BLOG TOUR: Normalish by Margaret Lesh [Review & Giveaway]

Hi darling! I am really excited to be taking part in the blog tour for the contemporary young adult novel Normalish by Margaret Lesh. If you're interested in following the rest of the tour to the end or even to the next stop, click HERE for the list of the awesome blogs participating. In the following you'll find my review of Normalish, a little about the author Margaret Lesh, and an international giveaway! 

Happy Reading! xoxo

-Kaede

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Normalish

By: Margaret Lesh

Review by: Kaede

Publisher: Musa Publishing

Pages: 175 (E-book)

Series: N/A

Format: E-Book Review Copy

Source: Xpresso Book Tours 

Purchase: Amazon

Fifteen-year-old Stacy questions the strange world of high school, love, her role in a harsh universe, and life, in Normalish.

People tell you high school's so great and wonderful, but they're lying. It's mostly horrible and full of disappointment. It sucks. Your best friend abandons you. The jerk you're in love with pretends to be into you, and then the big dump. The boy you've really clicked with as a friend decides to go all crushy over you, so you break his heart just like yours was -- smashed into little pieces. Your sister goes mental, and you get involved with a guy who’s even crazier than she is (who you know is a very bad idea, but you do it anyway). Math only adds another stink of failure to the whole thing. High school blows. Just ask freshman Stacy. She’d want you to know.

Going into Normalish, I had no set expectations. If I liked it, then I liked it. If I didn't, then I didn't. Because I had somehow managed to formulate such a simple idea, I decided to go with it because I honestly wasn't sure what to quite expect, much less hope for. The cover leaves me with much to want, but the general synopsis made it seem like something that I could enjoy under most circumstances. And enjoy I did. 

One look at the cover should indicate some sort of sweet or fluffy read. In a way, I guess it is. But overall, most fluffy contemporary novels don't usually fall far from that spectrum. 

Normalish marks freshman Stacy York's transition into high school, which is, if Stacy is anything to go by - the oddest of things. Still trying to come to terms with her father's death and her former best friend just dropping her, Stacy isn't sure what she wants and what she needs. She's a lot more fragile that she'd admit, but she does manage to overcome it all. Even when the hot guy she is certainly not stalking isn't displaying the slightest interest in her. And the guy who was suppose to only remain a best friend is expressing interest that leaves Stacy unsure, because going down that route is not what Stacy had in mind for their relationship. 

Chad, who was said best friend that was in love with the main character, is slightly stereotypical. Being characterized as the semi-geeky sweetheart isn't going to do him much favors in my long list of hottest guys in Young Adult literature. However, it's clearly seen that he genuinely cares about Stacy, even if she isn't quite reciprocating of the same feelings. Even if she isn't always nice to him. But I liked that when she wasn't kind, Chad didn't let his feelings get in the way and let her walk all over him. 

In turn, Chad wasn't the only potential "love" interest of the story. There's also Bobby and Anthony, and both were essential to the story in their own ways. Anthony served as the popular major player jerk, who Stacy thinks she wants. She really doesn't. Because not only is he selfish, he's manipulative of girls' feelings. I don't like guys like that. Especially guys who do that for no reason.

Bobby, on the other hand, is remarkably intriguing. Like a unpredictable child, Bobby isn't exactly the calmest person you'll ever meet. He has his own set of problems, and certainly isn't perfect. He handles things differently than most people, but does that make him any less real? In fact, I think that attribute makes him only that much more human. Like he's someone that anybody could know. Somebody that people can love, even if he is a bit messed-up. 

While I didn't love Normalish, I did enjoy it. It wasn't Take-My-Breath-Away amazing, but it was a solid good read. There's much potential in Margaret Lesh's writing. While there's definite room for progression, I can still wholeheartedly recommend Normalish without hesitation. If you're a fan of cute contemporaries mixed with humor and tragedy, Normalish may just be the book for you. 

Overall, while this book isn't the most spectacular piece of writing I've seen, but it's worth the read. You're able to, if you read from beginning to end, witness the impressive growth of Stacy York from a vulnerable girl to somebody who's willing to accept what fate brings her. Things don't end off perfectly though. It isn't one big happy ending tied off with a bow, which I really liked. But, you know, things happen for a reason. 

And that's something Stacy York now knows.

