Tune in Tuesday {70}: The Airborne Toxic Event

A weekly feature hosted by me that showcases music - my other passion in life besides books! Each week I will post a new or old song in hopes to gain more interest. Help me in spreading the love of music!

Feel free to get involved with this feature by linking up at the bottom of this post, thanks!

 This Tuesday's Tune: "Sometime Around Midnight" by The Airborne Toxic Event



This is one of those songs I loved when it was released back in 2009 and for whatever reason, it got lost on my playlists and I didn't listen to for awhile.  When it randomly popped up on a local radio station I immediately fell back in love with it.  This song is so unique to me because it's not your typical tune with a beginning, chorus, middle, and then repeat of the chorus until it fades out.  Sometime After Midnight is played in a story-telling sort of way.  It makes me want to read a book about this story!!!  I even mentioned on twitter how fantastic that would be.  We all know what it's like to have a run-in with those ex's that stir old emotions inside of us.  This song beautifully portrays that.

*Don't forget next week begins BOOK PLAYLISTS for March's Special Edition of Tune in Tuesday.  Pick which songs you'd think would make fantastic playlists for your favorite books.  You can come up with your own, or pull songs from author's actual playlists.  The choice is yours!  I can't wait to listen to what everyone picks :)


If you'd like to join Tune in Tuesday on your blog, link-up below:

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Published: January 10, 2012 by Dutton Juvenile
Received: on loan from a friend :)

Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 12, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now.

Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.

Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind. {goodreads.com}

As soon as I mentioned to others that I was beginning to read this novel, I received the same piece of advice from just about every one who had already read it: have tissues on hand.  I thought, yeah ok.  Usually when an abundance of people tell me a book made them cry, it has the opposite effect on me.  Meaning, yes I'll find it sad, but my tear ducts will be on anticipation and won't fully let go.  I was wrong.  The tears came, and they came hard.  So hard I forgot I was even reading and felt myself submerged in to the pain of these fictional characters.  THAT is some powerful writing.

Hazel is a teenager, dying from terminal cancer.  I say that she is dying and not living because this is how her character is introduced to us in the beginning of the story.  Her world is nothing but hospital stays, breathing tubes, and sorrowful glances her way.  Hazel's parents are not in denial of her situation, but they also want the best life possible in these final days.  It's her mom who encourages her (insists actually) to attend a support group for other children with cancer.  Not wanting to, but doing so anyway, Hazel is physically present for the support group meeting, but mentally she has checked out.  It's not until the presence of Augustus Waters that Hazel begins to really wake up.  Her once hazy world of tubes and needles begins to fall away, and she starts to really live her best days yet.

Augustus has become a victim to the world of cancer, too.  But his battle has been won and he is attending the support group as a friend to Isaac, another character who I immediately fell in love with.  Between Hazel, Augustus, and Isaac I found myself in awe of the bravery, yet the realism that each of these characters portray.  The dialect among them is true to John Green fashion, witty and sarcastic, with those one liners thrown in that make you stop what you're reading and mark the page.  His ability to capture such meaningful moments with just a few words has always intrigued me.  John Green is a master at crafting this perfection.

My love for this story is infinite.  I felt so connected with the characters that when things happened, I felt as though they were happening to me too.  This novel takes the reader to a special place; one that is heavy and haunting, yet beautiful and surprising.   I feel like a different person after experiencing this story.  It's books like these that remind me why I adore literature so much.  The impact they leave on you is so limitless that you start to look at your own world in a different light.  Life is short, what we do with it is our own personal choice, but the opportunities can be endless if we allow them to be.

This book deserves a million more stars than what I am giving it. I hope you all will read this one and allow yourself the pleasure of meeting such significant characters among an emotional and inspiring story.

In My Mailbox {63}

This book popped up in my mailbox this weekend, so I thought I'd show it off for this week's IMM post.  I am SUPER pumped for The Hunger Games movie, so this book will be an interesting read.  I also bought my movie passes for the midnight premiere this past week.  Less than a month til I get to see the boy who bakes bread on the big screen!!!! Can't wait!!!!

