Review: I Know You Really Love Me by Doreen Orion

Title: I Know You Really Love Me
Author: Doreen Orion
Source: Purchased
Genre: Nonfiction/Psychology
Buy: Amazon ~*~ Barnes & Noble
Add to your Goodreads shelf
Caution: May contain spoilers

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Locked in a ward of an Arizona psychiatric hospital, the patient called Fran looked harmless, even ordinary. Meeting her, psychiatrist Doreen Orion had no warning that Fran suffered from erotomania, the bizarre mental disorder that causes stalkers to believe their victims are in love with them--and no inkling that she would be the next target of Fran's twisted, dangerous mind.

Now Dr. Orion reveals how she has been spied upon, accosted, and hunted for eight years, living in fear of her life and the lives of those closest to her. Changing her address and job, getting restraining orders and having Fran arrested, have all failed to end Fran's obsessive behavior, which continues to this day.

Recounting the ordeals of Madonna, David Letterman, and scores of others who have been terrorized by stalkers, Dr. Orion alerts potential victims to this increasingly deadly disorder--and tells what society must do to protect us all from those who would kill for love.

~synopsis from Goodreads

My Thoughts:

This is a true story told from the point of view of a psychiatrist who gets stalked by one of her patients. Fran Nightingale believes she’s in a relationship with Dr. Orion, even though there was never any suggestion of one. For eight long years Dr. Orion struggles to protect herself and her fiancée/husband Tim (they got married in the midst of all this). She attempts to get into Fran’s mind to understand how to get her to let go of this silly notion that something was going on between them. The problem is that Fran has erotomania, which means she becomes obsessed with someone and believes they are in love with her. These delusions often lead to stalking the person they are in love with, despite being told directly to their face and indirectly by the person’s actions that they are not interested in a relationship.

The reason why I even picked this book up to begin with is due to the fact that I knew someone who had these tendencies. I wanted to understand what was going on in their mind, why they were so fixated on one person and wouldn’t believe that there was nothing between them. It was a pretty eye opening tale of what happens to a person when they end up being the one an erotomaniac sets their mind on.

I ended up learning a lot about not only erotomania but one of the things that happens to someone who is obsessively attached: stalking. I’ve seen portrayals on television before but had no idea the lengths some people go to. Dr. Orion talks about the stories of countless others who suffered at the hands of their stalkers. Some of the stories can even scare you. Even when these victims get restraining orders, it still doesn’t stop the stalker from following them or even finding them when they try to move.

What really got to me is how little the law could do to help a person when they are being stalked by an erotomaniac. At the time of this novel being written, laws had not caught up with this mental illness. While some states had passed laws that protected the ones being stalked, many of them were behind. People had the false notion that a stalker is only dangerous when they threaten their victim. This is not always the case. Once the stalker/erotomaniac gets triggered by something life changing (loss of employment, loss of a loved one, their victim getting married, etc.), something inside may snap. In one deadly instance, Laura Black’s stalker Richard Farley came into her place of work with nearly a hundred pounds of guns and ammunition. He killed seven of her coworkers and injured four, including Laura.

Due to cases like that (including some celebrities that have been stalked and killed), laws have been changed to protect people from getting hurt. This includes stiffer sentences for repeat offenders to prevent them from getting away with their pursuits for years, like in the case of Dr. Orion with Fran.

I don’t know what current laws are (this book was published in 1997), but I’m sure that due to Doreen Orion and many other victims speaking out like this, a lot of the loopholes were taken care of since. Of course, there’s no way you can change a person who has erotomania, but after reading this many can find ways to protect themselves and their families and friends. This isn’t necessarily an easy read, it is pretty intense and can even frighten you. I found it more absorbing due to a personal desire to understand. If anyone is dealing with a stalker or an erotomaniac, this is definitely one of those books you want to read.

My Rating:

Very Good: Stay up late

Review: Notes To Self by Avery Sawyer

Title: Notes To Self
Author: Avery Sawyer
Source: Copy given by author for honest review
Genre: Young Adult
Buy: Amazon ~*~ Barnes & Noble
Add to your Goodreads shelf
Caution: May contain spoilers

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Two climbed up. Two fell down.

One woke up.

In the aftermath of a traumatic brain injury, Robin Saunders has to relearn who she is and find out what happened the night everything changed.

~synopsis from Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Notes To Self is a story that follows Robin as she tries to piece together what happened the night she and her best friend Emily fell. Robin’s journey post-brain-injury is probably one of the most brilliant tales I’ve read. No matter what happens, she does what she can. She can’t do everything she would like to, but it’s admirable that she keeps trying to move forward. She wants to remember what happened that night, hoping that if she can she would be able to do something to help Emily, who is still in a coma.

Her brain damage does not make this easy. She struggles at first to manage the easiest of tasks, like how to take a shower. As per her doctor’s suggestion, she starts to write down notes to help her remember things. It doesn’t trigger the memory she wants to have back, but it helps. Although she finds herself more prone to crying, she still manages to stay strong considering what she went through and what she’s dealing with.

