VIA «The Shirts»

The British Museum is considering three further overseas loans from the Elgin Marbles – but a reluctance to entertain the sculptures’ return to Greece is set to provoke renewed anger in Athens.

Last year the British Museum allowed part of the Marbles to leave the country for the first time when it lent the headless statue of Ilissos, a Greek river god, to the State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg.

Greece, which is seeking to reclaim ownership of the 2,500-year-old sculptures removed from the Parthenon in Athens in the 19th century by Lord Elgin, described the Russia loan as “provocative”.

A current request from the British Museum for a key antiquity from the Museum of Cycladic Art in Athens for a forthcoming exhibition on classical sculpture has been delayed, in what is being seen as retaliatory move by the Greek authorities.

The work has been requested for the show, “Defining Beauty: the Body in ancient Greek Art”, which opens in March.

The delay is ascribed to “tensions” with the Greek government, despite friendly curatorial relations between the two institutions – the British Museum currently has 24 items on loan to the Cycladic museum.

However the chances of securing the loan in time for the exhibition may be harmed by the news that the British Museum is seriously entertaining bids for further Elgin Marbles loans to museums outside of Greece.

“Three serious bids are being considered,” The Art Newspaper reports, including one informal loan request made before the Hermitage deal was revealed.

New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, Berlin’s museums and the Louvre in Paris are the kind of institutions which “stand the best chance of success” when formal loan requests are submitted, the art title suggested.

The British Museum would expect any museum to which it lends the Parthenon sculptures to “be generous in responding to loan requests” made in return by the London body. Requests for single sculptures will be more favourably received, it is suggested. Bids are also expected from the UK’s regional museums which could expect huge interest in displaying items from the famous collection.

The Museum confirmed that further loans from the Elgin sculptures are being considered. A spokesman said: “Museums around the world have shown interest in requesting to loan from our set of Parthenon sculptures, and we always welcome these conversations. The Trustees will consider any request for any part of the collection to be borrowed and then returned, subject to the usual considerations of condition and fitness to travel and this has always been made clear to the world.”

Further Marbles loans will inflame tensions with Athens. Antonis Samaras, the Greek prime minister, described the loan of the Parthenon sculpture to the Hermitage as “an affront to the Greek people”.

Some of the Marbles will be moved from their permanent display to the temporary exhibition gallery for the British Museum’s March show, including the pediment sculptures of Ilissos, which will be returning from Russia, Iris and Dionysos.

However time is running out to strike an agreement with the Museum of Cycladic Art for the work that the London museum is seeking. The British Museum spokesman said: “We have requested to borrow one object from Greece and await the official response. The Museum has very positive working relationships with colleagues in Greece and lends extensively to museums in Greece including 24 objects on loan to two temporary exhibitions at the Museum of Cycladic Art in Athens.”

The Athens museum declined a request to comment. A source said: “The museum is happy in principle to lend the work but the Greek government is stalling on the paperwork.”

Greece refuses to recognise the British Museum’s ownership of the sculptures, which make up about 30 per cent of the surviving decoration from the Parthenon.

Author: Adam Sherwin | Source: The Independent [January 06, 2015]

Lock of architectural hair

Contextual conformity

VIA «Figurative facade for a beauty salon»

Art handbags from Louis Vuitton

VIA «The French house of fashion Louis Vuitton»

A rectangular scrap measuring about 4.five inches by 1.five inches and featuring 15 partial lines of Homer's epic poem The Iliad in the elegant hand of a 4th Century Egyptian scribe was just [DEC] picked up by an unidentified European purchaser for £16,000 right after a feverish Net auction battle.

That value was way above the posted estimated but is standard of the sums that collectors will now devote to lay their hands on these fingerprints from the previous. Indeed, it is not just modern day art that has been setting jaw-dropping records at auction lately - so have ancient scrolls.

When a fragmentary parchment sheet from the 3rd century AD featuring portions of Paul's epistle to the Romans was bought at Sotheby's for £301,000 auctioneers and antiquity authorities alike have been stunned.

But even though there is no suggestion of any impropriety in these unique sales, scholars are alarmed by the burgeoning online trade as some unscrupulous sellers also cash in. They portray a no cost-ranging trade, particularly on the on line auction giant eBay, exactly where precious documents are carved up for sale, potentially stolen goods are trafficked and forgers can flourish.

Brice Jones, a papyrologist and lecturer in New Testament and Early Christianity at Concordia University in Montreal, has turn into an on the web scrolls sleuth, scouring auction web-sites for manuscripts that are usually incorrectly labeled or their provenance unclear.

A couple of pieces are straightforward forgeries. Most famously, the papyrus fragment called the Gospel of Jesus's Wife created headlines for apparently overturning almost two millennia of theological teaching that Jesus was unmarried, but is now widely viewed as a forgery.

Considerably a lot more distressingly, some sellers are dismembering papyrus books to sell things page-by-page, a financially lucrative endeavor that amounts to small extra than vandalism of ancient works.

A single eBay papyrus seller turned out to be two sisters who ran an online beauty supplies store. They had inherited a Book of Revelation from which they cut person pages to sell on an ad hoc basis to fund the wedding costs for one.

But Mr Jones has also identified a proliferation of scrolls becoming sold of which the origin and ownership is unknown or unclear. A fragment of papyrus with neatly penned Greek script of Homers Iliad, 565-580, 4th Century AD. Ex Hamdy Sakr collection, London, formed in the 1960's. There had been only two serious bidders on the piece and it probably went a lot greater than either of them had anticipated.

Papyrus itself is a tall, fibrous reed plant that grew along the shallow banks of the Nile River in Egypt. 'Papyrus' is the Latin type of the Greek word papuros, from which the English word 'paper' is derived.

The papyri - mostly written in ancient Greek and Coptic - variety from items such as rare biblical texts or the lines of the Iliad to hum-drum but fascinating each day records of book-maintaining accounts or letters amongst loved ones members. All exert an incredible lure for collectors, historians, archaeologists and theologians.

But under American and Egyptian law, only antiquities that can be verified currently to have been in private hands ahead of the early 1970s can be traded. Those guidelines are intended to avoid looting and end the export of papyrus that is generally still identified by Bedouin tribesmen, preserved by the arid desert situations. But critics say that lots of sellers skirt or ignore the guidelines on Internet internet sites that are difficult to monitor and regulate.

The disapproving tone from academia also reflects a deep philosophical objection by many scholars to how manuscripts flow by means of private hands, fearing that priceless scripts will disappear forever amid the frenzy of trading.

"The study of ancient papyri is a fascinating field of historical inquiry, simply because these artefacts are the fingerprints of true men and women from a bygone era," Mr Jones told The Telegraph.

"Each time I study a new papyrus, it is as if I am peeking over the shoulders of the scribe who wrote it, eavesdropping on a conversation that in several cases was meant to be private: an argument in between a husband and wife, a divorce contract, an invitation to dinner, a letter in between a father and son.

"But when private collectors acquire papyri for private enjoyment and restrict scholarly access to them, the instant consequence is that we drop worthwhile historical info that would otherwise advance our understanding about ancient people."

Nonetheless, the owner of a little specialist World-wide-web auction corporation, who asked not to be named due to the fact of the sensitivity of the situation, pushed back against these criticisms.

"We are scrupulous about producing certain of ownership despite the fact that not everybody is so fussy and it's accurate that there are some people today who know practically nothing who are out attempting to make a buck in the wild West of the Web," he mentioned.