The Girl Who Was on Fire - Movie Edition edited by Leah Wilson

Contributors: Sarah Rees Brennan, Carrie Ryan, & Jennifer Lynn Barnes

*thank you Smart Pop for this review opportunity.

What's in YOUR mailbox this week?

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren

TGIF at GReads! {52}: Required Reading

Who's ready for the weekend?!  I know I am!  I'm introducing a new(ish) feature for Fridays to re-cap the week's posts & to propose a question for my followers.  Feel free to get involved by linking up at the bottom. If not, I'd love to read your responses in the comments. Thanks!

This Friday's Question: 

Required Reading: Which book from your school days 

do you remember reading & enjoying? Is there a book published now 

that you'd like to see in today's curriculum for kids?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is the soon-to-be Reading teacher coming out in me with this week's question :)  Right now I am taking a Literacy class which is basically teaching me how to teach reading to my future students (FYI: I want to teach middle school).  I've been thinking a lot about the books I read in school and how they did or did not have an impact on my reading life as a child.  I think it's so important to find that RIGHT book for each child in order to engage them in reading.  Usually when a child is forced or required to read something, they simply don't want to.  As a future teacher my goal is to open up that spectrum and introduce more books to more kids.

I was a child who did not like to read.  I know, shocking.  So the only reading these youthful eyes did were what was required of me.  Fortunately there's two books that stand out the most when I think back to my middle school/high school English class days.  They are:

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton & The Great Gatsby by F. ScottFitzgerald

I'm not sure they'd have the same impact on students today as they did back in.... well let's just say it was awhile ago :) haha.  I think it's important for children to read about events that occurred in the past; however, they don't always hold a child's interest for long.  These two books may feel too distant to today's student.  If I were to choose something a little more current for my classroom today I would definitely have these books on my shelf:

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins & Speak by Laurie Halse-Anderson

Both of these books portray excellent writing, in my opinion.  Obviously they would need to be in an age-appropriate classroom though.  The best part about getting kids to read is getting them to talk about what they read.  If the book tends to be highly engaging and provokes thoughtful responses, then I think it's a good fit for any classroom. 

If you'd like to join TGIF on your blog, link-up below:

In My Mailbox {62}

Review: Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard

Tune in Tuesday {69}: Matthew Mayfield

Waiting On: Speechless by Hannah Harrington

The Blogger Behind the Book: One Year Later

The Blogger Behind the Book: One Year Later

A year ago I began this feature in hopes of bloggers discovering new bloggers, and learning something a bit more behind that book they're reading & reviewing.  50 bloggers later I hope I've accomplished just that!

In celebration of this feature going strong after one year, I thought I'd let YOU know a bit more about THIS blogger behind the book - ME!  I chose a few bloggers I've featured here in the past to ask the questions.  Maybe you'll learn something new about myself :)  Thanks to every one for coming back week after week & supporting this feature!

Meet this week's Blogger Behind the Book:

Ginger from GReads!

Jamie from The Perpetual Page-Turner asks... As a person who also cannot fathom living without music, why is music so important to you? What are some of the most soul shaking examples of songs that embody what it is you love about music?

I can't remember a time when I did not listen to music.  I feel like it's always been on in the background, my entire life.  Some times you just need a good song to help orchestrate that moment of your life - ya know?  Music has been such a strong healing tool for me.  I can remember being a teenager and using music to get me through tough break ups.  On the opposite side of the spectrum, music also facilitated some pretty epic dance parties growing up with my friends.  Whether they were happy or sad moments, music has always been there for me.  I can hear a song & it brings me back to a certain moment of my life.  I love that!

The music that speaks the most to me are songs I can listen to over & over and never get tired of.  Yellow Ledbetter by Pearl Jam brings me back to my youth.  Coldplay's In My Place reminds me of some of the happiest memories in my life.  Most recently it's been SafetySuit's These Times that's moved me the most.  This song in particular is personal to me and it's something I will always be close to.

