Monday, May 28, 2012

Get to know Jenn and Mary, the YAbooktwins


Ten things about Jenn by Mary

Jenn was the first female altar server in our parish church.  She called our favorite priest herself to beg for permission.  She also sang in the choir.

She reads books to her husband because she knows he'll love it but would never read them himself.  Sometimes, she makes him wait before reading the sequels. "If we have to wait, he has to wait."

Jenn loves all things Disney, Hello Kitty, and pink (though her favorite color is baby blue).

Her maltipoo, Bella (who do you think she's named after? Hint: the love of her life is pale, cold, and drinks animal blood), was so excited to see me, she pee'd on me. Twice.

When Jenn finds something extremely funny, her laugh seems to get stuck in her throat and comes out like a whistle.  Those of us who are used to this (because we're so funny ;)), call it tea-kettling.

When we go out of town, Jenn is usually the first one to wake up, at around 5am; But she knows not to pull the curtains open and risk the wrath of her grumpy girlfriends recovering from a good night.  She's so considerate.

When I was sick, Jenn was at work so she made her husband bring me soup and he reported back to her how awful i looked.

At Chipotle, where Jenn is a frequent customer, she only ever gets rice with steak (no sauce) and squeezes about 10 lemon wedges in there.  She also hates spicy food, an unfortunate characteristic given her Mexican background.  Her favorite food is actually sushi.  She has too many Asian friends.

Jenn was so impatient for her bff, a hairstylist, to give her a trim, she chopped it off herself in a fit of rage.  Said bff was left to repair the damage.

Jenn married her best friend.  They've been together for a hundred years.  And if you ask her if the kind of love people write about is real, she'll say "yes" and use her relationship with her husband as an example.


Ten things about Mary by Jenn

Mary is super family oriented, she has three brothers who she is very close to. Whenever they’re in a room together it’s hard to tell who is talking because they are all so loud and laugh the same. (Her brothers like to read books too, as a family, they can all agree to add Ender’s Game as one of their top faves)

Our group of friends get together a lot, we’re a lot like family and we have these crazy potlucks. Mary makes the best spaghetti (her mother’s recipe) and most delicious crème brûlée. Mary knows crème brûlée is not my favorite, so one day she made chocolate soufflé specifically for me and now I request it all the time! It’s SO good.

Mary has the memory of an elephant; she remembers everything about movies, books, music, (cough) stuff I’ve said.

I am a picky eater, and where I lack in trying new things, Mary is the opposite. She will and has tried a lot of sushi. Her favorites are handrolls. There isn’t much Mary doesn’t like, the only thing that I could get her to admit is that she isn’t fond of Maraschino cherries. She likes olives, mushrooms, etc., stuff people generally are picky about.

Our circle of friends are all really talented and creative. Mary, who is really humble and shy is really good at creating things has made us all bracelets, cute earrings and works on her own halloween accessories. This past halloween, she was a Circus Ringmaster (she is OBSESSED with Britney Spears) and made her own halloween mask, which she glued to her face.

Not only is Mary creative with making things, she also is an excellent makeup artist. She does special events, proms and weddings. She also did my wedding in 2010 and was responsible for making me presentable for my special day. I was so lucky! Also, our friends go to Vegas, a lot, she’s usually on makeup duty and our other bff is on hair duty, pretty convenient for the rest of us.

Mary has a lot of best friends but it’s obvious that her main squeeze is her Yorkie, Unagi. He keeps her company on many late nights when she’s reading. His favorite book is Starcrossed by Josie Angelini.

You know, when you read books and there’s a girl who is confident, pretty and funny? Well, that’s Mary, just super klutzy to this list and that’s her. She can wear really high heels, but has stumbled and fallen so many times while wearing flats, wedges and chucks.

When she was in high school, she learned to love British Literature (Austen's Persuasion is her favorite) but could be found reading YA. Her friend let her borrow The Secret Circle...and almost ten years later, it became a short lived TV show. Sadly to say, she was heartbroken when I told her that it was cancelled.

Mary’s has a secret wish, only her bffs know about it, and every Christmas she asks for it, “Immortality.” She is the youngest of our group so we kid about who old she’s getting. What she would love nothing more is to be young forever. So if you um, know any vampires, warlocks or secret potions. You can just e-mail her at maryreadsfiction@gmail.com :)





Jenn is reading How to Ruin a Summer Vacation by Simone Elkeles
Mary is reading Dreamless by Josephine Angelini


Tell us about your booktwin and what you're reading!




Friday, May 11, 2012

Insurgent FTW Giveaway

One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth's much-anticipated second book of the dystopian Divergent series is another intoxicating thrill ride of a story, rich with hallmark twists, heartbreaks, romance, and powerful insights about human nature. (Goodreads)

Sunday, May 6, 2012

YA or Bust Tour - Los Angeles


Mary and I drove clear across town to Children's Book World to meet three incredible ladies. We read online that Nina Lacour, Stephanie Perkins and Gayle Forman were appearing in LA for the YA or Bust Tour (Penguin) and our local YA author, Marie Lu was moderating.

