Wishing For Wednesday (18)

Hey Everyone!


So I decided to do my own version of Waiting on Wednesday. Waiting on Wednesday is a way to showcase books that are not yet released but excited to see they are coming out. It's hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. My version isn't for just books that haven't come out yet but any book that I am wishing to get. Each week I'll put up a book that I'm "Wishing for" or "Waiting on". I just kind of like the name Wishing for Wednesday better. : )

This week is a book that I'm "Waiting on":

Ice by Sarah Beth Durst

"When Cassie was a little girl, her grandmother told her a fairy tale about her mother, who made a deal with the Polar Bear King and was swept away to the ends of the earth. Now that Cassie is older, she knows the story was a nice way of saying her mother had died. Cassie lives with her father at an Arctic research station, is determined to become a scientist, and has no time for make-believe.

Then, on her eighteenth birthday, Cassie comes face-to-face with a polar bear who speaks to her. He tells her that her mother is alive, imprisoned at the ends of the earth. And he can bring her back — if Cassie will agree to be his bride.

That is the beginning of Cassie's own real-life fairy tale, one that sends her on an unbelievable journey across the brutal Arctic, through the Canadian boreal forest, and on the back of the North Wind to the land east of the sun and west of the moon. Before it is over, the world she knows will be swept away, and everything she holds dear will be taken from her — until she discovers the true meaning of love and family in the magical realm of Ice."

Release Date: October 6, 2009

This book sounds pretty good and it comes out next week. Too bad I'm trying not to buy books! I'll have to put it on my wish list for Christmas. : )

What are you Waiting on or Wishing for this week?

~Genevieve

I've got a problem...

My problem is I want to read the last book in The Hunger Games trilogy!

THE HUNGER GAMES and CATCHING FIRE ARE SOOOO GOOD!!

Who told me to go and read The Hunger Games? Because I love and hate that person. Catching Fire had such a cliff hanger that made me want to pull my hair out (figuratively, of course). They were both such good books and I was amazed at how awesome they are. I'll probably read them again soon! And Catching Fire had me crying, around page 60 I had tears streaming down my face-- I rarely cry when it comes to books. I almost wish that I had waited until the last book comes out because I want to read the next book SO BADLY! I haven't felt like this with a book series since Harry Potter. Anyways, I'll have to post a proper review later.

I'm now off to go read about Italian Opera, Avante-Garde Theatre, and Global Ideologies for school.

Until next time,

Genevieve


P.S. Don't forget to check out my contest HERE for Sophomore Switch.

Contest: Sophomore Switch + swag

Hey everyone,

Today is my 1st day at a new school! I'm starting at UC Santa Barbara as a junior, where part of the book Sophomore Switch takes place.

Sophomore Switch
by Abby McDonald

Summary from Barnes and Noble.com:

"Take an administrative snafu, a bad breakup, and what shall heretofore be known as "The Hot-Tub Incident," and you’ve got two unprepared sophomores on a semester abroad. For American party girl Tasha, an escape to Oxford may be a chance to ditch her fame as a tabloid temptress, but wading Uggs-deep in feminist theory is not her idea of a break. Meanwhile, the British half of the exchange, studious Emily, nurses an aching heart amid the bikinis and beer pong of U.C. Santa Barbara. Soon desperation has the girls texting each other tips — on fitting in, finding love, and figuring out who they really are."


I read Sophomore Switch and loved it! I've grown up in Santa Barbara my entire life so it was fun reading about my hometown. Some of the UCSB college life was very accurate, but some of it wasn't. Overall it was a good book! In honor of me starting at UCSB I'm going to give away one copy of Sophomore Switch and some UCSB swag (I'll add pics after I buy some).

How to enter:

1. Leave a comment and make sure I can a way to contact you via e-mail. No e-mail address, no entry. Or e-mail me at: caprubia(at)gmail(dot)com
   

Please put all of the entries in one comment and tell me everything you did with links and your e-mail address.

How to get Extra Entries:

1. +1 entries for blogging about it. Make sure you give me the link. Sidebars are okay. (No limit to number of places you post it at)
2. +2 entries for being awesome! Tell me why you're awesome. (basically this is a freebie for anyone who actually reads all of these... but you have to give a reason why you're awesome.)
   
