Blog Tour: How To Be Almost Famous in Ten Days by Kathleen S. Allen

Blog Tour Hosted by Xpresso Book Tours : Schedule

Title: How To Be Almost Famous In Ten Days

Author: Kathleen S. Allen
Publisher:  Gypsy Shadow Publishing Company
Publishing Date:  March 15th 2013

Pages: 145
Genre:  YA Contemporary 

Series:  Stand Alone
Source: Kindle Version provided by Xpresso Tours

  

Barnes and Noble

        

Seventeen-year-old Cassie Cee feels invisible because she's a double-digit size. She finds a book in a secondhand bookstore that she hopes will change her life. Her best friend's brother wants to make vlogs about how she is following the ten rules she found in the book, why she is doing it, and how she feels about being invisible for his school project. She agrees, but only if he promises no one but his college advisor will see the vlogs. He promises, but a friend of his posts them online and they go viral. When one of the "famous rules" puts her best friend, Rachel in a dangerous situation, Cassie makes one last vlog and Chuck posts it online. But emails begin arriving from other girls who have felt invisible, and she realizes she has to own up to being "the real Cassie Cee."

I thought this book sounded really cute so I jumped on the blog tour to give it a read. It was a very cute and fast read, this would make a good beach read. With summer starting this is a good book to sit down with when you have a just a bit to read. The story was fun. 

Cassie is tired of being invisible. Browsing the bookstore one day she finds a book titled "How to Be famous in Ten Days. Cassie decides to give it a try and starts with the first rule. She is a little afraid to use her own image, she has serious self image issues, and uses her best friend to be the face of her journey to become famous. The plan works, too well, and things just go downhill fast. 

This was a very light fast read and it was fun. I liked the story. It was cute, had its funny moments, and even had a lesson to learn in the end.

I liked Cassie in the beginning. At least I thought I was going to like her. She wasn't the average main character. She was bigger than the average small teen, but I never got the feeling the she was too big. She was smart, she wasn't unpopular or popular. She thought she was invisible and maybe she was.... it was summer so I was never able to see how she was around her peers. She had some very serious self esteem problems. She had a wonderful voice and could write some very serious lyrics. She had a very pretty, everyone loved, best friend. Her mother was never home. She had a crush a local Starbucks employee. That was Cassie in a nutshell. I felt she was way to smart to act the way she acted and her idea of using her best friend as the face of her getting famous stunt was kind of dumb. It made for a good story but was dumb. She wanted to be the one famous yet she uses her best friend as the face, that will work, and this is what Cassie learned. It didn't go quite as planed. After a few oops, a dangerous situation, and some serious thought, Cassie learned her lesson. In the end she grew up. 

Cassie wasn't a bad character, she did get on my nerves a little, but she wasn't the best character either. I did like Blake, the Starbucks employee, and he was sweet, nice, and crazy for sticking around a mess he didn't have too. The characters weren't developed as much as I liked but I still enjoyed the story. 

The story was cute, I felt it read more for a younger crowd by the plot and the writing style. It would be a great book for the younger crowed except for a couple more mature moments. The pacing was very fast. It was non stop from beginning to end and it was a very quick read. I wasn't ever bored. 



If you need a quick and light read with some fun moments, give this book a try. Its nothing too deep but still has a few lessons learned. 

Kathleen has been writing since she was eight years old when she self-published her first book. Okay, she hand-copied her poems onto plain white paper, paper punched three holes in the sides, made an orange and blue “book jacket” and threaded red ribbon through the holes that she tied with a bow. Ta Dah! Her first book! She’s been writing ever since. She writes in different genres but YA is her favorite. 

Links: Website/Goodreads/ Facebook/ Twitter

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Genre Definition and Recommendation #22

Genre Definition and Recommendation is a feature where I will define a genre and a sub-genre definition and the make some recommendations.  

This week I am starting a new Genre- Horror. The sub-genres are :

Gothic 
Ghost Story
Monster Literature
Psychological

Horror- Definition found on Wikipedia

Horror fiction, horror literature and also horror fantasy is a genre of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, scare or startle viewers/readers by inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie and frightening atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural.

Ghost Story Definition found on Wikipedia   

A ghost story may be any piece of fiction, or drama, or an account of an experience, that includes a ghost, or simply takes as a premise the possibility of ghosts or characters' belief in them. Colloquially, the term can refer to any kind of scary story. In a narrower sense, the ghost story has been developed as a short story format, within genre fiction. It is a form of supernatural fiction and specifically of weird fiction, and is often a horror story. While ghost stories are often explicitly meant to be scary, they have been written to serve all sorts of purposes, from comedy to morality tales. Ghosts often appear in the narrative as sentinels or prophets of things to come. Whatever their uses, the ghost story is in some format present in all cultures around the world, and may be passed down orally or in written form.

My Recommendations: 

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

  

        

The day that Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux arrives in London to start a new life at boarding school is also the day a series of brutal murders breaks out over the city, killings mimicking the horrific Jack the Ripper spree of more than a century ago. Soon "Rippermania" takes hold of modern-day London, and the police are left with few leads and no witnesses. Except one. Rory spotted the man police believe to be the prime suspect. But she is the only one who saw him--the only one who can see him. And now Rory has become his next target. In this edge-of-your-seat thriller, full of suspense, humor, and romance, Rory will learn the truth about the secret ghost police of London and discover her own shocking abilities.

Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready  

 

        

Aura can see ghosts. Born after the Shift, a little-understood event that enabled younger generations to communicate with the dead, Aura is relentlessly pursued by these violet-hued spirits. They need help to pass out of this world and into the next. And some are so angry they are on the verge of becoming Shades, dark vortexes of energy. But Aura just wants the ghosts to leave her alone so she can spend time with her boyfriend, Logan. When Aura is paired with a new foreign-exchange student to research the Shift for a class project, she is determined to ignore her partner’s sexy Scottish accent and discover the cause of the Shift so she can reverse it. 

Then Logan dies a most untimely death. Forced to reconsider her relationship with the living and the dead, Aura is caught in a love triangle with her violet-hued boyfriend and her hot research partner... one of whom may hold the key to reversing the Shift.

The Dead and Buried by Kim Harrington

        

A haunted house, a buried mystery, and a very angry ghost make this one unforgettable thriller.

Jade loves the house she's just moved into with her family. She doesn't even mind being the new girl at the high school: It's a fresh start, and there's that one guy with the dreamy blue eyes. . . . But then things begin happening. Strange, otherworldly things. Jade's little brother claims to see a glimmering girl in his room. Jade's jewelry gets moved around, as if by an invisible hand. Kids at school whisper behind her back like they know something she doesn't.

Soon, Jade must face an impossible fact: that her perfect house is haunted. Haunted by a ghost who's seeking not just vengeance, but the truth. The ghost of a girl who ruled Jade's school — until her untimely death last year. It's up to Jade to put the pieces together before her own life is at stake. As Jade investigates the mystery, she discovers that her new friends in town have more than a few deep, dark secrets. But is one of them a murderer?

Two more I want to read:


Spirit and Dust by Rosemary Clement-Moore

  

        

Daisy Goodnight can speak to the dead. It’s not the result of a head injury or some near-death experience. She was just born that way. And she’s really good at it. Good enough to help the police solve the occasional homicide.

But helping the local authorities clear cold cases is one thing. Being whisked out of chemistry class by the FBI and flown to the scene of a murder/kidnapping in Minnesota? That’s the real deal.

Before the promotion can go to Daisy’s head, she’s up to her neck in trouble. The spirits are talking, and they’re terrified. There’s a real living girl in danger. And when Daisy is kidnapped by a crime boss with no scruples about using magic—and Daisy—to get what he wants, it looks like hers is the next soul on the line.

Paper Valentine by Brenna Yofanoff

  

        

The city of Ludlow is gripped by the hottest July on record. The asphalt is melting, the birds are dying, petty crime is on the rise, and someone in Hannah Wagnor’s peaceful suburban community is killing girls.

For Hannah, the summer is a complicated one. Her best friend Lillian died six months ago, and Hannah just wants her life to go back to normal. But how can things be normal when Lillian’s ghost is haunting her bedroom, pushing her to investigate the mysterious string of murders? Hannah’s just trying to understand why her friend self-destructed, and where she fits now that Lillian isn’t there to save her a place among the social elite. And she must stop thinking about Finny Boone, the big, enigmatic delinquent whose main hobbies seem to include petty larceny and surprising acts of kindness.

With the entire city in a panic, Hannah soon finds herself drawn into a world of ghost girls and horrifying secrets. She realizes that only by confronting the Valentine Killer will she be able move on with her life—and it’s up to her to put together the pieces before he strikes again.

What Do you Recommend?

Weekly Wrap Up #22

Weekly Wrap-Up 

June 8th  - June 16th 

Blog Tours:  

Otherborn by Anna Silver- Review 

Reviews:

Star Cursed by Jessica Spotswood - Giveaway
Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins

Weekly Memes:

Genre Definition and Recommendation
Teaser Tuesday and Top Ten Tuesday

Waiting on Wednesday and W.W.W. Wednesday 

Delightful Discoveries
Follow and Feature Friday

Stacking the Shelves

Books Read: 

Reading Plans: 

Upcoming Reviews: 

Upcoming Blog Tours: 

Review June 17th 

Review June 20th

Stacking the Shelves #42

Stacking The Shelves is a hosted by Tynga's Reviews. Come join the fun and share all the book you received this week. 

I am late with my posts from this weekend!

Audio:

The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielson  

                                       

THE FALSE PRINCE is the thrilling first book in a brand-new trilogy filled with danger and deceit and hidden identities that will have readers rushing breathlessly to the end.

In a discontent kingdom, civil war is brewing. To unify the divided people, Conner, a nobleman of the court, devises a cunning plan to find an impersonator of the king's long-lost son and install him as a puppet prince. Four orphans are recruited to compete for the role, including a defiant boy named Sage. Sage knows that Conner's motives are more than questionable, yet his life balances on a sword's point -- he must be chosen to play the prince or he will certainly be killed. But Sage's rivals have their own agendas as well.

As Sage moves from a rundown orphanage to Conner's sumptuous palace, layer upon layer of treachery and deceit unfold, until finally, a truth is revealed that, in the end, may very well prove more dangerous than all of the lies taken together.An extraordinary adventure filled with danger and action, lies and deadly truths that will have readers clinging to the edge of their seats.

For Review:

Taste Test by Kelly Fiore

     

Nora Henderson has been basting baby back ribs for as long as she could reach the counter of her dad's famous barbecue joint. When she's accepted to Taste Test, a teen reality cooking competition, Nora can't wait to leave her humble hometown behind. On set, run-ins with the maddeningly handsome and talented son of a famous chef, Christian Van Lorten, make Nora wonder if it's him or the win she really wants, but as she and Christian emerge as front-runners for the final prize, Nora can't ignore the mysterious accidents plaguing the kitchen arena. Someone is conducting eliminations of their own, and if Nora doesn't stop them, she could be next to get "chopped" for good.

With romance and intrigue as delectable as the winning recipes included in the story, this debut novel will be devoured by all.