Aside from her own injury and her friend in a coma, she is having to face mean people at school. Her classmates make fun of and laugh at her when she can’t do things normally. They also constantly ask her when Emily will be getting out of her coma. There is one person she has to rely on, and that’s her friend Reno. He is a very sweet guy from her childhood who, despite not having spoken in awhile, comes by and does what he can for her.

No matter what she does, nothing seems to be helping her to remember what happened. How can she remember? The fall has caused her to forget so much, and it has brought forward strange feelings and mixed emotions about the people in her life. She doesn’t give up, she keeps pressing on and staying strong regardless of the obstacles in her way.

Notes To Self is a story of growth and learning (and relearning) about oneself. Many things Robin kept in the dark (in her subconscious) were brought to light, making her a remarkable person for understanding them. This book kept me captivated chapter after chapter. Avery Sawyer has given us a story to remember. I, for one, hope to see something else from her soon.

My Rating:

Very Good: Stay up late

Young Adult Giveaway Hop!!! Enter to win bookish things...

Welcome to the Young Adult Giveaway Hop! Brought to you by the wonderful I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and also hosted by Down the Rabbit Hole. The dates for this hop run from January 27th through January 31st (technically it is a day early, BUT, the host prefers it to happen early).

Click here to check out the rest of the participating blogs!!!

What do you have the chance to win? You may choose ONE book among the following books (shipped from The Book Depository*):

*The Book Depository must ship to your country for you to enter.

1. Getting Over Garrett Delaney by Abby McDonald

2. The One That I Want by Jennifer Echols

3. Love And Leftovers by Sarah Tregay

4. Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler

5. Geek Girl by Cindy C. Bennett

6. Waiting For You by Susane Colasanti

7. Virals by Kathy Reichs

8. The Statistical Probability Of Love At First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

9. Tempest by Julie Cross

Sound good? Good! Here's the official rules/guidelines for the giveaway:

1. You must be a follower.

2. You must be over 15 years old.

3. This is open to international followers. (Only if The Book Depository will ship to you; please check this link to see if you are eligible.)

4. This contest runs from January 27th to 31st.

5. You can gain extra entries by "liking" my Facebook page &/or following me on Twitter @onlyminordetail.

6. Winner will be selected at 12:01 a.m. on February 1st via Rafflecopter random selection.

Thanks to everyone following and entering!

Update Thursday #43

Welcome to Update Thursday, my own personal meme of sorts where I post an update of the goings on at my blog, with reading, with writing, and beyond. Feel free to borrow the idea from me for your own bookish musings.

~*~

Reading...

Books I finished this week:

 Notes To Self by Avery Sawyer

Books I'm reading now (and some still):

I Capture The Castle by Dodie Smith (Classics Challenge)

Beautiful by Amy Reed (TBR Pile Challenge)

Reasons To Be Happy by Katrina Kittle (TBR Pile Challenge)

53 of 1026 E.E. Cummings poems finished (39 this week)

Writing...

I started character profiles on index cards and took a few more notes. I've been spending more time reading than writing. I wanted to be ahead a little on reading (plus had two review requests to finish by the end of the month) so that I wouldn't get behind. Now that I am caught up and ahead, I'm going to dive into writing again. And when I get behind on my reading, I'm gonna say, "I don't care! I need to write!!!" and run away from my books and to my laptop.

I'm thinking of readjusting my blog schedule because sometimes writing the articles takes up a lot of my writing my novel time. On certain days off I'll do a bunch of blog scheduling at once and I'm set for another couple weeks. But it's coming back around and I'm doing the facepalm in frustration as I haven't written up any new articles. So, working on that blog balance. But, since I really want to finish a novel, that takes priority. Not that I'd give up my blog, because I could never do that. It's just time to change things up and make them simpler.




Until next time...

~Jessica

PS: Don't forget to enter the Blue Sky Days eBook giveaway before it ends! You've got less than one week left. ;)

Review: The DUFF by Kody Keplinger

Title: The DUFF
Author: Kody Keplinger
Source: Purchased
Genre: Young Adult
Buy: Amazon ~*~ Barnes & Noble
Add to your Goodreads shelf
Caution: May contain spoilers

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Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper is cynical and loyal, and she doesn’t think she’s the prettiest of her friends by a long shot. She’s also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. In fact, Bianca hates him. And when he nicknames her “the Duff,” she throws her Coke in his face.

But things aren’t so great at home right now, and Bianca is desperate for a distraction. She ends up kissing Wesley. Worse, she likes it. Eager for escape, Bianca throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with him.


Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out Wesley isn’t such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up, too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she’s falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone.

~synopsis from Goodreads

My Thoughts:

There’s just something about a book that surrounds a girl who hates a guy. It’s probably why I’m writing one, and thoroughly enjoy reading them. Bianca is a snarky and smart girl that you can’t help but love. She’s facing some serious issues at home, and this causes her to act out away from home. Sure, maybe it was stupid the way she acted out--by hooking up with Wesley Rush. And not to make excuses for her, but she wanted the distraction.

Why did she need to be distracted? She didn’t want to face reality--her parents living in separate locations, her mother after all these years finally filing for divorce, her alcoholic father teetering on the edge of a relapse. When those things happen, you either get depressed and cry, or you dive into anything else that is right there. Even if it’s with someone she hates.