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Spring Into the Future: Los Angeles

On April 12, 2012, Mary and I attended a mega author event. The reason why i call it mega is because there were five amazing authors on the panel! Anna Carey (Eve), Cynthia Hand (Hallowed), Marie Lu (Legend), Tahereh Mafi (Shatter Me) and Veronica Rossi (Under the Never Sky) were all there!

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Greek Week Review - Goddess Interrupted by Aimee Carter



Kate Winters has won immortality. But if she wants a life with Henry in the Underworld, she'll have to fight for it.

Becoming immortal wasn't supposed to be the easy part. Though Kate is about to be crowned Queen of the Underworld, she's as isolated as ever. And despite her growing love for Henry, ruler of the Underworld, he's becoming ever more distant and secretive. Then, in the midst of Kate's coronation, Henry is abducted by the only being powerful enough to kill him: the King of the Titans.

As the other gods prepare for a war that could end them all, it is up to Kate to save Henry from the depths of Tartarus. But in order to navigate the endless caverns of the Underworld, Kate must enlist the help of the one person who is the greatest threat to her future.
Henry's first wife, Persephone. (Summary found on Amazon)

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Greek Week Review - The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter


It's always been just Kate and her mom—and her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won't live past the fall.


Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld—and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.


Kate is sure he's crazy—until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride, and a goddess. (Summary found on Amazon)

Greek Week Review ~ Pure (Covenant 2) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

There is need. And then there is Fate... 

Being destined to become some kind of supernatural electrical outlet isn't exactly awesome--especially when Alexandria's "other half" is everywhere she goes. Seth's in her training room, outside her classes, and keeps showing up in her bedroom--so not cool. Their connection does have some benefits, like staving off her nightmares of the tragic showdown with her mother, but it has no effect on what Alex feels for the forbidden, pure-blooded Aiden. Or what he will do--and sacrifice--for her. 

When daimons infiltrate the Covenants and attack students, the gods send furies--lesser gods determined to eradicate any threat to the Covenants and to the gods, and that includes the Apollyon... and Alex. And if that and hordes of aether-sucking monsters didn't blow bad enough, a mysterious threat seems willing to do anything to neutralize Seth, even if that means forcing Alex into servitude... or killing her. 

When the gods are involved, some decisions can never, ever be undone.

Monday, April 2, 2012

Greek Week Review ~ Half-Blood (Covenant 1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

The Hematoi descend from the unions of gods and mortals, and the children of two Hematoi-pure-bloods-have godlike powers. Children of Hematoi and mortals-well, not so much. Half-bloods only have two options: become trained Sentinels who hunt and kill daimons or become servants in the homes of the pures.Seventeen-year-old Alexandria would rather risk her life fighting than waste it scrubbing toilets, but she may end up slumming it anyway. There are several rules that students at the Covenant must follow. Alex has problems with them all, but especially rule #1:Relationships between pures and halfs are forbidden.Unfortunately, she's crushing hard on the totally hot pure-blood Aiden. But falling for Aiden isn't her biggest problem--staying alive long enough to graduate the Covenant and become a Sentinel is. If she fails in her duty, she faces a future worse than death or slavery: being turned into a daimon, and being hunted by Aiden. And that would kind of suck. (Summary found on Amazon)

Sunday, April 1, 2012

GREEK WEEK - The Getty Villa

Yesterday, we visited The Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades, CA built in 2006. It's a separate addition to the The Getty only ten miles away. The awesome part about both museums is that there is no entrance fee. You just have to pay a parking fee of $15. If you decide to visit The Getty Villa, you will need to make a free reservation online and you can do that by clicking here.


Beginning March 28th through July 9th, 2012, The Getty Villa has an exhibition of Aphrodite and Gods of Love. I was so excited when I just happen to visit the site and see the new, main exhibit. Unfortunately, there were no pictures allowed in the exhibit, and honestly, none would do them justice. The exhibit's walls were painted a rich, dark purple and all of the marble statues were illuminated with precise lighting.


Mary and I have read a ton books in the last year, some of favorites included the ones based on Greek Mythology. It all started with Starcrossed by Josie Angelini, following The Goddess Test and Goddess Interrupted by Aimee Carter and the the devouring of Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout. Pure, also by Armentrout is out this Tuesday!

Friday, March 30, 2012

Review: The Pledge by Kimberly Derting

In the violent country of Ludania, the language you speak determines what class you are, and there are harsh punishments if you forget your place—looking a member of a higher class in the eye can result in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina (Charlie for short) can understand all languages, a dangerous ability she’s been hiding her whole life. Her only place of release is the drug-filled underground club scene, where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. There, she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy who speaks a language she’s never heard, and her secret is almost exposed. Through a series of violent upheavals, it becomes clear that Charlie herself is the key to forcing out the oppressive power structure of her kingdom…. (Summary as found on Amazon)