Bookish Things I'd Give a Kidney For (#bloggerextravaganza)

And... here I am... two days late and a kidney short (hehe) because I totally missed post one for the

(For more info, go HERE.) BUT... at least I'm here, right? Right. And since yesterday was World Kidney Day, Rachel had the smart idea for one of today's post options to be Bookish Things I'd Give a Kidney For. I mean, yes, it's technically post #2, but I'm here, and I'm doing it, so here we go.

And oh, man. There are SO MANY bookish THINGS I would love. Would I really give a kidney for them? Prob not. But since this is the kind of post you get to share all the things you're drooling over, I thought I'd take advantage of the opportunity, and share mine. YA READY? (Might want to go hide your wallet from yourself first, though. Don't say I didn't warn you!)

1) FROSTBEARD CANDLES

I have been admiring these darlings for months. I don't even know what else to say other than they're adorable and I love them (this one especially) and would never ever burn it in a million years but make sure EVERY SINGLE PERSON WHO WALKED IN MY DOOR came over it and appreciated it just because.


2) A THROW BLANKET BY EVIE ON SOCIETY6

I have no idea how to flip that, so you get to see it the way it is. I'm especially in love with this one and the other black blanket with gold lettering. I also recently ordered the largest sized one for my mother in-law (not a bookish one) and the big one IS SO BIG. 

So, so gorgeous. I would never, ever let anyone else touch it... it would be mine and I'd use it all of the time. :D

3) A Brand New, Hardcover of FINNIKIN OF THE ROCK

Some of you have seen my recent desperate tweets about trading my copy and not realizing you can't buy this anywhere anymore. *sobs* Dumb me. I would give so much for it. I'm one of those people who will get two copies of a book I love so that I can push one on people and keep the other for my collection. This was from my collection (see photo below), which I thought I could just up and reorder come a birthday or something. NOPE. Dumb, dumb Jessica. *sobs more*

Back when I still had the entire collection :( 

Speaking of Melina Marchetta, I loved LOOKING FOR ALIBRANDI, and found out that it was made into a movie in AUSTRALIA!!!! But is not available here. :( :( :( So my #4 (somewhat) bookish thing I'd give a kidney for is:

4) LOOKING FOR ALIBRANDI DVD

DVD blurb: Josie Alibrandi has a lot to deal with right now. She's 17, got the dreaded H.S.C. in front of her and the boy of her dreams seems completely out of reach. Then there's that other problem. She's a wog. Sure it's where Josie comes from but it's not where she feels she belongs. In fact, Josie doesn't know where she belongs. With her Nonna in one ear talking about the old country and the stuck-up girls at her school telling her she's an outsider, it's no wonder. This year, however, everything is going to change. Josie will let loose, face her fears, uncover secrets - even discover the true identity of her father. From the bestselling novel by Melina Marchetta, comes the surprise hit of the year starring Greta Scacchi (Emma), Anthony La Paglia (The Client), Pia Miranda (TV's Neighbours) and Kick Gurry (The Thin Red Line), Looking for Alibrandi.

5) Any of these pencils from ICEY DESIGNS (though the two below are my favorite)

Bronte

Shakespeare

 I would never use them, but they'd be beautiful. And that's what matters, you know?

6) The UNWIND movie already

Last we heard was back in October, from the Shusterman himself. Production was slated for April of this year, but I haven't really heard much in recent months. 

I have been looking forward to this movie for over five years. (As in, I've been wanting to see it on the big screen since I read it over five years ago. THE STRUGGLE IS REAL.) 

Oh, and speaking of movies... and back to Melina Marchetta again... what's up with the Jellicoe Road movie? (I have a serious book-to-movie thing going here!)

7) A shirt with a quote from one of my books on it

I don't have an actual shirt like that, obviously, so I made this lame version. But one day... one day I'd love that to be something you could find like, anywhere.

8) An entire bookcase WALL

Found this design HERE

No words necessary, really. Just want one of these at some point in my life. :)

9) An unlimited bank account JUST FOR BOOKS

10) A cute Kindle cover (like this one)

11) THE ROSE AND THE DAGGER (like... now)

GOODREADS

And... of course...

