Reviewers wanted!

UPDATE: Thank you so much to everyone who have applied! I was quite amazed by the overwhelming number of applicants!You guys all rock, I wish I could work with all of you, really!

That being said, all the positions are now filled. Please stay tuned for the introduction post! :) And yay for #TeamBookish!

__________________________________________________________________________

The time has come. 

I've been thinking about getting a blog partner / contributor for quite a while now, and while it's not an easy decision, I decided it's time to give this idea a shot. Life's been getting really busy recently. Between book reviews, blog events, vector and web designs and my personal life, it's been pretty tough keeping up with it all. I love blogging and I do not want this fun experience to turn into a chore, and so I thought I could use a team of devoted book lovers to back me up. Together, we can take Bookish to a next level and build something really cool, plan more exciting events and contribute to the book community in more ways! 

Starting today, I am accepting applications for the following positions:

Teen Reviewer  [position filled]

- Age 15-18, US or Canada based, passionate about YA books. 

Love YA? Want to share your thoughts on books with the rest of the world? I am looking for a dedicated and reliable young person willing to write medium-length reviews of YA books only. Please only apply if you are willing to contribute a minimum of 2 reviews per month (ideally, I'd love to have at least 4, but I understand that high school life is really busy!). Please note: I will not be sending you any books for review personally, though when we have established a partnership (a 2 month trial with at least 5 reviews of your own books), I will begin requesting review copies from the publishers to be sent directly to you. 

Para-lover  [position filled]

- 18 and older, US or Canada based, genre: paranormal (romance), urban fantasy

Love sexy vampires, werewolves and other paranormal creatures? Interested in urban fantasy books? I'm looking for someone with real passion for adult, spicy otherworldly stories! A permanent reviewer position is available. Once we have established a trusted relationship I will be putting you in contact with TOR Books and TOR Fantasy and review copies of the hottest new releases will be arriving right at your doorstep! (please note: a 2 month trial with at least 5 reviews of your own books will apply). You will also have the opportunity to interview authors, arrange guest posts and grow your online presence! Reviewer would have to be willing to accept both eBooks and physical copies for review, as well as occasionally review their own books. Please only apply if you are able to provide a minimum of 4 reviews per month.

Indie Enthusiast  [position filled]

- 16 and older, International, genre: cross-genre (mostly YA and NA)

Love Indie authors? A huge fan of self published books? Want to share some of that love with us?! Apply  today and let your opinion be heard! Reviewer must be willing to accept ebook copies. Please apply only if you are able to provide at least 3 reviews per month. Once we have established a trusted relationship I will arrange review copies for you and/or put you in contact with authors and Indie Press. This is a permanent / long-term position.

General Reviewer  [position filled]

- 18 and older, US or Canada based, cross-genre (Adult, YA, NA, MG)

Are you an eclectic reader? Love YA but also enjoy NA, MG and Adult books? Well, this is the position for you! Full flexibility - you read what you want when you want. You are more than welcome to arrange author interviews and guest posts to go along with your reviews. After we have established a trusted relationship I will arrange review copies to be sent directly to you from the publishers (please note: a 2 month trial with at least 5 reviews of your own books will apply). Reviewer must be willing to accept both ebooks and physical copies. NetGalley and/or Edelweiss account will be required (no worries, it's free!). Please apply only if you are able to provide at least 4 reviews per month. This is a permanent / long-term position with many perks!

APPLY NOW!

These are all the positions available at the moment. 

If you are interested in one of them, please send a short introduction email with a sample review to evieseo@gmail.com 

In your email, please tell me a little bit about yourself, your reading preferences, etc.

Please include links to your Twitter account, Facebook Page, Goodreads and any other social media. 

If you are accepted, you will be asked to provide a picture of yourself for a personalized avatar to go along with all your reviews. You will then get your own signature and a permanent "about me" space in the sidebar. After two month trial, you will be able to contact publishers for review copies and arrange author interviews as a blog contributor at Bookish, but please note that you will be responsible for reviewing any and all books requested in the name of the blog. 

Please do not apply if you are only interested in free books. I am not looking for book collectors, I am looking for reliable blog partners.

Please note: any reviews you write for Bookish can (but don't have to) also be posted on your personal Goodreads/Shelfari account, Amazon, Barnes&Noble, Indiebound, Book Depository, etc. Under no circumstances, however, should they be posted on any other blog, website or review platform. 

Looking forward to working with you guys!

