Dear Teen Me-Feature 10

About this Feature:
Dear Teen Me (Edited by E. Kristen Anderson & Miranda Kenneally) includes advice from over 70 authors and I’m thrilled to be part of the blog tour. My tour stop date is Tuesday October 30th, and on that date I’ll be posting a review, hosting a giveaway and sharing my own Dear Teen Me letter. In the meantime, I was inspired by the book and decided to invite friends, fellow bloggers, and authors to write their own letter. Through out the month of October I’ll be be posting them here. 

After seeing the first few Dear Teen Me letters on the blog, Angie got in touch and asked to write one as well-here is her letter....

Dear Teen Me:

Hello… I remember you.  Sometimes doing things you didn't want to do to fit in.  Yea you!  There's a few things that I think you should know though I know you won't listen.

You know your body?  The one that is skinny.. so skinny you won't even wear shorts.  Wear those damn shorts.  In less then 10 years you will be the only one out of your high school friends who hasn't gained 30 lbs.  You will still be the same weight as in high school and you will love it.  So embrace it now.  And those bad boys you keep dating.. YUCK!  Though you know what?  Go ahead and date them so you know who not to date and who to marry.  But don't just have sex with just anyone!! 

 Also… that 40 hours a week you are putting in at McDonalds like they need you?  Please Mcdonalds will run just fine without you… trust me they will still be there 20 -50 years later!!  So tell them 40 hours is way too much.. 20 hours a week will be just fine.  Plus $4.25 an hour is NOTHING!   Don't feel lonely.. learn how to be friends with yourself.  Eventually you will be your own best friend.  Be KIND.  Be respectful to mom and dad.  You are constantly battling with them and someday you will realize they really are the best parents out of all your friends.  The time they made you take back the Christmas lights you stole?  Yea… first off that was a terrible thing to do, and second mom and dad were trying to make you a better person.  

Love yourself, and LOVE life.  Just because in high school you aren't the cheerleader or one of the preppy people it will be just fine.   I am so proud of who you turn out to be. 

Your best friend,

yourself 

Dear Teen Me–Feature 5

About this Feature:

Dear Teen Me (Edited by E. Kristen Anderson & Miranda Kenneally) includes advice from over 70 authors and I’m thrilled to be part of the blog tour. My tour stop date is Tuesday October 30th, and on that date I’ll be posting a review, hosting a giveaway and sharing my own Dear Teen Me letter. In the meantime, I was inspired by the book and decided to invite friends, fellow bloggers, and authors to write their own letter. Through out the month of October I’ll be be posting them here. I still have space for anyone else who would like to participate-just contact me through email or by leaving a comment on this post.

Today I welcome one of my favourite bloggers and Blog Squad cohorts Christa-

Dear 16 year old me,

Hello from the future! I managed to track down the TARDIS and convince the Doctor to deliver this letter from 24 year old you. I know you don't know what a TARDIS or the Doctor is but remember those words. They will be of vital importance later on.

I hope I've caught you at a good time. Maybe you're reading this in Ms. Jones' English class while you're supposed to be reading Catcher in the Rye but are bored because you already finished it weeks ago. Maybe you're in between psychotic customers while working the returns desk at Wal Mart. Or maybe your hiding in that hollowed out spot in the back of your closet while your parents scream bloody murder at one another. For both of our sakes, I hope it's the first option.
That's right, all those moments stick with you well into the future. You carry them with you wherever you go and as much as you may hate them now, that's ok. They've made you who you are today and that person, is pretty awesome.

There are so many things I could talk about in this letter. I could talk about how much you're going to love university or all the amazing places you're going to visit, or tell you about how one day you're going to be lucky enough work in publishing and pursuing your dreams of being a published author. But I'm not going to talk about all those things because I'm you after all and at this point there's something much more important to address.

And that's this. Your dad is an alcoholic. You probably already know (or at least suspect) this but I wanted to be clear. I'm sorry to say that he is going to continue to drink, and it will become so much more than just finding him passed out around the house. It will come to a point where you won't even know who this strange man is any more and wonder what happened to the kind, loving man who was once your hero. I don't want to overwhelm you with all the details, but I NEED you to hear this one piece of advice. Do not listen to anyone who tells you the opposite.
Are you listening?

Nothing - and I mean nothing - that happens to your dad is your fault. You are in no way responsible for any of his actions. Asking you to not only cope with but accept what's going on, is something that should never be asked of a child and if you find you need to step away and put some distance between you and the situation THAT IS OK. I can not stress that enough. Only you know how much you can take, and it's important that you listen to yourself.
Your dad was a great man. You're going to lose a lot of your earlier memories of him, but hang on to what you can. Please don't rip up all his pictures when you're angry. I regret that decision all the time. At the same time however you are perfectly right to be angry at everything he put you, your mom and your brother through. It's even alright if you feel sad and angry at the same time. Eventually the anger dulls at little and you will find peace. As a bonus you also maintain a fabulous relationship with your mom and brother to this day, so there is always that to be thankful for.

