Jesse dreams of working the land that’s been in his family forever. But he’s cursed to lose everything he loves most.
Scarlett is desperate to escape her “charmed” life. But leaving a small town is easier said than done.
Despite their history of heartbreak, when Jesse sees a way they can work together to each get what they want, Scarlett can’t say no.Each midnight meeting between Jesse and Scarlett will push them to confront their secrets and their feelings for each other.
Now on to the excerpt!
SCARLETT
I’m defying my parents by attending a funeral. Reckless and adventurous teenage behavior, I know. Most seventeen-year-olds lie to their parents so they can go on a date with a forbidden boy or attend a party where there will be questionable behavior. Me? I’m outright lying to my dad, and it’s because Jesse Lachlin’s grandmother died.
The entire way here I’ve questioned my sanity, but I don’t know how I’d live with myself if I stayed home. Jesse Lachlin used to be my childhood best friend. We were inseparable. We had the type of friendship people strive to have, and then, a few years ago, he cut me so deeply that I still bleed. But ten-year-old me would have never abandoned a hurting Jesse. So today I’m not only honoring the memory of Jesse’s grandmother, but also the memory of our dead friendship.
On my way to the funeral, the high grass of the field swats at my legs, but I don’t mind the sting. I love walking barefoot in grass, I love the smell of the earth and I love that brief feeling of freedom open spaces can provide.
It’s the dog days of August. The type of hot that starts when the sun rises and makes you sweat through your clothes within minutes. While my skin and palms are on fire, the pads of my feet are cool against the dirt. The heat is unwelcome, but the sky is deep blue and the sun is bright, and for that, I can be grateful.
Walking out of the field, I stop short of crossing the one-lane road to slip on the flats that dangle from my fingertips. My mother would be mortified if she knew I was entering a church in a cotton daisy-print sundress. It’s not one of the dresses with stiff fabric and impossible back zippers she would have picked for me at an overpriced department store. It’s the type that’s machine-washable and breathable. The type of dress Jesse’s grandmother would have given her stamp of approval.
I can practically hear my mother heavily sigh and mumble my name, Scarlett, as if it were her personal, private curse word. Mom believes there’s a certain way to dress and behave, and I’m breaking all sorts of her rules today. Watch out, world. I’m officially rebellious.
I smile to myself because I’m the opposite of rebellious. For the last few years, I’ve followed every rule. I’m the teacher’s pet and the girl with straight A’s. I’m the poster child of perfection, and have earned every snarky ice princess comment Jesse’s friends whisper about me in the school hallways because he and I no longer speak.
There are only six cars in the parking lot of the white church, and that makes me frown. I thought more people would have wanted to attend. Jesse’s mud-covered pickup is there, and so is an unnaturally clean black Mercedes that belongs to his uncle. This ought to be interesting. Jesse and his uncle have a mutual hate for each other that runs deeper than any root of any tree.
Movement to my right and I slowly turn my head. Shivers run down my spine at the sight of Glory Gardner. Even though I’m seventeen and too old for ghost stories, I still can’t shake the ones regarding this woman. Girls would whisper over lunch boxes that Glory was a witch. As I grew older, I understood that witch meant con artist. She claims she can read palms, tarot cards and “sees” spirits from beyond the dead. All for a glorious fee.
She’s a beautiful woman—long dirty blond hair that’s untamed, even in a bun, and she has an eclectic taste in clothing. Today she wears a white peasant shirt and a flowing skirt made of material that shimmers in the sun.
Glory watches me like I watch her, with morbid curiosity. I knew her as a child, back when Jesse and I ran wild in the fields near her home, but we haven’t talked in years.
She stands under the shade of a towering weeping willow. There are lots of those trees around here. Mom says it’s because there is too much water in the ground. I say it’s because the people in this town have cried too many tears. Mom doesn’t like my answer.
I tilt my head toward the church, an unspoken question if Glory will be joining me. She shakes her head no. I’m not shocked. According to rumors, Glory will go up in flames if she enters the house of God. But who knows? Maybe I will, too.
The church is one of those picturesque, historical, one-room school buildings squeezed between a cornfield on one side and a hay field on the other. A huge steeple with a bell attempts to reach the heavens, but like anything created by a human, it falls tragically short.
The foreboding wooden door makes no noise as I open it, and I’m able to slip in without a huge, squeaking announcement. Orange light filters in through the dark stained glass windows, and its struggling beams reveal millions of dancing particles of dust.
On the altar, there’s no casket, but there is an urn. My heart dips—Suzanne is dead. I used to wish she were my grandmother, and many times, she treated me as if I belonged to her. Suzanne was the epitome of love, and the world feels colder now that she’s gone.
Choosing a spot in the back, I drop into a pew, and as I scan the church my stomach churns. How is it possible that this place is so barren?
