Jen's Blog
The Food Myth
Before I ever visited England, I heard a lot of random notions that English food is just plain terrible. “If you travel to England, watch out for the food!” “I loved England, but the food was sooo bad!” But, in all the time I’ve spent here in the past year and especially during this extended trip, I’m finding the opposite to be true. Yeah, some of the combinations they’ve come up with sound odd, but I love the food here.
I’ve gotten especially into the English Breakfast (which might account for the little weight gain since I’ve been here… :-/).
New favorite breakfast.
Usually there are sausages included in this meal, but I don’t like sausages so I leave that part out. What we have here are hash browns, roasted tomatoes and mushrooms. And yes. That’s baked beans on toast. I know, I know. The baked beans for breakfast thing here struck me as really weird when I first saw it, and I’ll admit to being pretty skeptical. Baked beans? On toast? What? But it turns out I love it. I’ve gone to the local Tesco, bought a couple cans of baked beans and have been cooking them for my breakfasts.
Another big thing I must mention is the chocolate. I’ve gotten a little out of control with my chocolate consumption since arriving here because the sweets are so much better than American chocolate. It isn’t just the Cadbury brand (if you ever visit England, you HAVE to try their milk chocolate bars) but even the “cheap” chocolate here is better. Granted, Godiva chocolate in the U.S. is really good, but I’m thinking more of the general chocolate you find in supermarkets. Like Hershey’s chocolate. It just doesn’t compare. My current favorites are the Galaxy Minstrels and the Magnum Ice Cream Bars.
I’ve even tried incredibly healthy food such as a Veggie Pasty and a Chip Butty. Chips here are what we call fries, and a chip butty is basically a french fry sandwich.
So healthy.
Hmm, all this talk of hash browns and baked beans and chocolate is making me think I need to join a gym! Luckily, Victoria and I hit the supermarket yesterday, and I picked up some healthier cooking options to balance out all this heavy English food, though there is a definite draw to it after a chilly day walking the misty streets of northern England.
Big Day!
Two exciting things are happening today for awesome writing friends of mine!
First, my rockstar critique partner, Gretchen McNeil, revealed her cover today for the creeptastic POSSESS, a YA horror/paranormal debuting this fall (August 23, 2011) from Balzer & Bray!!
Fifteen-year-old Bridget Liu just wants to be left alone: by her overprotective mom, by the hunky son of the police officer who got her father killed, and by the eerie voices which she can suddenly and inexplicably hear. Turns out the voices are demons–the Biblical kind, not the Buffy kind–and Bridget possesses the rare ability to banish them.
San Francisco’s senior exorcist and his newly assigned partner from the Vatican enlist Bridget’s help with increasingly bizarre and dangerous cases of demonic possession. But when one of Bridget’s oldest friends turns up dead in a ritualistic sacrifice that mirrors her father’s murder, Bridget realizes she can’t trust anyone. An interview with her father’s murderer reveals a link between Bridget and the Emim: a race of part-demons intent on raising their forefathers to the earth in human form. Now Bridget must unlock the secret to the Emim’s plan before someone else close to her winds up dead, or worse–the human vessel for a Demon King.
—————
Second, Leah Clifford’s amazing YA debut, A TOUCH MORTAL, officially hits the shelves today! I adore this book. One of my favorite recent reads!
Death isn’t what Eden expected. Where the hell is her release? Her quiet ending? Not that Eden remembers the details of her final hours, but one thing is for sure–becoming a sider, trapped between life and death, was definitely not part of the plan…
For Eden, nothing seems to be coming easy. There’s no way of telling what will happen when her fingertips graze human skin. The power that builds inside her, Touch, strips away morals and logic.
Some people only feel a high; others are overcome by their darkest thoughts.
