Ted Saves the World Blog Tour and Giveaway

Today I have a  Guest post, Author Bryan Cohen is running a blog tour to promote his book, and today he is stopping here to share with you a bit about where his ideas came from, so can everyone please welcome Bryan:

Description of Ted Saves the World :
A possessed cheerleader. A cursed gang of criminals. Mysterious telekinetic powers. An angry ex-girlfriend in gym class? One second, sophomore in high school Ted endures his first breakup in his favorite place in town. The next, a mysterious blue light turns him into a worldwide superhero sensation for taking down a posse of grisly murderers. As his views on YouTube increase and his friend Dhiraj tries to capitalize on the marketing potential, his dangers increase as well when a presumed-dead cheerleader begins taking a personal interest. Can Ted survive his first week as a superhero in the public eye? This novella is the first taste in a series of full-length novels about the adventures of Ted Finley and Erica LaPlante. The book is also available on Barnes & Noble and Smashwords for $0.99.

Master of the Breakup 
By Bryan Cohen 

Between middle school and the end of college, I was broken up with at least six times. Since they say you should write what you know, I started my series opener, Ted Saves the World, with a breakup.

The first time I ever endured a breakup it was completely devastating. I was so scared and sensitive about my premiere relationship in the first place, I was afraid to even talk to the girl after we'd started dating (I was in 7th grade, give me a break). After a series of ladies who didn't want to go on date #1, I had the "end of high school" relationship, which ceased to be as I went off to college. This was one of those long and drawn out breakups that ended with tears and a batch of cookies to take to school.

By the time the third breakup came around, to a girl three years my senior (which was totally brag-worthy as a sophomore in college), I started to get the hang of it. By being ridiculously understanding and keeping my emotions at bay during the breakup conversation, I was able to gain the title "the best person to breakup with ever." Self-proclaimed of course.

One time, I did such a good job of being broken up with, that the girl wanted to get back together within 3 days. It didn't end up working out in the end, but all of this wonderfully awkward and emotional break-up experience has led me to know the inner workings of this relationship-ender like the back of my hand.

Shortly after Ted is broken up with by his first love, Jess, he gains super powers and saves the lives of 27 people. Obviously, the super powers thing never happened to me, but getting to play with how Jess looks at him after he becomes a worldwide phenomenon has been very enjoyable to write. As a kid, I used to dream about how these exes would think of me if I became famous. Now I get to write about it. Hopefully, this will lead to a long and fruitful relationship...with my readers!


-- Giveaway: 
Bryan Cohen is giving away four $25 Amazon gift cards, one for each week of his month long blog tour. To enter, simply comment with your e-mail address (feel free to substitute @ with (at) or other tricks to stop spammers from getting it). Bryan will draw the four names at the end of the tour, picking one entrant at random from each week’s set of blog posts. Entries will be counted through Monday, August 15th, 2011. Enter on as many sites as you want, follow the tour at Build Creative Writing Ideas. If Ted reaches the Top 100 on Amazon at any point during the tour, a fifth $25 card will be added to the giveaway.

-- Biography:
Bryan Cohen is a writer, actor and comedian from Dresher, Pennsylvania. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2005 with degrees in English and Dramatic Art and a minor in Creative Writing. He has written seven books including 1,000 Creative Writing Prompts: Ideas for Blogs, Scripts, Stories and More. Contact Bryan through his Ted Saves the World blog, his Build Creative Writing Ideas site or Twitter

Creatively stuck? ::: http://www.build-creative-writing-ideas.com
Like Nerdy Superheroes? ::: http://www.bryancohen.com 




Thanks for the post Bryan, Good Luck with your book, was great having you here.

So check out the websites and find yourself a copy to get reading. :D

Book Review - Dead Beautiful

Title: Dead Beautiful
Author: Yvonne Woon
Publisher: Usborne Publishing Ltd
Release Date: 1 May 2011
ISBN-13: 978-1409530244

Synopsis
Desire. Danger. Destiny. Little did I know that this is what I would find at Gottfried Academy. Coming from sunny California, the mist-shrouded Academy was a shock, with its strange customs, ancient curriculum and study of Latin - the language of the dead. Then I discovered that the school has more than one dark secret... I also discovered Dante. Intelligent, elusive and devastatingly gorgeous, most people can't decide whether they love, hate or fear him. All I know is that when we're together, I've never felt more alive - or more afraid.

