Blogoversary giveaway # 8 – Sinking Deeper

This giveaway is for a signed copy of the hilarious Sinking Deeper by Steve Vernon. I seriously LOVED this book.

When I read the blurb on the back of the book, I thought “OK, this is probably going to make me chuckle a time or two.” But it had me guffawing all the way through. It was seriously THAT funny. Roland was a great character and I loved his voice. But for me, it was all about his grandfather, Angus. This was one cool, weird, freaky dude. I just instantly fell in love with him.

While the plot was far-fetched, it was oh-so believable at the same time. Maybe it’s because I’m a Maritimer myself, but if I saw this book as a news story I’d be like, “Uh-huh. Fake sea monster. Wonder what they were into when they thought that up?”

There were also some sentimental (not sappy. NEVER sappy) moments in the story that added a nice balance to the funny. So while I did laugh my ass off, there were parts of Sinking Deeper that may have brought a tear to my eye.

This was just a really great, unbelievably entertaining book.  And now one of you lucky Canadians gets your own signed copy thanks to the fine folks at Nimbus. Just comment below and let me know of a mythical creature that you’re either fascinated with or scared witless by. Contest closes Sept. 4th, 11:59 EST.

Review and Giveaway: Emily The Strange

HarperCollins Canada, 2009

13 Elements you will find in the first Emily the Strange novel:

1. Mystery

2. A beautiful golem

3. Souped-up slingshots

4. Four black cats

5. Amnesia

6. Calamity Poker

7. Angry ponies

8. A shady truant officer

9. Top-13 lists

10. A sandstorm generator

11. Doppelgängers

12. A secret mission

13. Earwigs

From HarperCollins website.

Emily The Strange: The Lost Days was, well, a very strange book. So strange, in fact, that at first I wasn’t sure what to think of the book or Emily. But once I got into the story I fell in love with the quirky Emily and her story of amnesia, mystery and a robot.

Emily tells of her quest to find out who she is through a diary that includes pictures, drawings and lists. Lots of lists.

This was a fun book to read and at first you might be tempted to write it off as fluff, but it’s also a very intelligent book. There were lots of twists and turns and plenty of creepy, evil characters to keep even the most reluctant reader interested.

I’m lucky enough to have an extra copy of Emily The Strange: The Lost Days to give away to one  reader.  Just leave a comment below on something totally strange that has happened to you. For example, I had a baby grackle throw-up in my hair last night. Kinda strange, right? The contest is open worldwide and will go until the 30th of June.

Thanks to HarperCollins for strangely sending me 2 copies of Emily The Strange.

Browse inside Emily the Strange: The Lost Days.

Review: Smile by Raina Telgemeier

Scholastic Canada, 2010

Raina just wants to be a normal sixth grader. But one night she trips and falls, severely injuring her two front teeth. What follows is a long and frustrating journey with on-again, off-again braces, surgery, embarrassing headgear, and even a retainer with fake teeth attached. And on top of all that, there’s still more: a major earthquake, boy confusion, and friends who turn out to be not so friendly.

 

 

From Scholastic Canada website

 

I’m pretty darn new to graphic novels. In fact, Smile is only the second one I’ve ever read. But I have a strong feeling that because of how much I loved Smile, it’s a format I’ll be reading a whole lot more of.

While the main story line is all about Raina and her quest to have her teeth look normal again, having a perfect smile isn’t really what Smile is about. It’s about growing up, those awkward teen years and learning to like yourself for who you are. In other books these life lessons have appeared heavy handed, but this was not the case here. It’s been many, MANY years since I’ve been a teen but reading about Raina, her boy troubles, obnoxious friends and self consciousness brought it all back. While I never had braces or issues with my teeth I could still sympathize and groan with her for what she was going through.

And as someone who was a teen in the late 80s the references to that time period’s clothing and fads were wonderful. (Caboodle anyone?) When Raina describes what she wore on her first day of high school I actually snorted. From the scrunchie to the socks matching the sweater, she had it down to a tee.

This was a quick read for me and when I sat down to start it, I didn’t get up until I finished it. I was captivated by Raina’s voice and everything she was going through. I highly recommend Smile to kids and adults a lot. After all, most of us still feel like an awkward 13 year old inside.