Besides the Funeral Brigade, or the FB, as I like to refer to them, there aren’t many people here. The FB are the older group of woman who attend every funeral in our small town even if they didn’t know the person. Attending funerals isn’t my idea of fun, but who am I to judge?
The FB sit directly behind the one person the town believes to be the lone sane member of the Lachlin family, probably because he isn’t blood related—Jesse’s uncle.
On the left side of the church is Jesse. Only Jesse. And that causes a painful pang in my chest. Where are his stinking friends? The anarchists in training who follow Jesse wherever he goes? Where is the rest of the town? Yes, Suzanne was polarizing, but still, where is any respect?
Quietly, so I don’t draw attention to myself, I slip from the right set of pews to the left. Someone should be on Jesse’s side, and it’s sad it has to be me.
A door at the front of the church opens, and the pastor walks out from the addition the church build on as a small office ten years ago. I would have thought any pastor assigned to this place would be as ancient as this church. Sort of like an Indiana Jones Knights Templar scenario where he lives forever as long as he stays inside. But no, he’s the youngest pastor from the main, newer church in town. His name is Pastor Hughes, and he’s a thirty-something black man with a fit build who is just cute enough that he should be starring in a movie.
The pastor looks up, and he flinches as if startled. I peek over my shoulder then sigh. Clearly, he’s surprised to see me. Flipping fantastic.
His reaction, and the fact he won’t stop staring, causes every person to turn their heads. Lovely. I’ve had dreams like this where I enter a room and become the center of attention. Only in my dreams it’s at school, it’s my classmates and I’m naked, but still, this is disconcerting.
Eventually, the FB and Jesse’s uncle return their attention to the front, but Jesse doesn’t. He rests his arm on the back of the pew, and it’s hard to ignore that he’s made me his sole focus, but I do my best to act as if I don’t notice.
To help, I concentrate on what my mom taught me as a child—to make sure the skirt of my dress is tucked appropriately so that my thighs don’t show. I then fold my hands in my lap and straighten to a book-on-head posture. I can be the ice princess people claim me to be.
Five pews separate me and Jesse, and it’s not nearly enough. My cheeks burn under his continued inspection. Jesse has done this a handful of times since our freshman year. Glance at me as if I’m someone worth looking at, someone worth laughing with a little too loud and smiling with a little too much. Then he remembers who I am and snaps his gaze to someone else.
See what other people have to say about ‘Only A Breath Apart’:
“Gritty and real, Only a Breath Apart is a story of hope conjured from pain, strength drawn from innocence, and love earned from self-respect. Beautiful, poignant, and fierce.”
―Kristen Simmons, critically acclaimed author of the Article 5 series
“A gorgeous, heartfelt journey of redemption and love” (Wendy Higgins)
“Haunting, authentic, and ultimately hopeful” (Tammara Webber)
All photos and information used in this blog belong to Katie McGarry, Tor Teen, katiemcgarry.com, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Pinterest, Tumblr, Instagram, all companies, individuals, corporations, managers, writers, producers, authors, publishers, and/or businesses that should receive credit for any book(s), mentioned in this blog post, all of the and all companies, individuals, corporations, managers, writers, producers, and/or businesses that should receive credit for anything mentioned in this blog post, and all original owners. I do not own anything in this blog. If any people, corporations, businesses, companies, etc, were not previously given credit for their work, they are given credit now and their previous absence was unintentional. All opinions expressed in this blog are my own. I wrote this blog for entertainment purposes and no copyright infringement is intended.
Hello people of the internet!!! On today’s ‘YouTube Wednesday’ we’re going to discuss a new BookTuber named ‘Starry Night Reader’ aka Warren, that y’all NEED to subscribe to now. I mean literally right now go ahead & subscribe to him I’ll wait here. Done? Ok now let’s discuss why this was the best decision you’ll make all week. Ready? Ok, let’s go!!!
The 1st video we’re going to talk about is Warren’s ‘BOOKTUBE NEWBIE TAG’, which was uploaded on October 16th, 2017. This video is the perfect introduction to who Warren is as a YouTuber, because we get to see how comfortable he is on camera, & what a fun, interesting personality he has. In this video we get to see how Warren found reading, what he has in store for his channel, & so much more! Next up we have Warren’s ‘MY FALL READING ROUTINE’ video, which was uploaded on December 4th, 2017 (you can check out this video below). With fall already upon us, I thought that this would be the PERFECT video for anyone who wants to develop their own fall time reading routine, or just likes to see what other people do.
