Thursday Thoughts -2-

Hello, Lovelies!

Sorry I've been posting later and later. Finals are next week and I've been preparing for Spring Break by doing laundry, going to the dining hall, and studying... 'Tis the life of a hardcore party girl! Woot!

But anywho, because I couldn't convince you to go out and buy DITCHED, I thought that hearing from some other people might! So in no particular order, here are links to eight different reviews I've read about it. They're from all over the place and they have different likes and dislikes so read with the ear of a critic and remember! The best way to make a judgement about something is to experience it for yourself.

So without further adieu here is a review...

In Which DITCHED is described as a "laugh-out-loud debut...

[for] when you are in the mood for a thoroughly entertaining light read."

In Which DITCHED made the reader think, hey!

"This would make an AWESOME movie!"

In Which DITCHED "had me [the reviewer] at its cover..." 

In Which the reviewer "loved this story" and was glad they bought it...

In Which DITCHED "feels a bit like the Hangover" and gets 4 stars...

In Which the reviewer talks about the cover, gives a few 

spoilers, and bakes a cookie shaped like Justina's prom dress...

In Which "Justina is very likeable... but basically is a Hot Mess..."

Recommended for fans of 80s John Hughes movies...

In Which those hardcore folk at Kirkus Reviews called this a "zany comedy...

[in which] the author displays a well-developed touch for the absurd." 

And that's all I've got for you this Thursday. As you can see, the consensus is that DITCHED is a fun, light read that is pretty refreshing for those of us saturated with heavy YA. So what do you think? Ready to give it a chance? I did and I ended up really enjoying this novel. So what are you waiting for? Get down with DITCHED and then join me here tomorrow at 6 P.M. PST to talk about Robin Mellom's debut AND Ally Carter's CROSS MY HEART AND HOPE TO SPY. 

See you then!

Deserae

P.S. Like I said last Thursday, Elsewhere is small right now so I'm not expecting to have a huge crowd at the liveshow. But you should come! And you should tell other people to come! Even if you haven't read the books because we could talk about boys, or flowers, or book COVERS (oh my.)... The options are limitless and although you'll need an account to join the chat, it's really easy to sign up so do it! I can't wait to chat with you!

Wednesday Writes -2-

Oh my goodness, Elsewhere; you almost let me forget to post a Wednesday Writes today!

Well we didn't get any entries so again, sorry! You'll have to deal with me. This week there were two prompts, but I chose to go with Prompt 2A because I wasn't feeling very creative tonight and I only have an hour to post this puppy! So without further adieu here is my horrible date story. Enjoy!

Tuesday in Tweets -2-

   

How it started...

 How it progressed... (read bottom up)

How I became a pro at talking to myself... (read bottom up)

Just for kicks...

Memo from earlier today:  

Hey Everyone!

Don't forget to join me today on Twitter to talk about Robin Mellom's DITCHED and Ally Carter's CROSS MY HEART AND HOPE TO SPY.

Speaking of... today is the official release day of Ally Carter's FIFTH Gallagher Girl novel, OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF TIME! So please, join us in the celebration at #teamelsewhere, #GallagherGirl, and #Ditched as we talk spies, crimes, and getting to Prom on time... Okay, so we're not THAT coordinated, but you can still talk to us about anything to do with either book. Find me @sommertales and the authors @robinmellom and @OfficiallyAlly!

I'll update you later!
~Deserae

P.S. Here are other things you might be interested in:
Awesome book jackets for your hardcovers!
Beta testing Tera Lynn Child's new forum!
A contest to win "The Descendants" on Blu-Ray!
More new young adult book releases this week!

And that's it for today! Ciao Bellas! 

Monday Mayhem -2- The Mayhem Returns

Ditched: A Love Story

by Robin Mellom

High school senior Justina Griffith was never the girl who dreamed of going to prom. Designer dresses and strappy heels? Not her thing. So she never expected her best friend, Ian Clark, to ask her. 

