BkRv: All cowboyed up

Book Review: girl, HERO by Carrie Jones

First Line: Dear Mr Wayne, My mother's got a man coming to see her. She's all excited, running around, getting ready, making me clean up the whole house. She thinks this man might be the one, you know, the big enchilada, her soul's mate, her life's light, and stuff. She's always thinking that.

Rating: 4! I'm glad I made room in TBR pile for this book!

I had not read any Carrie Jones before, and I did not connect this Carrie Jones with the latest release of Need. However, after finally putting 2 and 2 together, I will definitely have to check out her other books because girl, HERO was absolutely enjoyable!

girl, HERO is told in the form of letters written by Lily to her hero John Wayne. Yes, she is quite aware that he has passed away, but that does not stop her from writing to him in a notebook about her triumphs and problems. I don't know about you, but I can totally relate to Lily in this aspect. While I didn't write to a dead celebrity, it was easier to keep a diary when I felt that I had someone to write to.

Lily has just started the dreaded years known as high school, and her best friend Nicole worries about the ever-pressing quest to become popular. However, it becomes apparent - to me, at least - that these 2 best friends have different views of what high school should be about.

From page 6
Sometimes I think friends are a necessary evil, say like McDonald's burgers. You need to have them, you want to have them, but sometimes they make your stomach ache.

Lily could are less about being popular or flirting with boys. To Nicole's chagrin, Lily auditions for a role in the school play and actually lands one of the leading female roles.

From page 128
"I'm warning you because you're my best friend, Lily. You have to quit. Like, right now. Do you want to be a loser forever? Do want to be a theater freak? What is it, exactly, that you want to be?"

...I stare at Nicole's thin lips, her perfect hair that she spends an hour on every morning and I tell her, my best friend, the truth. "I just want to be me."

But that's not the whole truth, Mr. Wayne. Not really. The whole truth is that I don't want to be a victim. The whole truth is that I want to be a hero.

So high school is tough, but Lily's home life is even tougher. Again, I can semi-relate to her desire to not really wanting to be at home. Her mother has recently allowed an old friend to move in with them on a temporary basis until he gets back on his feet. However, Lily suspects that her mother just doesn't want to be alone and this stranger is just next in line for her mother's affections. We learn that Lily has had to witness her mother going from man to man - and, as most stories go, these include the not-so-stellar characters.

From page 23
In the movies, bad men turn to good with the love of a decent woman, and good men turn bad due to a need for revenge or because they are denied the love of a decent woman. Real life works different, I think, but I don't really know, do I?

My heart went out to Lily and her desire to follow in Mr. Wayne's footsteps towards herodom. Picturing myself in her shoes, just on the cusp of high school, I cannot imagine how much she had to grow up based on her family life. And it also makes me warm and fuzzy when she landed the leading role - go, theater rats! :) She was definitely on the right track to high school happiness - not caring whether it makes her popular, finding like-minded friends, etc.

Of course, there was a boy in the picture - his name was Paolo, and he was incredibly sweet :) I mean, how hard is it to find a boy who understands that you adore John Wayne and goes out of his way to watch his movies and even quote from them, accent and all?

If Need is anything similar to girl, HERO (well, not exactly similar, but same stellar writing), then Carrie Jones is my new enchilada!
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Disclosure 10/7/09:
This was borrowed from the library.

Tuesday Tunes Into...Once More, With Feeling

Every Tuesday I will be devoting some time to all things musical because we all can use one or two musicals in our lives! I am a musical fiend who likes to share her musical fixation with unsuspecting individuals (even the male persuasion are not spared!). I am also weird in that I tend to listen to the soundtrack without even knowing what the story is about or having seen the musical yet. Check out past musicals here.

So this really isn't a musical musical, per se, but I still love it as much as if it had been a true musical. I swear, if series had more musical episodes, I may seriously be glued to my TV screen more than I already am.



I absolutely love Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and when Joss Whedon felt the urge to do a musical episode, he forever won my heart! Once More, With Feeling is a great mix of music genres, and I am absolutely blown away with everyone's singing abilities. I think Joss captured the musical essense of all his characters, and it was fun to see how the musical became incorporated into the actual plot of the show.

Absolute favorite song? Rest In Peace sung by James Marsters (Spike) featured below.

I could listen to that for ages! However, I could also listen to the entire soundtrack for ages! Of course, anyone who enjoys the show will thoroughly enjoy the humor embedded in the songs, but even for those with just an inkling of an idea may also appreciate that humor as well. I'll Never Tell sung by Nicolas Brendan and Emma Caulfield about their star-crossed love between a human and vengeance, money-lusty demon is hilarious tribute to love in all its ups-and-downs glory.

Basically I think that this contains something that everyone will enjoy, and I hope that one of these days you will check it out!