My Review
I saw this book reviewed on quite a few blogs I follow and a lot of the reviews were positive, this book sounded good and people seemed to be enjoying it, so when it came in the library as a new book I quickly squirreled it away. However I was in the middle of another series at the time so I put it to one side. I then kept looking at it and deciding to read something else. I don't know why but I lost enthusiasm for it before I even started. Then it got requested and I knew I would have to return it so yesterday I picked it up and took it with me to work and started it in my breaks and OMG it was really gripping!
I couldn't understand why I had been putting it off, it was good. 
On Renee's 16th Birthday she finds her parents dead, side by side in the woods. Heart attacks the doctors say, but Renee is sure it's something more sinister. Her grandfather sends her to Gottfried Academy - a boarding school that teaches seemingly out of date classes - Latin, horticulture, crude science etc. There Renee learns more about her past, her future, love, life and death. 
Dante is a mystery, silent and solitary but strangely attracted to Renee, together they feel alive, but they have to come to understand that sometimes in finding love, you can lose yourself.
The writing flows well and the story is fairly well paced. I managed to finish this book quite quickly, at 500 pages I expected it to take me at least another day to read, but I found myself turning pages faster than I thought. The idea is different and gives you just enough information to get you interested, then keeps an air of mystery in it to keep you hooked. 
Some parts were fairly predictable, but then there would be moments that surprised me.
I thought Renee was well written and quite likeable, she has suffered quite a lot but doesn't let it keep her down too much. The mystery of the deaths almost takes her life over, but she grows as a character and starts to involve others in her life.
I really liked Eleanor, her room-mate, smart, funny, mischievous and a bit of a mystery.
Dante sounded like a great guy, and clearly cared about Renee, but I worked out quite early what he was. 
Overall I liked the book, the only thing that made me sigh a few times was the fact that Renee would miss out seemingly obvious hints and just glaze over them. She would be desperate for answers and someone would let something slip, but she was so focused on her thoughts that she would miss it. I found myself getting a bit annoyed with her for this. I won't give too much away but an example is at one point she is talking to her grandfather and he says something like; 'I'm impressed you found out so quickly, it took your mother till her third year to figure it out, especially in studying horticulture." but instead of picking up on this and thinking, 'what have i found out, (as this didn't fit in with the conversation she had started), instead she changes the direction back to what she originally said to him. I felt like screaming 'Pay attention!!!'
Apart from those few moments I did really enjoy the story and I liked the twist on what is a well used genre. Well written and a lot of research gone into it, definitely worth a read.


My Rating
I would give this book 7.5/10 An exciting fast paced novel with an unusual new twist on paranormal romance. 

Book Review - Everlasting

Title: Everlasting
Author: Alyson Noel
Series: The Immortals (book 6)
Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books
Release Date: 7 July 2011
ISBN-13: 978-0330528122

Synopsis
Everlasting is the sixth and final installment of the epic love story that has enchanted readers across the world. Ever and Damen have spent centuries facing down bitter rivals, jealous friends and their own worst fears-all in the hope of being together forever. Now in Everlasting, their destiny is finally within reach.
Will they be united-or torn apart forever?

My Review
I went through the first five books last year and really enjoyed them. Book 1 (Evermore) was fantastic and had me hooked in, I read through the rest quite quickly and eagerly anticipated the final in the series. Now I have to laugh here a bit, because this book seems to be following me, Amazon had it on sale at £3.29 so I got bought a copy as a present, I then found out I had won a complete set of Alyson Noel books from a Facebook competition, then I found I had won a copy from April @ Book Geek Central (I have since asked her to announce a new winner) so this book obviously wanted me to read it!
Anyway, I started this in my lunch break at work yesterday and managed to get to page 75 in the space of 45 minutes, I was absorbed, and even though it had been a while since I read the rest of the series, it soon came flooding back to me! I read it in every spare minute I could get and finished it today. 
I found myself really enjoying it, the book dives into a lot more of Ever and Damon's history, explaining some of the choices they have made and letting us see more of their growth. A lot of things come to a conclusion and are rounded off nicely, which I am very happy with as it is the last in the series. 
The writing flows well and is once again told from Ever's point of view. There is a lot of action to sink your teeth into and have you hanging off the edge of your seat. 
It picks up pretty much where Night Star left off, Ever and Damon are after the antidote to their 'curse' still unable to properly touch, and everyone around them are trying to figure out the part they play in their destiny. Once again I love Romy and Rayne, the psychic twins - so weird yet loveable. Jude is a sweetheart and I feel so sorry for him, but we get to know more about him too. 
The book really does tie up the story beautifully and left me feeling very satisfied at the end. I love how it comes together and think it is one of the best of the series. I am sorry to say goodbye to Ever and Damon, but also happy to see them on their way. 
Overall a captivating novel that leaves you breathless and smiling.

