Top Ten (Five...) Tuesday- Virtual Book Club!

 Top Ten Tuesday is a feature hosted by the cool kids over at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week The Broke and The Bookish posts a topic and lists their Top Ten things that fall under that category. Top Ten Tuesday is a great way to learn more about your favorite bloggers and discover new blogs and books as well! To learn more about Top Ten Tuesday and see the topics, click here.
   
This week's topic is...

January 31: Top Ten Books I Think Would Make Great Book Club Picks

     In an ideal world, I would totally have a book club. I've considered it a few times but then I remember how I have a really bad habit of signing up for too much. And then it's the end of it. So today I have for you a sort of virtual book club.

 1. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin- There is so much going on in this book. It's one of those books that breaks your brain. I would love to be able to talk about this book face to face with a group of people! It would lead to some really interesting discussions.


2. Looking for Alaska by John Green- Maybe I'm just saying this because my copy of this one has a discussion guide in the back, but this one would be such a great book club book. There's so much to talk about! The possibilities are endless!

  3. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher- In case you need a support group, your book club will be there. A great discussion to have! I think that The Future of Us would probably make a good book club pick as well. 


4. All Jane Austen Books- I say this because  1) Jane Austen books can be very confusing, and 2) there is so much to talk about!! Plus, maybe at the book club meeting you could drink tea and eat cookies and do lots of Jane Austen-y things.

 5. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer- This is a sad one with lots and lots going on. I would have loved if I had been able to talk to a group of people after I finished this book. It would have been nice to see other people's views on the book and get a chance to share some of my own.






     That's it for this week's (very short) Top Ten Tuesday. What are your book club picks?

Au Revoir, Google Friend Connect!

Well... not yet.

The News

     You probably know of this little buddy to the left. Yes. He's leaving. Now, he's not leaving Mint Tea  and A Good Book and other blogger blogs (unless they choose to remove the little fellow) but for all non-blogger blogs, he's going POOF in March. And he will likely go POOF to blogger blogs soon as well.
  

Why?

     Because Google said so. Actually, they've decided to replace Google Friend Connect (followers widget) with Google + Badges. You can learn more about it here.

What Does This Mean?

     Well, it means basically that if you follow via that little followers button you will need to find a new way to follow non-blogger blogs. I'm not positive what this Google + badge really is, but I am pretty certain that Mint Tea & A Good Book won't have it because you have to be 18 to use Google + in the first place.

How Can I Stay Subscribed to My Blogs?

    You may have noticed how (semi-recently) I added something new to the Mint Tea and A Good Book sidebar. See the little things above and below the followers widget? Those can help you stay connected to your favorite blogs. The top one, or up close this one.





     For this one, you just type in your email to the little box and you should get updates straight to your inbox. Let me know if you have any problems with it!

     The next one I've had a TON of people use these past couple months, it's the bottom one, or up close- this one.

     I'm so happy that so many people have been using this lately instead of the followers widget! This means when Google Friend Connect goes away for blogger (I don't know when that will be) a lot of you will still stay subscribed to this blog.

     To use this one, click the top one (unless for some reason you want to subscribe to the comments on this blog) and you should get a drop down menu like this.

     If you use google reader, then I would click add to google because that will add it straight to your google reader updates. The other ones just depend on what you prefer. Or, you can click feed-burner (the one that says Atom) if you prefer that. To use the feed-burner subscriptions you can just click the "subscribe with google" button that will automatically add the blog to your Google Reader. The button looks like this.

     If you use Google Reader than you can also do it another way. You probably know how Google reader shows you all of your subscriptions at one time. (see right) At the top of that page you should also see something that looks like this.

    You can just enter the URL of the site you want to subscribe to and that will automatically subscribe you and that should add it to your feed.

How Do I Know If I Will Be Unsubscribed When GFC Disappears?

     The good news is, the majority of you who read Mint Tea and A Good Book, should be okay when the GFC widget disappears. However, there are some of you who will lose your subscriptions to all your blogs when it disappears.

      From my understanding, if when you follow a blog, you just click follow, then you will have some trouble when GFC leaves. I think that if on your google reader, the blog name has a little blue feed-burner symbol next to it, then you are okay. I'm not 100% positive about that, so please correct me if I'm wrong. It's still a bit confusing to me too. I think there's another way to tell, but I'm not entirely sure how it works.