The next video we’re going to talk about is Warren’s ‘IF YOU LIKE THIS THEN YOU’LL LIKE THIS’, video which was uploaded on February 23rd, 2018 (which you can check out below). If you’re looking for book suggestions then this is the video for you! In this video Warren shows you books similar to some of your favs that you may have either not heard about, or wasn’t high on your TBR (or To Be Read for those who don’t speak BookTube) list. The last video we’re going to talk about is Warren’s ‘FIRST BOOK UNHAUL’ video, which was uploaded on July 13th, 2018. Now I don’t know about y’all but I really love unhaul videos. It’s so interesting to see why your fav BookTubers didn’t like a certain book, & either agree or disagree in your head. Whether I love a certain book or not, it’s always super fun to hear a different perspective.
All photos and information used in this blog belong to YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Michelle Khare, jdrenes.com, and all companies, individuals, corporations, managers, writers, producers, authors, publishers, and/or businesses that should receive credit for any book(s), mentioned in this blog post, all of the and all companies, individuals, corporations, managers, writers, producers, and/or businesses that should receive credit for anything mentioned in this blog post, and all original owners. I do not own anything in this blog. If any people, corporations, businesses, companies, etc, were not previously given credit for their work, they are given credit now and their previous absence was unintentional. All opinions expressed in this blog are my own. I wrote this blog for entertainment purposes and no copyright infringement is intended.
“I never meant for it to go the way it did. I swear. I just wanted to talk to someone. I didn’t mean to fall in love.”- Eric from ‘Follow Me Back’
Hello people of the internet!!! On today’s ‘ Monday Memos’ we’re going to discuss a book called ‘Follow Me Back’, a psychological thriller that will definitely find a place among your TBR pile (or To Be Read for those of you who don’t speak BookTube) very soon. ‘Follow Me Back’ is the debut book from A.V. Geiger, one of the latest superstars to come out of the writing website Wattpad, and was provided for review by Sourcebooks Fire. On the outside this book seems like your typical Young Adult contemporary novel, but it quickly evolves into a story that will keep you mesmerized until the end. So now that you’re excited, let’s begin the review! Ready? Ok, let’s go!!!
‘Follow Me Back’ is a dual perspective novel that tells the story of 18 year old Tessa Hart who is a super fan of musician Eric Thorne. Tessa become famous within the Eric Thorne fandom when her fanfiction ‘Eric Thorne Obsessed’ goes viral. Due to her newfound internet fame, Tessa grabs the attention of fellow super fan MET (a screen name that stands for Mrs. Eric Thorne), as well as Eric’s management team. However, Tessa is harboring a deep secret that will eventually change her life forever. We also get insight into 18 year old superstar Eric’s deep resentment of his extreme fame, due to the fact that his fans seem to be more interested in his body than his music. When Eric creates a catfish Twitter account in order to ruin his own image, he sets off a series of events that will expose the dark sides of fame & obsession.
I feel like I have to start off this section by saying that not only is this a 5 smiley face book, but it broke the smiley face scale. Luckily the last few books I’ve reviewed have been very good reads, but this is undoubtedly the best book I’ll read this year. The characters are incredibly well developed & interesting, the plot grips you from the first word & never lets you go, & the twists and turns not only make perfect sense, but actually surprise you. Lastly, I really have to commend A.V. Geiger on her talent as a writer. She is able to perfectly jump between the perspectives of Tessa & Eric, while making their characters feel distinct and interesting. She is also able to use the tool of flashbacks through police reports to help her story become even more compelling. Needless to say I am so excited to not only read the sequel to this book, but to also add A.V. Geiger to my list of auto-buy authors. I am so excited to see where her career goes, & encourage all of you to invest in this duology TODAY!
All photos and information used in this blog belong to Sourcebooks Fire, Wattpad, Twitter, Goodreads, Instagram, Facebook, avgeinger.com, adam_jane, any and all producers, authors, publishers, and/or businesses that should receive credit for any book(s), mentioned in this blog post, all of the and all companies, individuals, corporations, managers, writers, producers, and/or businesses that should receive credit for anything mentioned in this blog post, and all original owners. I do not own anything in this blog. If any people, corporations, businesses, companies, etc, were not previously given credit for their work, they are given credit now and their previous absence was unintentional. All opinions expressed in this blog are my own. I wrote this blog for entertainment purposes and no copyright infringement is intended.
Hello people of the internet!!! On today’s ‘YouTube Wednesday’ we’re going to review a very cool musician, who has found a way to merge her love of anime, with her love of music. If you haven’t heard of Amanda Lee (aka ‘LeeandLie` on YouTube), then you’re missing out on a uniquely talented singer/songwriter/voice actress. At the time of this blog post Amanda has over 1.2 million YouTube subscribers, which is the key to success in this day and age. You can hire help if you need it, when it comes to growing your network of subscribers, but be careful because not all companies that offer this are legitimate. Check brands-reviews.com first before signing up, as they can make sure they’re safe for you, for example, take a look at this review they have carried out on Submenow. Amanda has also worked on numerous anime/video game titles such as: Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card, Overlord II, One Piece, Anonymous Noise, Dragon Ball: Xenoverse 2, Yandere Simulator, & many more. In 2017 she also released her debut EP which included 5 original songs co-written by Amanda. Needless to say she has become a rising star both online & in the voice acting industry, so now let’s catch all of y’all up with the amazingness that is Amanda Lee. Ready? Ok, let’s go!!!