But honestly there’s not much time for her to worry about her effect on mere mortals. She’s got her own drama. Somehow, word’s gotten around that her Touch can kill her own kind. With desperate siders already camping out on her doorstep, the last thing Eden needs is the rumor to spread. Especially since it’s true…
Bookanistas: RAISED BY WOLVES by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
RAISED BY WOLVES by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Adopted by the Alpha of a werewolf pack after a rogue wolf brutally killed her parents right before her eyes, fifteen-year-old Bryn knows only pack life, and the rigid social hierarchy that controls it. That doesn’t mean that she’s averse to breaking a rule or two.
But when her curiosity gets the better of her and she discovers Chase, a new teen locked in a cage in her guardian’s basement, and witnesses him turn into a wolf before her eyes, the horrific memories of her parents’ murders return. Bryn becomes obsessed with getting her questions answered, and Chase is the only one who can provide the information she needs.
But in her drive to find the truth, will Bryn push too far beyond the constraints of the pack, forcing her to leave behind her friends, her family, and the identity that she’s shaped?
I read this book last year and have been thinking about it recently because I’m excited about the sequel, TRIAL BY FIRE, coming out later this year!
I’m a big fan of wolf stories, and I loved how this one took on the POV of a human girl raised in the midst of a werewolf pack and how she’s essentially adapted to the pack life, the pack mind. Yet, being the strong, independent heroine she is, she’s still very much herself and refuses to lose her individuality to truly become one of the pack. So, it really goes against everything inside her when she agrees to go by the pack rules in order to get something she really wants. Yet, she grudgingly does it, and the results of that decision unfold in a roller coaster of events and twists. It’s definitely a page-turner.
Bottom line: Loved this werewolf story and can’t wait until the summer so I can read the sequel!
More Bookanistas Posts This Week
LiLa Roecker hosts a sunny tour stop for POSSUM SUMMER
Christine Fonseca shares her Guestanista Post: The Lost Hero
Shannon Messenger spotlights the cover of SO SILVER BRIGHT
Scott Tracey is inspired by ANGELFIRE
Michelle Hodkin toasts DEMONGLASS
Beth Revis finds amazing MAGIC UNDER GLASS
Carolina Valdez Miller uncovers WORDS IN THE DUST
Megan Miranda leaps and shouts for THE LIAR SOCIETY
Bethany Wiggins glows for RUBY RED
Shana Silver gets psyched about WITHER
Gretchen McNeil gushes over BLOOD AND FLOWERS
Rosemary Clement-Moore revisits HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE
Sarah Frances Hardy is nuts for THE NINTH WARD
Matt Blackstone is loving THE HATE LIST
Corrine Jackson delights in DIVERGENT
Stasia Ward Kehoe celebrates THE LIAR SOCIETY
Friday Five: Things I Need On My Desk
1. My laptop. You’d think this is a given, but I’m listing it anyway since it is THE most important thing I need to write. Every now and then I write long-hand, but I would have a hard time doing it regularly.
My preciousssss
2. Coffee! I’m finding my coffee consumption has significantly increased since coming to England.
Nom
3. My notebook. I actually have, um, five of these sitting on my desk at the moment. This is taking it a little far, but I’ve made notes in all of them over the course of writing this book so I’ve been referring to them all lately.
Ideas
4. Post-It Notes. I love these things, I really do. Yes, I have five notebooks, but I tend to scribble a lot of quick notes on colored post-its as well. And then, when I start my revision process very soon, I’ll use them to make a chart of my plot points. Oh, and they’re also great for holding cupcake wrappers.
Snacks are also important
5. Finally, for this book, I need my map of NYC. For inspiration, if nothing else. Although I do find myself referring to it often, regardless of how much easier it is to use Google Maps for this kind of thing. Sometimes, I just do better with hard-copy materials.
The City
My New World in the Old World
Oh, where do I start! I’ve been quiet here on the blog as I’ve been settling into my new home and getting into a new rhythm of living. And, to be honest, I’m still settling.
The new home, the new location, the new time zone. It’s all an adjustment. I think I’m having the most trouble with the time zone issue, although to be fair, I’ve always been a night owl who prefers to sleep in when she can.