"But some of these archaeologists and purists simply hate the reality that that any private person would personal, invest in or sell antiquities.

"They ignore the reality that things like this have always been collected. Indeed, some of these scripts have been commissioned by the private collectors of that time.

"Collectors play a crucial function in preserving these items with their interest. A lot of these items would stay hidden, forgotten, fading away, unknown to the scholars, if there was not a industry for them."

Amongst specialists in the research of early Christianity, there is specific concern about the emergence of eBay as a absolutely free-wheeling marketplace for antiquities, with low opening bids and normally exaggerated language to lure in possible purchasers.

An eBay spokesman, however, stated that its150 million buyers and sellers "must make certain listings comply with our clear policy on artefacts. We operate with regulators, law enforcement and other parties which includes the Egyptian Embassy to apply this policy, and if a listing of concern is identified we will need proof that it was legally exported and take away any listing exactly where this proof is not supplied."

As a specialist who spends his life studying such scrolls, Mr Jones also has concerns for the preservation and conservation of sensitive centuries-old documents when they are handled by traders.

He cited then instance of the well-known papyrus codex of the Gospel of Judas, which published in 2006. It was stored by one particular of its owners in a protected-deposit box on Long Island for sixteen years, and then placed in a freezer by a possible purchaser who thought that was the ideal way to preserve it.

"The benefits of these choices have been horrifying: the codex crumbled into quite a few hundreds of tiny pieces and what was after a practically total codex was now badly deteriorated and tricky to restore," he stated.

The booming trade has clearly revealed to scholars how numerous papyri have survived down the centuries.

"This prompts the question: just how quite a few ancient manuscripts are sitting in the basements, match boxes, drawers, safes, or shelves of private collectors about the globe?" Mr Jones asked lately.

"It is nearly certain that numerous ancient manuscripts or fragments thereof are just sitting in the dark closets of their collectors, decaying and crumbling to pieces. The public demands to be conscious of the importance of the preservation of antiquities, for the reason that when they are gone, they are gone forever."

Author: Philip Sherwell | Source: The Telegraph [December 28, 2014]

My guest poster today is Jacinda, one of the sisters that runs the blog The Reading Housewives of Indiana. Jacinda is such a fun blogger to chat with and she's amazing. Seriously. She's pretty much amazing! I'm thrilled that she wanted to share a guest post, so here she is — talking about her favorite Contemporary novels EVER!

Picking my favorite contemporary novels of all time…that’s a difficult task. I decided to go with my
favorite contemporary novels I think aren’t as popular, at least at the moment…which pretty much
means I had to leave off Lola and Anna…I almost cried! Many of these might have been popular when
they were published, but they are somewhat new to me and aren’t talked about so much right now. Or
maybe I’m the only one who has one of these on my favorites list..I’m okay with that!
My Favorite Young Adult Contemporary Novels Which Need More Loving in 2011 and
Beyond!

Sea by Heidi R. Kling

I’d been wanting to
read this book for the longest time. My library didn’t have it and for some reason I’d never bought it.
As soon as someone offered this book up to me for trade I jumped at it! I’m so glad I did! As you can
tell it has become one of my favorites! I felt so many different emotions about this one! I love being
able to travel to foreign lands in books and Sea has that. I’m looking forward to reading anything Heidi
writes! I’m reviewing Sea sometime during Just Contemporary! I’ve been sitting on this review for a few months!

I Now
Pronounce You Someone Else by Erin McCahan
This is a contemporary book I don’t think has gotten enough buzz. I read this before I started reviewing
and before I started my blog. I wish I would have read it afterwards to push it at people! It’s been a very
long time since I’ve read it, but I remember wanting to hug this book after I read it! Just thinking about it
has me wanting to re-read it!

Summer Sisters by Judy
Blume
Summer Sisters was one of the first contemporary books I’ve ever read. It was a book club pick and I was
pleasantly surprised by it! I HATED a few different characters in this one. I was screaming at them on the
inside that they were acting stupid and being totally selfish. I loved following these characters through
numerous years because you get to see so much growth and change.
You should also check out Forever by Judy Blume

Sign Language by Amy Ackley

This book set a record for me. I cried the most during Sign Language than any other book I’ve ever
read. Prior to this one, The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa held that title because of the brutal ending to
the story that had me crying for about the last ten percent. Sign Language had me using tissues during
the entire first half. It was a horrible feeling having to cry that often while reading it, but it shows how
well the author told the story. I normally shy away from stories having main characters in the 12-15
year-old range, but I’m so happy I didn’t pass this one up! Sign Language has a certain quote/life lesson
that will always stick with me and it is one of only a few books I can remember quotes from.

Rich and Mad by William
Nicholson
I think many people didn’t like this one. I completely fell in love with it! I want to re-read it one of these
days to see if my love for it is still there and I really hope it is! I will probably cry if I feel different about it
the second time. It’s a story about a guy and girl chasing and looking for the wrong person to fall in love
with. I don’t remember exactly what had me falling all over this one, I just know I felt wonderful while
reading it. There is a point/part in this book people hated, I seemed to not care or I overlooked it, either
way, I loved this one! For some reason, I see myself constantly defending my love for this one…maybe
that’s because I’ve seen a couple of people tear it apart. Oh well, I loved it!

Sixteenth Summer by
Michelle Dalton

Sixteenth Summer is the cutest and most adorable book I’ve ever read! I catch myself thinking about
it on occasion! This book had me craving ice cream and sweet tea! If you need a book to put you in a
good mood or to read in the summertime, Sixteenth Summer is the book for you! It will give you warm
fuzzies!

My Ridiculous, Romantic Obsesessions by Becca Wilhite
Ever have a perfect book come to you at the perfect time?! My Ridiculous, Romantic Obsessions
was that book for me. I remember feeling down about everything, but after reading this, I felt 100%
better…even though I cried a bit. The protagonist is college-aged which I love in young adult! She’s
obsessed with romance novels and refers to them in every aspect of her life. Such a great fast read
which will always be a favorite of mine!

The North of Beautiful
by Justina Chen Headley
The theme for many favorites of mine is my lack for reasons as to why I love them…my memory is
horrible! North of Beautiful is one of those books! It’s a book teaching us to look inside of ourselves for
beauty because beauty isn’t on the outside. I just remember enjoying the struggle the main character
has with herself and the general theme of the book is unique and it stands out.

The Disreputable History of Frankie
Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
I’m thankful for the Award Winning Reads Challenge Ashley hosted with me because I might not
have picked this one up! Frankie was so strong! I loved her! It was a book based not on romance, but
Frankie’s struggle with wanting to be accepted in something she feels like she has a right to be a part
of and challenging it. I love romance in my books and this one has a bit, but I found myself not
caring if the romance was there or not…that means this book is fantastic coming from me!

The Chosen One by Carol
Lynch Williams
This is one of those “tough issues” books. Kyra is one of 21 children of her father’s from his three wives.
Kyra lives in a very religious community. She decides after she is to be wed to her uncle that she needs
to get away. I loved getting a glimpse, even if fictional, into a community like this especially from a 13
year-olds point of view. The ending of this one is very fitting for the story.

