Today's guest blogger is Christa Holder Ocker, whose memoir, AUF WIEDERSEHEN, chronicles her harrowing childhood experiences in Nazi Germany during the Second World War. Below, she recalls a poignant moment shared with her ailing, elderly mother that prompted her to finally write about a past she's kept buried for decades.


What was it like growing up in Nazi Germany? I've been asked many times. With countless others of my generation, I shared the guilt of the Holocaust and evaded this question for a very long time --- the answer buried behind the floodgates of my soul. But then one day, many years later, I went to visit my aging mother.

"Oh, it's you." My mother sits at the foot of her bed as I enter her room. Her life grown fragile as the old worn shoes on her swollen feet, she waits each day for me to come by. "Where were you yesterday?" she asks, an edge of reproach in her voice.

"I told you I had a luncheon date with Debbie Panchino, remember?” A shaft of sunlight slants through the far window and touches her feet. “Why do you always wear those old shoes? You have much nicer ones.”

She ignores my question and raises her silky eyebrows a trifle. "Debbie who?"

"Debbie Panchino from New York Pictures. They're interested in doing my story, Broken Bonds."

“Oh.”

My lips touch her hollow cheek and I detect a scent, a bit musty like a moss-covered stump.

"Did you have a shower?"

"No, I don't feel good." Her eyes, set deep in a pale face, narrow as if in pain. "Maybe tomorrow…"

"I think you'll feel much better after a shower," I insist as she allows me to get her undressed. I'm always amazed at how immodest she has become in her old age. She used to be so private, private and proud.

Bent like a tree leaning away from the wind, she weighs heavily on my arm as I lead her into the bathroom. "I don't know why I can't walk anymore," she complains, holding on tight. I turn on the water and let it run over the palm of my hand until I am satisfied that it is nice and warm, but not too warm. I help her step under the spray and slide the soap gently over bumps and lumps on her body, remnants of a life ravaged by storms. I adjust the showerhead so that the warm water reaches her all over.

Wrapped in a towel and smelling like a rose in June, she continues with her litany of ills. "I don't know what's wrong with my hand." She frees a trembling right hand with utmost concentration. "I have no more strength in it."

If only she would stop moaning, I think as I help her get dressed. She never asks anymore, How are you? How are the kids? Just moan…moan…moan.

"Do you think I had a stroke?" She looks at me with something like anticipation showing in her weary eyes.

"No, Mom, I don't think so." I hold both my hands in front of her and say, "Squeeze." As she squeezes, quite firmly and evenly, the trembling subsides. "No, Mom, I don't think so," I repeat. "I think it's just weakness."

"But it wasn't like this before." She brings her right hand, steadied by her left hand, close to my eyes. "Something isn't right," she maintains, shaking her head from side to side. "See?"

And I see my mother, her hands having pushed aside the floodgates of my soul --- my mother young once again, cheekbones flushed, flashing eyes expressing a readiness to kill, a soldier’s rifle pointed at her heart, her arms extended backwards, her beautiful hands strong and steady shielding two little terrified girls.

Suddenly, I am breathing in gasps from a source that is somewhere deeper than my soul. My fingers, hardening into bone white, dig into my palms. And then I feel my mother's tremulous hand on my arm. "Are you all right?" She asks. The concern in her smile echoes in her voice, and her hand remains on my arm until I become, once more, quiet as morning mist.

As I drove home, my thoughts began to form the idea to at last answer the question of what it was like growing up in Nazi Germany. Vignettes of my life as a child danced before my eyes. As soon as I got home, I started to write. I hope that my book, AUF WIEDERSEHEN --- a story about a journey that begins toward the end of World War II, a journey that weaves through everyday life and world-changing events --- will have a broad appeal not only for adults who are curious about that period in history, but also as a lesson for our youth.

-- Christa Holder Ocker

Labels: Auf Wiedersehen, Christa Holder Ocker

Aside from dispensing beauty and lifestyle advice on her website, JustAskMarlene.com, Marlene Wallach --- president and owner of the model and talent agency Wilhelmina Kids & Teens --- has also published a four-book series called The Tween Lifestyle Collection, which aims to help teens and tweens navigate the bumpy road of adolescence. In today's guest blog, she shares some great tips on creating a healthy self-image that she's learned from first-hand experience and has been passing on to her clients for the past ten years.


Terrific, terrifying, wonderful and wacky. Being a girl today is all those things and so much more. It’s great to be you, but it’s also complicated. You’re a best friend, a daughter, a student, a trendsetter and a thrill-seeker --- which is quite a lot for one girl to handle! That’s why I wrote the My Tween Lifestyle Collection of books and created the JustAskMarlene website --- so you can feel good about yourself and enjoy all of the amazing opportunities headed your way. Never before have there been so many fun activities, ideas to ponder and doors to open to your future. So let’s turn the knob and enter!


Confidence Club
Your life is an amazing adventure, with everything changing so quickly. You might like different activities than you did when you were a little kid. Maybe you’ve changed schools and even have different friends. You are certainly growing, which means your body is changing as well. All of these things are exciting, but they can be a little scary too. You need to value who you are to easily navigate through the ups and downs of this time. The amount you value yourself is your self-esteem. If you believe that you nail any activity you try and anyone who doesn’t want to be your friend is crazy, then you have high self-esteem. If you think you’re crummy in school, sports and everything in between, then your self-esteem is low. Most people fall somewhere in between these two extremes. Wherever you land on this spectrum, you can always build your self-esteem. Let’s find out how.

Give your Self-Esteem Some Steam!
Self-esteem is important because it affects everything you do. When you feel good about yourself and are appreciated by others, it’s easier to make friends, try new activities, and push yourself in school. This is different than being conceited. You don’t need to pretend you’re the greatest person in the world. That would be fake. A healthy self-image actually comes from accepting who you are --- just the way you are. Here are some ways to improve your self-esteem:

—Let lots of people into your life: Camp counselors, teachers, relatives, classmates and neighbors make up your support network. Don’t forget friends who move to another town --- pen pals are a terrific hobby. Keep the members of this network updated on what’s going on in your life. Their opinions, love and guidance will come in handy one day.

—Be helpful: Whether it’s carrying an elderly person’s groceries across the street or showing a new student around the school, helping out feels great. Making a difference in someone else’s life will definitely make one in your own.

—Try new experiences: Are you a jock? Then give drama a try. At first it might be intimidating to experiment with a new activity, but soon enough you’ll find that you’ve developed a host of new talents, skills and friends!

—Don’t try to be perfect: Everyone makes mistakes. It’s normal to worry about making them, but they are really lessons in disguise. So don’t let the fear of mistakes keep you from trying new things. When you learn how to ride a bike, every time you fall off you are teaching your body how to balance. If you keep getting back on the bike, eventually you will ride like the wind… or at least to your friend’s house.

—Believe in yourself: Have faith that you can accomplish the goals you set for yourself. Make a plan for what you want to achieve and stick to it. You might not always end up where you thought you would, but you’ll be better for the journey.

—Ask for help: There’s nothing wrong with asking for help when you need it. If you are stuck on a math problem, ask your friend the math whiz to explain it to you. You can learn from everybody in your life, not just your teachers. Your friends and family are a rich resource, so use them.

For more articles and tips like this one check out www.justaskmarlene.com and the My Tween Lifestyle Collection. And don’t forget --- you are BEAUTIFUL!

Labels: Marlene Wallach, The Tween Lifestyle Collection

I hope you remembered to set your clocks back an hour yesterday, as the first Sunday in November marks the end of Daylight Savings Time throughout most of the country. While most of us opt to use our newly regained hour for a bit more snooze time, we're willing to bet a few of you fellow book junkies spent those extra sixty minutes with your noses buried in a great book! And for the rest of you who slept right through it, we have seven fantastic titles in this week's New Releases Roundup to help you catch up, including 2 juicy new installments to the Gossip Girl and It Girl series by Cecily von Ziegesar; FADE OUT, Rachel Caine's next book in the Morganville Vampires series; and the heart-wrenching FREAKS AND REVELATIONS by Davida Wills Hurwin.


New Releases for November 1st

Hardcover

FREAKS AND REVELATIONS by Davida Wills Hurwin (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
This raw, moving novel follows two teenagers --- one, a Mohawk-wearing 17-year-old violent misfit; the other, a gay 13-year-old cast out by his family, hustling on the streets and trying to survive. Acclaimed author Davida Wills Hurwin creates a riveting narrative told in alternating perspectives of their lives before and after the violent hate crime that changed both their futures. This tragic but ultimately inspirational journey of two polarized teens, their violent first meeting, and their peaceful reunion years later is an unforgettable story of survival and forgiveness.

This story is inspired by the real lives of Matthew Boger and Timothy Zaal, who have shared their story on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and NPR.

DEVIOUS: An It Girl Novel, created by Cecily von Ziegesar (Poppy/Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
Popular Gossip Girl character Jenny Humphrey never goes looking for trouble; but trouble always seems to find her. What Waverly Academy mischief will Jenny, Tinsley, and Callie stir up now?

It's January, and a new semester at Waverly Academy means one thing: new students. Make that hot new students. A gorgeous brother-sister pair is taking Waverly by storm, and the campus is abuzz with fresh gossip and even fresher crushes. But while all the girls are busy drooling over the new it-guy, they'd better watch their backs --- because his sister is going to give them all a run for their money. After all, there can only be one It Girl...

STRUTS & FRETS by Jon Skovron (Amulet Books)
Told in a voice that’s honest, urgent, and hilarious, STRUTS & FRETS will resonate not only with teenage musicians but with anyone who ever sat up all night listening to a favorite album, wondering if they’d ever find their place in the world.

Music is in Sammy’s blood. His grandfather was a jazz musician, and Sammy’s indie rock band could be huge one day --- if they don’t self-destruct first. Winning the upcoming Battle of the Bands would justify all the band’s compromises and reassure Sammy that his life’s dream could become a reality. But practices are hard to schedule when Sammy’s grandfather is sick and getting worse, his mother is too busy to help either of them, and his best friend may want to be his girlfriend.

When everything in Sammy’s life seems to be headed for major catastrophe, will his music be enough to keep him together?


Paperback
BREAKFAST AT BLOOMINGDALES by Kristen Kemp (Scholastic)
Kat's come to New York City with a dream: to be a big fashion designer and to see her name on a label in Bloomingdale's. Back in upstate New York, she imagined a city paved in Prada . . . but the reality isn't quite so fashionable. Still, there are friends to be made, boys to be flirted with, and amazements to be found . . . sometimes when she least expects it. Even when her lame boyfriend from back home comes to the city to try to reclaim her, Kat knows she's found her place . . . now all she has to do is have NYC find her back!


New Releases for November 3rd

Hardcover

MILLION-DOLLAR THROW by Michael (Philomel Books)
What would you do with a million dollars, if you were 13?

Nate Brodie is nicknamed “Brady” not only for his arm, but also because he’s the biggest Tom Brady fan. He’s even saved up to buy an autographed football. And when he does, he wins the chance for something he’s never dreamed of --- to throw a pass through a target at a Patriots game for one million dollars.

Nate should be excited. But things have been tough lately. His dad lost his job and his family is losing their home. It’s no secret that a million dollars would go a long way. So all Nate feels is pressure, and just when he needs it most, his golden arm begins to fail him. Even worse, his best friend Abby is going blind, slowly losing her ability to do the one thing she loves most --- paint. Yet Abby never complains, and she is Nate’s inspiration. He knows she’ll be there when he makes the throw of a lifetime.

Mike Lupica’s latest sports novel is also his most heartwarming.

I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU: A Gossip Girl Novel, created by Cecily von Ziegesar (Poppy/Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
Blair, Serena, Nate, Dan, and Vanessa went off to live their lives.

Now they're coming home for the holidays.

A lot can change in a few months . . . but some things never do.

It finally happened: we went to college. We started over. No one knows who we've coveted, what we scored on the SATs,where our parents live, or when we became debaucherous. We've learned new things, made new friends, and maybe even met the loves of our lives. We've changed.

Or at least, some of us have. But old habits are hard to break -- -especially when faced with your former besties and former flames. With everyone back in the city for the holidays, this break is guaranteed to be filled with makeups, breakups, and shakeups.

Lucky for you, I'm here to report all the scandal as it happens. Let the games begin!

