Summer Giveaway #7: The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney (US only)

Ever since I found out about Daisy Whitney's upcoming debut novel, The Mockingbirds, it has been on my radar. A secret school society? Count me in! Plus, look at that hardcore cover. Luckily enough, The Mockingbirds received respectable buzz at BEA, and I was able to score an extra ARC, which I'd like to give to one lucky winner!

Summary:

Some schools have honor codes.

Others have handbooks.

Themis Academy has the Mockingbirds.

Themis Academy is a quiet boarding school with an exceptional student body that the administration trusts to always behave the honorable way--the Themis Way. So when Alex is date raped during her junior year, she has two options: stay silent and hope someone helps her, or enlist the Mockingbirds--a secret society of students dedicated to righting the wrongs of their fellow peers.

In this honest, page-turning account of a teen girl's struggle to stand up for herself, debut author Daisy Whitney reminds readers that if you love something or someone--especially yourself--you fight for it.

Interested? To enter, fill out this form here, making sure to answer the question relevantly. This giveaway is open to US only (unless you're willing to pay for shipping), and ends Friday, July 23, 2010. Good luck!

Friday Featured Blogger (22): John from Dreaming in Books!

John of Dreaming in Books has only been blogging for a couple of months, but already he's made a great impression on the blogosphere. He is very friendly, honest, and open with all his writing, and his enthusiasm for YA books is nearly unparalleled! You should also check out his fantastic blog post, He's Reading WHAT?! The Ins and Outs of a Guy Who Reads Romances, which is unapologetically honest and real.

I'm very fortunate to have the opportunity to ask John a few questions for my Friday Featured Blogger post, in which I interview a blogger whom I admire, like, etc. So welcome, John, to Steph Su Reads!

1. Tell us about yourself in a few short sentences.

My name is John, and I am proud to be a male teenager who loves to read. Oh, and I’m gay, too. But that’s another story. I’m currently a high school student (finally a sophomore, for those of you who discriminate against freshmen) and I’m a major geek. If I’m not reading, I’m probably at marching band practice (mallet percussion – vibraphone. Look it up on Wikipedia if you don’t know what it is) or at theater practice. I have the innate ability to be dramatic onstage and off. ;) I live with an annoying family, and two lovable Labs. Mix my obsessive-compulsive texting of Brent from Naughty Book Kitties in there, and you have my life.

2. Tell us about your blog. When did you start it and why? What interesting things can visitors expect?

Dreaming in Books….how did I start it? Well, a week before I officially started the blog, I met and became fast friends with Brent from Naughty Book Kitties. He was very…persuasive in telling me I should make a blog. So I did. I’m an aspiring author with a lot of time to fill and bookshelves that ache to be crammed with books…so making a blog seemed to make sense. Reviews would give me writing practice, and reading with more motivation would be fun. I never expected to get as many people reading it as I have.

So far, aside from the usual book reviews, contests, and interviews (currently slated for one with Angela Morrison, and guest posts from Lee Bantle, Janet Trumble, and Hayden Thorne, for those that are interested), I have three features that are my babies and hold a lot of my blog love. For Fans of Friday…which I do when I read a book that I really, really love, and feel like sharing read-alikes with – on a Friday, no less, because we all like an easy going Friday. Dreaming News and Reviews, which is where I tell you about stuff that I and my affiliate have done that would be of interest, events that authors I know personally are doing, and upcoming reviews and features. What My TBR Doesn’t Know is my newest feature, and it caters to the books that I don’t want to review on my site, but feel like flaunting anyway. =) Those books usually being adult novels like Harlequin Blaze (one of my favorite lines).

3. Three places in the world you'd like to visit someday?

San Franciso, Paris, and Venice.

