Lately, I’ve been having a lot of fun taking pictures of books. Yep, I’ve been bookstagraming. I know this is something that a lot of you do, so I want you to leave me your Instagram usernames in the comments so I can follow you. I thought I’d share some of the pictures I’ve taken recently, but I would love if you followed me @stefanisloma!
Do you bookstagram?
Hi, everyone! Today I’m really, really excited to be part of the THIS IS OUR STORY blog tour! I’ve been looking forward to this forever it seems like. My excitement doubled when the absolutely gorgeous cover was revealed, and then I read it. You’ll hear more about that below. But first, let me tell you a little about the book and the author. Plus, stick around to the end for a giveaway!
No one knows what happened that morning at River Point. Five boys went hunting. Four came back. The boys won’t say who fired the shot that killed their friend; the evidence shows it could have been any one of them.
Kate Marino’s senior year internship at the District Attorney’s Office isn’t exactly glamorous—more like an excuse to leave school early that looks good on college applications. Then the DA hands her boss, Mr. Stone, the biggest case her small town of Belle Terre has ever seen. The River Point Boys are all anyone can talk about. Despite their damning toxicology reports the morning of the accident, the DA wants the boys’ case swept under the rug. He owes his political office to their powerful families.
Kate won’t let that happen. Digging up secrets without revealing her own is a dangerous line to walk; Kate has her own reasons for seeking justice for Grant. As she and Stone investigate—the ageing prosecutor relying on Kate to see and hear what he cannot—she realizes that nothing about the case—or the boys—is what it seems. Grant wasn’t who she thought he was, and neither is Stone’s prime suspect. As Kate gets dangerously close to the truth, it becomes clear that the early morning accident might not have been an accident at all—and if Kate doesn’t uncover the true killer, more than one life could be on the line…including her own.
I really, really liked this book, you guys. This was the first time in a while that I read a book in two days. I’ve been so busy that I haven’t had time for that, but this book would not let me put it down to do anything else. It grabbed me from the very beginning. The plot is so twisty and every time I thought I had figured it out, something else happened that kept me guessing.
I loved how we got short chapters from an anonymous POV (one of the boys). It was strange and creepy and definitely made my skin crawl a time or ten. And I really liked being in Kate’s head the rest of the time. She’s so smart and hardworking and she just wants to bring the truth – whatever it may be – to light. She wants justice done.
Add on top of all of this some swoony boys, awesome bffs, super interesting secondary characters, and one of the coolest title treatments I’ve ever seen (look closely at the colors of the letters) and you’ve got an incredible book.
Perfect for fans of mystery, prep school boys, kickbutt MCs, and fall (this one was a great one to read this time of year).
Ashley Elston lives is North Louisiana with her husband and three sons. She worked as a wedding and portrait photographer for ten years until she decided to pursue writing full time. Ashley is also a certified landscape horticulturist and loves digging in the dirt. Her debut novel, THE RULES FOR DISAPPEARING, was published by Disney Hyperion in 2013 and the sequel, THE RULES FOR BREAKING, in 2014. Her latest novel, THIS IS OUR STORY, will be published on November 15, 2016.
3 Finished Copies of THIS IS OUR STORY (US Only)
HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII. You guys. I’m the worst. It has been over a month since I blogged. I’m so sorry. But in that past month, I’ve moved into my apartment, settled in at work (where I’ve been given a number of wonderful responsibilities – I love my job; more on that later), done a bunch for my internship at the literary agency, written some posts for the Quirk Books blog, and, you know, read and slept.
But the whole time I was still missing something. It was blogging, of course, but I just didn’t have time to do anything about it. I hated not talking to you guys all the time and writing reviews and doing Top Ten Tuesdays. I missed it. A lot. I believe I’m ready to dive back in, and I’ve even created a schedule of posts for myself all the way through the end of the year. But here’s the thing – I don’t want to force myself to blog. So if I’m absent for a few days, I’m allowing myself to take that time off. I’m not going to let myself feel guilty for not blogging, because for the first few weeks I didn’t blog, I felt terrible about it. It turned into this huge anxiety-inducing commitment that I didn’t have time for but made me feel terrible. And I think that’s a big part of the reason I haven’t blogged in so long. I don’t know if any of this makes sense, BUT I’m really excited to start blogging again and that’s what counts. I’ve already written a review for a blog tour I’m part of this week (check back Friday for my review of This Is Our Story by Ashley Elston). I’m also going to try to play catch up with all of the reviews I missed through two-sentence reviews starting next week. Should be fun.