3 ½ coffee cups!

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Add NORMALISH to Goodreads

Find Margaret Lesh on Goodreads | Website | Twitter

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I'll bet you thought that was it, didn't you? A'ha! I knew it! Wait...what? You didn't think that was it? Ermm, well...err - JUST FORGET I SAID ANYTHING AND ON TO THE GIVEAWAY. 

RULES & INFO: 

• Open INTERNATIONALLY 
• Contest ends January 28th, 2013 
• No cheating. Cheaters never prosper. 

PRIZES: 

• One $25 Amazon Giftcard

 • One e-book copy of Normalish 

• Normalish bookmarks

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Contact Kaede: 

Email: kimberlyho75@yahoo.com
Goodreads: Kaede
Twitter: Kami178xx

Inbetween Blog Tour: Playlist, Interview, and Giveaway!

Hey guys. Today we have the Inbetween Blog Tour visiting us!

 

The Interview

This is your future God.

Nickname as a Kid: Okay, this is embarrassing, but I'll tell you. My name is Tara Ann, so of course my nickname was "Tarazann".

Astrological Sign: Aquarius

Coffee or Tea?: Tea

Favorite Video Game: Michael Jackson The Experience  in the Wii

Favorite Color: Red

Last time you got pulled over: Hmmm...I think it was 7 or 8 years ago.

Brand of Shampoo You Use: Herbal Essence

Q: Inbetween is a book that’s very much based on stories, with

Heaven, Hell, and “reincarnation” of sorts playing a part in it.

How much of it did you research, versus the amount of literary

license you took in making it your own?

A: When it came to the "reaper" world I made most of it my own. I didn't rely on mythology for that at all. I wanted to make something unique. I did  however did do a lot of research on poltergeists, hauntings, world war 2 fighter pilots, and house fires.

Q: Speaking of, where did you get the idea for reapers?

A: I got the idea for Inbetween from an Edgar Allen Poe quote.

"The boundaries which divide Life from Death are at best shadowy and vague. Who shall say where the one ends, and where the other begins?"

After I read this, I knew I wanted to write a book where death was a person. Most people fear death more than anything, so I wanted to explore what it would be like for death to be a person, and what would happen if he fell in love.

Q: There’s a certain scene in this book that had me shedding a

few tears. Can you tell us how to go about creating an emotional

scene without making it cheesy, or making me want to stab my

eyeballs?

A slightly related picture! From Roger Hoyt's blog.

A: First of all I think the scene has to come naturally as part of your characters development and growth. I don't think you can set out trying to make the reader cry. There were times while writing the book that I was literally in tears as I wrote. Those were the moments that my characters felt very real for me. Also one way to avoid too much "cheese" is to read it out loud. Then cut anything that made you cringe to say out loud, lol.

Q: Inbetween is such an electric love story. How do you make swoon

worthy characters like Finn? Do you have to research these kinds of

things?

A: Actually...no. I guess I don't, lol. I did lots of research to find out who Finn was as a person. Like the fighter pilot stuff, and his Dad being a farmer. But when it comes to the depth and emotion that went into him, he was just in my head, wanting to get out. The love he felt for Emma felt real for me in the moment.

Q: This book is pretty hilarious at times. Do you gain a sense of

humor like that through experience, or do you just inherit it? (Or

is there something you aren’t telling us?)

A: I'd say I inherited it, lol. My Dad cracks me up and he's always said that I'm way too much like him. He says I've turned being a smart ass into an art. I think a lot of that went into characters like Easton and Cash.

Q: Okay, okay, so you have to answer this question: If you’re in

Hell, and you’re mad at someone, where do you tell them to go?

A: Since Easton is my go-to reaper for Hell, why don't I let him answer for me. Easton?

     Easton: "The Gap."

Thanks so much for the interview Isabelle! 

Tara also sent me her playlist, and I took a listen to all of these and really enjoyed them- I must say she has impeccable taste. For your convenience, I linked to the YouTube videos for them. Just click on the title!

 

Inbetween (Kissed by Death, #1): Playlist

Iris by: Goo Goo Dolls
[Izzy's note: This is the best song...ever. Seriously. You should also listen to the Sleeping With Sirens cover.]

Into Dust by: Mazzy Star

Gravity by: Sara Bareilles

Impossible by: Anberlin
[Izzy: I fricking LOVE THIS SONG SO HARD.]