I’m a 26 year-old Hoosier. Currently I’m a SAHM to a 4 year-old boy
and a 3 year-old girl. I’ve been married to my hubby, Seth, for 6 years and I’ve known him since I was
senior in high school. I have two dogs and a cat which I love dearly even though they can make my
life more hectic than it needs to be. Besides my love of reading which is obvious, I love my Keurig,
crafting, and football. I’m afraid of heights to the point where I will not stay in a hotel

room above the 7^{th floor or drive in mountains unless it’s at night. I dislike milk and anything banana or coconut
flavored, so I’m limited on my cocktail choices. I’m a big young adult reader, but I do read an occasional
adult book. My favorite types of books would have to be contemporary and historical fiction, but it used
to be paranormal before I became more of an avid reader.}

Here is another post where I attempt to gather as much of the awesome Contemporary happenings into one place! As always, I know there are going to be things that I've missed, so if you've written anything about Contemporary YA at any point in November and you think I missed it, please let me know and I will add it to the post!

REVIEWS:

Candace @ Candace's Book Blog — Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher, The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen and Boyfriends with Girlfriends by Alex Sanchez

Audrey @ Holes in My Brain — Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley

The Book Faerie — Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Young Readers — The Vincent Boys by Abbi Glines

Ashley @ The Bookish Brunette — The Vincent Boys by Abbi Glines

Giselle @ Xpresso Reads — June of Rock by Elisa Ludwig

Katie's Book Blog — Past Perfect by Lelia Sales

L.L. @ The Story Girl — Saving June by Hannah Harrington

Bonnie @ A Backwards Story — Rhymes with Cupid by Anna Humphrey and North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley

Jen @ Almost Grown Up — Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Racquel @ The Book Barbies — Love Story by Jennifer Echols and Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally

Geianne @ We Fancy Books — Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist by David Levithan & Rachel Cohn and Stolen by Lucy Christopher

Sarah @ The Hiding Spot — Saving June by Hannah Harrington,

Jenny @ The Mimosa Stimulant — Saving June by Hannah Harrington and Dancergirl by Carol Tanzman

Ginger @ Greads — Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley

Hannah @ Paperback Treasures — Lie by Caroline Bock

A Life Bound By Books — Every Me, Every You by David Levithan and Overprotected by Jennifer Laurens

Amanda @ Born Bookish — Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin

Steph @ Steph: Short & Sweet — All That Matters by Youseph Tanha

Ali @ Ali's Bookshelf — Geek Girl by Cindy C. Bennett

Somer @ A Bird's Eye Review — Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard and the Perfect Chemistry Series by Simone Elkeles

Kate @ Literary Explorations — Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler, Past Perfect by Lelia Sales Stolen by Lucy Christopher and Saving June by Hannah Harrington

Lindsi @ Books, Sweets, and Other Treats — Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Laura @ The Reading Nook — If I Tell by Janet Gurtler

Jess @ Jess Hearts Books — Wonder by R.J. Palacio

Ellie @ Curiosity Killed the Bookworm — Hidden by Miriam Halahmy

Jacinda @ The Reading Housewives — Friendship on Fire — Danielle Weiler (and a giveaway!) and I'm Not Her by Janet Gurtler

Kalia @ Reading the Best of the Best — Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John, How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr, Love Story by Jennifer Echols, Secrets of My Hollywood Life (and it's sequel, On Location) by Jen Calonita

Evie @ Bookish — Playground by 50 Cent

Sarah @ Sarah's Books & Life — OyMG by Amy Fellner Dominy

A.J. @ Collections — The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour and Stolen by Lucy Christopher

Samual @ Books for All Seasons — The Education of Hailey Kendrick by Eileen Cook

The Book Muncher — Past Perfect by Lelia Sales, Tunnel Vision by Susan Shaw, Brother/Sister by Sean Olin and Going Underground by Susan Vaught

Farah & Juhina @ Maji Bookshelf — Only the Good Spy Young by Ally Carter (book 4 in a series) and The Vincent Boys by Abbi Glines

Emma @ Novel Minded — Dirty Little Secrets by C.J. Omololu, Every You, Every Me by David Levithan and If I Tell by Janet Gurtler

Cristina — The Princess of Story Land — How to Rock Braces and Glasses by Meg Haston

Liz @ Consumed by Books — Saving June by Hannah Harrington

Kelsey @ The Book Scout — Zitface by Emily Howse and Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

Meredith and Erin @ Mint Tea and a Good Book — I'm Not Her by Janet Gurtler and Paper Towns by John Green

Jen @ I Read Banned Books — Au Revoir Crazy European Chick by Joe Schrieber

Kristen @ Strawberry Splash Reviews — Brooklyn Burning by Steve Brezenoff

Nina @ We Adore Happy Endings — Bliss by Lauren Myracle and Reality Check by Jen Calonita

Annette @ Annette's Book Spot — Untraceable by S.R. Johannes

Dustin @ Dustin Disco — The Beginning of After by Jennifer Castle and I'll Be There by Holly Goldberg Sloan

AUTHORS:

Jacinda @ The Reading Housewives interviewed Danielle Weiler (with a giveaway!)

Katie @ Bookishly Yours interviewed Hannah Harrington (with a giveaway!)

Erika @ One a Day YA interviewed Miranda Kenneally

Jen @ I Read Banned Books interviewed Joe Schrieber

Alice @ Alice Marvels Interviewed Carol Tanzman

Hannah @ Paperback Treasure has a guest post from Hannah Harrington

Mary @ Anxirium has a guest post about swoon-worthy boys from Jillian Dodd

Ginger @ Greads! interviewed John Corey Whaley (with a giveaway!)

GIVEAWAYS:

Candace @ Candace's Book Blog is giving away a signed ARC of Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez

Lena @ Addicted to Novels is giving away two Romantic Contemps!

DISCUSSION:

Kristen @ Strawberry Splash Reviews talks YA Contemporary Books with Real Issues

Samual @ Books for all Seasons talks about Remembrances of Sisterhood in Contemp

Katelyn @ Katelyn's Book Blog Top 11 Swoon-worthy Boys

Jacinda @ The Reading Housewives Top 9 Swoon-worthy Boys

Mandie Baxter's Top Ten Swoon-worthy Boys

Kathy @ I Write, I Read, I Review Top Five Faves & Most Anticipated

Adam @ Roof Beam Reader Top Five Faves & Most Anticipated

Bonnie @ A Backwards Story Top Ten Anticipated Contemps

Ginger @ Greads! Top Ten Favorites

Kailia @ Reading the Best of the Best — What I Want To See More Of

Nikki @ Paper Dreams Top Ten Problem Novels

Kristen @ Strawberry Splash Reviews Top Ten Summer Contemporaries

Mary @ Anxirium Top Ten Cutest Couples

Ariel @ The Librarian's Bookshelf Top Ten Contemp I Need to Read

There have been so many awesome blog posts about Contemporary YA this week! I have loved reading the ones I've discovered, but just know that I had to have missed a bunch. So, if your blog post isn't listed here, please let me know!

Announcement of Contemporary Win!- A whole bunch of bloggers have gotten together to put on a John Green week this January! How awesome is that?! John Green pretty much oozes Contemporary awesomness so a week to spotlight him sounds awesome! Here is a link to one of the blogs hosting sign ups!:) Click me for John Green Week info!!!

Also, I cannot believe that I have so far forgotten to mention this — BUT — November is also Aussie Month over at Carla's blog, The Crooked Shelf. Since it's Aussie authors in general, not everything is Contemporary but there is definitely some Contemp love and seriously, who doesn't love Aussie authors?! There must be something in the water over there because they Rock!
Some of the Contemporary Australian Awesome — An interview with Melina Marchetta! (Whom I absolutely adore!) Reviews of Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley; Everything Beautiful by Simmone Howell; A Straight Line to My Heart by Bill Condon; Good Oil by Laura Buzo;

REVIEW:

Alissa @ The Grammarian — Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver (not entirely Contemp, but mostly)

Candace @ Candace's Book Blog — Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols (and a giveaway!), The Vinyl Princess by Yvonne Prinz, Dreamland Social Club by Tara Atebrando, Girl Wonder by Alexa Martin and Shattered Soul by Jennifer Snyder (also has an author interview and a giveaway!).

Somer @ A Bird's Eye View — Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

Mandie Baxter — Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

Allison @ The Allure of Books — Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

Mary @ Anxirium — Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John

Jacinda @ The Reading Housewives — Sea by Heidi R. Kling and The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen

The Busy Bibliophile — You Against Me by Jenny Downham

Jennifer @ The Book Barbies — Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez

Racquel @ The Book Barbies — If I Stay by Gayle Forman, Where She Went by Gayle Forman, Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn't Have) by Sarah Mlynowski and Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez.

Magan @ Rather Be Reading — Cracked Up to Be by Courtney Summers and The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chboksy

Krazy Book Lady — Joint Mother/Daughter review of Geek Girl by Cindy C. Bennet

Estelle @ Rather Be Reading — Fringe Girl by Valerie Frankel

Katelyn @ Katelyn's Blog — Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Amanda @ Book Love 101 — Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Hannah @ Paperback Treasures — Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Bonnie @ A Backwards Story — Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Rachel @ Rachel Reads — The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

Ginger @ Greads! — Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley

Farrah @ I Eat Words — Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley

Amanda @ On a Book Bender — Cut by Patricia McCormick (guest review by Amanda)

Karen @ For What It's Worth — Saving June by Hannah Harrington

A Beautiful Madness — Dancergirl by Carol Tanzman, Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter (second in a series) and Saving June by Hannah Harrington.

Ashley @ Book Labyrinth — I'm Not Her by Janet Gurtler

Laura @ The Reading Nook — Lie by Caroline Bock

Jamie @ Writers write, right? — The Boys Next Door by Jennifer Echols

Rachel @ Fiktshun — Where You Are by Tammara Webber (second book in series)

Melissa @ I Swim for Oceans — The Shattering by Karen Healy

April @ Good Books & Good Wine — Playground by 50 Cent and Sweethearts by Sara Zarr

Jamie @ The Perpetual Page Turner — Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green & David Levithan

Anna @ Anna Reads — Kiss It by Erin Downing and Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez

Jayme @ The Secret Life of an Avid Reader — Withering Tights by Louise Rennison

Yani @ The Secret Life of an Avid Reader — Double Clutch by Elizabeth Reinhardt

Chey @ The Hollow Cupboards — Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins and Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn't Have) by Sarah Mlynowski

Juhina @ Maji Bookshelf — North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley, Dancergirl by Carol Tanzman and Where You Are by Tammara Webber (second book in series)

Farah @ Maji Bookshelf — The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler and Saving June by Hannah Harrington

Chelsey @ Starry Sky Books — Rhymes with Cupid by Anna Humphrey

Melissa @ This is Your Brain on Books — The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky and Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

Mari @ Escape in a Good Book — All I Ever Wanted by Vikki Wakefield

Nina @ Escape in a Good Book — Dancergirl by Carol Tanzman

Sarah @ Whispering Words — Guitar Girl by Sarra Manning

Cass @ Words on Paper — Audition by Stasia Kehoe

Samual @ Books for All Seasons — Moving Day by Meg Cabot

Lena @ Addicted to Novels — Love and Leftovers by Sarah Tregay and Saving June by Hannah Harrington

Steph @ Steph Su Reads — Saving June by Hannah Harrington

Giselle @ Xpresso Reads — Fury by Shirley Marr

The Book Faery — Deadly Cool by Gemma Halliday

Tee @ Dreaming Dreams — Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins, Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins, Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn, and Deadly Cool by Gemma Halliday.

Lizz @ Dreaming Dreams — Want to Go Private? by Sarah Darer Littman

Annette's Book Spot — Saving June by Hannah Harrington

AUTHOR:

Mary @ Anxirium — Guest post w/ author Jennifer Castle about Being a Contemporary YA Writer

Candace @ Candace's Book Blog interviewed Tara Altebrando.

Krazy Book Lady interviewed Cindy C. Bennett

Avid Reader Yani has a guest post from Elizabeth Reinhardt about dating

Kody Keplinger interviewed Hannah Harrington

Kirsten Hubbard is giving away Wanderlove bookmarks

Hannah Harrington lists her Top Ten Road Trip Songs.

DISCUSSION:

Misty @ The Book Rat talks about her most anticipated Contemporary YA (and it's a linky! You can too!!)

Molly Jo @ Surrounded by Words — Contemporary YA: A Love/Hate Relationship
Danielle @ Alpha Reader talks about her favorite Aussie YA novels.
Samual @ Books for All Seasons talks about favorite YA/MG Contemps about friendship

Romance:
Bonnie @ A Backwards Story
Danya @ A Tapestry of Words

More of the Tough Stuff posts that I missed last week:

Candace @ Candace's Book Blog
Bonnie @ A Backwards Story
Sarah @ The Storybound Girl
Amanda @ The Fiction Fairy

Once again — If I've missed anything, Let me know!!:) I'd love to add your stuff to my link up!

Today's guest post is from one of my favorite author people. Lisa Schroeder is seriously one of the nicest authors I've ever spoken to and the fact that I love her writing just makes it all better. She was one of the first authors I thought about when thinking about who to invite for Just Contemporary and I was thrilled when she said yes! So here are her thoughts on Contemporary fiction, why she reads it, and why she writes it.

Why Contemporary:
If you were to ask me my favorite authors, most of them would be contemporary authors. John Green, Sara Zarr, Stephanie Perkins, Sonya Sones, and more. Of course, I love other genres too. Laini Taylor is one of the best authors of our time, and I will read everything she writes because she takes me to amazing places I didn't even know I wanted to go.
But why contemporary? Why am I primarily drawn to the stories about real people dealing with real issues?
I think it's because life can be hard. Like, really freaking hard. And usually, in a contemporary YA novel, we find a character who is struggling with something. And I love watching them go through whatever painful thing it is they're going through, and coming out the other side okay. Maybe even better than okay.
From a young age, I learned life doesn't always go the way you want it to go. People hurt you. People leave you. People tell you one thing, and do another. Contemporary fiction reminds us we aren't alone in dealing with the crap life hands us. Not only that, it shows us that it's possible to make it through, despite the fear and pain and sadness.
My YA novels are very much about teens who have had something bad happen to them.
In I Heart You, You Haunt Me, Ava's boyfriend has been killed in a tragic accident. In Far From You, Alice's mom has died from cancer. In The Day Before, Amber has discovered the family she loves isn't her biological family, and now she has to go and live with people she's never even met.
I've been told my books make people cry. That is probably because life makes me cry. And so, what do I do with that pain? I put it into my stories. I put it there, for other people to experience along with me. But I do it with a purpose. Every character, at the end of my books, has hope.
Because you guys, for me, it's all about that wonderful, beautiful thing called hope.
Isn't it hope that keeps us going? The hope that things will get better. That the pain won't last forever. That a day will come when we look outside and we see more beauty than heartache.
Adult books don't always end on a hopeful note. But books for kids and teens pretty much always do.
That's why I love them. And that's why I'll keep writing them.
***
Lisa Schroeder is the author of numerous books for kids and teens, including her lastest YA novel The Day Before (Simon Pulse) and the MG novel Sprinkles and Secrets (Aladdin). She lives with her husband, two teenage sons, and the cutest pets you've ever seen just outside Portland, Oregon. You can visit her on the web at www.lisaschroederbooks.com.

