Top Ten Guest Post {Just Contemporary Week Four!}

This month, in case you didn't know, is Just Contemporary Month! I love love love contemporary YA, therefore I'm participating in some of the guest posty activities planned. This week's guest post is written by Tara from Hobbitsies all about her favorite authors in contemporary literature! It's great my lovelies, so read on. :)

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Alright, picking my top ten contemporary authors was hard. REALLY HARD. Clearly you guys know how many awesome contemporary authors are out there, so narrowing it down is not something I ever want to attempt again, hah!

So, here it goes – my top ten favourite contemporary authors, in no order!

1) SARAH OCKLER – Her writing is AMAZING. She’s only written two books, Twenty Boy Summer and Fixing Delilah, and I am such a freaking huge fan girl. If someone ever asks me “which author do you want to be when you grow up?” my answer will be Sarah Ockler. Her writing style is fantastic and gorgeous and her characters are so real and I just cry and cry and cry. I love her!

2) STEPHANIE PERKINS – Alright, isn’t this a given? Who doesn’t love Anna and the French Kiss and Lola and the Boy Next Door? Not only is Stephanie Perkins herself amazing and awesome, but her books and her characters ESPECIALLY her male characters ah!

3) MEG CABOT – Another given. But really. She’s Meg freaking Cabot. All of her books are amazing, ESPECIALLY the contemporary ones (although I do admit I love the Mediator series). I have read The Princess Diaries series like a million times.

4) LOUISE RENNISON – You want to talk about a funny woman? Her books are laugh out loud funny. Lots of hilarious escapades and unbelievably mortifying moments and even though none of the stuff has ever happened to me, I can totally picture it all in my head. Love her!

5) MAUREEN JOHNSON  - Her books are lovely and hilarious and I’ve literally read them all and I love them, but honestly, Maureen Johnson isn’t just on this list because of her books. She, as a person, is awesome. She just has so much presence, it’s awe-inspiring. I met her twice at BEA and I just love her.

6) LEILA SALES – I loved Mostly Good Girls  - I thought it was one of the most realistic books I’ve ever read. Funny and embarrassing and moving. And then I read Past Perfect and that just legitimately made my day. Such an awesome book, such an awesome contemporary writer.

7) KODY KEPLINGER – I know a lot of people knock Kody Keplinger because her books focus on sex, but honestly? I love that about her books. It’s so real. Some high schoolers have sex and her books are very honest about that.

8) SARA BENNETT WEALER – She’s only published one book so far, Rival, but I absolutely loved it. It was a refreshing contemporary that focused more on the importance of friendship and goals than boys. I can’t wait to read more from her.

9) ALLY CARTER – SPIES. Okay. Her books are about SPIES AND ART THIEVES. I freaking love espionage and thievery and badass teenage girls who are doing espionage and thievery. I always look forward to the next Ally Carter book.

10) SARAH DESSEN – How on earth did I forget Sarah freaking Dessen? Her books are AMAZING and real and really leave an impact on me every single time.

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Thanks for the awesome post, Tara! :)

"Powerful Stuff"-Sean Hayes

This month, in case you didn't know, is Just Contemporary Month! I love love love contemporary YA, therefore I'm participating in some of the guest posty activities planned. This week's guest post is written by Katelyn from Katelyn's Blog all about the tough stuff in contemporary literature! It's great my lovelies, so read on. :)

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About Katelyn:

My name is Katelyn and I’m the crazy blogger behind Katelyn’s Blog (catchy title, huh?). When I’m not reading, my time is mostly taken up by my family (3 brother + 2 sisters + 3 dogs = LOTS of madness), college (hope to become a high school math/English teacher), and working (I’ve got to pay for my book/shoe/food addictions somehow).The only two things that keep sane during my crazy days are books and music. I love to read anything young adult but my heart beats a little stronger for contemporary fiction. I am a total fan-girl to Sarah Dessen, Melina Marchetta, Jennifer Echols, Simone Elkeles, We The Kings, Taylor Swift, and Augustana!