Question: What other musical episodes have you seen or heard about? I know several cartoon shows have had at least one musical episode. Scrubs is the only other real-life one that I can think of.

Teasing you with...cracked up to be

From page 58 of cracked up to be by Courtney Summers

"By Wednesday, word around the halls is Chris and Becky are a couple. By Thursday, it's confirmed. They've got the Public Display of Affection thing down pat and I have to hand it to them, they look pretty happy for two people who have absolutely nothing to be happy about. He's with her because he can't be with me and she's got to suffer every kiss knowing that, and boy, does she know that."

This Teaser Tuesday meme is courtesy of MizB @ Should Be Reading

BkRv: Brilliant, beguiling, the smiling brigade

Book Review: Once Upon A Time series

YA | Fairy Tale | Series

• The Night Dance by Suzanne Weyn

Rating: 2. Charming idea, but not to my liking.

As I might have mentioned before, The Twelve Dancing Princesses is one of my absolute favorite fairy tales. Partly due to Faerie Tale Theater and several gorgeously-illustrated children's books.

The Night Dance is a unique retelling of this fairy tale that takes on an Arthurian twist. A delightful discovery since I quite enjoy Arthurian stories, but I was a little hesitant on how exactly this related to dancing princesses. It turns out that the Lady of the Lake (also known as Vivienne) falls in love with a human, and they marry and have 12 daughters (a few pairs of twins included). However, Vivienne gets captured and trapped under water by Morgan le Fay, leaving behind her heart-broken husband to take care of their daughters. The husband moves on, but he becomes overprotective of his daughters, never letting them leave the estate, bringing the outside world to them instead of the other way around.

It sounded wonderful, but I did not really connect with any of the characters. The romance between the youngest daughter (who is the leading lady) Rowena and Sir Bedivere (the remaining of King Arthur's knights) did not really sparkle or feel believable. I wish there had been a little more about the underground dancing - a little more mystery, but everything was pretty much explained away right then and there.

Oh, this might sound a little weird, but I also had a slight issue with celery-colored eyes. Call me crazy, but who wants their eyes to be described as celery-colored? Anyone? Am I just being nuts?

• Before Midnight by Cameron Dokey

First Line: What do you know about yourself? What are your stories? The ones you tell yourself, and the ones told by others. All of us begin somewhere. Though I suppose the truth is that we begin more than once; we begin many times. Over and over, we start our own tales, compose our own stories, whether our lives are short or long. Until at last all our beginnings come down to just one end, and the tale of who we are is done.

Rating: 4! The shoe fits quite well! :)

This was a great retelling of the much-loved fairy tale Cinderella. I had been a little leery after reading The Night Dance, but I am glad that I gave this a chance. I have the feeling that I will be liking the part of the series written by Cameron Dokey. The writing style is superb, and this time I felt more in-tune with Cendrillon and her plight.

The story begins way before the stepmother and stepsisters come in, and the villain shows up far earlier in the form of Cendrillon's father. Which is truly a unique interpretation that I do not believe has been done before.

From the Author's Note
If Cinderella's father is still alive, but takes no action to save or protect her, what might this say about both him and the woman to whom we are all accustomed to assigning the role of the bad guy? What would happen if I put a father back into the mix?

Putting the father back in the mix entailed his great sorrow for the loss of his wife after she gave birth to Cendrillon. The depression was so great that he refused to love Cendrillon and abandoned her at the estate with his servants while he returned to court and stayed there. Hence, Cendrillon grew up with the understanding that her father blames her for her mother's death.

When the stepmother and stepsisters arrived, it seemed that they too might also be villains. However, they had been forced into a marriage for political reasons and then shipped to their new home - far away from court. In time, Cendrillon and her new family learn to love one another.

I really enjoyed this book, and I would probably recommend it to be one of the first ones to read in this series.

• Golden by Cameron Dokey

First Line: It began with a theft and ended with a gift.

Rating 4! Brilliant - truly the title suits it well!

A story about Rapunzel like no other, and I am appreciating Cameron Dokey's amazing creativity at re-inventing fairy tales! The story starts the same - husband sneaks into the witch's garden to steal some rapunzel for his pregnant wife with crazy cravings. He gets caught, and the witch strikes a bargain with him that involves possession of his child-to-be.

The unique aspect of Rapunzel is that she is born bald and forever remains that way. So how exactly does she "let down her long hair" for the prince to climb up and rescue her? Good question - the "truth" behind this fairy tale involves a case of swapping places.

The witch Melisande had been cursed by a wizard who locked her daughter Rue in a tower. She raises Rapunzel with the hopes of rescuing Rue, though over time Melisande comes to love Rapunzel as her own flesh-and-blood daughter. Neither Rapunzel nor Rue knew of each other's existence until they met, and you can imagine the awkwardness and jealousy that comes about between two girls who had been under the impression of being the single most important person in Melisande's life.