Beautiful post Lisa! And SO well worded!! Guys!! Do you SEE why I love her?! I mean, really!:) And to further prove her awesome, Lisa has been generous to donate a signed copy of Far From You, one of her amazingly beautiful verse novels. Enter below! Ends December 10th US Only MUST leave a MEANINGFUL comment for Lisa, letting her know you read and appreciate her post.

VIA Mariana Bathke is the newly crowned Miss Mundo Santa Catarina 2011 - She will represent Santa Catarina in Miss Mundo Brasil 2011 pageant

Today I also have Kristin Tracy vising the blog. She is the author of Sharks and Boys, which I reviewed a short time ago (click to read review). I gave her a list of 15 pairings and asked her,

This or That

Spring or Fall Fall: I like leaves. But I’m allergic to leaf mold. When I visit New England, this is a real problem.

Past or Future: I can smell a trick question a mile away. PRESENT.

Paperback or Hardcover: If I’m mobile, I want paperback. If I’m adding it to my library or having an author sign it, I want hardback.

Pen or Pencil Pen: I am a permanent kind of person.

Hot Dogs or Hamburgers: Neither. I like fruit salad. And falafel.

Marvel or DC Comics: I cannot choose.

Black or Brown: Brown boots. Black dress. But not together.

Tweety Bird or Woodstock: I like real-life falcons. They are my new favorite. I now consider cartoon birds inadequate.

Legos or Lincoln Logs: Legos.

Detailed planning or spontaneous decisions: BOTH. Because my detailed planning usually leads me right into bizarre conditions that require spontaneous decisions.

A one room library or Books in every room in the house: One central place. But smaller bookcases throughout house.

Ocean or Mountains: Both. It’s called Maine. Or Ireland. Or Big Sur.

Painting or Sculpture: I only buy paintings at this point. But this could all change. Because I really want to buy a totem pole.

Gum or Breath Mints: I chew gum. And sometimes I add a breath mint to it.

Snow White's Evil Queen or Sleeping Beauty's Malificent: Ooh. I don’t like evil, robed women. They terrify me.

Thank you so much Kristin! I loved your answers! Robed women are definitely terrifying!

in my blog for a full listing of tour details!! Today I have Matt Blackstone here, author of A Scary Scene in a Scary Movie to talk with us about his top choices for road trip songs! Keep an eye out for more awesome posts from Matt and the characters in the book (including a hilarious look at what Tweets between the two main characters would look like) and my review will also be posted soon. So now, Matt!!

Top Ten Road Trip Songs

#10. "Free Fallin'" by Tom Petty. Every time I hear that song, I think of Tom Cruise as Jerry Maguire, driving home after he thinks he's landed stud client, "Cush" (Jerry O'Connell), the soon-to-be top choice in the NFL. Cruise is cruising down the highway (sorry, couldn't resist), wind in his hair, all his troubles seemingly behind him as he belts out: And I'm Free... Free Fallin'...

Note: "Into the Great Wide Open" by Tom Petty could also serve as #10 on this list, because it's the same exact song.

#9. "It's the End of the World as We Know It" by R.E.M. The beauty of this song is that nobody knows any of the words—except the part where he slows down to say “Leonard Bernstein.” Actually, until I looked up the lyrics a few minutes ago, I thought he said, "Land, Earth, Bernstein," which makes absolutely no sense, but I sang it anyway, from the top of my lungs, to impress everyone with my lyrical skills. I now know that it backfired.

#8. “Wild World” by Cat Stevens. It was a better road trip song when I thought it was called "Wide World" (yes, I also just learned this), but it's still a hell of a song from a guy who went on one too many road trips.

#7. The Beatles. Any song by them. Enough said.

#6. “Regulate” by Warren G. and Nate Dogg. Nobody will confuse Nate Dogg with The Beatles, but thanks to the JCC camp bus, I know all the words:

It was a clear black night, a clear white moon
Warren G was on the streets, trying to consume
Some skirts for the eve, so I can get some funk
Just rollin' in my ride, chillin' all alone

Before you rush to judgment about its placement as #6, consider that it does have a driving component. He was rollin’ in his ride, chillin’ by himself. And then he “hooks a left on the 21 and Lewis”:

So I hooks a left on the 21 and Lewis
Some brothas shootin' dice so I said "Let's do this"
I jumped out the ride,
And said "What's up?"
Some brothas pulled some gats so I said "I'm stuck."

The best part-- — yup, I haven't even gotten to the best part yet of the song-- — is that Warren G. and Nate Dogg sound so different: Warren G. is a Snoop Dogg protégé (and cousin, I think), deep sounding and straight-talking, while Nate Dogg (I know it gets confusing with all the Doggs but follow me here) is high-pitched and melodic and smooth, so you can change voices and pitches along the way.

#5. “Freebird” by Lynyrd Synyrd

Cause I'm as free as a bird now,
And this bird you'll never change.
And this bird you can not change.
Lord knows, I can't change.
Lord help me, I can't change.

Freedom and change. Yup, that bodes well for a road trip.

#4. "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin. I know, I know, it's overplayed, but unlike many of the songs listed above, it has so many twists and turns, low notes, and screeches, and it takes up eight minutes of the trip.

#3. "Under the Sea" by Sebastian (from The Little Mermaid)
Laugh it up... but Da road trip is always greena... with Sebastian

#2. “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynard. Even if you aren’t headed to Alabama, this one’s a classic.

#1: “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen. Thank you, Wayne’s World, by teaching me (and the other passengers) how to headbang to this song: Galileo, Galileo, Galileo, Galileo... I can’t think of any other song that makes you say, “Hey everybody, here it comes, get ready, get ready, okay... I see a little silhouette of a man... "

Side Note #1: "Road Trippin'" by Red Hot Chili Peppers really wants to be in the top ten list, but it tries too hard. Aside from the title, read these lyrics:

Road trippin' with my two favorite allies
Fully loaded we got snacks and supplies
It's time to leave this town
It's time to steal away
Let's go get lost
Anywhere in the U.S.A.

It’s a bit much. Then again, their name is Red Hot Chili Peppers. Chili Peppers would’ve sufficed, as would Hot Peppers, or just plain-old Peppers.

Side Note #2: Speaking of wordiness, look no further than Sean Combs/Puff Daddy/P. Diddy/Diddy/Diddy Dirty Money for the worst road trip song: “I’m Coming Home.” If you want so desperately to come home, the road trip was lame. Or it was a nightmare (see A Scary Scene in a Scary Movie)

LOVE THIS!! Oh goodness! I'm laughing so hard! I know quite a few of these songs already, but the ones I'm not familiar with are definitely ones I'll be looking up soon! Thanks so much for stopping by today Matt!

And remember readers, don't forget to check out the rest of the tour and check back for my review, to come soon!

I'm so excited for this read-a-thon today! I have a huge stack of books just sitting here, waiting to be read! I am really hoping to get a lot of reading done, but we shall see. When I initially signed up for the read-a-thon, this weekend was almost completely empty. But it seems like things keep popping up, so I might have to take more breaks that I thought I would.: P We shall see.