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Sex. Drugs. Abuse. Suicide. Divorce. Death. Molestation. Break-ups. Lies. Cheaters. Loss. Grieving. Absent parents. Homelessness. Confidence issues. Self-worth. Depression. Anger problems. Eating disorders. Addiction. Drinking. Sexual orientation. Homophobia. Racism. Prejudices. Back-stabbing. Bullying. Teen pregnancy. Disorders. These are just a few of the issues that teens deal with on a daily basis but really the list can go on and on. Perhaps one of the greatest things about Y.A. contemporary fiction novels is that an author can cover one or two or as many issues as they want and nearly anybody can relate to it. Now what you guys may or may not find surprising, is that I have always stayed away from these “darker” contemporary novels up until recently and here is why.

I am not one of those close-minded people who think not reading about a certain issue means it is not there. I am well aware of all the problems going on in the world around us. The difference between me and people who think Y.A. contemp books are too dark for teens is that I think they are excellent for the right people. A girl who cuts herself reads a book about a girl going through a similar situation. However, the girl in the book finds the strength to say “No more” and moves on to other, more productive ways of expressing herself. A book that would be rather depressing and sad in many ways to some people, myself included, can be a life saver for another. I KNOW that books save lives, so why is it that I stayed away from them?

To answer that, would be extremely difficult. The only thing I can come up with is because by the end of the day, I thought I NEEDED a lighter book. I needed one that would make me smile, and laugh, and giggle like a school girl when a cute boy says something. I didn’t particularly want one that would make me sad and cry because after a long day of school, work, and home life, I wanted to be taken to a brighter, happier place.

I thought I was staying away from these “tough issue” books until I really began to look at what I was reading.*enter epiphany type music here* Sarah Dessen’s books are known for the romance but take a deeper look and there is so much more beneath the surface. Abuse, rape, death of a parent just to name a few! Jellicoe Road, a book I love is all about tough stuff. Love, Inc. a rather cute book is about parents divorcing and the effects that can have on kids. It’s Kind of a Funny Story follows a guy who commits himself to a psych ward because he wants to kill himself. Five Flavors of Dumb is about a girl who is deaf! These are all some of my FAVORITE books and you know what? They are full of tough issues. I DO read books that deal with stuff that real teens go through. It may be the lighter side of tough but they still cover it in a way that I can relate to.

Books about drug addiction, incest, molestation just aren’t for me. BUT I know there are people out there who NEED books like that so they can gain a sense of comfort knowing they are not alone out there. I give props to the authors who can create a world so dark and so very true so teens can have a voice. Books dealing with tough issues give the ones who have been forced to be quite about things going on in their lives a sense of hope. They can believe that there is a way out of an abusive relationship or drug addiction can be beat. These books may be dark compared to most Y.A books, but you want to know something kind of crazy? They are the most hopeful books I have ever laid eyes on.

Follow me on Twitter!

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There you go my lovelies! What do you think? Let me know in the comments!


Also, how's everyone doing? It's been a while, no?

"Powerful Stuff"-Sean Hayes,

Just Contemporary Month: Week One {Guest Post!}

This month, in case you didn't know, is Just Contemporary Month! I love love love contemporary YA, therefore I'm participating in some of the guest posty activities planned. This week's guest post is written by Jordyn from Ten Cent Notes all about why she loves contemporary! It's great my lovelies, so read on. :)

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Explaining why I love contemporary YA so much is difficult; it's like trying to tell you why I love a certain song more than others: I just do. When you read a lot, you end up falling in love with certain stories, and this has happened to me over and over again. As a kid I was obsessed with the Baby-Sitter's Club; I read The Girls by Amy Goldman Koss during that horrible year when the girls in my class hated me. I discovered YA fiction in the form of The Truth About Forever, which was the sort of profoundly wonderful book that instantly drew me into the genre.

From there I've read everything from Dessen and Laurie Halse Anderson to newer contemporary authors like Courtney Summers, Sarah Ockler, and Gayle Forman. It's hard to pigeon-hole these stories. They're about growing up, about grief, about friendship and family and love. There are lighthearted, feel-good stories as well as stories about the tougher issues that are harder to handle. 

I love contemporary YA because of characters like Frankie Landau-Banks, Kurt Brodsky, Anna Oliphant, Scarlett and Spencer Martin, and Adam Wilde -- these are characters who are remarkably real while being funny, strong, and incredibly amazing. The incredible characters and true-to-life stories are what makes contemporary YA a genre I absolutely love.