Anna from Anna Reads asks... Marry, Kiss or Kill: Jace Wayland ("City of Bones"), Conrad Fisher ("The Summer I Turned Pretty"), Zachary Moore ("Shade")?

I have been sitting here trying to think up the easiest round about way to answer this so that I could have all 3 of these boys and no one would be left out because that is just MEAN!  haha  Seriously though, I'm loving this question.  And to be fair, here is my answer:

Marry: Conrad Fisher - he's the beautifully broken boy who I so badly want to take care of the rest of my life. So why not marry him?  If you've read the series, then you know he's grown up A LOT.  His heart is just so full & with the right person (which is me! obviously!) he'll give it his all.

Kiss (& other things, ha!): Jace Wayland - do I really need to explain this one?!

Kill: Zachary Moore - kill is such a final word, and one that is not acceptable in this case.  My lovely kilt-wearing Zachary will come back as a ghost. We may not be able to touch, but at least I can still sit & look at the pretty & listen to that hot scottish accent :)

Magan from Rather Be Reading asks... How do you decide what you'll read next, without getting caught up in release dates or books for review from publishers, and still stay inspired and motivated to read?

Mostly what I read is based on other blogger's reviews and friend's book recommendations. I feel like I've formed a pretty solid relationship with a lot of other book bloggers that I can trust their opinions on books. If someone says, Hey Ginger you REALLY need to read this book! Then you bet I'm going to check it out & grab a copy if I feel like it's something I'm interested in.  I've always kept in the back of my mind the reasons why I started this book blog, because I love to read!  Overwhelming myself with review books is not something I enjoy doing.  Reading should be fun, inspiring, and.. relaxing!

Tara from Fiction Folio asks... If you could read one book again for the first time, what would it be and why?

Oh wow, GREAT question! When ever I finish an amazing book, I'm always a little sad and wish I could re-read it again for this first time. There's just something about that first time feeling you'll never get back again. Wait, that sounded inappropriate! haha Seriously though, I would love to go back and read The Jessica Darling series by Megan McCafferty again for the first time. Especially the 5th and final book, Perfect Fifths. Jessica Darling and Marcus Flutie's journey is one I so want to encounter again for the first time. The moments never stopped, from laughing hysterical to the unexpectedness, to the emotional tugs that pulled so hard on my heart. Though I've read Perfect Fifths for a second time, it's still not like that first time. Gosh I adore that book.

Capillya from That Cover Girl asks... If an extremely wealthy benefactor gave you $1 million to spend on any of the bookish things below, which would you choose and why? You can only choose one.

a) A mini-conference that pulled in your favorite authors to give talks & sign books!

b) A blogger retreat! To anywhere! In the world! With all your favorite blogger friends!

c) Quit your day job and write the book you've always dreamed of writing!

d) Make up your own because you clearly can't choose from the three options I've already supplied!

These questions keep getting more difficult to answer, ha!  I am leaning towards answers B & C.  Though quitting my job and writing for a living sounds verrrrry tempting, a trip with blogger friends would be AMAZING!  So I choose answer B.  A blogger retreat sounds fabulous.  Of course the destination spot would need to be on a beach some where because I'm a beachy kind of girl.  We would spend our days lounging around, getting massages, reading, napping, eating yummy food, & checking out the local hot spots.  Let me know when y'all are ready to go & I'll pack my bags, ha!

Lisa from Lisa is Busy Nerding asks... It's the end of the world as we know it, and you don't feel fine. In fact, you're pretty frakking scared about what's going to happen from here on out. What mad skills would you use/develop/invent to survive? Keep in mind, there is at least one cute boy involved. There is ALWAYS at least one cute boy involved. GO!

