THE QUEEN OF KENTUCKY: ALECIA WHITAKER

So many books attempt what this adorable book succeeds at doing for the reader. It plops you right in the head of a loveable character and reminds you what it was really like to be 14. I loved this. Ricky Jo is adorable and strong, but still young and stupid. I found myself wanting to stand up and cheer for her when things were going well and hide under a rock with her when she was humiliated. I would love this book to become a series, because it would be a treat to see Ricky Jo or Erica as she wants to be called, grow up.

BOOK BLURB:
Fourteen-year-old Kentucky girl Ricki Jo Winstead, who would prefer to be called Ericka, thank you very much, is eager to shed her farmer's daughter roots and become part of the popular crowd at her small town high school. She trades her Bible for Seventeen magazine, buys new "sophisticated" clothes and somehow manages to secure a tenuous spot at the cool kids table. She's on top of the world, even though her best friend and the boy next door Luke says he misses "plain old Ricki Jo."

Caught between being a country girl and wannabe country club girl, Ricki Jo begins to forget who she truly is: someone who doesn't care what people think and who wouldn't let a good-looking guy walk all over her. It takes a serious incident out on Luke's farm for Ricki Jo to realize that being a true friend is more important than being popular.

I recommended this to my librarian and she told me yesterday that she was loving it.

Read more about it on goodreadsHERE.

GRAFFITI MOON: CATH CROWLEY

Cath Crowley is an amazingly talented writer. She turns ordinary words into something magical. And she has done it again with her newest book, Graffiti Moon. I was so excited for this book I was going crazy. When I sat down to read it, I could barley take my eyes away from the pages. Just like her book A Little Wanting Song (which was my #2 book of the year last year), she has introduced me to characters that I could spend hours reading about them doing nothing.

BOOK BLURB:
Senior year is over, and Lucy has the perfect way to celebrate: tonight, she's going to find Shadow, the mysterious graffiti artist whose work appears all over the city. He's out there somewhere—spraying color, spraying birds and blue sky on the night—and Lucy knows a guy who paints like Shadow is someone she could fall for. Really fall for. Instead, Lucy's stuck at a party with Ed, the guy she's managed to avoid since the most awkward date of her life. But when Ed tells her he knows where to find Shadow, they're suddenly on an all-night search around the city. And what Lucy can't see is the one thing that's right before her eyes.

I sincerely hope you check this one out along with Wanting Song, which I don't doubt will have it's own post on here sometime in the future because as much as I loved Graffiti Moon, it still has hold of a special place in my heart. Also, I hope that I can finally learn how to spell graffiti properly now that I have typed it so many times on this post. (Is it two t's and one i, or two i's and one t, or two t's and two i's or just one t and one i?)

Find out more about Cath Crowley and her books on goodreads HERE.

Also if reading this book sparks an interest in graffiti art, I give both my thumbs up for the movie Exit Through the Gift Shop. Watching it will make you cooler for sure, and who doesn't want to be a little bit cooler?

I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU SOMEONE ELSE: ERIN McCAHAN

This is one of my all time favorites, and I am of the mind that not enough people have read this book. Why is it so great? I will tell you. First off McCahan's writing is sassy, smart, and sweet. Our main character Bronwen has some freaking values which makes her stand out in a crowd of silly heroines. She is still flawed though and has a lot to learn about love and life and she makes the journey a joy.

BOOK BLURB:

Eighteen-year-old Bronwen Oliver has a secret: She's really Phoebe, the lost daughter of the loving Lilywhite family. That's the only way to explain her image-obsessed mother; a kind but distant stepfather; and a brother with a small personality complex. Bronwen knows she must have been switched at birth, and she can't wait to get away from her "family" for good.
Then she meets Jared Sondervan. He's sweet, funny, everything she wants — and he has the family Bronwen has always wanted too. She falls head over heels in love, and when he proposes marriage, she joyfully accepts. But is Jared truly what she needs? And if he's not, she has to ask: What would Phoebe Lilywhite do?
I recommend this read all the time, and I keep having to buy more copies because I am always giving them away. I can't help but want to share the love of Bronwen and Jared...AND this book with everyone I can. This is also a very clean read BTW.Read more about it on goodreads HERE.

AUSTENLAND WINNER

Congrats to the winner of Austenland:

rpratt

Email me at sunnydee53 at hotmail dot com with your address and I will send it your way!

SIGNED MIDNIGHT IN AUSTENLAND GIVEAWAY

Time for the next giveaway. A signed copy of Shannon Hale's new book Midnight in Austenland. If you loved Austenland, you will be equally happy with this follow up book with a little mystery twist. Full of Hale's signature sass this book was a very fun read.

BOOK BLURB:
When Charlotte Kinder treats herself to a two-week vacation at Austenland, she happily leaves behind her ex-husband and his delightful new wife, her ever-grateful children, and all the rest of her real life in America. She dons a bonnet and stays at a country manor house that provides an immersive Austen experience, complete with gentleman actors who cater to the guests' Austen fantasies.

Everyone at Pembrook Park is playing a role, but increasingly, Charlotte isn't sure where roles end and reality begins. And as the parlor games turn a little bit menacing, she finds she needs more than a good corset to keep herself safe. Is the brooding Mr. Mallery as sinister as he seems? What is Miss Gardenside's mysterious ailment? Was that an actual dead body in the secret attic room? And-perhaps of the most lasting importance-could the stirrings in Charlotte's heart be a sign of real-life love?

The follow-up to reader favorite Austenland provides the same perfectly plotted pleasures, with a feisty new heroine, plenty of fresh and frightening twists, and the possibility of a romance that might just go beyond the proper bounds of Austen's world. How could it not turn out right in the end?

To enter:

1.Become a follower of my blog, and leave a comment on this post that you are now a follower. (if you are already a follower, all you need to do is leave a comment.)

2. To get more entries you need to talk about this giveaway on a blog, facebook, or twitter with a link to this contest, and then leave a comment on this post that you did it. You get an individual entry by promoting my blog and contest using all three social media devices.

I am closing this contest Friday, Februrary 10th. Winner will be announced on Saturday the 11th here on the blog.

I love supporting my fellow Utah authors so thanks for spreading the word about Midnight in Austenland. Oh and of course thanks for following my little new little blog, who as of tomorrow will be one month old. Ah, they grow up so fast.

CATCHING JORDAN: MIRANDA KENNEALLY

I hate football, I mean hate it. I hate the very sound of it. I hate when family comes over and puts it on MY television. I hate that it is supposed to be the center of every high school experience. However, Friday Night Lights is one of my favorite shows of all time, so I guess not everything football is the worst thing ever, even to me, the football hater.

Catching Jordan transcends my hate of football and actually introduces me to some endearing (surprise) football players. Including one adorable girl super star Jordan. This isn't a perfect book and Jordan makes a few big decisions that seem out of character, but this book has one HUGE thing going for it. It has the what I call the "giddy factor", and it has it big time. Wanna feel giddy? This is for you.

BOOK BLURB:
What girl doesn't want to be surrounded by gorgeous jocks day in and day out? Jordan Woods isn't just surrounded by hot guys, though-she leads them as the captain and quarterback of her high school football team. They all see her as one of the guys, and that's just fine. As long as she gets her athletic scholarship to a powerhouse university. But now there's a new guy in town who threatens her starting position... suddenly she's hoping he'll see her as more than just a teammate.

Can't wait for the companion book Stealing Parker coming out this October.

Read more about this on goodreads HERE. Oh and if you haven't ever watched Friday Night Lights...you need to! Oh Coach Taylor be still my heart! Tim Riggins take me away!

EVERNEATH WINNER ANNOUNCED

First of all a special thanks to all of you who followed, facebooked, and twittered about this contest. I had no expectations for how many followers I would get from this contest and I am pleasantly surprised. Welcome to my blog and I hope you will find yourself enjoying some of my recommendations in the future.

A huge special thanks to my author friends who spread the word about the giveaway. Bree Despain and Brodi Ashton. Also my dear friend Emily at Super Reader Girl Reviews was very diligent in spreading the word. Chances are, most of you found your way here because of these three girls.

The winner is:

brandisbookmusings

Congrats and email me at sunnydee53 at hotmail dot com so I can get your mailing address.

I will be giving away another signed new release next week. I'll give you a hint of what it is and if you leave a comment on this post with your guess I will give you one more entry to win it!

HINT: This new release pays homage to the most famous classic female author that has ever lived.

Any guesses? It isn't that hard to figure out. I'm not all that sneaky.