Lily and the mystery student are exchanging notes, and lyrics, and even sharing secrets. When Lily finds out that her anonymous pen pal is a guy, she’s flustered — and kind of feels like she’s falling for him. She and her best friend set out to unravel the identity of the letter writer — but when the truth is revealed, the guy is the LAST person Lily could have ever imagined it to be. Now that Lily knows the truth, can she untangle her feelings and gather the courage to listen to her heart?

From beloved author Kasie West (The Distance Between Us) comes an utterly charming story about mixed messages, missed connections, and the magic of good old-fashioned secret admirer notes

Review:

I have read a few Kasie West novels and have adored each of them, so when I saw P.S. I Like You on Goodreads I had to add it to my TBR list and pre-order right away!! And I am happy to say that in no way was I disappointed with that decision. P.S I Like You is an adorable read which had me grinning, sighing and clutching my IPad all at once. P.S. if a lovely, fast paced read, which I will no-doubt, read again and again!

Whilst I adored the whole book, the letters really made P.S. an outstanding read. It was a unique twist, which really allowed me as a reader to experience the characters, Lily and the mystery person, on a whole new level. I could probably read a book full of those letters alone!

The build up of the romance was done really well. It wasn’t immediate “love at first sight” which I am happy about. I’m not sure how to describe the romance other than it made me swoon more than once. Both Lily and her love interest were flawed characters that made quick judgements, however they truly cared about each other, which was wonderful to read-especially when we got to see them build each other up and support each other.

I can’t write this review and not mention Lily’s family. They are a wonderful, in your face type of family and honestly I loved every time they entered the scene. You could see that they all loved each other and genuinely wanted the best for their family. I can admit most of the books I read don’t have the best family situations so P.S. was like a breath of fresh air!

Altogether, P.S. I Like You is a must read for all contemporary romance fans. If you want a book that will make you giggle and swoon at the same time as well as well as allow you to forge deep connections with amazing characters pick this one up today!

Pages: 304

Publication Date: July 26th, 2016

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25486998-p-s-i-like-you

Rating:

Book of the Month

July 25, 2016 posted by Pavan

Book of the Month: Ten Things We Didn’t Know About Kasie West

Hi Everyone! I have always wondered what are author’s different quirks or even just some interesting facts about them. Today I am able to spotlight author Kasie West and Ten Things We Didn’t Know About Her!!

Kasie:

This is a really hard task for me because I’m an open book and most things about me are easily find-outable. But also because I’m pretty boring and the things that are not well-known are not noteworthy. So I will try my hardest to think of both interesting and unknown things about myself but I might have to finish this list with things everyone knows. J

I live in a zoo. Okay, not a zoo, but we have lots of animals. 2 rabbits, 2 desert tortoises, 1 dog, 2 cats, 3 fish.

I was a total drama geek in high school.

Speaking of high school, my closet is as messy now as it was then. (I always thought I’d get the adult ‘loves to clean’ gene when I reached a certain age. I guess that doesn’t exist.)

I am a night owl, which means I hate mornings. Hate is really not a strong enough word for how I feel about mornings, actually.

I have 4 kids and 3 of those children were over 9 lbs at birth. And all three were early. Yikes.

That last fact could be because my husband is 6’8”. I always thought I was tall too (5’8”) but these days I feel short. I generally wear heels though so if you ever meet me, you’ll think I’m a giant.

I love to sing really loud when I’m alone (and I’m really bad at it).

I love Autumn so much that I named one of my children after it.

My husband is the funniest person I know, which is awesome because laughing is my favorite.

I would eat only chocolate for all three meals if I could survive on it.

I loved reading this list! I would also totally eat chocolate for every meal if possible!!

Book of the Month

July 24, 2016 posted by Pavan

Book of the Month: Kasie West’s Most Anticipated Reads of 2016

Hi Everyone! I absolutely love hearing about what books we are all looking forward to, so today I have Kasie West’s Most Anticipated Reads of 2016!!

Kasie:

I am a contemporary freak, as you might have guessed, so most of my most anticipated reads this year came out of that genre. I was dying for the latest Emery Lord (When We Collided), Morgan Matson (The Unexpected Everything), and Miranda Kenneally (Defending Taylor) books.

But I also was looking forward to some new-to-me authors like Jen Malone’s Wanderlost, Jenn P. Nguyen’s The Way to Game the Walk of Shame, and You Were Here by Cori McCarthy.

I also had some friends releasing books like JR Johansson and Natalie Whipple and I always love to hold the words I’ve read in their infancy in actual book form.

Finally, and I know this isn’t exactly a 2016 series, but the final book came out this year and I just discovered the entire series this year so I think it counts: Raven Boys. I do have to stray from contemporary every once in a while to mix it up and keep my creativity on its toes.

Thanks Kasie for sharing these fantastic books!

Book of the Month

July 22, 2016 posted by Pavan

Book of the Month: P.S. I Like You Excerpt

Hi Everyone!

We are back with our Book of the Month segment! Today I have a wonderful excerpt from P.S. I Like You.

Kasie:

What can I share with you from the book? I thought about this for a long time and finally decided that since the book is about letter writing, I would share with you one of the letters written. As a set up, neither letter writer knows who the other is but they’ve been exchanging letters under a shared Chemistry desk for weeks.

Excerpt:

Letter:

Track 4 is my favorite too. And also, Track 8 on Blue is amazing. You were right, not depressing at all. (I’m not just saying that because the cool guitarist in my new band said she likes it the best.)

By the way, I don’t play guitar so there will be no stealing your solo time here. That means it’s official, right? We need a band name now. Something overly sweet like Rainbows & Roses. Then all our songs should be angry. It will make for a good contrast. I have a lot of angry material right now—awful stepdad, distant mother, absent father. That’s some solid fodder, right? Here, I’ll come up with a good first line right now…Parents (a pause in lyrics for a dramatic guitar solo for you) are (pause for a drum solo) lame. Hmm…maybe I shouldn’t be the lyricist either. My musical skills don’t translate to a band. Where does that leave me? I can stand in the background and dance. Oh, also, if Mr. Ortega catches me writing you this letter, I am committed to shoving it in my mouth and swallowing. I hope I can count on the same commitment from you.

Wow, this just makes me more excited to read P.S. I Like You!