Help I’m Alive by: Metric

Girl is on My Mind by: The Black Keys

Get Higher by: Paper Tongues

I Will Follow You into the Dark by: Death Cab for Cutie
[Izzy: Easily my favorite band ever. True story. Listen to their album and you'll agree.]

The Very Thought of You by: Billie Holiday

Northern Wind by: City and Colour

[Izzy: Beautiful. Just... beautiful.] 
  
In My Veins by: Andrew Belle

By the way, if you like this playlist, you can see it here!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hard Hitting Questions with Stephanie Lawton (whom I suspect is a ninja)

Oh hey, check out my REVIEW before you read this. There's also a giveaway.

Stephanie Lawton, aka Queen Cool.

Website/ Goodreads/ Twitter


Nickname as a Kid: Stephie (only a select few people are allowed to call me that!)

Astrological Sign: Taurus

Favorite Video Game: I hate video games

Last time you got pulled over: In a speed trap when I was sixteen

Brand of Shampoo You Use: Burt's Bees

Questions:

1.The first line of WANT is something ravenous readers like myself want to hear so desperately. Let me reiterate it here: "If you want vampires and werewolves, faeries, fallen angels or zombies, you won't find them here." I found myself cheering as I read these lines. Did you start out writing WANT because you wanted to write something that deviated from the popular, or was this idea always in your head?

Real Life Monsters can definitely be scary.
From The Daily Scoff

I had been reading tons of paranormal YA books at the time I began writing Want, and while they're great, I was getting a little tired of them. I wanted to make it clear that Want was contemporary, but that real-life monsters can be just as scary, or even more so. 

2. The main characters, Julianne and Issac, are very meticulously and wonderfully crafted. Even the secondary characters are electric and riveting portraits. Did anybody you know in real life influence their characteristics and behavior?

Julianne's mother, Margaret, was inspired by a stuck-up lady we bumped into at a Mardi Gras parade, but otherwise, the characters are all from my imagination. There are bits and pieces of people I know in some of the characters, but I think that happens with anything you write. It wasn't intentional, although I will admit that Dave Gaston is kind of the male version of me. :) [Isabelle's Note: I want to be your friend. LIKE RIGHT NOW. Please.]

3. How did you go about crafting sympathetic characters like Juli?

I had a hard time with Juli, but I wanted to show what years of a messed-up family life could do to a girl. I did a lot of psychological research and drew on some past experiences to create a character that was--sickly--attracted to the same thing she loathed in another situation. (I'm trying to avoid spoilers!) 

 

 I did a thorough character profile, and as I researched, I noted how someone in her situation would probably react to things, but honestly, she kind of just "told" me how she'd react.

4. There are a lot of things in this book that you either have experienced or haven't. For instance, Juli likes to scrape herself, something that I wouldn't have known unless I looked it up. How much was experience, and how much was from your life travels?

 There's a lot of both, though I prefer not to go into details. I do need to make it clear, though, (Hi Mom!) that my parents were great and I never experienced anything like Juli does from her parents. In many ways, we write what we know, so yeah, many of the terrible things in the book either touched me directly or someone I knew, and I was shocked when some of my beta readers said Want affected them deeply because they'd been touched by these things, as well. That's pretty scary when you think about it.

From If It Ain't Baroque

5. Julianne and Issac breathe for music. Are you musically inclined yourself?

I wish! I took ten years of piano lessons and played French horn for a number of years--I even considered being a music major in college--but I didn't have that spark of genius that you need to make it in such a small, competitive field. Maybe I was fullfilling that dream through Juli? :)

6. Another reviewer commented that this story reminded them a bit of Wuthering Heights. Do you think so?

Oh, wow, I haven't seen that review! Hmm ... [major spoilers ahead] I can see the comparison in that Juli and Isaac are terrible for each other like Cathy and Heathcliff are. Neither relationship is healthy and will ultimately end in disaster. I like to think Want is a little more hopeful, though, and I don't think Isaac and Juli feel as deeply about each other as Cathy and Heathcliff.  

7. I live in the South, and so do the characters. What do you think about the South makes it such a popular setting for novels?

