Question: Supporting Characters: We tend to gush over those main characters the most, but what about those supporting roles? Who are some of your favorites?
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Friday, May 11, 2012
TGIF (16)
Question: Supporting Characters: We tend to gush over those main characters the most, but what about those supporting roles? Who are some of your favorites?
What you may have missed on my blog this week:
Features:
Other Awesome stuff:
Shadow on the Wall by Pavarti K. Tyler Blog Tour [Guest Post and Giveaway]
I'm excited to be part of the Shadow on the Wall blog tour today. I have been honored with being able to share with you all a guest post from the author of the new book Shadow on the Wall by Pavarti K. Tyler. This book sounds fantastic and intriguing and I look forward to reading it in the future. I was invited to this tour by Tribute Books, and they are always a pleasure to work with. They are also doing a giveaway with me for another one of Pavarti K. Tyler's books, which you can find out more about at the end of this post. I hope you all enjoy this post as much as I did and I look forward to hearing what you think.
Recai Osman: Muslim, philosopher, billionaire and Superhero?
Controversial and daring, Shadow on the Wall details the transformation of Recai Osman from complicated man to Superhero. Forced to witness the cruelty of the Morality Police in his home city of Elih, Turkey, Recai is called upon by the power of the desert to be the vehicle of change. Does he have the strength to answer Allah's call or will his dark past and self doubt stand in his way?
Pulling on his faith in Allah, the friendship of a Jewish father-figure and a deeply held belief that his people deserve better, Recai Osman must become The SandStorm.
In the tradition of books by Margaret Atwood and Salman Rushdie, Shadow on the Wall tackles issues of religion, gender, corruption and the basic human condition. Beautiful and challenging, this is not a book to miss.
Controversial and daring, Shadow on the Wall details the transformation of Recai Osman from complicated man to Superhero. Forced to witness the cruelty of the Morality Police in his home city of Elih, Turkey, Recai is called upon by the power of the desert to be the vehicle of change. Does he have the strength to answer Allah's call or will his dark past and self doubt stand in his way?
Pulling on his faith in Allah, the friendship of a Jewish father-figure and a deeply held belief that his people deserve better, Recai Osman must become The SandStorm.
In the tradition of books by Margaret Atwood and Salman Rushdie, Shadow on the Wall tackles issues of religion, gender, corruption and the basic human condition. Beautiful and challenging, this is not a book to miss.
Buy now from Barnes & Noble or Amazon!
Paperback
Price: $11.95
Pages: 248
ISBN: 9780983876908
Publisher: Fighting Monkey Press
Release: May 1, 2012
Guest Post:
"Behind the Veil: My Experience with Hijab"
Hijab is the headscarf some Muslim women wear. There is great debate over the need, use and appropriateness of the hijab, which has fueled cultural debate and conflict. In Islam there is a cultural practice of covering a woman’s hair and neck, this is considered modest dress and the roots of the practice are based in the Qu’ran. There are multiple surahs (verses) and hadiths (oral histories) which are used to explain the need for men and women to dress modestly.
The specifics of what needs to be covered is controversial. Some say only the hair must be covered, others say everything but the eyes and hands should be. From Burquas in Afghanistan to hijabs in France, it seems everyone has an opinion.
In 2001, right after 9/11, I participated in an event called “Sisters for Solidarity.” The sponsoring group was an interfaith movement for social awareness. Over 200,000 women in the US donned hijab for Eid Al-Fitr, a celebration that marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.
Somewhere in the depths of my basement there is a picture of me with a beautiful red-and-gold scarf covering my hair and neck. For three days in November, 2011, I went to work, the grocery store, church and everywhere else with my hair covered.
I could discuss the political reasons for doing this, or my own religion beliefs, but what I learned during those three days has nothing to do with either. I donned a headscarf for very personal reasons, which I believed deeply and still hold dear. And every moment I wore it, I felt stronger in my convictions. Something about a physical declaration of my beliefs was empowering and liberating.
I also felt a part of something. Other women in hijab would stop, smile and speak with me no matter where we were. It was a kind of sisterhood I haven’t experienced in other parts of my life. Even when they found out I wasn’t Muslim, the kind response I received for what I was doing was deeply touching.
Simultaneously, I found the covering very oppressive. It was hot under there, and kept slipping. This was probably mostly due to my inexperience, but I found it physically cumbersome and something that needed constant monitoring. I was also very surprised to find that a number of co-workers with whom I had been close to did not speak with me during the days I was wearing hijab. I received sideways glances on the bus and subway, not the usual smiles and commuter camaraderie I was accustomed to.
There are three female characters in my novel, Shadow on the Wall. Each has an opinion of and relationship with wearing the hijab. I pulled on my short experience to inform how I wrote these characters. Rebekah, Darya and Maryam - each of them represents a different archetype of Middle Eastern women. While it's certainly not an exhaustive representation, the issues of gender and the veil are explored in depth through the course of the story.
What I learned during the Sisters for Solidarity movement - and what I hope Shadow on the Wall conveys - is that covering is a deeply personal experience. Ideally each woman would be able to decide for herself without the pressures of politics, family or cultural assumptions. Unfortunately, we don’t live in that world, which is what makes the discussion so volatile.
I’m curious as I move into publishing Shadow on the Wall how readers will feel about these women. Which will they respond to? With which will they identify?
"Behind the Veil: My Experience with Hijab"
Hijab is the headscarf some Muslim women wear. There is great debate over the need, use and appropriateness of the hijab, which has fueled cultural debate and conflict. In Islam there is a cultural practice of covering a woman’s hair and neck, this is considered modest dress and the roots of the practice are based in the Qu’ran. There are multiple surahs (verses) and hadiths (oral histories) which are used to explain the need for men and women to dress modestly.