Cameron Dokey did an impressive job with this fairy tale - retelling it in a way that is wholly original. In her author's note, she describes how some members of her extended family suffered from alopecia areata, essentially baldness. As her editor discussed a retelling of Rapunzel, Cameron became inspired by her brother-in-law who asked if she could somehow make Rapunzel born without any hair.

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Disclosure 10/7/09:
These books were borrowed from the library.

Monday Mailbox - March 29, 2009

Okay, so I've started to post IMM over the weekend to be more consistent with everyone else who shares their mailbox. I should really rename my weekly header, but I'm too brain-numb to think of anything catchy (plus I have to think if I should have something else for Mondays). We'll see though where this goes... Check out past Monday Mailbox here.

The Mailed

• Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson In celebration of its 10th anniversary, Reviewer X and Presenting Lenore put together a fantastic 5-part series featuring Speak that included Steph and Lenore's thoughts, authors' thoughts, and a giveaway. And so I find myself with a copy (thanks to the giveaway), and I cannot wait to read this book finally :)
  
• Once Dead, Twice Shy by Kim Harrison Thank you to Elizabeth Scott for having such a fabulous countdown for the release of Something, Maybe which has officially hit the shelves for less than a week now :) The randomizer gods looked upon me favorably when she hosted this giveaway. I have heard good things about Kim Harrison, and I really think this cover looks amazing!
  
• A Bride Most Begrudging by DeeAnne Gist Bookmooched. The cover and the title is what caught my eye - her fingers are crossed - that is never a good sign!
  

The Borrowed

• Nada. My current TBR pile is keeping me pretty busy...
  

The Bought

• Still nothing...but I admit that I am sorely tempted by several recent releases!
  

This "In My Mailbox" meme is courtesy of Kristi @ The Story Siren (inspired by Alea @ Pop Culture Junkie)

So let the paint be spread

A big THANK YOU to everyone who joined on the Women's History Month blog tour festivities and showing great interest in my little red book! You all rock :)

Out of 24 entrants (2 of which were international) who earned a total of 109 entries altogether, the winners of this giveaway are as follows:

* 3 lucky commenters *
Nora
Just Your Typical Book Blog
Julie

* 2 awesome followers *
In Bed With Books
Paradox

* International/P.O. Boxer *
dissectingperfection

Congratulations, all! I sent out an email to everyone for their mailing addresses, so Hachette Books and I can get your copies of my little red book to you ASAP!

Don't forget about Saffron Dreams giveaway and Wicked giveaway!

Some sidenotes:

• There were some awesome jokes that had me rolling - thanks for those who shared! :D
• Only 1 actually posted ONE comment with all the information I had asked and earned +5 entries!
  
• Only 2 tried to finish my post title, but neither pieced it together. I admit I made it a little hard, but I had wanted the following:
  

"Would you tell me, please," said Alice, a little timidly,
"why you are painting those roses?"
From Alice In Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

• Yes, I admit, for some reason, I had been on an Alice In Wonderland kick for this blog tour. I think mainly because it involved the color red - and they had to paint the roses red. I am a little strange at times.
  

Friday Features... Rampant and KIWI!

Every Friday I will feature 2 things:
1) Unicorns for the time being (Team Unicorn, you can thank H), but I still swear fealty to Team Zombie
2) Some fun website, video, or blog that I have found during my Internet wanderings (trust me, I have wandered and found many wondrous things) that may not have anything to do with books.
See past Friday Features here.

1) Rampant by Diana Peterfreund The cover didn't really appeal to me, and while the title intrigued me somewhat, I did not really look into it. That all changed when Presenting Lenore mentioned it earlier this month and raved about the "killer unicorns." Let's face it, I don't come across killer unicorns often and so this really piques my interest. Killer zombies? A little redundant. Killer unicorns? Tell me more! (I'm a little bloodthirsty, don't you know...) This comes out in August - a long ways off, but hopefully I'll remember to track down this book since it releases in my favorite month (I'm an August baby!).

2) Kiwi! by Dony Permedi I know that I've been showing a lot of videos the last several weeks, but I am a major fan of videos and they are easier to show-and-tell. I'll try to shy away from videos the next couple of Fridays, but today I will share a lovely computer-animated video about the kiwi bird though it is a little heart-breaking to watch. Have I mentioned that I love computer animations? If Pixar was a man, I'd probably marry him in a heartbeat! :)

Just a friendly reminder from The Grapevine

TOMORROW
is the *last* day
to let me know
--> HERE <--
if you want to be entered and/or to earn extra entries
for the my little red book giveaway
* 6 winners *

P.S.
I'm also giving away
Saffron Dreams
--> HERE <--
but you have until next Tuesday March 31.

Thursday Thereabouts - March 26, 2009

Every Thursday I will share what I am currently reading this week, what I finished, and what I am tempted to start. I'll give some general impressions of the books that I'm not quite finished with and, depending on if I managed to post a review yet, my overall reaction to the books I finished. See previous Thursday Thereabouts here.

