In which I rave about Barry Lyga's books & give one away

I first picked up a copy of The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl by Barry Lyga at a used book store because of the title (yes, I do sometimes judge a book by it's cover & title). It is told from Fanboy's point of view. Fanboy is a nickname given to him by Kyra, a Goth girl that befriends him at school after seeing a bully hit him in gym class. Fanboy tries to lay low in school. He's a smart, comic book nerd and that is a recipe for torment in most high schools. He is working on his own graphic novel & plans to show it to a big name comic book writer at the convention he is planning to attend.While Kyra encourages Fanboy on ways to improve his comic, she has her own issues. I loved this book when I read it and even more so listening to the audiobook. I was cackling out loud in the car when Fanboy sees a part of a certain female's body. Just the way that whole scene was written makes me laugh now thinking of it.

One of my favorite scenes (and probably the most heartbreaking to me) is when Fanboy is mentally beating himself up in the bathroom at the convention. I won't give anything thing away but I could relate to him.

I loved flawed Kyra and was quite excited when I found out that she got her own book. Goth Girl Rising is the follow up to The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy & Goth Girl. It is told from Kyra's point of view & begins after she spends six months in a psychiatric hospital. She comes back to school expecting everything to be like it was only to find that Fanboy isn't quite the same nerdy guy she new. I know people like Kyra. People who jump to conclusions and think everyone is out to get them. You know Kyra is hurting but at the same time you just want to shake some sense into her.

Barry Lyga has created some wonderfully flawed characters here. Another of his books, Boy Toy, is one of my favorites. That story centers on a high school kid dealing with the aftermath of an affair with a teacher.

Barry also likes Book Bloggers & often gives books & things to bloggers to give away on our blogs. I have a *signed* copy of Goth Girl Rising that I am giving away RIGHT HERE! (For the record- it pains me to give this away! I love this book & I don't currently posses a signed copy of my own.) And since I love these books so much I am throwing in one of my copies (unsigned) of The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy & Goth Girl because you need to read it first.

Here's how you enter:

1. Leave a comment here telling me something you enjoy or enjoyed from high school (me- I was a band nerd. I loved going to competitions on Saturdays)

2. I will give you an extra entry if you post about this contest(facebook, twitter, your own blog, etc) Just let me know where you posted.

I will use an online Randomizer to choose the winner.

Good Luck & Happy Reading!

Contest ends on November 5.

WINNER! JESSICA MERRELL!

Thanks to all who entered :) Be watching for more contests soon.

The Name of the Star- Maureen Johnson

I always stay up way too late reading. Last night I finished Maureen Johnson's The Name of the Star around 1:30. It is set in modern day London. Rory is an American girl attending a boarding school & copy cat Jack the Ripper murders start occurring. Also, Rory starts seeing ghosts & she gets mixed up with a secret government police force.

I love Maureen Johnson. I love her books, her tweets (seriously, follow her. She's is the funniest thing on Twitter), & her cat pictures. One of my all time favorite books is Thirteen Little Blue Envelopes by her & I've really liked everything else I've read that she's written. I knew this one would not disappoint. I was 50 pages from finishing and put off reading for a day because 1. I didn't this story to end and 2. it was INTENSE! I loved loved LOVED the ending & how it sets up perfectly for more.

This one gets my stamp of approval :)

(in a week or so I will be hosting a contest to win a signed copy of Barry Lyga's Goth Girl Rising. Be on the lookout!)