I'm only me when I'm with you.

I love my sister,

and Taylor Swift is the best <3

Along For the Ride giveaway

For those interested, there's an Along For the Ride giveaway here. The contest ends on June 26. Go check it out!

Video for Along For the Ride

This is a cool video that Sarah Dessen had on her blog. It's promoting her new book Along For the Ride which is on sale June 16. Enjoy!

Find more videos like this on Sarah-land

Wintergirls

by Laurie Halse Anderson

"Dead girl walking," the boys say in the halls.

"Tell us your secret," the girls whisper, one toilet to another.

I am that girl.

I am the space between my thighs, daylight shining through.

I am the bones they want, wired on a porcelain frame.

Wow. wow. wow. This book was stunning and intense. It's the kind of book that you have to put down for a while before you continue reading. It was almost frightening at times to be inside Lia's head. To hear herself rationalize what she was doing. There was one line that she said over and over to herself that just shocked me,

"::Stupid/ugly/stupid/bitch/stupid/fat/

stupid/baby/stupid/loser/stupid/lost::"

This book was so real. So many girls see themselves this way and so they cut and starve their bodies. Lia never saw herself as anorexic, she saw herself as strong. Throughout the book you see examples of her controlling her thoughts around food; telling herself that she doesn't need that muffin, or that pizza makes her gag. I don't know how the author pulled this book off. It was amazing and scary at the same time. Everything about this book is so brilliant. This is, so far, my favorite book from 2009.

Waiting For You

by Susane Colasanti

I don't even know how to give a synopsis of this book without making it sound SO shallow and cheesy. But it's not. If you decide to read this book, do me a favor and don't read the synopsis that comes with it. It will make you want to throw the book in the trash. Trust me. So instead of trying to tell you the plot, I'm going to describe the way I felt about the book. 

This book is about a boy and a girl (of course) but it's also so much more than that. It's about how everyone is always waiting for something. We're waiting to grow up, waiting to find true love, waiting to discover our purpose in life. Teens especially are always waiting for things to change. This book grasps that so well. The writing is not brilliant, but the story is truly thought prevoking. It's about a girl who is struggling with an anxiety disorder. She over analyzes everything that goes on in her life and at school, and it drives her crazy. She creates this image in her mind of the "perfect guy" that she thinks she wants to be with, when in reality he's not the guy she thought she knew. I loved how the family seemed completely normal for the first half of the book, but then the parents got a divorce and ruined it. Overall this book is a very easy read, and completely worth it. You just have to be willing to look beyond the high school drama and dig for the good stuff, and I promise you it's there. 

Quote and Picture.

                                                                

"So I just decided to relax into it, 

bumpy and crazy as it might be,

and try for once to just go...

Along For the Ride."

-Sarah Dessen.

Laurie Halse Anderson Book Signing!

I had the amazing opportunity to see THE Laurie Halse Anderson at Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh, North Carolina! I went with a bunch of my friends; and you probably know two of them, Emily and Traci (also fellow bloggers). This was one of the best nights of my life. She spoke about her new book, Wintergirls, and then went on to talk about anything and everything! She spoke a lot about anorexia, seeing as how that's what the book is all about. It really opened my eyes to how serious this illness really is. She was so authentic when she spoke. There was no fluff, she just says it like it is and it's all real. I love that.

She then went on to give advice to aspiring authors. She

 answered many questions and everything she said was so inspiring. It's hard, having dreams, especially when they seem SO out of reach. But her advice really made me feel confident in my dreams and made me want to pursue them. (I know that sounds REALLY cheesy, but it's very true) Thankfully we taped it, and her powerful words will stay with me for a very long time.

Emily and I before the event.

Traci and I before LHA spoke!

Here's a picture of me with LHA herself. I got a signed copy of her book *squee!*

Here's a video that Emily and I made. We were feeling random and bored while we were waiting. We have another video of LHA speaking, and so I'll upload that soon. Enjoy! (P.S. I talk too much, sorry!)