You know, as a relatively new citizen of the Deep South (we moved from Ohio to Mobile three years ago) I think it's that the South is such a study in contrasts. In many ways, it's extremely old-fashioned. Men still hold doors, we refer to others as "ma'am" and "sir," and etiquette it alive and well. Add in some Spanish moss dripping from live oaks and you've got a fantastic setting. Yet the South has large, modern cities that rival any you'll find north of the Mason-Dixon Line.

[Isabelle's Note: I didn't actually say goodbye here, but I'll add it for kicks. Goodbye, Stephanie! You are awesome. Write more books. Be my friend.]

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Don't forget to check the other blog tour stops! Clicky!

Review and GIVEAWAY of Want by Stephanie Lawton

This book changed my frickin life.

by Isabelle Doan

Website/Goodreads/Amazon

Random Information:

Publisher: InkSpell Publishing
Pages: 318
Series: Nope
My Format: Received for Blog Tour
Rating: Library/Borrow/e-book/Paperback/Hardcover

Julianne counts the days until she can pack her bags and leave her old-money, tradition-bound Southern town where appearance is everything and secrecy is a way of life. A piano virtuoso, she dreams of attending a prestigious music school in Boston. Failure is not an option, so she enlists the help of New England Conservatory graduate Isaac Laroche to help her. She can't understand why he suddenly gave up Boston's music scene to return to the South. He doesn't know her life depends on escaping it. Julianne must face down madness from without, just as it threatens from within. Isaac must resist an inappropriate attraction, but an indiscretion at a Mardi Gras ball-the pinnacle event for Mobile's elite-forces their present wants and needs to collide with sins of the past. Will Julianne accept the help she's offered and get everything she ever wanted, or will she self-destruct and take Isaac down with her?

Let me fill you in on a little secret. Once upon a time, I auditioned for a spot on a junior panel of piano players. It was highly prestigious, and my hands were shaking like crazy. I prepared for this for months now, and I probably played the piece a million times, had nightmares over it, and gained twenty pounds for all the ice cream I ate when I played badly. When I stepped in front of those judges, my life flashed before my eyes.

Guess what happened?

I botched the audition. And then threw up.

I'll let you decide whether that's a true story or not.

I'm pretty sure this was me.
From Parents.com

My point is, I got Julianne as she struggled with her audition to the New England Conservatory, but that wasn't important at all. The story is more than that. It's an edgy coming of age Young Adult novel with characters that made me cry my own pools. (Which was very efficient for the summer season, I might add.)

As she struggled with her crazy mother (and I do mean crazy in the most literal sense), her decade older mentor/ love interest, her decade older hilarious other love interest, and others, my hands were shaking again. What was I doing? I wasn't playing piano or anything. How could a novel make me feel anticipation that I only felt with something important? Why did I feel like I was going to throw up?

No, not because I wanted to throw up on the book. This is, in fact my favorite read of 2012. It was because I was FLAILING all over the place as I read this. Every little thing made me whisper, "Be still, my hairy heart." It was all too much for me.

Well, that, or because I was reading in the car.

The characters are amazing. Dave is perverted, older, and pretty much everything you want in a guy. Issac is akin to Heathcliff literary-wise, and also pretty hot if I do say so myself. And I know you're wary of love triangles, but let me just say, Juli is not some helpless Bella. She doesn't focus on guys. She focuses on her music, with a few sexy excursions here and there.

The writing is stellar- writers, if you want the epitome of show, don't tell, THIS IS IT. There are so many little insinuations and things you have to pick up on yourself. The writing is interactive, which is great.

So why do I refrain from giving it a glorious five stars (other than the fact that I'm afraid of odd numbers?) Well, it's purely personal, but though Juli made the right choice in the end, I DIDN'T LIKE IT. Plus, this novel left me in a literary corner for days, so really, it made me feel four stars emotionally.

Perhaps that's what actually makes WANT such "bejeezus" worthy novel. 

Now, you've probably noticed that I've refrained from saying that "This was a lyrical novel that sang to me" or something like that because I hate praise puns. But, I've got to say it.

WANT was a lyrical novel that hit the notes in all the right places.

HAPPY?


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Oh, hey, there's a giveaway for an ebook copy of WANT, so you can possibly win the awesome.


Duh it's international! Unless your country blocks internet... in which case... how are you reading this?

a Rafflecopter giveaway