The bottom line though: I love it here.
Victoria and I are renting rooms in a share home. It actually turns out that the house is completely full at the moment which means there are a total of nine of us. Eight roommates! I’ve never experienced anything like this before. There is always someone around. If I wander downstairs to grab another cup of coffee, I will always run into someone watching TV or grabbing a snack. I’ve always felt I’m pretty independent. Someone who likes to live alone. But I’m finding I love not feeling lonely, especially since I’m in a foreign country, in a foreign city, where I only know about three people (besides my new housemates!). If I want to hang out, have a chat with someone, watch TV with someone, share a meal with someone, it’s as easy as wandering into a common room. Everyone here has been so helpful and friendly so far. I already feel like this is my home, even though it’s temporary.
With so many people, it’s surprisingly quiet here during the day. I’ve made myself a little creativity perch for writing and working, and with my view of the English rooftops out the window to my left, I’m feeling very inspired here.
My Perch
Rooftop View
Before we came, Victoria and I were looking at places all around Liverpool. Our hope was to find a place right in city centre, but most places there were let by realtors who required six month leases or more. So, we started looking at the surrounding neighborhoods let by private landlords. And we found this place. I only saw the neighborhood on Google streetview, but now being here, it’s more perfect than I could have hoped.
It’s a little outside of town. The bus into Liverpool One took me a little over fifteen minutes. That’s not quick, but it’s close enough for me. The reason I love the neighborhood though is it just feels so British to me. The old, cottage-like architecture and the little side roads with moss-covered stone walls. On my walk yesterday, I passed by homes that had little signs out front specifying them as the Something-or-other Cottage (I don’t remember the exact name now). In the next day or so, I’ll take a walk to snap some photos of the area. Not to mention, there is a Tesco nearby, a few great shops and restaurants and plenty of cafes. Yesterday, I stumbled upon a Costa. Mmmmm. Best cappuccinos ever.
The Old World
I feel like there’s so much more I could say. How fun it is that my housemates are sometimes intrigued by my American words and phrases, how tasty the coffee and chocolate is, how I’ve found I love a traditional English breakfast (minus the sausages). I know baked beans on toast sounds odd, but I love it! I even love how I have my own little shelf in the freezer, in the refrigerator and in the cupboards. The whole share house experience is so new and different for me, I’m just having so much fun with even the little things.
But as exciting as all this is, my week felt complete yesterday when a package from home showed up in the front hallway. My parents shipped me a small box of some of my TBR books. And to me, a home is not a home without books.
And The Adventure Begins!
I landed in England early this morning. As I sit here typing, I’m in a cafe having my first cappuccino of the trip, waiting to make my way to the house where Victoria and I will be staying. I am very tired and very excited!
More soon!
Jetlagged
Dance Party
One of my fellow Bookanistas, the awesome Beth Revis, debuted on the New York Times Best Seller List at #7 with the amazing, spacey goodness that is ACROSS THE UNIVERSE. So, what did we do? We danced.
(I may or may not be Darth.)
Bookanistas: ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS by Stephanie Perkins
ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS by Stephanie Perkins (December 2010, Penguin)
Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris - until she meets Etienne St. Clair: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he’s taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home.
As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near - misses end with the French kiss Anna - and readers - have long awaited?
One word: swoon.
I absolutely adored this book. There’s not a thing I didn’t like about it. When I closed the book, my friend, Shana Silver (who had told me I NEEDED to read it in the first place) said, “Well?” My response? “Perfect.”
First, I loved the setting of Paris and how well-drawn it was. Since I’ve been so interested in travel myself lately, I gobbled up this aspect of it. And I felt like I was right there along with Anna, experiencing France for the first time, learning a different culture, feeling a little out of place, but learning to love it all the same.
Second, I loved Anna. And I loved Etienne. They’re both amazing characters who I couldn’t help but fall for, root for, want to read more about. They have faults, and they have struggles, and they seemed very real and very human. They made mistakes, but they kept picking themselves back up and trying to do the right thing. And, of course, I mean, how could you not love Etienne with his British accent and turns of phrases?