My Rating
I would give this book 9.5/10 a gripping read, the perfect conclusion to the series.     

Teaser Tuesday: Everlasting

TEAser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along, just do as following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• Be careful not to include any spoilers so as not to ruin the book for others!

Make sure to share the title and the author so other TT participants can add the book to their TBR piles!

 

My Teasers: Everlasting by Alyson Noel

"There are many who await you. The journey is yours. Yours and only yours."

Page 60

He sighs and gazes off into the distance, remaining quiet for so long I'm just about to break the silence when he says, "There's something else you need to know."

Page 198



What are your teasers?

Book Review - Forever

Title: Forever
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Series: Wolves of Mercy Falls (book 3)
Publisher: Scholastic
Release Date: 13 July 2011
ISBN-13: 978-1407121116

Synopsis

The thrilling conclusion to #1 bestselling Shiver trilogy from Maggie Stievater
In Maggie Stiefvater's SHIVER, Grace and Sam found each other. In LINGER, they fought to be together. Now, in FOREVER, the stakes are even higher than before. Wolves are being hunted. Lives are being threatened. And love is harder and harder to hold on to as death comes closing in.
  

This review may contain some spoilers from Shiver and Linger.
My Review
I have been waiting for this book for what seems like forever, these books are vastly becoming some of my favourites and I couldn't wait to get my hands on this one. I actually squealed when it arrived - i think I scared my dad!
Sam is now cured and starting to realise that he really could have a future, but he can't live without Grace. Grace is now a wolf, learning to roam with the pack and forgetting who she really is, but when she is human, she finds Sam. Cole is human at the moment, but not sure how long it will last, is humanity worth fighting for, this is something he has to figure out. Isabel is still a bit of a b***ch, but she has her reasons, and she gets more involved with the others. 
When Isabel's father starts a movement to get all the wolves killed, the four of them must work together to find a solution and save all their lives.
I love the strength of Sam & Grace's love, it fills you up and makes you smile, it's beautiful, magical, poetic. I want a love like that. Cole and Isabel have their moments but it's more complicated.
I liked seeing the growth of character from the two of them, I felt like I got to know them more and they surprised me in places.
The writing again captures you and whisks you into this world, I read this in a few hours - I couldn't keep away. The plot is quite fast paced, but I got about 50 pages from the end and thought "how can she sum this all up in so few pages', but you know what, she did it wonderfully.
There were a few deaths in this one, a couple I could guess were coming, but a couple that shocked me. I shed a couple of tears and gasped in shock. 
This was the perfect ending to an absolutely breath-taking series. I am still blown away by the whole series, it has captivated my heart and mind. Maggie Stiefvater is a LEGEND! I have some of her other books on my shelf and I can't wait to get stuck into them too.


My Rating
I would give this book 10/10, absolutely stunning, beautiful, breath-taking, everything I wanted. 
 

Quote Love (18)

Quote Love is a new meme hosted by 'Midnight Twilight'. It's kind of like Teaser Tuesday from Should Be Reading, but with this one you can choose any quote from any book, not just the one you're currently reading. The quote can be thought provoking, or funny, or just really powerful, it's all up to you which kind of quote you choose.


Here is what you have to do to participate:
1) Choose one of your favorite quotes.
2) Post the quote, and write what you like about it.
3) Make sure to put the title and author so if someone else likes the quote they can check out the book.
4) Post your link on Midnight Twilight's Post.