Currently in the middle of...

• The Agency by Ally O'Brien Entertaining and engaging - I like the main character's voice so far. The kind of person that gives it to you straight, whether it's nice or not. And there are some really fun and hilarious passages. Check out my teaser here.
  
• Blaggard's Moon by George Bryan Polivka Not as action-packed yet, but I just reached the part when the law enforcement butt heads with the infamous madman pirate-who-used-to-be-a-priest-until-he-got-swallowed-by-a-shark. And I will say that I have never been afraid of seamonkeys until now.
• Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev I know, finally! Just had the chance to peek in for a little while, and I will say that it looks really divine! The actual cover is beautiful, but I really like the ARC cover where it presents a passage from the story (I assume).
  
• The Devil In The White City by Erik Larson Surprise, surprise. I'm really getting into it - now that Chicago has finally started to get things rolling with the World Fair.
  

Finished with...

• Bloom by Elizabeth Scott Oh, does it surprise anyone that I fell in love with this book? Wow. Fresh, honest, totally relatable, sweetness to the core. Consider me addicted now :)
  
• Saffron Dreams by Shaila Abdullah Really satisfying, though I sorta wish the story continued a little bit further so I know what happens to the characters. Don't you feel like that sometimes after a book? Like you want to watch them grow up and see what happens to them. Check out a teaser | review | author Q&A. Win a copy here!
• girl, Hero by Carrie Jones Amazingness again. I really enjoyed how the story is told through the main character writing letters to John Wayne. Very charming! Again, totally relatable though definitely not the same problems that the main character faced.
  
• Project Sweet Life by Brent Hartinger A really amusing read about three boys and their attempts to make money without actually holding summer jobs. GreenBeanTeenQueen was right, it was fun to see what crazy money-making idea the boys cooked up. Perhaps a tad on the outrageous and impossible side, but I think that fits well in regards to 15-year-old boys (at least in my mind).
• Vigilante Witch Hunter by Gary Turcotte I didn't really finish it, but I have no desire to at this point. It just got weird - as in author made a cameo appearance in one of the first few chapters. In my defense, I moved past that and continued in hopes that it would get better...but it just didn't hold my interest.
  

Tempted to start...

• Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith I know that I should be devouring it ASAP - and frankly I am surprised that I am not. Perhaps I am a little afraid that it won't live up to my zombie-infested expectations?
• Becky by Lenore Hart Soon! I am in need of some Tom Sawyer, so I hope that he has an amazing part in this story!
  

What about you?
What are you in the middle of?
What have you finished?
What are you tempted to start?

Get the Scoop on...Shaila Abdullah

All this month, Shaila Abdullah and her new novel Saffron Dreams have been touring the blogosphere. Her latest work revolves around a Muslim woman and her search for identity after 9/11 when she also loses her husband. Check out my review here. Find out more about Shaila here. I am grateful to have Shaila come to my blog today and answer a few questions. I hope you all find it as interesting as I did!

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Cecilia, thanks for having me on your blog. Your teaser and giveaway has attracted a lot of attention and I have been following it closely.

1) Several of my readers have shared their whereabouts on 9/11. Can you share with us what you were doing when you first heard the news?
9/11 was a very surreal day for me. I was at work when a few friends mentioned that a plane had hit the World Trade Center. We huddled in a room where there was a TV and witnessed the second plane hit the second tower. There were tears, a sense of disbelief and realization that our lives were forever changed. Over the next few days and months, I came to the conclusion that we as Muslims in the U.S. will never be looked at the same way again. That somehow we were guilty by association. It made me examine the lives of ordinary Muslims around me a bit more closely who were angry at the attacks, their hearts bleeding for the citizens of their adopted land.

2) What inspired you to write a story about a Muslim woman's life after 9/11 after the loss of her husband?
Saffron Dreams explores the tragedy of 9/11 from the perspective of a Muslim widow in an attempt to capture how ordinary Muslims were affected by that event - the silent majority who lead very normal lives and are law-abiding citizens of this land. They are the ones we never hear about because their lives are too ordinary to be the subject of the nightly news. In the terrorist attack of 9/11, the shards of glass reached far and wide wounding the minds of Americans who had been very accepting of the melting pot their country had become. The event put them at odds with a community that had come to this country with very simple objectives: to work hard and lead honest lives. Saffron Dreams is the story of basic human desire to be accepted in society, no matter what your background, ethnicity, or race.

3) How much does your main character Arissa reflect your own life and personality?
The novel is not autobiographical, although there are many similarities between the character and I. We are both writers and artists and had arranged marriages. The character's challenges are many and greater. In the novel, the veil-wearing protagonist frequently encounters challenges about her faith and is forced to make some adjustments in her life to ward off the negative attention brought on by wearing symbols of her faith.