     That's all I really know, so if anyone else has any further information, corrections on what I said, or questions please email me! I want to make this transition from GFC to not having GFC as painless as possible. Thank you! :)

In My Mailbooks (38)

 "In My Mailbox" is a weekly feature hosted by the super fabulous, Kristi at The Story Siren. "IMM" is a way to share thoughts on the books you've received throughout the week with readers. To read more about "In My Malbox," click here.


     I got quite a few books this week which makes me eepy but also nervous! I have a bazillion books to read right now! (I counted them and yep, exactly a bazillion)

 1. Welcome Caller, This is Chloe by Shelley Coriell (ARC)- Thank you so so much to Amulet for sending this one. I love how the cover is in your face and the plot line sounds so fun. Plus, Shelley Coriell is a debut author and seems pretty awesome. ;)

 2. Winter town by Stephen Emond- Yeah, I found this one at the library and what drew my to it was the fact that there are drawings inside the book that seemed really neat. I've also heard some good things about Stephen Emond's other novel, Happy Face.

 3. Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John- I actually hadn't heard of this one until last week but apparently people love it and it's pretty popular! I would never have picked it up based on the title or cover, but after reading the summary of a deaf girl who had a band named Dumb, it seemed really interesting.

 4.  Matched by Ally Condie- I was glad to finally get a copy of this one since people are always asking if they can borrow it from me. Now, I can finally say yes! I don't love this book as much as some people do but it's still pretty good!

 5. Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life- Yay! Another one I was glad to get a copy of this week. This book is so great! Wendy Mass is such a fabulous middle grade author.

 6. The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater- I haven't actually read any Maggie Stiefvater before (I'm sorry!) because Shiver doesn't really appeal to me. However, The Scorpio Races sure does! It sounds almost Hunger Games-y in a way! Super excited for this one! :)

 7. How to Rock Braces and Glasses by Meg Haston- I started this one in the library yesterday and it was such a fun book! And apparently there's this pretty big TV show coming out based on this book called How To Rock.

 8. Only the Good Spy Young by Ally Carter- I'm so happy to have a finished copy of this book! I absolutely adore this series and cannot wait for the next installment in March, Out of Sight, Out of Time. EEP!

 9. Freshman Year and Other Unnatural Disasters by Meredith Zeitlin (ARC)- I must have a thing for covers with umbrellas on them this week! ;) Super excited for this one! It seems like it's going to be a fun one and also any book by an author named Meredith is cool in my book. And thank you Putnam/ Penguin for sending this one! :)

 10. Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce (Audiobook)- Now, I generally don't care much for audio books. I've only ever done about 3 of them and the last time I tried one was well over 2 years ago. But since I've heard a lot of good things about them lately I decided to try one that I had seen great reviews about. So, Sisters Red it is! 




     Alright, that's all for this week's (pretty large!) In My Mailbox! Feel free to leave a link to your IMM in the comments. Or you can just comment. ;)

Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley

Title: Where Things Come Back
Author: John Corey Whaley
Publisher: Atheneum
Release Date: May 3rd, 2011

Synopsis (from Goodreads)-

Just when seventeen-year-old Cullen Witter thinks he understands everything about his small and painfully dull Arkansas town, it all disappears. . . .

In the summer before Cullen's senior year, a nominally-depressed birdwatcher named John Barling thinks he spots a species of woodpecker thought to be extinct since the 1940s in Lily, Arkansas. His rediscovery of the so-called Lazarus Woodpecker sparks a flurry of press and woodpecker-mania. Soon all the kids are getting woodpecker haircuts and everyone's eating "Lazarus burgers." But as absurd as the town's carnival atmosphere has become, nothing is more startling than the realization that Cullen’s sensitive, gifted fifteen-year-old brother Gabriel has suddenly and inexplicably disappeared.

While Cullen navigates his way through a summer of finding and losing love, holding his fragile family together, and muddling his way into adulthood, a young missionary in Africa, who has lost his faith, is searching for any semblance of meaning wherever he can find it. As distant as the two stories seem at the start, they are thoughtfully woven ever closer together and through masterful plotting, brought face to face in a surprising and harrowing climax.

Complex but truly extraordinary, tinged with melancholy and regret, comedy and absurdity, this novel finds wonder in the ordinary and emerges as ultimately hopeful. It's about a lot more than what Cullen calls, “that damn bird.” It’s about the dream of second chances.

My Thoughts 

     First of all, congratulations to John Corey Whaley for winning just this little known award last week called THE PRINTZ AWARD! Where Things Come Back also won the Morris Debut Award, meaning that if you buy Where Things Come Back today, it will have those lovely little awards on the cover.

     Books don't win the Printz for nothing, folks. Jellicoe Road and Looking for Alaska have won the Printz in previous years, and Where Things Come Back does not fall short of those two books. There's no way I'll do it justice in this review.

Dialogue. I don't normally take note of the dialogue in books, but in Where Things Come Back the dialogue is so perfect! It's realistic and witty and spot on!

Characters and Their Relationships. Cullen was a very real character and so were his relationships with his family and friends. One of my favorite things about this book was Cullen's relationship with his brother, Gabriel. Additionally, I also loved how Cullen would sometimes switch points of views in a way. Like, instead of "I went to the cafe and it smelled good so I bought a muffin," it would say something like "When one goes to the store and smells a sweet aroma, he can hardly resist not buying a muffin." This was an engaging way to keep the reader entertained, and was also a writing style that I'd never seen before.

The Book Titles. I love love loved how Cullen came up with book titles! Sometimes they were crazy titles and sometimes they were sad and sometimes they had my laughing. The writing down book titles thing sounds like something I would do.

The Writing. Where Things Come Back is so beautifully written! I often mark up passages I like with sticky notes, and this book was filled with sticky notes. Every little bit was so well written! I also loved how John Corey Whaley usually referred to the characters by their first name and last name. So it was always Cullen Witter or Alma Ember, it wasn't just Cullen or Alma.

Wonderings. About 3/4 of the way into the book, I realized that John Barling (the man who found the woodpecker) was named John and John Corey Whaley was named John, which I guess sort of left me wondering. Did the name John just fit the character? Or was he supposed to be like John Corey Whaley? I don't know. It sort of reminded me of Jonathan Safran Foer naming his character after himself in Everything is Illuminated.

A Note on Bird Books. I think if To Kill A Mockingbird had a child, Where Things Come Back might be it. Where Things Come Back isn't really about a bird and neither is To Kill A Mockingbird. Both are about a kid in a small southern town who is learning about life. I don't know they both just have a similar feeling in a way, something about this book just reminds me of To Kill A Mockingbird. 

Wrap Up. If you haven't read Where Things Come Back, I advise you to do so soon! This book certainly worth your time and will leave you with a feeling you won't soon forget. Plus, it has a lovely new cover that reminds me of Jonathan Safran Foer's books.

TGIF (25)- Where do all those books come from?

    TGIF is a feature hosted by the ever fab Ginger over at GReads! Ginger asks a fun question every week and bloggers post their answers. And honestly, this is one of my favorite features because it's just so fun! And I love reading everyone's answers! Plus, the picture is pretty cute too. This week's question is...

 Buy or Borrow: Where do your books that you read come from? The bookstore? The library? Do you prefer to own a book, or have it on loan?

     I haven't done a TGIF since 2011 since I've been doing Top Ten Tuesday lately. However, today, I thought that Ginger gave us a very nice question and I am here to answer it! :)


Where I Get My Books

    I might have mentioned before, my library. I shouldn't say my library, because it's not technically mine, but I do love it quite a lot. The librarians are pretty good about getting the hottest YA titles on the shelves and even some that aren't quite so popular but amazing, nonetheless. That picture to the right- yes, it is actually my library. I also get some books from my school library, but unfortunately during the summer, when the majority of my reading commences, the school library is closed. :(


     I am sort of anti-amazon because I love indie bookstores far too much. This is why I refuse to buy a kindle. Some of you are probably gasping at my dislike for amazon, but I promise you I have other means of buying books. For example....

Ta da! Book People! (indie) Probably one of the best places on the faces of the earth. Ask Willa if you don't believe me! I could honestly live here. The people at Book People are always so sweet and there's tons of great author events here. Plus the YA section is completely awesome. 

Thank you Chibird for the image!

 But sometimes, I'm cheap and I don't like to buy books and the library doesn't have it, so then I have to turn to a new source. Friends! Especially my most bookish friend, Willa. We loan each other books quite a lot since we have very similar tastes in books.






     Lastly, where I've started to get more and more books from in the past couple months... publishers! I'm completely flattered and eepy (thats my new word) when I receive a book in the mail from a publisher! It's so wonderful to come home from school to find some unexpected package containing an ARC that I've REALLY wanted to read. I'm so awestruck that people want me to review their books. It's something I never really expected when I started blogging and it's still something thats relatively new for me. It's very gratifying!


 Borrowing vs Owning a Book


     I get asked this from time to time. And the short answer is, I don't really have a preference. Now, if I really, really love a book, then I generally like to own that book because I'll find myself re-reading it and referencing it from time to time. 
     I know people who say they can't read books from libraries and to that I say "PISH POSH!" in a fine british accent. Because if you can read a book you own or that someone else owns, then you are capable of reading a library books. Besides, libraries are far too awesome and you are not superior to them. *smiles graciously* But... you are certainly entitled to your opinion. 


One Last Thing...


     The important thing is to know that a book is a book no matter where it came from. And books are awesome. 


     Have a great weekend! :)

Book Of The Month: The Fault In Our Stars + An Event Overview

What a lovely cover!

Title: The Fault In Our Stars
Author: John Green
Release Date: January 10, 2012
Publisher: Dutton

Goodreads Synopsis:

Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 12, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now. 

Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault. 

Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.


My Review:


      The Fault In Our Stars (TFIOS) is beyond a phenomenal novel. There are an overwhelming amount of reasons that The Fault In Our Stars is wonderful beyond comprehension, that I can't start to list the extent to which it is spectacular.
    One of the reasons this book is so mind boggling is because it is so real. One of the words I continue to see in reviews for TFIOS is "raw." That word is a perfect description of this book. The characters in TFIOS tell it like it is, there is no sugar coating. I adore the characters in this book because while they are incredibly headstrong, they have weaknesses and are very human. 
     If you have read any John Green books, you know that he has a very distinct writing style; witty, clever, touching, and downright hilarious. TFIOS had some qualities from other John Green books, but was the most original of all. TFIOS is honest, and while it has hilarious moments, it has a more serious element to it than most of Mr. Green's books. 
     After reading TFIOS I couldn't read any other book for about a week. This is so because TFIOS was so amazing that I couldn't stop thinking about it, and if I tried to read another book I would be distracted. TFIOS is extremely thought provoking, and left me in a sense of shock. 
      If you haven't read The Fault In Our Stars, I suggest you hop into your car/get on your feet/get on any other wheeled object and go to the nearest book store. While you are there you should pick up The Fault In Our Stars, and see if they have a couple (highlight the word couple--maybe more) of boxes of tissues--you will need them! In all seriousness The Fault In Our Stars surpasses all of the high expectations and hopes leading up to it. 

Event Overview


A few nights ago Willa from Willa's Ramblings, a few of my friends, and I had the privilege of seeing John and Hank Green on their The Fault In Our Stars tour. It was absolutely fantastic, and so much fun! Hank sang, John and Hank talked, passages were read from TFIOS and they signed books like crazy! It was a fabulous event, and if you live in a city where they are touring and there are still tickets left, I highly suggest you get a ticket and go! 


Here is some evidence of the awesomeness that occurred:

This picture shows a poster, a pamphlet, a T-Shirt, and multiple signed books. 

I pre-ordered some copies of TFIOS and at least one of them (there is a reason for my vagueness) had a yeti next to the j-scribble (for those of you who have no idea what I am talking about, you may want to click here ). Then, I went to the TFIOS tour last night and Hank put a Hanklerfish under my yeti so now I have a yeti AND a hanklerfish on the same copy!!! 






Thank you for reading! Check back soon because a TFIOS giveaway is coming up in the near future! 

Top Ten Tuesday- Today We're Naming Children!

 Top Ten Tuesday is a feature hosted by the cool kids over at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week The Broke and The Bookish posts a topic and lists their Top Ten things that fall under that category. Top Ten Tuesday is a great way to learn more about your favorite bloggers and discover new blogs and books as well! To learn more about Top Ten Tuesday and see the topics, click here.
   
This week's topic is...

Top Ten Literary Figures I'd Name My Children After/ Best Literary Names

     Actually, technically the topic was "freebie," but I chose to do this topic because I think it's a super duper fun one! Erin and I have a friend named Augusta McCrae (like Augustus McCrae from Lonesome Dove) which I think is made of pure awesome. I wish I was named after a literary character, I guess I could say I was named after Meredith from Anna and the French Kiss except for the fact that that book came out in 2010. ;) Oh well.

 1. Atticus Finch from To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee- Yes, I would name my son Atticus, and in fact I plan on doing so. Atticus is such an amazing character and plus the name is pretty awesome. My parents considered naming me Atticus if I had been a boy.