"Five Stupid Things" - Guest Post by Geoff Harbach, author of I'm With Stupid

Today I have the pleasure of sharing with you a great guest post by Geoff Harbach, author of I'm With Stupid, the third book in the Stupid Fast series! In his post, Geoff Harbach talks about five stupid things he did in his life!

Five Stupid Things by Geoff Harbach

Herein is a list of five stupid things I did in my life:

1. After putting a ramp by the creek in my front yard, I rode my bike to the top of a hill, gathered as much speed as I possibly could, then jumped over the creek. I was ten-years-old. I flew way past the edge of the creek. I flew through some bushes on the side of my house. I hit the house. I shot off my bike through the picture window of my house. I landed at the foot of the couch, where my mom had been reading. She screamed and screamed. I bled a lot. I had to go to the hospital (still have scars on my hands!).

2. I stood up all my Star Wars action figures on a book-shelf and shot them with rubber bands, which was cool. I got to be a good shot. Then I accidentally shot a rubber band through the shade in the living room. I tried to shoot another rubber band through the hole in the shade. I missed several times, making more holes in the shade. I became frightened about the holes and what my mother would do to me when she found the holes. I became despondent then angry then I shot holes through all the shades in the house. I don’t know why. My mother got very angry. I was grounded and had to do bunches of extra work for over a year to pay for new shades.

3. Dragged a large piece of cardboard to Highway 81. Put on breakdancing exhibition for drivers driving on Highway 81. Got called names and also hit in side of head with rock shot out from under a truck.

4. As 8th grader, answered “yes” to two girls in a Chevy Chevette who asked me and my friend Jason if we wanted to drive out into the country somewhere to make out. Jason and I didn’t know these girls. We got in the car. We drove out into the country. There were no cell phones in the 1980s. No way to call for a ride back when they dropped us off “somewhere” in the country.

5. Let a guy named “Smiles” who had dyed black hair down to the middle of his butt pierce my ear with a stud and an apple. Infection can cause elephantitis.

Thank you so much for this wonderful guest post, Geoff!

I'm With Stupid 

Paperback, 320 pages

Published May 1st 2013 by Sourcebooks Fire

Felton Reinstein has never been good with stress. Which is why he's seriously freaking out. Revealing his college choice on national TV? It's a heart attack waiting to happen. Deciding on a major for the next four years of his life? Ridiculous. He barely even knows who he is outside of football. And so...he embarks on The Epic Quest to Be Meaningful.

Which leads to:

1. Mentoring a freshman called Pig Boy.

2. The state of Wisconsin hating him.

3. His track coach suspending him.

4. The funniest viral video the world has ever seen.

5. A whole new appreciation for his family, his friends, and what's really important in life.

LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Indiebound  

About the author:

Geoff Herbach is the author of the award winning Stupid Fast YA series. His books have been given the 2011 Cybils Award for best YA novel, selected for the Junior Library Guild, listed in the year's best by the American Library Association, the American Booksellers Association and many state library associations. In the past, he wrote the literary novel, The Miracle Letters of T. Rimberg, produced radio comedy shows and toured rock clubs telling weird stories. Geoff teaches creative writing at Minnesota State, Mankato. He lives in a log cabin with a tall wife.

Connect with Geoff: Website | Facebook

Interview + Giveaway: Suzanne Van Rooyen, author of Obscura Burning

I'm very excited to be joined today by the wonderful Suzanne Van Rooyen, the author of YA LGBT Sci Fi, Obscura Burning! I'll be reviewing Obscura Burning on the blog in July, so make sure to stop by if you're interested to hear what I thought about it! Today, we have a great Q&A to share with you guys, as well as a giveaway of one e-copy of Obscura Burning!

1. Welcome to Bookish, Suzanne! I'm so excited to have you here with us today! How would you describe the story of Obscura Burning to those who haven’t heard of it yet?

Thank you so much for having me! Obscura Burning is a dark and twisted story about a boy who finds himself entangled in a cosmic event after a tragedy leaves him wracked by guilt and torn between the ghosts of the two people he loves.

2. Could you tell us a little bit about the inspiration behind it?

This story came out of nowhere while I was working on a very different book about zombies. I was listening to music by Explosions in the Sky and this image of a boy walking through an arid landscape just popped into my head. That was my first glimpse of Kyle and so his story grew out of the dust. I think what prompted the idea of the split realities was my inability to decide whether Kyle should have a male or female love interest - so I gave him both. I'm also a bit of a quantum physics nerd and have always been fascinated by the idea of multiple realities.