Last, but certainly not least...

12) A way to meet/hang out with my favorite characters WHENEVER I WANT (you think a kidney'll make that possible???)

5th Annual Black Friday Book Bonanza (#booklove / #giveaway)

Welcome to the 5th annual Black Friday Book Bonanza hosted by Kimba at Caffeinated Book Reviewer and Jennifer at Bookshelfery! This is my first time participating in the BFBB, and I am so excited! As I'm writing this post, there are over 60 participants. Wow, right? I mean, yay books! (And yay CHRISTMAS!)

If you haven't participated in the BFBB before, the rules are pretty simple. Each participating blogger/author has their own bookish-related giveaway that will run from 12:01am on November 27 through 12:01am November 30 (so basically the entire Thanksgiving weekend). Some will be US only, some will be INTL. (To find/enter the other giveaways, see the links beneath the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post.)

And now, my Black Friday Book Bonanza shtuff:

What's up for grabs (US only):

* And then I realized adventure was the best way to learn 7x9 journal

* IF I SPEAK TRUE (book one of the Flora series)

* The Princess Bride DVD

* Sailboat 5x7 journal 

* $10 Target gift card (get that book you've been wanting!)

* bookish swag (not pictured)

Total value: Over $45!!! (Give as a gift, split it up into a couple of different gifts, or keep everything for yourself!)

I love journals because they're great for keeping track of your favorite book quotes, organizing bookish wish lists, or jotting down writing ideas that come to you while reading! The Target gift card was a given, because hello: books. And The Princess Bride DVD, well... Dahlia in IF I SPEAK TRUE loves The Princess Bride, so I had to throw that in, too! :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Oh and hey, INTL peeps! Of course I didn't forget that you're special, too! Here's an easy peasy ebook giveaway just for you:


a Rafflecopter giveaway
Now check out the rest of the Black Friday Book Bonanza participants!

       or:

Welcome to the #HOLIDAYCRAMATHON!

Eeeeeee!!! The Cram-a-Thon has officially started! (If you missed the introductory post, you can read it HERE.)

I'm so excited about how well this has taken off. To those of you who shared it online, thanks so much. To those of you who decided to join in and read along, thank YOU so much. You all rock, and the fact that so many of us are going to be participating/sharing for a couple of weeks means SERIOUS spreading of the booklove, and that is WONDERFUL!!!!

As for *my* TBR, I'm hoping to read up to twenty books. I'm currently finishing up THE IMPROBABLE THEORY OF ANA & ZAK and then I'll be starting one of these (whichever one I'm in the mood for). YAY! Like I said, no pressure here. This is simply a way to catch up on our reading. :)

Another thing I'm doing for sure at least once is a read-along. (Melissa and I are reading OBSIDIAN!) I love reading with someone else--you tend to soar through a book when you have someone to talk with about it! (If anyone else wants to hook up for a read-along, let me know, or post in the comments!)

Everyone will be doing the Cram-a-Thon their own way, but in order for us to keep in touch (and pump each other up when we start a' slackin'), I figured we could all link up. :) Feel free to add your links whenever you want throughout the Cram-a-Thon!

Happy reading, my friends!

Join the #HolidayCRAMATHON read-a-thon Nov. 22 through Dec. 13!

Recently, as I was working on my ongoing book wish list, I came to the realization that I'd acquired a lot of books in the past couple of months. With NetGalley being awesome, #booksfortrade being stinking awesome, BookOutlet.com being so stinking awesome, and Lovemuffin getting me a B&N gift card for my birthday (because HE's awesome), I ended up with quite the collection in a very short amount of time. O.0

Not that I'm complaining--that would be crazy, of course--but it was then that I came to the very logical conclusion that I can't justify getting any more books (or have room for any more, come Christmas, either), if I don't get my tush in gear, and READ SOME STUFF.

I then decided to give myself a goal of reading 20 books before Christmas... and checked the calendar.

Time was running out!

*insert hands-to-cheeks emoji here*

Naturally, my next move was to tweet out a call to fellow #booklove-ers. Was anyone else needing to get caught up? Would anyone like to join?