Ian, who always passed her the baseball bat handle first. 
Ian, who knew exactly when she needed red licorice. 
Ian, who promised her the most amazing night at prom. 
And then ditched her. 

Now, as the sun rises over her small town, and with only the help of some opinionated ladies at the 7-Eleven, Justina must piece together – stain by stain on her thrift-store dress – exactly how she ended up dateless. A three-legged Chihuahua was involved. Along with a demolition derby-ready Cadillac. And there was that incident at the tattoo parlor. Plus the flying leap from Brian Sontag’s moving car… But to get the whole story, Justina will have to face the boy who ditched her. And discover if losing out at prom can ultimately lead to true love.

Happy Monday, Everyone!

This week, we're celebrating Robin Mellom's debut novel, DITCHED, and we're hopefully going to get it into the hands of some very important people. People like me and you. So to start this week's Mayhem, you can check out my YouTube channel and watch this week's Mayhem video to hear about this week's prize pack and challenge. If you're thinking about submitting a video response this time around I urge you to check it out because I present you with TWO ALTERNATIVES! Which, you know, is pretty cool in my opinion. 

If you haven't read DITCHED, yet, and are wondering if it's for you, you can read the review I posted on Sunday, OR you can watch the SECOND VIDEO I made for you this week in which I talk about the same exact things, only to a camera! I can't embed the video in this post for some reason, but only people with a link can see it and ya'll... YOU HAVE THE LINK. So if you don't want to read my review, you can watch it. Pick one. Go on! I dare ya! 

Also, I know you don't believe me when I say we can talk about the book together, but we totally can! On Friday, we have a Livestream chat scheduled for 6 PM PST, and on Thursday, I'd like to tell people about the thoughts you've had about the book. So if you read the book, please leave your thoughts in the comments! Leave links to your reviews. Send reasons why you decided to read it or decided NOT to read it to me on Twitter! And if you haven't read the book but know people who have, point me in their direction or them in mine... We must discuss! It is your duty to ensure that the conversation keeps going and going and going and going...

So let us know about your Mayhem pursuits here. Also, feel free to talk to me about other books you're reading because I, too, read more than just the one book a week. Invite a friend to Elsewhere if you can and what else... Oh yes! Have a wonderful, wonderful week. 

Want more DITCHED?

My Ticket Home is doing DITCHED inspired post every day this week and the author, Robin Mellom, and her agent, Jill Corcoran, are both on Twitter! They're both very sweet and easy to talk to so if you have questions, why not ask them?

Ciao Bellas,

Deserae

Book Review: Ditched

There are two things I have to say about Robin Mellom's debut novel, DITCHED, before I begin this review. The first is that I liked it. And the second is that this book will not be the perfect match for everyone.

There are several reasons why I want to recommend this book to you guys and there are several other reasons why I know I can't do that without a few reservations. So in an attempt to explain both the good and the alright things about this story, and to be fair in my assessment of each, I'm just going to be honest. That's cool with you, right? Cool. Let's do this.

The first GOOD thing I noted while reading the book is that Robin Mellom really captures in-the-moment thoughts, reactions, and emotions well. EVEN, let me add, for the secondary characters. This was a first person narrative that alternated between past and present (more on this later) that felt almost omniscient because Justina Griffith was a very reliable narrator. She saw what other people were doing and called it as she saw it. And when she was being a little melodramatic, she always noted that or blamed it on her low blood sugar which made me trust her story to be true. You can't believe everything every narrator tells you, but I loved her honesty and this trait even translated into her character, her personality, which proves that, on top of impressive narration, Robin Mellom created full characters that I depended on to act or react a certain way, NOT because they were cardboard cut-outs, but because they were actually built like a real human beings.

That being said, the first EH thing I noted was that, although I could trust Justina with this tale and although I liked her to a certain extent, from the beginning I didn't really LIKE her. I felt sorry for her but couldn't sympathize. I felt like if I knew her I wouldn't ostracize her, but I knew we wouldn't be friends, either. And usually when this happens in a book, I can't even bring myself to finish it. BUT LISTEN! It's not a bad thing here. Actually, it's further proof that Robin Mellom has crafted her characters well because it's not often that you get characters that truly stand out.

