Interview

We will be skipping Wednesday Wishlist for an interview with Barry Eva, aka StoryHeart.

Child Abuse is a touchy subject. How could we remove the rug that covers it?
I think it is becoming less of a touchy subject with a lot less of the "turn the other way" going on. However there is also the fact that you could be accused or investigated even though you have done nothing. Teachers are taught to look out for signs, and a child falling from a bike could produce injuries that they might report. HOWEVER if you have done nothing wrong and have nothing to hide it should never matter ..Better safe than sorry.
I also think that TV programs like Special Victims unit really helps.

Have you had any close encounters?
No, I am lucky I come from a very secure family background and to be quite honest, though obviously it does go on in the UK , child and wife abuse etc seems a lot more common in the US.

What would you tell someone stuck in these situations?
Report.. speak to teacher, speak to friends parents, in the end speak to the police if need be BUT report it!

I beleive this is one of the worst crimes. Do you agree?
There are so many, but yes it is a hanus crime

Should penaltys be higher for the abusers?
Higher than what? What esle can you do? chemical castration?

Any other thoughts on the matter?
Education such as Beth Fehlbaum's wonderful book Courage and Patience which states it's suitable for classroom study

Physical Abuse

What is Physical abuse?
Dictionary.com defines it as: to treat in a harmful, injurious, or offensive way.

I have read several books about physical abuse before I started this. They will not be getting reviews, probably because I already have reviewed them.

A Child Called It is a memoir. I read it in 7th grade and cried nonstop. It was so sad how a parent could treat a child that way. I just wanted to slap the mom silly.

Bad Girls Club has some physical abuse in it. It was not the usual slap or kick or beat stuff. The mom was crazy and would do these insane things to her child. Like leave her to fall into Crater Lake or paint her face.

These books are must reads.

Must Monday

Hey guys this feature will still occur during child abuse month. We need some lighthearted stuff right? :)

Lovestruck Summer by Melissa Walker

Buy it May 5th.

Slept Away by Julie Kraut BUY IT: May 26th

Laney Parker's a city girl through and through. For her, summertime means stepping out of her itchy gray school uniform and into a season of tanning at rooftop swimming pools, sidewalk dining in the Meatpacking District, and—as soon as the parents leave for the Hamptons—parties at her classmates’ apartments.

But this summer Laney’s mother has her own plan for Laney—Camp Timber Tops—and faster than a girl can pack her eye cream, she’s shipped off.

New Contest

Wow another contest so soon! Can you believe it?!

Here are the details!

Book to win: Living Dead Girl
Open to: US and Canada Only
I will select a winner on th 16th!

How to win:
+1 For a comment
+1 For subscribing
+2 For already being a subscriber
+2 For telling me what you'd say to a friend who is being abused
+2 For linking the contest (links please :))
+3 For a post on your blog about my abuse month feature. Give me the link :)

So many chances to enter! Good Luck! Lets get the word out there about abuse guys!

Fab Friday

Even though its Child Abuse Month We still have Fab Friday! I need more people to be interviewed so please email me at princessashley9@gmail.com. We have new questions so you can go again!

This week Lauren from http://laurenscrammedbookshelf.blogspot.com/ is visiting us!

Why did you start blogging?
One day I came upon a couple of blogs like The Story Siren, Book Chic, and Reviewer X and I thought " Wow, that would be a cool thing to do" Since, almost none of my friends read, I never had anyone to talk about books with. So, I thought in creating my blog I would get to meet cool people who love to read as much as I do.

How many people subscribe?
As of January 23, 69 people are followers and according to Google Reader I have 90 people who subscribe. Every time I see those numbers, I simply can't believe that all those people like my blog enough to subscribe. So, if your reading this and you subscribe in some way, thank you so much!

Any advice for new bloggers?
Well if you're a new, start finding other blogs similar to yours and comment, follow, or participate if they are having a contest. Since, that lets us all know that your blog is out there. Also, don't sweat it if you only have a handful of views a day because one day you will go on your site meter thing and be simply amazed that you had 50 or so views the day before.

What is your favorite review you have written?
Hmm, that a hard question. Since I love all of my reviews in some way or another. Though, if I did have to pick a favorite it would have to be my review of Cracked Up To Be by Courtney Summers.

Can we have a snipet?
Of course!
" To say
Cracked Up To Be was an awesome book would be a huge understatement. It was one of the best books I've read this year. Possibly, one of the best books I've ever read!
It was raw and honest in the way that it showed all of Parker's emotions without any limits and how it presented the situations that teenagers face everyday without holding back. Courtney did a great job in developing each character especially with Parker's snarky. She seriously made them jump off the page and come to life starting in the very first chapter. "

Thanks so much for coming Lauren!

Child Abuse

Hey everyone it's child abuse month. This will include rape, mental abuse, physical abuse and pedophilia. I will still keep normal features going but there will be many things about child abuse all month. This is a hard topic but also important. Here are some things to expect:

~Chats about abuse
~A Child Called It
~Bad Girls Club
~Speak
~Impulse
~Treacherous Love
etc.

Thanks guys. Thoughts? Comments?

Read in March

A fairly good month :)

Purge by Sarah Darer Littman

Janie Ryman hates throwing up. So why does she binge eat and then stick her fingers down her throat several times a day? That’s what the doctors and psychiatrists at Golden Slopes hope to help her discover.But first Janie must survive everyday conflicts between the Barfers and the Starvers, attempts by the head psychiatrist to fish painful memories out of her emotional waters, and shifting friendships and alliances among the kids in the ward.

Giving up the V by Serena Robar

Buy it June 9th :)

Sea Change by Aimee Friedman

16-year-old Miranda Merchant is great at science...and not so great with boys. After major drama with her boyfriend and (now ex) best friend, she's happy to spend the summer on small, mysterious Selkie Island, helping her mother sort out her late grandmother's estate.

Bloom by Elizabeth Scott

Lauren has a good life: decent grades, great friends, and a boyfriend every girl lusts after. So why is she so unhappy?

It takes the arrival of Evan Kirkland for Lauren to figure out the answer: She's been holding back. She's been denying herself a bunch of things (like sex) because staying with her loyal and gorgeous boyfriend, Dave, is the "right" thing to do. After all, who would give up the perfect boyfriend?

Killing Britney by Sean Olin, Howard Pyle

Ever since Britney transformed herself from freak-and-geek to the most popular girl at school, her life has been touched by tragedy. First it was her mom, who drowned on a family rafting trip. Then her hockey-star boyfriend, Ricky, was killed in a hit-and-run.

When the deaths continue to pile up, everyone fears for Britney. Sure she's popular, blond, and fabulous.

A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl by Tanya Lee Stone

Josie, Nicolette, and Aviva all get mixed up with a senior boy–a cool, slick, sexy boy who can talk them into doing almost anything he wants. In a blur of high school hormones and personal doubt, each girl struggles with how much to give up and what ultimately to keep for herself. How do girls handle themselves? How much can a boy get away with? And in the end, who comes out on top? A bad boy may always be a bad boy. But this bad boy is about to meet three girls who won’t back down.

Every Young Woman's Battle
by Shannon Ethridge, Stephen Arterburn, Stephen Arterburn, Josh McDowell (Foreword by)

Mean Girls
by Hayley DiMarco

Hottie by Jonathon Bernstein

Alison Cole's got it all: She's gorgeous, dating a steamy surfer boy, and has just been crowned Beverly Hills High Freshman Class President. Then during a special "symmetry" surgery, a lightning bolt zaps her, and Alison instantly transforms into Hottie-that is, a totally sizzling superhero with the power to shoot fire from her fingers!

9 books. Not bad :)

Wednesday Wishlist (19)

Second Skin by Jessica Wollman

Appearances can be deceiving. Sam Klein’s found that out firsthand. All she wanted was to be popular. But sometimes what we want is the absolute worst thing for us.

Sam discovers that Kylie, It-girl of Woodlawn High, owes her popular status not to her expensive clothes, highlighted hair, and spot on the cheerleading squad but to a magical second skin. Nobody can actually see it—but they can feel it. And if you’re wearing the skin, you feel incredible. Invincible. Popularity is yours.

So Sam stole the skin from Kylie. Now she’s the most popular girl at school, while Kylie’s social life takes a serious hit. Sam can barely recognize herself. Her old geek clique is history—but are her new friends really people she can count on? The skin is clinging tighter to her each day . . . can Sam get it off before it’s too late?

Sleepaway Girls by Jen Calonita

When Sam's best friend gets her first boyfriend, she's not ready to spend the summer listening to the two of them call each other "pookie." Sick of being a third wheel, Sam applies to be a counselor-in-training at Whispering Pines camp in the New York Catskills. But what she doesn't realize is that it's not going to be all Kumbaya sing-alongs and gooey s'mores. If Ashley, the alpha queen of Whispering Pines, doesn't ruin Sam's summer, then her raging crush on the surfer-blond and flirtatious Hunter just might. At least she has playful Cole, who's always teasing her, but is oh-so-comfortable to hang out with, and the singular gang of girls that become fast friends with Sam-they call themselves the Sleepaway Girls.

Beautiful Disaster (Privilege Series #2) by Kate Brian

After wasting away in a mental institution for a year and a half, Ariana Osgood is finally back where she belongs. She has a new look, a new name, and a new life -- all thanks to her former friend Briana Leigh Covington.

*NO COVER* Girl Stays in the Picture by Melissa de la Cruz

Buy it June 2nd

Totally Fabulous by Michelle Radford

June 2nd :)