September + October = Book Giveaway Month

September is right around the corner; do you know what that means?

2009 NATIONAL BOOK FESTIVAL

Where: Washington, DC; on the National Mall

When: September 26, 2009

What's so exciting about this Festival?

Well, not only are we celebrating the joy of literature and the way books have impacted our society. We're celebrating how much reading has again become a great love of ours in this millennium.

It's also a chance for everyone of all ages to meet their favorite authors (last year I was this close to meeting both Neil Gaiman and R.L. Stine two of my favorite authors). Authors such as:

Richard Peck
R.L. Stine
Neil Gaiman
Holly Black
Walter Dean Meyers
Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Meg Cabot
Stephenie Meyers
Sharon Draper
James Patterson

Have attended the celebrations in the past.

This is the 9th annual celebration. The 4th year I've known about it; and the 2nd year I'll be attending.

This is a big deal and I want to share it with you.

• So until say the 15th of September I'd really like it (if you're interested) to check out the list of authors and post whose autographed book you'd like.
• The author/authors with the most votes will be the ones I'll be approaching for autpgraphed books.
• I believe you can only take a maximum of 2 to 4 books to an author, depending on their popularity.
• I can't get autographed copies for everyone so there will be random drawings based on your choice author and their books.

For example:

Author A and B are your choices.

Author A's fans asked for books 1, 2, and 3.

10 asked for book 1. 5 asked for book 3. and 20 asked for book 2.

That means 10 people will be in the drawing for book1. 5 for book 3 and 20 for book 2.

As for Author B. 50 people asked for his/her bestselling book, book 4.

Since this is the only book requested, I'll secure the maximum amount whether it's 2 or 4.

Out of those 50 2 or 4 people will be in the running for book 4.

• You do not have to limit yourself to just one author or book.

This is my second giveway but my first really big one. So I'm really happy right now.

• To qualify for the drawing post your:

Name
E-mail
Choice Author(s)
Choice Book(s)

on this and/or future posts predating September 15th 2009.

Or you can post your entry on my Cbox located on my sidebar.

OR you can e-mail me at thebookbrat@gmail.com with the subject:

Septober Giveaway!

Good Luck!!!

PS: If anything confuses you just shoot me an e-mail and I'll get back to you.

R U Watching Private???

Well? Are you?

Come on guys it's only 6 minutes and they're airing episode six next. The show started August 11th (last week Tuesday). So it's going by fast.

I understand if you're tentative about watching the web show because it's a web show (lack of funding for better actors, props, great scenic locations). But it's not bad (for a web show--my first I should add).

The story's different from what we know of the books. Reed is assigned to Billings sort of like Sabine and those other girls...........As a matter of fact Reed's situation follows the beginning of the second part of the Private book series.

The episodes go by fast so don't blink, yawn, answer the any calls, check any IMs or Texts. Don't even go to the bathroom--you can hold your pee for 6 minutes, right?

Since it would be a disservice to you guys if I go into detail about each episode, I'll just Talk about my reactions to.....

The Characters:

Reed: Love her. not who I envisioned but she passed due to likability.

Noelle: This was a bit difficult since she is my favorite character. Still snarky.....she passed.

Taylor: A bit annoying.

Kiran: Since there was a whole web show dedicate to her I really don't have much to say. I'm happy though.

Arianna: Whoo!! What a creeper.

Thomas: Gag!! Stop with the corny pick up lines!! After watching him try to put the move on Reed Taylor wasn't so annoying.

Blake: Um you are......

Remember, each episode is 6 minutes long and there are 5 so far. 6 minutes x 5 episodes = 30 minutes of your time (less if you don't like what you see).

Lastly. PLEASE post your reactions!! I have no one to talk to about this series. My sis refuses to watch the show because the girl girl they chose for Kiran isn't her idea of pretty.

ghostgirl & ghostgirl: Homecoming by Tonya Hurley

Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
And if I should die before I awake,
I pray the popular attend my wake.

Charlotte Usher feels practically invisible at school, and then one day she really is invisible. Even worse: she's dead. And all because she choked on a gummy bear. But being dead doesn't stop Charlotte from wanting to be popular; it just makes her more creative about achieving her goal.

Heaven couldn't be a phone bank, could it?

Charlotte Usher discovers that the afterlife isn't quite what she pictured when she's forced to intern at a hotline for troubled teens. Before she can officially cross over, she'll have to be a source of guidance for one such teen. The problem is she doesn't have much advice to offer since dying hasn't exactly boosted her confidence level. But when Hawthorne High's leading, love-to-hate cheerleader Petula and her gothic little sis' Scarlet find themselves suddenly resting-in-peace in comas, Charlotte's opportunity to save them will prove to be the risk of a lifetime-for all of them.