Justina is the first character I've been introduced to in a long time that has this genuine personality. I sometimes saw her come off of the page, walk around my school with Ian right beside her, wave, and move on. I didn't connect with her because, in high school, she would've been the girl I saw in one of my classes, talked to a little bit, but never connected with because her priorities were nowhere near mine. Justina thinks about three things: kissing, her reputation, and food. She's in the moment, all the time and I'm more of a deep thinker so I connect with characters who have something more to talk about. Like Donna. Oh my. The way she analyzed the male-kind, I totally got that! Justina just wasn't my kind of girl.

But the GOOD thing about the book was that whether or not you like her, you can still enjoy the story. The EH thing is that, the order of telling might be bothersome for a little bit of the book. I had no problem with the switching when I was in the middle of the book. In fact, I started looking forward to the breaks in the present because that was when I'd take my breaks from reading. But when I was starting out and when I was trying to get to the end, the alternation between past, present, past, present was killing me. It took a while to get used to at first, and by the end, I just wanted to know what was going to happen in the "now" because I'm impatient like that. But if you can get over the alternating, if you like Justina as a character, and oh! If you can take the constant mentioning of Operation Lips Locked, Lip Lock Bliss, kissing, Ian in good and bad light, and Allyson Moore, you'll get to see that this story has a GREAT ending, one I could totally see on film with "Open Arms" playing in the background. And you might, like me, think it worth the momentary sighs and feelings of "eh." Some people think "the end justifies the means," and it's my opinion that the same might be true of DITCHED. You won't know until you try!

How was that for honest? I think I did okay, you know? I also think that if you're going to read this because you're in the mood for something slightly cheesy, slightly romantic, comedy of error-ish, typical teenager-ish, then YES! You have all your reasons to read it. This book is perfect for a weekend when your dog breaks your DVD player but you're in the mood for a romantic comedy. I didn't find it hilarious, but the comedy of errors trope is always in style.


From Goodreads: High school senior Justina Griffith was never the girl who dreamed of going to prom. Designer dresses and strappy heels? Not her thing. So she never expected her best friend, Ian Clark, to ask her. 

Ian, who always passed her the baseball bat handle first. 
Ian, who knew exactly when she needed red licorice. 
Ian, who promised her the most amazing night at prom. 
And then ditched her. 

Now, as the sun rises over her small town, and with only the help of some opinionated ladies at the 7-Eleven, Justina must piece together – stain by stain on her thrift-store dress – exactly how she ended up dateless. A three-legged Chihuahua was involved. Along with a demolition derby-ready Cadillac. And there was that incident at the tattoo parlor. Plus the flying leap from Brian Sontag’s moving car… But to get the whole story, Justina will have to face the boy who ditched her. And discover if losing out at prom can ultimately lead to true love.

Want more Robin Mellom? Click one. 

     

The Sunday Post ~2~

Elsewhere News

• Last week in Elsewhere, we celebrated John Green's THE FAULT IN OUR STARS (recap here). This week, we'll be talking everyone's head off about Robin Mellom's debut novel DITCHED. If you like to know about a book before you read it, know that my review will be posted by 10 AM PST today so that you can get a pretty decent idea on whether this is the book for you or not.
• Last week's live chat was fun for me, Arianna, and the anonymous viewer who showed up after I accidentally went offline and then rectified the situation by getting back online and eating a Snickers bar... However, this week will be even better if you join the three of us, or four, if you count my Snickers, as we discuss DITCHED and Ally Carter's CROSS MY HEART AND HOPE TO SPY. You didn't forget about the optional Gallagher Girl Challenge did you? Well good! The fifth Gallagher Girl book is out this week so you've got to get a move on!
• Today is the last day to enter your original pieces for this week's Wednesday Writes Challenge. Have you had a bad date that went horribly wrong, or can you write a short story set in a convenient store? For the full prompts and how to submit, check out the March Calendar, and enter your story for the chance to win The Book of The Week Prize Pack! We didn't give any out last week, but never fear! We won't stop trying to give you free things. Not unless you want us to, of course.
• REMEMBER! Join us! This Friday at 6 PM PST! Over at my Livestream channel! To actually talk DITCHED and CROSS MY HEART!

Reviews for Last Week's New Releases

So this happened last week...

...And this is what people are saying about:

BALTHAZAR by Claudia Gray

1. Mundie Moms Review

WHERE IT BEGAN by Ann Redisch Stampler

1. Confessions of a Bookaholic

And here's a cool contest you can enter to win a copy of ASHES by Ilsa J. Bick. It has nothing to do with anything, but if you win, let me know so I can tell everyone on Elsewhere of your victory! You'll be just like Arianna. Bookish Warriors of the Epic Battle of Give-away, unite! 

New Releases March 12th- March 18th

***March 13th: OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF TIME by Ally Carter (fifth book in Gallagher Girl series. We're reading this next month on Elsewhere!)

From Goodreads: The last thing Cammie Morgan remembers is leaving the Gallagher Academy to protect her friends and family from the Circle of Cavan. But when Cammie wakes up in an alpine convent and discovers months have passed, she must face the fact that her memory is now a black hole. The only traces left of Cammie’s summer vacation are the bruises on her body and the dirt under her nails, and all she wants is to go home. 


Once she returns to school, however, Cammie realizes that even the Gallagher Academy now holds more questions than answers. Cammie, her friends, and mysterious spy-guy Zach must face their most difficult challenge yet as they travel to the other side of the world, hoping to piece together the clues that Cammie left behind. It’s a race against time. The Circle is hot on their trail and willing stop at nothing to prevent Cammie from remembering what she did last summer.

March 13th: INFAMOUS by Sherryline Kenyon (Book #3 in The Chronicles of Nick Series) 

Nick Gautier’s learned to annihilate zombies and raise the dead, divination and clairvoyance, so why is learning to drive such a difficulty? But that isn’t the primary skill he has to master. Survival is. And in order to survive, his next lesson makes all the others pale in comparison. He is on the brink of becoming either the greatest hero mankind has ever known. 

Or he’ll be the one who ends the world. With enemies new and old gathering forces, he will have to call on every part of himself to fight or he’ll lose everyone he cares about. 

Even himself.

March 13th: SPELLBOUND by Rachel Hawkins (Book #3 in the Hex Hall Series)

Just as Sophie Mercer has come to accept her extraordinary magical powers as a demon, the Prodigium Council strips them away. Now Sophie is defenseless, alone, and at the mercy of her sworn enemies—the Brannicks, a family of warrior women who hunt down the Prodigium. Or at least that’s what Sophie thinks, until she makes a surprising discovery. The Brannicks know an epic war is coming, and they believe Sophie is the only one powerful enough to stop the world from ending. But without her magic, Sophie isn’t as confident. 

Sophie’s bound for one hell of a ride—can she get her powers back before it’s too late?

March 13th: THE GIRL WHO COULD SILENCE THE WIND by Meg Medina (seems to be a standalone)

Sixteen-year-old Sonia Ocampo was born on the night of the worst storm Tres Montes had ever seen. And when the winds mercifully stopped, an unshakable belief in the girl's protective powers began. All her life, Sonia has been asked to pray for sick mothers or missing sons, as worried parents and friends press silver milagros in her hands. Sonia knows she has no special powers, but how can she disappoint those who look to her for solace? Still, her conscience is heavy, so when she gets a chance to travel to the city and work in the home of a wealthy woman, she seizes it. At first, Sonia feels freedom in being treated like all the other girls. But when news arrives that her beloved brother has disappeared while looking for work, she learns to her sorrow that she can never truly leave the past or her family behind. With deeply realized characters, a keen sense of place, a hint of magical realism, and a flush of young romance, Meg Medina tells the tale of a strongwilled, warmhearted girl who dares to face life's harsh truths as she finds her real power.

March 13th: STARTERS by Lissa Price (first in a series)

Callie lost her parents when the Spore Wars wiped out everyone between the ages of twenty and sixty. She and her little brother, Tyler, go on the run, living as squatters with their friend Michael and fighting off renegades who would kill them for a cookie. Callie's only hope is Prime Destinations, a disturbing place in Beverly Hills run by a mysterious figure known as the Old Man. 

He hires teens to rent their bodies to Enders—seniors who want to be young again. Callie, desperate for the money that will keep her, Tyler, and Michael alive, agrees to be a donor. But the neurochip they place in Callie's head malfunctions and she wakes up in the life of her renter, living in her mansion, driving her cars, and going out with a senator's grandson. It feels almost like a fairy tale, until Callie discovers that her renter intends to do more than party—and that Prime Destinations' plans are more evil than Callie could ever have imagined. . . .

March 13th: WANDERLOVE by Kirsten Hubbard (seems like a standalone)

In a quest for independence, Bria Sandoval's neglected art, and no-strings-attached hookups, she signs up for a guided tour of Central America—the wrong one. Middle-aged tourists with fanny packs are hardly the key to self-rediscovery. When Bria meets Rowan, devoted backpacker and dive instructor, and his outspokenly humanitarian sister Starling, she seizes the chance to ditch her group and join them off the beaten path. 

Bria's a good girl trying to go bad. Rowan's a bad boy trying to stay good. As they travel across a panorama of Mayan villages, remote Belizean islands, and hostels plagued with jungle beasties, they discover what they've got in common: both seek to leave behind the old versions of themselves. And the secret to escaping the past, Rowan’s found, is to keep moving forward. But Bria comes to realize she can't run forever, no matter what Rowan says. If she ever wants the courage to fall for someone worthwhile, she has to start looking back.

BEING RELEASED IN PAPERBACK

Miles from Ordinary by Carol Lynch Williams

The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan

Girl Stolen by April Henry

Steel by Carrie Vaughn

In Theaters March 12th- March 18th

Here are the movies that released this past weekend...

...Now here are the movies you should check out this upcoming Friday:

March 16th: 21 Jump Street

Directors: Phillip Lord and Christopher Miller

MPAA Rating: R

Going to see it?: I can wait, but I love both of the actors so... eh! Who knows?!

Description: In the action-comedy 21 Jump Street, Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) are more than ready to leave their adolescent problems behind. Joining the police force and the secret Jump Street unit, they use their youthful appearances to go undercover in a local high school.

As they trade in their guns and badges for backpacks, Schmidt and Jenko risk their lives to investigate a violent and dangerous drug ring. But they find that high school is nothing like they left it just a few years earlier - and neither expects that they will have to confront the terror and anxiety of being a teenager again and all the issues they thought they had left behind.

March 16th: Casa de mi Padre

Director: Matt Piedmont

MPAA Rating: R

Going to see it?: Um... no. No I don't think so.

Description: Casa de Mi Padre  is an upcoming Spanish-language American comedy film. The film stars Will Ferrell, Gael García Bernal, Diego Luna and Génesis Rodríguez with Matt Piedmont directing a screenplay written by Andrew Steele. The film has been described to be in the style of an "overly dramatic telenovela" and tells the story of Armando Alvarez, who must save his father's ranch from a powerful drug lord. 

March 16th: Jeff Who Lives at Home

Directors: Jay Duplass and Mark Duplass

MPAA Rating: R

Going to see it?: No, but I'm noticing a male dominance in the box office this week.

Description: On his way to the store to buy wood glue, Jeff looks for signs from the universe to determine his path. However, a series of comedic and unexpected events leads him to cross paths with his family in the strangest of locations and circumstances. Jeff just may find the meaning of his life... and if he's lucky, pick up the wood glue as well.

And that's it for this week, Gang! 
Well actually, there's also a Nicholas Cage movie (Rated R) called "Seeking Justice" you could check out if you're interested in revenge plots and, um, Nicholas Cage (I don't judge! I like him too, sometimes!) And a French movie being released here called "Delicacy" should be coming out, although I'm not so sure (but Moviefone says it should be coming out in the US!). I admit, though, there's not much out for anyone under the age of 17. Last week's movies were pretty varied. I hear "John Carter" was good but don't trust my word for it because I'm not going to see it if I can help myself. And there's always "The Artist" if you're into black-and-whites. The end of this month is when all the epic movies are coming out. Get ready, 'cause here they come!

Saturday Sights ~2~

Thank God it's Saturday!

And thank you for spending a part of yours here on My Ticket Elsewhere! Today there's quite a bit to talk about and that's never a bad thing. So let's get to it, shall we? Dawdling is for dawdlers.

FIRST I'd like to bring your attention to this thing that is going around called KONY 2012. The reason that I want to talk about this is... well, there are a lot of reasons:

1. Joseph Kony is a bad man and seriously, now that I have a name to associate with the horror that is The Invisible Children, I feel responsible to do my part in spreading the word.

2. The thing about causes is that, while most of them are good, it's very rare that we little people actually KNOW what they're all about. So I want to help you know what you're getting all riled up about. It'll help in the long run. Trust me.

*EDITED TO ADD: Ryan has recently made this video private! If you still want to learn more about  KONY 2012 read on and watch the documentary linked to below.

KONY 2012 is an online initiative to "make Joseph Kony famous." But what does that mean exactly? Well this video by one of my favorite YouTubers, Ryan Higa, explains it well, but I'll do my part, too. The reason people like me and you are trying to spread the word about this terrible man is because, if we DON'T, if we let the world lose interest, and if we assume that someone else will do the work of bringing Kony to the attention of our governments and national leaders, then the people who are in the position to do something won't do anything. We need to show that we care so that our world leaders will stop him from continuing to build an army of child soldiers.

There's a documentary online that's only about 30 minutes that explains this situation in full. If you have a half an hour to spare, go ahead and watch it to be even better informed. But you can also check out Twitter and blog posts like this one to see what others are doing to support the cause.

NOW I want to talk to you about the movie I saw last weekend. Everyone! I give you, "The  Artist!"

"The Artist" is a modern black-and-white silent film that follows George Valentine, a silent film star, as the film industry enters a new age--- the age of talking pictures. Reluctant to jump aboard the "talkie" bandwagon, George gets left behind while a girl he helped out named Peppy starts climbing up. Throughout the movie we hope there is redemption for George and even though he can't actually say it, we know that's what he's hoping, too.

Well, that's my interpretation of the plot, anyway. You can click on the poster if you're curious to know what IMDB has to say about it. But I'll tell you right now that I LOVED this movie. My mom and my little sisters are fans of black-and-white pictures, but I've always adored silent films. And this is the first modern film I've seen that's dared to jump backwards not only in time but in technique! It was awesome. I feel like they filmed it with  old-school cameras and everything.

Not only was it emotionally stirring, but it was actually a great plot, too! Although it felt a bit familiar (it rings a bell, but I'm not sure why...), the acting was phenomenal, the actors, themselves, felt fresh and were a joy to watch, and just at the point I was thinking, "This is getting a bit long," the story takes a turn which proves to me that the screenwriter knew exactly what they were doing. Love, love, love! I also loved George and Peppy as characters. As actors, they were brill, but the characters, too, were worth caring about. I admit this kind of movie is not for everyone, but I enjoyed it immensely. I hope that, if you see it, you enjoy it, too. I recommend it to fans of silent films and black-and-whites. Also, to anyone who's interested in film production, film technique, film anything, and/or Hollywood. I'm a big film geek so I enjoyed watching some modern technique mix in with some classic, and all the time thinking how authentic it felt. It's a great movie. Go watch it, please, the lot of you!