Wesley is pretty much the biggest jerk for pointing out the whole DUFF thing to begin with to her. I mean, what guy would say that to a girl? Isn’t it supposed to be some sort of covert operation where the DUFF is supposed to be appreciative of the personal interest while he pounces on her friend? What I think is the worst is that Bianca took it to heart and allowed it to upset her. It might’ve been partially due to what else was going on in her life that made her more vulnerable to letting it get to her AND hooking up with Wesley.

The distraction distracts her from her friends Casey and Jessica. They get upset with her for bailing on them without reason. She didn’t mention the Wesley thing and her family situation to them. When she starts thinking something more is happening with Wesley, she bails. ‘He’s not a one girl kind of guy’ is her attitude. So she moves on. But can she move on? As much of a jerk as he is, he really was there for her. A lot. (My thoughts on this, some guys seem like jerks because they’re just cocky and sarcastic, deep down they can be caring… it just takes a trained eye to distinguish between the real jerks and only cocky guys… if that makes sense…) And if we distract ourselves from the distraction that we maybe might want to focus on, we may hurt ourselves.

There’s so much more to The DUFF than just the enemies with benefits aspect. The reality of her family’s problems is a harsh one. Facing those things can be extremely hard and extraordinarily depressing (speaking as a child of an alcoholic parent AND divorce). And Bianca’s take on the fact that everyone is a DUFF is true. We all feel like one, even if we are in a popular group and everyone loves us. But we should never let our doubts and negative thoughts get to us.

The DUFF is an amazing read. Despite Bianca’s potty mouth. It was funny AND real. It delved more into the emotions rather than what Bianca chose to do. Kody Keplinger is just spectacular. Definitely recommended!

My Rating:

Exceptional: Stay up until at least 1 AM

Leap Into Books (Giveaway Hop for next month!)

Coming Soon to Thoughts At One In The Morning...

Leap into Books Giveaway Hop!

This hop runs from February 29th to March 5th and is hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer & Jinky is Reading

Here are the details (because you know you want to sign up to host a giveaway too!):

 Hop Rules:

• Each participating blog will host a giveaway on their site.
• The giveaway must be for something a reader, blogger or author would enjoy.
• No more than 6 possible entries per person. 1 mandatory & up to 5 optional.
• Offering a Gift Card or book of choice from The Book Depository is fine.
• Any family friendly blog or site is welcome to join.
• Your post must include the giveaway hop image, the linky or a link to the host site & must be live by 12:01 AM on February 29th.

So, look forward to it. I'll try to come up with some super awesome book choices for you.

~Jessica

Review: Everblossom: A Short Story and Poetry Anthology by Larissa Hinton

Title: Everblossom: A Short Story and Poetry Anthology
Author: Larissa Hinton
Source: Copy given by author for honest review
Genre: Young Adult/Poetry
Buy: Amazon ~*~ Barnes & Noble
Add to your Goodreads shelf
Caution: May contain spoilers

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An anthology that will quench your thirst for more than the ordinary.

Everblossom is a journey through poems and short stories that may seem ordinary on the surface but dig a little deeper and the world not only shifts. It changes.

From the author who brought you Iwishacana/Acanawishi, she now brings you a dash of everything from dark fantasy to the paranormal to even romance. So prepare yourself to delve into the three stages of the flower from bud to blossom then back to seed, you'll go through them all with a whole new perspective on what it all truly means.

~synopsis from Goodreads.
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My Thoughts:

Being the fan of poetry I am, I had to at least take a look at this anthology. It has an out of the ordinary approach (poetry to short story back to poetry) that can easily throw one off. Particularly the beginning might make the reader question what the author is getting at considering how simple the writing appears. When the story progresses, however, the childishness of the start makes perfect sense. This is a story of growth, after all.

The poetry in between short stories set the mood right. It consisted of numerous one word lines that culminated into one poem. The minimalism might cause a reader may mistakenly think it’s too effortless to be poetry. When you look at the whole poem, how the words tie into each other, everything comes full circle to the beginning. I really liked that. The short stories were appealing, but I didn’t get as much out of them as I did out of the poetry. There were elements of a paranormal nature threaded in and out that made them interesting though.

I have to say, I am glad I read Everblossom. Larissa Hinton’s voice combines her words into poems that convey the human emotion. It is a short read but it has a fascinating charm that makes you appreciate life in a new way.

My Rating:

Pretty Good: Stay up until your bedtime

Winner of the Dreaming Of Books Giveaway Hop is....

.....(drumroll please).....

CONGRATULATIONS
Jade!

 I'll be sending you an email to confirm which book you would like.

Thank you to everyone who participated in my giveaway! You guys are spectacular. I don't know what I would do without you wonderful and lovely people. *many hugs*

~Jessica

Update Thursday #42

Welcome to Update Thursday, my own personal meme of sorts where I post an update of the goings on at my blog, with reading, with writing, and beyond. Feel free to borrow the idea from me for your own bookish musings.

~*~

Reading...

Books I finished this week:

The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games #1) by Suzanne Collins (EBook Challenge)

Books I'm reading now (and some still):

I Capture The Castle by Dodie Smith (Classics Challenge)

 Notes To Self by Avery Sawyer

Beautiful by Amy Reed (TBR Pile Challenge)

14 of 1026 E.E. Cummings poems finished (10 this week)

Writing...

You know, I can't believe how much inspiration I've had. Not that I've accomplished a lot, just that I came up with some good lines and plot ideas. I have to say that part of the reason for it is due to reading the poetry. The other part is seeing an X-Files episode last night that had a theme reminiscent of the theme in my WIP. In any case, I'm glad for it.



Until next time...

~Jessica

Blog Tour: Excerpt & Giveaway of Blue Sky Days by Marie Landry!

Welcome to the first stop on the Blue Sky Days Blog Tour!

I am thrilled to be part of the tour for this awesome book by the wonderful Marie Landry. She is an absolute sweetie, and an amazing author. Thank you Marie for letting me be part of this. *huge hugs* Don't forget to check out the other blogs that are part of the tour on Marie's book blog here or author blog here.

 "This novel was amazing. Purely and completely amazing. I used to wonder what made people say that someone had a remarkable debut, but with Marie Landry I wonder this no more... Blue Sky Days is a journey beyond compare. A love story in every sense of the word, a larger than life lesson, a renewed sense of self." ~taken from my review

I am pleased to present an excerpt from Marie's debut novel Blue Sky Days. Enjoy!

~*~EXCERPT~*~

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There was a delightful breeze moving across the field, unhindered by buildings or trees. It rippled across the low-lying greenery surrounding the strawberries, sending the mouthwatering scent of ripe berries into the air. The wind moved around us, teasing the hem of my shirt and ruffling Nicholas’s hair so that it fell forward across his forehead, giving him a slightly roguish look that had my fingers itching, as they had before, to touch his hair. To touch him.

We worked away in silence until the container between us was full. Nicholas plucked one more strawberry from the vine and held it out to me. When I reached for it, he shook his head and held it to my lips. My stomach tensed as I leaned forward to take a tentative bite, careful not to graze his fingers with my teeth. I laughed when juice spurted from the ripe berry and rolled down my chin. When my eyes met Nicholas’s, expecting him to be laughing too, his face was serious, his eyes intent on my mouth.

I licked my lips self-consciously and wiped the juice from my face with the back of my hand. Nicholas’s gaze lingered on my lips a minute more before meeting my eyes as he popped the rest of the berry in his mouth and smiled slightly. “Sweet,” was all he said as he stood.

He moved around, working the kinks out of his legs before stretching, arms reaching up toward the sky. “Where’d those clouds come from?” he asked.

The note of surprise in his voice had my head snapping up to see a dark, foreboding mass crawling across the sky that had been a beautiful forget-me-not blue only moments before. “I didn’t hear anything about rain in the forecast.”

“Sure looks like a storm.” Nicholas stood there, his face upturned, and watched the clouds pick up their pace across the sky. He wiped away a fat raindrop that fell on his arm, and had just opened his mouth to say something when the sky seemed to burst open and pour sheets of rain down on us.

I let out a startled shriek as the cold raindrops hit my face. My first instinct was to run for shelter, and I turned in the direction of Farmer Milligan’s old red barn to do just that when Nicholas grabbed my hand and held me where I was.

“Stay!” he yelled over the noise of the heavy rain pounding on the ground. “Feel it. Enjoy it.” He took both my hands and turned them over, holding onto my wrists so I could feel the rain slip through my fingers and see it puddle in my palms before it overflowed and slid down to drip onto the earth.

As it washed over my face and hair, drenching my clothes so they clung to my body, I turned my face toward the sky again and closed my eyes. When the rain started falling harder than I thought it possibly could, I began to laugh. I had never seen it rain so hard in my life. It was coming down so thickly that when I opened my eyes to look at Nicholas, who was no more than two feet away from me, even he was blurred.

When he saw that I was laughing, a quick grin spread over his face. I couldn’t stop, and he started to chuckle, too. He let go of my hands and put his arms around my waist to pick me up and spin me around. I giggled harder as the rain flew from his hair. Closing my eyes, I buried my face in his neck, feeling dizzy but not from being spun.

When my feet hit the ground again, Nicholas kept his arms around my waist. The rain let up slightly, but was still coming down in buckets with the sound of it drowning out all the previous springtime noises—the birds chirping, the insects buzzing, the occasional far-off sound from the park. It was like we were in our own little rain-soaked world, the downpour creating a curtain of water around us that blocked out everything else.

Nicholas pushed a few strands of wet hair away from my face. Droplets of rain clung to his eyelashes and dripped from his hair. His mouth was curved into a hint of a smile, his eyes locked on mine. When his body shifted to lean toward me, my knees began to shake and I worried that I would melt into a puddle and wash away with the rain. He paused, his lips lingering close to mine, barely touching, but just enough to have my lips tingling in anticipation. This was it; I was about to have my first kiss, and it just happened to be with the most beautiful boy in the world.

Nicholas laughed under his breath as I sighed, and when he finally brought his mouth to mine, I was glad he still had his arms around me so my quivering knees didn’t land me in a heap right there in the middle of the field.

