New Crayons + Winner of Afterlife/Dark Goddess Giveaway!

The winner is Becca! Congrats Becca, I'll mail the books asap so that you can have them close to the holiday season :)

Thank you to all who entered. The comments on the form made me wish I could give the two books to each and every one of you =/

New Crayons is hosted by Color Online.

Bought (I went to get my holiday book swap books and just couldn't resist getting myself something. I have such a problem!)


Better Than I Know Myself by Virginia DeBerry and Donna Grant

Carmen, Jewel, and Regina could not be more different. When they meet as freshmen at Columbia University, they're pretty confident that a friendship among them isn't in the cards. Jewel is Hollywood royalty: as the teenage star of the TV show "Daddy's Girl," her face is instantly recognizable all across America. Now, though, she wants two things-to get a serious education, and to leave her controlling stage mother behind. Regina is the definitive upper-middle-class African-American girl. Her picture-perfect parents are what she calls "black Ward and June Cleavers" and their goals for her are like a stranglehold. No one can see, though, how far Regina's rebellious side will take her (or how treacherous it will become). Carmen is just trying to get by. A child of the projects whose father is dead and whose mother has vanished, Carmen has been raised by her abusive brother. Columbia is the way for her to get a better life-if she can hold down two jobs and keep her GPA up. When the three of them meet, their lives are at a crossroad. And as the years progress, from the 1980s to the present day, they are challenged by drug addiction, fame, secrets from the past, sickness, betrayal, and the darkest things women can face. One of them won't survive. But what will be the lasting legacy of their friendship?

-What a coincdience. I was in Borders and came across the cover and it looked familiar. I read the back of the book and began flipping through the pages. I then realized that a few years ago I started to read this book in the AA section but didn't have the money to buy it. Now I do, so I'm ready to finish it :) I don't recall my getting very far....

From the library

The Lighter Side of Life and Death by C. K. Kelly Martin

Sixteen-year-old Mason Rice is having the night of his life. He's just delivered an incredible performance in the school play, basked in celebratory afterglow vibes at the party of the year, and lost his virginity to one of his best friends—the gorgeous but previously unobtainable Kat Medina. His dreams are coming true, and the future looks golden.Unfortunately, Kat sees things very differently. Crossing the friendship line was a big mistake, and all she wants is to forget it and move on, even if that means forgetting Mason altogether. What's a guy to do? Well, if you're Mason, you hang your hopes on the first attractive twenty-three-year-old you cross paths with. At first Mason wonders if he's imagining the chemistry . . . until Colette invites him over to her apartment. Suddenly Mason's living in a whole new world.

-Because it's a different type of romance.


The Good Girl's Guide to Getting Kidnapped by Yxta Maya Murray

Kiki and Mish are best friends, but what Kiki doesn’t know is that Michelle Pena was born a gang princess. “Princess P” grew up destined to inherit leadership of the Snakes: a future filled with crime and fear.

Michelle, on the other hand, is a nationally ranked athlete and academic superstar. This is her new life, and she’s finally put her past—and her childhood love for Silver—to rest. Then Silver helps kidnap both girls, and Michelle has to figure out how to free them both—and reconnect with a future that might now be beyond her reach.

-YA/MG Debut Challenge

The Stone Goddess by Minfong Ho


Twelve-year-old Nakri's beloved home in Cambodia is shattered when the nation's capital is overrun by government rebels. Her family is forced to flee, and she and her siblings end up in a children's labor camp, separated from everything they've ever known. At long last, Cambodia is liberated and Nakri's family sets out for America, a place to begin again. There, Nakri learns that she can leave Cambodia behind, but the memories will be a part of her forever.

-Historical fiction challenge. A re-read from many years ago.


There's a new blog in town! You know how I found a pretty-near-perfect quote for describing the blues? Well the reason I started listening to blues was after reading Becoming Billie Holiday by Carole Weatherford. Now the author has started a blog dedicated to Billie Holiday. Stop by, look around and welcome the new blog and blogger :)

What was in your book bag/mailxbox/post office box?