Mundie Moms

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

I Read Banned Books!


We here at Mundie Moms are proud members of the I READ BANNED BOOKS team!

Why do you read banned books?

I personally read banned books, because I don't believe in the action of banning books. A book is a book, and if I want to read it no one else has the right to take that away from me, or anyone else. Reading books is a freedom, it's a right, it's a privilege, and no one has the right to rob someone of that. 

Reading = empowerment & book banning = ignorance. 

This past weekends my friends at Girls in the Stacks put together a cool video about reading banned books. Here's what they, a ton of fabulous authors and few other bloggers had to say when asked Why they READ BANNED BOOKS

Author Interview with Libba Bray / The Diviners Giveaway

This weekend I attended/volunteered at the Austin Teen Book Festival, and what a blast I had! If you ever get the chance to come out to this free event, I highly recommend it! Over the next couple of days I'm going to be featuring my interviews I had with authors like Libba Bray, Jessica Shirvington, Rae Carson, Kami Garcia, and Sarah Rees Breenan

Today's feature is my interview I did with one of my all time favorite people LIBBA BRAY! Libba not only opened the book festival up with her inspirational speech, she had myself and Nancy with Girls in the Stacks laughing hysterically prior to our interview. You'll see we're still laughing during the interview. Some things I can not repeat on here that were said, and other things, well you can listen to here:




My two questions I asked Libba were:
1) What would your flapper stage name be.
2) based on Cassie's post here that cast Libba as Clary, I asked her who she's pick, Jace or Simon. Her answer: Jace-Simon. ;) Love that answer!

A HUGE thank you to Libba for all the laughs and for an unforgettable interview, and to Nancy from Girls in the Stacks for co-interivewing with me and to Stacy from Girls in the Stacks & Jen for filming the interview!! And Barry, it was so wonderful to finally meet you!


Published by: Little Brown
Released on: September 18th, 2012
Purchase from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Evie O'Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City--and she is pos-i-toot-ly thrilled. New York is the city of speakeasies, shopping, and movie palaces! Soon enough, Evie is running with glamorous Ziegfield girls and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is Evie has to live with her Uncle Will, curator of The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult--also known as "The Museum of the Creepy Crawlies."

When a rash of occult-based murders comes to light, Evie and her uncle are right in the thick of the investigation. And through it all, Evie has a secret: a mysterious power that could help catch the killer--if he doesn't catch her first. -quoted from Goodreads


You know I can't have Libba on the blog today without hosting a giveaway. So today I'm giving away a copy of THE DIVINERS! To enter, please fill out the form below: 

a Rafflecopter giveaway




Blog Tour: Not Your Average Fairy Tale by Chantele Sedgwick: Book Review / Guest Post / Giveaway

I'm thrilled to be the next stop in Chantele Sedgwick's Not Your Average Fairy Tale blog tour. Along with today's guest post from Chantele is my review and a giveaway! Here's Chantele!



I'm SO excited to be here on Mundie Mom's today. I've loved this blog forever, so thank you so much for having me! 

As far as my guest post goes, I've been asked several times what my favorite fairy tales are, since my book has a few little fairy tale-ish scenes in it. (Where else would I get the idea for a male fairy godmother? Ha ha. ) But in all seriousness, my favorite fairy tale would have to be Beauty and the Beast. Especially the Disney version. (Rapunzel is a close second...) As a child, I loved Belle because she loved books, and always wanted to be her when I grew up. I enjoyed her and the Beast's relationship, but now as an adult, I appreciate the love story so much more. It seriously makes me tear up every time I watch it, even though I know the whole show word for word. Songs included. ;) I just love how Belle is able to look past the physical attributes of the Beast and falls in love with the person underneath. It's a beautiful thing if you ask me. :) I also have a soft spot for this particular fairy tale because it sort of goes along with the theme of my book. Even though when I wrote it, I didn't really think it had a theme at all. When I came up with the idea, I wanted one of my main character's to be different, so I made her physically scarred from an accident. She sees herself far less than beautiful throughout the book, and people do treat her different. Even her love interest at first. But he's able to look past it very quickly as he gets to know her and realizes how beautiful she really is. 

In my opinion, fairy tales never disappoint. Good always triumphs over evil, and I always have a smile on my face when I reach the happily ever after. (Unless it's a Grimm version of a fairy tale... that's a WHOLE other blog post! ;)

Thank you Chantele for stopping by Mundie Moms today!! I totally agree, fairy tales never disappoint. 
You can find out more about Chantele and her writings by following you via her: WebsiteBlog | Twitter | Goodreads





Published by: Crescent Moon Press
Released on: 8/1/12
Source: book from author to review
4 stars: I Enjoyed It
Purchase from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Armed with wings and a blue wand, being a fairy godmother should be easy ... unless your name is Ash, and you're a dude.