Your teenage years are not an easy trip, so be prepared. I hate to tell you this but things are going to get worse for a little while. But the good news is that around the time you turn 19 everything is going to change. Life is going to get SO MUCH BETTER. You have no idea. And not for any one reason either. But you will be happy I promise. I am proud to tell you that not once in the past five years have I ever felt the need to hide in the closet, I currently love my job and I have hundreds (seriously, hundreds) of books that I can read anytime I want.

And seriously remember what I said about the Doctor.
24 year old you

Thank you so much Christa for sharing and for being so open and honest. Big hugs to you.

Visit Christa’s Blog! – Hooked on Books!

Dear Teen Me–Feature 2

Today I welcome Michele from Just a Lil’ Lost:

Dear Teen Me,
Be courageous. Remember that bully you stood up to in grade 9? That singular moment where you called her bluff when she threatened to beat you up after school will ignite a bravery that was hidden inside you all along. That one moment will show you how you don’t have to put up with behaviour like that, and that most bullies don’t expect their victims to stand up for themselves.
Embrace your geekiness. You have no idea how your love of books, computers and theatre will be a such a big part of your life in the future. You won’t be part of the “cool” crowd because there really isn’t one. Everyone makes their own brand of cool and you’ll find the right niche of people that love the same things you will. Geekiness will become a whole culture and something to be proud of rather than ashamed of.
Quality over quantity. This has been one of the biggest revelations for me in the past few years and I wish I could have known this before. When it comes to friends, quality will matter so much more than quantity. In school, you’ll want to surround yourself with many friends, given the illusion that more = popularity. How many of those people am I really closely in touch with still? A small handful.
Basically, stay true to yourself. It’s a cliché saying but it’s true. You will have good times and bad times, good relationships and bad relationships, friends may come and go but you will realize that those who understand you and appreciate you for your individuality is who will be around for the long haul. Surround yourself with supportive people and when you get rid of the toxic people in your life (and, trust me, you will) it will feel like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders and you’ll be a lot happier. Trust me.
Signed,
Your 31-year-old self.


About this feature:
Dear Teen Me (Edited by E. Kristen Anderson & Miranda Kenneally) includes advice from over 70 authors and I’m thrilled to be part of the blog tour. My tour stop date is Tuesday October 30th, and on that date I’ll be posting a review, hosting a giveaway and sharing my own Dear Teen Me letter. In the meantime, I was inspired by the book and decided to invite friends, fellow bloggers, and authors to write their own letter. Through out the month of October I’ll be be posting them here. I still have space for anyone else who would like to participate-just contact me through email or by leaving a comment on this post.

Dear Teen Me–Feature

    Dear Teen Me (Edited by E. Kristen Anderson & Miranda Kenneally) includes advice from over 70 authors and I’m thrilled to be part of the blog tour. My tour stop date is Tuesday October 30th, and on that date I’ll be posting a review, hosting a giveaway and sharing my own Dear Teen Me letter. In the meantime, I was inspired by the book and decided to invite friends, fellow bloggers, and authors to write their own letter. Through out the month of October I’ll be be posting them here. I still have space for anyone else who would like to participate-just contact me through email or by leaving a comment on this post.

Today, I am featuring a letter written by Ginger from GReads! One of my favourite bloggers; She’s also responsible for designing the amazing graphic you see above. You can visit her tour stop on October 17th. Here is her letter:

Dear Teen Ginger,

Live in the moment; that's the best piece of advice I can give you. We tend to always want to get to that next step far too quickly and end up missing out on the here and now. Relish in the fact that your responsibilities are still limited and leave the worries to days far off in the distance. Take time to laugh with your friends. The kind of laugh that leaves your belly aching and your cheeks sore from smiling so hard, yet you find yourself doing it all over again. Pay attention to the nice boy who asks about tonight's homework assignment, but really he's just looking for an excuse to chat with you. Ignore the girls who spend too long in front of the mirror and gossip about people they don't even know. Study hard, read as much and as often as you can, get involved and volunteer.
These moments will come and go way too fast. They are moments you can't repeat, no matter how hard you try. Be happy with yourself and proud of the person your parents are still raising. Pay attention to the life that's happening around you, and the life you're still making. Being a teen can be rough, but I promise there will be tougher times ahead. So enjoy this moment and live it for what it is.

Love,
A more "seasoned" Ginger

Thanks so much G. It’s funny how when we’re teens we are in such a rush to “grow up”. Sometimes I long for the days where I had few if any responsibilities…..