4) In your book, there is the statement: "Our flaws are what makes us unique." How do your flaws define your life? What advice do you have for those who consider their flaws in a negative light?
I think of every shortcoming as an opportunity to succeed in life. Our flaws make us more human, more memorable in some way. Think back to third grade: do you remember the quiet girl who sat at the back of the class and never answered questions or the rowdy, energetic boy with a big mole on his nose who disrupted the class often? Our shortcomings - physical, social, emotional, even moral - are given to us in life as advancement opportunities. The key is how we deal with them once we accept them.

5) When they first meet, Faizan (Arissa's future husband) tells her that she is not the sort to read "sad books." What sort of books do you prefer and recommend?
Contrary to the character, I love reading and even writing tragic stories. I think it's the sadist in me that is sometimes quite merciless to her characters. My author friends find this fact fascinating. Some come to me for advice when their character need a reality check. We have to remember that life is not easy, and if we want to develop characters based on reali life, they need to fail every now and then. A Fine Balance was one of my favorite books. It does not end on a happy note and most all characters fail. Despite that, I loved the richness of the author's writing and the colorful characters with all their flaws and failures.

6) What is the significance of the phrase "saffron dreams"? Have you experienced such a dream?
Saffron Dreams is sprinkled with symbolism. Saffron is a rare and exotic spice derived from the stigmas of the saffron flower and is used in popular Pakistani desserts for its color and distinct flavor. In the novel it is used symbolically to represent the extraordinary encounters and experiences in life. Since the novel revolves around Arissa's unusual plan of fulfilling her dead husband's wish, I decided to call the book Saffron Dreams. We all dream in big ways or small. I guess I am one of those rare individuals who had all her dreams realized in this lifetime. At present, I am looking for a new dream to go after and embrace.

7) I find the cover extremely fascinating and beautiful! Can you tell us how it came about? Also, there are faint patterns on the woman's arms - is that how the printing turned out, or are those deliberately placed there for a reason?
I deeply appreciate the fact that Modern History Press took into consideration my desire to design the book cover for Saffron Dreams. The cover shows a woman with her face half hidden by her arms. The faint marks on her arms are the variables in her life that are beyond her control, dictated by light, shade, and patterns around her that shape her appearance. In the novel, the protagonist struggles with her personal appearance and identity after the event of 9/11 and the cover is an attempt to convey that.

8) Does Arissa's story end here? What sort of future do you foresee for Arissa and her son Raian?
Arissa's story ends on the last page of Saffron Dreams. The future of the mother and child in my mind is a blissful one, punctuated by mini struggles.

9) What is your next project?
I am currently considering two projects: one is a novel about street children of Pakistan, a book that the protagonist is shown working on in Saffron Dreams and another is a young adult novel about a Pakistani teen torn between her passion for dancing and keeping the family business alive.

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A big THANK YOU to Shaila for taking part of this Q&A and providing such great insight about Saffron Dreams!

Visit www.shailaabdullah.com for a wealth of information including reading guide, excerpt, reviews, book video, and buying information.

Email comments and questions to shailaabdullah(at)gmail.com. If you mention The Epic Rat, you will receive a free e-book called A Taste of Saffron containing recipes of dishes mentioned in Saffron Dreams.

Readers who sign up here for updates will get a free excerpt of Shaila's 2005 book Beyond The Cayenne Wall.

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Giveaway reminder!
Thanks to Pump Up Your Book Virtual Blog Tour, I am hosting Shaila Abdullah later this month for Saffron Dreams which is about a Muslim woman living in a post-9/11 America. In lieu of this as well as Women's History Month, I will be giving away my copy of Saffron Dreams at the end of March.

Leave a comment here on what books you prefer and your email address if you would like to enter.

For extra entries and giveaway rules, go here

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Saffron Dreams Blog Tour Participants
* = review; & = guest post/Q&A; $ = giveaway
The Plot& | BC Books& | The Home Sweet Home Writing Challenge for Authors& | The Book Connection*& | As The Pages Turn& | Rebecca's Reads*& | The Book Stacks& | A Garden Carried In The Pocket | Literay Safari*& | The Writer's Life& | divine caroline& | 2 Kids and Tired Book Reviews* | Paperback Writer& | The Book Rack | Marta's Meanderings | S. Krishna's Books | Book Publication Secrets of Authors& | The Book Czar* | The Book Tiger | Fiction Scribe | the epic rat*&$

Tuesday Tunes Into...Avenue Q

Every Tuesday I will be devoting some time to all things musical because we all can use one or two musicals in our lives! I am a musical fiend who likes to share her musical fixation with unsuspecting individuals (even the male persuasion are not spared!). I am also weird in that I tend to listen to the soundtrack without even knowing what the story is about or having seen the musical yet. Check out past musicals here.