Ash Summerland has it all–good looks, popularity, and the best grades at The Academy of Magical Beings. Ready to complete his last assignment in order to graduate, Ash is confident he will get the apprenticeship he wants. When he opens the letter from the Council, he is shocked to discover he has been assigned to apprentice Lady Shenelle, Keeper of Happy Endings. A.K.A. the head fairy godmother. Ash is forced to grant three wishes to a troubled human girl named Kendall, and ultimately give her a "happy ever after". But Kendall turns out to be more than he bargained for. Still grieving over her father's death, Kendall doesn't want anything to do with him. And worst of all, she doesn't believe in happy endings. -quoted from Goodreads


Don't you love it when you sit down to read a book and find you're pleasantly surprised with what you read? Not Your Average Fairy Tale lives up to it's name and is definitely not your normal fairytale. One of the things I really enjoyed about this book is the spin that Chantele gave the Fairy Godmother. Not only is this story's Fairy Godmother a guy (yep, a guy as a Fairy Godmother, it's fabulous!), he's a smart, a hotty and a student to boot. I'm thinking many readers wouldn't complain over Ash Summerland being their Fairy Godmother. It's his reluctance at being the first guy to be Fairy Godmother that made Ash a character I loved reading about. I couldn't help but smirk at his sarcastic comments and his destain for becoming the Fairy Godmother, even if it's for a short time. A guy like Ash Summerland isn't someone who enjoys sprouting wings, wearing tights or using a wand, that might at first be pink. His attitude toward's his new assignment was comical, and made him a character I enjoyed reading about.

His assignment is Kendall, a broken character who once had it all, but after a serious accident all but ruined her. Ash's challenge is to grant her three wishes, and in the process hopefully grant her, her happily ever after. Easier said than done, but Ash is up for the challenge. Kendall in her own right was a great character as well. I was impressed with way she was written. It made it easy for me to understand what she was going through, even though I didn't feel an emotionally connect with her. I was also surprised at how much I adored Kendall and Ash together. These two didn't have that swoon worthy chemistry I normally love when reading YA, but what they did have was plenty of sarcasm, a lot of fun, and something sweet, which was enjoyable and, a fun change of pace for me. 

Storyline wise there are some minor things that happen through out the book, but the real plot twists and action happen within the last 20 pages providing the perfect set up for the sequel. Though this isn't a long in-depth read, it is however one of those fun, feel good, quick reads that you can easily spend part of your afternoon enjoying. I'll admit, I was pleasantly surprised with this book. It's one that's going on my shelf of books I turn to when I need a good filler, or when I find myself in a reading slump and I want to just and read something fun. If you're looking for a fun, clean, enchanting read I'd recommend picking this on up! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*winners will be announced via the author, on her website

Waiting on Wednesday & an ARC Giveaway: The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa

Welcome to this week's edition of Waiting on Wednesday. This week's spotlight is for a book I'm so excited to be featuring this month on Mundie Moms! If you're a fan of Julie Kagawa's you NEED to add this book to your TBR pile, The Lost Prince. It's soooo good. My review will be up later this month, but in the mean time I'd like to not only tell you a little bit about it, but offer up my ARC of The Lost Prince to one lucky winner!


Published by: Harlequin Teen
To Be Released on: 10/23/12
Pre-Order from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble


Don't look at Them. Never let Them know you can see Them. That is Ethan Chase's unbreakable rule. Until the fey he avoids at all costs—including his reputation—begin to disappear, and Ethan is attacked. Now he must change the rules to protect his family. To save a girl he never thought he'd dare to fall for.

Ethan thought he had protected himself from his older sister's world—the land of Faery. His previous time in the Iron Realm left him with nothing but fear and disgust for the world Meghan Chase has made her home, a land of myth and talking cats, of magic and seductive enemies. But when destiny comes for Ethan, there is no escape from a danger long, long forgotten. -quoted from Goodreads

I love Julie's Fey world and I'm so excited that she's bringing fans back to Meghan's world with a whole new series. I don't know about you guys, but I'm looking forward to getting to know Ethan more. I thought he was this cute little brother Meghan would do anything for in order to protect them, and when things happened to him it broke my heart. Now I'm anxious to see what's in store for him in his own series. Well I should say I think fans will love what Julie does with Ethan's story!

Thank you to Harlequin Teen for sending me an ARC of The Lost Prince! Now I'd like to pass it on to another fan. Today I'm giving away my ARC of The Lost Prince to 1 lucky winner! To enter, please fill out the form below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Book Blurb Reveal: Phoenix by Elizabeth Richards

I am so excited to be on a team of bloggers that is apart of Good Choice Reading's reveal for both Elizabeth Richards's book blurb and cover this week for her upcoming release PHOENIX, the sequel to Black City! Today's post is for the book's synopsis. Be sure to stop back on Friday to check out the cover and be entered to win one of the 1st ARCs for the Phoenix. 



Title: Phoenix (A Black City Novel, Book #2)
Released: June 2013
Publisher: G.P Putnam’s Sons

The much anticipated second book in the enthralling Black City series

Engaged to be married, Ash and Natalie are just starting to build a life together, when things in the United Sentry States go from bad to worse. Ash and Natalie find themselves at the center of the turmoil when dictator Purian Rose threatens Natalie’s life unless Ash votes in favor of Rose’s law—a law that will send Darklings and other dissenters to a deadly concentration camp known as the Tenth. 

Ash can’t bring himself to trade Natalie’s life for those of millions of Darklings. The only way to save everyone is to escape Black City and find the Ora, a powerful weapon that could take down Purian Rose for good. But fleeing the city and finding this weapon is easier said than done, if it even exists, and becomes a quest that could tear Ash and Natalie apart, even pushing them into the arms of others. 

Fast-paced and absorbing, Phoenix is a delicious, steamy can’t-put-down read.


Add Black City and Phoenix to your GoodReads – HERE.


Find Elizabeth Richards...
Website † Facebook † Twitter † GoodReads

Labels