3. Which part of Obscura Burning was the hardest for you to write? Have you ever experienced "writer's block"? If so, how did you deal with it?

The hardest part of writing Obscura Burning was the emotional toll this book took. It isn't an easy book to read due to its dark subject material and trust me when I say it wasn't easy to write. There were many times I had to step away from the computer because I just got too overwhelmed by what my characters were feeling and going through. I do experience writer's block - or sometimes the opposite - a flood of idea that leaves me just as incapable of putting words on a page. I try to get out when this happens, exercise or just live a little in the real world to help myself regain equilibrium.

4. What do you hope readers will take away from reading your book?

Such a difficult question to answer because different readers relate to different aspects of the characters and story, and thus take different things away from a book. A little while ago I read a review that brought me to tears ( https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/525416005). I never expected my work to have such a visceral affect on a reader and if other readers can take away half of what this reader did, I'd be more than thrilled. If there is any kind of message in my book or a theme to take away then it's that bad things happen that are out of control, but how we choose to react in these situations is what defines us as a person. Kyle learns this the hardest way possible.

5. What is your favorite part of the writing process? Least favorite?

My favourite part of the process is feeling that giddy exuberance while a new idea takes form. My least favourite part of the process is hitting the 20k words barrier and experiencing a bout of self-doubt that makes me think everything about the story is awful. Once I push past that hurdle though, it's generally a sprint to the end of the first draft. I also love revisions. There's nothing more intimidating than a blank page but once I have a first draft, I really enjoy revisions.

6. What are some of your literary inspirations? Favorite books/authors?

It was while reading Poppy Z Brite's Lost Souls that I first decided I wanted to write a novel of my own. Her prose has definitely inspired me. My other favourite author and major inspiration is Neil Gaiman. He effortlessly weaves multiple genres into his stories, which are often extremely dark but tempered with sly humour. I love that about his work, it's good to keep in mind that sometimes we can chuckle at the darker side of life too.

7. What's next in line for you? Are you working on a new book now?

My fabulous agent Jordy Albert is currently working with two of my novels: one more paranormal, the other science fiction. While those are on submission, I'm taking a little break from active writing, giving myself some time to mull over half formed ideas. I'm hoping I'll have another bolt of inspiration, but until then I'm content to just think about my next story, letting the characters develop in my mind and the plot take shape.

8. What books are on your summer reading pile?

So many! I need to catch up on some great YA series I've been meaning to read but haven't yet like Incarnate by Jodi Meadows, The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer and Veronica Roth's books. I've also got my eye on a few new releases like Coda, In the After and Proxy.

9. Are you a plotter or a pantser?

I'm a bit of a hybrid. I like knowing the trajectory of my story, the basic plot points as well as the general character arc for my protagonists but how I get from A to B I leave up to my characters. I find that when I try to outline too vigorously, I end up resenting the structure and not enjoying the writing as much as I do when I'm free to write myself in and hopefully out of corners.

10. If you could write a letter to your 16 year old self, what would you talk about?

Wow, this question could be an entire essay unto itself. I think perhaps the hardest lesson for me has been dealing with disappointment - in myself, in others and in the world. I'd tell my 16yr old self to toughen up, to have more realistic expectations, to dream big but to also set achievable goals and not expect the universe to just align itself according to my whim, and, that throwing a tantrum when things don't go my way isn't going to change a thing. I railed against the universe a lot as a teenager - it never helped. I'd recommend a more Zen approach to my teenage self.

My 16yr old self had some grand ideas for what I'd do with my life and I'm quite relieved that some things didn't go according to plan else I wouldn't be writing books today.

Obscura Burning 

Paperback, 300 pages

Published December 7th 2012 by Etopia Press

The world's going to end in fire...and it's all Kyle's fault.

Kyle Wolfe's world is about to crash and burn. Just weeks away from graduation, a fire kills Kyle's two best friends and leaves him permanently scarred. A fire that Kyle accidentally set the night he cheated on his boyfriend Danny with their female friend, Shira. That same day, a strange new planet, Obscura, appears in the sky. And suddenly Kyle's friends aren't all that dead anymore. Each time Kyle goes to sleep, he awakens to two different realities. In one, his boyfriend Danny is still alive, but Shira is dead. In the other, it's Shira who's alive...and now they're friends with benefits. Shifting between realities is slowly killing him, and he's not the only one dying. The world is dying with him. He's pretty sure Obscura has something to do with it, but with his parents' marriage imploding and realities shifting each time he closes his eyes, Kyle has problems enough without being the one in charge of saving the world...

BUY Obscura Burning: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Omni Lit | The Book Depository 

About the author:

Suzanne is a freelance writer and author from South Africa. She currently lives in Finland and finds the cold, dark forests nothing if not inspiring. Suzanne is the author of the cyberpunk novel Dragon’s Teeth (Divertir), the YA science fiction novel Obscura Burning (Etopia) and has had several short stories published by Golden Visions Magazine, Space and Time and Niteblade. Her non-fiction articles on travel, music and other topics can be found scattered throughout the Internet. Although she has a Master’s degree in music, Suzanne prefers conjuring strange worlds and creating quirky characters. When not writing you can find her teaching dance to ninth graders or playing in the snow with her shiba inu.

Suzanne is represented by Jordy Albert of the Booker Albert Agency.

Suzanne is also a publicist for Entranced Publishing.

Connect with Suzanne: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest

Suzanne Van Rooyen has generously offered to give away one  e-book copy of Obscura Burning to one lucky International reader!

Giveaway is open to: INTERNATIONALS

Ends: May 20th

Enter via Rafflecopter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

TBR Pile Read-A-Long: Masque Of The Red Death Discussion Post #1 [Chapters 1-8]

Hello and WELCOME to MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH FIRST DISCUSSION POST!

Thank you to all who have signed up for our fourth Read-A-Long this year, I hope you guys enjoyed reading Divergent, Delirium and Will Grayson, Will Grayson with us and are having just as much (or more!) fun with Masque Of The Red Death! Today we'll be discussing chapters 1-8 of Masque Of The Red Death by Bethany Griffin!

Before we move on to the discussion questions Rachelia and I would like to remind you that every person participating in the read-a-long is going to get some beautiful Masque of the Red Death bookmarks from Bethany Griffin! How cool is that?! And it's never too late to join us! 

     "Listen," he says. "Every second of my day is filled with something that has to be done. Every second. I didn't take drugs last night, and I didn't pass out behind a gold brocade curtain, and I don't have friends who would leave me at a club. Okay?"

I never kissed anyone. I made a vow to avoid the things that Finn will never experience. 

"What do you want?" he asks in an amused voice. His self-assurance makes him seem older than he looks. I'm guessing that he would be a student at the university, if it were still open.
"Oblivion." It is what I am always looking for.

Now, onto the discussion!

1) Araby says that "if you have enough money, you can forget about death and disease for a few hours". (p.5) Do you see parallels of this privilege in present day? Do we have our own forms of Debauchery Clubs around the world?

2) Why do you think the mask production factory was burnt down? Was it simple "malcontent" as Elliot remarks?

3) Have you read Edgar Allen Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death". How does it compare so far?

4) When trying to convince Araby to join his cause, Elliott calls her "the scientist's tragic daughter" (p.66) Do you think Araby's character is indeed tragic? If so, why? 

5) Araby often talks about suicide (we learn that she even contemplated jumping off the rooftop before). She seems broken and without hope, and often acts like she doesn't care if she lives or dies. Do you think that's really the case? Or is it a desperate call for attention? Is oblivion really what she's looking for? Or maybe she just desperately wants to be noticed and loved? 

6) Now that Araby handed over the blueprints to Elliott, what do you think is going to happen? Do you think she can trust him? 

7) William or Elliott? Have you picked your team yet? :) 

These are all the questions we have for you today! Please leave your answers in the comments below. Feel free to break them apart (1 comment per 1 answer!), or omit the questions you do not feel like answering! I am looking forward to discussing Masque Of The Red Death with you guys! 

Meanwhile, happy reading and remember Discussion Post for CHAPTERS 9-14 will be posted over @Bookish Comforts! 

Discussion Schedule for May: Masque Of The Red Death by Bethany Griffin

*We’ve made sure to end before BEA!

• 5/3: Chapters 1-8(hosted @ Bookish) 

• 5/10: Chapters 9-14 (hosted @ Bookish Comforts) 

• 5/17: Chapters 15-20 (hosted @ Bookish) 

• 5/24: Chapters 21-27 (hosted by @ Bookish Comforts) 

Wrap-up:

• 5/25: Favourite quotes and moments, reflections, review and a place for YOU to link up your review/thoughts! (posted at @ Bookish and @ Bookish Comforts)