You know you love me,
xoxo Gossip Girl

FADE OUT: The Morganville Vampires, Book Four by Rachel Caine (Berkley)
Without the evil vampire Bishop ruling over the town of Morganville, the resident vampires have made major concessions to the human population. With their newfound freedom, Claire Danvers and her friends are almost starting to feel comfortable again...Now Claire can actually concentrate on her studies, and her friend Eve joins the local theatre company. But when one of Eve's castmates goes missing after starting work on a short documentary, Eve suspects the worst. Claire and Eve soon realise that this film project, whose subject is the vampires themselves, is a whole lot bigger --- and way more dangerous --- than anyone suspected.

Labels: New Releases

Today's guest blogger is Carrie Jones, author of the fantasy novel, NEED, and its upcoming sequel, CAPTIVATE (due out in January). Below, she shares of list of fun facts you may have wanted to know about her --- and perhaps a few things you didn't!


1. I do not base my characters on me, because I want them to have less embarrassing lives than my life.

2. I am nice that way.

3. For instance, while I have stood outside a New York city hotel (that was super ritzy) with two huge bags of books in my hands and had my skirt fall ALL THE WAY DOWN right in front of the taxi line and a seven-year-old boy and his dad, I would never do that to Zara, the main character in NEED and CAPTIVATE.

4. Really, I am too nice to do that.

5. Similarly, even though I was talking to a book publisher’s publicity person at the Bar Harbor Book Festival and suddenly felt something fall out of my skirt and I just kept talking, only to step backwards and see a man’s sock on the floor, I would never do that to Issie --- also in NEED and CAPTIVATE --- because I know she would just die of humiliation.

6. I almost die of humiliation a lot, but I somehow survive. I have no idea why. I’m not sure it’s fair.

7. One of the worst, most embarrassing things that ever happened to me was in high school when I was talking to a guy I was 100 percent crushing on, and a tampon fell out of my locker right in between us. I stepped on it. No, I stomped on it really, and gasped.

8. Note: If you step on a feminine hygiene product in front of a guy you like, do not gasp and then kick it backwards so that it skitters down the hall because unless he is really super unaware, he will notice and start laughing so hard that he’ll fall over, clutching his stomach and someone will call the principal because of the commotion and then you will have to explain to the principal what happened.

9. I truly believe there are certain things a person shouldn’t have to endure.

10. Public humiliation is one of them.

11. Yes, Zara does have to deal with horrible things --- evil pixies, dead dad, stalking, nasty girls who rank on her choice of classic rock bands and love of Amnesty International --- I, as the author, solemnly swear not to ever make her skirt fall down, nor make a sock fall out of her skirt, nor make her have an embarrassing incident like the one mentioned at #7 and #8 above.

12. Maybe. ;)

-- Carrie Jones

Labels: Captivate, Carrie Jones, Need

J. Adams Oaks's gritty debut novel, WHY I FIGHT, straddles the line between YA and adult fiction, as he tells the story of a 12 year old on the run from his dark, violent, and unstable past. In today's guest blog, he recalls his struggles in trying to find the right audience for his book, and shares his surprise over the unexpected response he received from an unlikely group of readers.


Okay, so I’m pretty stumped. My very first novel, WHY I FIGHT, just came out this past spring and the target audience, according to the publishing company and all the media, was supposed to be 14 to 20 year olds. The book has sold over 10,000 copies (which is awesome), yet I haven’t met one single young adult who’s read it. I’ve had readings and book signings, and I’ve gotten emails from people who liked it or had questions, but every single one of them has been an adult. What’s up with that?

It’s kind of ironic really, because when I wrote the first draft of WHY I FIGHT, I really had no idea who the audience was. Oh, sure, I could talk a good game about Wyatt's --- the main character’s --- voice, but I had no idea who would read my book. So when Richard Jackson, my amazing editor at Simon and Schuster, bought the book back in 2005, he told me it’d be published as Young Adult fiction. Then he asked me one seemingly simple question:

“Who is Wyatt telling his story to?”

That means ‘who is the audience?’ and, man on man, now I was caught. I couldn’t avoid answering this question any longer. Plus, what I really wanted to say was, "I just want people to read my book! Everybody! Anybody!"

But instead I said, “Well, I always imagined Wyatt on a bus talking to a stranger.” Usually, that answer got people off my back, even though there was no stranger in the book and there was no bus.

“Well,” Dick said to me, “if that is what you intended to do, then you haven’t written that novel.”

And so the rewriting began, imagining the reader, through numerous drafts. Remembering someone was sitting there, listening, and making sure the story was being told to them.

Once the book came out this past spring, with the publishing company focusing on fourteen to twenty year olds, and the bookstores and libraries shelving it in the YA section, it surprised the heck out of me that the people showing up my readings and the people getting in touch were all adults.

The audiences I get all seem to be moms and dads who are worried about Wyatt and feel bad for him. Sure, they ask some good intelligent questions. And, man, I’m just glad people are interested. But some people freak out that Wyatt kills a fish and bird and that he fights and, truthfully, I think they’ve either forgotten what it’s like (or never experience what it’s like) to be a kid, much less a boy becoming a man.

Kids kill stuff. They wreck stuff and mess up. They do things that they don’t think is right because someone tells them to. And still, look at how many of them out there turn out to be perfectly awesome human beings. That is what I hope for Wyatt in the end. And it’s what I hope for the young readers who connect with him, that maybe they understand that life moves on and things ain’t so bad. It’s simple, I know, but important.

Anyway, if you read the book and you are younger, I’d love to hear from you. I’m always up to a chat.

-- J. Adams Oaks

Labels: J. Adams Oaks, Why I Fight

We have nine exciting and highly anticipated new releases to share with you this week, including Kristina Springer's debut THE ESPRESSOLOGIST, about a match-making barista; Alexander Gordon Smith's jailbreak novel, LOCKDOWN; SPLENDOR, the final chapter in the Luxe series by Anna Godbersen; Lisi Harrison's Clique prequel, CHARMED AND DANGEROUS; and TEMPTED, the latest installment the mother-daughter duo P. C. and Kristin Cast's House of Night series.


