~Tempest Blog Tour - Guest Post & Giveaway~

Hi guys, 

I know I've been MIA for a while now, but what better way to make a come-back than with an amazing book such as "Tempest" by the brilliant author Julie Cross. 

Title: Tempest (Tempest #1)

Author: Julie Cross

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Expected Publication Date: January 17th, 2012

Links: Website / Twitter / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Goodreads

"Tempest" by Julie Cross is a brilliantly constructed, and immensely thrilling, novel chronicling the life of Jackson Meyer who is a normal guy in all respects - except the fact that he can time travel. But unlike the time travel of movies, his time-tumbling escapades come without consequence. That is, until the day some strangers alight on him and his girlfriend, and in the struggle that ensues, his girlfriend Holly is fatally wounded.

Now Jackson travels back to the year 2007 in order to save his girlfriend, but finds himself stuck there, unable to travel back to the present. "Tempest" is story of his attempt to understand and actualize his abilities in order to save Holly from her fate, and in the process he comes to term with his abilities, learns secrets about his father, finds out about the "Enemies of Time" and discovers much about his own self.

~Teaser Quote~

September 15, 2007 (8:00 a.m.)

I attempted to look angry. "First you assume I want to go out with you, and now you're assuming I want  get in your pants."

Which I do and have.

~Five Facts about "Tempest"~

Have I piqued your interest, yet? If not, well, here are FIVE FACTS from Book#2:

• The setting takes place in more than one country.
• Chapter 5 contains a red dress and a card board cut out of Miley Cyrus (you don't want to miss this!).
• Something bad happens in a castle (how deliciously cryptic!).
• Jackson in a tux! (swoon-worthy)
•  Hollywood might not have gotten everything wrong about time-travel.

Don't forget to check out all the other blog posts in the BLOG TOUR for Julie Cross's "Tempest" - just click on the blog tour banner at the top of this post, and it will take you straight there. A big THANK YOU to all the other bloggers participating in this blog tour; not just for being part of the tour, but for also making this easy on me, and for helping me every step of the way. This was my second blog tour, and this book was a brilliant one to continue my journey with! :)

Would YOU like to win a copy of "Tempest" by Julie Cross? Make sure to enter for your chance to win 1 of 5 signed copies by Julie Cross. Fill the FORM to enter - Giveaway ends on January 6th, so HURRY! Also, you must leave a comment to enter...so get to it! :)

~Sunday Stew - June 5th, 2011~

Sunday Stew is a Weekly Meme hosted Here at Books Devoured

Bookmark of the Week

I'm still using this card from my Uncle's memorial as a bookmark - as I said in my last week's ~Sunday Stew~ post, I think it'll be a while before I give this one up. Having it tucked between my books feels like I am sharing the story I am reading with him. And that is important to me. Last week, a cousin said to me that she hadn't felt like we were very close to Uncle Paul. And this is true - he was a quite sort of man where the rest of our families are exceptionally loud. In front of his quiet, resolute charm, we all looked like heathens. But, in all honesty, I think that was the case because although he's been in our life for ages, we never quite spend any particular chunk of time with him. That opportunity arose for me last November, and I realized that in spending a mere few days with him, I'd begun to love him. I know, guys...it's been a while, and I should slowly ease up on the grief of it all, and I am sorry if I continue on and on about it. But I am still coming to terms with this loss - so just bear with me just a little longer. Thank you.

Around The Web:

 Avatar created by Novel Novice 

Yesterday, and article appeared in The Wall Street Journal saying that Young Adult novels are too "dark", and berating Young Adult novelists for incorporating taboos like rape, pederasty, self-harm/self-mutilation etc into their work. The journalist goes so far as to say that "publishers use the vehicle of fundamental free-expression principles to try to bulldoze coarseness or misery into their children's lives." 

The article points fingers at some books and authors that I have immense respect for. For example, the article speaks about "Shine" by author Lauren Myracle. The writer of this article believes Myracle doesn't deserve the title of "this generation's Judy Blume" because Blume's work, in comparison to Lauren Myracle's work, at least is "not grotesque." The subject and nature of Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov was considered grotesque, by many, although it was not even a Young Adult novel - it was an adult novel, with adult themes, and yet many objected to it. But it is considered a must read by many classicists, and is considered an extraordinary novel. I firmly believe that Lauren Myracle's novel, dealing with abuse, rampant homophobia, and friendship is a novel that should be taken notice of, for the boldness of its content, rather than belittled or berated. Judy Blume became legendary not because she talked about teenage issues in a mild manner - she was remembered and revered because she talked about them at all when these things were considered taboo. She spoke freely of the sexual awakening of a young person, and brought it out into the open with her books. Lauren Myracle's "Shine" does exactly the same thing. So yes, Lauren Myracle is most certainly "this generation's Judy Blume."

Also, and this enraged me to no end, was the targeting of author Cheryl Rainfield and her book "Scars" - a novel about the emotional turmoil of a teenager, and her dealing with it by way of self-harm/self-mutilation. If you have ever dealt with author Rainfield, and I have, you know that she is an amazing person. I have never seen her advocate her book, without also advocating Reasons Not To Hurt Yourself. Her blog is chock-full of important information and links for people, both young and old, who may be dealing with issues of self-harm. Her book is aimed towards bringing understanding to a difficult situation - not to promote self-harm/mutilation. She is not sensationalizing self-mutilation, she is simply bringing it out in the open. There are SO many young adults out there who internalize their pain and hurt themselves, as an outlet to their pain. I used to be one of them - and if I felt more comfortable speaking about it, had there been more advocates like Cheryl Rainfield, or perhaps a literary character like Kendra whose story I could refer to - I would have gotten rid of my habit a lot earlier.