Some of you were, and did... and one thing led to another, and we came up with the

HOLIDAY CRAM-A-THON!!!! 

(Or, if you're my spell check, the "Holiday Cremation". Womp womp.)

Feel free to share this wherever... and if you'd like the HTML for the above image, let me know, and I'll send it to ya. 

Now, some of you have asked if this is going to be a serious signup thing... and the answer is, no, not  really. This is all about having fun and spending as much time as possible reading. 

Therefore, a simple post will go up here on the blog the day it starts (Sunday, the 22nd), with the option to share a link to your blog, or Facebook post, or Instagram, or wherever you post/will be posting your books or updates, so we can all stay in touch and encourage one another to keep on keepin' on!

Not to mention, it's fun to see what others are reading, because it

a) spreads the #booklove

b) spreads the #authorlove

and

 c) helps us add more books to our TBRs!!!! (Which we totally need, of course.)

SO. There ya go. The plan. A Holiday Cram-a-Thon, yo.

Feel free to share this around the interwebs if you'd like... Or come back Sunday, and share it then.

Be blessed!

Jessica / @coffeelvnmom

Two ways I was able to spread the #booklove last month

I don't blog all that often about stuff I've been doing, but I wanted to share a couple things real quick because I was blessed to be involved in two bigger-than-normal things last month, and I'm all about celebrating the good shtuff. (FYI, I tried and tried to format this better, but the photos and I weren't getting along, so I finally gave up.)

Anyway. The first of two Good Things that happened in September took place in the coastal town of Pismo Beach. The day before Good Thing #1 happened, we came across this sign after dinner:


For those of you unaware of what Boba is, this is what I found online to describe it: 

Boba tea (also called pearl tea, or bubble tea) is a sweet drink that combines milk, flavored tea and tapioca pearls that are sucked up through an extra large straw and chewed. The pearls have a soft, chewy consistency similar to that of gummy candy.

Boba can be good, bad, or meh, but this little shop in Pismo was straight-up YUMMY. And, visitors from all-over had put up Post-It notes around the Boba menu, which was really cool. We had so much fun checking them out and finding out what towns had passed through before us!

Me, Boba in hand, showing off the view right outside the shop.

The day after our Boba finding, I participated in the Central Coast Book and Author Fair. (I am showing you my table because it looked very nice, whereas the photos of me IN the shots were horrible as I was facing the sun and had serious squinty-eyes.) I met some wonderful people, and am definitely going back next year! Check out my table:

EEK! Isn't it lovely? See my owl candy jar? :D

Then, the following weekend, a fellow YA author and I spoke at my local library! We each had a half-hour time slot, and boy did the time fly. It was great getting to talk not only about my books and YA in general, but also how to spread the #booklove! 

(This is my I LOVE BOOKS face! I am a nerd.)

And... there you have it...  two fun things I was involved with in September!

I also made a HOW TO SPREAD THE BOOKLOVE chart (you may have seen it a few weeks back on Twitter).  I'm including it below, in case you want to share it!

To add to Pinterest, CLICK HERE

Have a blessed week, and don't forget to enter my #JLBbirthdaybash over there in the sidebar! -->

#FinallyFriday {1}: Unlikely Warrior: A Jewish Soldier in Hitler's Army

Finally Friday is a meme started by me (Jessica, aka @coffeelvnmom) and J from @life_love_fandoms. This week's I-finally-read-this-waiting-on-Wednesday-book is: Unlikely Warrior: A Jewish Soldier in Hitler's Army. 

(This review was originally posted 2/24/15.) I'm a sucker for WWII survival stories, especially when they're YA. And yet... it's been weeks since I finished Mr. Rauch's memoir, and I'm *still* not sure what to say. You think you know what it must have been like after learning about WWII so many times in school or watching movies or doing reports or reading books about it, but you don't. Not really. Nothing can prepare you for how atrocious things got on both sides of the warfront as the war continued. Nothing can prepare you for the emotional turmoil anyone put through war has to go through. Especially when you read true recounts down to specific details (like killing a few hundred lice every night just before going to bed, for instance--and this was one of the lesser horrific ones). It breaks you. 