So here is my quote for the week:


"I wanted a library like this by the time by the time I was Beck's age. Not this library. A cave of words that I'd made myself."


Page 217 - "Forever" by Maggie Stiefvater


I love this, It's what I dream of, my own library, a place filled with books - words of my choice. 




Enjoy your weekend!

Book Blogger Hop: July 22nd-25th & FF (27) & TGIF (10)

 
 Blogger Hop is hosted by Crazy-for-Books and is an awesome way to for book bloggers to interact and find each other. Such a wonderful idea! There's a new question every week that all the participating blogs have to answer.

This week's question comes is:


What’s the ONE GENRE that you wish you could get into, but just can’t?


My Answer: I would love to get more into Crime, I love reading mysteries but I can't handle gore or violence so a lot of Crime books I can't cope with. I know there are some out there that are more tame, but I wish I could be happy reading some of the others.


Follow Friday

Follow Friday is an opportunity to discover and follow other book related blogs! Want to join? Check it out atParajunkee.

This week's question comes from The Bloggers of: We Fancy Books

Q. Name 3 authors that you would love to sit down and spend an hour or a meal with just talking about either their books or get advice on writing from?

My Answer: Wow, great question, there are so many, but my current top three would be Maggie Stiefvater, Suzanne Collins and Josephine Angelini. I love their books and their writing style is fantastic, would be great to get hints and tips from them, and know more about their work too. 

TGIF!

This meme is hosted by GReads!

This Friday's Question: 

Bookshelf Tour: Where do you keep your books at home? 

Are they organized?

My Answer: Most of my books, I try to get on shelves, (in height and series order) but I now have so many, I also have a couple of piles on my floor. I actually took part in a feature on 'Brush Up On Your Reading' blog called 'Shelf Saturday' where I explained my shelf layout. So head over to the link to read a full description.

Here'a a brief summary though:

I have the shelves at the end of my bed on the wall - 

These are a lot of my 'series' and some of the ones I read a lot.

I then have some shelves at the edge of my room, that make a sort of corner, they are quite tall and go from the floor almost to the ceiling. Here is a picture of the top few shelves - 

More series', mostly paranormal, vampire novels and a bit of fantasy.

They will all be rearranged sometime over the next couple of weeks as I have got new books to add in to some of the series so a bit of shuffling is in order.

So head over to the link for more pics and arrangement details. 

My shelves are pretty standard, anyone got an exciting arrangement?

 Happy Hopping, have a great weekend everyone!!!

Book Reviews - Re-Reads

I have been re-reading some books lately, so instead of doing proper reviews, as they have already been done, I'm just going to do some summaries.

Firstly:

Title: Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows
Author: J.K Rowling
Publisher: Bloomsbury; Children's edition 
Release Date: 21 July 2007

• ISBN-13: 978-0590762007
• 
  

Synopsis

Harry has been burdened with a dark, dangerous and seemingly impossible task: that of locating and destroying Voldemort's remaining Horcruxes. Never has Harry felt so alone, or faced a future so full of shadows. But Harry must somehow find within himself the strength to complete the task he has been given. He must leave the warmth, safety and companionship of The Burrow and follow without fear or hesitation the inexorable path laid out for him.

My Summary

I re-read this, obviously because of the new film coming out. I like to compare the book and film, and I prefer books overall so I picked this one up again. I think I have read this one at least 10 times, but every time it still makes me cry, it still makes me laugh and it still takes me into that magical world. This is one of my favourites in the series, there is so much happening and coming together. So many story developments and character developments. I really love it. Neville has to be one of my favourites.  I won't go on too much about how much I love Harry Potter, I did a whole post on that!

Just basically, I love this book and it will always hold a special place in my heart. 

Next: 

Title: Shiver

Author: Maggie Stiefvater

Publisher: Scholastic

Release Date: 5 Oct 2009

Series: Wolves of Mercy Falls (book 1)

ISBN-13: 978-1407115009

Synopsis

Grace is fascinated by the wolves in the woods behind her house; one yellow-eyed wolf in particular. Every winter, she watches him but every summer, he disappears. Sam leads two lives. In winter he stays in the frozen woods, with the protection of the pack.n summer, he has a few precious months to be human . . . until the cold makes him shift back again. When Grace and Sam finally meet they realize they can't bear to be apart. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human - or risk losing himself, and Grace, for ever

My Summary

Every time I read this it just gets better and better. I started to re-read firstly so I could back 'Sam' in 'Down The Rabbit Hole' "YA Bachelor Month. " check out her site for more information on this. I then got back into them because 'Forever' book 3 in the series has just been released, so it served a joint purpose, plus, I'll just admit, I LOVE these books!