 2. Elizabeth Bennet from Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen- I love Elizabeth Bennet (so much!!) and I really like the named Elizabeth. My one problem is that Elizabeth is kind of a common name.


3. Harper Lee- Ok, technically she's not a literary character. But she is a great author with a really lovely name. Plus the name is sort of gender neutral so I could name my son or my daughter Harper.


 4. Alaska from Looking for Alaska by John Green- Alaska is such a character! She has her flaws but she is still totally awesome. Plus this book is just too fabulous and I think the name Alaska is peculiar but not unheard of, which I like.

 5. Oskar from Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close- My life would be complete (ok, maybe that's an exaggeration) if I had a third of the imagination as Oskar. He is an incredible character! I also really like the spelling of his name.


6. Charlotte from Charlotte's Web by E.B. White- Don't laugh, but yes I would totally name my daughter after a spider. But Charlotte is such an amazing spider, so it's ok... right? Also, I think Charlotte is a cute name. ;)


7. Ramona from Ramona the Pest- Ramona is awesome and she also has a really cute name. The name Ramona has a perfect level of popularity and is really adorable. I also have a friend named Ramona, so I may be sort of bias towards the name. ;)


8. Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans- These books were such a huge part of my childhood and Madeline (pronounced Mad-eh-lie-n) is such a great character full of spirit. Plus, she's French. You can't go wrong there! ;)


9. Margaret from Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume-  I would consider naming my daughter Judy, but I don't really like that name, so Margaret will have to do. Margaret is a great character! Unfortunately most Margaret's end up going by Maggie or Peggy, so she probably wouldn't end up going by Margaret anyway. :(


10. Harriet from Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh- How could I almost forget HARRIET!? First class tomato sandwich eater and spy extraordinaire! I know my mother would approve because she loves Harriet just as much as I do. 

1. Paper Towns by John Green- The girl on the cover of this book/ one of the main characters in Paper Towns is Margo Roth Spiegelman. This name is a mouthful, but it is SO amazing! I love the name Margo and this name fits the character so perfectly!


2. The Fault In Our Stars by John Green- A review for The Fault In Our Stars will be up later this week, and you will be able to tell that I loved this book beyond comprehension! I adored both of the main character's names. There was Hazel Grace and Augustus Waters. Aren't those fabulous names?!


3. Junie B. Jones by Barbara Parks-  I adored all Junie B. books when I was little (much to Meredith's dismay). What a name-- Junie B! It is such an adorable name for a small child, however I don't know if I'd want my name to be Junie as a 20 year old.


4. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins- Whoa! I would not want to mess with anyone named Katniss Everdeen. Katniss is such an interesting name, and fits the character amazingly. I also adored the name Peeta Mellark, it is strong and soft at the same time. It's hard to beat the unique and interesting names in the Hunger Games!


5. Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta- This is one of my all time favorite books. At first I wasn't so sure about why the main character's name was Taylor in this book. While I like the name Taylor, I think of people like Taylor Swift when I hear that name, and the Taylor in this book is definitely not cutesy. Taylor's full name is actually Taylor Markham, and with the last name attached to the first, it makes the name 100% amazing and complete. Taylor's name ends up playing a large role in the book. 


6. The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall- I adore all of the names of the sisters in this book. There is Rosalind, Sky, Jane, and Batty. These names go hand in hand with each of the characters. Most of them are sort of old fashioned, simple, yet very lovely.


7. Lola and The Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins- I love, love, love the name Cricket! Cricket is such an interesting name, and it added to the spunk and awesomeness of the character :)


8. The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart- This book is a complete and total riot! I love the name Ruby Oliver. Again, it is old fashioned, simple, and quite magnificent and lovely. The first name Ruby and the last name Oliver accompany each other beautifully! 


9. Mrs. Piggle Wiggle by Betty McDonald- I read this when I was younger, and thought Piggle Wiggle was a pretty spunky name. I loved these books when I was younger just because they were so fun, but now that I look back on them they have some pretty important messages. 


10. The Help by Kathryn Stockett- Right now I am reading The Help, and I love all the names in the book, but I find the name Skeeter particularly interesting. I also love the name Aibileen! These names are so cool, Southern (cool and Southern literally don't go together) and I absolutely adore them :)


We look forward to checking out your Top Ten Tuesday, so leave your link in the comments section :)

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