ANYWAY, I thought my first post back should be a little bit of an update on my life these days. If you remember, I moved to Illinois in August and I’ve been working as an Assistant Publicist for Sourcebooks. I LOVE my job so so much, you guys. I’m getting to create publicity campaigns for some really wonderful books. Plus, I’m working with the Fire (YA imprint) team, which you know I love, and the Casablanca (romance imprint) team a bunch. I’m also getting to do a good deal of stuff on social media (follow us on Snapchat @sourcebooksfire and Litsy @sourcebooks. Sorry not sorry for the plug). I’m making friends and learning constantly, and I’m just…happy. I think I’ll do another post soon about just how much this means to me, but for now, that’s good enough. I’m happy here.
I also wanted to show you guys my apartment because I love it. it took a while to get everything in order, but I’m finally putting art up and my shelves look pretty good, so here are a few pictures!
Entry Hall Art
Bookish Art Wall
Bookshelves
Obviously, there’s more, but I don’t think you need to see my bedroom or bathroom. Haha. Plus, the bookshelves and art are the most important parts anyway.
How are all of you? I’ve talked to some of you on Twitter, but update me on your lives? What’s happened to you in the past few months? What are you looking forward to? ❤
I thought it’d be kind of fun to use Throwback Thursday to highlight some things from the past that I was obsessed with (and still love). So on Thursdays I’m going to throw it back by talking about a book, a movie or TV show, and a song or band from the past.
I couldn’t keep doing these posts if I didn’t feature my absolute favorite book from my childhood – a book that continues to be one of my favorite stories to this day. Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie inspired me as a child. And now, as an adult, it still inspires me. I have a Peter Pan inspired tattoo, which reminds me to never take life too seriously; try to see the world with childlike curiosity and love and joy. I know that’s not quite what the book means, but that’s what it means to me. I literally own at least ten different editions of this book, from a copy of Peter Pan and Wendy to the pretty editions that Barnes & Noble sells.
To go along with the Peter Pan theme, I want to talk about the Disney version of the movie. It changes the story and the scariness of certain parts of Neverland and Peter, but I love it. I’ve watched it a countless number of times. I’ve met people who have never seen it and that is absolutely crazy to me. Go watch it if you haven’t seen it!
Looks like this whole thing is going to be Peter Pan themed. This song is only about three years old, but it fits perfectly with the theme. I remember hearing this for the first time and just grinning the whole time. 1. Because I really just like the song, but also 2. Because I love everything Peter Pan themed.
This weekly post will feature some books that will be released on the Tuesday of the following week that I’ve either read, pre-ordered, ordered for the library, or will be reading asap. This feature is about books that I KNOW I will read or have already read and I’m excited to share with you. The post might have a mini review included or a link to my review (if I’ve already written one – either on my blog or on Goodreads).
Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
Release date: September 27, 2016
Kaz Brekker and his crew have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn’t think they’d survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they’re right back to fighting for their lives. Double-crossed and left crippled by the kidnapping of a valuable team member, the crew is low on resources, allies, and hope. As powerful forces from around the world descend on Ketterdam to root out the secrets of the dangerous drug known as jurda parem, old rivals and new enemies emerge to challenge Kaz’s cunning and test the team’s fragile loyalties. A war will be waged on the city’s dark and twisting streets―a battle for revenge and redemption that will decide the fate of magic in the Grisha world.
YOU GUYS I CANNOT WAIT FOR THIS BOOK OMG. Plus, I get to see Leigh Bardugo on release day in Naperville and YAAASSSSS. I’m ready to continue shipping my OTP and to go on another adventure with the Dregs.
Find it on Goodreads.
Any Bardugo fans out there?
I thought it’d be kind of fun to use Throwback Thursday to highlight some things from the past that I was obsessed with (and still love). So on Thursdays I’m going to throw it back by talking about a book, a movie or TV show, and a song or band from the past. You can check out my first one HERE.
In honor of my new city (Chicago) and the fact that his birthday was September 25, I want to talk about Shel Silverstein and Where the Sidewalk Ends. I’m going to assume that most of you have read this book (or at least one of Silverstein’s amazing books), but if you haven’t, fix that. I remember reading the “My Beard” poem (about a man whose beard is so long that he never wears clothes) and laughing forever. I still laugh at that poem.
I can’t believe this movie came out when I was nine. I don’t think I watched it when it first came out, but man, do I love Fight Club. I’m a huge fan of psychological thrillers, and while this isn’t quite that, I love the whole messing-with-your-mind thing. I won’t spoil what happens, but if you’ve watched this (or read the book), you know what I’m talking about.
I’m not going to lie, this song has been stuck in my head for a week because it was on Glee, which I’ve recently finished watching. I LOVED Alanis Morrisette when I was younger. Oh, who am I kidding? I still do. She’s so weird, but I dig that.
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the Broke and the Bookish. Today’s theme was:
All About Audio freebie — aka top ten audiobooks you should listen to, 10 books I want to listen to on audio,10 bands you should check out, 10 podcasts you should be listening to, 10 of my all time favorite albums, 10 songs I love, really whatever you can come up with.
