YA Book Club: Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson

YA book club is hosted by Tracey Neithercott. This month's book is Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson.

From Goodreads:

Taylor Edwards’ family might not be the closest-knit—everyone is a little too busy and overscheduled—but for the most part, they get along just fine. Then Taylor’s dad gets devastating news, and her parents decide that the family will spend one last summer all together at their old lake house in the Pocono Mountains.

Crammed into a place much smaller and more rustic than they are used to, they begin to get to know each other again. And Taylor discovers that the people she thought she had left behind haven’t actually gone anywhere. Her former best friend is still around, as is her first boyfriend…and he’s much cuter at seventeen than he was at twelve.

As the summer progresses and the Edwards become more of a family, they’re more aware than ever that they’re battling a ticking clock. Sometimes, though, there is just enough time to get a second chance—with family, with friends, and with love.

I absolutely loved Morgan Matson's debut,  Amy and Roger's Epic Detour, but I held off on reading this book for a long time because I knew it would be so sad. That's why I'm glad it was chosen for YA Book Club - it gave me the push I needed to read it. I loved it.

I could definitely relate to Taylor and her family. My family is similar in many ways - we get along fine, but I wouldn't say we are super close. We don't hug constantly or say "I love you" all the time, and we're not the type to sit around and talk about our feelings or sad things. 

Even though I'm the oldest in my family, I couldn't help but think of my siblings. My brother is also super smart like Warren. And I don't know if it's necessarily a talent (like Gelsey's ballet), but my sister is a teacher and everyone thinks she is really good at it. And then there's me, the unexceptional one in the family. I like to think I'm a pretty good writer (and I am a journalist on the side, although not a "real" journalist according to my dad) but until I get a book published, it doesn't count. 

There's so much more to the story than just her dad's health. There's a former best friend and boyfriend. A job at the beach. New friends. A dog. There's just so much about the book that I loved.

I enjoyed finding out what happened with Taylor's former best friend. I like stories where best friends have falling outs, having been there myself. Every YA main character has a best friend. But not every friendship is perfect! I love books that explore friendships. Also loved Henry and their relationship as well. It was really sweet. 

Despite all the sadness with her dad, it really wasn't a sad book. I loved reading about her summer adventures, especially since I've never had a summer like that - staying in a lake house, spending all summer on the beach. I liked the breakfasts between Taylor and her dad or how they'd stop for ice cream. Or the silly puns. Even though there was always that sadness in the back of my mind, it still made me smile. Everything made me think of my own dad, even though I hate the idea of anything bad ever happening to him.

This book is definitely sad. It made me cry. But I loved it.

What's Up Wednesday

Hey everyone! Wow, thank you all so much for the comments on my last blog! I really appreciate that you guys are taking the time to read my blog and comment.

It's Wednesday, which means time for another What's Up Wednesday!

WHAT I'M READING

Amanda Knox's memoir, WAITING TO BE HEARD.


I remember back when the murder happened. I was fascinated by the story and followed all the news reports. I studied abroad in college and I think that is what drew me to the story. What if that had happened to me? I never would have put myself into those situations, though.

I believe Amanda is innocent, but I think she knows more than she is letting on. That is just my opinion. The book is really long (guess I'm used to quick YA reads!) but I really like it. I enjoy reading Amanda's side of the story even though I have cringed quite a bit - both at the inappropriate ways she reacted and handled things and also the horrible things she went through.

WHAT I'M WRITING

Over the weekend, I finally got out my WIP. I hadn't looked at the thing in months. I hate to admit, it's kind of awful. I still love my story and characters, and I think there's something good in there... But it needs A LOT of help. I spent an hour just changing all the verbs from past to present. I refuse to give up on this story because I believe in it, but I'm not really sure what to do with it at this point. Start over? I am thinking about taking what I do have & putting it on post-it notes to organize it, and seeing how that turns out.

I mentioned in my last post how my dad said he's given up on me ever writing a book. Well, I went to Starbucks on Saturday to do some writing. When I saw my dad on Father's Day, he asked me, "So did you finish your book yet? You said you went to Starbucks yesterday." Um, no I did not finish. I'm not really sure what to make of his comment. Did he really think I could write a book in one hour? Or was it a subtle jab at the fact that I'll never finish the book? Or what??? I'm not sure what to think.