First of all I'd really like to thank Lisa Sabater for these books it was definitely one of the many things that made my last two days.

Ok, I have a confession. I wasn't really interested in ghostgirl. I've seen it around a lot but it didn't spark an interest. But after a while I became curious. So when I was offered the books I just couldn't say no. I like the first book, ghostgirl; it was like reading the novelized version of a DCOM (Disney Channel Original Movie) pre Lizzie McGuire era and if Disney wasn't so kid consciencious. It was refreshing. I loved the characters especially Scarlet and was glad I took Lisa's offer.

As for Homecoming; well, I closed the book with the feeling that I had this huge dinner with all my faves but I was still ravenously hungry. I do not know why but I didn't like the book. The idea of having Charlotte continue to grow psychologically, mentally and emotionally. Is a great idea. and the introduction to the flip side of Heaven and Marley (is that her name?) and an antagonist for Charlotte is also great, but it didn't do it for me.

Even though Homecoming left me feeling empty I have to say that I am intrigued by this series and will check in to see what's going on in the world of ghostgirl.

Maximum Ride: Saving the World by James Patterson

The time has arrived for Max and her winged "flock" to face their ultimate enemy and discover their original purpose: to defeat the takeover of "Re-evolution"--a sinister experiment to re-engineer a select population into a scientifically superior master race...and to terminate the rest. Max, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gasman, and Angel have always worked together to defeat the forces working against them--but can they save the world when they are torn apart, living in hiding and captivity, halfway across the globe from one another?

Listening to this audio book was a treat. Valentina de Angelis' portrayal of Max and co. was definitely entertaining. It sort of brought Max to life a bit for me. You see, even though I've been reading (and enjoying) the series Max's adventures were a bit surreal and I've had a slight problem connecting the series on that level Anyway, let us move on to this book's review. Like I mentioned before, I really enjoyed reading this book. This....chapter of Max's adventures was fun to read; a few conflicts were (in my opinion)a bit staged but it helped to move the story/series along. The series moves forward--after a two book rise to the literary climax of the series. A lot of issues were wrapped up in this book so neatly and efficiently that it was hard to imagine what would come next for the Flock. I have to say that I like James Patterson's (btw: who was on the pilot episode of Castle) style of writing. He uses short chapters (this book was 100+ chapters which were approximately 2.5 pages long) and to the point dialogue. I don't think I've ever seen before. However, I'm very certain that he is one of my favorite authors. I’m looking forward to the next installment.

Enthusiasm by Polly Shulman

"There is little more likely to exasperate a person of sense than finding herself tied by affection and habit to an Enthusiast."

Julie knows from bitter experience: her best friend, Ashleigh, is an Enthusiast. Ashleigh's current fancy is also Julie's own passion, Pride and Prejudice, and the heroine's quest for True Love. And so Julie finds herself swept along with Ashleigh, dressed in vintage frocks and sneaking into a dance at the local all-boys' prep school. There they discover several likely candidates for True Love, including the handsome and sensitive Parr. And Julie begins to wonder if maybe this obsession of Ashleigh's isn't so bad after all. . .

Even though it took me a while to get through Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice it has become one of my favorite classic books. Polly Shulman captures the similar literary atmosphere Austen exudes through her books. I like that Shulman only uses Pride & Prejudice as a foundation for Enthusiasm instead of modernizing it. Ms. Shulman wasn't the only one who made this audio book enjoyable; Jennifer Ikeda, narrator, made listening to this story pleasant and relaxing for me. In closing I'll say that this book will (hopefully) be on my future library bookshelf.

NEWS: Private to be a Web Series

It's official I am definitely behind in the book news. Apparently, our beloved Private book series is on it's way to becoming a web tv show. I'm not too sure on the details but I do know that the show premiers on August 11th 2009 and that there will be 20 episodes covering the first four books of the series. Kelsey Sanders (who's been in show like: Wizards of Waverly Place & iCarly) plays Reed. Also on the cast list is Brant Daugherty as Thomas, and singer/songwriter Evan Taubenfeld as Blake (Kieran's secret forbidden love interest). Speaking of Kieran there is a promotional web series called Private: The Casting Call where three contest winners-- who had auditioned for the role via a previous contest (again that I did not know about) Nicole, Janine, and Sanna. compete ANTM style to win the coveted role. You can see the episodes (4 out of the 6), and the web series online at privatenovels.com.