Another Giveaway!

The Lovely People over at Fiewel & Friends (a division of Macmillan) have donated two books for a giveaway!  These two books are:  A paperback copy of Halo and a Hardcover of Hades!  Both books were amazing and I hope whoever wins them really enjoys them!  Anyway, Here's the giveaway! Good Luck!

Author Sara Grant!

Hello Blog Readers!  I feel like you should have a name....How does Remarkable Readers sound?  Let me know! :)  Anyway, today I'm super ecstatic to have Sara Grant, author of Dark Parties, here for a guest post!  Without further ado, I would like to introduce Sara Grant and her awesome guest post (no joke, it really is awesome! :) ) !

In the beginning…

Where to begin? 

I ask the same question when I sit down to write – regardless of whether it’s a new novel, the tenth revision or a guest post for a lovely blog like Remarkable Reads. (Thanks for inviting me, by the way!)

So much rides on the opening lines. I’ve heard numerous book editors say that the first page of a manuscript – some even say the first paragraph (eeks!) – determines whether or not the book will have a chance at publication. 

Here’s a few opening lines that lodged themselves into my psyche and demanded I read on:

Waiting on Wednesdays

To Rosa Alcantara, the exotic world of Sicily, with its network of Mafia families and its reputation for murder and intrigue, is just that—exotic and wholly unknown. But when her life in Brooklyn begins to fall apart, she must travel there, to her family’s ancestral home, where centuries of family secrets await her. 

Once there, Rosa falls head over heels for Alessandro Carnevare, the son of a Sicilian Mafia family, whose handsome looks and savage grace both fascinate and unsettle her. But their families are sworn enemies, and her aunt and sister believe Alessandro is only using Rosa to infiltrate the Alcantara clan. And when Rosa encounters a tiger one night—a tiger with very familiar eyes—she can no longer deny that neither the Carnevares nor the Alcantaras are what they seem. 

Hidden caves, dangerous beasts roaming the hills, and a history of familial bloodlust mean that Rosa can’t trust anyone. Torn between loyalty to her family and love for their mortal enemy, Rosa must make the hardest decision of her life: stay in Sicily with her new love…or run as far and as fast as she can.

This sounds amazing!  The Cover is awesome and I really hope that I can get an ARC for this!!

WWW Wednesday

Currently Reading: Uglies by Scott Westerfield

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

All American Girl by Meg Cabot

Recently Finished: The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

Boyfriend from Hell by E Van. Lowe (Enter to win an eCopy on the contest page!)

Probably Reading Next: Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan

Boyfriend from Hell Blog Tour and Giveaway

Fifteen year-old Megan Barnett and her single mom, Suze, have a special relationship—they are friends, close friends, who do almost everything together. 

“But come on, guys, she’s my mother… Can I really tell her that while we’re snuggled up on the sofa watching Spider Man Three, I’m secretly undressing James Franco with my eyes? Of course not…” 

The special bond takes a turn for the worse when Suze decides to start dating again. She hasn’t had a man in her life since Megan’s father left ten years ago. 

Enter two mysterious young men, Megan’s new classmate, sinfully attractive bad boy, Guy Matson, and the dangerously handsome art dealer, Armando. Before long Megan and Suze both wind up in steamy relationships. 

But neither of the handsome pair is quite what he seems. In fact, one of them is Satan, with his sights set on a new bride. Megan has precious little time to figure out how to stop him. If she doesn’t, either Megan or Suze are quite literally going to HELL.

Boyfriend from Hell by E Van Lowe

Genre: Young Adult Paranormal

Source: ECopy from Author

Series: Yes, Book Number One

Other Books: Earth Angel 

Attention: Readathon Ahead!

Hello All!  For some reason I've decided to host a readathon.  I'm planning it very far in advance so that we can have a ton of participants.  This readathon will take place over the Holiday break so from December 22nd all the way to January 1st!  It will be the perfect time to finish up all your 2011 challenges and make it to your reading goals for 2011.  I'd like any bloggers who would like to host giveaways and mini challenges throughout the readathon to signup below and if you'd like to sign up to be a part of the readathon, you can also do that below!  The Readathon is called...Drumroll Please!.... The Wrapping up 2011 Readathon!  I hope you'll participate!