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Awesome, no? And as per usual here is my obligatory 'school is killing me softly, I'm sorry I don't post' spiel: I'm sorry. School hates me.


Didn't want to disappoint anyone. It's not a post unless I'm apologizing for not posting. :)


I hope all of you lovely people are having awesome lives and staying excellent and such!

"Flake"-Jack Johnson,

review: Don't Breathe a Word by Holly Cupala

♥ Summary: Joy Delamere is suffocating... 

From asthma, which has nearly claimed her life. From her parents, who will do anything to keep that from happening. From delectably dangerous Asher, who is smothering her from the inside out.

Joy can take his words—tender words, cruel words—until the night they go too far.

Now, Joy will leave everything behind to find the one who has offered his help, a homeless boy called Creed. She will become someone else. She will learn to survive. She will breathe…if only she can get to Creed before it’s too late.

Set against the gritty backdrop of Seattle’s streets and a cast of characters with secrets of their own, Holly Cupala’s powerful new novel explores the subtleties of abuse, the meaning of love, and how far a girl will go to discover her own strength.

♥ Favorite Line(s):

forgot to mark them + goodreads has none

♥ My thoughts:

Don't Breathe a Word shocked me a bit. Which is great, because that doesn't happen as often as I'd like. I, along with most of you I'm guessing, didn't know anything about the Seattle homeless scene. I didn't even know there was a Seattle homeless scene.


I was interested in Joy and her story instantly and was ready for an interesting and thrilling book. For the most part that's what I got.


The first half of Don't Breathe a Word was fast paced and really drew me in. After about the halfway mark though, something stopped clicking. I gradually fell out of love with the characters, the plot, and the story in general.


Twists started to unravel and become predictable and by the end it got a bit eye roll worthy.


Overall, Don't Breathe a Word is a decent read with brilliant bits and less than brilliant bits thrown in. I recommend for those looking for a less than warm and fuzzy experience.

♥ Summing it up:

Don't Breathe a Word is creative and quite the eye opener. To be released January 3, 2012.

Link up: Goodreads//Shelfari//Amazon//Barnes and Noble//Holly's website

Happy Monday!

"On The Radio"-Regina Spektor,

I read because I can't have a puppy-sized elephant

...not yet anyway.

I've seen the question 'why do you read?' floating around the blogosphere a lot recently. At first I didn't really understand why it needed to be answered at all. I thought, 'why does it matter? reading for entertainment, escape, out of boredom...it all still means you're reading, which is most important.' But now I've been thinking about it. And while people reading is most important I'm beginning to think the reasons are at least interesting enough to write and read about.

The title of this post is 'I read because I can't have a puppy-sized elephant" which is totally true. I read because for the most part I don't have the lives depicted in the books I read. I'm not the most popular girl in school or the child of a meth addict. I don't ride a dragon to Beheading 101 or play piano professionally. I haven't been to Paris or gone ice fishing in Alaska.

That's why I read. Because I get to live 10,000 lives by proxy. And hopefully one day I'll get to do some of the amazing things I've read about, but for now I'll continue to live vicariously through my favorite characters.

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Now it's your turn. Why do you read?

"Addicted to Love {Cover}"-Florence + The Machine,

Guest Post: Rachel Vincent +Giveaway!

♥ About the book:

Everyone else is talking about Eastlake High’s gorgeous new math teacher, Mr. Beck, but Kaylee Cavanaugh has bigger things on her mind. Kaylee’s a banshee—her scream is a portent of death. 
But the next scream might hit too close to home. Kaylee’s borrowed lifeline has almost run out. 
Yeah—it’s a shock to her, too. So to distract herself from her own problems, Kaylee is determined to defend her school against the latest supernatural threat. That hot new teacher is really an incubus, who feeds from the desire of unsuspecting students. The only girls immune to his lure are Kaylee and Sabine, her boyfriend’s delinquent ex-girlfriend. Now the unlikely allies have to get rid of Mr. Beck…before he discovers they aren’t quite human either. 
But Kaylee’s running out of time, and those who love her will do anything to save her life. 
Anything. 
Soul Screamers: The last thing you hear before you die.

♥ About the author:

A resident of San Antonio, Rachel Vincent has a BA in English and an overactive imagination, and consistently finds the latter to be more practical. She shares her workspace with two black cats (Kaci and Nyx) and her # 1 fan. Rachel is older than she looks-seriously-and younger than she feels, but remains convinced that for every day she spends writing, one more day will be added to her lifespan.

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If I Die, the fifth book in the Soul Screamers series, will be released on September 27, 2011. To celebrate, Kaylee and Sabine (Kaylee’sboyfriend’s ex-girlfriend, who is a living nightmare) have agreed to be in the same room long enough to interview each other. Sabine won the coin toss, so she gets the first question. They’ve 

been told to keep it civil, but I make no promises…

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Sabine: Kaylee, truth or dare.

Kaylee: This is an interview, Sabine.

Sabine: [shrugs] Think of this as an alternative format. Truth or dare?

Kaylee: There’s no good way to answer that question, is there?

Sabine: Why does there have to be drama behind every decision you make?

Kaylee: Fine. Truth.

Sabine: say—hypothetically—that you found out you were going to die in a few days and you had to decide who’s going to get all your stuff when you’re gone. Who would inherit, oh…your boyfriend?

Kaylee: That’s not how it works. You can’t inherit a person.

Sabine: Sure you can. People inherit kids from dead parents all the time.

Kaylee: Nash isn’t a kid, and I’m not his parent.

Sabine: That’s why this is hypothetical.

Kaylee: No, it’s hypothetical because… Whatever. You’re not going to inherit Nash, no matter what happens to me.

Sabine: Okay, but if you were going to die—

Kaylee: It’s my turn. Truth or dare?

Sabine: Dare.

Kaylee: I wanted you to say truth.

Sabine: That’s why I said dare.

Kaylee: Fine. I dare you to tell me the truth.

Sabine: [rolls her eyes] That is SO lame.

Kaylee: You started this.

Sabine: Ask your question.

Kaylee: What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done?

Sabine: I don’t understand the question. Worst, according to what unit of measurement? Monetary damage? Physical destruction? Psychological impact? Number of laws broken? I’m gonna need you to be more specific.

Kaylee: It’s not a complicated question. What do you feel guilty about?

Sabine: Okay, I’m not saying this is actual guilt—I’m not entirely sure what that feels like—but I don’t feel great about telling Nash that you don’t want to go to prom because you’re afraid you’ll look flat-chested in a formal dress.

Kaylee: Sabine!

Sabine: Well, it’s the truth! If you two are meant to be, shouldn’t he know what you’re afraid of? Besides, it’s a valid concern.

Kaylee: But it isn’t your concern!

Sabine: [glances down at her own chest] Thank goodness.

Kaylee: That’s not what I meant.

Sabine: My turn. This one’s easy. Wood or steel?

Kaylee: Wood or steel what?

Sabine: Casket. For your hypothetical funeral.

Kaylee: No more death questions.

Sabine: Okay. Fashion, then. How long afterward will Nash have to wear all black?

Kaylee: Do you want me to haunt you?

Sabine: If I answer that, is it my turn again?

Kaylee: No! It’s my turn, and you can’t take it away.

Sabine: You’re only clinging to your turn because you know I want it.

Kaylee: That doesn’t even make any sense.

Sabine: Is it true you’re so shiny and pure you actually glow in the dark?

Kaylee: Is it true you shriek and scurry into the corner every time someone turns the light on?

Sabine: Ha! That was pretty good.

Kaylee: Thanks. I’ve been practicing. To give credit where it’s due, though, you make a great target.

Sabine: You too. I might actually miss you once you’re gone. Hypothetically.

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♥ About the giveaways:

The first giveaway is ONE DAY ONLY. As in today...and no other day. So get right to this one! Win two copies of If I Die-one for you and one for a friend-by tweeting:

Dying for IF I DIE? - Follow the #SoulScreamersTour for daily giveaways & a NookTouchhttp://wp.me/P1r4rR-fv @rachelkvincent


The winner will be notified via Twitter, so be sure to check your @replies! 