The kiss was slow and soft, mingled with the barest hint of strawberry sweetness as our lips parted and our tongues met. I knew I would never forget this moment—the feel of the rain as it slid over my skin; the way Nicholas’s hands moved to cup my face; the pungent smell of soaked strawberries and earth.

As I clung to Nicholas and the rain washed over us, I knew that everything would be different from that moment on. I may have been nineteen years old, but my life was really just starting in many ways. This was another new beginning: right there in Nicholas’s arms, in the middle of Farmer Milligan’s strawberry patch.
.

~*~

About the novel...

Blue Sky Days by Marie Landry
Add to your Goodreads shelf HERE
Buy on Amazon HERE
Buy on Smashwords HERE

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 A year after graduating from high school, nineteen-year-old Emma Ward feels lost. She has spent most of her life trying to please her frigid, miserable mother - studying hard, getting good grades, avoiding the whole teenage rebellion thing - and now she feels she has no identity beyond that. Because she spent so many years working hard and planning every moment of her life, she doesn't have any friends, has never had a boyfriend, and basically doesn't know who she is or what she really wants from life. Working two part-time jobs to save money for college hasn't helped her make decisions about her future, so she decides it's time for a change. She leaves home to live with her free-spirited, slightly eccentric Aunt Daisy in a small town that makes Emma feel like she's stepped back in time.

When Emma meets Nicholas Shaw, everything changes - he's unlike anyone she's ever met before, the kind of man she didn't even know existed in the 21st century. Carefree and spirited like Daisy, Nicholas teaches Emma to appreciate life, the beauty around her, and to just let go and live. Between Daisy and Nicholas, Emma feels like she belongs somewhere for the first time in her life, and realizes that you don't always need a plan - sometimes life steers you where you're meant to be.

Life is wonderful, an endless string of blue sky days, until Nicholas is diagnosed with cancer, and life changes once again for Emma in ways she never thought possible. Now it's time for her to help Nicholas the way he's helped her. Emma will have to use her new-found strength, and discover along the way if love really is enough to get you through.

~synopsis from Goodreads

About the Author...

~*~

Marie Landry has always been a daydreamer. She has created imaginary worlds for as long as she can remember, so it only seemed natural that she would become a writer. With a passion for words that started in early childhood, Marie has written a varied range of works, and has been freelance writing since 2009. She resides in Ontario, Canada, and most days you can find her writing, reading, blogging about writing and reading, listening to U2, or having grand adventures with her two precious nephews.


Keep up with Marie online on the following pages:

GoodReads

Facebook: Blue Sky Days by Marie Landry
Facebook: Marie Landry, Writer
Follow Marie on Twitter
Blog: Ramblings of a Daydreamer
Author site: Marie Landry, Author
Check out the Blue Sky Days trailer

~*~

~*~

Blue Sky Days Giveaway!

Win an EBook copy of Marie Landry's Blue Sky Days! (EBook copy is made available through Smashwords, so you'll need an account with that site to receive the copy if you win)
All you have to do is fill out the form below to enter.

Rules:
1. You must be a follower.
2. You must be over 15 years old.
3. This is open to international followers.
4. You can earn extra entries by liking Marie on Facebook and/or following her on Twitter.
5. This contest runs from January 17th to 31st.
6. Winner will be selected on February 1st and notified via blog post announcement and email.

Please fill out THIS FORM.

~*~

Marie would like to thank the people who have supported her by showing her appreciation in some small way. So, for every person who buys a copy of Blue Sky Days during the tour and sends Marie proof of purchase via email to irishstar_83{at}hotmail{dot}com she will enter you into a giveaway to win a book of your choice up to $12 CAN from The Book Depository.

~Jessica

Review: Blue Sky Days by Marie Landry

Title: Blue Sky Days
Author: Marie Landry
Source: Copy given by author for honest review
Genre: Young Adult
Buy: Amazon ~*~ Barnes & Noble (thru Smashwords)
Add to your Goodreads shelf
Caution: May contain spoilers

.
A year after graduating from high school, nineteen-year-old Emma Ward feels lost. She has spent most of her life trying to please her frigid, miserable mother - studying hard, getting good grades, avoiding the whole teenage rebellion thing - and now she feels she has no identity beyond that. Because she spent so many years working hard and planning every moment of her life, she doesn't have any friends, has never had a boyfriend, and basically doesn't know who she is or what she really wants from life. Working two part-time jobs to save money for college hasn't helped her make decisions about her future, so she decides it's time for a change. She leaves home to live with her free-spirited, slightly eccentric Aunt Daisy in a small town that makes Emma feel like she's stepped back in time.

When Emma meets Nicholas Shaw, everything changes - he's unlike anyone she's ever met before, the kind of man she didn't even know existed in the 21st century. Carefree and spirited like Daisy, Nicholas teaches Emma to appreciate life, the beauty around her, and to just let go and live. Between Daisy and Nicholas, Emma feels like she belongs somewhere for the first time in her life, and realizes that you don't always need a plan - sometimes life steers you where you're meant to be.