First of all, I love that you know me so well as to include a cute boy. End of the world or not, cute boy present is a must! Now on to my special qualities... I'd need the ability to disappear at a moment's notice. If the bad people are coming, or if I'm in real danger, I need to be able to blink? snap my fingers? click my heels? and disperse in to thin air! Second, I have the knowledge of where the freshest water is, how to grab that tasty Jimmy Johns sandwich, and where my pretty little head will be sleeping each night. Survival skills at it's best!  And just for fun, thirdly I'd like the ability to read mind's - but not like all the time.  Walking around with every one's thoughts inside my own would be annoying as heck.  I just want to know what the cute boy is thinking when ever I feel it's necessary :)

Jess from Gone With the Words asks... What was it like to be in a video on VH1?

Ha! The video Jess is referring to is SafetySuit's These Times.  The guys work closely with VH1, so I had a feeling once this video was made it wouldn't be long before VH1 got their hands on it.

Surreal?  I guess that's the appropriate word.  When I think of this band, and everything that's happened in my life since I first discovered them, I have to pinch myself to really believe it's true!  In my world, I'm just a girl who has a passion for music.  I fell upon their music randomly one day & fell in love with their sound, their personalities, their talent, and the list could go on...  Apparently my constant tweets did not go unnoticed and they soon discovered me, ha!  I've been a supporter of good music since I can remember, and I love introducing people to bands/singers they may have never heard of before.  This is the first time the actual band acknowledged my efforts :)

As I stated before, These Times is a very personal song for me.  I was honored to be chosen to be a part of their video for it.  We all go through hard times in life, no matter the degree.  This song represents what it feels like to endure those moments, but also realize those moments will pass... to better times.  Having my few seconds of fame on TV for it is pretty awesome, but being a part of such an incredible song for my most favorite band: definitely priceless.

Yani from The Secret Life of an Avid Reader asks...  If you could be any character from a book, who would you be?

I could pick the obvious choice and go with a character who has outlandish capabilities like casting spells, jumping through portals, or seeing the future; but since I'm an avid reader of young adult contemporary, I'll choose a character I WISH I could have been in my younger years.  Ruby Oliver.  E. Lockhart has captured such a true voice in those awkward, misguided, but oh so much fun years that truly spoke to me.  This girl is cynical, yet daring.  She's hysterical, but beautiful.  I know she had to go through some pretty rough times as a teen, but didn't we all?!  I love her attitude through the whole thing.  She may be totally messed up in the head, but she's REAL and she has the best sense of humor while trying to figure it all out. I love that.

Melanie from Reclusive Bibliophile asks... If you had your own reality show, what would be the theme song?

Gosh this is a hard question, because 1. my life is no where near exciting enough for a reality show, haha. And 2. how can I pick just one song?! I would need like a 10 minute before-the-show-montage of all my favorite songs.  But to be fair, I'll choose a song which I consider my "theme song" for life.  Learning to Fly by Tom Petty.  To me, this song is about getting beat down in life.. having a bad day.. a horrible moment, but realizing that it will get easier and you will eventually move on to other things.  That seems to be a common occurrence in my life ;)  Just because you're all grown up doesn't necessarily mean you know everything.  Learning a new path in life can happen at any age.  I definitely know this to be true.

Thank you SO much to all the bloggers who participated this week by asking me the questions.  I loved your creativity and had a lot of fun answering them.  Hopefully my followers have discovered something about myself that they didn't know before.  I promise there's more to this girl than just books & SafetySuit, haha.

If you would like to be featured on The Blogger Behind the Book in the future, please email me.  Right now I am currently scheduled through May, but have open spots after that.  I look forward to showcasing more bloggers for you all to get to know better. 

Waiting On: Speechless

Speechless by Hannah Harrington
to be published: September 2012

The story of a girl named Chelsea Knot who takes a voluntary oath of silence after her gossip-mongering ways yield unexpected consequences… {goodreads.com}

I realize this is an insanely short & vague book description, but to be honest this author doesn't even need one for me to want to read anything she's written :)  I ADORED Saving June in 2011 and can not wait to read more by Hannah Harrington.  Yes, what little we do know about this next novel intrigues me, but seriously.. her writing completely blew me away in her debut that I'll read anything by her.  That's a given.