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The second giveaway runs the entire blog tour! If you live in the US/Canada you came enter to win a Nook Touch completely stocked with the Soul Screamers series! To enter>

*Follow Rachel Vincent on Twitter, +3
*Like Rachel Vincent on Facebook, +3
*Like The Soul Screamers on Facebook, +3
*Sign up for Rachel's email subscription to get the latest updates, +3
*Promote the tour by adding the button {shown above} and link back to the tour page, +5
*Leave a comment on a blog post throughout the tour, +1 {up to +10!}







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♥ Follow the tour:

Monday, September 19th - The Story Siren 

Wednesday, September 21st - Chasing Words 

Friday, September 23rd - The Page Turners 

Monday, September 26th - The Elliot Review 

Tuesday, September 27th Book Birthday - Mundie Mom's 

Wednesday, September 28th - Harlequin Blog 

Friday, September 30th - IB Book Blogging 

Monday, October 3rd - Electrifying Reviews 

Wednesday, October 5th - A Cupcake and A Latte (YA Reads, Reviews and more) 

Friday, October 7th- Teens Read and Write

"Lake Of Fire"-Nirvana,

review: Saving June by Hannah Harrington!

♥ Summary: Harper Scott's "perfect" sister committed suicide. And she left questions behind. Between a boy she tutored who seems to know more about June than Harper does, eclectic mix CDs, and an unsent postcard, Harper needs to ask more than anyone can answer. So she goes to the only place she may be able to find solace from her tangled thoughts of June: California.

♥ Favorite Line(s):

"Nolite te bastardes carborundorum"


"And now that thread is thinning with every passing moment, worn down by the brutal scrape of reality grating away at it, bit by bit."


"P.S.--I'm not scared anymore."

♥ My thoughts:

Saving June is the type of book that makes me want to pull words from its pages and carry them in my pocket for a while. It's heartbreaking and cool and fun and completely absolutely absorbing.


I want to hang out with Harper and Jake and Laney. I want to talk about The Doors and fire and how the universe kinda sucks sometimes, but the happy bits drown the others out at least partway. And I wish I wasn't rambling, but that's what this book does to me. It makes me want to speak and write and draw and make something out of nothing and cut some things to pieces. Guh.


The characters leap off the pages and dance around in my head. They sing and live and breathe and I wish I could come back, seep into the pages with them. And the plot! The whole 'road trip with an almost stranger with a random connection to you blahdy blah blahderson' is getting overdone, but Saving June made me want to know every detail of the trip.


Basically, Saving June is made of sunshine, rainbows, the hopes of children and many other lovely things. So...you should read it.


P.S. the last of my favorite lines killed me. Killed. Me.

♥ Summing it up:

Saving June is absolutely fantastic. It will be released November 22, 2011. Mark your calendars!

Link up: Goodreads//Shelfari//Amazon//Barnes and Noble//Hannah's website

Happy Monday!

"3 Rounds And A Sound"-Blind Pilot,

win win win

For those of you who only want me for my contests:

you're in luck! :)

In celebration of the release of the fifth book in Rachel Vincent's Soul Screamers series, If I Die, I'm giving away the first four books in the series! This is also kind of a warm up to the If I Die blog tour which kicks off September 19th {P.S. I'm the second stop!}.

Haven't yet decided if I want to give all four books to one winner or split them up or what, so let's just say there will be at least one winner. US only. Ends September 30th. Good luck!!

Form's after the jump {AKA, click "read more"!} :)

obligatory 9/11 post

First, go read this post by Meg Cabot.

Now, I'm only 17. Which means I was in second grade when "the events of September 11th," occurred. I never quite understood that phrasing. It's too clinical, too brief to summarize what happened. But that really is beside the point.

The only thing I remember from that day was the announcement made throughout the school telling all staff to turn off their TVs after the second tower was hit. That, and my mom telling me what happened on the car ride home from school, basically came out to: "Bad people made the towers fall, people were hurt." Other things were tossed around, names like Osama Bin Laden and different terms I didn't understand. I also remember a lot of crying adults.

For years, I understood that people were killed and hurt and missing and that made the towers being hit sad, but nothing more. It wasn't until just a few years ago I began to realize the true impact it had. Because I was like, seven, when everything went down I'm not going to try and preach about anything.

Just...

go hug your family.

And maybe a stranger or two, because today of all days a stranger shouldn't be just another face in the street.

review: Shut Out by Kody Keplinger!

