Banned Books Giveaway Hop!

September 22nd to 28th

Hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer & BookHounds

Thank you for stopping by and checking out my giveaway! I'm so excited for the opportunity to participate in this blog hop and offer a lucky winner one of the controversial books listed below.

On to the books...

Fifteen-year-old Virginia Shreves has a larger-than-average body and a plus-size inferiority complex, especially when she compares herself to her slim, brilliant, picture-perfect family. But that’s before a shocking phone call — and a horrifying allegation — about her rugby-star brother changes everything. With irreverent humor and surprising gravity, Carolyn Mackler creates an endearingly blunt heroine who speaks to every teen who struggles with family expectations, and proves that the most impressive achievement is to be true to yourself.
~Go to the entire Goodreads description of The Earth, My Butt & Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler

Devastating, hopeful, hopeless, playful . . . in words and illustrations, Ingrid left behind a painful farewell in her journal for Caitlin. Now Caitlin is left alone, by loss and by choice, struggling to find renewed hope in the wake of her best friend’s suicide. With the help of family and newfound friends, Caitlin will encounter first love, broaden her horizons, and start to realize that true friendship didn’t die with Ingrid. And the journal which once seemed only to chronicle Ingrid’s descent into depression, becomes the tool by which Caitlin once again reaches out to all those who loved Ingrid—and Caitlin herself
~Go to the entire Goodreads description of Hold Still by Nina LaCour

 In Crank, Ellen Hopkins chronicles the turbulent and often disturbing relationship between Kristina, a character based on her own daughter, and the "monster," the highly addictive drug crystal meth, or "crank." Kristina is introduced to the drug while visiting her largely absent and ne'er-do-well father. While under the influence of the monster, Kristina discovers her sexy alter-ego, Bree...
 ~Go to the entire Goodreads description of Crank by Ellen Hopkins

Sixteen-year-old Jack gets drunk and is in the wrong place at the wrong time. He is kidnapped. He escapes, narrowly. The only person he tells is his best friend, Conner. When they arrive in London as planned for summer break, a stranger hands Jack a pair of glasses. Through the lenses, he sees another world called Marbury...
~Go to the entire Goodreads description of The Marbury Lens by Andrew Smith

Here are the official rules/guidelines for the giveaway:

1. You must be a follower of this blog. Just click the Join this Site box below "Followers" on the sidebar.
2. You can gain extra entries by following me on Goodreads, Twitter,"liking" my Facebook fan page, tweeting about this giveaway, or leaving a comment below.
3. This is open to international followers. (Only if The Book Depository ships to your country; please check this link to see if your country's included.)
4. This contest runs from Sept. 22 - 28.
5. The winner will be selected on September 29th via Rafflecopter random selection and announced in this post. You will have 48 hours to respond or I will draw another winner. 

***As the winner, if you are just dying to get another YA book, then you may substitute one of the books listed above for another of similar value from The Book Depository***

Thanks Again & Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Also, make sure to check out the other blogs participating in this Giveaway Hop, too!

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Banned Books Week Bloghop Giveaway!

September 28th to October 6th
Hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer & I Read Banned Books

Thank you for stopping by and checking out my giveaway! I'm so excited for the opportunity to participate in this blog hop and offer a lucky winner one of the controversial books listed below.

On to the books...

Kendra, fifteen, hasn't felt safe since she began to recall devastating memories of childhood sexual abuse, especially because she still can't remember the most important detail-- her abuser's identity. Frightened, Kendra believes someone is always watching and following her, leaving menacing messages only she understands. If she lets her guard down even for a minute, it could cost Kendra her life. To relieve the pressure, Kendra cuts; aside from her brilliantly expressive artwork, it's her only way of coping...
~Go to the entire Goodreads description of Scars by Cheryl Rainfield