Most stories about WWII have to do with survivors *not* on the side of Hitler. What makes Unlikely Warrior: AJSIHA so different is that, amidst the chaos of war and death and prejudice, Georg was not a survivor of a camp, or a Jew in hiding, but a Jewish soldier, forced to fight on Hitler's side doing something he didn't even believe in. 

As you go with young Georg on his journey, reading letters his mother saved, seeing photos of family, and looking at illustrations he drew back in that day, you feel for him. You want to sit with Georg, hug his past self, and tell him everything'll be okay. And what broke me after going on that journey with him was the fact that he's no longer here to reach out to. 

I am so, so grateful for being given a chance to read this book. So glad that, even after so many decades, Mr. Rauch finally chose to tell his story. I'm also incredibly grateful for his wife, Phyllis Rauch, for translating it into English; and to Farrar, Straus, & Giroux for getting Mr. Rauch's book to more readers.

This is a good read, guys, and worth every single minute.

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Book Depository | iBooks | Goodreads 

Spring 2015 YA SCAVENGER HUNT (#YASH) + exclusive #giveaway

It's #YASH time! Woo hoo! Welcome to the SPRING '15 YA SCAVENGER HUNT. On this hunt, you not only get access to exclusive content from each participating YA author, you also get their favorite number. Add up the numbers, and enter the total for a chance to win a major prize. Every team will have a winner, and that winner will receive at least one book from each author on that team! This means there are EIGHT SEPARATE GRAND PRIZES of at least 20 books in each grand prize!!!! But play fast: this contest (and all the exclusive bonus material) will only last until noon PST on Sunday, April 5th!

A few quick things: If you get lost for some reason, no worries--just go to this link: YA Scavenger Hunt: Stuck? Each team AND all of the authors are listed there, so you can pick up where you left off--easy peasy! :) And, if you've never done this before but would love to participate, check out YA Scavenger Hunt: How to Hunt.

Directions: Somewhere below, you'll see that I’ve listed my favorite number (in pink). Collect the favorite numbers of all the authors on TEAM PINK, and then add them up (don’t worry, you can use a calculator!).

Entry Form: Once you’ve added up all the numbers, make sure you fill out the form here to officially qualify for the grand prize. Only entries that have the correct number will qualify.

Rules: Open internationally. Anyone below the age of 18 should have a parent or guardian’s permission to enter. To be eligible for the grand prize, you must submit the completed entry form by April 5th, at noon Pacific Time. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.

Here are the books up for grabs for #TeamIndie/Team PINK:

And now... *drum roll please* I'd like to introduce you to...

WOMAN OF HONOR, by Nicole Zoltack! 

WOMAN OF HONOR is the first book in a YA fantasy trilogy.

Aislinn of Bairbhe dreams of becoming a lady knight to honor the death of her fallen brother. To her mother's horror, King Patrick grants Aislinn's wish. 

Despite the mockery of the other pages and the disdain of Prince Caelen, who also trains to be a knight, Aislinn commits herself to her training and embarks on a journey of self-discovery and bravery. 

Through the years, Aislinn and Caelen grow from sparring classmates to good friends. Honor, bravery, and yes, love are worth fighting for even when they both know that someday Caelen will have to marry for the sake of the kingdom. Buy WOMAN OF HONOR

WOMAN OF HONOR is told only from Aislinn's POV, but there's a certain other character who wants to share some thoughts in his POV. Take it away, Prince Caelan!

***

He wasn't sure when it happened. The fire in her eyes, the stubbornness in her jaw, the determination, the drive… All those years ago when his father had agreed for a probationary period for not one but two girls, Caelan had thought it merely a gesture to appease them, that there was no way either would muster up enough strength or brains to be able to continue on in their training.

He had been wrong.

At first, Aislinn had been closed off, almost too focused on learning everything. Being a knight, well training to become one, it formed a brotherhood, a bond, and she wouldn't be able to stay away like that.

A part of him wanted him to be the one to reach out and help her, but he couldn't. That fire and stubbornness, it drew him to her, and he couldn't have that. For years now, he knew he would have to marry for the sake of Arnhem. The last thing he could do was lose his heart to someone he could never be with.