And third, of course I loved the love story because that’s what this book is about. Anna and Etienne. Their story is so relateable. And it’s spread over an entire year so you see the gradual build-up, the growth of their feelings. And while I have no problem with love stories that happen within days, the fact this takes its time made it so much more engrossing. There was “oooomph” to it. Like I said at the beginning of the review, it totally made me swoon.
More Bookanistas posts this week
- Christine Fonseca freaks for THE FAMILIARS
- Elana Johnson loves THE LOST SAINT
- Jen Hayley and Scott Tracey swoon over ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS
- LiLa Roecker dies for DESIRES OF THE DEAD with a fabulous giveaway!
- Shannon Messenger gushes some cover love for HOURGLASS
- Shelli Johannes-Wells is over the moon for ACROSS THE UNIVERSE
- Carolina Valdez Miller loves THE LIAR SOCIETY, complete with a signed ARC giveaway!
- Shana Silver has fallen for FALL FOR ANYTHING
- Kirsten Hubbard is blown away by BLOOD MAGIC
- Myra McEntire reveals her amazing cover for HOURGLASS
- Carrie Harris celebrates XVI
- Jessi Kirby is mesmerized by A BLUE SO DARK
- Rosemary Clement-Moore marvels over MATCHED
Bookanistas: DELIRIUM by Lauren Oliver
DELIRIUM by Lauren Oliver (February 1, 2011, HarperCollins)
Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn’t understand that once love–the deliria–blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold.
Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the government demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Haloway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy.
But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: she falls in love.
Can I gush? Okay, I’m going to gush.
I absolutely, totally, madly (see what I did there?) fell in love with this book. Seriously, I haven’t loved a book this much in ages.
First, I totally fell for the premise. I love the scientific spin on a “cure for love” and how everyone in the society is required to get said cure. And I really loved reading about what kind of world that would create. It was intriguing to me the direction the author took. In most dystopians, the world is so obviously in a terrible place, but in this one, it’s much harder to see that. The cure actually did make the world better in a lot of ways. It was really interesting to see how the author explored that, and for me, it made it even more compelling when the protagonist came to the conclusion the world wasn’t a better place without love. (That’s not a spoiler. It’s in the blurb!)
Second, I can’t do a review on this book without mentioning the stunning and gorgeous prose of Lauren Oliver. I mean, wow. Just wow. I haven’t read BEFORE I FALL yet, but it is up next in my TBR pile because I will read anything she writes now, even if it’s some odd story about alien pelicans. A lot of my enjoyment came from the actual story itself, but a large part of it was also the prose, the turns of phrases and the evocative descriptions of the world around her and of the interactions with the boy.
I mean, I loved it.
More Bookanistas Posts This Week
Crazy, Exciting Thing
By which I mean it is both crazily exciting and…kinda crazy.
What's this?
As you can see, I’m packing. I haven’t mentioned this really on the blog because I had this weird thing where I didn’t want to jinx it or talk something up and then it fall through. But it’s happening, and finalizing everything is the reason why I’ve been sort of scattered lately.
I am packing up my things, sending my furniture and (most of) my books home to Tennessee while a few boxes will be sent overseas because Victoria and I are going to live in England until the summer. My flight out of New York is February 1st. Then, I’ll be coming back over to the states for a bit before going back to England for school this fall.
O.O
What, what, what?
Yes, live in England. Victoria and I will be setting up shop in two furnished rooms in a lovely house located in a cute, little neighborhood on the outskirts of Liverpool. It seems like a fun, creative place to be, and very, very importantly, there’s WIFI included in our rent. Yay! Not to mention all the cafes right around the corner. While I’m there, I’m going to be doing some freelance work, a lot of writing and some traveling. And visiting universities to make my final decision on where I’d like to go this fall.
I am beyond excited.