Reasoning:

Gay Pride and shopping, Hot French boys and Shopping, Hot Italian Boys and Shopping, along with amazing city scapes and a large amount of rude tourists. Plus, I have a few people I want to shove into the canals over in the Venice side of things. And hit with bagettes on the French side of things. And throw in front of the street cars in the San Francisco level. :)

4. Name 3 favorite books and why you think everyone should read them.

Only three? You’re killing me here, Steph. Ugh, fine. (I’m gonna cheat and make on a tie – HAH)

Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
This is THE historical romance in my opinion. We are given the story of a strong woman who gets what she wants when she wants it, or does whatever she can to get it. Such a strong feminist ideal – hell, Scarlett gets married three total times in this book! Considering it’s all amidst the American Civil War, an era were divorce was not looked upon lightly, is huge. Also, Rhett Butler is extremely sexy. *melts into puddle of fanboy goo*

Wicked by Gregory Maguire
Gay author? Check. One of the most understated villains in classic YA literature? Check. Kick-ass writing and a plot that would make anyone’s head spin? Check check. This book confused the hell out of me when I read it in sixth grade, but it changed my life. Maguire has a writing style that is just so…yummy. I want to take his words and lick them off the pages like melted Godiva chocolate. Elphaba is probably one of my favorite literary heroines of all time, right up there with Scarlett, and her story would bring anyone to tears. *Side note* The musical is amazing, and even my mother liked it. That says a lot. About the musical and my mother.

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
This book is – AH. I read it last summer and fell in love. I know everyone thinks Geishas are just Japanese whores. Makeup, hairstyles that represent the un-popped cherry, and the selling of one’s virginity to the highest bidder tend to cause such misconceptions. Golden entranced me from page one, and this book was by far one of the best. He managed to make such a relatable heroine with an astounding love story. The Japanese connection got to me, too. Japan is just awesomesauce. Tied with Wicked for my favorite contemporary novel.

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
Anne Shirley brings back countless memories for me. Between these books and a television series marathon on PBS one Thanksgiving, I was a sucker. I have always been a fan of the strong, plucky heroine, and Anne was one of YA’s first and finest. Not to mention her romance with Gilbert Blythe. Who knew a regular old schoolboy from Prince Edward Island could make me swoon?

5. Which author, dead or alive, would you like to have a meal with? What would you eat?

Libba Bray. Or Libba Bray. Maybe Libba Bray. Did I mention Libba Bray? If I didn’t, then Libba Bray. That woman is the funniest piece of authorial awesomesauce ever. The Gemma Doyle Trilogy is one I’d recommend to anyone and everyone, and even her cover blurbs are fun to read! We’d eat…I don’t know, pizza. Nothing fancy, but nothing grungy. Maybe make up a few stories about the salt and pepper shakers, and how the salt is cheating on the pepper with her lover the hot sauce bottle. Normal stuff.

6. Vampires or werewolves? Zombies or unicorns? Gale or Peeta?

WHY DO YOU MAKE ME CHOOSE THESE THINGS?! Can I pick fallen angels? Please? Until there is a gay vampire or werewolf I’m kind of stuck between them.

Unicorns all the way! I haven’t even read Rampant yet and I love them. Hehehe…killer unicorns.

Um…

*ducks and hides*

Ihaven’treadTheHungerGamesyet.

DON’T HURT ME!!

I’m trying to borrow them…but my friend has memory loss and forgets to hand them to me. I want to read them so baaaad!

7. What would your theme song be?

"Bad Romance" by Lady Gaga. Gay anthem, and for a romantic, I totally get what she’s spilling in that song. Plus, that music video is the shit. I wanna be sold to creepy guys and then kill them off in bed after singing in French! Who doesn’t?

8. What is something you would like to change about the state of YA lit and/or the world's perception of YA?

More genre LGBT lit with romance romance romance! As a gay teenager I cannot get enough romance between two boys! And you know what stinks? There isn’t enough. Everything is big and literary like Sprout or David Inside Out. Give me something like The Vast Fields of Ordinary: light hearted and lovely. Right now, I only have a few authors that give me this fix. Hayden Thorne is a biggie. But she’s stuck in a small press because big publishers won’t publish the work due to a ‘lack of audience’. Genre LGBT lit needs to get into the spotlight, so that teenagers all over can read a book where the gay person is the hero, and where coming out and falling in love with someone of the same sex is no big deal.