But when Geoffrey started to spout bad poetry to her, Caelan couldn't help himself. He cornered her in the library. And he had kissed her.

She pushed him aside and ran away. All of his life had been chosen for him. This, and this alone, he would do as he wished. His heart deserved a little bit of happiness.

But would she let him kiss her again? He could only hope so.

***

Connect with Nicole at these 5 places: Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook | blog | Amazon 


And now, for the Rafflecopter! In celebration of YASH, I'm giving away FOUR audiobooks and a $5 Amazon gift card! Enter the exclusive YASH giveaway below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
For the next stop on the hunt, visit Cady Vance's blog, HERE. 

To check out the other seven teams, go HERE.

March's #ReaderInterview: Melissa Robles (@MeliRobles)

Hi, guys! Welcome back to a monthly meme here at Let Me Tell You A Story called Reader Interview! :0) This month's reader is Melissa Robles. Melissa and I first met at Kate Tilton's #K8chat on Twitter. We've been book buddies ever since. :D

Hi, Melissa, thanks so much for being here! :)

Hi Jessica, I'm thrilled to be here on your blog today!

First off, what book got you into reading YA? What was so special about it?

I'm part of the bunch that got into reading YA because of Twilight (please don't hate me!). The series thrilled me, and after finishing it, I just had to read more and more. But before reading Twilight, I was already in love with books. Harry Potter was my #1 favorite, but since I lived in a part of Mexico where people hardly read, I had no idea that there were more books out there. So Twilight came, it swooped me off my feet, and then I discovered more incredible books.

Definitely not going to hate, because that's what started me back into YA, too! *fist bump*

Regarding paper books, do you read the back cover before reading the book?

Yes! I love reading the back blurbs. I even read them out loud making this serious voice, kind of like if I were recording an Audiobook LOL. 

How about jackets? Do you keep the jackets on when you read?

I keep them on most of the times (sometimes I even use the flap as a bookmark), but it really depends on where I am. If I'm at home, it stays on all the time. However, when I'm traveling, I always end up taking it off sooner or later in fear of getting it damaged.

What's your favorite hardcover design *beneath* the jacket? (For instance, mine is Better of Friends. It's gorgeous!)

From the ones I own? *Rushes to check all hardcovers*  Insurgent by Veronica Roth. I love the simple Amity tree design, it's so pretty and shiny! Plus, I'm very fond of its gray-greenish color.

Have you ever dropped any food on a book while reading? How'd that turn out?

Ugh, yes. I dropped chocolate ice cream in my copy of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I screamed my head off because the corner of one of its pages got ruined. :( Now I can't stand the thought of eating ice cream while reading books.

Oh no! Poor book. Sad story!

Do you dog-ear your pages?

Not anymore! I used to secretly do it behind my sister's back when I was like 12 years old, but after she found out I was "ruining" her precious books, I concluded it was not worth hearing her rant about it. I swear she would go on and on about it for HOURS. Now I stick with bookmarks or any other piece of paper I can find.

What's the most unique cover you've seen?

A Thousand Nights by E. K. Johnston. It's so beautiful my heart aches to have it in my hands. I love that what appears to be just doodles around the main title, are in fact key words about the story. Isn't it a magical and graceful cover?

Go to page 39 of your current read. What's the first sentence say? 

A little more magic and a whole lot more skill was involved to keep out of the way of a sword's edge for any length of time, especially if the person wielding the weapon knew what she was doing. - Cold Burn of Magic by Jennifer Estep

Ooh! Intriguing! 

Do you have a favorite place to read? Tell us about it. 

I love to read besides my sitting room's window  when the sun is beginning to set. The light turns so soft and magical, so incredibly perfect to lose myself inside a good book. And when it rains? I think those moments are the happiest times of my reading life.

Current book you're desperate to get your hands on:

Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch . I've been trying to persuade my parents to get me that book since everyone started raving about it, but they just tease me with pictures of Barnes & Noble or bookstores, telling me they are so very close to buying it. My parents sure know how to torture me. :)

I am also DESPERATE to get my hands on a print ARC or finished copy of Hidden Huntress by Danielle L. Jensen. It's my favorite fantasy series at the moment.