BBAW 2012 -Day 1 Appreciate!

This is my first year participating in Book Blogger Appreciation Week! 

Today is all about sharing the love! Here are a few of the blogs I would be lost without!

I love Midnight Bloom Reads -fabulous reviews Love the Sash & Em Combo:) So much to love about G's blog. Especially her Tune In Tuesdays...I never miss them.  She's also the reason I have Safety Suit on my Ipod. A new blogger but a fabulous one...I always look forward to reading her posts. Anna Reads   Anna cracks me up. She is so creative!

Love this girl and her blog!

#Daily Book Pic- A Bookish Photo Project

I love twitter and this is one of the reasons, while scrolling through my feed I came across a tweet and a link to a post by Book Riot about the #Daily Book Pic!
For the month of July we are invited to post to Twitter/Pinterest a daily book themed photo-I'll be posting to Facebook too. Here is a list of prompts:

I am so excited about participating! Hope you will too! Watch my twitter/facebook feed for the photos and I'll be posting a summary post at the end of the month as well!

HarperCollins Frenzy Presents-YA Blogger Night

I was unbelievably excited to receive an invite to the HarperCollins Frenzy night in Toronto this past Tuesday. So excited that I made the drive during rush hour to be there. It was totally worth it. Not only did I have an amazing time, I also got to connect with my favourite blogger gals too. 
The evening started as all evenings should…with pie. We found a seat and then Vikki VanSickle talked about her role at HCC and introduced the other members of the HCC team, including Editor Hadley Dyer.

We got a sneak peak at some fabulous fall titles: 

Breathe by Sarah Crossan

Don't Turn Around by Michelle Gagnon

 

Starling by Lesley Livingston

Such Wicked Intent by Kenneth Oppel

Ten by Gretchen McNeil

Debutantes by Cora Harrison

 We were told in the initial invite that there could be a special guest at the event. I knew a certain someone would be in town so I was hoping it would be her and I was right! 

Tahereh Mafi

I was freaking out. If you are a follower of this blog, you know my love for Shatter Me (my review here) and for Tahereh. If you follow her on facebook, tumblr or twitter you know how incredibly awesome and funny she is. Meeting her in person was one of the highlights of my 2 years of blogging. She’s amazing!!

 It was my turn to get my book signed:  I went up, she hugged me:

She is the sweetest

We took pictures together:

SOOOO Happy

 She sat down, and began to sign my book.

Remember when I told you that I always babble and can never get my words out when I meet someone I truly admire?

I meant to say: “You are a gifted writer”
What I actually said: “Gifted YOU are”
So I basically met one of my favourite authors and ended up sounding like…..

Yoda = Jen

 Soooo embarrassing-
Tahereh was so gracious though, look how she signed my book-

The evening was wonderful, HCC even sent us home with wonderful goody bags. Thanks so much to the staff at Harpercollins; especially Vikki, Shannon and Jessica for a great night!

In My Mailbox-June 2nd

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. Each week are invited to post about bookish things we received via mail, library, store or friend.

My week:

Purchased: pics- are a little fuzzy-obviously I need a better camera...

City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare (love-can not wait to read)

Until I Die by Amy Plum (I adored the first one)

- also have you seen the pics of Amy with Ian and Paul from Vampire Diaries? Lucky Lady!

Shine by Jeri Smith-Ready  -so exciting to see my name in the acknowledgements!

Gifted: by the lovely Cariblogs!

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater...SIGNED!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you so much!!! I am such a big fan of this author.

News:

• I am happy/thrilled to announce that I'll be reviewing picture books twice a month on Bookalicious.org
• My other blog- Storytime with Jen could really use your support, I've been working hard to get it's "name" out there. Pls check it out and pass it on to those you think will be interested in the content

What's in your mailbox?

Outlander Read-Along

  Almost everyone I know has read Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. I have had this book on my shelf forever. I even recently bought an ebook version. One of my summer reading goals this year was to read this book (perhaps the entire series) and then I stumbled upon the Outlander read-a long and I love the fact that I can read a long and discuss the book with others too!

 For information on how you can participate,  visit Gone with the Word to link up. 

Have you read Outlander?

Happy Blogoversary to me!!!

Today's the Day!!! My Blog is 2!!!! (throws confetti!!!)

2 years ago today I started this little blog as an outlet for my passion (reading of course) and to share my thoughts on books. It's been a wonderful year of reviews, interviews, guest posts, and giveaways.

Here are a few of the highlights:

I met LAUREN OLIVER

I met VERONICA ROTH

I met MAGGIE STIEFVATER

I had the opportunity to interview:

Elizabeth Miles 

Jo Treggari

and Lauren Oliver 

A few book bloggers and I formed the Ontario Blog Squad and hosted our first event!