The first video we’re going to talk about is Amanda’s ‘Sword Art Online- Crossing Field (Opening) [English ver]’ cover video, which was uploaded on September 2, 2012 (you can check out this video below). This is a very interesting video that really shows a unique take on this song. It’s very cool to see Amanda change the original Japanese lyrics into original English lyrics that still fit the beat of the music, but show her original take on the song. This skill shows that Amanda was a true artist even towards the beginning of her career. The next video we’re going to talk about is her ‘Dango Daikazoku (Ending) |English ver |’ cover video which was uploaded on February 22, 2014. Just in the 1 year & 5 months between this video & the Sword Art Online video, you can see a vast improvement in Amanda’s vocals, which shows just how dedicated she is to her craft. This cover is also a great example of how well Amanda can project the emotional undertones of a song, & really make her listener understand what the lyrics are trying to convey.
Next up we have Amanda’s ‘Pokemon – Pokemon Theme (Full Opening)’ video which features Natewantstobattle, which was uploaded on December 12, 2016 (you can check out this video below). This is definitely one of my favorite videos because it shows such a growth in Amanda’s artistry & video production skills. This video features revolving animation from all of the Pokemon generations from the 90s until present day which so unique & cool. This video shows the amount of thought Amanda puts into her videos, which proves how much she cares about her subscribers having a great experience on her channel. Lastly we have her ‘Debut EP Hourglass – Digital + Physical copies [Pre-Order NOW] video’, which was uploaded on August 14, 2017. This video features snippets of all 5 original songs on the ‘Hourglass’ EP, & really gives you a sense of Amanda’s personal musical style. In this EP the musical styles range from Pop, to Rock, to even EDM based. It definitely shows that Amanda is very comfortable as an artist, & that she will continue to impress us all as her career continues to grow.
You can keep up with everything Amanda is doing here:
All photos and information used in this blog belong to Amanda Lee, LeeandLie, www.amandaleeva.com, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Luke Thomas, Aniplex Inc., John Siegler, John Loeffler, Maeda Jun, Takumaru, and all companies, individuals, corporations, managers, writers, producers, authors, publishers, and/or businesses that should receive credit for any book(s), mentioned in this blog post, all of the and all companies, individuals, corporations, managers, writers, producers, and/or businesses that should receive credit for anything mentioned in this blog post, and all original owners. I do not own anything in this blog. If any people, corporations, businesses, companies, etc, were not previously given credit for their work, they are given credit now and their previous absence was unintentional. All opinions expressed in this blog are my own. I wrote this blog for entertainment purposes and no copyright infringement is intended.
“…it feels a little like it was during those days and weeks after we were born— like we’re all still part of one greater whole. The older we get, the more we all stretch into our own identities, but I still love the reminder that we started out together”. -Reagan from ‘Four Of A Kind’
Hello people of the internet!!! On today’s ‘Monday Memos’ we have a new book review courtesy of Patchwork Press. Today we’re going to change things up a little bit by reviewing 2 books in 1 blog post. I was given the AMAZING opportunity to not only review the 1st book in a new series, but also the prequel novella. Because of how the books are written, it just makes more sense to give you all of my thoughts in 1 review so you can truly know if this series is for you. So 1st up we’re briefly discuss the novella entitled ‘Where We Were’, followed up by the 1st main book in the series called ‘Four Of A Kind’, both written by Kellie Sheridan. So now on to the review. Ready? Ok, let’s go!!!
In ‘Where We Were’ we meet our 4 central characters: 14 year old quadruplets Reagan, Reece, Reilly, & Rhiannon Donovan who are in the process of moving from their home in Richmond, Virginia to a small town in another state called Fairview. Throughout the book we get alternating chapters in which each girl narrates what’s going on in each of their lives in the final weeks before their move. This novella does a really great job of showing us each girl’s individual personality, as well as what their sister’s think of them through the use of a quote before each chapter begins. ‘Where We Were’ perfectly sets the stage for the beginning of ‘Four Of A Kind’, which is told from Reagan’s perspective & begins once the girls have moved to Fairview. We immediately see that the entire town has such a fascination with the girls’ birth, that they are minor celebrities in town. The story follows the girls (through Reagan’s eyes) as they deal with typical teenage drama such as friend & relationship issues, as well as trying to find their own identities in a town that watches their every move.