Click the image to learn more!
Anyway, as mentioned over on Enna's blog, there are going to be regularly spaced giveaways throughout the day. Because entry into each of these giveaways requires a blog entry or update, I'm just going to use this post here to keep track of everything and offer each of my updates, so as not to overwhelm anyone's feed readers.:)

I'm going to keep a running list of each title that I complete at the very bottom of the post, so if that's what you are interested in, scroll all the way down.

I'll also be on Twitter and snooping around other blogs throughout the day, as I finish books, or need a break. If anyone wants to be update buddies, let me know! It's always more fun to have someone specific to share your progress with. If you want someone, I'd be more than happy to welcome in another update buddy!:)

I'm off to work for a few hours now, where it will hopefully be slow enough that I'll be able to get some reading done.

Fingers crossed and happy reading!

This is today's first update!! I had to work this morning, from 9 till 12, so I wasn't able to get online, although work was really slow today and it was 'movie day' for the kids so I had a lot of down time, which meant I got to read for pretty much the whole 3 hours (although, I did have to stop frequently to help take care of the aforementioned kiddies). I did take a break when I got home to eat lunch and then help my sister for a few minutes, check my email & Twitter) but then I got right back to reading. I'm going to try for one more book right now, and then I might take a quick power nap to kind of recharge. We'll see what happens.: P

I've chosen at this point not to do the update activites, because I'm too tired to think that hard, but I will return to at least a few of them later. I think a Wordle would be fun, and I always like to get my rant on about movie adaptations (because I hate them, but for now, I'm going to skip it. We'll see what happens at the 4:00 update.: P)

Figured I should probably tell you which books I've read!: P

1 — I Heart You, You Haunt Me — Lisa Schroeder
2 — Fog Magic — Julia L. Sauer (NBH)
3 — Monster — Walter Dean Meyers (PA, reread)
4 — The Five People You Meet in Heaven — Mitch Albom

Mini-Challenge w/ update 5: Sentence from book titles — (I couldn't take a picture because most of my books are in storage, and my copy of the final book title is the America version, not the Australia version, so it drops On the, which ruins my sentence.: P)

Beauty Queens Wither On the Jellicoe Road

UPDATE 2: (About 7:30)

Total Books Read: 4 Total Pages Read: 824 Books Read Since Last Update: 1 Pages Read since last update: 196 Total time read: 6 hours How I'm currently feeling: Awesome!:) I took a short nap at 4:00 because, as I mentioned, I was really tired. I decided sleeping now and having more energy was better than fighting to stay awake. Definitely a good plan!:) I'm ready to jump right into my next book! Make up some of the time I wasted on Twitter earlier!

UPDATE 1: (About 3:00)
Total Books Read: 3 Total Pages Read: 628 Books Read Since Last Update: 3 (first update...) Pages Read since last update: 628 (first update...) Total time read: 4 hours How I'm currently feeling: Good! I'm really enjoying the extra reading movitation!:) I'm hoping to get a lot more reading done today! I've made good progress, 3 books before 4:00 and I find that very encouraging and happy making. However, I am really tired today. I've been staying up later than I should the last few days (ahem... okay, fine. Weeks) and that's catching up to me, especially when I'm sitting in one place without moving for long periods of time. So, I might take a quick power nap here coming up, but I'm afraid a quick nap will turn into a looonng one. So, I'm undecided. I shall let you know at next update!:)

Hey everyone! Help me welcome Maureen McGowan today! She's the author of the Twisted Fairy Tale series, which so far includes Cinderella, Ninja Warrior (read my review here!) and Sleeping Beauty, Vampire Slayer (read Misty of The Book Rat's review here) . She also participated a little during Fairy Tale Fortnight (you can read that here) and it's great to have her back!

Hi Ashley and thank you so much for inviting me to guest post on your blog.

While I’ve always loved the romantic aspects of traditional fairy tales, I wanted to write stories in which the heroines were strong and capable—not waiting around for a prince to save them.

One of my aims in writing Cinderella: Ninja Warrior and Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer was to “fix” some of the story elements that bothered me in the traditional versions of these classic tales. Both of my stories include the tried and true fairy tale themes of finding true love and good triumphing over evil, but there are twists, too.

The traditional Cinderella character was too much of a victim for my taste, and I never liked the idea that the prince needed a shoe to recognize her the day after supposedly falling in love. Plus, he falls in love at first sight—presumably because of her beauty— but then doesn’t recognize her the next day when she’s out of her fancy dress? What kind of message does any of that send to modern young readers about love or self-worth?

Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer probably has fewer similarities to the traditional tale. (There were no vampires in the original? An oversight, I’m sure.) When I first started the book, I thought it was about prejudice—humans’ misconceptions about vampires and vice versa. But as soon as I started writing, it became more of a child of divorce story. Sleeping Beauty has to learn that her parents’ and kingdom’s problems aren’t her fault— even if she’s cursed. This theme popped out at me as soon as I started thinking about how parents might react if they knew their daughter carried a curse. And what it would feel like to grow up with this huge weight hanging over you.

But, although I think the stories do have positive messages for girls and an overall theme of empowerment, they are by no means “issue books”. They’re meant to be fun, fast — paced, exciting and most of all—entertaining.

When I began to explore adding reader interaction to updated fairy tales, I had no idea how to pull it off, but I knew what I didn’t want to do: I didn’t want to include “wrong” paths or unhappy endings. (Even thought I know this has disappointed a few readers.)

Fairy tales by their nature promise happy endings—and pretty specific happy endings in some cases—so, I decided that each book in the series should have a single ending. As I started to write, I did look at a few choose-your-own-adventure stories, hoping for hints or clues as to how to structure my books, but I didn’t like the “bad choice—you die!” aspects of some of those “old school” stories.

The way I see things, each day we face choices, and the alternatives aren’t necessarily right or wrong—just different. Smart heroines (and smart readers) will make smart choices, so I wanted to present reasonable alternatives at each decision point without making it obvious which choice was better. Also, a capable heroine—even if she makes a mistake—should be able to face whatever challenges her chosen path places in her way.

When I decided on the structure, I didn’t realize what a difficult path I was laying out for myself! My choice created challenges for me—almost as tough as those facing Cinderella in her magic competition, or Lucette when she’s the only one awake and facing vampires in the night.

There were times while writing these books when my head was spinning so badly I didn't know which end was up!

But ultimately, I had as much fun writing them as I hope readers will have reading them.

Cinderella, Ninja Warrior by Maureen McGowan has got to be one of the most unique fairy tale retellings I have ever read. McGowan has taken the traditional Cinderella story and turned it completely on it's head. Gone is the soft and sweet Cinderella, accepting of her fate and willing to follow her step-mother's commands. In her place is a feisty and fierce fighter, just waiting for her chance to break free of the magical shackles her awful step-mother has placed around her.

When no one is around, Cinderella practices trying to harness and control the magic running through her veins — a gift from the mother she's never known, who was a very powerful (good) wizard as well as honing her instincts, reflexes and ninja moves. Being locked in her tiny cellar room anytime she's not being forced to do her step-mother's bidding gives her the privacy she needs to practice unnoticed (although there's not a lot of time, and she always waits until her step-family is either sleeping or gone) and she waits for the day her skills will be enough to free her from her step-mother's black magic bonds.