Ultimately I believe that the author of this article has NO idea how many ways powerful fiction like this impacts young adults everywhere. We have settled into this notion that our teenagers, our children, are far too fragile to handle the truth. The truth is, the fragility lies within US. We are afraid to expose them, so we try to shelter them, but we're really sheltering ourselves from having a frank discussion about such topics that even make us uncomfortable as adults. But shelter them as we may, they are being exposed to these social issues/difficulties, even without our knowledge. The prevalence of rape, sexual abuse, physical abuse, homophobia, etc is rampant, and talking about it, via books or otherwise, is a good way to educate children, provide them with a sense of acceptance, for themselves and others. Anyhow, enough with my rant - before you are completely bored. There is a movement, now, called #YAsaves on Twitter in protest of the novel, and many are using the avatar above to voice their outage towards this article. Feel free to save the avatar, and use it as your own - but make sure to thank Novel Novice for it in your tweets. 

Around Me: 

 

Okay, I ranted to much about #YAsaves , that there is really not that much left for me to comment about in my "Around Me" section. But I did spend the last couple of days with my mother in another uncle's backyard (I'm housesitting) - gardening, plucking fruit and picking flowers. I just thought I'd share some of my "green-thumbing" pictures with you! :D 

 

 

 This one reminds me a little of the cover of The Postmistress - but maybe I'm just crazy, lol :P

 I know it's sheer blasphemy to choose one as your favorite since they are all so beautiful, but this one was my favorite out of all the favorites! lol :P

 But the smell from this one was unrivaled - I mean, this one rose smelled like a bouquet of roses.

 That was just the result of the first hour or picking and plucking! :)

 So, I created a bouquet, and stuck it in a simple little glass vase to put on my vanity. Needless to say, my room smelled like heaven for a few days! :)

 

 

Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed this week's ~Sunday Stew~, I definitely enjoyed writing it. Also, if you're a blogger and would like to participate in Sunday Stew, just click the banner at the very top, and viola! :) With this, I conclude yet another intensely LONG Sunday Stew post! Thank you for reading, feel free to leave me any comments/feedback you may like. I wish you a blessed rest of the week, and that you'll continue to visit! :)

"A Season of Eden" by Jennifer Laurens - The Evolution of Eden

Details

Title: Season of Eden
Author: Jennifer Laurens
Publisher: Grove Creek Publishing
Release Date: October 20th 2008
Available to order here: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Book Depository


Synopsis 

He's my teacher. I shouldn't be alone with him. But I can't help that he's irresistible.
I let the door silently close at my back. He stared at me, and a taut quiet stretched between us. "I like hearing you play," I said, moving toward him. He turned, in sync with my slow approach. He looked up at me but didn't say anything. I rested my clammy hand on the cold, slick body of the baby grand. "May I?" The muscles in his throat shifted, then he swallowed. "Eden." My knees weakened, like a soft tickling kiss had just been blown against the backs of them. "Is it okay?" I asked. His gaze held mine like two hands joined. He understood what I was really asking. "Let me stay," I said. "Please." "You're going to get me in trouble," he said.

My Review

There are books you pick up because the premise seems interesting, and books you pick up because the characters seem to be the kind of people you'd relate to, and sometimes you pick a book because you like the author who has penned the novel. In my case, I picked up "Season of Eden" due to all of the above. But what I got in return was so much more than that!

Eden is a beautiful girl. The kind of girl who emanates warmth and beauty, and can have any boy she wants at the high school she attends in Palos Verde, with a mere flick of her hair. But although she is all those things, she is not an unkind girl, she is not mean. Her personality, however, is slightly self-absorbed but that is due to her circumstances. Since her mother passed away, Eden has been left to her ministrations by her father who has taken up with a woman half his age, who is unconcerned with Eden and an obvious gold-digger. Although her dad provides any luxury that Eden may require, he fails to provide his affection or his time to his only child. Left to her own devices, Eden’s character has solidified into one where she gets what she wants, takes what she can get, and is the center of her own lonely universe.

All this changes the moment James Christian walks into her life. At first he’s alluring because he’s older, more mature and exudes a certain charm. But the more Eden gets to know him, the more she realizes that he is far more than all those things. He’s also incredibly passionate, extremely sensitive and a very understanding guy. Before she knows it, Eden is falling for James. And he seems to care about her too. But wait…he’s her teacher! Can they make this work?

This book is about SO much more than just a student falling for her teacher. To see Eden evolve from a teenager who is sure of nothing but her beauty and is at the verge of discovering herself, into a young lady learning about life and that love is not merely about possessing, but about letting that which you love come to you. Through her interaction with James, Eden blossoms into a girl who learns about sacrifice, and friendship and redeeming herself – he teaches her about more than music, he teaches her about life, and she teaches him that he is more than just a geek who loves music. Above all, she learns that there is a great big world outside of her own self, and she learns to allow it in. Yes, there are some who will say the end seems… “unfinished”, but I believe the book ended perfectly, with the reader left to their own conclusion, however, the metamorphoses of the characters is complete. I’m sure all of us have had a crush on one of our teachers at some point in time (or in my case, a college-student TA for my Junior English class!) – and this book is sure to take you right back to those feelings. Author Jennifer Laurens is, beyond a doubt, one of my favorite authors, and her writing style is remarkable. I would recommend it to everyone; it is a wonderful teenage tale of self-discovery.

My Rating : 5/5 Stars

Disclaimer:  I received a copy of this book as a prize for a contest won, I was not compensated monetarily, or in any other way, for my opinion. The opinions stated in this review are solely mine, and are not representative of views of the author, or publishing company, of this book.