So now that you know the plot, let’s look at the book a little closer. First of all , Reagan is one of my new favorite protagonists. She is relatable, interesting, and most of all someone who you don’t mind spending the entire book with. She wasn’t a perfect character, but she was the kind of person that you can definitely see yourself befriending in real life. Now let’s move on to the love interest Kent, the son of a local reporter. Thank goodness for Kent! It is SOOOO hard to find a love interest in young adult literature that is loveable. They do exist, but they’re hard to find. I know that we are all tired of the bad-boy, the rebel with a heart of gold, the emotionally/physically abusive guy that our protagonist falls for because they’re “wounded inside”, basically the ‘you should never actually date this guy trope’. With Kent we don’t see any of this, instead we get a nice, friendly guy from beginning to end, he respects Reagan & honestly always seems to want what’s best for her. I thought that at some point he would turn on Reagan to help his mother write a scandalous story about her & her sisters but he never did. Needless to say there is definitely a great need for more characters like Kent in young adult literature. Next I really want to compliment the author on her awesome writing style. Although the story is told from Reagan’s point of view, you really feel like you get a sense of each sister’s personality. In both stories each sister is instantly identifiable, & none of them feel as if they get lost in the plot. We also get some diversity through the character of Reilly when we find out that she’s a lesbian. Although this is not thoroughly explored, it also doesn’t feel like a tacked on label in order to check the diversity box, but instead a real part of who the character is. Honestly there is so much that I can & do want to say about this book, but I would have you here all week. This is one of those truly great books that you instantly know will be one of your favs as soon as you finish it, & this definitely made this author an auto-buy author for me. With all that said I HAVE to give these books a 5 smiley face rating because I will DEFINITELY be re-reading them again this year, & look forward to reading the sequels that are already out, & any additional books in the series that are released in the future.
All photos and information used in this blog belong to kelliesheridan, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, Kellie Sheridan, all companies, individuals, corporations, managers, writers, producers, authors, publishers, and/or businesses that should receive credit for any book(s), mentioned in this blog post, all of the and all companies, individuals, corporations, managers, writers, producers, and/or businesses that should receive credit for anything mentioned in this blog post, and all original owners. I do not own anything in this blog. If any people, corporations, businesses, companies, etc, were not previously given credit for their work, they are given credit now and their previous absence was unintentional. All opinions expressed in this blog are my own. I wrote this blog for entertainment purposes and no copyright infringement is intended.
Hello people of the internet!!! On today’s ‘YouTube Wednesday’ we’re going to discuss a new Booktube channel that you need to follow RIGHT NOW!!! If you’ve never heard of Robby Reads then you’re not only missing out on a great Booktube channel, but also an AMAZING Bookstagram page (seriously his bookish pictures are so beautiful that you’ll wonder how your Instagram feed lived without them). Although Robby gained a lot of fame in the book community through his Bookstagram, he is quickly proving that he is also an incredibly interesting online personality that you will want to watch over and over again. So now Let’s get to the fun part…the videos! Ready? Ok, Let’s go!!!
The first video we’re going to discuss is Robby’s ‘…Ready For It?’ video, which was uploaded on September 3, 2017 (you can check out this video below). In this video he answers bookish questions that are themed after Taylor Swift songs such as: the book you are never ever getting back together with…like ever (sorry I couldn’t help it), a red book, a forbidden “love story” book, etc. In this video we’re not only able to learn more about Robby based off of his choices, but we’re also able to see what a fun & bubbly personality he has. This video is the perfect mix for book & Taylor Swift fans that will give you all the feels. The next video we’re going to talk about is his ‘DIY Harry Potter Starbucks Drinks’, which was uploaded on March 12, 2018. This is definitely the perfect DIY project to do this summer whether you want a refreshing drink or even a cool Instagram picture. In this video Robby shows us how to make variations on popular Harry Potter themed Starbucks Drinks that are simple to make & low cost enough to make over and over again. This will definitely bring a little magic to your day!
https://youtu.be/-Y1Fokss3bs
Next up we have Robby’s ‘How I Take And Edit My Bookstagram Pictures’, which was uploaded on April 7, 2018 (you can check out the video below). This is definitely one of my favorite videos because it’s very interesting to see a popular Bookstagrammer explain his process. In this video Robby not only explains how he sets up his shots, but also which photo editing apps he uses, as well as tips & tricks in order to make the most out of these apps. The last video we’re going to discuss is his ‘Huge BEA, Bookcon, & NYC Book Haul’, which was uploaded on June 12, 2018. Now we all have to admit that we love book hauls (because honestly it’s like shopping without having to spend money), but the best hauls of the year are definitely the Bea & Bookcon Hauls. In these hauls we get to see cool new arcs so we can prepare for all of the new upcoming releases. Again we get to not only see Robby demonstrate his vast knowledge of books, but also the winning personality that has made people fall in love with him.
