A Hero's Blog Hop

Ok, here are a few things to remember before you continue reading:
1.  Be sure to comment on this post to be entered for the awesome swag pack shown below.
2.  Be sure to enter through Rafflecopter (below) to win a copy of Meljean Brook's The Iron Duke, a fascinating steampunk romance.  I just finished reading it and I LOVE the Inspector and the Iron Duke.  So fun!
3.  Last, but not least, be sure to check out all the other blogs involved in the hop!  You will find some great giveaways, amazing authors, and new books to run out and buy!  http://carrieannbloghops.blogspot.com/p/heros-blog-hop-hop.html.

Now, onto my favorite heroes.  I started reading early thanks to my mom who is a kindergarten teacher.  She started me out with children's books, but I quickly followed my brother's lead and started reading comic books.  Mom would take us to the comic book store almost every Saturday so we could find some new comics to read.  I began reading the Archie comic books and then transitioned to X-Men at the recommendation of the store owner.  I fell in love with Storm, Rogue, and Wolverine.  I loved their powers, their intelligence, and their friendships.
After our trips to the comic book store, Mom would take us to the Half Price Bookstore on the TWU campus.  I LOVED that store.  It was small, dingy, and full of books.  Books were everywhere - on the stairs, on top of the bookshelves, under the racks, on desks, EVERYWHERE.  It was greatness.  I read the usual teen books (even though I was in elementary school) like Sweet Valley High and Nancy Drew.  But, I also read every Agatha Christie novel I could get my hands on.  Miss Marple was my favorite.  She was so smart, independent, and sassy.  I wanted to investigate mysteries with her.
In third grade, I read Gone With the Wind for the first time.  I was overwhelmed with the world Margaret Mitchell created for her readers.  Scarlet was my hero.  I wanted to be feisty and independent.  I didn't quite understand how manipulative and shallow she could be, but I was young.  After reading Gone With the Wind every year until I was in high school, I started realizing that while Scarlet was great, it was Rhett that was the true hero.  Oh, how I wanted to marry him.  He was dangerous, dark, smarter, witty, and an odd version of a gentleman.  He shaped my opinion of men and was my fantasy guy for years.
What hero shaped your early reading years?  Who was your fantasy hero?

Alright,  now on to the Giveaway!  Don't forget to comment on this post for the swag pack as well as entering this Rafflecopter for Iron Duke!
a Rafflecopter giveaway



To check out all the blogs with giveaways, author interviews, and new books, check out the host website: http://carrieannbloghops.blogspot.com/p/heros-blog-hop-hop.html.  Check out the ULTIMATE swag up for grabs if you COMMENT on this post!

Meg-A-Reader Blog Hop Day!

Welcome Meg-A-Readers!!! For my blog-hop day, I want to encourage all of you to read Overbite.



Is it good clean fun?  No.  But, it is fun. :)  I put most of my books into two categories - books I recommend to my mom and grandmother OR book I recommend to my friends.  What is the difference, you ask?  To put it bluntly, sex.  Yes, I know my grandmother and mother knew about sex long before I was born.  But, I don't necessarily need to recommend books to them that include sexual situations.  It just feels weird to me.  I sure as heck don't want to talk about sex with them, so why would I encourage them to read a book with sex in it?  I wouldn't.  I'll let their girl friends recommend those books to them and stay in the safe zone.


Now, on to books that I recommend to my girl friends.  Overbite is one of those books.  I'm kidding with the italics.  Overbite is the second in the series and it's where I decided to jump in.  I will be going back to read the first (Insatiable) and then any others in the series.   Meena Harper is our main character and she has the gift/curse to be able to predict how everyone around her will die.  This is an odd gift, and I applaud Cabot for giving us something just a little different.  The vampire thing has been done so many ways and often the same way for so long, I like a different spin on the story.  Meena works for/with/beside The Palatine Guard - the demon hunting arm of the Vatican.  I enjoy that the Vatican is tied into the story, as well.  Much of the conflict is caused by Meena's feelings for pseudo-bad guy and vampire Lucien AND her feelings for her coworker, the Super-Duper demon hunter Alaric.  Life is further complicated by the arrival of creepy Father Henrique with his own agenda for Lucien, Alaric, and Meena.  The external conflict with the Padre is fine, but it's the story of the love triangle between Lucien, Meena, and Alaric that is the real fun.  I picture Lucien as a Rhett Butler type


 (my first literary crush)


and


Alaric as somewhere between
Joe Manganiello     


and


Troy Polamulo        


Now don't insert any reality here and tell me he's blond or something.  This is my imagination; let me live in my little world. :)


Meena, of course, looks like me: .


Again, don't interrupt my fantasy world with reality.  I look like Kate Beckinsale's twin sister.  We'll just all believe that, alrighty?


I feel like I'm supposed to be making a point, but I'm so overwhelmed with my beautiful hair that I can't focus now.


So, who do you think the characters in your favorite Meg Cabot book look like?  How much do you love my Kate Beckinsale hair?  :)


Thanks for dropping by and have a great hop!

Meg-A Reader!

I'm so excited to be part of the Meg-A Readers Blog Hop!  I have been a Meg Cabot fan since The Princess Diaries.  I thought I was Mia - except I have straight hair and live in Texas.  I'm still waiting for my grandmother to visit me and divulge the secret that I am actually royalty.   After reading all of The Princess Diaries books, I read other stand alone novels by Cabot but didn't fall in love with another Cabot book until I read Insatiable.  
I was a bit afraid to read it because I thought the romance aspect would overwhelm the fantastic voice that Cabot creates with her characters.  I should not have worried. Insatiable was a blast to read and I have recommended it to all of my students and friends.  I will be reading Overbite and Abandon in the next few days and I can't wait!