NEXT I have two things to share with you from YA authors Stephanie Perkins and Ally Carter. The first thing is from Stephanie and it's actually pretty serious. There's a movie coming out called BULLY for teens from the perspective of teens and parents of teens who've been bullied. It's a documentary you could say, about an initiative a town put together in order to end bullying there. And it wasn't until I read this post by Ms. Perkins that I realized such a movie was in the works. The problem is its MPA Rating is at an R right now, which would deny teens under the age of 17 to see it, but that's exactly the audience that this film was made for. So if you have a moment, visit that post and learn more about the film. And then, if you're inclined to do so, go ahead and sign the petition. But, in other news, Ally Carter's fifth Gallagher Girl book, OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF TIME is coming out THIS WEEK! And there's an awesome book trailer for it (see above) that will be playing in some theaters before movies like "Mirror, Mirror" and even "The Hunger Games!" Check out Ally's post about it, here.

So speaking of "The Hunger Games" movie, I FINALLY leave you with this! And also this! Both are fabulous, but you will only be rewarded if you take a leap of faith and click. I will say one of them is for fans of THE HUNGER GAMES and the other is for fans of do-it-yourself adventures. But you'll have to click one or the other or both to find out which is which. Let me know how you liked it and take a screenshot of your accomplishments before you exit (if you click the link[s] you'll know what I mean).

That's it for today! Hope you feel more informed about all of the things now and are ready to rock your weekend. Remember that this week on Elsewhere we're talking about DITCHED! My review will be posted tomorrow if you want to see what I think before you buy the book, AND don't forget to visit the March Calendar so you can check out the prompts for this week's Wednesday Writes Challenge!

Toodles,
Deserae

~This happened last week!~

Friday Finale: TFiOS

This week on Elsewhere, we celebrated the truly wonderful bestselling novel by John Green, THE FAULT IN OUR STARS...

On Monday...
We caused a bit of Mayhem together by suggesting the book to a member of our family. There were no responses to this week's challenge, BUT thank you to all of you who read THE FAULT IN OUR STARS via my recommendation and thank you to all of you who recommended it to others!

On Tuesday...
We went to Twitter and had a look at what people were saying about TFiOS with and without us! Though I would've loved to get a #teamelsewhere hashtag going, it was unsuccessful because this week there were so few of us. However! So many people were participating in the thread, it was crazy! There were so many good things being said about the book even without us! It was a happy day in Elsewhere, my friends, to know we didn't have to do ALL the work. And it made me really, really proud of how successful the book is doing over all around the country and even the world!

On Wednesday...
We opened the floor for you guys to either write a response to Hazel's oblivion monologue or to write a creative sequel to his made up novel An Imperial Affliction. Unfortunately, since there were no entries to the Wednesday Writes Challenge, you all had to put up with me giving Hazel's speech a piece of my mind. I've been sick all week so I admit, I sound a little... let's just say it, then. CRAZY. But the gist of it all was that, while I agreed with her in chunks, I found her speech much too gloom-and-doom to actually hold up against her previous convictions of wanting to live for as long as she possibly could.

On Thursday...
We went all around my internets and I showed you all the thoughts people have shared with me (and a few that others have shared with others) regarding THE FAULT IN OUR STARS. It's a great feeling when, no matter where you turn, you are met with people who like the same things you do. And although not everyone is head over heels for Hazel and Augustus, it's pretty unanimous that the book is good! And honestly, guys it IS good. You should definitely check it out if you haven't already. I highly--- HIGHLY!--- recommend it.

And now it's Friday! 
And on top of the obvious thing that you can do--- ahem! Join me on Livestream at 2 P.M. PST to talk TFiOS and Ally Carter's LOVE YOU, KILL YOU!--- here are some other things that you can occupy your time with if you haven't had enough TFiOS!

1. You can listen to the THE FAULT IN OUR STARS inspired playlist I've compiled based on the music featured in this week's Daily Doses. There's a bonus track included AND if you listen to it before noon, you'll know today's song before anyone else does!