All photos and information used in this blog belong to Robby Reads, robbyreads.com, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, Goodreads, all other original owners. I do not own anything in this blog. If any people, corporations, businesses, companies, etc, were not previously given credit for their work, they are given credit now and their previous absence was unintentional. All opinions expressed in this blog are my own. I wrote this blog for entertainment purposes and no copyright infringement is intended
Hello people of the internet!!! Today we have the pleasure of being apart of the cover reveal for Young Adult author Katie McGarry’s latest amazing book entitled ‘Only a Breath Apart’ which will be published by Tor Teen on January 22, 2019. If you haven’t heard of Katie McGarry’s previous work, then you HAVE to check out her book IMMEDIAELY (seriously her books are the best you can thank me for this recommendation later). So know that you’ve seen how gorgeous the cover is (and seriously that is such a beautiful cover I honestly can’t wait to give it a place of honor on my shelves), you probably want to know what the book is about right? Don’t worry I have y’all covered! Ready? Ok here we go!
Jesse dreams of working the land that’s been in his family forever. But he’s cursed to lose everything he loves most. Scarlett is desperate to escape her “charmed” life. But leaving a small town is easier said than done. Despite their history of heartbreak, when Jesse sees a way they can work together to each get what they want, Scarlett can’t say no. Each midnight meeting between Jesse and Scarlett will push them to confront their secrets and their feelings for each other.
I mean honestly we all know that this will be on EVERYONE’s TBR in 2019 so definitely keep your eye out for it. Now even though this book will be available for sale on January 22, 2019, it is currently available for presale through any of the links below, and I HIGHLY recommend you pre-order this one, because once you read 1 Katie McGarry book, she will be an auto-buy author for you!
All photos and information used in this blog belong to Katie McGarry, Tor Teen, katiemcgarry.com, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Pinterest, Tumblr, Instagram, all companies, individuals, corporations, managers, writers, producers, authors, publishers, and/or businesses that should receive credit for any book(s), mentioned in this blog post, all of the and all companies, individuals, corporations, managers, writers, producers, and/or businesses that should receive credit for anything mentioned in this blog post, and all original owners. I do not own anything in this blog. If any people, corporations, businesses, companies, etc, were not previously given credit for their work, they are given credit now and their previous absence was unintentional. All opinions expressed in this blog are my own. I wrote this blog for entertainment purposes and no copyright infringement is intended.
Hello people of the internet!!! On today’s ‘Monday Memos’ we’re going to discuss a very important, yet tragic day for the music industry. March 31st marks the 22nd anniversary of Selena Quintanilla-Perez’s brutal murder. This event truly shook the world due tot he singer’s wide appeal & seemingly endless unfulfilled potential. Last week was the 20th anniversary of the Selena biopic, which starred a young Jennifer Lopez as the iconic singer. Throughout the movie we get to see key points in Selena’s professional and personal life, and just why this star had such a wide and loving fan base. To honor an entertainer that meant (and continues to mean) so much to people worldwide, I thought that it would be cool to take a look at her music as we explore all she did in the music industry, and all she could’ve done. Ready? Ok, let’s go!!!
As a childhood performer in the early 80s, Selena faced much opposition in the male dominated Tejano music scene. Despite this obstacle, she steadily grew more popular, and eventually began to gain true notoriety in 1987 when she won Female Vocalist of the Year at the ‘Tejano Music Awards (which she won 9 consecutive times in career). She then signed with EMI Latin in 1989 and released her self-titled debut album. Her 2nd album ‘Ven Conmigo’ (released in 1990), produced fan favorite track ‘Baila Eata Cumbia’. Her next album, Entre a Mi Mundo (released in 1992) peaked at #1 on the U.S Regional Mexican Albums chart for 19 nonconsecutive weeks. This album contained fan favorites such as: Como La Flor, La Carcacha, and Selena’s 1st English language track ‘Missing My Baby’. Her 4th album ‘Live’ (released in 1993) won Best Mexican/American Album at the 1994 Grammy Awards, which made her the 1st Tejano artist to win this award. Her 5th album ‘Amor Prohibido’ (released in 1994) found great success and broke the U.S. Billboard Top Latin Albums chart record with a 96 consecutive week hold at the #1 spot. The album contained numerous songs that critics agree are some of Selena’s best, including: title track ‘Amor Prohibido’, Bidi Bidi Bom Bom, Fotos y Recuerdos, among numerous others. The album received a surge of popularity following Selena’s death 1 year later, and is still tied for 2nd as the one of the best selling U.S. Latin albums of all time. Her final album ‘Dreaming of You’ was released posthumously in 1995. The album was meant to serve as Selena’s English cross-over album, but due to her death contained a mix of previously unreleased English and Spanish tracks. ‘Dreaming of You’ won Album of the Year at the 1996 Tejano Music Awards, and Female Pop Album of the Year at the 2nd Annual Billboard Latin Music Awards. The album received overall praise from critics due to tracks such as: title track ‘Dreaming of You’, ‘I Could Fall in Love’, and Wherever You Are (Donde Quinta Que Estes’ feat. the Barrio Boyzz.
