Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the penultimate stop on the Official Mockingjay 13 District Blog Tour:

Despite this coal mining district’s status as one of the poorest in all of Panem, District 12 has no shortage of guts or glory. For the first time since Haymitch Abernathy’s win decades earlier in the 50th Games, for the first time since the inception of the annual Games District 12 has had not one, but TWO victors emerge from the Arena – Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark.

And, while other districts have shed light on everything from music to the romantic entanglements of The Hunger Games books, we District 12 Tributes bring you a look at the reason why these books are so resonan. We’re talking about the reason for the revolution, the symbol of defiance against the Capitol, the Mockingjay herself. We give you:

I am the mockingjay, The one that survived the Capitol’s plans. The symbol of the rebellion.

~ Catching Fire

A child of the Seam – one of the most dangerous and poorest areas in one of the country’s poorest districts – Katniss has had to fend for herself and for her loved ones from a young age. Following the death of her father in the coal mines and her mother’s subsequent breakdown, Katniss was forced to provide for her family, or starve. At twelve years old, Katniss started to put her name into the dreaded reaping lottery in exchange for tesserae:

Say you are poor and starving as we were. You can opt to add your name more times in exchange for tesserae. Each tessera is worth a meager year s supply of grain and oil for one person. You may do this for each of your family members as well. So, at the age of twelve, I had my name entered four times. Once, because I had to, and three times for tesserae for grain and oil for myself, Prim, and my mother. In fact, every year I have needed to do this. And the entries are cumulative. So now, at the age of sixteen, my name will be in the reaping twenty times.

~ The Hunger Games

But even the meager tesserae was not enough to keep Katniss’s family fed and warm. To survive, Katniss learned to become an expert with her bow and arrow, sneaking out beyond the district’s fences to illegally hunt for food (and then to sell or trade some of that food for other goods on District 12’s black market).

For the 74th Hunger Games, when Katniss’s younger sister’s, Prim Everdeen’s, name was called at the Reaping as the female tribute from District 12, a horrified Katniss volunteered to take her younger sister’s place in the Games. Alongside the male tribute, Peeta Mellark, Katniss defied the Capitol by surviving the Arena not once, but twice – managing to stir up a rebellion in her wake.

So, why do we love Katniss so much?

1. Because she’s brave and stubbornly loyal – when her sister is called, Katniss steps in to take her place without a thought in her mind except to protect her family. Throughout the first book, her loyalty to her best friend Gale and her memory of her family is a driving force in the Arena.

2. Because she’s badass – the only Tribute to receive a score of 11 out of a possible 12 using her skills with a bow and arrow, Katniss is has mad skills hunting and trapping. Her survival in the Arena – in the Quarter Quell and the first Games – is testament to that ability to survive, and her determination to fight.

3. Because she is cunning and utterly capable – Badassness only gets one so far, and in order to survive the Games and the Capitol’s machinations, Katniss has not only had to be skilled; she’s also had to be smart, even ruthlessly so, to keep herself and those she cares about alive. Whether that means putting on a girly facade, hiding quietly in the background, or even killing, Katniss does what needs to be done.

4. Because, underneath it all, she has grown from completely clueless, to empowered and in control – in The Hunger Games and to a certain extent in Catching Fire, Katniss was completely clueless of her own worth and effect on people. (See revolution.) But by Mockingjay, she comes full circle – acting for herself, and taking control of a life that has been out of her hands for so long.

Over the course of the two books, Katniss has gone from a girl struggling to keep food on her family’s table to a Hunger Games tribute, victor, celebrity, and leader.

Regardless of where your loyalties lie concerning the romance, at least we can all agree on one thing: Katniss Everdeen is one awesome heroine. In a sea of bland, damsels in distress, existing simply to serve as arm candy for sparkly vampires, the calculating, defiant Katniss, bow and arrow in hand, stands triumphant.

“The question is, what are you going to do?”

It turns out the question that’s been eating away at me has only ever had one possible answer. But it took Peeta’s ploy for me to recognize it.

What am I going to do?

I take a deep breath. My arms raise slightly — as if recalling the black-and-white wings Cinna gave me — the come to rest at my sides.

“I’m going to be the Mockingjay.”

~Mockingjay

About Mockingjay:

The next and final stop on the Official Mockingjay 13 District Blog Tour is at Beth Fish Reads on Monday, August 30th. Make sure to stop by for the chance to enter another awesome giveaway!

Also make sure to check out the official Hunger Games Facebook Page for more HG goodies, and for a list of the other stops on the blog tour to date. You can read our reviews of The Hunger Games HERE and Catching Fire HERE (a review of Mockingjay will be up shortly) – and for those diehard fans looking for what else to read now that the trilogy has come to a close, you can check out our post on Tor.com listing 10 helpful post-Mockingjay recommendations.

Finally, before the giveaway, we’d like to give a gentle reminder to every exuberant Hunger Games fan. Mockingjay officially hit stores on August 24th, and has begun receiving rave reviews. However, in all the excitement we’d like to remind everyone to please be respectful of your fellow readers – please remember to spoiler tag or refrain from spoilers altogether.

Giveaway Details:

For our stop on the tour, we have twenty-five Mockingjay iSkins up for grabs! (Please note, these are just the skins – not the actual iPod/iTouch/iPhones) The contest is open to addresses in the United States only, and will run until September 1 at 11:59 pm (PST). To enter, leave a comment here telling us why YOU think Katniss is an amazing heroine. Only ONE entry per person, please! Multiple comments from the same I.P. address will be automatically disqualified. Good luck!