What is a Readathon?
A Readathon is where you set a goal for yourself to read more books that is beyond your average number of books you read. There is no minimum, it's all up to you! Push yourself to get some of those books read that have been sitting on your shelves for awhile! You can read any type of book you choose!
(Definition taken from Angela at Reading Angel!) ( Also from Katie at Katie's Book Blog )


The Hashtag for quick updates and chatter about the readathon is: #WU2011R


How to enter:  Fill out the form and add your blog or website to the linky!  If you are posting from twitter, leave your profile URL.  If you don't have a website, blog, or twitter, you can update in the comments of the kickoff post on December 22nd, just make sure to fill out the form!


Here is the button for the readathon!

Please Note: There will eventually be an HTML code, but I'm currently experiencing technical difficulties. For Now, please just add a picture widget and link to here: http://goo.gl/I8ZEO

This is my first time hosting a readathon but, if all goes well, this may even turn into an annual thing!


*For Bloggers who would like to host: Fill out This Form
For Anyone who would like to participate: Fill out This Form


*If you would like to host, you have to fill out both forms!
Attention Authors, Publishers, Marketing, Etc! - If You Would Like to Donate a Prize for the giveaways, I would love that! :)  Just fill out the form and/ or send me an email (remarkablereads@gmail.com) !  Thanks!

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

Young readers who have worked their way through Lemony Snicket may well find their next obsession in The Mysterious Benedict Society, a dandy YA debut by novelist Trenton Lee Stewart. This engaging tale has all the elements tweens find intriguing: gifted kids, a dangerous mission, and a secret society where nothing is as it seems. Stewart throws plenty of challenges -- physical, mental, and moral -- in the path of his young protagonists, and readers will have fun solving the riddles and unraveling the clues in this smart, unconventional mystery. Complex, unpredictable, and deeply respectful of children's innate intelligence, The Mysterious Benedict Society is highly recommended for thoughtful preteens. P.S. We loved it, too!

Genre: Middle Grade Adventure

Source: Purchased by Myself

Series: Yes, Trilogy, Book Number One

Other Books: The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey, The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner’s Dilemma

Buy It: The Book Depository 

Buy The Entire Series: The Book Depository 

     I want to start by saying that I am not a fan of Middle Grade.  I usually don’t like it because of the juvenile writing style but, take notice of the word “usually.”  The Mysterious Benedict Society completely changed all of my preconceived opinions about Middle Grade Fiction.  For Months the cover had stared me down in TJ Maxx (They get a shipment of books once in a while) and I finally decided to check it out.  I had also seen Priscilla from The Readables review it and she loved it!  While my mother and sister were browsing the store, I sat down for a few minutes to read the first few pages and decide if I wanted to buy it.  Somewhere between page 1 and 10, the decision was already made- I was walking out of there with that book.  For $5, it was a steal - How could I say no?  From then on, I was hooked and finished it within a few days. 

     The Book definitely had a very whimsical feel- from the cover to the color scheme and even the writing.  The whole book reminded me of a Roahld Dahl book, but lightened up.  I really enjoyed Trenton Lee Stewart’s writing style and will check out any other books that he has written.  I loved the beginning and really enjoyed trying to figure out all the answers on the tests that Reynie had to take.  I’m really a big fan of riddles, that being said, that is probably the reason I loved this book so much and I’m really looking forward to reading the next book in the series because it follows a scavenger hunt!

      The Mysterious Benedict Society was definitely a character driven book.  I’d say that 99% of the characters were Dynamic, meaning that they underwent changes throughout the story.  The story was mostly focused on Reynie, a young orphan.  I loved how Reynie had a childish way of thinking, but in reality was very intelligent.  By Childish was of thinking, I mean that Reynie still thought about upsetting his friends and doubted himself.  Of Course adults do those things, too, but you could tell that Reynie was of a young age.  I really liked Sticky, Kate, and Constance also!  I could ramble on forever about how great the characters in this book were, but instead I’ll make it quick ;)  I LOVED Kate!  Her and her red bucket were so unique and I hate to sound cheesy, but she had so much “Girl Power” !  Constance’s stubbornness was very humorous, which I really enjoyed.  I also liked Sticky because he was mysterious in the beginning and was a very Dynamic character.  

     I really loved The Mysterious Benedict Society and its whimsical style!  I’ll definitely be checking out the rest of the series!

Final Grade: 

IMM #12

Here's my IMM!  What do you think?!