2. You can visit this awesome Tumblr that has a bunch of epic John Green quotes. At the moment, a lot of TFiOS quotes are gracing its pages, but there are quotes from his other novels, too, so if you're a big John Green fan or if you just love quotes (like moi!), you should check it out! It's a great source of inspiration.

3. You can continue to spread the word about it and get people reading. Honestly, our work as book lovers is never done. We must keep on, keeping on and as I've said before, when you love a book, you should keep talking about it--- that's how they live on, you know! And this is one of those stories I'm hoping will live forever.

4. There's also a special Tumblr for those of us who have finished reading TFiOS and have questions about it. Only visit this page if you have finished it because there are LOADS of spoilers and I know spoilers can be detrimental to whether some of us read a story or not. It's password protected so all you have to do to access it is to type in the last word of the acknowledgments exactly as you see it (it's case sensitive).

We had an awesome first week, I think! Here's to many, many more to come. We'll be back on Monday talking about Robin Mellom's debut novel DITCHED. The writing prompts for it can be found here and will be accepted starting now up until midnight PST on Sunday. Speaking of Sunday, that's when you'll be able to catch my review of it! So if you're still not sure whether you want to buy it or not, you will know then. I'll post early so that you have the day to decide what you want to do!

Lots of love, you guys,
Deserae

Thursday Thoughts -1-

Good morrow, Gentlefolk,

This week we've been spreading the word about THE FAULT IN OUR STARS like crazy people, and if you want to know how crazy crazy can be, here is what I've been doing to get the word out just in the past four days:

-I've been posting everyday here on My Ticket Elsewhere.
-I've been participating in the #TFiOS thread on Twitter.
-I've recommended it to two more people!
-I've been emailing my good friend Aria and my sister and we've been talking for hours on end about the book.
-I'm hosting a giveaway for a prize pack! Today is the last day(ish) to win it, but a lot can happen in a day! I believe in you!

So based on the review I posted this Sunday and on the pre-review review I wrote as soon as I finished the book, you guys have a pretty good idea of how I feel about TFiOS. Today, though, I want to celebrate other people's thoughts on the book. First I want you to hear what people just like you and me have said about it, and then I'll post links to book blogger reviews. I'll link each pic to the person or place I was talking to or found it. Cool? Here we go!

Twitter!

Alice and Me!

My sister and Me!

My blog!

Arianna!

Nicole, Sonal, and Karly!

Your blogs!

Sonal's Review!

Other blogs and v-logs!

HD's Review at Reading, Writing, Breathing, his book blog!

The Booksmugglers' Almost-not-quite Review

John Green discussing TFiOS

An interview w/John Green RE: TFiOS

John Green Reading the First Ch. TFiOS

And if that wasn't enough to convince you to get down and dirty with THE FAULT IN OUR STARS, you can always join us tomorrow as I discuss TFiOS live! Join me here at 2 P.M. PST to talk about this book and Ally Carter's I'D TELL YOU I'D LOVE YOU, BUT THEN I'D HAVE TO KILL YOU.

Until then, mon amies!
Deserae
P.S. As this is our first week of Elsewhere and our first week doing book talks, I'm not expecting a huge crowd. But I encourage you to come anyway! Invite a friend! You need an account to join the chat but that only takes a few seconds and I'll even be taking questions/ discussion topics from my blog and Twitter.

Wednesday Writes -1-

Hey Everyone!

It's Wednesday and, coincidentally, it's also World Read Aloud Day! The idea behind it is pretty liberal, but basically, LitWorld is hoping to spread the joy of reading to more people in more countries by getting anyone who wants to be involved, involved! Check out their website to learn more. You can do your part simply by spreading the word! Seriously, it's that easy.

In Elsewhere news, there were no entries from outside sources for this week's Wednesday Writes, but I had a few thoughts about Hazel's monologue so I wrote one myself. The following is just me rambling on about the speech Hazel gives to Augustus Waters upon meeting him, and what it meant to me the first time I read it, and what I think it means, now.