It was a refreshing change to have a Cinderella character who is not only tired of living under the tyranny of her step-mother, but actively trying to do something about it. Not only that, but she kicks some serious trash. I really liked Cinderella's character. She hasn't let life with her horrid step-family destroy her spirit and she's just biding her time, waiting for her step-mother to make some sort of mistake or slip-up that will allow her to gain her freedom.

Although there is much unique about the story line and the character of Cinderella, what really makes this book different from any other fairy tale I've ever read is the 'Chose Your Own Adventure' element. At three different places in the story, you are given two options, and it is up to you to decide what Cinderella shall chose. This gives you 8 different options for how the story will play out, although there is only one ultimate ending.

I read the book, making one set of choices and then went and read the sections I have skipped the first time to see how the story might have been different. I loved that each section was completely different. The different choices for Cinderella took her on a completely different path. Choice A and Choice B never felt like mirror images or parallels. They were entirely unique which I admit is something I was worried about.

Although there is a lot that I liked about this book, and my overall feelings for it are positive, I'm not entirely sure I loved this one. There were times it felt almost awkward to me, and not in an intentional way. There were times where the book just didn't flow smoothly and although I know it's incredibly important to her and she desperately needs to improve her skills, I got a little tired of listening to her think about becoming a ninja warrior and training to become a better ninja warrior, and honing her ninja warrior skills, then worrying about not being able to fully use her magic without a proper want, (even though everyone knows that it takes far more skill to direct your magic without one, and she's doing very well, considering she's never had formal training) and then it's back to thinking about being a ninja warrior. I never knew how stilted and awkward the phrase ninja warrior could sound before reading this book.

While this isn't a book that I'd consider a favorite, it was a great read. I truly enjoyed Cinderella's adventures and watching her befriend Ty, the royal messenger who comes to deliver the invites to the ball. They meet up fairly often (especially considering Cinderella's previous confinement) and they were such fun to watch get to know each other. And I loved that it wasn't the 'love at first site' that is so rampant in books today.

Really, this is one that you should pick up if you like fairy tales and are looking for something a little different from the norm.

Thought I'd mention that this is going to be part of a series. The stories are meant to be read alone, but all four books in the series have the same 'Chose Your Own Adventure' style and a unique twist on an old tale. The other book currently out is Sleeping Beauty, Vampire Slayer. Has anyone read that one? Let me know what you thought!

*Disclaimer — I received this book as part of a promotional book tour in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Hello, lovelies! Hope you're having a great day — and for a lot of you, it's about to get better. Settle in for a really long list of winners from Fairy Tale Fortnight.

Disclaimer: All winners will be emailed, and will have 2 days (48 hours) to respond before a new winner will be picked. No exceptions — there are just too many giveaways, and too many sponsors waiting on shipping information for us to wait on responses.
All winners chosen with random.org, based on criteria in each individual giveaway.

Now, lets get to it, shall we?

Anahita's Woven Riddle 6 people guessed the correct country (Iran), but there's only 1 winner: Congratulations, Vickie Mae!

Nancy Werlin Prize Pack wins both Extraordinary and Impossible Casey! (The Bookish Type) whose fairy tale name would be Asparagus.

A True Princess/The Thirteenth Princess swag
Small Review!
Jadey!
Brenda Jean!

Acrostic Poem ~ Kids Prize Pack
Ems!

Congrats everyone! Remember, if we email you for your address and we don't hear back by Wednesday, a new winner will be chosen.

I don't participate in the meme over at The Broke and the Bookish very often — it's pretty sporadic. But every so often, the topic is such that I must share. Today's topic is the Top Ten Books that Came Recommended. Basically, those books I never would have read without someone pushing it into my hands and demanding that I 'go'. To be honest, most of the books I read, especially before I started blogging, are books that I found for myself. But, there definitely are some books out there that I wouldn't have read without that extra little push. So — here they are.

1) Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta — Anyone who has followed me on Twitter for any length of time knows that I am almost obsessively in love with this book. It's one of those books that ruins you for anything else for a while, because nothing, and I mean nothing can match the brilliance that is this book. I read this book because it won the 2009 Printz Award. So, it's not really a recommendation, because it didn't come from a specific person, but I'm counting it, because I love it. With all my heart I love it, and I would never have known about it without that list.
(The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart gets an honorable mention for the exact same reason)

2) Pretend You Don't See Her by Mary Higgins Clark — I've talked about this one before, but my mom handed me this book when I was 11/12 because I wouldn't stop whining about needing something to read. I devoured it and went right back to my mom begging for more. I was in love with MHC for years. I've read all but her newest couple releases, and there is still something comforting about going back and reading those old favorites again.

3) The Book Thief by Markus Zusak — This is one that I probably would have picked up on my own without a recommendation, but it would have taken me a lot longer to learn about it, and to get it actually read. It was all over Goodreads for a long time, and it seemed like everyone I talked to on that site constantly raved about this book. I remember checking it out from the library at least three times, but never managing to get it read before it was came due again. I finally just sat down to read it, and it blew my mind away. I loved it. Thank you random Goodread friends.

4) Twilight by Stephenie Meyer — I don't care what all you haters say. In my experience, most of those who profess deep and undying hatred for this series were among the most ardent fans when it was 'cool' to like these books. This is not my normal read. When my friend recommended the book to me, I didn't even need to give her the 'look' before she was stumbling over her words, telling me why it wasn't as bad as it sounded. So, I read it. And I really enjoyed it. It's not some great piece of literary fiction. But it's never claimed to be. It's a teenage vampire love story for crying out loud! Read it to be entertained. Stephenie Meyer tells a great story, even if her characters would totally suck in real life. This is also the book that made me decide it was okay to give Paranormal fiction a chance. (still don't love it, but I enjoy it upon occasion)

5) The Hero and the Crown and The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley — This is another set I've mentioned before. I hated fantasy when I was younger. I thought I was 'above' the genre, and refused to read it. My friend in 8th grade bribed me to read these two books and I loved them. They changed the way I read.

6) Enchantment by Orson Scott Card — This is one of my older sister's very favorite books. (She actually talks about it in a guest post) It's a retelling of Sleeping Beauty set between ancient Ukranie/Russia and modern America. It's a powerful read and one that has become one of my favorite fairy tale retellings. It's amazing.

7) The Kite Runner- by Khaled Hosseini — This is another book that I saw mentioned on Goodreads all the time. Everyone who read it seemed moved by it, and I wanted to better understand what everyone was talking about. So I read it, and let me tell you — I didn't remember the last time that I had been so incredibly moved by a book. It broke my heart. And Hosseini's second book, A Thousand Splendid Suns just might be even better.

8) Ranger's Apprentice: The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan — This is a series that was first recommended to my by my 15 year old brother. He loves this series, and has been trying to convince me to read it for a while now. Then, one of my groups on Goodreads read it as a group read, and I decided that I might as well read it. I wasn't expecting anything more than moderate enjoyment, but wow! I haven't been this caught up in a fantasy story like this in a long while. There were some inconsistencies and things in the story, but I was so caught up in the lives of these young characters that I didn't really care. It was such a fun read, and now I can't wait to continue the series!

9) The Book by M. Clifford — This is a by-choice self-published novel (as in, the author didn't seek and doesn't want an actual publishing contract) that I would never have heard of without Lori from The Next Best Book Blog. She reviewed this book, a dystopian novel about a society where the government has taken complete control of the written word by making printed books illegal (environmental hazard/damage) and put all literature into one e-reader, called 'The Book'. The main character accidentally learns that they are really censoring the books, removing 'undesireable' words, phrases, or pages **cough**newHuckFinntranslation**cough**. This is an especially scary dystopian novel, because it could really happen. I won a copy on Lori's blog and read straight through this one. It would have been a shame to have missed this.