Don't forget to comment for another entry in my Wicked giveaway!

I discovered Avenue Q right around the same time as Wicked. I think the thing that most attracted me to this musical was that it involved puppets - honestly, can you go wrong with puppets? For the most part, no. I mean, Potter Puppet Pals equals genius! So a parody on Avenue Q with more grown-up humor? Sign me up!

From the official website
AVENUE Q is the story of Princeton, a bright-eyed college grad who comes to New York City with big dreams and a tiny bank account. He soon discovers that the only neighborhood in his price range is Avenue Q; still, the neighbors seem nice. There's Brian the out-of-work comedian and his therapist fianceé Christmas Eve; Nicky the good-hearted slacker and his roommate Rod -- a Republican investment banker who seems to have some sort of secret; an Internet addict called Trekkie Monster; and a very cute kindergarten teaching assistant named Kate. And would you believe the building's superintendent is Gary Coleman?!? (Yes, that Gary Coleman.) Together, Princeton and his newfound friends struggle to find jobs, dates, and their ever-elusive purpose in life.

Basically, Avenue Q is like Sesame Street for grown-ups, more specifically for those college-aged or fresh-out-of-college people. Or basically people who are in need of a good laugh or two. There are some really hilarious songs such as The Internet Is For Porn and It Sucks To Be Me (featured below) as well as some really cute songs like There's A Fine, Fine Line (my favorite) and Mix Tape. And, in some of the songs like Everyone's A Little Bit Racist, I thought there were some telling and interesting truths and thoughts.

It Sucks To Be Me


I would kill to see this musical (okay, you caught me, I would kill to see any musical on-stage!). It just seems like everyone had a good time, and I think this is a musical that the men can also appreciate! I admit there are some vulgarities, but I think they handle them in a way that is so light-hearted and fun that you are not too offended or scandalized.

Last but not least, I discovered this great tribute to Wicked by two of Avenue Q's cast members. ROCK ON! :)

Avenue Q's Take On Wicked's "Popular"

Teasing you with...The Agency

From page 60 of The Agency by Ally O'Brien

""I thought we could bury the hatchet," I said. "But maybe somewhere other than in my head.""

"I was looking for something, anything. The truth is, I really did want to put the past behind us. I missed her. Of course, I knew it was a lost cause. Once you've pricked your skin and become blood enemies, you don't change."

This Teaser Tuesday meme is courtesy of MizB @ Should Be Reading

BkRv: Dream a little saffron dream for me

Book Review: Saffron Dreams by Shaila Abdullah

Fiction | South Asian | 9/11

First Line: I decided to carry out the first task on my list when fall was about to lose its hue.

Rating: 4. A beautiful dream that we must savor and cherish!

My 9/11 experience: I was a high school junior, and we had just gotten done with our first class before I even heard what was going on. I remember walking into the next classroom; some students and the teacher were hovering by the TV. Eventually I pieced together what had happened. I would like to say we held some prayer service during that day (I went to a private Catholic school) or the next following days.

When I look back on that day and the terror to come, what I find interesting is that I did not fear Muslims as some people did. I barely even knew anything existed outside of Catholicism (only because I live in my own bubble by nature - which is a bad thing, I know). Plus, I generally viewed people as individuals - not as a group - so those who flew those planes into the World Trade Center were bad people, but those who did not - Muslims included - were not.

When I came to college, I became very good friends with a few Pakistani-American girls who introduced me to the rich South Asian culture. Needless to say, I fell in love with their spicy food. I appreciated their wonderful culture - so wildly different than my own Vietnamese background.

And so I became interested in Saffron Dreams for a couple of reasons: 1) It took place after 9/11; and 2) It focused on a Muslim woman's life and identity at this time.

From page 3
I did not feel a sense of betrayal as I walked away from the pier, letting the wind dance in my hair for the first time. I pulled a few strands out of my eyes and looked back. The sun had just started to peek at the horizon, bleeding its crimson hue. It was a matter of perspective - to an onlooker I had removed my veil, but from where I stood, I had merely shifted it form my head to my heart.

From page 6
It is a tale of grief and happiness, of control and losing control, of barriers and openings, of prejudices and acceptance, of holding on and letting go. It is about turning my heart inside out, mending it, and putting it right back in as it is about looking at life from the perspective of someone trapped in time.

Her name is Arissa, and her entire life changes after 9/11. Her husband Faizan had been working inside the building when the plane crashed, so chances are that he had not survived. And Arissa is left alone, widowed and very pregnant. Her inlaws provide her with a great support system, but that is not the same as having her husband by her side.

What finally brings her some relief is the birth of her son - though he is born with serious physical handicaps - and the discovery of Faizan's unfinished manuscript. Her mother-in-law urges Arissa to finish it for him. As expected, Arissa has some mixed feelings about doing so.