I read amazing books! a few of my favourites:

    

   

I have had lots of help and support along the way. 

Thank you to my Ontario Blog Squad ladies -Nicole, Michele, Christa, Liz, Angel, Wendy, Jackie, & Mel. You have been amazing friends and sooo fun to work with. 

Thank you to Maria from Cari's Book Blog who has always been a great support, a great listener and wonderful to chat books with.

 Thank you to Ginger from GReads who has helped by creating many of the graphics on the blog as well as encouraging me to create my own and telling me I'm good at it (even though I'm not) :) 

Thank you to my good friends Liza and Jen whom I love to chat books with and who always celebrate my accomplishments with me. They are my biggest cheerleaders, and everyone needs cheerleaders right!?

Thank you to my twitter friends who are always there when I need a laugh or to fan-girl

Thank you to the authors I've connected with especially Elizabeth Miles, Lauren Oliver & Maggie Stiefvater I still can't believe I have been able to meet you, or talk to you. 

Thank you to the publishers who have supported me not just through ARCS, but also by their kind words

Thank you to my readers. 

Thank you for commenting, and reading, and sharing and emailing and tweeting and for believing that I have something worthwhile to offer here. 

XOXOXOXO Jen

In My Mailbox-Ontario Blog Meet Up Edition

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren (yayKristi) Each week we post about books we receive by mail and other ways. It's always fun to visit other blogs and their mailboxes.

This week and Last week were fabulous. 

Last week I had coffee with my book fairy and she brought me a lovely new hard cover edition:

The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde

Goodreads / Chapters

Another book fairy gave a presentation at my library and I picked up:

Fateful by Claudia Gray 

Goodreads / Chapters

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi   - I'm freaking out!

Goodreads /Chapters

In the mail from Scholastic

IBoy by Kevin Brooks

 -be sure to check out the synopsis on this one-it's fantastic -

Goodreads/ Chapters

First Day On Earth by Cecil Castellucci

-I heard a book talk about the First Day on Earth and I'm really looking forward to reading it-

Goodreads/Chapters

Ontario Book Blogger Meet-up

This was a fabulous event and I'm so excited to post the pictures and share the days happenings.

 Look for a post soon. Meanwhile, we had wonderful publisher, Indigo, and Kobo support. 

The Goodie bags:

Fever by Lauren DeStefano
Simon & Schuster
Goodreads/ Chapters

Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
Scholastic
Goodreads/ Chapters

How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr
Hatchette
Goodreads/ Chapters

Angel Time by Anne Rice
Random House Canada
Goodreads/ Chapters

Messy
Hatchette
Goodreads/ Chapters ( not listed yet.....)

Kobo swag, A signed Lauren Oliver Bookplate, Mug & Pen from Random House

Reusuable Indigo Bag donated by Indigo.

AMAZING!!!!

Last but not least I found these cool book marks at Chapters

It's actually a pad of card stock book marks- 25 in each package with room to write your notes and thoughts!! (5.00 each) I loved them so I bought two!!

I'm feeling so happy today, maybe because the sun is shining, maybe because I know how truly lucky I am.

What was in your mailbox today?


p.s. my new IMM graphic was designed by the amazing GREADS. Thank you <3

Book Blogger Appreciation Week

It's book blogger appreciation week and I couldn't let it go by without giving a shout-out to the bloggers that have made an impact on my blogging experience and my life. I've been blogging for a year and a half. And I love it. I love the connections I make with the readers of my blog, I love having an outlet to share my love of books and reading and I love having something for myself.
  Every blogger I have (met) and every blog that I read has had an impact. I'm introduced to new viewpoints, different ways of thinking, books I haven't heard of, or books that I have read and loved and now get to witness someone else reading and loving too. So Amazing!

There are few bloggers who have made this experience extra special for me in some way and this is my chance to thank them.

Maria from Cari's Book Blog- for being a supportive friend, not sure I have words to thank you enough.

Liz from MidnightBloomReads -One of my favourite bloggers -I love chatting books with her and she's the RT queen!

Jacinda from The Reading Housewives - We share a love of True Blood and I can always count on her for support.

Ginger from GREADS - Ginger was one of the first bloggers I really connected with, she's been an awesome support and she has the best taste in music.


Carla from The Crooked Shelf- I don't know her well, we haven't really chatted but I love her blog and her tweets and she reminds me that I should never be anyone but myself. She's says what she thinks and how she feels and I so admire that.

 Jamie from The Perpetual Page Turner, Jen from the Makeshift Bookmark, Anna from Anna Reads, Ashley from the Book Labryinth, Melissa from I Swim for Oceans, Jen from I Read Banned Books,  Ashley from BasicallyAmazing, Mel from He Followed Me Home are all bloggers that I am so grateful to know, they all inspire me.