Life is wonderful, an endless string of blue sky days, until Nicholas is diagnosed with cancer, and life changes once again for Emma in ways she never thought possible. Now it's time for her to help Nicholas the way he's helped her. Emma will have to use her new-found strength, and discover along the way if love really is enough to get you through.

~synopsis from Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Amazing.

That’s my review… just kidding! Seriously though, this novel was amazing. Purely and completely amazing. I used to wonder what made people say that someone had a remarkable debut, but with Marie Landry I wonder this no more. Believe me, I’m not just gushing because I’ve gotten to know Marie a little bit over these last few months. I am being truly honest--her work can speak for itself.

There is something about Emma that sincerely appeals to the side of me that wants to not only do more, but be more. The journey she has taken on is entirely new to her--a new place, new people, new life. She’s technically been an adult for a short time but it feels like much longer since she grew up fast. She missed out on so many of the little things, like a sunrise, and she learns to appreciate them.

Emma’s relationship with Nicholas is one of the most beautiful ones I have read. Even as I am typing up this review, I am tearing up thinking about it. Nicholas sees how amazing Emma is, despite the fact that she feels she has nothing amazing about her at first. He sees what she really is, the person she can be, the one that can break through the walls she built up over the years that hid that person. They fall head over heels in love, and can you blame either of them? No, you can see from the start they were destined for each other.

When the knowledge of Nicholas having cancer comes into play, the entire focus of the story remains. Emma is right by his side, and their love plays a role in how things progress. They face the ups and downs of the illness, hoping for a light at the end of the tunnel. Faint glimmers of hope appear and disappear. Through thick and thin, Emma and Nicholas pull through just as strong as they were over the summer.

The story isn’t just a love story between Emma and Nicholas. Emma’s aunt Daisy plays a huge role that impacts Emma’s very perspective. Nicholas introduces her to his friends Maggie and Vince, who are really cool people, and she meets his father Sam, too, who is just as sweet as Nicholas.

Along the way, Emma talks with her parents a little bit. Her mother is still attempting to control her in any way possible. Although her mother isn’t very nice, her father tries to stay in touch. The way things end up with her and her parents is a very accurate depiction of reality. Not everything can be tied up into neat and pretty little bows, some things come undone and can never be put back together again. It doesn’t matter what happens, but how you choose to react to these situations. Emma makes some brave choices that shape her into an incredible young woman.

Blue Sky Days is a journey beyond compare. A love story in every sense of the word, a larger than life lesson, a renewed sense of self. Marie Landry’s storytelling ability connects the reader to the story to the point where their eyes cannot stray from the page. Yes, you will cry (I did). Yes, you may even sob (oh boy, I certainly did). But, you will never regret reading this novel (and I mean never). I, for one, am anxiously awaiting what else Marie has in store.

 My Rating:

Exceptional: Stay up until at least 1 AM

Don’t Delay, Start Today

source: http://slices-of-life.com/2011/03/09/procrastination-definition-quotes/

It’s 2012. A lot of unpublished writers have been setting goals to make this “the” year. Write, edit, finish that manuscript that has been laying out there on the shelf and FINALLY get it published. No longer be considered an unpublished writer. I am one of those unpublished writers who wants 2012 to be the year I finally get published. Unfortunately, I’m not off to a good start.

Start revising my manuscript: Check.
Do this once every day: Um… can you come back to me later?

Yep. Procrastination. We all do it. It’s easier to think about the things we want to do. It’s easier to browse around and scan through things online. It’s easier to come up with literally a million things that need to be done.

You believe: Once I do [insert any of the above], I can write.
Here’s the deal though: You’re wasting your time.

A-whaaaa?????

Yep. Wasting your time.

Yes, you need to take care of and spend time with your family. Yes, you need to work to pay the bills. Yes, you need to be there for your friends and hang out with them. Yes, the dishes need washed, the floor needs mopped, and the toilet needs scrubbed. Those are important things. (Please tell me you clean your toilet…) And there’s nothing wrong with thinking things over or reading something online.

Just take a minute to think about what I said above: “It’s easier to come up with literally a million things that need to be done.” When I said literally a million things, I meant literally, not figuratively. How long have you been writing? Now think about how many things you have done from the point you started writing to today that have kept you from writing. Is it a million things? You bet it is.

I get it, it’s fun to think about stuff we want to do. I admit that I think about how it would feel to be a published author. I think about how cool it would be if I could make a living at writing. I think about how amazing it would be to hold a finished copy of my book in my hands. I can’t feel that book in my hands unless I stop thinking about it.

I get it, it’s fun to read up on stuff online. I’m constantly reading about writing and publishing. There are some blogs that post links to awesome articles every week relating to writing and publishing (YA Highway and Adventures In YA and Children’s Publishing). One day, I had approximately 16 tabs opened at once, all but one was related to writing. If each tab (not including my Facebook page) took 3 minutes to read (and that’s if it’s a short article), that amounts to 45 minutes. Almost an hour that I could have spent writing.

I get it, it’s fun to come up with something else to do. I have this obsessive compulsive need to finish certain things before I do things I enjoy. Like, hang up those clean clothes, then you can write. Or, move those boxes back where they belong, then you can write. Once I start, I’ll keep finding something else that “needs done”. Guess what? If nothing can be un-done, I’ll never write.