3. +3 entries for following me (make sure you let me know)
   
   OR
   
   +4 entries for my current followers (as of 9/28)
   
4. +5 entries for joining the Five Awesome YA Fans Ning (make sure you let me know if you did, and what your user name is there!)

Please put all of the entries in one comment and tell me everything you did with links and your e-mail address.

Ends: You have until October 28th midnight PST to enter.

Open to: Open addresses in the United States ONLY (Sorry, I'm just a college student!)
Good luck!

~Genevieve

Vacation, sunburns, and books!

Hey Everyone,

So right now I'm on vacation with my family (NOTE: Actually, I wrote this while on vacation, I'm now home). I'm having a great time! Although, I have this annoying sunburn on half of my face. I don't burn very easily and when I do, it is pink but it doesn't actually hurt. This sunburn doesn't hurt but it looks SO funny. I had asked my mom to put the sunscreen on my face because I didn't have a mirror and she'd be able to rub it all in. Well... apparently she didn't put enough sunscreen on the left side of my face (and nose) and I was in the sun for more than 5 hours on Tuesday. Luckily it doesn't hurt but next week I have to get my ID card for school and I really hope that I wont have a half burnt face in the picture.

Anyways, I've been able to get some reading in while on vacation. Can you believe that I actually took an ARC on the beach? Yeah, I did! I was so worried that it would get ruined but I didn't want to stop reading. I was going to write up some reviews but I realized that I didn't have any word program on my new netbook and had to wait until I found some free wifi before I could download Open Office.

Right now I'm going to start to read The Hunger Games! Can you believe it! FINALLY. I can't believe that I've had Catching Fire since the end of May but wasn't able to read it because I hadn't read The Hunger Games. Well, now I have my very own copy of The Hunger Games sitting on my lap right now. I would have gotten the book sooner but I didn't want to buy a hardback book.

So, this brings me to my main idea of this blog: why I'm glad that I am friends with a 6^th grader. My boyfriend's sister, Jenny, is in the 6^th grade. She is a cute kid and loves to read. I've been friends with her ever since I played 100 games in a row of Connect Four with her 3 years ago. Neither one of us has ever wanted to play Connect Four. I love that she loves to read, I've loaned her so many of my Meg Cabot books and a few other YA books. Last month she was looking through the Scholastic catalog that they give elementary school kids and I got really excited because I wanted to see what she was going to buy. Then I saw it, I saw that they were selling paperback copies of The Hunger Games for $7! I was totally jazzed. I went through the catalog and decided on The Hunger Games (for $7) and Among The Hidden (for $1). I told Adam that his sister could get a copy of The Hunger Games for a pretty cheap price and he bought himself a copy. Then I made Jenny promise to show me the Scholastic catalog every time she got them. Yes yes, I know that I'm 'using' a 6^th grader to get books but hey, she was excited to help me out. And yes, I've seen hardcover copies of The Hunger Games online for reasonable prices but I like that I bought it through Jenny.

Well, I have to go now but I hope that you're having an awesome day!

More later,

~Genevieve

P.S. Look forward for a new contest soon!

Wishing for Wednesday (17)

Hey Everyone!


So I decided to do my own version of Waiting on Wednesday. Waiting on Wednesday is a way to showcase books that are not yet released but excited to see they are coming out. It's hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. My version isn't for just books that haven't come out yet but any book that I am wishing to get. Each week I'll put up a book that I'm "Wishing for" or "Waiting on". I just kind of like the name Wishing for Wednesday better. : )

This week is a book that I'm "Waiting on":

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Summary from Barnes and Noble.com:

"There were no surprises in Gatlin County.
We were pretty much the epicenter of the middle of nowhere.
At least, that's what I thought.
Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong.
There was a curse.
There was a girl.
And in the end, there was a grave.

Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything."

Release Date: December 01, 2009


I've been seeing this book around the blogosphere and I can't wait for it to come out. It definitely sounds like a good read. I know that Beautiful Creatures was at BEA in late May and we didn't get a chance to pick it up. Now I wish more than before that I didn't miss grabbing a copy. Oh well, December isn't too far off.