In the span of 5 short years, Selena made a lasting impact on the music industry and still serves as an inspiration to artists across various genres. Her legacy also inspired the 1997 film ‘Selena’, which launched the career of triple threat Jennifer Lopez, and opened at #2 its’ opening weekend. Over 21,000 people auditioned for the role, making it the 2nd largest audition since Scarlett O’Hara in ‘Gone With The Wind’. In 2016 makeup company MAC announce its’ collaboration with Selena’s family in order to produce a Selena line of makeup. In 2017 Selena received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame among numerous other influential stars. It’s evident that she has become an immovable part of music history, due to the fact that even over 2 decades later we still find ourselves revisiting her music and story. Few artists can truly say that they have been able to capture the heart of the world in such a way, and it is obvious that we will continue to marvel over her for decades to come.
All photos and information used in this blog belong to YouTube, Selena Quintanilla-Perez, Q-Productions, EMI Latin, EMI America, Capitol Latin, Universal Music Latin, Barrio Boyzz, Billboard, Tejano Music Awards, Billboard Latin Music Awards, Selena, Jennifer Lopez, Scarlett O’Hara, Gone With The Wind, MAC, Hollywood Walk of Fame, Gregory Nava, Abraham Quintanilla Jr., Moctesuma Esparza, Robert Katz, Warner Bros., A.B. Quintanilla, Pete Astudillo, Chrissie Hynde, Keith Thomas, Franne Golde, K.C. Porter, Miguel Flores, Desmond Child, and all companies, individuals, corporations, managers, writers, producers, authors, publishers, and/or businesses that should receive credit for anything mentioned in this blog post, and all original owners. I do not own anything in this blog. If any people, corporations, businesses, companies, etc, were not previously given credit for their work, they are given credit now and their previous absence was unintentional. All opinions expressed in this blog are my own. I wrote this blog for entertainment purposes and no copyright infringement is intended.
Which wont be hard since I haven’t been hungry lately
It won’t be hard now that I have a goal
Smaller
Lighter
Leaner
In the saddle
It won’t be hard
Because I’m willing to do whatever
It takes
To win.” -Rae from ‘The Sky Between You and Me’
Hello people of the internet!!! On today’s ‘Monday Memos’ we’re going to review a new book that you should definitely add to your Goodreads reading challenge (yeah, yeah, I know that your TBR is already insane, but this book is worth the room. Trust me). So what is this amazing book you ask? I’m glad you asked people of the internet! Today we’re reviewing ‘The Sky Between You and Me’ by Catherine Alene. Not only is the story interesting, but will definitely leave a lasting impact on you once you finish it. I will try to make this review as spoiler free as possible, so if you’re ready let’s get to the review. Ready? Ok, let’s go!!!
Our story revolves around high school junior Raesha (aka Rae), a rodeo rider who dreams of winning Nationals just like her mother did when she was in high school. We are then introduced to Rae’s best friend Asia, Asia’s boyfriend Micah, and Rae’s boyfriend Cody. Everything in Rae’s life seems to be going well until a new girl named Kierra moves into town and begins to disrupt all of the order in Rae’s life. Throughout the story we learn that Rae’s mother died from cancer when she was a little girl and Rae always carried the guilt due to the circumstances of her mother’s death. Due to Rae’s growing loneliness because of Kierra’s presence in her life, as well as Rae’s father’s constant absence due to his job, Rae quickly falls into the grip of an eating disorder. She begins by just telling herself that she will lose a little weight in order to fit into her mother’s old riding saddle, however things get bad VERY quickly. Throughout the rest of the novel we see how Rae’s eating disorder affects her life, and the lives of those around her in both expected and unexpected ways. This is truly a powerful story with an amazing message of hope that doesn’t sugar coat the dark side of eating disorders.
