Something Like Fate Blog Tour: Guest blog, contest, and more!

Today I have the honor of hosting day three on Susane Colasnti's blog tour for her fourth book, Something Like Fate!

If you haven't heard about Something Like Fate, you're seriously are missing out. Since while this isn't my favorite book by her, it's still one addicting and fast paced fun of a novel that I can't help but suggest as one of your May must buys!

Something Like Fate will be released May 4th. To see more about my thoughts about it look at the post below, which is my review.

And before I move on to Susane's guest post, the Q&A, and CONTEST, I wanted to mention that if you would like to follow the rest of the tour click here or on the tour button above!

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Susane's Guest post on Buddhism:

New Year’s Eve can be painful if you’re alone. I’ve had my share of loud parties in bars where you can’t even hear what the person in front of you is saying. I am not a fan of those. There have been a few times when New Year’s Eve rolled around and I didn’t feel like going to another loud party or my friends who I like to play board games with were doing something else or I just felt kind of blah. At times like those, my yoga center saved me. Every year on New Year’s Eve, they host a silent mauna. You exist in absolute silence from 9:00 until midnight. You can’t make eye contact with anyone else or communicate in any way. And of course no devices like cell phones or laptops are allowed. It’s a time to listen inward and rejuvenate for the new year. You can write in your journal or do yoga or meditate. At midnight, the silence is broken with a chant for world peace. I always left that event feeling so charged. I was filled with this sense of endless possibility, like everything I wanted to achieve would be possible. That’s a feeling I try to hold on to every day.

I agree with much of the Buddhist way. A major example is my belief in karma. The basic premise of karma is that if you put positive energy out into the world, the Universe will return that positive energy to you. So when you generate positive energy while working towards your goals, those goals will become more accessible. Karma is a fundamental theory in Buddhism. Yoga is also an important part of this lifestyle because it creates a physical/mental balance. Buddhists believe that if we are quiet with ourselves, we can hear our heart’s desires more clearly. It’s only by listening inward that we may eventually achieve inner peace. Buddhists are also vegetarians. Their philosophy is that every living thing on this Earth is connected and that violence is never the answer. I totally agree – I’ve been a vegetarian since college. And I don’t know what happens after we die, but I like to think that our souls go somewhere. In Buddhism, this means reincarnation. The idea is that if we help to make the world a better place in this life, we will enjoy more happiness in the next. Sign me up.

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Q & A with Susane:

1. I love the title for Something Like Fate, so I'm curious of how it came to be. Was it always the title or did it come later on?

Something Like Fate has been the only title that’s come to me quickly. I just knew it was the best title for this book right from the start. Usually, it’s easier for me to write an entire book than to think of a good title. When It Happens and Take Me There originally had different titles. And it took a while to decide on Waiting for You.

2. Since Something Like Fate’s release date is fast approaching, do you have any big plans for how you’re going to celebrate that day?

Yes! I’ll actually be on my book tour when Something Like Fate comes out on May 4. On my previous pub dates, I’ve celebrated by going out to dinner and then documenting the floor display at Barnes & Noble. For the When It Happens release, I had a joint party with a friend. Her birthday was the same as my pub date (which was also May 4 – I love it when things come full circle!) and my birthday is May Day (May 1), so much celebration was in order. This time I’ll be in Los Angeles reading at Borders, which is an awesome way to celebrate with my readers.

3. Everyone has guilty pleasures (T.V. shows, movies, books, etc.), so what are some of yours?

Let me confess: I’m having an affair with Netflix. Since I’ve never owned a TV, I’ve missed out on a lot of shows that Netflix lets me catch up on. This is how I was able to confirm that My So-Called Life and Freaks and Geeks are two of the best shows ever. I’m a serious fan of The Office. Waiting for it to come out on DVD is never easy, especially when the whole world was talking about Jim and Pam’s wedding. Then again, I get to anticipate fresh eps that everyone else has already seen, which, in a strange way, can be even more exciting than watching the actual eps. I own movies that I love and watch them over and over. I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve seen Garden State or Office Space. Of course I love reading, but I don’t consider reading to be a guilty pleasure. Reading is a necessity, much like breathing.

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Contest:

Thanks to Penguin and Susane I have ONE SIGNED copy of Something Like Fate to giveaway to one of my US based readers ages 13 or older (As always if you international but have someone who can send it to you from the US, feel free to enter!). To enter please fill out the form. The winner will be chosen on May 7, 2010!

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Still not sure about reading it? Check out the 3 chapter sampler below!

Susane Colasanti Sampler

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Further Links:

Website: http://www.susanecolasanti.com/
Blog: http://windowlight.livejournal.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/susanecolasanti
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/susanecolasanti
Twitter: http://twitter.com/susanecolasanti
Dates of Susane's "offline" tour: http://windowlight.livejournal.com/2010/04/02/

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Thanks for reading the post! I hope you enjoyed it! :)

Something Like Fate by Susane Colasanti

Summary from Amazon:

Best friends Lani and Erin couldn’t be more different. Lani’s reserved and thoughtful; Erin’s bubbly and outgoing. Lani likes to do her own thing; Erin prefers an entourage. There’s no possible way they could be interested in the same guy.

So when Erin starts dating Jason, Lani can’t believe she feels such a deep connection with him—and it may be mutual. The more Lani fights it, the more certain she feels that it’s her fate to be with Jason. But what do you do when the love of your life is the one person you can’t have?

Review:

Ever since reading When It Happens, Susane's first novel, I've been a big Colasanti fan. And when her third novel Waiting For You came out last year, I was awed yet again. So, by the time I received Something Like Fate for review my exceptions were huge for this one. Sadly enough, Something Like Fate barely meet them, leaving this to be some-what of a disappointment to me.

Lani was certainly an interesting character; I loved her obsession with all things fate related and her love for the environment. Also, she almost always had good intentions, even if they didn't sometimes go the way she wanted them to go. Though, the main and basically only thing that ticked me off about her is the fact that she not only let people walk over her, but she also walked all over other people herself. In turn, this become a big failing point for me with this book, because, at most times, Lani wasn't a strong character, far from it actually, since she hid instead. When things with Jason got hard she hid and didn't follow her heart, when things with Erin got tough she hid and didn't explain herself, exc. And that just bugged me. All through the novel, I wanted her to just tell everyone "Screw It!" and go after what she wanted, and not what others, mainly Erin, wanted. Though, even though I wasn't always a big fan of Lani, I did like her somewhat, but I just had a really hard time relating to her. Some of the other characters, on the other hand, I did like a lot. Blake, for instance, was awesome, and I was always rooting for him to overcome his big problem in Something Like Fate. Also, Connor, the Canadian friend, was so sweet and adorable! Erin and Jason are a different matter completely. I never liked Erin from the beginning because she was just way too into her own little world and never saw the big picture, which was one of the failing points of her character throughout. Jason I liked for the most part, because like Lani he had good, pure intentions, even if they didn't always go the way he wanted them too.

Unlike with the characters, I had absolutely no problems with the plot and writing, and that in turn brought up my liking of the book quite a bit. Since both flew by easily and worked perfectly together. Plus, even if Lani did annoy me 50% of the time, her voice was one that was an easy one to get lost in, which left you not to even realize you were on page 150 and so on.

Overall, I'm undecided on Something Like Fate. Since, when you factor the writing and plot I liked it a lot, but when talk about the characters exclusively it was kind of a dud. So, while I do suggest it as a fun light summery type book, don't get your hopes too high, because this certainly isn't Susane's best work yet, in my opinion.

Grade: B-/C+

Something Like Fate will be released May 5, 2010!

Source: Publisher for review. Thanks Penguin Viking Division!

The Lost Summer by Kathryn Williams

Summary:

"I died one summer, or I almost did. Part of me did. I don't say that to be dramatic, only because it's true."

For the past nine years, Helena Waite has been returning to summer camp at Southpoint. Every year the camp and its familiar routines, landmarks, and people have welcomed her back like a long-lost family member. But this year she is returning not as a camper, but as a counselor, while her best friend, Katie Bell remains behind. All too quickly, Helena discovers that the innocent world of campfires, singalongs, and field days have been pushed aside for late night pranks on the boys' camp, skinny dipping in the lake, and stolen kisses in the hayloft. As she struggles to define herself in this new world, Helena begins to lose sight of what made camp special and the friendships that have sustained her for so many years. And when Ransome, her longtime crush, becomes a romantic reality, life gets even more confusing.

Told with honesty and heart, Kathryn Williams' second novel tackles the timeless theme of growing up, set at a camp where innocence is created and lost.

Review:

I don't know about you, but I adore camp themed books. Maybe it's because I've never really gone to a true sleep away camp ( I'm not too found of nature, so I have no clue what I would do if I did go to camp every summer like Helena does) or beacuse I love summer.

The Lost Summer was a pretty decent book that I enjoyed a ton. I loved the descriptions of the camp actives all of them partake in to how we see what different things the counselors do "after hours".

The characters were for the most part well developed. Helena was probably one of my favorites. Though, Katie Bell was one that I wished would disappear for most of the book. Since at times most of her actions and decisions seemed a bit... childish. Luckily, towards the end of the book, I began to like her because I saw what a great friend she was to Helena. Another thing I disliked about this book was Roger. I really didn't see what Helena saw attractive about him. He smoked tobacco, for goodness sake, leaving him to spit out random sprints of black goo at times. I mean seriously what is so hot about that?? I really just don't understand.

The Lost Summer was mostly a coming of age book that dealt with finding out who your true friends are while experiencing romantic relationships and making good chooses in the end. This left the plot to be interesting and overall keep you engaged in the book.

Overall, The Lost Summer was my first Kathryn Williams book, but it certainly won't be my last. :)

I suggest this to fans of Sarah Dessen and Susane Colasanti.

Grade: B-

The Lost Summer will be released July 14!

* Much thanks to Kathryn as well as her team at Disney Publishing Worldwide for hooking me up with a copy of this.

Waiting For You by Susane Colasanti

Summary:

Derek
Friendly and popular
Style: Cali surfer boy
Awesome at flirting
Future career: landscape architect
Boyfriend potential: high

Nash
Shy but sweet
Style: totally geeked out
Only talks to girls when absolutely necessary
Future career: robotics engineer
Boyfriend potential: none

Derek is clearly the boy Marisa's been waiting for, but there's just one problem. He has a girlfriend. Nash is wrong for Marisa, but he wants to take care of her. As if life wasn't complicated enough, Marisa's also dealing with overcoming a major problem from her past, a family that's falling apart, and a best friend who won't stop talking to sketchy guys online. Only the anonymous DJ, who has the school's ear with his underground podcasts, seems to get what Marisa's going through. But she has no idea who he is - or does she? ( From Susane's website)

Review:

To start off, I simply adored Susane's first book, When It Happens, and have had her second, Take Me There, in my TBR pill for a month or two. So, when I got Waiting For You as a present, I was ecstatic! Since, it had been getting great reviews, the cover was cute, and it seemed like the perfect book to start summer of with. Though it had a bit of predictably, it was still all that and plenty more.

In Waiting For You, Susane created a wonderful cast made up of the sweet Nash and Marissa a girl that any teenager can relate to. Also I loved the supporting characters because all were presented in a heartfelt and three dimensional way. Marissa probably was my overall favorite, because I felt for her in the whole Waiting For.... aspect. Since, who hasn't ever "Waited" in one way or another for something magical to happen. Such as get a amazing boyfriend, which was the main waiting for issue in this book.

I have to admit, though, that the plot was a bit predictable. You basically had the whole thing (what was going to happened, who was going to be with who, who the mystery DJ was, ex.) figured out from the beginning. Fortunately, Susanne still made Waiting For You in a way that you overlooked this flaw.

The only other problem I had with this book was the bad transitions. For example Susanne would sometimes mention something big in such little detail, like she already suspected you to know what had happened.

Overall, Waiting For You is another soul mate book that many teen girls should have on their to be read lists this summer. I promise that you won't regret it. Plus, who can resist such a pretty cover?

Grade: B+

Waiting For You is now out.

Wating on Wednesday(7)

My pick this week is:

Waiting for You by Susane Colasanti

How long can you wait for true love?

At the beginning of her sophomore year, Marisa is ready for a fresh start and, more importantly, a boyfriend.So when the handsome and popular Derek asks her out, Marisa thinks her long wait for happinessis over. But several bumps in the road—including her parents’ unexpected separation, a fight with her best friend, and a shocking disappointment in her relationship with Derek—test Marisa’s ability to maintain her new outlook. Only the anonymous DJ, whose underground podcasts have the school’s ear, seems to understand what Marisa is going through. But she has no idea who he is—or does she?

In this third romantic novel from Susane Colasanti, Marisa learns how to “be in the Now” and realizes that the love she’s been waiting for has been right in front of her all along.

My Thoughts:

I loved When it Happens by Susane, but I haven't read Take Me There yet. Though, I do own it. Waiting for You seems like it's going to be awesome. I can't wait until it's released on July 9.

By the way, doesn't it seem like something Sarah Dessen would write? To, me it sounds kind of like Just Listen in the way how the girl has a fallout with her best friend and how she kind of likes a guy who is a DJ and thinks this guy seems to understand her ( like Owen and Annabel!)