What are you waiting on?

~Genevieve

Busy busy busy!

Hey everyone,

So things have been pretty darn busy around here. I am getting ready to start school on the 28th, hopefully it'll be great! Here are the highlights of my life from the past few weeks:

• I made an new YouTube account, I didn't like my old one as much. It's called genevievevlogs. Nothing is there right now but I hope to be making a few videos. : )
• I have a new computer! It's an HP Mini netbook. I've decided to name it Minnie, not too original but it fits! I'll still be using my main computer and Minnie will be for school, it's less than 3lbs! Sadly it doesn't have a CD drive but it's was worth the price (I got it for $300 with tax!).
• I also bought three cute pairs of shoes. I loooove shoes. The a nice thing about recessions is sales. I got this one pair for $12 and they were normally about $150! Pretty nice, right?
• I read Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick last week and it was amazing. I loved it. I don't even know where to start because it was really good. A review is bound to come, but it might take me a while to form my thoughts.
• I just started Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev. So far it's pretty good. : )
• You know that new computer I mentioned? Yeah, it came with Skype. So I have a Skype account now! I don't have a headset but I'm working on that. Message me if you want my username to chat.
• I signed up for a fencing class! It's going to start in a few weeks, 2 times a week for 10 weeks- $45 in total! Pretty good deal. I can't wait. Fencing sounds like a lot of fun, and I've heard that it's a great work out. I'll update you more after I take the class.
  
• I need to work out some interviews with bloggers and authors for Friday's Featured Friend. Hopefully we'll have a nice interview this Friday! (again, contact me if you would like to participate.)
  
• Tomorrow I'm going to get my hair cut. I have decided that I'm going to get short hair. Okay, okay... not short short. But closer to my sholders. Like an inch or two longer than my sholders. And trust me, that is short for me. I haven't had it that short since I was 12 years old. We'll see if I follow through or chicken out.
  

Well, that about sums up the important highlights in my life. Okay, there were some more important things over the past week like making sure my school tution was paid for, and luckily it was! But those were stressful things that we don't need to talk about anymore.


More later,

Genevieve

Friday's Featured Friend: Emma from Booking Through 365!

Hey Everyone,

This week for Friday's Featured Friend we have Emma from stopping by from Booking Through 365! I've known Emma for a while so I'm excited to feature her this week.

***

Hi Emma, why don't you tell the readers a bit about yourself!

Alright! I am a teen girl who loves books, writing and emus. My favorite author of all time is Libba Bray and I'm writing a YA novel involving parallel universes, the apocalypse and fantasy worlds. Right now, my life revolves around the online book blogger universe!


So when did you start blogging and what prompted you to do so?

Well, I decided I wanted to challenge myself this year and read a book a day (currently I am failing at this). I had tried to blog for a while but I never stuck with it, and since I've always loved books, I decided a YA book blog would be a great idea.


If you had to sum your blog up in 5 words or less, what would you say?

Young Adult Book Obsessed Central!


What is one book you would recommend to everyone?

I am a big fangirl of Libba Bray, who wrote The Gemma Doyle Trilogy. The first book is called A Great and Terrible Beauty and for anyone who enjoys complex characters, fantastical worlds, good writing and historical fiction, it's an absolute must.


What book really surprised you after you read it because it was different than your expectations?
Can I mention two? I had high expectations for Twilight by Stephenie Meyer because my best friend really adores her series. But I absolutely hated it. My short opinion is that Twilight is a book that was written by a woman who was vicariously living through her main character who gets the author's own secret fantasies. The author got lucky and it was published.

One that I had a really great experience with was Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson. While I liked her most popular book Speak, it wasn't my favorite. Wintergirls really surprised me. The writing was amazing and it was really interesting getting inside the head of a girl who had an eating disorder and who cut herself. I loved the book so much it is now my third favorite book of all time.


What fictional character(s) are you secretly in love with?
Everyone who knows me knows I love Kartik from The Gemma Doyle Trilogy but what they don't know is that I'm even MORE in love with Weaver from A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly, which is my second favorite novel ever. He's sweet, intelligent and doesn't let things get to him.