Devastating, hopeful, hopeless, playful . . . in words and illustrations, Ingrid left behind a painful farewell in her journal for Caitlin. Now Caitlin is left alone, by loss and by choice, struggling to find renewed hope in the wake of her best friend’s suicide. With the help of family and newfound friends, Caitlin will encounter first love, broaden her horizons, and start to realize that true friendship didn’t die with Ingrid. And the journal which once seemed only to chronicle Ingrid’s descent into depression, becomes the tool by which Caitlin once again reaches out to all those who loved Ingrid—and Caitlin herself
~Go to the entire Goodreads description of Hold Still by Nina LaCour

 In Crank, Ellen Hopkins chronicles the turbulent and often disturbing relationship between Kristina, a character based on her own daughter, and the "monster," the highly addictive drug crystal meth, or "crank." Kristina is introduced to the drug while visiting her largely absent and ne'er-do-well father. While under the influence of the monster, Kristina discovers her sexy alter-ego, Bree...
 ~Go to the entire Goodreads description of Crank by Ellen Hopkins

Sixteen-year-old Jack gets drunk and is in the wrong place at the wrong time. He is kidnapped. He escapes, narrowly. The only person he tells is his best friend, Conner. When they arrive in London as planned for summer break, a stranger hands Jack a pair of glasses. Through the lenses, he sees another world called Marbury...
~Go to the entire Goodreads description of The Marbury Lens by Andrew Smith

Here are the official rules/guidelines for the giveaway:

1. You must be a follower of this blog. Just click the Join this Site box below "Followers" on the sidebar.
2. You can gain extra entries by following me on Goodreads, Twitter,"liking" my Facebook fan page, tweeting about this giveaway, or leaving a comment below.
3. This is open to international followers. (Only if The Book Depository ships to your country; please check this link to see if your country's included.)
4. This contest runs from Sept. 28 - Oct. 6.
5. The winner will be selected on October 7th via Rafflecopter random selection and announced in this post. You will have 48 hours to respond or I will draw another winner. 

***As the winner, if you are just dying to get another YA book, then you may substitute one of the books listed above for another of similar value from The Book Depository***

Thanks Again & Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Also, make sure to check out the other blogs participating in this Giveaway Hop, too!

"I'm Kind of a Big Deal"

I watched Billie Joe Armstrong's (of Green Day) meltdown at the iHeart Radio Music Festival (I wasn't really there, I just saw it on YouTube), and it was funny, but disappointing. I've loved Green Day a long time, not since 1988, but since the mid '90s. I believe their music has gotten better over the years, which is rare. Most highly successful bands get better over a few albums, hit a peak, and their subsequent albums never quite make it back to that peak level.

Green Day's capable of putting on one of the best live shows in rock, but what I heard from the iHeart Radio Music Festival performance did not live up to their usual standard. I heard that their set was cut short because Usher's ran long. I understand that festivals (especially one like this that had such a wide range in music) aren't filled to capacity with your fans. He was probably drinking too much before the show, and he's not as young as he used to be (I can relate to that). It was too bad that fans of different music couldn't see Green Day kick ass like they would have for one of their own shows.

The funny thing about the rant was all the imagery it stirred up for me. First, it reminded me of all the rants that Axl Rose used to do at his shows back in the day; his own public therapy sessions. Then I heard Ron Burgundy in his tone: "You may not know this, but I'm kind of a big deal." And lastly, with Billie repeating "one minute, one minute!" over and over throughout his rant, I heard "two dollars, two dollars!" from Better off Dead and parodied wonderfully in Not Another Teen Movie. With all of this imagery going through my head, his rant became comically cartoonish.

The rant was disappointing because I know Green Day is better than that. It doesn't help to punish the people in the audience for their perceived injustice by the concert coordinators/management. They certainly didn't win over many, if any, new fans. Maybe it was part of a stunt for free press for their new album that drops tomorrow. Oh well, that's enough of me ranting (using less expletives) about his rant. 

 

This Week in Happenings...

Come back Friday to participate in the Banned Books Bloghop Giveaway, hosted by I Read Banned Books and I Am A Reader, Not A Writer! How can you say no to free stuff? Have a wonderful week.