9. What are some things you just LOVE to receive for presents? :)

Books. Duh. If we are talking non-book related presents, I’m big on cute, little things. Romantic things. I’m a big softie when it comes to that stuff. Stuffed animals…like bunnies. OMG bunnies. Sorry, I thought of the bunny metaphor. Hehehe…bunnies. WOOPS. Getting off track here…So, yeah, cute stuff. And chocolate. Mama likes her chocolate.

10. 2 interesting things about yourself that can spark conversation.

Well, I’m gay. That always sparks a lot of conversation – though it depends on who I tell. As to something that sparks a lot of conversation…Hm. Oh, well, there is the fact that I know pretty much every major Harlequin romance line, and I love to read adult romance books in general. LGBT or regular ones. ;)

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Thanks for sharing your answers with us, John! Do check out Dreaming in Books - John is a great updater and loves posting thoughtful and varied content. :) Happy weekend, everyone!

This makes me ridiculously happy / I'm so proud of my college

Well, it's not THAT big a deal, but every year, my college comes up with a summer reading list, in which they take book recommendations from various staff and faculty and compile them into a recommended reading list online. And what did I see this year but that The Hunger Games was recommended, not once, but TWICE, by two different people? The YA revolution is gradually but positively spreading to my school, which is, for the most part, full of stuffy falsely pretentious English majors who like to read only the classics and existentialist stuff! I think I kind of love this librarian.

Incredibly enough, I've found a few librarians who love to chat YA and exchange recommendations with me. Towards the end of 2009, I remember walking into my English class of 8 or so people, reading the second book in the Vampire Academy series. Anne, the librarian who was auditing the class (they get to do that, it's pretty cool), asked me about it, and when I told her it was pretty much the best YA vampire series out there, her eyes totally lit up as she said that she's been trying to look for good vampire lit. Barely a couple weeks later, she pulled me aside in the library and started to rave about Vampire Academy! She had read it over the weekend, couldn't put it down, and immediately rushed out to buy the next books. I love how encounters like these can happen, even at my school. LOVE. My librarians are awesome.

Cover Lust (16): HarperCollins 2011

There's been a sudden increase in beautiful covers in my life. Check out these ones from HarperCollins that have gotten my attention recently.

All summaries are from Goodreads.

Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

(Katherine Tegen Books / Feb. 11, 2011)

When seventeen-year-old Ellie starts seeing reapers - monstrous creatures who devour humans and send their souls to Hell - she finds herself on the front lines of a supernatural war between archangels and the Fallen and faced with the possible destruction of her soul.

A mysterious boy named Will reveals she is the reincarnation of an ancient warrior, the only one capable of wielding swords of angelfire to fight the reapers, and he is an immortal sworn to protect her in battle. Now that Ellie's powers have been awakened, a powerful reaper called Bastian has come forward to challenge her. He has employed a fierce assassin to eliminate her - an assassin who has already killed her once.

While balancing her dwindling social life and reaper-hunting duties, she and Will discover Bastian is searching for a dormant creature believed to be a true soul reaper. Bastian plans to use this weapon to ignite the End of Days and to destroy Ellie's soul, ending her rebirth cycle forever. Now, she must face an army of Bastian's most frightening reapers, prevent the soul reaper from consuming her soul, and uncover the secrets of her past lives - including truths that may be too frightening to remember.

It's more in the style of urban fantasy covers than young adult... but I think it's badass. That girl is beautiful in the way she looks like she can cut down anyone who gets in her way.

Entwined by Heather Dixon

(Greenwillow Books / March 29, 2011)

Azalea and her younger sisters dance in the mysterious silver forest every night, escaping from the sadness of the palace and their father’s grief. What they don’t understand—although as time passes they begin to get an inkling of the danger they are in—is that the mysterious and dashing Keeper is tightening his snare with deadly purpose. Luckily, Azalea is brave and steadfast. Luckily, a handsome young army captain also has his eye on Azalea. . . . Lush, romantic, and compelling, this debut novel by Heather Dixon will thrill fans of Shannon Hale, Robin McKinley, and Edith Pattou.