I not only really enjoyed the plot of this story, but also the relationship between Rae and her father. You could really see the love that they had for each other, as well as his need to try to fill the void that her mother’s death has left in her life, and his terror when he feels as if he failed this task. I also really enjoyed the fact that Rae and her friends were from a small country town and enjoyed completing in rodeos. This was definitely a fresh change of pace from your typical YA setting. Lastly I personally really loved the fact that the entire story was written in verse, which added a unique vibe to the story. Although there was SOOOO much I loved about this book, there were some problems. Firstly I HATED Rae’s boyfriend Cody! He was a completely unlikeable character who made me want to slap Rae for even dealing with him. Cody openly flirts with Kierra every chance he gets, and is completely unsupportive of Rae, even when he finds out about her eating disorder. Also, the story definitely had sections that were very slow and boring, although this didn’t happen often, it definitely lost the book half a smiley face on it’s overall score. Lastly, I really wish that we had spent more time on the obvious connection between Rae’s mother’s death and Rae’s eating disorder. I know that eating disorders are very complicated matters and there is never a necessary “cause” of this disease however, I really feel that this event had a lasting impact on Rae and thus it would’ve been nice to dive more into that. In conclusion I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a great story and doesn’t mind books written in free verse. If you don’t typically enjoy this style of writing then this maybe a hard story for you to get through however, I definitely suggest that you give it a chance. Because of all of this, I give ‘The Sky Between You and Me’ 4 1/2 smiley faces (due to the slow parts of the story). This is definitely worth your time, and I suggest you pick it up right away!
All photos and information used in this blog belong to Catherine Alene, Sourcebooks Fire, Twitter, catherinealene.com, Goodreads, Amazon, netgallery.net, all companies, individuals, corporations, managers, writers, producers, authors, publishers, and/or businesses that should receive credit for any book(s), mentioned in this blog post, all of the and all companies, individuals, corporations, managers, writers, producers, and/or businesses that should receive credit for anything mentioned in this blog post, and all original owners. I do not own anything in this blog. If any people, corporations, businesses, companies, etc, were not previously given credit for their work, they are given credit now and their previous absence was unintentional. All opinions expressed in this blog are my own. I wrote this blog for entertainment purposes and no copyright infringement is intended.
Hello people of the internet!!! On today’s ‘YouTube Wednesday’ we’re going on a nostalgia train trip. I’m sure by now you’ve all heard about the DuckTales revival (if you haven’t check out my blog post about it here: ). At this point most of us have seen the promo pics and have heard the cast sing the iconic theme song. But now Disney has FINALLY given us the one thing we’ve been craving ever since we first heard about this revival. Are you ready!?! No! It’s not the announcement of a Recess revival (although fingers crossed for that). No, it’s not a Kim Possible revival…stop guessing already! We have finally gotten a DuckTales trailer! Excited! I knew you would be! So if you want to learn all about this AMAZING trailer, then please read on. Ready! Ok, let’s go!!!
The animation is definitely different than what fans of the original series are used to, but if you’re a fan of the the animation on other recent Disney XD shows such as ‘Wander Over Yonder’ or ‘Gravity Falls’ then you’ll love this stylistic choice. Another departure from the original series comes in the form of the voice acting (we’ll sort of). Scrooge McDuck’s nephews Huey(played by Danny Pudi), Dewy (played by Ben Schwartz) and Louie (played by Bobby Moynihan) definitely sound less childlike, and now have very distinct voices. They have also lost the famous Donald Duck lisp which further adds to their unique personalities. Two characters that do sound very similar to their predecessors are LaunchPad McQuack (played by Beck Bennett, most known for his work on Saturday Night Live) & Scrooge McDuck (played by David Tennant, most known for his work as Tenth Doctor on Doctor Who & Barry Crouch Jr in Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire). LaunchPad McQuack sounds very similar to the voice of our childhood & Scrooge sounds so identical it’s scary (and by scary I mean completely AMAZING!!!). We’re also going to get to hear a voice that we’ve heard many times before due to the fact that Donald Duck will be played by Tony Anselmo (who has been Donald’s official voic since 1985). Earlier this month the show was officially renewed by Disney XD for a 2nd season so the channel obviously had high hopes for this reboot. Personally I’m super excited to see what the new cast & crew can bring to this iconic show. What do you think people of the internet? One thing is for sure, whether this show is a hit or miss, it will definitely take us another 27 years to get that theme song out of our heads again (DuckTales! Woo-oo!).
All photos and information used in this blog belong to Disney XD, Matt Youngberg, Ron Renzetti, Francisco Angones. Disney Television Animation, Disney-ABC Domestic Television, Carl Banks, David Tennant, Danny Pudi. Ben Schwartz, Bobby Moyniham, Beck Bennett, Toks Olagundoye, Kate Micucci, Tony Anselmo, and all companies, individuals, corporations, managers, writers, producers, authors, publishers, and/or businesses that should receive credit for anything mentioned in this blog post, and all original owners. I do not own anything in this blog. If any people, corporations, businesses, companies, etc, were not previously given credit for their work, they are given credit now and their previous absence was unintentional. All opinions expressed in this blog are my own. I wrote this blog for entertainment purposes and no copyright infringement is intended.