What are some rude/weird/awkward comments you've gotten about writing? Stuff like "So, when is your book going to be at Barnes & Noble?" or "How hard can it be to just write some words?"

I'm a part-time journalist and my stories typically take up an entire page in the local newspaper. My dad will often say to me, "You can write an article that long. Just do that a few more times and you'll have a book."

I imagine it's what aspiring actors feel like. "When am I going to see you on tv?" "What would I have seen you in?" "I saw this great musical on Broadway. Why don't you try for something like that?"

WHAT INSPIRES ME RIGHT NOW

First, all of you inspire me. I love that we're all in this together. I love reading about what everyone else is up to, cheering people on, and getting awesome news from my writer friends (Congrats again to Rachel for getting an agent!)

Friday night I attended a book signing, Young Authors Give Back. So.... I will admit something. I misread the name of the event. I thought it was Young Adult Authors Give Back. oops. So it turns out that while they were all young adult authors, they were all young authors (all had gotten book deals at young ages) and they were giving back to other young aspiring writers. Well... I'm not exactly young. They said their target audience was high school to about 25 years old. Oops. I still enjoyed the event. I got to meet Erin Bowman who was incredibly sweet. And no one said anything about how I was too old to be there, so I think it was okay. ;)

Finally... I got some bad news about a close friend recently. She was diagnosed with breast cancer. I won't go into detail here because I want to protect her privacy. But I want to say that she inspires me. Honestly she always has -- I've always looked up to her and admired her. Now I admire her even more. She is incredibly strong and a fighter. I know she will beat this. She has already inspired me to eat better, put things in perspective, and be thankful for my health.

WHAT ELSE I'VE BEEN UP TO

Tonight my tap class got together for our end of the year dinner. It was so much fun. Great food, amazing sangria, and a chance to get to know my classmates better.

This weekend I'm going to be hanging out with 2 of my best friends. I cannot wait! I'm so excited to see them and just hang out and have some girl time!

Well, that's it. Thanks everyone for reading. Hey, this What's Up Wednesday idea is pretty awesome. I may even keep it up after Ready Set Write is over.

What's Up Wednesday

Here's my very first What's Up Wednesday post!



What's Up Wednesday was started by Jaime Morrow and Erin Funk. It's "a weekly meme geared toward readers and writers, allowing us to touch base with blog friends and let them know what's up."

Also, I am participating in


and we are going to update each week with these What's Up Wednesday posts.

Since I desperately needed a push to get back to writing, and I hardly ever update on here, it sounded perfect to me! So here we go.

WHAT I'M READING
I just finished the latest Pretty Little Liars book, Crushed.


Will we ever find out who A is? Who knows. Before that, I read All I Need by Susane Colasanti. Up next is either All the Summer Girls by Meg Donohue or Amanda Knox's memoir.

WHAT I'M WRITING
I plan to work on my WIP for Ready. Set. Write! The same WIP that I've been working on for like 2 years or so. I would love to finish it this summer, spending some time revising it, and maybe query sometime this year. Big goals, I know. But maybe that will motivate me? (or completely NOT motivate me.) And at some point this summer, I plan to reveal what my book is about. I've only told a few people and everyone is really positive about it, but I get so nervous about sharing it.

The other day, my copy of Valpo magazine arrived. I noticed there is a part called "Alumni Ink" where they list books that alumni have written. I said to my dad, "If I ever get published, my book will be in the magazine!" He said he's pretty much given up on me ever writing a book. :( It was really hard to hear that since my dad has been pretty much my biggest cheerleader in writing a book. For years. It's like HIS lifelong dream that I write a book. So to hear that he's given up on me... well, it made me feel really shitty.

So what is my problem? Why can't I just write the darn thing? I want this. I want to write the book and I feel like I have a good story to tell. Am I just lazy? Am I afraid of rejection? I don't know. But I've decided that my goal is to write a book. Getting an agent and/or getting published are things I can't control. But I can at least finish the book.