In order to avoid another site meltdown, we ask that all new entries complete the form below. The same rules apply, and earlier entries will be fed into the same spreadsheet to select a winner. Good luck!

Title: The Body at the Tower

Author: Y.S. Lee

Genre: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Victorian

Publisher: Candlewick Press
Publication Date: August 2010
Hardcover: 352 Pages

Orphan Mary Quinn works for the Agency, a secret spy organization run by and employing entirely woman. Her latest assignment has her disguised as a 12-year-old boy at the construction site of a clock tower near Parliament, investigating a mysterious death and the site’s overall generally bad reputation. Mary is skilled at her “trade,” but she finds being a boy harder than she expects when it brings back long-suppressed memories of her rough childhood.

To make matters worse—or better, in some instances—James, her old flame, has returned from India, changed in some ways, yet exactly the same in others. Will Mary be able to balance all the different parts of her life while she does her job, or will something have to fall—literally?

Stand alone or series: Book 2 in The Agency series

How did I get this book: Review Copy from the publisher

Why did I read this book: We were invited to join the Traveling To Teens Blog Tour for the release of this novel, and having heard nothing but praise for Y.S. Lee’s first book, I eagerly acquiesced. (Yes, I just used acquiesced in a sentence – it must be Ms. Lee’s Victorian vocabulary rubbing off on me.)

Review:

Since her stint in the gaol and her narrow escape from the gallows as a young orphan, Mary Quinn has flourished under The Agency’s tutelage. A burgeoning young spy, Mary takes on a dangerous new assignment to investigate the untimely death of a brick-layer that has plunged to his demise from a clock tower at a construction site near Parliament. In order to accomplish her mission, however, Mary must pass as a young boy – which stirs up some hard memories from her past, when she used to dress as a boy to avoid abuse and rape. Despite these issues and desperate to prove herself to her mentors at The Academy, Mary dives into her new role as “Quinn” with alacrity, trying to get to the bottom of the mystery of the dead bricklayer and the stink of corruption that surrounds the site – though prying answers from men who think her to be an overly-educated, spying favorite of the founder of the site, one sir Harkness, proves much harder to accomplish in practice. And when a familiar face from Mary’s past, James Easton, pops into the picture as a sanctioned investigator things get even more complicated.

As with its predecessor A Spy in the House, The Body at the Tower is another winning, impeccably well-written historical mystery from Y.S. Lee. The first thing one notices when reading The Agency books is how evocative and detailed the historical element is – it should come as no surprise that Ms. Lee holds a Ph.D in Victorian literature and culture. The strongest parts of The Body at the Tower were, for me, how seamlessly elements like sensationalist scandal sheets (with its tabloid inaccuracies, and its cheap ink rubbing off on Mary’s hands) or bricklaying techniques (they apparently would work in pairs, using a tool called a hod to carry bricks) were integrated into the story. Not only are details like this believable and time-period accurate (or so I am assuming, as I’m by NO means an expert at this sort of thing!), but they are interesting – never once did I feel like I was being info-dumped or in a dingy lecture hall. Rather, Ms. Lee manages to bring the grime and sweat of working class Victorian London to life by means of this nuanced narrative.

But enough with the details! What of the characters and the plot, you say? As with the first novel, Mary is a strong heroine, yet she is much changed in this second book. Less brash, Mary is a bit more subdued in this book as she grapples with concealment and identity.**

Another familiar face returns in this second book, with James Easton back on the scene as his and Mary’s paths cross once more. The banter and chemistry between these two books isn’t quite as lightheartedly winsome as it was in the first book, but that’s kind of cool. Though the two are reunited, they both have changed significantly, both physically and emotionally (James, frail from his illness in India, Mary in her boy-garb). There are new characters met in this book too that are memorable additions, in particular, I enjoyed Jenkins, a young boy Mary befriends on the job (as Quinn, of course).

Though the mystery isn’t really that much of a mystery, and the plotting a bit slow, the writing overall with its attention to detail and period is genuinely winsome. My only other criticism is how I wish there was more of the actual Agency in the book. I love the idea of this fictional spy agency for women as a revisionist sort of history, that in the words of author Y.S. Lee serves as an “antidote to the fate that would otherwise swallow a girl like Mary Quinn.” How cool is that? Though I wish there was more of an Agency presence in this second book, I’m pretty sure that they (along with Mary and James) will be back in full force by the time the third book in the trilogy comes out.

**SPOILER ALERT FOR THOSE THAT HAVE NOT READ A SPY IN THE HOUSE (highlight the white area below to read)

Mary’s ethnicity in particular is a huge point of contention with her. I really, really wish there was MORE exploration of her Chinese heritage in this book (though the thread is picked up by the end).

END SPOILER

Notable Quotes/Parts: From Y.S. Lee’s website, an introduction to the passage:

This is the fourth chapter of The Body at the Tower. Here, Mary arrives at the half-built St Stephen’s Tower (the clock tower of the Palace of Westminster). She’s disguised as 12-year-old “Mark Quinn”, it’s her first day of work, and she has zero experience of building sites.