“What is she getting at here?” you may be wondering.

Here is what I’m getting at: Instead of spending so much time thinking about, reading about, and doing other things, we need to be writing.

There’s nothing wrong with imagining how being published feels (we’d all be lying if we said we haven’t). There’s nothing wrong with researching important things (especially to help our writing and learn the basics about publishing). There’s nothing wrong with doing something that really needs to be done (please clean that toilet).

Just remember: You can never become a published author unless you write.

source: http://www.naijapals.com/modules/naijapals/nigeria/topic,35643.0.html

So, stop the procrastinating. Follow through on that goal. 2012 is “the” year. Don’t let the distractions keep you from reaching for the stars.

Review: Deaf Child Crossing by Marlee Matlin

Title: Deaf Child Crossing
Author: Marlee Matlin
Source: Purchased
Genre: Childrens
Buy: Amazon ~*~ Barnes & Noble
Add to your Goodreads shelf
Caution: May contain spoilers

Megan is excited when Cindy moves into her neighborhood — maybe she'll finally have a best friend. Sure enough, the two girls quickly become inseparable. Cindy even starts to learn sign language so they can communicate more easily.

But when they go away to summer camp together, problems arise. Cindy feels left out, because Megan is spending all of her time with Lizzie, another deaf girl; Megan resents that Cindy is always trying to help her, even when she doesn't need help. Before they can mend their differences, both girls have to learn what it means to be a friend.

Despite the fact that Megan is deaf and Cindy can hear, the two girls become friends when Cindy moves into Megan's neighborhood, but when they go away to camp, their friendship is put to the test.

~synopsis from Barnes & Noble

My Thoughts:

I picked this book up because #1, I love Marlee Matlin, and #2, it follows a girl who is deaf, and a girl who is friends with a girl who is deaf. It is a middle grade book, and a very fast read by comparison to what I read normally. So much of the writing is very simple and easy to follow.

Megan and Cindy are both very nice girls (although quite stubborn at times). Megan can be obnoxious, and Cindy can be overly helpful. Somehow they manage to overcome their flaws and remain friends. Cindy learns to fingerspell, and Megan starts to teach her how to sign words. They go to camp together and face more tests to their friendship. They learn how to overcome their differences and treat each other with the right kind of respect a person deserves, whether they are deaf or hearing.

One of my favorite parts in this book is when I find out that Megan is obsessed with Billy Joel. Okay, now you’re thinking, “How can somebody who can’t hear listen to music?” Megan is more hard of hearing than deaf, so with hearing aids she can hear some things, but only when it’s very loud. She even signs the song “Just The Way You Are” for Cindy. And she has a poster of him on her door. Needless to say, I could relate to Megan in that way, because, let’s face it, Billy Joel is awesome.

All in all, this was a very cute book. Marlee Matlin wrote a genuinely superb story of these two girls and the true meaning of friendship. I recommend Deaf Child Crossing for everyone, but I especially find great value in kids reading it. Understanding how to treat people when they’re deaf (or blind or facing other circumstances out of their control) can go a long way to building lasting friendships. It also ensures a feeling of equality and respect that everyone deserves to have no matter who they are.

 My Rating:

Very Good: Stay up late

~Jessica

Dreaming Of Books Giveaway Hop! Enter to win bookish things...

Welcome to the Dreaming of Books Giveaway Hop! Brought to you by the wonderful I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and also hosted by Martha's Bookshelf. The dates for this hop run from today (January 13th) through January 18th.

Click here to check out the rest of the participating blogs!!!

I've decided to go with a theme... of books with dreamy and beautiful covers... choose ONE book among the following books (shipped from The Book Depository*):

 

*The Book Depository must ship to your country for you to enter. Please note that I will try to get that specific cover but I'm not going to guarantee that it will be in stock.

1. Switched by Amanda Hocking

2. Dreams Of Significant Girls by Cristina Garcia

3. Nothing Like You by Lauren Strasnick

4. The Unbecoming Of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

5. A Blue So Dark by Holly Schindler

6. The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

7. Still Waters by Emma Carlson Berne

8. Perfect by Ellen Hopkins

9. And Both Were Young by Madeleine L'Engle

Sound good? Good! Here's the official rules/guidelines for the giveaway:

1. You must be a follower.

2. You must be over 15 years old.

3. This is open to international followers. (Only if The Book Depository will ship to you; please check this link to see if you are eligible.)

4. This contest runs from January 13th to 18th.

5. You can gain extra entries by "liking" my Facebook page &/or following me on Twitter @onlyminordetail.

6. Winner will be selected at 12:01 a.m. on January 19th via Rafflecopter random selection.

Thanks to everyone following and entering!

Update Thursday #41

Welcome to Update Thursday, my own personal meme of sorts where I post an update of the goings on at my blog, with reading, with writing, and beyond. Feel free to borrow the idea from me for your own bookish musings.

~*~

Reading...