From page 99
How do you end a story that's not yours? Add another sentence where there is a pause? Infiltrate the story with a comma when really there should have been a period? Punctuate with an exclamation point where a period would have sufficed? What if you kill something breathing and breathe life into something the author wanted to eliminate? How do you get inside the mind of a person who isn't there? Fill the shoes of someone who will never again fill his own?

However, her mother-in-law insists that it will be good for Arissa - both to heal her broken heart and preserve Faizan's legacy. She compares it to when she herself had been pregnant with Faizan and knitting a pair of booties, finishing one booty but unable to finish the second. Her husband - Faizan's father - had taken upon himself to learn how to knit and finished the second booty.

From page 101
"This is how couples who are in love fit, like two identical socks, like a pair." Her voice was breaking but avid. "Where one leaves off, the other picks up and finishes the task. For love, for the sake of the other. That's how God makes us. In pairs, so that we complete each other."

If you can tell by the passages that I provided, I really appreciated Shaila's writing. It was lyrical and beautiful, something that I have come to expect from South Asian authors. I loved her analogies and descriptions. To me, that helped bring Arissa to life and I felt her sadness and despair at suddenly being a widow in a world that might hate her for the color of her skin.

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Giveaway reminder!
Thanks to Pump Up Your Book Virtual Blog Tour, I am hosting Shaila Abdullah later this month for Saffron Dreams which is about a Muslim woman living in a post-9/11 America. In lieu of this as well as Women's History Month, I will be giving away my copy of Saffron Dreams at the end of March.

Leave a comment here on your thoughts on the South Asian culture and your email address if you would like to enter.

For extra entries and giveaway rules, go here

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Saffron Dreams Blog Tour Participants
* = review; & = guest post/Q&A; $ = giveaway
The Plot& | BC Books& | The Home Sweet Home Writing Challenge for Authors& | The Book Connection*& | As The Pages Turn& | Rebecca's Reads*& | The Book Stacks& | A Garden Carried In The Pocket | Literay Safari*& | The Writer's Life& | divine caroline& | 2 Kids and Tired Book Reviews* | Paperback Writer& | The Book Rack | Marta's Meanderings | S. Krishna's Books | Book Publication Secrets of Authors& | The Book Czar* | The Book Tiger | Fiction Scribe | the epic rat*&$

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Disclosure 10/7/09:
This is a review copy sent by the publisher/author (I don't remember) as part of the Pump Up Your Book blog tour.

Get the Scoop on...Rachel Kauder Nalebuff

In honor of Women's History Month, Hachette Books is featuring my little red book edited by Rachel Kauder Nalebuff all over the blogosphere. The really cool and impressive thing about Rachel is that she is 18-years-old and can list "editor of my little red book" on her resume. More about Rachel here. I am really thrilled that Rachel took some time to answer some of my questions, and I hope that you all enjoy this Q&A. Check out my review here.

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1) When did you first start collecting stories with the intent of sharing them?
After I had collected stories from all the women in my family. I realized that this should be more than a personal family history project; I wanted every girl and woman to be able to have a collection of her own, or a collection that would prompt her to collect her own.

2) Do you have a favorite "period" story?
There is one story that I love about a girl who thinks she is dying when she gets her first period. She wants to spare her parents the pain, and in order to rid the house of evidence, she goes out into the woods and burns her underwear for seven days straight.

3) What is the story behind "French women cannot make good mayonnaise while they have their periods"?
There are a lot of whacko cultural taboos around periods and food, and this is one of them. Allegedly, a menstruating woman's mayonnaise would fail to emulsify. Another bizarre one is that menstruating Indian women's touch will make pickles go bad.

4) What advice would you give girls who are anxious to have their first period?
I like the Simone de Beauvoir quote "One is not born a woman. One becomes one." Applied to periods, we can see that getting your first period is not an automatic ticket to womanhood. It's a gradual process, and there are lots of other ways to be grown up. Asking your family members for their first period stories is the best way to learn more and feel more comfortable with the subject.

5) If you could go back in time, would you change anything about your "first period" experience?
Everything! But then again, I might not have made My Little Red Book otherwise...

6) What is your favorite euphemism for "period"?
Tough question. The toss up is between Cleanup in Aisle One and Arts and Crafts Week at Panty Camp.

7) I really enjoy the index by subject at the end. Was that how you had originally classified them, or did that come later when you were working on the book?
I mentally classified the stories while working on them, but I added the index for publication so that any girl who want to quickly find a story that speaks to her own experience can flip to the right page and read away!

8) Do you plan to have a my little red book 2 eventually?
I certainly have enough stories to! But for now, I am concentrating on extending the project on the web at www.mylittleredbook.net by putting stories up on a monthly basis and also making video stories.