It was only a short walk across the Thames from her new lodgings in Lambeth to the building site in Westminster. Nervous as she was about the first day of the assignment, Mary forced her attention outwards, to streets she would come to know well. All about her, men and women and children shuffled slowly workward, or perhaps home again after a night shift. The pubs did steady business as laborers drank their breakfast pints. Occasionally, a fresh scent – new bread from a bakeshop; a barrowful of lilies going to a florist’s – cut through the thick, earthy, acidic smells of the city. She dodged a wagon heaped high with sides of beef, and grinned at the pack of dogs trailing it hopefully.

Her destination, St Stephen’s Tower, loomed over all this. It was designed to look glorious and imperial, but the effect was spoiled from her angle by the missing hands on two of the clock faces. To Mary the tower merely looked blind, a spindly, helpless outcast marooned by the river’s edge. As she stepped onto Westminster Bridge, she realized was breathing shallowly. How foolish to think she could mitigate the odour of the river! She inhaled a careful breath and forced herself to take measure of its stench. Yes, it was still intensely familiar, if slightly less disgusting due to the cooler weather. After last year’s Great Stink, appalled Londoners had spent months arguing about the need to clean up the Thames. Campaigners crusaded, newspapers excoriated, politicians pontificated. But like most Londoners, Mary would only believe it once she saw the results. For now, she was grateful that the stink was no worse than last year.

She slowed her pace along the bridge, taking a long, deliberate look at the Palace of Westminster. Every child knew that this was the seat of government, where the Houses of Lords and Commons met. Yet she’d never paid close attention to the actual buildings, sprawling and imposing as they were. They’d been under construction since well before she was born. For most Londoners now, the Palace’s twenty-five year re-construction was merely an obvious, unfunny joke about government and the ruling classes.

Nothing moved inside Palace Yard. It was too early for the law-makers, and too late for the night watchmen. The entrance to the building site was separate and there would be no need to enter the Palace itself; no dangerous mingling of peers and working men. Even so, she made a circuit around the Palace proper, entranced now by its colossal mass, its relentless detail. It was a revelation: not beautiful in a restrained, classical way, but fierce and extravagantly Gothic. The intricacy of the design was hypnotic, overwhelmingly so, and the arrogance and tradition it represented made itself felt in the pit of her stomach.

You can read the full excerpt online HERE.

Additional Thoughts: As mentioned above, The Body at the Tower is the second book in The Agency series. If you haven’t check out the series yet, I recommend you start with book 1, A Spy in the House:

Introducing an exciting new series! Steeped in Victorian atmosphere and intrigue, this diverting mystery trails a feisty heroine as she takes on a precarious secret assignment.

Rescued from the gallows in 1850s London, young orphan (and thief) Mary Quinn is surprised to be offered a singular education, instruction in fine manners — and an unusual vocation. Miss Scrimshaw’s Academy for Girls is a cover for an all-female investigative unit called The Agency, and at seventeen, Mary is about to put her training to the test. Assuming the guise of a lady’s companion, she must infiltrate a rich merchant’s home in hopes of tracing his missing cargo ships. But the household is full of dangerous deceptions, and there is no one to trust — or is there? Packed with action and suspense, banter and romance, and evoking the gritty backstreets of Victorian London, this breezy mystery debuts a daring young detective who lives by her wits while uncovering secrets — including those of her own past.

Also make sure to check out Y.S. Lee’s Guest Post on Notorious Victorians, posted earlier today!

Verdict: I truly enjoyed The Body at the Tower. A worthy sequel to A Spy in the House, this is a series I wholeheartedly recommend for readers looking for a richly nuanced Victorian mystery (with a wonderful heroine to boot).

Rating: 7 – Very Good

Reading Next: Zombies vs. Unicorns anthology

Welcome to our fourth guest post of YAAM, the 2010 edition. As part of our celebration of all things YA, we have invited authors from different genres to write articles about the books and the genres they write.

Today we are proud to be the tenth and final stop on the Traveling to Teens book tour, celebrating the release of author Y.S. Lee’s latest novel in The Agency series, The Body at the Tower. When we were asked if we wanted to participate in the tour, we of course were thrilled having heard nothing but praise for Ms. Lee’s work – and so it is our honor to present you, gentle readers, with a guest post from the author herself.

Please give a warm welcome to Y.S. Lee, as she tells us a bit more about some Notorious Victorians!

Welcome to the eighth and last installment of my Notorious Victorians blog tour, celebrating the publication of The Body at the Tower. Over the past fortnight we’ve looked at firebrands, reluctant revolutionaries, scandals and spectacles, and now deliberate rebels – all figures who have changed the way we live. Today’s essay focuses on the Edinburgh Seven – women who, like Florence Nightingale, challenged social expectations to pursue careers in medicine. Yet these women took it several steps further.

In 1869, Sophia Jex-Blake got permission to attend lectures at the Edinburgh medical school. (She had previously been rejected by Harvard and various medical colleges in England because of her gender.) Following immediate and vigorous opposition from students and some faculty members, the university reversed its position: it would not permit coeducational classes and could not offer private tuition to a single lady. Jex-Blake seized the loophole – she advertised for female classmates. Joined by Mary Anderson, Emily Bovell, Matilda Chaplin, Helen Evans, Edith Pechey and Isabel Thorne, the women agreed to fund their own separate lectures and began their studies that autumn.

Debate continued to rage at the school and in newspapers. Soon, the confrontation became physical: one day, when the women were scheduled to take an exam, a few hundred students – and possibly teaching assistants – massed in front of the building, heckling the women and throwing garbage at them. After the examination, Jex-Blake refused to slip away through a side door, but instead confronted the rioters. The school made a very faint show of disciplining the students for this outburst, fining three of them for “breach of peace”.