WHAT INSPIRES ME RIGHT NOW
I'm surrounded by inspiration. I have so many creative, talented friends. I work in a creative industry. Two things in particular that are inspiring me right now are the show Push Girls and singer/songwriter Tony Lucca. Some of you may recognize Tony Lucca from season 2 of the Voice (and he returned to the show last night to perform his new single!) Well, I went to one of his shows back in April and was just really impressed when he talked about his songwriting process. It was a small, intimate show and even though I was exhausted from a long day at work (new website launch!) plus a long drive, I was just blown away by his performance and it's stuck with me.

The show Push Girls inspires me on many levels. It came out last year, back when I was actually working on my WIP, and the timing couldn't have been more perfect. Plus, the girls on the show are pretty amazing.

WHAT ELSE I'VE BEEN UP TO
Tap dancing! Our recital was a couple weekends ago and it was so much fun. Our song was "Miss Otis Regrets" by Bette Midler. I don't want to post a picture of my class, but here's a picture of our costumes:


 I had such a great time. I love my class. Summer session starts up tomorrow night!

Well, that's about it!

Ready. Set. Write!

I am so excited to participate in Ready. Set. Write!













For more information, check this out.

I think this is exactly what I need right now. Hope to get lots of writing done over the next 2 months!

Birthday Wish List

My birthday is coming up soon! I have a love/hate relationship with my birthday. I love that it's the one day of the year that you get to be the center of attention and everyone has to be nice to you. I hate getting older. I know age is just a number, but I'm not where I hoped I'd be at this point in my life. So, to try to cheer myself up, I decided to make a wish list.

1. Amazon Kindle Paperwhite

I have a Nook, but it's 3+ years old and it's so big and bulky. Plus, I like how this Kindle has a light, and it tells you how much longer until you're done with the chapter you're reading.

2. Books for the Kindle. Of course!

3. Tony Lucca's Canyon Songs

I went to one of Tony's shows earlier this month and he played this song "Around the Bend" that I absolutely loved. I have at least 7 of Tony's cds but somehow I missed this one. I usually don't listen to music when I'm writing, but as I was listening to Tony sing, I was struck by his beautiful lyrics. He is a really talented songwriter. I think I may need to listen to some of his music next time I write.

4. Star bracelet 

I just love this bracelet!

5. Ticket to see The Book of Mormon

Well, I actually bought myself a ticket to see The Book of Mormon. I have tap the night of my birthday, so I couldn't go that night, but I'm going a couple days later. My mom said it's "sad" that I'm going by myself. Well, my friends either have already seen it, aren't interested, or can't afford it. So it was either go by myself or miss out on seeing the musical. I chose to see it! I'm not going to miss out on seeing this amazing musical just because I couldn't find someone to go with me!

YA Book Club: Just One Day

So excited to participate in YA Book Club this month! YA Book Club is hosted by Tracey Neithercott and this month we are discussing Just One Day by Gayle Forman.

From Goodreads:

A breathtaking journey toward self-discovery and true love, from the author of If I Stay

When sheltered American good girl Allyson "LuLu" Healey first meets laid-back Dutch actor Willem De Ruiter at an underground performance of Twelfth Night in England, there’s an undeniable spark. After just one day together, that spark bursts into a flame, or so it seems to Allyson, until the following morning, when she wakes up after a whirlwind day in Paris to discover that Willem has left. Over the next year, Allyson embarks on a journey to come to terms with the narrow confines of her life, and through Shakespeare, travel, and a quest for her almost-true-love, to break free of those confines.

Just One Day is the first in a sweepingly romantic duet of novels. Willem’s story—Just One Year—is coming soon!

I loved this book so much.

Okay, I will admit, I wasn't too sure about it at first. I had recently rewatched the movie "Taken" and couldn't stop thinking about that. At times, Allyson drove me crazy. However, I ended up loving it. I rarely ever reread books, but I am kicking myself for not buying a copy of this book (I got it from the library) because I already want to read it again.

I could relate to the main character, Allyson, in so many ways. I think I was (am?) a sheltered good girl. I was a lot like Allyson at that age, wanting to please my parents, having a lack of confidence, trying to figure out who I was. At times I got frustrated with Allyson, but I couldn't help but like her because I saw so much of myself in her.