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Tune in Tuesday {69}: Matthew Mayfield

A weekly feature hosted by me that showcases music - my other passion in life besides books! Each week I will post a new or old song in hopes to gain more interest. Help me in spreading the love of music!

Feel free to get involved with this feature by linking up at the bottom of this post, thanks!

 This Tuesday's Tune: "Don't Look Back in Anger" (cover) by Matthew Mayfield



I adore this man, so much.  I featured Matthew Mayfield on Tune in Tuesday a few weeks back, but wanted to show him off again because he's THAT GOOD :)  He's been in the studio working on his next album which I am SO happy to be a part of.  You may be wondering, how are you a part of this album?! Haha  Well... Matthew is a solo artist, meaning he's not signed with a record label.  So anything he produces comes out of his own pocket.  Through this really cool website, Pledge Music, he's asked his fans to help him achieve his goal of creating his next album.  I jumped on board with this opportunity because I want nothing more than new music from this man :) 

Matthew Mayfield does some of the best covers I've ever heard.  When I came across "Don't Look Back in Anger", which just so happens to be my favorite Oasis song, I got REALLY excited!  Don't you love it?!  I recently found out he'll be coming to town later in May for a show.  I will definitely be in attendance for that & I will definitely be requesting that he perform this cover :) haha.


If you'd like to join Tune in Tuesday on your blog, link-up below:

Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard

Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard
Published: March 13, 2012 by Delacorte Books
Received: ARC from the publisher - thank you!

It all begins with a stupid question:

Are you a Global Vagabond?

No, but 18-year-old Bria Sandoval wants to be. In a quest for independence, her 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.

Kirsten Hubbard lends her artistry into this ultimate backpacker novel, weaving her drawings into the text. Her career as a travel writer and her experiences as a real-life vagabond backpacking Central America are deeply seeded in this inspiring story. {goodreads.com}

I'm a creature who loves to travel.  So when I first heard about this novel, my interests were definitely on high alert.  However, my preferred form of travel involves airline tickets and hotel reservations.  The idea of sleeping in the jungle under a mosquito net and washing my body with a bucket of well water (that may or may not have been used already) didn't exactly scream Ginger's Dream Vacation!  But that's the beauty of literature, we can escape to places we never thought we'd venture to, and completely lose ourselves among the pages.  That is exactly what I did with Kirsten Hubbard's Wanderlove. 

Bria has just graduated high school and is on the brink of the rest of her life.  She's caught between her past, the mistakes she's made, and the future which she is not so certain about.  On a whim, which is so not Bria, she decides to take a couple weeks vacation to Central America with a group of total strangers - the Global Vagabonds!  Once Bria steps off the plane in the muggy air of Guatemala, she soon realizes what a horrible mistake she's made.  The tour group she thought she signed up for turns out to be a bunch of middle-aged typical tourists, fanny-pack and all.  Just when she thought her life could not get any better, she literally runs in to Rowan, the seasoned backpacker that reeks of experience and adventure.  On another whim, Bria decides to follow Rowan and his sister on the not so mapped out adventures across Central America.

The journey that Bria travels along contains vast jungles, endless blue waters, and a million new types of insects she'd rather forget about.  Aside from the physical journey that Bria descends upon, it's the personal growth that stood out the most in my eyes.  She is caught between the girl she thought she was, and the ambition to become a bold and daring new Bria.  I admired her want to be someone new, but understood her fears of actually taking the plunge.  It's a scary reality to face.  With the help of Rowan, and her love for art, she begins to shed her old skin and discover the girl she's meant to be.

I love stories that are about self-discovery, but not in a preachy way.  This novel flowed so nicely that I forgot just how far and wide Bria allowed herself to grow, until it literally hit me right in the face.  The scenery was so breath-taking that I could image every scene as if I were there, laying in that hammock staring up at an endless blanket of stars.  This is a novel that will linger with you long after you've finished.  It's a journey you won't want to see end, with that feeling of not being ready to unpack your bags just yet.  Wanderlove has definitely captured my heart.