Despite this hostile environment, more women registered to study. There was good reason to be optimistic. Yet in 1873, while the women were still students, the university refused to grant them degrees. A court decision supported this position, and ruled further that women should never have been admitted in the first place.

On leaving Edinburgh, Jex-Blake went to London where she helped to establish the London School of Medicine for Women, which opened in 1874 with 14 students. Even so, some colleges of physicians refused to grant licenses to practise medicine to female students. As a result, many of the original students received their MDs in Switzerland, France, and Ireland. Women students were eventually admitted to Scottish universities a generation later, in 1892.

Sophia Jex-Blake and her classmates were able to challenge Edinburgh University and become pioneering physicians because of their social and financial advantages: they were not required to earn a living, their families tolerated (although they did not necessarily encourage) their radical notions, and they could afford the expense of a long and experimental education. Using their privilege and financial advantage for the common good made them rebels not only against the university, but against social expectations for young ladies of birth and breeding.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Y S Lee was born in Singapore and raised in Vancouver and Toronto. In 2004, she completed her PhD in Victorian literature and culture. This research, combined with her time living in London, triggered an idea for a story about a women’s detective agency. The result, A Spy in the House, is her first novel.

Ying is also the author of Masculinity and the English Working Class (Routledge). She now lives in Kingston, Ontario with her husband and young son.

Things I’m learning to like, out of self-defense:
Early mornings (see son, above)

Thank you, Ying, for the awesome post! For more about Ying, you can visit her website, or follow her on Twitter.

If you missed any of the earlier stops on the tour, make sure to check them out:

Mon. 8/2 – Kristi (The Story Siren)
Tues. 8/3 – Kristen (Bookworming in the 21st Century)
Wed. 8/4 – Sarah GreenBeanTeenQueen
Thurs. 8/5 – Lizzy (Cornucopia of Reviews)
Fri. 8/6 – Ari (Reading in Color)
Mon. 8/9 – Mariah L (A Reader’s Adventure)
Tues. 8/10 – Steph Su (Steph Su Reads)
Wed. 8/11 – Cecilia (The Epic Rat)
Thurs. 8/12 – Laura (Laura’s Review Bookshelf)
Fri. 8/13 – The Book Smugglers

Also, make sure to stick around as later in the day, we’ll post our review of The Body at the Tower.

Can you feel it in the air?

Is it so close you can practically taste it?

It is almost here! We’re talking about the official release of the third and final book in Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games trilogy, Mockingjay! To celebrate the release of the book, it is with deepest pride that we announce our participation in the Official Mockingjay 13 District Blog Tour, as tributes from…

That’s right, folks. We are the official tributes from Katniss and Peeta (and ok Gale too – whatever!)’s district. The blog tour will cover 13 stops over the course of the month, each with an exclusive giveaway and unique editorial concept. We are stop #12 on the tour, and will be posting our giveaway (and extra goodies about District 12) on Friday, August 27.

While you wait on tenterhooks for Mockingjay’s release and for the tour to begin, you can get your fill of more Hunger Games goodness by visiting the Official Facebook Page where the official tour schedule, giveaway info, gifts, polls, samples, and more will be posted!

If you haven’t yet checked out the awesomeness that is Suzanne Collins’ dystopian YA series, make sure to check out our reviews of The Hunger Games and Catching Fire. For now, we leave you with a simple message.

That is all.

On April 20th, Runaway, the dramatic conclusion to the bestselling Airhead novels by Meg Cabot, hits stores. Here’s the skinny:

High fashion with a touch of sci-fi. In Runaway, the dramatic conclusion to the bestselling and acclaimed Airhead novels by Meg Cabot, Emerson Watts is on the run: from school, from work, from her family, from her friends, from herself.

With everyone she loves furious with her for something she can’t explain, and nothing but the live Stark Angel fashion show on New Year’s Eve to look forward to, Em’s reached the end of the rope…what’s the point of even going on?

But when she discovers the truth about Nikki’s secret, she knows there’s only one person she can turn to. Will Christopher be able to put aside his personal feelings and help her expose her employer to the world? Is it even fair to get Christopher involved—since if he agrees, there’s every chance that Stark Enterprises will try to have them both killed—this time, permanently?

Maybe it would be better for Em to just keep on running…

In celebration of the book’s release, we will be hosting a Twitter Party Giveaway Bonanza with Meg Cabot! We’ve got a ton of prizes up for grabs – including gift cards, a limited edition T-shirt, and a freakin’ iPad! Here’s the official invite and dirty details:

Join Runaway author Meg Cabot and Thea and Ana of The Book Smugglers for a Twitter party Thursday, April 22, between 8:30 and 10:30 p.m. EST!

• Be sure to follow Meg @MegCabot, Point at @ThisIsPoint, and Thea and Ana @BookSmugglers before the party!
• Join the fun! No one expects you or your tweets to be perfect; we’re just happy you made it to the party!
• Anyone who tweets during this hour using #MegCabot is entered to win a limited edition Runaway t-shirt – featuring the winning design voted for by fans!
• Watch for questions from @BookSmugglers and win awesome prizes including an iPad, $50 Sephora gift cards or $25 VISA gift cards!
• To join the party, you can use our official party tweetgrid or just search #MegCabot on Twitter.
• Ask Meg questions or chat with other partygoers—just use the tag #MegCabot in all of your party tweets! (This is added automatically in TweetGrid.)
• Please don’t post any spoilers and don’t forget to pay attention to the time zones, the party starts at 8:30pm EST.

So there you have it folks. Make sure to tune in for the official release blog tour, and for the Twitter Party on Thursday, April 22 at 8:30pm EST!

Today marks the second stop on the official Blog Tour for author Carrie Ryan’s newest release, The Dead-Tossed Waves – book 2 in her planned trilogy documenting a world ravaged by the zombie apocalypse. You can check out the first stop on the tour over atCynsations and her interview with Carrie yesterday.

Poignant. Memorable. Heartbreaking. These are words that describe Carrie Ryan’s work – and The Dead-Tossed Waves is no exception.

We are proud to have the incredibly talented Carrie Ryan over for a chat about her book, and to talk about her own favorite zombie books/comics/movies. Without further ado, we give you the awesome Carrie!

The Book Smugglers: Ever since delighting and terrifying mainstream audiences vis-a-vis George A. Romero’s NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, zombies have been an iconic “monster” in popular culture. Some authors and films use zombies for the obvious schlock, horror and gore…but some authors, like yourself, use the zombie story as an insightful critique of human nature. To you, what does the zombie represent? Why do you write about humans living in a zombie-plagued world?

Carrie: Wow, great question! I think the zombie can represent so many things: the inevitable and inescapable march of death, fear of the future, nihilism, uncertainty about the world. In my stories I think the zombie often represents existence for existence sake — the idea of plodding through time for no other reason than to occupy space. This is something that I think we all wonder about at some point — the idea of why am I here, what do I contribute to those around me, what will I do with my life?

As for why I write about humans in a zombie-plagued world, I think I’ve just always been fascinated by the idea of survival and the extremes people will go through to stay alive. I’ve always been fascinated by books like Hatchet or movies like Alive. The zombie apocalypse is something that the world wouldn’t recover from quickly and I really enjoy pondering the question of what you do when everything you’ve ever known so radically changes?

The Book Smugglers: There are some striking themes in THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH and THE DEAD-TOSSED WAVES – the loss (and restriction) of knowledge, fear of the known and unknown, and in the midst of this oppressing fear, love and the will to survive. Instead of overwhelming bleakness (i.e. Cormac McCarthy’s THE ROAD and other post-apocalyptic novels), there is the light of hope in your books – can you tell us why you choose this path for your stories? Are you an optimist?

Carrie: I’m glad you see the hope in my stories because to me it’s definitely there! I think that since the dawn of time people have had to struggle to survive and carve out a place in the world but even in the most daunting of circumstances, they find time for love, friendship, companionship. To me this is what life is about — it’s sort of the phrase you always hear that life isn’t about the destination but the journey. My characters could focus only on getting through the life they’ve been given or they can choose to take advantage of the calm moments.

I like to think of myself as an optimist though I think I have an uncanny knack for coming up with the worst-case scenarios (which served me well as a lawyer).

The Book Smugglers: Another resonant image in both of your books is that of fences and barriers. These enclosures keep inhabitants safe from The Unconsecrated/Mudo, but simultaneously imprison them – not only are the walls obstacles, but their fear and lack of knowledge shackles them too. Do you think these barriers are more harmful than helpful? If you were faced with the decision to stay safe behind the fences or risk the outside world, what would you choose?

Carrie: I definitely think the lack of knowledge is more harmful than helpful — I think that it’s hard to ask someone to make a decision about their life without giving them all the tools they need to make that decision, including all relevant information. At the same time, I think Sister Tabitha withheld knowledge purely out of love (you learn a lot more about her in my short story Hare Moon coming this summer in the Kiss My Deadly anthology edited by Trisha Telep).

To use another quote I had in my “quote journal” growing up: “a ship in harbor is safe, but that’s not why ships are built” (William Shedd). This is how I see Gabry in The Dead-Tossed Waves. I think it’s easy to want to stick with the status quo and avoid scary/hard to take risks. I remember the first time I had to go to court and I was terrified. My initial reaction was to say no but if I wanted to learn, I had to overcome the fear (yes, my fly was down when I stood up in front of the judge so I figured it could only get better from there).

That’s a great question, what would I choose? I think there are a lot of people who live very happy and fulfilled lives in my books — people content in Mary’s village and in Gabry’s town and so I don’t think they made bad choices for wanting to stay behind their barriers. At the same time, I know Mary would never be content to stay safe and Gabry made her decisions out of fear which constantly held her back. I’d like to think that I don’t make decisions out of fear, but that I’m also not reckless — that I appreciate what I have.

The Book Smugglers: Why did you decide to write Young Adult novels, as opposed to any other genre or category?

Carrie: When I was in high school I read about a romance author who said she sat down to write after reading a book and thinking “I can do that!” Reading those words I thought to myself “if she can do that, I can too!” And I think that because I was reading romance at the time I always assumed I’d write romance when I grew up. For a couple of years after college I did write romance and then after law school when I dedicated myself to writing again I realized that what really inspired me were young adult books. These are the books that taught me to love reading, to escape in other worlds and kept me up late speed reading to the end. The idea that I could join those ranks was just too tempting for me to give up!