Another thing I loved was the setting. I absolutely love Paris, and always have. In 6th grade I was in French Back to Back. My parents didn't let me travel to France, but we hosted a French student for 3 weeks. I was hooked. I could not wait to get to high school so I could take French, and it was everything I hoped it would be. I finally got to go to Paris during my senior year of college and I loved it. I can't wait to go back someday! (Hopefully next year?!) I will say, however, that I thought their day in Paris kind of sucked. It's not how I would have wanted to spend a day in Paris at all! But I get it. It was right for Allyson and Willem. It was the day Allyson needed to have.

This book is just amazing, and I highly recommend it. Obviously, I cannot wait to read Just One Year, the sequel, which is from Willem's point of view.

Ugh, just talking about this book right now is making me want to reread it!! But I never reread books! I have a feeling I will be placing an Amazon order soon.

So...I kind of had my own little Just One Day experience once. It wasn't nearly as romantic or life-changing as Allyson's, but it still made an impact on me. And since I never get to tell this story, I thought now would be the perfect time.

During my senior year of college, I spent a semester abroad in England. It was one of the best experiences of my life. During that semester, we had about 3 weeks off for Fall Break, and everyone backpacked around Europe. I traveled with two girls from the group.

One of our stops was Switzerland. While there, my travel partners wanted to ice climb. I decided not to join them. First, I hate cold weather. Second, these two girls were best friends and I often either felt like a third wheel, or that I was interfering on their trip. So I decided to give them some space and do my own thing.

We were in the Alps, which are breathtaking. I decided to take the train up to Jungfraujoch, the highest train station in Europe. There's a bunch of stuff to do once you get there, like exhibits, amazing views, restaurants, etc. They had a video you could watch, and I thought that would be a good way to get started so I headed over there. I was the first person to arrive, so I sat and waited. A guy came up to me and after saying hi, asked me, "Where are you from?"

During my time in Europe, I never knew how to answer that! Do I say the US? Chicago? Illinois? I never said the name of the suburb I was from or my college, because no one would know where those places were. So I said, "The United States." haha. So lame. He was like, "Yeah, I know. Where?" I said, "Chicago." He said, "Are you actually from Chicago? Because I'm from San Francisco and I hate when people say they're from San Francisco and they are actually from someone nearby." I admitted I was not, in fact, from Chicago, but from a suburb. We ended up talking for awhile and then watching the movie together.

After the movie was over, we ended up spending the whole day together. We never actually said anything like "Hey, want to hang out today?" but it just happened. We explored, walked around, looked at the view. When we decided to break for lunch, we even ended up finding each other again in the crowd. It just happened. We even left the station at the same time and ended up sitting together on the train back.

Here's the thing. I barely knew anything about him. We never exchanged information or said we'd stay in touch. But we spent the whole day together and had a really nice time. I think his name was Mark. I think he said he had a sister. I remember him teasing me because I was so much younger than him. (I was 21 at the time and he was in his late 20s). I remember on the train ride back that he was wearing some kind of windbreaker jacket that he could fold up really small and carry in his pocket.

I have no pictures of our day together. No proof that I met this guy or spent the day with him. This was back in the day before everyone had digital cameras (I'm so old!) and no one was doing the self-portrait type pictures. No one around us spoke English, so it would have been hard to ask someone to take a picture of us. And how would I even ask this guy, who I just met, if I could get a picture of us together?!

Unfortunately, my memories of this day are fuzzy (oh how I wish I was into journaling! My biggest regret in life). However, here's why it was so important to me. As I mentioned before, I was a bit reserved and sheltered. I never took chances or stepped out of my comfort zone. I didn't have much self confidence. I never struck up conversations with cute, older guys and spent the day with them. But this time I did! I had an amazing day in Switzerland and I will never forget that. 

2013 Debut Author Challenge

I am super excited to participate in the 2013 Debut Author Challenge! This is my first time trying something like this. There are so many good books coming out this year that I couldn't pass it up! My "to read" list just keeps getting longer...

Here's what I plan to read this year!

Taken by Erin Bowman

The Tragedy Paper by Elizabeth LaBan

Fault Line by Christa Desir

Charm & Strange by Stephanie Kuehn

Red by Alison Cherry

My Life After Now by Jessica Verdi

The Rules for Disappearing by Ashley Elston

Dualed by Elsie Chapman

Prep School Confidential by Kara Taylor

All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill

A Point So Delicate by Brandy Colbert

These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman