What Makes You Happy?

I know what makes me happy (check it out here, here, and here) but as a reader, what do you look for? What makes your heart sing with delight?

So tell me my lovely followers and fellow guests: What makes you happy as a reader?

Top 4 Page-turning Books for Young Adults: A Guest Post by

Please welcome to Feed My Need, Katheryn Rivas!

This guest post is contributed by Katheryn Rivas, who writes on the topics of online universities advice.  She welcomes your comments at her email Id: katherynrivas87@gmail.com.

Top 4 Page-turning Books for Young Adults

While most adults feel the need to coerce teenage students into reading, the easiest way to get young people engaged in a novel is to introduce a compelling plotline that works for anyone, child and adult, alike. The most important thing about reading for young people is having someone or something to connect with. Stories that involve basic human truths are easy for people of all ages to digest and understand. 

Here is a list of some of the books that are appropriate for a teenage reading level, but cool enough to keep young people turning the pages. Many of these stories discuss advanced and nuanced topics, but the humanity of the stories is clear enough for anyone to understand and enjoy. Pick any of these books back up as an adult, and you’re sure to find meanings that you never knew were there.

1. Harry Potter

These stories are actually appropriate for children much younger than middle school or high school age, but, if there was ever a book that could make a young person of any age hungrily turn some pages, it would be this J. K. Rowling classic. In fact, there are plenty of adults who have become thoroughly hooked on the series, themselves.

2. The Hunger Games

Written by Suzanne Collins as a young adult novel, this is a must-read for any teen looking for a story that won’t be boring. In fact, with the huge popularity of the movie, this is the perfect time to rent it or head to theaters to check out the movie version before or after reading. The story is set in an apocalyptic world in which two children, ages 12-18, are selected to compete in a battle to the death for an annual television special. Told through the eyes of a 16-year-old girl competitor, the story is intense and can go from humorous to heartbreaking in seconds.

3. Animal Farm

Animal Farm may seem a bit old-school to young students at first glance, but this is actually a perfect read for teens. The main characters are animals who balance work and power struggles after taking over their family farm after mistreatment by the humans in charge. Despite the fairy-tale nature, this is no book for babies. Real issues of power, struggle, desperation and tension abound, and the plot is interesting, yet easy to follow.

4. The Catcher in the Rye

This is a classic for both adults and teenagers. First off, it’s hilarious and so uniquely-written that readers of all ages will have something to grab onto. The plot is told through the eyes of Holden Caulfield, a prep school dropout making his way through New York City. Teenagers will love Holden’s anti-protagonist charm and surely see themselves reflected in his take on the silly world of adults.

Author Interview: Michael Diack!

Please welcome to A Three Way Tie, Michael Diack!

Please tell us a little about yourself.

Hi, I’m Michael Diack, 26 and from UK. I started writing during university and I’ve just released my debut novel, The Super Spud Trilogy, through a company called Pen Press. The book is released now as a paperback and e-book on Amazon. I enjoy music, playing squash, and sailing with my friends.



When and why did you begin writing?

I began writing my novel at the age of 20. I had this idea in my head about crisp packets which came alive once their use-by date expired and that their personality was influenced by their flavoring. Once I began writing I completed the novel in a few months.



What was the hardest part of writing your book? What is the easiest?

I guess the hardest part was the editing phase, having to rewrite and in some cases remove large chunks of your work, but if it benefits the story as a whole then it has to be done. Sometimes I’d be really stuck for ideas, but inspiration would often come when I’d just stop altogether and do something else like play sport or computer games. I guess the easiest part was the first chapter and describing the Super Spuds and the magic rules governing their survival.



What music do you listen to while you write?

Rock music - I love Coheed and Cambria. I usually just listen to their four albums on repeat while I write. Music and writing is the ultimate escape and relaxation for me.



What inspires you?

The support of friends and family is important. Having their feedback and telling me honestly what works and doesn’t is great. The desert where I work is also very inspirational, I know that sounds like an oxymoron; but the landscape with its sand dunes, dust storms, camels and rugged topography is very other-worldly and relaxing.



Do you have any hidden talents?

Unfortunately not, I can play a few Coheed and Cambria songs on guitar but that’s about it. I managed to complete Goldeneye on the N64 on Double-O Agent setting – I was very proud of that achievement.

What are your current projects?

I’m writing another set of adventures concerning the Super Spuds. This time with more flavour personalities and scene locations. I’m also writing some short stories.



What book are you reading now?

Haruki Murakami – IQ84.



Quick: Vampires or Shapeshifter? Why?

Shapeshifter – because then I’m not useless for half of the day.



Do you have any advice for other writers?

Don’t be afraid to change your work, if you know something doesn’t fit just delete it rather than trying to work around it.



Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

I honestly hope you laugh and enjoy reading about the Super Spuds. I hope to continually improve as a writer and make the next set of adventures even more enjoyable and fun. Any feedback and ideas for the next stories, or suggestions for new flavour personalities, I’d be happy to hear about.

Genetic engineering has accomplished many things, one of which has been to create the Super Spud! The humble potato elevated to new heights, creating the most flavoursome crisps ever known to humankind! But that's not all - A magical transformation occurs to all Super Spud crisps not eaten before their use-by date. They take on a life of their own. And so long as they remain undetected by humans, they enjoy life in their own Super Spud cities, take part in major Super Spud sporting events and even start the odd Super Spud war or two. Join Colin, Cougar, Hannibal Vector, Generals Rock, Jock and Strap and all the others in their rollicking adventures. You'll never look at a packet of crisps in the same way again! Fun, quirky and totally original, Michael Diack's debut is strictly for those who are still big kids at heart.

Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

 

Blurb:

Incarceron is a prison so vast that it contains not only cells, but also metal forests, dilapidated cities, and vast wilderness. Finn, a seventeen-year-old prisoner, has no memory of his childhood and is sure that he came from Outside Incarceron. Very few prisoners believe that there is an Outside, however, which makes escape seems impossible.

And then Finn finds a crystal key that allows him to communicate with a girl named Claudia. She claims to live Outside- she is the daughter of the Warden of Incarceron, and doomed to an arranged marriage. Finn is determined to escape the prison, and Claudia believes she can help him. But they don't realize that there is more to Incarceron than meets the eye. Escape will take their greatest courage and cost more than they know.

 

 

My Thoughts:

 

Wow, I was not nearly prepared for this book. 

 

I've had a long hide and seek game with this book in the library. I kept finding the second book in this series, but not the first so when I finally (and I do mean FINALLY) I grabbed it without thinking about it.

And of course, out of my library stack I kept picking this book up and looking at it. Then I decided, oh what the heck, I'll read it now. I love the cover, the intrigue behind what will happen, and I love the idea of the prison being alive.

Then I read it. And couldn't put it down. This book is just ridiculously good.

And yes, I said it: This book is ridiculously good.

Now why did I say, good instead of great? Well, I have one huge issue, but I think it could just be me. 

So let's tear this book apart and analyze it! Yippee!

Everblossom News!

I got interviewed and my book, along with Angel Diaries Volume One, is being featured! Check it out here and here!

Book Giveaway: A Scent of Longing by Cara Bristol

Please welcome to Feed My Need, the fabulous romance author, Cara Bristol!

Bio

I write contemporary, domestic discipline and paranormal erotic romance — just the kind of stories I like to read.
My five published erotic romances are:

• A Scent of Longing, Decadent Publishing
• Reckless in Moonlight, Loose Id
• Unexpected Consequences (A Rod and Cane Society story), Loose Id
• Secret Desires, Black Velvet Seductions (BVS)
• Intimate Submission, Black Velvet Seductions

Both Secret Desires and Intimate Submission have been anthologized in BVS’s Spanked!
My sixth erotic romance, False Pretenses, another Rod and Cane Society story, will be released by Loose Id in June.
I’m currently writing another paranormal.
In my spare time (*laugh*) I  like to read, travel with my husband and watch reality TV shows.

Book Giveaway

Lily Dansen refuses to date vampires. The last time she trusted a one, he turned her. She agrees to a date arranged by 1 NightStand, believing that a quick tryst is all that’s left for her.

A 376-year-old half-vampire, half human Luc Fortier can’t continue to satisfy the vampire fantasies of young ladies while his dreams go unfulfilled. He vows to bedazzle one last date before he calls it quits.


Neither Luc nor Lily expect more than an evening of passion, but they haven’t counted on Madame Eve’s superior matchmaking skills.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Giveaway and Author Interview: Senator, Mine by Kerry Adrienne

Please welcome to Feed My Need, the fabulous romance author, Kerry Adrienne!

Bio

Writing instructor for Wake Technical Community College for 13 years, teaching: Fiction Writing for the Beginner, Fiction Writer’s Forum, Characterization in Fiction, and Speculative Fiction.

Check out her website here to learn more!

Author Interview

When and why did you begin writing?

I don’t really remember when I began writing stories, though I think it probably began with drawing pictures of fantasy worlds and dreamscapes then writing about things happening in that setting.


 
What was the hardest part of writing your book? What is the easiest?

The most difficult part was definitely the research. History almost always has dissenting opinions on how things were and how things happen and an author often has to decide exactly which “fact” to go with. Plus, you have to use a little creative license to make the story appropriate for modern readers. We don’t want stinky heroes, for example. The easiest part was the characters. I love writing people.


 
What music do you listen to while you write?

Green Day!!! (ok, sometimes Depeche Mode, The Cure, Adam Lambert, Loreena McKennitt, Violent Femmes, Marilyn Manson…but mostly Green Day). Yes, I love listening to music when I write.


What inspires you? 

That is a tough one. Everything and anything. I think, like most writers, inspiration can strike at any moment and from the slightest thing.





Do you have any hidden talents? 

Umm. I’m a professional costumer—mostly cosplay and historical. I’m an artist. I also dabble in making chainmail. Things like that. Anything crafty. Don’t ask me to decorate cakes though. I really dislike cake decorating.
 
What are your current projects? 

I have several. I’m working on two more 1Night Stands for Decadent Publishing and a Western Escape for Decadent. I also have a science fiction romance I am working on.
 

What book are you reading now? 

How sad is it that I have to go to Goodreads to see what I am currently reading for fun? As an editor for Entangled Publishing, I don’t get a ton of free time to read for pleasure. But according to my Goodreads profile, I am still reading SHINE, by Lauren Myracle. I just started it. Maybe I can read some today—I know it sounds like a really great book.
 

Quick: Vampires or Shapeshifter? Why? 

Vampires!!! Too sexy.
 

Do you have any advice for other writers? 

Never give up. Trust yourself. Don’t automatically listen to everyone’s advice. Mull it over first. 



 
Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers? 

I hope that, as you read my time travel or historical books, you will think for a moment about the millions of people who have gone before us—all of whom had lives, loves, wishes, and dreams. I love that warm connection to the human race.

Book Giveaway

Eleanor’s dream of a romantic tour of Italy shatters when her long-time boyfriend breaks up with her in Pompeii. Determined to enjoy the once in a lifetime vacation, she enlists the 1NS service. She continues her trip, stopping to buy a small golden signet in a mysterious antiquities shop in Rome.

Darius, a hard-working Senator in Ancient Rome, is puzzled by the Sibyl’s words: You will not find love in your lifetime. Hoping to find a measure of happiness, he agrees to the Sibyl’s quest. In the olive grove, he spots Eleanor, a barbarian wearing his stolen senator’s ring.

A night spent together may be just what they both need to break down the columns of time that stand between them.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Giveaway Details:

1. To be eligible for this giveaway, you must be a follower of my blog.
2. Leave a comment with your name and email address.
3 . This giveaway ends May 12 at 12:01 am.