New Releases for October 27th

Hardcover

THE ESPRESSOLOGIST by Kristina Springer (Farrar, Straus and Giroux Books for Young Readers)
What’s your drink of choice? Is it a small pumpkin spice latte? Then you’re lots of fun and a bit sassy. Or a medium americano? You prefer simplicity in life. Or perhaps it’s a small decaf soy sugar-free hazelnut caffe latte? Some might call you a yuppie. Seventeen-year-old barista Jane Turner has this theory that you can tell a lot about a person by their regular coffee drink. She scribbles it all down in a notebook and calls it Espressology. So it’s not a totally crazy idea when Jane starts hooking up some of her friends based on their coffee orders. Like her best friend, Em, a medium hot chocolate, and Cam, a toffee nut latte. But when her boss, Derek, gets wind of Jane’s Espressology, he makes it an in-store holiday promotion, promising customers their perfect matches for the price of their favorite coffee. Things are going better than Derek could ever have hoped, so why is Jane so freaked out? Does it have anything to do with Em dating Cam? She’s the one who set them up! She should be happy for them, right?

With overtones of Jane Austen’s EMMA and brimming with humor and heart, this sweet, frothy debut will be savored by readers.

LOCKDOWN: Escape from the Furnace, by Alexander Gordon Smith (Farrar, Straus and Giroux Books for Young Readers)
Furnace Penitentiary: the world’s most secure prison for young offenders, buried a mile beneath the earth’s surface. Convicted of a murder he didn’t commit, sentenced to life without parole, “new fish” Alex Sawyer knows he has two choices: find a way out, or resign himself to a death behind bars, in the darkness at the bottom of the world. Except in Furnace, death is the least of his worries. Soon Alex discovers that the prison is a place of pure evil, where inhuman creatures in gas masks stalk the corridors at night, where giants in black suits drag screaming inmates into the shadows, where deformed beasts can be heard howling from the blood-drenched tunnels below. And behind everything is the mysterious, all-powerful warden, a man as cruel and dangerous as the devil himself, whose unthinkable acts have consequences that stretch far beyond the walls of the prison.

Together with a bunch of inmates --- some innocent kids who have been framed, others cold-blooded killers --- Alex plans an escape. But as he starts to uncover the truth about Furnace’s deeper, darker purpose, Alex’s actions grow ever more dangerous, and he must risk everything to expose this nightmare that’s hidden from the eyes of the world.

THE SHADOW DRAGONS: The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica, Book Four, written and illustrated by James A. Owen (Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing)
World War II has been raging for three years, but a more terrible evil is just over the horizon. The last stones are falling from the Keep of Time, and the Imperial Cartological Society, led by Richard Burton, has collected doors and is building a new tower at the request of an old enemy: the Winter King's shadow. He has a terrible weapon --- the Spear of Destiny --- that can be used to command the shadows of anyone it touches.

The Shadow King uses the Spear of Destiny to enlist an unstoppable army of Dragon shadows. And after the Archipelago falls, the Shadow King intends to use the turmoil of World War II to take over both worlds.

All the legendary Caretakers, past and present, come together to save two worlds, and their only hope lies with a small group of companions who are on the quest for the broken sword Caliburn; the Grail Child, Rose Dyson; her clockwork companion, the owl Archie; a dead professor of ancient literature; and the mythical knight Don Quixote.

SPLENDOR: A Luxe Novel, by Anna Godbersen (HarperCollins Children’s Books)
New beginnings.

Shocking revelations.

Unexpected endings.

A spring turns into summer, Elizabeth relishes her new role as a young wife, while her sister, Diana, searches for adventure abroad. But when a surprising clue about their father's death comes to light, the Holland girls wonder at what cost a life of splendor comes.

Carolina Broad, society's newest darling, fans a flame from her past, oblivious to how it might burn her future. Penelope Schoonmaker is finally Manhattan royalty --- but when a real prince visits the city, she covets a title that comes with a crown. Her husband, Henry, bravely went to war, only to discover that his father's rule extends well beyond New York's shores and that fighting for love may prove a losing battle.

In the dramatic conclusion to the bestselling Luxe series, New York's most dazzling socialites chase dreams, cling to promises, and tempt fate. As society watches what will become of the city's oldest families and newest fortunes, one question remains: Will its stars fade away or will they shine ever brighter?

DESTINY’S PATH: Warrior Princess, Book Two by Frewin Jones (HarperTeen)
Her destiny must be fulfilled . . .

Ranwen refuses to take orders from anyone --- even the Shining Ones, the ancient gods whose power is feared throughout the land. They want her as their Chosen One, destined to save her country from the Saxons. But Branwen doubts she's truly ready to be a leader.

Then a messenger from the skies shows her a vision of a bleak and violent future --- a future in which Branwen has abandoned her destiny, and those most dear to her suffer unspeakable horrors. There's a blurry line between good and evil, and those Branwen trusts the most are capable of the greatest betrayal. The Shining Ones have spoken. Will Branwen answer their call?

CHARMED AND DANGEROUS: The Rise of the Pretty Committee, by Lisi Harrison (Poppy/Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
Happy New Clique!

Once upon a time, in Westchester and Orlando, there were four betas just waiting for their alpha. It took a miracle to bring the Pretty Committee together --- or rather, a New Year's Yves party. Because sometimes when you meet someone, it just cliques.

Massie Block: Is destined to lead, but trapped as a beta in the Ahnabees, the top clique at PMS (Presbyterian Middle School). She has ah-mazing ideas --- Friday night sleepovers, Gossip Points, and atching charm bracelets. When will it be her time to rule?

Alicia River: Is dying to lead the Body Alive Dance Studio Squad. With the captain on vacation, BADSS’s live performance on Merri Lee Marvil’s New Year’s Yves show is her chance to shine. Will she prove herself alpha-worthy --- or will she need to find a whole new clique?

Dylan Marvil: Is done, done, and done with people kissing her teeny-tiny butt just because her mom is famous. But who would be brave enough to stand up to someone so Marvilous?

Kristen Gregory: Has made a New Year’s resolution to make friends and get a life. Escape from Planet Loser starts… now!

Claire Lyons: Is psyched times ten to win a last-minute invitation to the New Year’s Yves satellite party in Orlando. But first she needs to sneak out of the house. And the countdown to midnight begins in ten… nine… eight…

The Clique… the only thing harder than getting in is staying in.

TEMPTED: House of Night, Book Six by P. C. Cast and Kristin Cast (St. Martin’s Griffin)
So… you’d think after banishing an immortal being and a fallen High Priestess, saving Stark’s life, biting Heath, getting a headache from Erik, and almost dying, Zoey Redbird would catch a break. Sadly, a break is not in the House of Night school forecast for the High Priestess in training and her gang. Juggling three guys is anything but a stress reliever, especially when one of them is a sexy Warrior who is so into protecting Zoey that he can sense her emotions. Speaking of stress, the dark force lurking in the tunnels under the Tulsa Depot is spreading, and Zoey is beginning to believe Stevie Rae could be responsible for a lot more than a group of misfit red fledglings. Aphrodite’s visions warn Zoey to stay away from Kalona and his dark allure, but they also show that it is Zoey who has the power to stop the evil immortal. Soon it becomes obvious that Zoey has no choice: if she doesn’t go to Kalona he will exact a fiery vengeance on those closest to her. Will Zoey have the courage to chance losing her life, her heart, and her soul? Find out in the next spectacular installment in the House of Night Series, TEMPTED.


Paperback

THE PATRON SAINT OF BUTTERFLIES by Cecilia Galante (Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books)
Agnes and Honey have been best friends for as long as they can remember. But everything is about to change, from their friendship to the only home they’ve ever known: a religious commune called Mount Blessing. Agnes loves being a believer and following the rules of the commune, but Honey has started to rebel. Then, when Agnes and Honey experience the outside world (on the run, no less), their friendship is tested further. After all, when everything you’ve ever known turns out to be a lie, how do you find the truth? A powerful story of faith, doubt, abuse, and above all, friendship.
- Click here to read our review of THE PATRON SAINT OF BUTTERFLIES.

PERFECT MISTAKE by Kate Brian (Priviledge)
MAKE NEW FRIENDS AND KILL THE OLD....

Ariana Osgood has everything she's ever wanted. A place at elite Atherton-Pryce boarding school. Fabulous friends. A new crush. And most importantly, a new identity. Now that she's officially become Briana Leigh Covington, Ariana's troubled past is dead and buried.

Or is it?

When the one person who knows her secret arrives on campus, Ariana decides it's time to say good-bye to her ex-best friend --- forever. From the author of the bestselling Private novels comes a series about the dark world of wealth, secrets, and PRIVILEGE.


New Releases for October 29th

Paperback

DRAGONHAVEN by Robin McKinley (Speak)
Jake lives at the Makepeace Institute of Integrated Dragon Studies in Smokehill National Park. There are five million acres of the Smokehill wilderness, and the endangered dragons rarely show themselves. Jake’s never seen one except at a distance. But then, on his first overnight solo in the park, he meets a dragon—and she is dying. More than that, she has just given birth, and one of the babies is still alive. . . .
- Click here to read our review of DRAGONHAVEN.

Labels: New Releases

Erik Raschke's debut novel, THE BOOK OF SAMUEL, follows a teenage boy whose world gets turned upside down the day his father leaves his family. From that moment on, poor Samuel seems to have one trying situation after another thrown in his direction, making him seem more like a tragic biblical figure than an ordinary kid growing up in the '80s, just trying to make sense of the complex world around him.

We'll be reviewing THE BOOK OF SAMUEL next month, so check back soon! In the meantime, take a look at the trailer below, and download an excerpt here. And if you haven't read Erik's guest blog, you can do so here. Don't forget to let us know what you think in the comments below!

Labels: Book Trailer, Erik Raschke, Excerpt, The Book of Samuel

Erik Raschke is the author of numerous short stories, as well as the debut novel, THE BOOK OF SAMUEL --- a coming-of-age tale about a boy's struggles with family, love, faith, and changing surroundings. Aside from penning fiction, he also teaches it to high school students, who serve as the inspiration behind today's guest blog. Below, he discusses the personal significance of a Dorothy Parker short story to both himself as well as two very disparate groups of his students, and reflects on just how powerful the art of telling a story can be.


On the two separate occasions that I read “Clothe the Naked” by Dorothy Parker to my high school classes, it rained. For me, rain has always whispered, “read,” gently encouraging me to engage with a slower, more thoughtful world, a world that is rarely brought fully and satisfyingly to life in a sterile classroom. But sometimes, a good story or just perhaps the right story, at the right time, can flutter around a classroom, connecting each and every student’s brain via an electric current, as if the entire class has suddenly and simultaneously clambered onto Tesla plasma lamp.

The first time I read "Clothe the Naked" was to my students who were from one of the poorest parts of New York City, and the second time was to my students at a private school in one of the wealthiest parts of Holland. But on both days, I could sense almost every student transcend my nasal, almost whiney voice and grab hold to Dorothy Parker’s magnificently constructed sentences, not because they admired the foreshadowing, metaphor, point of view, blah, blah, blah, but because they were lost in the sounds, the character’s emotions, the ignorant bliss of a mute child. With every paragraph, they were drawn deeper and deeper into the narrative until I, the reader, was the farthest from their minds.

As I paced the room, reading the story with as much passion as a teacher and a non-actor can, I remember looking out over my class and discovering that many students had simply pushed the copied pages to the edge of their desk and lowered their heads. Others stared at me as if I were telling them something deeply personal. And the rest, who followed along with me, word-for-word, while I read, didn’t look up until long after I had finished the last sentence.

When I think of “Clothe the Naked” and how a story composed by a white female writer, about a blind African-American boy, brought two very distinct groups of students, Dutch and Dominican, into a awkwardly real world of ignorance and cruelty, but yet, in the end, gently delivered us all into meditative contemplation, I think, “this is why I teach fiction.” To do what Dorothy Parker does: telling a story that reaches across all groups and speaks to us intimately, pulling something grand and magnanimous from each of our souls, something we always suspected was there, but had struggled to articulate. To create the kind of story that needles us all, individually, to make certain changes in our own lives and warns us of the consequences if we don’t. To write the kind of story that has the ability to pacify thirty boys and girls, all preoccupied with love and conflicts with friends, family, and teachers (or in the case of my Dominican students, drive-by shootings, drugs, gangs, eviction) and quietly bring us face-to-face with issues connected to the core of our collective humanity.

After ten years of teaching, I have held on to one conviction, and that is there are certain stories that should be enjoyed, relished, savored, and left unmolested by us teachers. At least once a month, I read a single short story (or a chapter), one that is no longer than half-hour to forty-five minutes. I promise my students I will not ask any “discussion questions” afterward as long as they promise to listen quietly. Some of the stories work. Many of my favorite, unfortunately, don’t. But in the case of Dorothy Parker’s “Clothe the Naked,” we were all on the same page.

Click here to read Dorothy Parker's "Clothe the Naked."


-- Erik Raschke

Labels: Clothe the Naked, Dorothy Parker, Erik Raschke, The Book of Samuel

Today's very special guest blogger is Linda W. Braun, the president of the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). Below, she shares details about this year's Teen Read Week program, discusses the benefits of reading for pleasure, and even recommends some exciting titles that'll allow us to "read beyond reality."

Each October, the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) --- a Division of the American Library Association (ALA) --- sponsors Teen Read Week, a program that encourages teens to read for pleasure. This year, Teen Read Week takes place October 18 through 24 and has the theme, “Read Beyond Reality.”

What does reading beyond reality mean for teens? For some, it means reading science fiction and fantasy books with imaginary characters such as those in the manga DEATH NOTE by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. Or, it might mean reading about extraordinary events as in Cory Doctorow’s LITTLE BROTHER.

For other teens, reading beyond reality means reading materials set in the present real world, but a world very different than theirs. For example, a teen who has never been to New York City may read beyond reality when picking up Cheryl Diamond’s autobiography MODEL, which tells of Diamond’s life in New York as a teen model. Or, a teen in a public school might read beyond reality with E. Lockhart’s THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY OF FRANKIE LANDAU BANKS, which takes place in a private boarding school.

Teen Read Week also promotes the idea that reading for pleasure doesn’t happen just with books. Reading magazines, graphic novels, blog posts, sports websites, etc. are ways in which teens can enjoy content. When one is engrossed in words, story, and/or information, in whatever format it might be presented, that is an example of reading for pleasure.

Why is it important to promote teen pleasure reading? Because different types of reading bring different types of experiences, different types of understanding, and different ways of acquiring literacy skills. For example, when a teen reads an article for a class assignment, he is certainly reading and acquiring knowledge. But, while the physical act of reading that article for that purpose is the same as the physical act of reading an article in a sports magazine, personal interest in the content can help to make the reading more pleasurable and, as a result, give a teen a stronger sense of their own reading skills and help them to think of themselves as a reader and even a lover of reading.

Around the country this week, libraries are celebrating teen pleasure reading with a variety of related activities and programs. You can read more about the week and what’s going on in libraries on the Teen Read Week web site, here.

-- Linda W. Braun

Labels: Teen Read Week, YALSA

The 2009 Kirkus Reviews Book Video Awards challenges student filmmakers to produce video trailers for three upcoming YA novels published by Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books: FALLEN by Lauren Kate, VERY LeFREAK by Rachel Cohn, and THE MAZE RUNNER by James Dashner. The finalists for the 4th annual Teen Book Video Awards are Benjamin Bliss (FALLEN), Rosie Lambert (VERY LeFREAK), and Brighton Linge (THE MAZE RUNNER).

It’s safe to say that all of the videos are amazing, chilling, and highly entertaining, but only one of these promising young filmmakers can win this competition. The polls are open through Oct. 30th, so be sure to vote for your favorite video and send the link to everyone you know so they can check them out too!

To watch these enticing book trailers, vote for your favorite, and read more about the competition and each of the filmmakers, visit http://www.barnesandnoble.com/kirkusbva/. We had a lot of fun watching the videos, and can’t wait to see who wins. Which video excites you about reading a book the most? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

Labels: Fun Stuff, Kirkus Reviews, Teen Book Video Awards

In today's guest blog, Amber Kizer --- author of ONE BUTT CHEEK AT A TIME and GERT GARIBALDI'S RANTS AND RAVES --- shares a family anecdote passed down from her grandparents that inspired elements of her latest novel, MERIDIAN.


As a reader, I’m always intrigued to learn of an author’s experiences influencing the writing of a book --- the autobiographical or “real life” bits and pieces. Everything in our lives as authors is fair game --- it all goes into the creative well, though what we pull out might not appear that way to readers. Not all ideas translate directly from life to a story, but for me this particular one worked exactly as it’s been in my family for generations. THE special code.

Meridian is a girl who shepherds souls to the afterlife and the story reflects a battle of good versus evil. I have lots of connections to parts of this book --- I quilt like Auntie. I’ve sat vigil like Meridian. It’s a story about death, but maybe more importantly, it’s about hope for the after. But it’s also a love story, and that’s what I’d like to talk about today!

Meridian is a Fenestra --- a race of angel/human beings who act as windows to the Afterlife. Tens is a Protector --- guardians for Fenestras. When possible, Fenestras and Protectors are soul mates. There’s a special code in this story that I took directly from my family’s history and tradition. 1-4-3. Think about it. Know the hidden meaning? I love you. I (1) love (4) you (3). Now, here’s where it came from.

My grandparents met while attending Texas Christian University in the 1940s. They lived in dorms directly across a large open space, so each could look out their window and see the other dorm and room windows. I’ve never seen these buildings or photographs of them, but in my mind’s eye they’re tall, boxy, brick apartment-like buildings. And the open space between them is about a football field of grassy space with paths cutting through it. Who knows what reality really is? As my grandparents became more serious in their dating, each night before going to bed they’d use a flashlight and blink it toward the other’s window. 1-4-3. Whoever was waiting would do it in return. An “I love you” before sleep. Usually my grandfather started and my grandmother responded in the same manner.

They thought they were pretty sneaky and didn’t tell anyone they were doing it. But one night, my grandfather blinked his 1-4-3 across the quad and my grandmother’s entire dorm blinked back. Every girl, in every window, had a flashlight! Imagine it --- the whole dorm flashing 1-4-3 right back to my grandfather! I can almost hear the girls giggling, then dissolving into full-out laughter from here.

I can see my grandfather walking to class the next morning and girls smiling or giggling when they saw him. Or his dorm mates ribbing him about it because they’d seen it or heard about it or were dating a girl who’d done it. I can hear my grandmother saying, “Oh, Joe, don’t be so embarrassed.”

Even fifty years later when my grandfather told the story, he’d turn red and sputter. My grandmother always insisted that she had nothing to do with it, but she was such a rabble rouser it wouldn’t surprise me if she’d helped the idea along. She did so love to make my grandfather blush with embarrassment.

They married in 1944 and were still together when my grandfather died in 2006. What they started continued with their children, and then to my generation. Cards and letters may be signed with 1-4-3.

In MERIDIAN, it’s a code that Charles and Auntie pass on to Meridian and Tens. Today, I’m passing it on to you. Make it your own!

I love to hear from readers. Feel free to email me: Amber@AmberKizer.com

Readers can find more behind the scenes information about Amber and her books by visiting www.AmberKizer.com, www.MeridianSozu.com, and www.OneButtCheek.com or on Facebook and Goodreads.

-- Amber Kizer

Labels: Amber Kizer, Meridian

As we shared with you in our New Releases Roundup Blog a few weeks back, Kristin Cashore recently published FIRE, the much-anticipated prequel to her debut novel, GRACELING. Though set in the same fantasy world as Cashore's previous book, FIRE takes place 30 years earlier, and introduces us to a 17-year-old heroine who will just about make you forget everything you thought you knew about "monsters."



After checking out the trailer above, use the casting widget below to play director, and build your own movie version of FIRE by selecting which actors you'd like to see play Fire, Brigan, Archer and Nash!

Labels: Book Trailer, Fire, Fun Stuff, Kristin Cashore

In case you didn't already know, October 18-24th is Teen Read Week! And what would be a more perfect way to kick off the festivities than with our latest roundup of new releases, which offers eight rich and thought-provoking titles that tackle some pretty heavy topics, like culture clashes in Katherine Patterson's THE DAY OF THE PELICAN; the difficulties of loss in Valerie O. Patterson's THE OTHER SIDE OF BLUE and HOLD STILL by Nina LaCour; coming-of-age angst in Barry Lyga's GOTH GIRL RISING, and matters of the heart in K. L. Madigan FLASH BURNOUT and Lauren Strasnick's NOTHING LIKE YOU. This week also marks the release of the last installment of the endearing Dairy Queen series, FRONT AND CENTER by Catherine Gilbert Murdock, as well as the third book in Nancy Farmer's The Sea of Trolls Trilogy, THE ISLANDS OF THE BLESSED.


New Releases for October 19th

Hardcover

THE DAY OF THE PELICAN by Katherine Paterson (Clarion Books)
Meli Lleshi is positive that her drawing of her teacher with his pelican nose started it all. The Lleshis are Albanians living in Kosovo, a country trying to fight off Serbian oppressors, and suddenly they are homeless refugees. Old and young alike, they find their courage tested by hunger, illness, the long, arduous journey, and danger on every side. Then, unexpectedly, they are brought to America by a church group and begin a new life in a small Vermont town. The events of 9/11 bring more challenges for this Muslim family --- but this country is their home now and there can be no turning back. A compassionate, powerful novel by a master storyteller.

FLASH BURNOUT by L. K. Madigan (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
Fifteen-year-old Blake has a girlfriend and a friend who’s a girl. One of them loves him; the other one needs him.

When he snapped a picture of a street person for his photography homework, Blake never dreamed that the woman in the photo was his friend Marissa’s long-lost meth-addicted mom. Blake’s participation in the ensuing drama opens up a world of trouble, both for him and for Marissa. He spends the next few months trying to reconcile the conflicting roles of Boyfriend and Friend. His experiences range from the comic (surviving his dad’s birth control talk) to the tragic (a harrowing after-hours visit to the morgue).

In a tangle of life and death, love and loyalty, Blake will emerge with a more sharply defined snapshot of himself.

FRONT AND CENTER by Catherine Gilbert Murdock (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
After five months of sheer absolute craziness I was going back to being plain old background D.J. In photographs of course I'm always in the background...

But it turns out other folks have big plans for D.J. Like her coach. College scouts. All the town hoops fans. A certain Red Bend High School junior who's keen for romance and karaoke. Not to mention Brian Nelson, who she should not be thinking about! Who she is done with, thank you very much. But who keeps showing up anyway...

GOTH GIRL RISING by Barry Lyga (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
Time is a funny thing in the hospital. In the mental ward. You lose track of it easily.

After six months in the Maryland Mental Health Unit, Kyra Sellers, a.k.a. Goth Girl, is going home. Unfortunately, she's about to find out that while she was away, she lost track of more than time. Kyra is back in black, feeling good, and ready to make up with the only person who's ever appreciated her for who she really is. But then she sees him. Fanboy. Transcended from everything he was into someone she barely recognizes. And the anger and memories come rushing back.

There's so much to do to people when you're angry. Kyra's about to get very busy.

THE OTHER SIDE OF BLUE by Valerie O. Patterson (Clarion Books)
Cyan was named after a shade of blue, her artist mother's favorite color. The color of the sea. Since her father's death last year, she’s felt just as mercurial and dark as her namesake, and the distance between Cyan and her mother has grown as wide as an ocean. Now they're returning to the island of Curaçao in the Caribbean, where her father's mysterious accident occurred, and joining them will be Kammi --- who may soon become a stepsister. Haunted by the secrets of the past, Cyan will explore all the depths of her blueness this summer, discovering the light, the darkness, and the many shades in between that are within her --- and within us all.


New Releases for October 20th

Hardcover

HOLD STILL by Nina LaCour (Dutton Juvenile)
An arresting story about starting over after a friend’s suicide, from a breakthrough new voice in YA fiction.

dear caitlin, there are so many things that i want so badly to tell you but i just can’t.

Devastating, hopeful, hopeless, playful . . . in words and illustrations, Ingrid left behind a painful farewell in her journal for Caitlin. Now Caitlin is left alone, by loss and by choice, struggling to find renewed hope in the wake of her best friend’s suicide. With the help of family and newfound friends, Caitlin will encounter first love, broaden her horizons, and start to realize that true friendship didn’t die with Ingrid. And the journal which once seemed only to chronicle Ingrid’s descent into depression, becomes the tool by which Caitlin once again reaches out to all those who loved Ingrid --- and Caitlin herself.

NOTHING LIKE YOU by Lauren Strasnick (Simon Pulse)
When Holly loses her virginity to Paul, a guy she barely knows, she assumes their encounter is a one-night stand. After all, Paul is too popular to even be speaking to Holly...and he happens to have a long-term girlfriend, Saskia. But ever since Holly's mom died six months ago, Holly has been numb to the world, and she's getting desperate to feel something, anything --- so when Paul keeps pursuing her, Holly relents. Paul's kisses are a welcome diversion...and it's nice to feel like the kind of girl that a guy like Paul would choose.

But things aren't so simple with Saskia around. Paul's real girlfriend is willowy and perfect... and nothing like Holly. To make matters worse, she and Holly are becoming friends. Suddenly the consequences of Holly's choices are all too real, and Holly stands to lose more than she ever realized she had.
- Click here to read Lauren Strasnick's guest blog about the release of NOTHING LIKE YOU.

THE ISLANDS OF THE BLESSED by Nancy Farmer (Atheneum/Richard Jackson Books)
In this much-anticipated conclusion to the Sea of Trolls trilogy, Notland is no place to seek one's true calling. Or is it?

Labels: New Releases

For most authors, writing a novel is definitely a long and complicated process. Today's guest blogger, Justine Larbalestier, gives us a bit of insight into hers, explaining the nonlinear approach she took to penning her latest book, LIAR.


Writing LIAR was a big departure from my previous books. Usually, like many novelists, I start at the beginning and keep writing until I get to the end. I call that my draft zero, which I write very quickly. Draft zero is always utter, utter, utter rubbish. (Seriously, if you read one of my zero drafts you would be horrified. I frequently am.) I then have to make the draft be not utter rubbish. That takes much much longer and involves rewriting the whole novel from start to finish multiple times.

LIAR was different. Because the narrator, Micah, is, um, not what would you’d call trustworthy --- she is, in fact, a liar --- her story took lots of twists and turns, and the book did, too. Micah backtracks, forwardtracks, sidetracks. I wound up writing her story completely out of order. One of the earliest parts of the novel is now close to the end. The opening was one of the last bits I wrote.

I also didn’t write the book in chapters. Something else I’ve never done before. I wrote it in small chunks --- some as short as 45 words. (A page is typically around 250 words.) The majority were around one or two pages, and only a handful were longer than four pages.

In some ways, it was more like writing poetry than a novel. I rewrote each one multiple times before the draft was completed, thinking about every single word, worrying about its placement on the page. At the same time, I was constantly moving these chunks around as if the novel were a jigsaw puzzle. Every time I moved one to another part of the novel, I had to rewrite it so that it actually fit there. Each move led to more rewriting, so that some bits of LIAR were rewritten twenty or thirty or one hundred times or more. (I lost count.)

When I had a complete draft, it was way more polished than my usual zero draft. It was more like a fourth or fifth draft --- a miracle for me. I think my editor fainted when she read it.

Hmmm, I think I’ve made writing LIAR sound like a fiddly nightmare. But, it turns out I love writing like that. It’s made me a better writer. Having written LIAR, I now feel like I can write anything. Thus, I’m also writing my current novel out of order even though it’s way more conventionally structured than LIAR. I’m having a blast.

I will admit that I was very nervous about how readers would respond to my strange little novel with its many teeny tiny chapters (that aren’t chapters at all) and the more poetic style. I was worried it would bog them down. Instead, people are reporting that LIAR is a page turner. Who knew that shorter chapters make for a faster read?

Other than James Patterson and Dan Brown, I mean.

-- Justine Larbalestier

Labels: Justine Larbalestier, Liar

Instead of celebrating the publication of her second novel FAT CAT, which just hit stores yesterday, Robin Brande has been keeping a low profile, opting to go hiking in the Alps --- partly doing research for her next book, but also partly hiding out in fear of her book's dreaded release date. Below, she explains why she's so anxious about this usually exciting occasion, and shares details about what she considers to be the most personal work she's ever written.


Usually when an author has a new book coming out, it’s all countdown widgets and promo bits and contest giveaways and “guess what --- almost here!”

A few author friends of mine noticed I wasn’t doing any of that. “What’s the deal? Don’t you care?”

“Oh yeah, I care --- too much. Which is why I’m going into hiding.”

Because out of all the books I’ve written, both published and as-yet unpublished, FAT CAT is the most personal one by far. It makes me feel like I’m baring my butt to the world.

Sure, the book is full of romance and comedy and cool science --- those were the easy parts to write, even though the science took a lot of research and personal experimentation. When Cat talks about making a lentil and barley loaf --- trust me, I ate that. Wild rice and pine nuts and dried cranberries? Zucchini muffins? Mmm, ate all that. I ate everything Cat eats in the book.
More important, I stopped eating all the things she stopped eating. No more processed foods. No more chocolate. No more salty snax. I even gave up (brace yourselves) coffee, which for me is like giving up air. But if Cat had to ditch her Diet Cokes, the least I could do was skip Starbucks for a while. Even though it made me want to cry.

But the fat parts of the book. Ugh. So personal and hard to write.

Because I’ve been that girl. And that woman. Off and on for years upon years, I’ve been up and down in my weight, felt the pudge pile on and then deflate again --- those of you who have had weight struggles know what I’m talking about.

And a good stretch of that fat time was during high school and college. I won’t reveal my top weight, but trust me, it was intimidating. And I kept it up there through long stretches of superfatty eating, followed by weird diets I’d find in women’s magazines, followed by losing my mind and breaking down and eating a whole box of Little Debbies in one sitting. Good times.

So when Cat talks about how she feels about her body, that comes from my heart. When she talks about her love of cookies and ice cream and all the great comfort foods --- yeah, word. And about some of the humiliations she’s suffered --- yep, I was there.

But she also gets to experience what I have, which is the gradual whittling away of the excess, until one day you’re surprised to find how strong and light and energetic you feel, how clean, how free of all those chemicals you were accidentally pumping into your body along with the box of this or bag of that. I know how great it feels to feel great, and that’s an experience I wish I could have had back in my high school and college days. In a way, I wrote FAT CAT for the girl I was. She would have been all over Cat’s experiment.

Plus, it was fun to give Cat some guy trouble, since I never had a scrap of that myself when I was younger. What good is it to be an author if you can’t insert your fantasy high school romantic situations into a novel? Come on now. Seems like a fair payoff for having to give up Starbucks for so long.

So, the book came out October 13th. In the weeks right before that, I was hiding out in the Alps, hiking from hut to hut and sleeping in bunk beds next to a bunch of German and Austrian strangers. Which, I might as well tell you, is part of the research for my next book. Being a mountain adventurer might not feel as personal to me as being a fat girl, but I’m throwing myself into the research and writing that book as much as I did into FAT CAT. I know it’s going to be a lot of fun.

And guess what? This time I’m not giving up coffee.

-- Robin Brande

Labels: Fat Cat, Robin Brande