What are some of your hobbies (other than blogging and reading)?
I've been doing this non-violent martial art called Aikido for five years. I'm very passionate about it. I also do yoga and I have a very close relationship with my yoga teacher.


What is a question you wish you were asked, and can you answer it for us?
It'd be how did I meet Genevieve. I met Genevieve on YA for Obama, a site created by the YA author Maureen Johnson to spread the word about Obama and his policies. Then Genevieve and four of my other YA for Obama friends created this youtube channel called FiveAwesomeYAFans, and I became the sekrit sister. Genevieve and I have kept in touch ever since!

Thank you so much for interviewing me, Genevieve! I adore your blog!

Thanks Emma for stopping by! If you are an author or a book blogger and would like to be interviewed for Friday's Featured Friend, just e-mail me with your info (Name and blog/website URL) to:

caprubia(at)gmail(dot)com

More later,

~Genevieve

Tuesday Thoughts: Perspective & Weight

Hey,

So, I was looking through old pictures of me and my friends from high school. I found a picture of me from February '06 and thought "Wow, I was skinny then. Jeeze, I need to get back into shape." After a few minutes of thinking I remembered that day perfectly and what was happening at the time. Since I was in ballet, I'd have to drop like 10-15 pounds at any given time if I realized that I didn't fit into a costume. A lot of times you'd have to change yourself to fit the costume, not change the costume to fit you. Here's the picture of me:

At the time this picture (above) was taken, I was trying to drop 10 pounds. Three weeks later I had dropped the weight (through exercise and diet, don't worry I've never had an eating disorder of any kind) and I took this picture (below):

Here I am March '06 and about 8 pounds lighter than the 1st picture. You know what's even more interesting? The costume fit just a little snug but they took it in half an inch so that meant that I'd I have to loose at least another 5-7 pounds before the performance.

And guess what? I was one of the two or three 'fat' girls. If I actually gave into an eating disorder I probably would have been one of the skinny girls.

I was going to ballet 6 days a week, about 20-30 hours a week plus the gym 5 days a week (about 2 in the gym each time I went).

Funny thing was when I went to the doctor one year ('04), she walked and w/o looking at me, told me that I was about 15 pounds over weight (at 120 lbs). She told me that I had I needed to start exercising to get into shape. I stood up and told her that I took ballet 5 days a week and worked out at the gym 4 days a week (this was when I was 15) to cross train. She finally looked up from her charts and saw that I was a zero in jeans size and then proceeded to tell me that I had an eating disorder. Yeah, I know. One minute I'm overweight and the next I'm supposedly anorexic. Needless to say my mother and I walked out in the middle of the appointment and then changed doctors.


Overall, my point of this post is everything is about perspective. From one point of view, I needed to loose more weight and from another I was perfectly fine. I've never bought into the media's bullshit about girls needing to be super model skinny but it's crazy realizing how thin I was back in high school. Over time the facts start to change. Back when I took the 1st picture, the facts were that I needed to loose weight because I wouldn't fit into any of the costumes if I didn't. Now the facts are that I was perfectly fine and I really didn't need to double up my gym time and amp up my fruits & veggies intake.

And again, no I was never anorexic or bulimic (ew!), my caloric intake was insanely high-- more like a swimmer's diet than the typical ballerina. I would eat about 6 medium meals a day + fruit for snacks (I LOVE FRUIT!). When I stopped ballet and exercising, I put on about 40 pounds in a blink of an eye. I stopped ballet, but I forgot to adjust my eating habits to match my lack of exercise (aka I was still eating 6 meals a day). Of course, now I've lost most of that weight but still, it's all about perspective.

The thing is, if someone tells you that you are fat-- don't listen. Do you think that I was fat in either of those pictures? Yeah, I didn't think that I was at the time and I definitely don't think so now. But at the time I had people pressuring me to join them in their anorexic or bulimic 'clubs', I was put down for being larger than the other girls in ballet. You know, the double edged comments that your frenemies will say like "Oh, these jeans would look SO cute on you if you were smaller”.

More later,

~Genevieve