Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Thank you for all the September Crush of the Month suggestions!  Great vampires and werewolves (and some regular old people).  And now...

I'm reposting my Afterglow review as part of Tracey Neithercott's Fall Book Club.

Excerpted summary from Goodreads:


A mysterious island.

An abandoned orphanage.

A strange collection of very curious photographs.

It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience.

The afterglow:


I was never going to read this book.

I'd originally bought it as a birthday gift for my Boba 4 Eva co-vlogger Krispy - only she'd bought it four days before in a Border's closing sale.

Here I was, stuck with a creepy book with no easy return.

So I starting reading.

After 30 pages flew by I considered keeping it.

200 pages later I was hooked.  I'd stayed up until 6 a.m. reading books before, but never until 9 a.m.  (Yes, I said a.m.  Granted I didn't start until 5 a.m.)

Aptly published by Quirk, this debut novel at turns charmed, terrified, moved, and nauseated me.  (I don't recommend eating while reading...)

One of the most interesting things is seeing how Riggs wove the photos - all found and unaltered - into a narrative that was not only entertaining, but tightly woven with a terrific twist.  It's like reading an extremely well-written creative writing class prompt that continued until it became an emotionally true story.  The last two photos are just breathtaking; they stun the heart.

Jacob, the protag, has a wonderful voice, and each character is well-enunciated.  This is a rare book that stands out for its originality.  Don't you dare buy this in anything other than its hardcover - there's a cute little surprise on the cover underneath the jacket.

I'm so glad a mix-up forced me to read this book!

Choose My September Crush of the Month

I'm behind on my Book/Music Crush of the Month series!

Reasons:

photo credit

1. I read mostly YA and, other than Jacob Black (Team Jacob 4 LIFE), teen boys don't do it for me.
2. Karl Marsten, the werewolf from Kelley Armstrong's Otherworld series, is kind of sexy (are you seeing a werewolf theme here?)  But in that universe, my heart belongs to my inaugural Book Crush of the Month: Lucas Cortez.
3. I LOVE Joe Manganiello as Alcide; like, I can't breathe when he comes onscreen (definitely a werewolf theme here.)  But I'm a canon zealot - I don't like what True Blood does with the storyline.  That is NOT the Alcide I know!

Since there's no werewolf to stir my fancy this month, I need your help.  

Tell me who you're crushing on in the book/music/TVspinoff world this month and I will feature the most popular hottie in a few days.  Guys, girls, trans, doesn't matter to me.  Tell me, who's hot?

What I Did On My Summer Vacation

I NEVER had a school assignment that asked what we did on our summer vacay's - that always sounded like a cliche made up from the 50's, like the Easter Bunny or moms who wear aprons.  (Who does that other than hipsters??) (The only time I wore an apron was to model a designer one no one can afford for a trade show in NYC.)

So I'm THRILLED to be a part of fellow Campaigner Michael di Gesu's blogfest!

JUNE 

Camp NaNowriMo and high tea with the ladies from the Los Angeles Twilight Lovers Group (the same ones who were interviewed by msn.com - where I got to reenact Bella)

JULY 

Played Bellatrix at the Harry Potter midnight showing with Krispy (what's with me playing Bella-'s?) and a Gryffindor at the Harry Potter Exhibit at Nucleus Gallery

Possessing the Elder Wand

AUGUST

Krispy and I had a very gangster birthday at the 20's-40's-themed Cicada Club downtown.

Look - a photo of the elusive Alz!  Why is there a big purple splotch instead of her face?  Because if I show her face, she will hunt me down and kill me (and take back the Yellowfiendatee she sewed me).

Real life writer-blogger pals Anime and Nutschell (who took most of these photos) stopped by too:

And of course, SCBWI.  This was a GREAT summer.

Before They Were Published Interview

I'm interviewed over at Jest Kept Secret today for Jessica's series Before They Were Published!  It's one of the rare times I talk about my writing.

Jess is not only a fellow Campaigner, but we share a CP (Juliana), which makes us CPs-in-law...? :)

She's on the lookout for more writers to feature, so head on over!

Top 5 2012 YA Books To Look Forward To

This is a Mini Challenge by Princess Bookie, though I have way more than 5.  Interesting that they're all sequels - I'm a HUGE series girl.  I can't stand when stories end!

1. 

2.

3. Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

4. 

5. 

10 Random Facts

Alz and fellow Campaigner Cheryl Reif  tagged me, though I'm not sure what more I can share that you don't already know from this list of cool experiences from Harvard and Hollywood and this list of weird health ailments :D

1) I'm trained as both a life coach and a woo-woo therapist

2) Yes, I once danced with one of Britney Spears' back-up dancers at a club so exclusive it was inside another club.

3) I adopted my dog by accident.  At the shelter, I'd put a hold on both him and this chihuahua (I know, right) and I was going to cancel his hold and go with the little yapper, but they didn't spay her in time (a harder procedure for females) and neutered him instead.  So I brought Terry home and now he's my son.

4) Before Terry, we fostered MANY dogs from pugs to chis.  My favorite breed is still pit bulls, like Manny.

5) I love handmaking cards

6) I find everything in restaurants too sweet and too salty.

7) Two words: neti pot.  (After blogging about my daily headaches, Suz suggested this cure.)

8) I hate anime.  I'm sorry!  Those squeaky pedophiliac girl voices freak me out.

9) I'm a cry-baby.  I cried twice during Encino Man.

10) One last time: TEAM JACOB!  Vote for your team here.

1000 Mile Weekend

Sorry I'm behind on the writer's campaign and CPing - I was getting card sharked by this kid:

that's his lucky egg on the table

(also quite competitive at Mario Kart Double Dash)


We logged over 1000 miles this weekend driving up here:

Then up to Sonoma for a wedding, then all over the East Bay to see my two favorite cousins:

The hulking one on the right drove his friend to Stanford all the way from Jersey.  Good friend or insane?

Now it's time for me to finally sleep.