Another 2011 debut novel. I can't tell if the graininess is due to the resolution or not, but that is one gorgeous dress, in a gorgeous garden maze. It seems like a fantastical fairy tale-like story.

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

(HarperTeen / Jan. 4, 2011)

In this first book of a thrilling trilogy about angels, one girl must choose between fulfilling her Purpose and following her heart.

Clara has known she was part–angel ever since she turned fourteen two years ago. But now she is finally getting visions of what her Purpose—a rite of passage for every part–angel—is to be, and it happens to involve a gorgeous guy. Of course, there is the raging forest fire surrounding them, too. When Clara’s Purpose leads her family to Wyoming, Clara finds the boy of her visions, Christian, but complicating her mission are her growing feelings for another guy, Tucker. As the day in her visions draws closer, Clara discovers that her Purpose may play into a larger struggle between angels and Black Wings—fallen angels who spread sadness and misery wherever they go. But when the fire erupts and both Christian and Tucker are in danger, who will she choose to save?

From debut novelist Cynthia Hand comes a riveting tale full of supernatural powers, forbidden romance, and the choice between fulfilling your destiny or following your heart.

I'm kind of wary about angel love triangles, but I do really like this cover, especially the title lettering, which reminds me a lot of the lettering for Beautiful Creatures and Beautiful Darkness. That, plus the purplish tint throughout, definitely puts the girl in a more ethereal light for me.

Where I Belong by Gwendolyn Heasley

(HarperTeen / Feb. 1, 2011)

Corrinne Corcoran’s upscale Manhattan life is perfectly on track—until her father announces he’s been laid off and she’s shipped off to Broken Spoke, Texas, to live with her grandparents. All alone in a big public school and forced to take a job shoveling manure, Corrinne is determined to get back to the glamorous life she’s supposed to be living. But as she grudgingly adjusts—making new friends and finding romance along the way—this city girl begins to realize that life without credit cards and shopping sprees may not be as bad as it seems....

In this sparkling debut that flawlessly balances romance and humor, readers will grow to love sharp and sassy Corrinne as she goes on her totally reluctant but completely irresistible journey of self-discovery.

Never underestimate the power of a contemporary realist novel. Contemporary fiction never sounds as exciting as all the paranormal stuff, but I have a feeling this could be really good. I'm not sure how much I like the models and their poses, but I like the vibrancy of the colors, and think that their costumes are a nice detailed touch.

The Gathering (Darkness Rising, Book 1) by Kelley Armstrong

(HarperCollins / April 12, 2011)

Maya lives in a small medical-research town on Vancouver Island. How small? You can’t find it on the map. It has less than two-hundred people, and her school has only sixty-eight students—for every grade from kindergarten to twelve.

Now, strange things are happening in this claustrophobic town, and Maya's determined to get to the bottom of them. First, the captain of the swim team drowns mysteriously in the middle of a calm lake. A year later, mountain lions start appearing around Maya's home, and they won’t go away. Her best friend, Daniel, starts getting negative vibes from certain people and things. It doesn't help that the new bad boy in town, Rafe, has a dangerous secret—and he's interested in one special part of Maya's anatomy: Her paw-print birthmark.

This is the sort-of spinoff from her Darkest Powers series. The cover is not as exciting and nice as the other ones here, but I really like how the earrings sparkles so stunningly against the rest of the more muted picture. The cover's setup reminds me a bit of the covers for Alison Croggon's books, which I'm okay with.

Steel by Carrie Vaughn

(HarperTeen / March 1, 2011)

When Jill, a competitive high school fencer, goes with her family on vacation to the Bahamas, she is magically transported to an early eighteenth century pirate ship in the middle of the ocean.

There's not much about this book yet, but after the way she completely exceeded my expectations with Voices of Dragons, I can't wait for more from Carrie Vaughn, and I don't think anything she writes can go wrong (at least for me). This one about pirates sounds like it's going to be great... but look at that cover as well. The brilliancy of the light on steel, the golden feel of the entire thing. I'm just in awe. I WANT.

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So what do you guys think of these covers? Which would get your attention in a bookstore? Which one do you like most, or are most looking forward to?