♥ Summary: Most high school sports teams have rivalries with other schools. At Hamilton High, it's a civil war: the football team versus the soccer team. And for her part, Lissa is sick of it. Her quarterback boyfriend, Randy, is always ditching her to go pick a fight with the soccer team or to prank their locker room. And on three separate occasions Randy's car has been egged while he and Lissa were inside, making out. She is done competing with a bunch of sweaty boys for her own boyfriend's attention. 

Lissa decides to end the rivalry once and for all: she and the other players' girlfriends go on a hookup strike. The boys won't get any action from them until the football and soccer teams make peace. What they don't count on is a new sort of rivalry: an impossible girls-against-boys showdown that hinges on who will cave to their libidos first. And Lissa never sees her own sexual tension with the leader of the boys, Cash Sterling, coming.

♥ Favorite Line(s):

First lines>
"There is nothing more humiliating than being topless in the backseat of your boyfriend's car when someone decides to throw an egg at the windshield."


"It's not silly," he said. "What's silly is my deep-seated and unreasonable fear of fish" -- replace fish with birds and this is real, this is me.

♥ My thoughts:

I think the fact that I've flipped through and almost marked this Very Borrowed* copy with my favorite little bits of dialogue and cattiness says enough about my feelings for Shut Out. It's fun, smart, a little eye roll inducing at times, but completely engrossing.


Shut Out takes place while Lissa is a senior in high school. She's the anal, smart, stoic girlfriend of football player, Randy. At first I thought I'd hate her to be completely honest. I usually can't take the whole Queen Bee Bitch character, but thankfully Lissa was nothing of the sort. Sometimes I still hated her for other things, but I usually hate every MC at least a little. But that means she wasn't perfect and, ya know, a real person, which was refreshing. Lissa is the kind of MC I love to read about.


Chloe, her best friend, can totes be my best friend any day. I'm one of the non-confrontational, "hey, I'm the doormat!" types, which means I loved living vicariously through tell it like it is characters like Chloe. The rest of the cast of characters were appropriately frustrating/endearing/swoon worthy/etc. and I ate all of the drama their various personalities brought out. ;)


The 'battle of the sexes' plot started out somewhat weirdly for me. I just wasn't interested at first. Boy, did that change. By the end I wanted to smash Randy's face with an egg rather than his car, cheer Lissa on from the rooftops, and er...stand and sigh a safe distance from Cash. The views everyone takes on the sex strike were varied and all had valid points. It's definitely a story to make readers think about a few issues.


Overall, Kody's second novel was just as fun, thought-provoking, interesting and real as The DUFF. A refreshing light read that I'll definitely flip through again.


*Very Borrowed = from an ARC tour/I will be torn to pieces if I write in it.


p.s. I'm in another review writing slump if you couldn't tell so...have a Charlie>

...and for my two dude readers>

♥ Summing it up:

Anyone looking for a fun read! Shut Out is out now, so pick up a copy! :)

Link up: Goodreads//Shelfari//Amazon//Barnes and Noble//Kody's website

Happy Saturday!

"Someone Like You"-Adele,

half-hiatus

Hullo lovelies.


If you haven't noticed, I've been kind of MIA lately. And not of the rapper variety.


"Why?" you must ask, "Is it us, Cara? Do you not like us anymore?"


To which I say NO. You see, all capital letters NO.


Last week I scheduled some posts for over last weekend because I knew I'd be in summer reading hell {yes, I'm that kid who reads incessantly but only if I can choose the books}. Now those posts have been er...posted and I don't have time right now to keep up.


Not because I don't like blogging or anything like that it's just....school. Guh. Just typing it out gives me the creeps.


I'm a senior. In high school. About to graduate. Applying to college. Basically in the midst of everything that scares the hell out of me.


I have some tough classes as well as some awesome ones {yay, Theatre Arts!}, but all of them have lots o' work. Which means I might only post once a week for a while. Maybe more, less. But you can expect a decline in thine posting habits. Hopefully I won't blink off the face of the blogosphere like last year! *crosses fingers*


To all my blogger friends, currently and to come>


Still checking my email like a fiend, so feel free to send away. If anything vital or just generally awesome should stumble up while I'm on half-hiatus please send an email as that's the safest bet for reaching me!


You all deserve stickers and flying popsicles and puppy-sized elephants {I will name mine Blu} and oodles and bunches and bits of good things.


P.S. You all should most definitely read this!

DFTBA,