I also really love that young adult books are all shelved in one mass — you can combine romance and sci fi and fantasy and horror and anything else and not worry about where you’ll get shelved in the bookstore.

The Book Smugglers: What books do you recommend for readers, ravenous for more books like yours after they have devoured THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH and THE DEAD-TOSSED WAVES?

Carrie: Anyone interested in the zombie apocalypse would probably enjoy World War Z by Max Brooks. For tense dystopia I’d recommend The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. For action Diana Peterfreund’s Rampant and for romance Graceling by Kristin Cashore and The Season by Sarah MacLean.

And now, for Carrie’s Favorite Zombie/Post-Apocalypse/Dystopia Books/Comics/Movies!

1. World War Z. Max Brooks is just a genius with this book — not only does he go through the zombie apocalypse step by step but he creates a huge cast of very distinct voices and stories along the way. Utterly absorbing.

2. Dawn of the Dead. I know most people hate the remake, but it will always have a place in my heart as the movie that started it all.

3. Night of the Living Dead. George Romero’s movie that really created the modern zombie (though they weren’t called zombies in the film). I actually really hated this movie the first time I saw it because I was so frustrated at the characters inability to get it together to survive. But then I heard Romero talk about the point of the movie which was society’s inability ot get their act together to solve really big issues in the world like poverty, hunger, war, etc. This made me love the movie.

4. Shawn of the Dead. This zombie flick perfectly nails the kitch humor of zombies and then the utter pathos and despaire that can come along with it. I don’t think I’ve laughed as hard at a movie or been more moved.

5. The Walking Dead. Robert Kirkman notes that his goal with this graphic novel series is that it has no end — there’s not set story arc but instead he just wanted to explore what happens to people constantly trying to survive after a zombie apocalypse.

6. Left 4 Dead (1 and 2). Brilliant video game with lots of zombie killing.

7. Zombie Fluxx is a fun little card game where the rules are constantly changing. And one rule is that every time you draw a zombie card you have to groan like a zombie – best rule ever!

8. 28 Days Later. Sure some zombie purists don’t count this as a zombie flick, but these fast zombies are utterly terrifying.

Born and raised in Greenville, South Carolina, Carrie Ryan is a graduate of Williams College and Duke University School of Law. A former litigator, she now writes full time. She lives with her writer/lawyer fiancé, two fat cats and one large puppy in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are not at all prepared for the zombie apocalypse.

You can read more about Carrie on her website HERE, or her blog HERE.

A huge thank you to Carrie Ryan! And make sure to check out the next stop on The Dead-Tossed Waves blog tour! Tomorrow, she’s at MTVNews.com’s “Hollywood Crush”.

Title: The Lonely Hearts Club

Author: Elizabeth Eulberg

Genre: YA; Chick Lit

Publisher: Scholastic
Publishing Date: December 29, 2010
Hardcover: 320 pages

Stand alone or series: Stand alone

Why did I read the book: We were invited to be a part of the blog tour and we make a point to always read the book when we join a blog tour.

How did I get the book: ARC from the publisher

Summary: Penny is sick of boys and sick of dating. So she vows: no more. It’s a personal choice. . .and, of course, soon everyone wants to know about it. And a few other girls are inspired. A movement is born: The Lonely Hearts Club (named after the band from Sgt. Pepper). Penny is suddenly known for her nondating ways . . . which is too bad, because there’s this certain boy she can’t help but like. . . .

Review:

Penny Lane, the daughter of Beatles’ fanatics parents is sick and tired of boys. After having her heart broken by her childhood sweetheart, she decides to stop dating until she leaves high school and concentrate only on school and her girl friends. She creates The Lonely Hearts Club and as the lone member keeps it a secret for as long as she can. But soon enough word starts spreading at school and more and more girls who are having boy-troubles join the club starting a huge movement and Penny becomes a legend, creating a myriad of problems with boys, the principal and other girls.

What starts as a very teenage-y read (the first few chapters had little crossover appeal to me), soon proves to be much more. In a genre that is replete of relationship-centric stories in which the girl falls hard for the boy and forgets about everything else and never looks back, The Lonely Hearts Club provides a refreshing turn of events. It may start as very boy-centric but as the story and the characters evolve the book becomes a girl-centric, empowering read, the answer to my prayer for more strong female characters in YA.

The point that Penny and her friends want to make is that yes, at one time or another pretty much every girl forgets everything because of a boy. But what happens if the relationship does not work? Friendships have been ruined, school grades have fallen and there is a vacuum in their lives. With the Lonely Hearts Club they try to pre-empt that threat by sticking together, and prioritizing themselves over boys.

Right at the beginning of the story there is a very important event when two of the most popular kids in school, Diane and Ryan break up and Penny observes from afar how unfair it all seems with Ryan being hailed as The Guy as though breaking up was his choice and Diane being pitied as a victim; This, even when they broke up out of common accord and remained good friends. This critical perception of High School’s silly behavior is another great thread of the novel.

Actually, this is one of the great things about Lonely Hearts Club, the fact that I was surprised by certain choices the author made. Ryan and Diane’s relationship is a very interesting one. Having dated for 4 years, they become really good friends after breaking up, showing the respect they still had for each other. It could have been easy to have made a point of maligning one or the other or to make Diane a bitch seeing as how she used to be Penny’s best friend but disappeared once she started to date Ryan. But the author makes both characters flawed, fleshed out people; Diane especially is someone who made a mistake, regretted it and tried to atone for it. And both girls, Diane and Penny try really hard to make their friendship work again. Penny is also friends with Ryan and their budding relationship becomes a bit more, adding tension to the story: he has feelings for Penny and they are clear, but what happens to the Club then if all of a sudden the founder decides to break rule numero uno?