I’ve done a post about audiobooks before, so I decided to go with music this time. I’m going to tell you about Ten Songs I Love. I’ve included a Spotify playlist below if you want to listen to any of them!
Author: David Arnold
Genre: Young adult, contemporary
Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: September 20, 2016
352 pages, hardcover
Check out the full synopsis on Goodreads.
If anyone was silly enough to be worried that David Arnold’s second book wouldn’t live up to his wonderful debut, MOSQUITOLAND, they should rest assured that it does. KIDS OF APPETITE is brilliant, incredible, emotional, sensitive, not what I was expecting and better than I could hope for. David has a sensitivity in his writing that I haven’t seen anywhere else and his characters have an intensity and passion for life that you can really feel in his writing and that will light your soul on fire. I only hope that I can be half as brave, half as great as his characters; I only hope that I can be a Super Racehorse too. David’s books make me hungry for more of his words, and I will keep eating them up as long as he keeps writing (i.e. hopefully forever and ever, amen).
A couple of people have asked me if I liked KIDS OF APPETITE better than MOSQUITOLAND, and I honestly don’t have an answer. It’s hard to choose between two of your favorite books. But I will say that I related to Vic more than I did Mim. You guys know how much I loved Mim, but the things that Vic goes through because of his Moebius Syndrome – which I am NOT at all saying is exactly the same as my having alopecia – felt so close to home for me. The way people react to him, the horrible things people say to him, the way he sometimes feels about himself, those were things I felt deep down in my bones and soul. And, yes, I cried (like A LOT) at certain points – particularly a scene at the Rockefeller Center, which I won’t talk about but which you should experience.
The bottom line: This is a Super Racehorse of a book, and I read the whole thing in one day. But, like MOSQUITOLAND, it’ll be one I read over and over.
Okay, I feel like I keep doing these posts. These “I’ve been a bit absent, but I’m BAAACCCKKK” posts. But bear with me this time because I’ve got some super amazing, wonderful, incredible things happening in my life but they are taking up ALLLL of my time. I have a lot of caps so far in the post. Oops.
So, in case you don’t follow me on Twitter (which you should do because I’m practically always on Twitter), then you might not know, but
I GOT A NEW JOB AND I MOVED TO CHICAGO FOR IT AND LIFE IS GREAT AND I’M OUT OF THE SOUTH AND AND AND
Life is weird sometimes, but it is also absolutely wonderful. Some of you know but I’d been having a bit of a rough go of it in Mississippi, and this position at Sourcebooks is exactly what I’ve always wanted to do in a city that I’ve always loved with a company that is proving each day to be even more amazing than I thought.
And even though I’m super happy with everything, I miss blogging. HOWEVER, it’s still going to be another week or so until I have time for it, because not only did I just pack up all of my belongings and move to Chicago, I’m also flying to Atlanta this weekend for the Decatur Book Festival, where I’m moderating not 1, not 2, but THREE awesome panels!! I’ll tell you more about those soon.
I miss all of you, and I hope you’re doing really well. I’m always happy to email or tweet or DM or any of that, but I’ll be away from the blog for just a little while longer. Bear with me.
❤
In the past, I would share book to movie adaptation news with you guys because I absolutely love those, but it’s been a while since I posted about any adaptations. You guys seemed to like when I did, so I’m going to try to get back into that, because I really love the discussions we’d have.
As you may or may not know, Ransom Rigg’s strange, creepy, and super cool book Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is being made into a movie directed by the amazing Tim Burton for release later this year (Christmas Day to be exact). And just last week the very first trailer was released, so I thought I’d share it with you and see what you guys thought.
I’m going to try to keep my reaction as un-spoilery as possible in case you guys haven’t read the book (but if you have, let me know so we can discuss!). As for the actors cast for each of the parts, I’m mostly satisfied. I think Eva Green as Miss Peregrine is absolutely perfect (and OH MY GOSH HER TRANSITION INTO A PEREGRINE IS INCREDIBLE). Asa Butterfield as Jacob is pretty great too. As for the rest of the cast, I’m…okay with them. None of them are exactly what I pictured (especially since Riggs includes pictures in the book of each character so that’s who I pictured for each character. But I’ll deal.
For those who have read the book, you probably noticed that Emma’s and Olive’s peculiarities have been swapped. (If you haven’t read the book, in it Emma – the main female character – controls fire, while Olive is actually the one who floats). I’m assuming they did this for romantic purposes (it’s much more romantic for Jacob to be keeping Emma grounded while she floats). But the whole inclusion of Emma being able to blow the water out of the ship is somewhat weird and irritating to me. Anyone else have that reaction?
One more thing and then I’ll leave it open for discussion in the comments: HOLY CRAP THAT HOLLOWGAST THO.
Find out more about the movie on IMDB.
Tell me what you think of the trailer below. If you’ve read the book, what do you think of the changes? If you haven’t, are you excited to watch the movie?
Caught Read Handed 