Books I finished this week:

Get Fuzzy 2: Fuzzy Logic by Darby Conley

Books I'm reading now (and some still):

The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games #1) by Suzanne Collins (EBook Challenge)

I Capture The Castle by Dodie Smith (Classics Challenge)

 Notes To Self by Avery Sawyer

4 of 1026 E.E. Cummings poems finished
(Oh man, I almost forgot about doing this. Yep, I've been distracted. Now I'm trying to get caught up.)

Writing...

Didn't get as much revised as I wanted to, but I did figure out a better way to write out the next section. I originally had the idea to make it a whole chapter, but after reading about how over explaining certain points can kill the interest, I decided to add it onto the previous chapter. Some explanation is needed, but definitely not as much as I was throwing out there. It was boring me so much that it kept me from working on it, lol. I think after I work this part out, I'm going to revise a scene I really like to keep me excited about my story. Rewriting the beginning can be dull at times.



Until next time...

~Jessica

Review: True Confessions Of A Hollywood Starlet by Lola Douglas

Title: True Confessions Of A Hollywood Starlet
Author: Lola Douglas
Source: Purchased
Genre: Young Adult
Buy: Amazon ~*~ Barnes & Noble
Add to your Goodreads shelf
Caution: May contain spoilers

.
Teen star Morgan Carter's mom is trying to kill her. At least, that's what Morgan thinks when she's sent to Ft.Wayne, Indiana after a near overdose outside LA's Viper Room.

Morgan's going to recover out of the spotlight.Way out. She's given a major make-under, a new name, and a completely different identity. Morgan's plan? To write a tell-all book about her experience and stage a comeback. But when this LA girl finds love and a new life in Middle America, will she abandon it for another shot at superstardom?
.

My Thoughts:

I picked this one up at a thrift store since it looked like a more modern YA novel. When I read the mention of Ft. Wayne as the city of choice for Morgan to go to, I couldn’t not buy it. I have several friends who live there. Shrug the shoulders, sure, let’s see how this turns out.

At first I was enjoying it, the starting over in a new place thing, not knowing who you really are and trying to make friends. Morgan’s personal struggles probably held the story together best. The incident that lead her to Ft. Wayne involved alcohol and drug abuse. There was more to Morgan than just being a Hollywood star, she was a teen who dove too far into the deep end before she knew there is something better. This new place was real. Really real, not something she would get in the bigger cities with her fellow celebrities. Her classmates are regular people and she’s actually part of it.

I expected a little more from this book and more from Morgan. She did have a little bit of an attitude adjustment in the expected ways but nothing else seemed to phase her. I did appreciate how she faced certain things head on and became a more real person. I wasn’t a fan of the way it all ended up. The whole story was rushed, certain scenes felt thrown in there, and the ending didn’t appease me. There was a sequel, and even though I didn’t like where it left off, I was hoping to read the sequel and get some sort of conclusion. I tried to look it up and somehow couldn’t find it, until just now. Goodreads had it listed as another version of the first book. Goodreads Fail.

Despite all the issues I had with it, I did enjoy it to some degree. It was definitely along the lines of books I used to pick up back when I read mostly fluffy pre-teen/not long after pre-teen novels. I liked the idea of that when I bought it but the more I think about it, the more I realize that it’s not the type of book I want to read anymore. I’ve adapted a bit in my tastes, and I want more out of my books than just some thrown together “confessions of a something or other” that uses references to whatever the “something or other” is that’s being featured (in this one, Hollywood and celebrity references, and from 2005 too).

Bottom line: I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it or like it either. I liked aspects of it (the seriousness of what got her there in the first place and the little things she learned along the way), and the ending wasn’t horrible (I kinda feel I need to read the sequel for some sort of real end). Not something I would pick up again, or necessarily recommend, unless you want a really easy read.

Side note: Found out it was made into a movie.

My Rating:

It's Okay: It can wait until tomorrow

In My Mailbox #15: December Edition

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.

It's where we post about the latest books we've purchased, gotten from the library, or received for review... it doesn't necessarily have to be ones you got in the mail. Although a lot of mine DO come from my mailbox. :)

Amazon, B&N, Online Store, or Other Store:

The Unbecoming Of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
True Confessions Of A Hollywood Starlet by Lola Douglas
The Target by Catherine Coulter
Boys R Us by Lisi Harrison
Wonderful Alexander and the Catwings (Catwings #3) by Ursula K. La Guin
Jane On Her Own (Catwings #4) by Ursula K. La Guin
Geek Girl by Cindy C. Bennett
Blindsided by Priscilla Cummings
Psych Major Syndrome by Alicia Thompson
The DUFF by Kody Keplinger
The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery
I Capture The Castle by Dodie Smith


Nook Book: 

Under The Greenwood Tree by Thomas Hardy
Entwined by Heather Dixon
Ten Things We Did (And Probably Shouldn't Have) by Sarah Mlynowski


ARC/NetGalley/PDF for Review:

Everblossom: A Short Story and Poetry Anthology by Larissa Hinton
Notes To Self by Avery Sawyer
The Probability Of Miracles by Wendy Wunder (I have no idea which giveaway or contest this came from! It just arrived in my mail and I don't remember getting an email from anyone about it... lol, gotta love it!)


So! What did you get in YOUR mailbox?

~Jessica