I adore Sam, and wish I could meet someone so sensitive, strong willed and loving. He is adorable, not to mention good looking. His relationship with Grace is beautiful.  

Grace is great too, strong, independent, trusting. 

The wolves are gorgeous and Maggie's writing style is breath-taking. Can you tell I'm in love with these books. You can read my original review here

Definitely climbing to the top of my favourites list.

thirdly: 

Title: Linger

Author: Maggie Stiefvater

Publisher: Scholastic

Release Date: 21 July 2010

Series: Wolves of Mercy Falls (book 2)

ISBN: 978-1407121086

Synopsis

In SHIVER, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in LINGER, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping dangerous secrets. For Sam, it means grappling with his werewolf past ... and figuring out a way to survive the future. But just when they manage to find happiness, Grace finds herself changing in ways she could never have expected... 

My Summary

Again, re-reading this so I can read Forever, which arrived in the post the other day. I am so excited! Again, Sam is dreamy, He has his past demons an problems, but his love and trust in Grace makes my heart melt. Grace's world is crumbling and the two of them just fit together. I am just as in love with this one as book 1 if not more. I like the two new points of view - Cole & Isabel, although I still find Cole rather irritating, I think he is meant to be that way. Read my original review here

Mercy Falls is magical, it sweeps me away. I can't wait to go on with Forever. some of the best books ever written - Maggie is a legend!

Right, that's it for the moment. There will be more proper reviews coming soon for some books I have received ARC's for. If posts are a long time coming, I apologise I am still struggling with my laptop. Having to used a borrowed one that doesn't hold any of my data/templates etc. Bear with me. Thanks. :D

Book Review: The Secret Garden

Title: The Secret Garden
Author: Frances Hodgson Burnett
Publisher: Wordsworth Editions Ltd
Release Date: 1 Feb 1993

Synopsis
Mary Lennox was horrid. Selfish and spoilt, she was sent to stay with her hunchback uncle in Yorkshire. She hated it. But when she finds the way into a secret garden and begins to tend it, a change comes over her and her life. She meets and befriends a local boy, the talented Dickon, and comes across her sickly cousin Colin who had been kept hidden from her. Between them, the three children work astonishing magic in themselves and those around them.

My Review
I bought a copy of this book ages ago but never got round to reading it. I have an event coming up at the library that is based on this book so I thought I had better read it. I have seen the film (the version with Maggie Smith in) and it's one of my favourites.
The book is definitely a classic, it's full of life and magic. Mary Lennox is a horrible child, but maybe she is that was by circumstance - her parents ignore her, nobody talks to her. when her parents die, she is moved to England to stay with her uncle in an old manor house. There she learns what life can really be like with friends around you.
I love how you see Mary grow as a person and find a love of life. Dickon is a lovely character and I adore his charm of the animals in the garden. Colin is a very disagreeable child, but soon comes to life with Mary's help. He's still a bit full of himself - but it made me laugh.
Overall this book is a great read and I can see why it's lasted so long, and I think it will go on for many years to come.

My Rating
I would give this book 8.5/10. A great magical read, coming of age story.

Teaser Tuesday: Linger

TEAser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along, just do as following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• Be careful not to include any spoilers so as not to ruin the book for others!

Make sure to share the title and the author so other TT participants can add the book to their TBR piles!

 

My Teasers: Linger by Maggie Stiefvater


"He was still lose enough to me that it put us nose to nose; he was still cold from being outside. I saw the worry in his eyes." 
Page 76


"I didn't want to move because every movement made the fire inside me burn faster, but I couldn't let him say that."
Page 120


I'm re-reading this one so I can read 'Forever' which arrived in the post yesterday. I squealed so loud and jumped about like a lunatic, it looks so pretty, I can't wait to get stuck in. :D


What are your teasers?