The eventual realization that maybe not all boys are the scum of the earth and that it is possible to have both: boyfriends and girlfriends and remain a centered person is a very healthy outcome and one that I loved.

On the down side, quite a few of the secondary characters are not really fleshed-out , which is not surprising seeing as how there were so many girls in the club. But there is one in particular that has an eating disorder and I think this is an important issue that deserved more than being merely glossed over. It also sort of bothered me, how peppy some of the meetings of the club were and everything that they did was an overwhelming success. I like the idea of empowering girls to the point where they work together towards common goal but not everything can be so easy as to simply rally people and voila, all is fine in the world. I find it a bit unrealistic.

Still, overall the story really works , with its focus on friendships. I loved Penny, Diane and Ryan as characters and all the references to the Beatles. I heard on the grapevine that the author sold rights to a movie and should it happen I predict a success – as far as I know, there isn’t a lot of stories centered around girls and their girls friends out there and the author certainly deserves kudos for it.

Notable Quotes -Parts: I absolutely LOVED this scene when Penny’s parents were called to the school because the principal had reservations about the Club and what is was doing to the school’s cliques:

“Mrs Bloom, I am not going to sit here and allow one girl to start running the school. Penny is getting way too much power at this school. Her influence with the female population is getting a little out of control.”
Mon started to tap her foot impatiently. “And I suppose you don’t have a problem with the fact that, just because some jock can throw a ball far, the entire male population worships him? Let me ask you a question, Mr Braddock. Have any of the Club members gotten in trouble for anything?”
“Well, technically no. But her little club is unsanctioned by the school, therefore – “
“Therefore,” Mom cut him off, “it really isn’t any of your business.”

The scene continues for about one page and by the end of it, I felt like giving standing ovation to Penny’s parents!

Additional Thoughts: I love The Beatles and it was great to see so many references. I found it was hilarious that Penny’s parents named their kids Penny Lane, Rita and Lucy and that they refused to see any cover bands of the group and their vacations were spent in Liverpool. Penny could have been a teenager that hated what her parents loved but she wasn’t: she respected their quirkiness and actually loved the Beatles as well. She says that the Beatles could have been her rebellion but they were her comfort. How cool is that?

And don’t you just love the Abbey Road-shout out cover?

Verdict: The Lonely Hearts Club is a fun, relatable chick-lit YA, where boys are as important as girl friends and the Beatles still rule the world in the protagonist’s household.
Rating : 7 – Very Good

Reading next: An Abundance of Katherines by John Green.

Today, we welcome author Elizabeth Eulberg who debuted this month with The Lonely Hearts Club (to be reviewed tomorrow by Ana), a book about how disastrous dating leads a girl to vow not to date again until High School is over and to start a club which becomes an overnight success and girl-power Central.

Elizabeth is stopping by today to talk about her own dating disasters:

My first thought when I was asked to write a blog about a dating disaster: which one?

After all, I wrote a book about a girl who decided to swear off guys, so needless to say, I have a few stories about boys and disasters. On second thought, “few” is an understatement. This is unfortunate to me, but not to my readers (or my friends who enjoy hearing about my dating woes).

So do I go with the guy in college who I had scheduled a date with…then waited until ten at night to call me to meet up (um yeah, no thanks)? Or the loser who cheated on me (and was the semi-inspiration for Nate in The Lonely Hearts Club)? Or the guy who could only text (seriously guys, learn to use the talk function on your phones!)? Or the many horrendous blind dates thanks to an unnamed matchmaking site (you sit on a throne of lies!)?

Honestly, it wasn’t that difficult for me to choose because there is one particularly bad date that that tops them all. It is the reason I had to get caller ID on my phone. And for my sanity, I hope it will never be usurped.

I was out a few years ago with some friends and met a guy. Let’s call him Bill. I thought he was a nice enough guy, didn’t notice anything that should have given me red flags, so I was excited when he called me up a few days later to go out on a date. Although Bill really wanted to come over to my apartment and have me cook him dinner, I made us meet at a restaurant for two reasons: 1) I live alone so I don’t like guys knowing where I live when I first meet them. 2) Seriously? You think having me cook you dinner is a good first date for me? Maybe on a third or fourth date, but let’s put a little effort into the first date shall we?

He was late meeting me up (a BIG no-no) and then informed me he had to go across the street because he didn’t have any cash on him. Um, okay, last time I checked restaurants took credit cards, but whatever.

Then when we sat down for dinner I realized something, and I don’t know if I didn’t notice it before (although I don’t know how that was possible) or he was just extra nervous. But after he would say something he had a nervous twitch and would kind of make this noise (mmmmmmhhhhmmmmm….). “Yeah, my dinner is good. Mmmmmmhhhhmmmmmmm.” “I work in finance. Mmmmmmhhhhmmmmmm.” It was starting to freak me out. I felt like I was on Candid Camera. It got so bad that I just kept talking and talking so he wouldn’t have a chance to speak. I think he took my overaggressive talking as some sign that I was super interested in him. Which I was NOT.