What book would you say you've read the fastest, and what made you want to finish it?

Oh, definitely Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. A book set in Paris + kissing + cute boy? It was an instant page-turner for me! I remember that I read it in 4 hours, then after finishing it, I re-read it immediately in about the same time too.

Favorite indie book:

Lichgates by S.M. Boyce! It was the first indie book I reviewed and it was amazing. Everyone should go explore the magical world of Ourea!

Favorite title:

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith. It's a mouthful, but I love saying that title out loud.

What is your all-time favorite quote?

"Sometimes, one must do the unthinkable, for it is the only way to accomplish the impossible."  Hidden Huntress by Danielle L. Jensen 

This quote is my new favorite. Can't get it out of my mind!

Well, that concludes this month's Reader Interview. Thank you so, so much for being here, Melissa, and sharing your booklove! :D

Thanks to you for having me, Jessica! It's always a pleasure to talk about books :D


About Melissa: 

Melissa is a book blogger and reviewer, currently studying International Trade and Customs in Mexico. Her favorite genres are fantasy, paranormal, and all things young adult with a hint of romance. She also enjoys new adult books and classic literature.  When she’s not reading, Melissa loves to sing out loud, eat sweets, and stare at her collection of books. You can find her at The Reader and the Chef (her blog), Cuzinlogic, and at Kate Tilton, Connecting Authors & Readers.

Connect with Melissa: blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

This Valentine's Day, spread the #booklove & enter to win books + Amazon & Etsy gift cards!

Yes, you read that right! We're spreading the #booklove this weekend with the simplest, most exciting way EVER, and throwing a giveaway, to boot! After seeing so many books with a decent amount of reviews on Goodreads (indies especially), but realizing what a surprising number of those reviews never make it to actual purchasing sites like Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords, I thought, maybe readers just need a little incentive! 

Reviews influence purchases...
which raise books in the ranks... 
which gets them in front of more readers...
which means they eventually get into more reader's hands... 

and that's exactly the point of spreading the #booklove: getting books to more readers! 

So. Here's how it works:

The main point of this giveaway is to encourage readers who've reviewed books on Goodreads to also share those reviews on other websites. Think of it as passing the word along, without having to do much more than copying and pasting! Easiest #booklove ever, right?! There will be no required links to share, nor will we require proof in any other way; it's all based on the honor system. We're simply encouraging readers to spread the word a little further. 

If you have no reviews to share but still want to get in the Valentine's Day spirit, feel free to share #booklove by mentioning a few of your current favorite authors or books on Twitter, Insta, Tumblr, FB, or anywhere else using the above graphic and/or by linking to this giveaway. (Don't forget to use the hashtag!) 

And now, here's what's up for grabs as a thank you for sharing the #booklove: one winner will receive TEN e-books, two novellas, an Etsy gift card, and an Amazon gift card! YAY! Read about the authors and gifts up for grabs below the Rafflecopter. As always, there's a free entry as well as other features that can get you extra entries. THANK YOU for helping us share the #booklove!

You've got sweet YA conspiracy theory, sweet NA Norse mythology, YA superheroes, YA magical realism (with a bit o' romance), and a YA space opera. Talk about lots of fun reading options!!! Remember, all readers are welcome to enter, but keep in mind that the entire spirit of the #booklove giveaway is to encourage readers to share thoughts/reviews already on Goodreads to other sites so that their favorites can be brought to the surface of the book sea that is the internet (or even be inspired to share their #booklove in some other way, like spreading word of mouth on social media or even writing review/s if they've been meaning to, but haven't gotten around to it yet). 

And now for the Rafflecopter:

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Stacey Nash, author of Forget Me Not and Remember Me (link) 

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

ST Bende, author of The Elsker Saga (link)

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Hafsah Laziaf, author of Unbreathable (link)

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Cheyanne Young, author of the Powered trilogy (link)

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Jessica L. Brooks, author of the Flora series (link)

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble