Month: October 2018

The Adventurer’s Guide to Successful Escapes by Wade Albert White: A Dual Review with Danielle Hammelef

(No actual dueling—or even arm-twisting—was involved. Don’t worry, this is a dual review, not a duel review. Sorry if you’re disappointed.) Danielle Hammelef was the latest winner of my Monthly Wrap-Up Round-Up “Make Me Read It” giveaway, and she chose to make me read The Adventurer’s Guide to Successful Escapes by Wade Albert White. I’ll confess that I hadn’t given this book much thought it awhile, but it turned out to be a fantastic selection! I read the book […]

Posted October 30, 2018 in Dual Reviews, Reviews / 10 Comments

October Wrap-Up Round-Up Link-Up & Make Me Read It Giveaway

It’s time for the October Wrap-Up Round-Up! The September giveaway ends in a couple of days, so head over there for your last chance to enter! This is the link-up AND giveaway for our October wrap-up posts. If you don’t already know about the Monthly Wrap-Up Round-Up, read the information below: Every month, at the end of the month, I’ll put up a monthly wrap-up link-up post where everyone can link up their month-end posts. […]

Posted October 29, 2018 in Giveaways (Ended), Monthly Wrap-Up Round-Up / 7 Comments

Sunday Post: Book Pre-order Incentives & Giveaways Galore – 10/28/18

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~ It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on my blog and share news about what’s coming up in the week ahead. This past week on FYFA (and in my life): Yesterday, I attended SCBWI’s (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) Prairie Writer’s and Illustrator’s Day. I really enjoyed this event and especially found […]

Posted October 28, 2018 in Sunday Post / 28 Comments

Bite-Sized Reviews of Dear Evan Hansen, When My Heart Joins the Thousand, A Touch of Gold, and In Your Shoes

I’ve got three YA reviews and a MG review for you today. I hope these bite-sized reviews will be enough to feed your fiction addiction! I actually discovered this musical when I saw the book listed on NetGalley. I know, that’s weird and backward, and I have to stop living in a cave (a cave filled with books?), but that’s how it happened. I saw a YA book based on the “hit Broadway musical” and […]

Posted October 27, 2018 in Reviews / 16 Comments

Lulu the Broadway Mouse by Jenna Gavigan: Review & Giveaway

This book is just plain cute. Since I was a theatre major in college, I loved all the references to how Broadway and theatre in general work. I think any little kid with dreams of being on the stage would really enjoy this story (and learn a lot from it too). The style is sort of interesting because it’s really pretty much a contemporary MG set in a Broadway theatre—except the MC happens to be […]

Posted October 26, 2018 in Giveaways (Ended), Reviews / 0 Comments

Recap of the YA Lit Conference at Anderson’s Bookshop. Plus a Giveaway!

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of attending the annual YA Lit Conference at Anderson’s Bookshop with my mom. We look forward to this event every year! It’s technically geared toward teachers and librarians but book enthusiasts are welcome as well. 🙂 I thought I’d give you a little rundown of the featured speakers. Enjoy! Mark Oshiro He gave his speech in numbers: At 8, he read IT by Stephen King(!!) and fell in […]

Posted October 24, 2018 in Book Events, Giveaways (Ended) / 40 Comments

Sunday Post: Book Pre-order Incentives and Giveaways Galore – 10/21/18

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~ It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on my blog and share news about what’s coming up in the week ahead. This past week on FYFA (and in my life): I went to another epic book event with my mom this week! This time it was the annual YA Literature Conference at Anderson’s Bookshop, which featured 30 […]

Posted October 21, 2018 in Sunday Post / 24 Comments

Things I Didn’t Know About Publishing (And Things I Know I Still Don’t Know) Let’s Discuss

When I started writing, I wasn’t really doing it with the hope or expectation of getting published. I honestly felt like I was starting too “late.” I mean, when I was younger, I had dreams of being a writer. I took novel writing classes and did workshops and tried (and failed) to be disciplined and actually write. Then life happened and kids happened, and the dream sort of got away from me… But I still wanted […]

Posted October 19, 2018 in Let's Discuss, Writing Tips / 42 Comments

Dear Evan Hansen: The Novel – Tour Recap

On Friday, my mom and I went to the Dear Evan Hansen: The Novel tour stop at Anderson’s Bookstore. This was way more than a book signing, it was a musical event! It was the perfect way for us to get a little taste of the musical since I got my mom tickets for us to see the show together in February for her 70th birthday! I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this tour. The […]

Posted October 17, 2018 in Book Events / 22 Comments

Bite-Sized Reviews of Listen to Your Heart, Warcross & Wildcard, Girls Like Us

I’ve got four audiobook reviews for you today: a YA contemp, a YA science fiction duology and a non-fiction(!). I hope these bite-sized reviews will be enough to feed your fiction addiction! This book is quintessential Kasie West. A sweet YA romance that sweeps you up and carries you away. The book prominently features a strong family unit (a whole extended family of people who actually care about each other—hard to believe, right?), a well-earned and […]

Posted October 15, 2018 in Reviews / 20 Comments