Then the bill came. I ordered a sandwich and a drink. He ordered two appetizers, an entrée and a drink. I didn’t eat any of the appetizers. For some reason when the bill came he was surprised at how much it was. So I offered to chip in something. He asked for $20. Now, I don’t mind paying, but my portion of the bill was maybe $12. Maybe. But at that point I was willing to pay anything to just get out of there.

There is nothing worse than saying goodnight to a guy on a bad date. Especially when he has no clue that it was a bad date. So I quickly said goodnight, turned down his offer to walk me home, and gave him a hug. Then I bolted. Done.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t done. I kept getting numerous calls at home, but no messages. I wasn’t picking up because I usually screened my calls, plus the phone was ringing every 5-10 minutes and I was starting to get concerned. I should have picked up the phone and confront him, but at this point I was completely freaked out. Then a few days later, I went to the bank and noticed that I was being followed. Yep, I was being stalked. By him. Fortunately, a couple friends lived nearby so I went to their apartment and hung out until the coast was clear.

I ordered caller ID the next day and fortunately, the calls finally stopped and I wasn’t followed anymore. To this day I still don’t tell a guy my address on a first date (although I do have a funny story on why I don’t!). And I learned to trust my instincts more (if I’m dreading a date there is usually a reason why).

While I fully enjoy being single, it can be exhausting dealing with all the frogs on the way to finding your prince. It can also be entertaining (mostly at my expense). Good thing I know about a club I can join if I want to take a break from boys…

A big thank you to Elizabeth! Next stop on the tour is at Lauren’s Crammed Bookshelves on the 13th.

And don’t forget to check back tomorrow for our review of the lovely The Lonely Hearts Club!

We’ve got a special, unexpected treat for you today – we’re kicking off a long-awaited Richelle Mead Book Blog Tour, in honor of her most recent release, the fourth book in her ongoing Vampire Academy series, Blood Promise!

Rose Hathaway’s life will never be the same.

The recent attack on St. Vladimir’s Academy devastated the entire Moroi world. Many are dead. And, for the few victims carried off by Strigoi, their fates are even worse. A rare tattoo now adorns Rose’s neck, a mark that says she’s killed far too many Strigoi to count. But only one victim matters . . . Dimitri Belikov. Rose must now choose one of two very different paths: honoring her life’s vow to protect Lissa—her best friend and the last surviving Dragomir princess—or, dropping out of the Academy to strike out on her own and hunt down the man she loves. She’ll have to go to the ends of the earth to find Dimitri and keep the promise he begged her to make. But the question is, when the time comes, will he want to be saved?

Now, with everything at stake—and worlds away from St. Vladimir’s and her unguarded, vulnerable, and newly rebellious best friend—can Rose find the strength to destroy Dimitri? Or, will she sacrifice herself for a chance at eternal love?

For the duration of the tour, six blogs will be participating in an interview with author Richelle Mead, asking her our burning questions about her Vampire Academy books.

Without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, we give you our questions with Richelle!

The Book Smugglers: You have a thing about putting your heroines through hell and back – both Georgina in your Succubus series and Rose in Vampire Academy have to deal with some major heartache. What’s with the Angst? Will Rose have some relief in the future?

Richelle: I’m not a cruel person, but I do believe characters have to work for their happy endings. It’s also unrealistic to write a book in which everything that happens to the character is happy and wonderful. No one would want to read it! We like to go through the ups and downs. And as for Rose, well…that’s not something I can give away. You’ll have to keep reading to see what happens next.

The Book Smugglers: Your take on vampires is really detailed, with careful and thoughtful delineation between Dhampir, Moroi and Strigoi. What were your inspirations for your particular take on vampire lore and hierarchy? Did you do any specific mythological research for your world building in the Vampire Academy books?

Richelle: When I sat down to write a vampire book for teens, I had no idea that that genre would be so big. I knew the adult market was going strong, though, so it was important for me to do something very different from those books. So, I tried to stay away from the ‘standard’ vampire stories in our culture and see what else was out there in the world. Interestingly, almost every culture has myths about some type of vampire. I’d taken Eastern European folklore classes in college, so I jumped into research about those myths first and found the Moroi and Strigoi stories. There wasn’t a lot there, so I’ve had to improvise a lot in the series with how I best think a world with two vampire races would live. Dualism is a big part of Russian and Romanian myths, which is why the balance of light and dark is always so key in the Vampire Academy universe.

The Book Smugglers: What are your future writing plans for the Vampire Academy books? When can we expect (and what can we expect from) the next installment to this fabulous series?

Richelle: There are going to be eight more VA books coming out over the next few years. Two of them will be about Rose and will finish off her story. The next six will be a “spin-off” starting a whole new story that takes place in the same world but follows different characters (whom we’ve already met).

Scorpio Richelle Mead is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of urban fantasy books for both adults and teens. Originally from Michigan, Richelle now lives in Seattle, Washington where she works on her three series full-time. Before becoming a writer, she considered a few different career paths. She received a liberal arts degree from the University of Michigan, an MA in Comparative Religion from Western Michigan University, and a Master in Teaching (Middle & High School English) degree from the University of Washington. In the end, she decided writing was the way for her but believes all of her education prepared her for it.

Visit Richelle Mead online at her website http://www.richellemead.com/ or her blog, Even Redheads Get the Blues.

So there you have it! Make sure to check out Frenetic Reader for the continuation of this interview…

Also make sure to check back in on Monday, when we’ll have a review of Blood Promise and a giveaway to boot!