Date a Girl Who Reads

“Date a girl who reads. Date a girl who spends her money on books instead of clothes. She has problems with closet space because she has too many books. Date a girl who has a list of books she wants to read, who has had a library card since she was twelve.

Find a girl who reads. You’ll know that she does because she will always have an unread book in her bag. She’s the one lovingly looking over the shelves in the bookstore, the one who quietly cries out when she finds the book she wants. You see the weird chick sniffing the pages of an old book in a second hand book shop? That’s the reader. They can never resist smelling the pages, especially when they are yellow.

She’s the girl reading while waiting in that coffee shop down the street. If you take a peek at her mug, the non-dairy creamer is floating on top because she’s kind of engrossed already. Lost in a world of the author’s making. Sit down. She might give you a glare, as most girls who read do not like to be interrupted. Ask her if she likes the book.

Buy her another cup of coffee.

Let her know what you really think of Murakami. See if she got through the first chapter of Fellowship. Understand that if she says she understood James Joyce’s Ulysses she’s just saying that to sound intelligent. Ask her if she loves Alice or she would like to be Alice.

It’s easy to date a girl who reads. Give her books for her birthday, for Christmas and for anniversaries. Give her the gift of words, in poetry, in song. Give her Neruda, Pound, Sexton, Cummings. Let her know that you understand that words are love. Understand that she knows the difference between books and reality but by god, she’s going to try to make her life a little like her favorite book. It will never be your fault if she does.

She has to give it a shot somehow.

Lie to her. If she understands syntax, she will understand your need to lie. Behind words are other things: motivation, value, nuance, dialogue. It will not be the end of the world.

Fail her. Because a girl who reads knows that failure always leads up to the climax. Because girls who understand that all things will come to end. That you can always write a sequel. That you can begin again and again and still be the hero. That life is meant to have a villain or two.

Why be frightened of everything that you are not? Girls who read understand that people, like characters, develop. Except in the Twilight series.

If you find a girl who reads, keep her close. When you find her up at 2 AM clutching a book to her chest and weeping, make her a cup of tea and hold her. You may lose her for a couple of hours but she will always come back to you. She’ll talk as if the characters in the book are real, because for a while, they always are.

You will propose on a hot air balloon. Or during a rock concert. Or very casually next time she’s sick. Over Skype.

You will smile so hard you will wonder why your heart hasn’t burst and bled out all over your chest yet. You will write the story of your lives, have kids with strange names and even stranger tastes. She will introduce your children to the Cat in the Hat and Aslan, maybe in the same day. You will walk the winters of your old age together and she will recite Keats under her breath while you shake the snow off your boots.

Date a girl who reads because you deserve it. You deserve a girl who can give you the most colorful life imaginable. If you can only give her monotony, and stale hours and half-baked proposals, then you’re better off alone. If you want the world and the worlds beyond it, date a girl who reads.

Or better yet, date a girl who writes.“

- Rosemarie Urquico

In My Mailbox #12

Thanks to Kristi The Story Siren for hosting In My Mailbox every week!

Ok, so this week I got 2 books from Goodreads Giveaways. Both seem really interesting.

I posted a teaser from the first one this past Tuesday.

It's called Following Polly and it's by Karen Bergreen. It's about a woman named Alice who starts stalking a woman named Polly (duh) and then one day finds Polly dead on the floor of her boutique. Now Alice is accused of murder. But Alice's long time crush may be able to help her figure out what's going on.

Book number two is called The Eighth House and its author is Gerald R. Stanek. Its description says that it's a coming of age novel set in a mythical world (score!). Paalin is on his way to self discovery and control of some special abilities it looks like.

Follow Friday #13

Hop on over to Parajunkee's View to check out this week's Follow Friday!

AHHHH. Another hard question!

Q. In light of the Summer Solstice. Also known as Midsummer...let's talk about fairies. What is your favorite fairy tale or story that revolves around the fae?


A. Grrrr... I really don't know. There are so many that I absolutely love. Like the Wicked Lovely series by Melissa Marr. There were some books in that series that I enjoyed more than others, but it was the first series I'd read where the faeries weren't always the good guys. And then there's Lament by Maggie Stiefvater (I still haven't read Ballad yet.... but I've got it on my book shelf!). Tithe by Holly Black was a good book. I read it years and years and years ago... but I remember loving it.

Please don't ask what my favorite book about elves is. Or dragons. Because the list would be even LONGER. Oy. LoL.

*Interesting side note...

My youngest daughter was originally going to be named Oona. I got the name from the movie Legend... the fairy who helps Jack is named Oona. It's also an Irish name and means Faerie Queen. And being Irish, I loved it. However, my soon to be ex husband did not like it so I was made to change to something different. I refused, however, to change her middle name. Faye. Which means faerie. :-) HA. Take that STBEH.

Can't wait to see what you guys came up with!

Teaser Tuesday #17

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

•Grab your current read
•Open to a random page

•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

•Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This week's teaser is from the book Following Polly by Karen Bergreen. I won it in a Goodreads Giveaway!

"I started following Polly Dawson two hours after I was fired from Mona Hawkins Casting Inc. I know that it isn't a good thing to do. Phrases like "compulsive voyeur" and "invasion of privacy" come to mind. It's not the first time I've done this, but it is the first time in almost twenty years, and I wasn't that proud of it then." p 3

Can't wait to see ya'lls teasers!

Review: Legacy by Cayla Kluver

So far this is the only book I've finished this month. I've slowed down my reading because my brain is working on overdrive right now. But I have to say I loved it. Cayla was extremely young when she authored this novel and reading it you'd think someone 2-3 times her age penned it.

Legacy is a great novel. Another novel where I wasn't completely irritated by a "love triangle". She did a good job making you dislike certain characters, and a good job making you want to root for others.

Alera is a wonderful princess. She's strong and thoughtful and EVEN THOUGH there were times I wanted to scream "SAY SOMETHING!!!" or "DON'T JUST LET THEM WALK AWAY!!!!" she was extremely well written. And I love how Kluver doesn't just leave all the other characters in the background. They're not bit parts. Alera's sister pops up all the time. London was another of my favorites. Tadark... I wanted to punch him in the face FOR her. Haha.

I really don't think I have anything negative to say about the book. It was written in a way that you didn't have a chance to get bored with it. There was always something happening but it wasn't overwhelming. All the twists and turns definitely brought things together nicely (I wish I could say more but I don't want to spoil it!). I loved the cover. And I loved the artwork at the beginning of each chapter. It was always kind of a teaser for what was to come.

I'm excited the book is being re-released by.... Harlequin Teen I believe. And I can't wait for the sequel! I'm dying to read it. I definitely recommend this book to absolutely EVERYONE!

* Edit *

Hi! I am aware there are different covers for this particular novel. The cover that I posted is the cover on the actual version that I read. Thanks anyway!

Cover Reveal: Eye of the Tempest by Nicole Peeler (the real cover this time)

So here's the real cover for Nicole Peeler's upcoming novel Eye of the Tempest.

I don't know about you guys... but I liked the other cover better. Remember... the one that we were told WASNT the real cover.

It stayed with the whole "theme" of the other 3 books. I notice in the real cover Jane's got a different outfit on. That's all good and well, but I just don't like the red. I don't know why they changed it. I'm disappointed.

I'm sorry... I'm sure the book will be just as great as the previous ones... but as far as the cover goes... this ones a pass for me.

JK Rowling's Announcement

Hmmm.... I wonder what it is. What do you all think?