9) What do you plan on writing about next?
I've been approached about doing a book on last periods (or menopause in general), first wet dream, first orgasm, first drive, first joint, and even first shave. But I think I'm going to stick to just first periods for now. I am enjoying creative writing on the side, though. My three friends who are also taking a gap year and I are all working on making a piece about this year.

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A big THANK YOU to Rachel for participating in this Q&A as well as encouraging more openness about periods by compiling all these stories into my little red book!

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Giveaway reminder!
Thanks to Hachette Books. I am a part of their Women's History Month Blog Tour featuring my little red book, and I will give away copies of my little red book to 3 lucky commenters and 2 awesome followers at the end of this week on March 27!

Leave a comment here about whether you would change your own first period experience and your email address if you would like to enter.

To earn extra entries and complete rules, go here

Current stats - 14 commenters, 10 followers, 1 international/PO Boxer. You do the math!

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Women's History Month Blog Tour Participants
(* = Review; & = guest blog/q&a; $ = giveaway)
Write for a Reader*&$ | Marta's Meanderings*&$ | Confessions of a Romance Book Addict& | At Home With Books* | She Reads and Reads*$ | Reading with Monie*& | Marjolein Reviews* | worducopia& | The Review from Here*& | Zensanity*& | Scribe Vibe*& | Cafe of Dreams*&$ | Carol's Notebook*& | Ms Bookish& | B&b ex libris | Brimful Curiosities*$ | Cindy's Love of BooksBooks in Every Room& | Seaside Book Worm Blogger | Books Ahoy!& | Bookopolis*& | The Reading Room | Book Bargains and Previews | Wendy's Minding Spot*& | the epic rat*&$

BkRv: Nearly as good as Butterscotch Apple Crumb Cake

Book Review: Models Don't Eat Chocolate Cookies by Erin Dionne

MG | Girls

First Line:
"No way," I hissed through the slatted dressing room door. "I am not coming out."

Rating: 4, but only if you factor in some chocolate cookies ;P

If you've been following my reviews, you might have noticed that sometimes I choose to read a particular book because something about its cover or spine caught my eye. Models Don't Eat Chocolate Cookies is one such book - I will be honest and say that I really adored this cover, especially the girl that is cut out of the chocolate cookie! Very clever! Plus, I had read MacLean Space's Inside The Characters' Studio featuring the main character Celeste.

This was more for junior high girls, but I think any age group could appreciate the lessons learned and mishaps experienced by Celeste. All her life she has always been overweight - her baby fat just never went away - which does not usually bother her, that is, unless she is around her peers.

While trying on her bridesmaid dress for her cousin's upcoming wedding, Celeste's aunt finds an ad searching for plus-size girls to compete in a pageant for a modeling contract. Before Celeste can think to say no, she finds herself signed up for it with her parents extremely proud of her.

And all she can think about is how doomed she will be when her peers find out!

From page 3
Usually I avoided this type of situation - comfort was more important to me than fashion. Comfort meant clothes that didn't pull, ride up, or show off too much. Comfort was soft, cozy, and worn; not lacy, satiny, or peachy.

From page 11
Modeling might be fun, or a great opportunity, but being the face of a clothing line for chunky girls was not the type of modeling that would generate seaside celebrity photo sessions. Excessive junior high teasing? Probably. Snuggles with Theo Christmas? No way.

What is even worse is that her BFF has been stolen by Celeste's arch-nemesis, leaving her completely stranded, without anyone to confide in about this wretched pageant.

It should as no surprise that Celeste perseveres on her own with the help of some friends who turn out to be far better than her actual BFF. In the hopes of losing or being disqualified from the pageant, Celeste decides to start eating healthily, dodging snacks, and losing enough weight.

From page 85
In the following days, Operation Skinny Celeste lumbered into motion. I avoided Twinkies, snacks, and chocolate cookies at all costs, but there were hidden minefields and snipers around every corner. First came the Butterscotch Apple Crumb Cake of Temptation, then there was the Brownie Pan Sneak Attack...

What is refreshing to see is that Celeste does not resort to the unhealthy ways of losing weight. She actually strives to cut back on her snacks - though it pains her - and eat healthier things. Slowly Celeste starts to see some positive results - she may not have the killer bod, but she does not have to worry about ripping the seams when she tries on clothes.

On the other hand, Celeste also experiences the magic of pageants. Sure, there are those crazy mothers who go over the top to ensure that their daughters win. However, Celeste gets to meet the down-to-earth girls who are her size and one amazing stylist who does wonders with the makeup brush. She meets a plus-size model who seems real and also extremely beautiful. And so Celeste actually starts to see that she too can - and very well may be - beautiful just the way she is.

I really enjoyed this book, even though it is obviously geared towards a younger audience. Celeste had a great voice and you cannot help but cheer for her. I had fun watching as she grew more comfortable and confident in her skin.

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Disclosure 10/7/09:
This was borrowed from the library.