10) A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb — This is a book that I didn't expect to like. I had heard a lot of people on Goodreads talk about it, and grabbed it from the library on a whim. (this is something I do regularly. I have over 300 books sitting in my bedroom right now that I could/should be reading, but I will go to the library fairly often and just walk up and down the aisles, grabbing books that look interesting. Some I read right away, some I never read at all...) Anyway... I grabbed a copy of this and brought it home, but didn't expect much. A few days later, I was getting ready for bed and needed to pick out my book for the next day. (I was living in Arlington, VA at the time, and worked in DC). I had an hour+ commute to and from work, and a book was a must. So, I grabbed a few library books from the piles in my room and decided that I would read the first few pages and take whatever book grabbed my attention. I started with this book and told myself I'd stop after 3 6 10 20 one more chapter just one more okay, one more maybe two more just one more just till this part is over. And then, suddenly, the book was done, it was way later than I should have been going to bed, and I still didn't have anything to read on my commute. This one was awesome!

So, there you have it. Those are my top ten books I'm so glad you forced me to read. What are yours?! I'd love to hear from you! Leave me a comment, so I can come check out your top lists and add some more books to my insanely large tbr pile!

Alright Fairy Tale fans! My last giveaway comes from author Regina Doman! She has generously offered a copy of any one the books in her fairy tale series to one lucky winner!

Her series, A Fairy Tale Retold, covers several different fairy tale favorites. With five books in the series, Regina's stories retell the 1001 Tales, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Snow White and Rose Red and The Twelve Dancing Princesses.

These books have been on my wishlist for a long time. I haven't read any of them yet, but I've been eyeing them for over 3 years now.

These books are each set in the modern world and use modern teenagers to tell these fairy tales.

Regina has been generous enough to offer the book of choice to one lucky winner within the US, UK, Europe, or Australia. And, if the winner is from the US, the book of your choice will be signed!

To enter — Leave a comment with which book you would pick if you are the winner! And, why not tell us which fairy tale you would love to see a retelling of next!

AND head on over to The Book Rat for an interview with Regina!!

The Third Child: a fill-in from author Maureen McGowan There was an old woman who lived in a Birkin bag. She had 3 children, the bane of her existence. The first was a thick-headed, doltish son, who was prone to buying magic beans and geese that laid strange orange eggs. The 2nd was a beautiful but haughty daughter, who stared at herself ceaselessly in any reflective surface, speaking in rhyme to the reflection there. But the 3rd child, Pandora, she was the worst of all. The first 2 children gave her endless grief, but it was Pandora who drove the old woman to distraction, for Pandora was always greedy.

The old woman had no choice but to lock Pandora high in a tower — from which Pandora promptly escaped, climbing down a ladder made of hair and fleeing in a giant pumpkin carriage. (The old woman’s fault, you see, for braiding hair-ladders and growing what were surely mutant pumpkins...)

The 3rd child traveled night and day, finally reaching the Great City. When Pandora reached the City, she opened a manhole and discovered the sewers flowed with gold. It seemed too good to be true. So Pandora promptly stole a bucket from a poorly attended vendor’s stall nearby, and set off to climb into the sewers.Pandora‘s quest was not an easy one, and before long, she discovered the bucket had holes. Not knowing what else to, Pandora did what any greedy 3rd child would do: using her skirt, she plugged the holes. This of course caused her to run through the streets half naked, which led to her arrest for stealing a bucket filled with yellow paint. Which is exactly what one would expect of such a 3rd child.Pandora lived infamously ever after, of course. But to this day, when ever someone says Fool’s Gold, everyone thinks of Pandora , the 3rd child of the old woman who lived in a Birkin bag.

Thanks, Maureen! Maureen McGowan is the author of the Twisted Tales series, including Cinderella: Ninja Warrior and Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer, as well as a short story in The Mammoth Book of Time Travel Romance.
Make sure to check back with us in late May, when Misty and Ashley will both be a part of Maureen's blog tour.
Ashley will be reviewing Cinderella: Ninja Warrior. Misty will be reviewing Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer.

This post is just me casting lonely puppy dog eyes at fairy tales, both released and announced that I'm itching to get my hands on. There's a lot of them, but this is in no ways an all-inclusive list. There are a lot of really great looking retellings that got left behind, simply because the post was so long. For that same reason, all that's included about each title is a tiny bit about why I want it so bad.

Shadows on the Moon by Zoë Marriot — If you haven't yet picked up on how much I want this book, I don't think you've been paying attention. I loved Zoë's previous novels and this retelling of Cinderella fascinates me. This is probably my most highly anticipated of all the books on this list.

Sweetly by Jackson Pearce — The companion novel to Sister's Red, which I loved (my review) , this is Pearce's version of Hansel and Gretel. But, just as Sister's Red was unlike any Little Red Riding Hood story I've read before, Sweetly promises to be just as original, and just as fabulous.

Heart's Blood by Juliet Marillier — I loved Marillier's writing in Wildwood Dancing (my review) and Cybele's Secret. I'm eager to read more of the fairy tale retellings that she has written. Heart's Blood is the one that I used as my example, but really, any of her books I've no yet read would fit there.

Thornspell by Helen Lowe — I haven't read too many retellings of Sleeping Beauty but it's one that, in my experience, often does very well on the retell. I've had this one on my tbr for a while now, and can't help but think that it's getting time to take it off.

Dread Locks by Neal Shusterman — The first in his Dark Fusion trilogy, this promised to be a very unique and twisty version of Medusa. The series also retells Little Red Riding Hood and The Ugly Duckling.

The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab — The cover is beautiful and haunting, and the synopsis sounds like it comes from a fairy tale. But it is instead a wholly original story, a new fairy tale. And I for one, cannot wait to read it. (Thank you Victoria for the correction. My apologies for having it wrong before.)

The Fairy Godmother by Mercedes Lackey — This is the first book in her Five Hundred Kingdoms series, and it's the one I've chosen to represent Lackey in general. I've heard a lot of great things about her writing in general and about this series in particular, and it is one that I am eager to read.

Birdwing by Rafe Martin — This is the book that has, perhaps, been on my list the longest without having been read. Birdwing is a retelling of The Six Swans (or The Wild Swans etc.) but it is the story of the youngest brother, the brother who was given the shirt with only one finished sleeve. What was his life like, with one arm and one wing? This idea fascinates me, because I've thought about that before, and I would love to see where Martin takes this story.

White as Snow by Tanith Lee — There is a whole fairy tale series where several writers grouped together and all (somehow) decided to tell their own tales. White as Snow is one of them, as is Briar Rose by Jane Yolen, which is definitely a book worth reading. I'd love to go through and read each of the books in this series. They all seem fascinating.

Toads and Diamonds by Heather Tomlinson — I really enjoyed Tomlinson's The Swan Maiden and was excited to see that she had another fairy tale retelling coming out. I can't wait to see what she does with this story. It's a lesser known tale, and one that is a little bit... weird (gems or snakes falling from your mouth every time you speak?!) and it's one that could very definitely be fascinating on the retell.

So there it is — a very small grouping of fairy tales that I'm insanely anxious to read. Have you read any of them? What did you think?! Any you recommend more than others? Any you are adding to your own TBR?