The specifics of what needs to be covered is controversial. Some say only the hair must be covered, others say everything but the eyes and hands should be. From Burquas in Afghanistan to hijabs in France, it seems everyone has an opinion.
In 2001, right after 9/11, I participated in an event called “Sisters for Solidarity.” The sponsoring group was an interfaith movement for social awareness. Over 200,000 women in the US donned hijab for Eid Al-Fitr, a celebration that marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.
Somewhere in the depths of my basement there is a picture of me with a beautiful red-and-gold scarf covering my hair and neck. For three days in November, 2011, I went to work, the grocery store, church and everywhere else with my hair covered.
I could discuss the political reasons for doing this, or my own religion beliefs, but what I learned during those three days has nothing to do with either. I donned a headscarf for very personal reasons, which I believed deeply and still hold dear. And every moment I wore it, I felt stronger in my convictions. Something about a physical declaration of my beliefs was empowering and liberating.
I also felt a part of something. Other women in hijab would stop, smile and speak with me no matter where we were. It was a kind of sisterhood I haven’t experienced in other parts of my life. Even when they found out I wasn’t Muslim, the kind response I received for what I was doing was deeply touching.
Simultaneously, I found the covering very oppressive. It was hot under there, and kept slipping. This was probably mostly due to my inexperience, but I found it physically cumbersome and something that needed constant monitoring. I was also very surprised to find that a number of co-workers with whom I had been close to did not speak with me during the days I was wearing hijab. I received sideways glances on the bus and subway, not the usual smiles and commuter camaraderie I was accustomed to.
There are three female characters in my novel, Shadow on the Wall. Each has an opinion of and relationship with wearing the hijab. I pulled on my short experience to inform how I wrote these characters. Rebekah, Darya and Maryam - each of them represents a different archetype of Middle Eastern women. While it's certainly not an exhaustive representation, the issues of gender and the veil are explored in depth through the course of the story.
What I learned during the Sisters for Solidarity movement - and what I hope Shadow on the Wall conveys - is that covering is a deeply personal experience. Ideally each woman would be able to decide for herself without the pressures of politics, family or cultural assumptions. Unfortunately, we don’t live in that world, which is what makes the discussion so volatile.
I’m curious as I move into publishing Shadow on the Wall how readers will feel about these women. Which will they respond to? With which will they identify?
Pavarti K. Tyler's Bio:
Pavarti K Tyler is an artist, wife, mother and number cruncher. She graduated Smith College in 1999 with a degree in Theatre. After graduation, she moved to New York, where she worked as a Dramaturge, Assistant Director and Production Manager on productions both on and off Broadway.
Later, Pavarti went to work in the finance industry as a freelance accountant for several international law firms. She now operates her own accounting firm in the Washington DC area, where she lives with her husband, two daughters and two terrible dogs. When not preparing taxes, she is busy penning her next novel.
Throughout history, literature and the art of story-telling have influenced politics, religion and culture. The power of the epic tale is universal. Why is it that those who never read The Iliad know Helen of Troy? Her story, Homer’s story, transcends the written word and has become a part of our human lexicon. The power of the written word is undeniable and Pavarti is honored to be part of the next wave of literary revolution.
Later, Pavarti went to work in the finance industry as a freelance accountant for several international law firms. She now operates her own accounting firm in the Washington DC area, where she lives with her husband, two daughters and two terrible dogs. When not preparing taxes, she is busy penning her next novel.
Throughout history, literature and the art of story-telling have influenced politics, religion and culture. The power of the epic tale is universal. Why is it that those who never read The Iliad know Helen of Troy? Her story, Homer’s story, transcends the written word and has become a part of our human lexicon. The power of the written word is undeniable and Pavarti is honored to be part of the next wave of literary revolution.
Find Pavarti K. Tyler:
| Web Site | Facebook | Twitter | Tumblr | Google+ | Goodreads | Tour Site | Tribute Books Blog Tours |
Giveaway:
You can enter to win an e-book copy of Pavarti K. Tyler's Two Moons of Sera: Volumes 1 & 2, which is a fantasy romance. The giveaway will be running until May 30, 2012. To enter use the rafflecopter form below. The winner will be notified by email and will have 48 hours to respond before another winner will be chosen.
In a world where water and earth teem with life, Serafay is an anomaly. The result of genetic experiments on her mother's water-borne line Serafay will have to face the very people responsible to discover who she really is. But is she the only one?
All the Fun of YA written for Adults (goodreads)
Two moons of Sera (Vol. 1 & 2)
In a world where water and earth teem with life, Serafay is an anomaly. The result of genetic experiments on her mother's water-borne line Serafay will have to face the very people responsible to discover who she really is. But is she the only one?All the Fun of YA written for Adults (goodreads)
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Waiting on Wednesday (22)
Expected Release Date: June 12, 2012
What if you were mankind’s last chance at survival?
Sixteen-year-old Tess lives in a compound in what was once the Western United States, now decimated after a devastating fourth World War. But long before that, life as we knew it had been irrevocably changed, as women mysteriously lost the ability to bring forth life. Faced with the extinction of the human race, the government began the Council of Creators, meant to search out alternative methods of creating life. The resulting artificial human beings, or Chosen Ones, were extraordinarily beautiful, unbelievably strong, and unabashedly deadly.
Life is bleak, but uncomplicated for Tess as she follows the rigid rules of her dystopian society, until the day she begins work at Templeton, the training facility for newly created Chosen Ones. There, she meets James, a Chosen One whose odd love of music and reading rivals only her own. The attraction between the two is immediate in its intensity—and overwhelming in its danger.
But there is more to the goings-on at Templeton than Tess ever knew, and as the veil is lifted from her eyes, she uncovers a dark underground movement bent not on taking down the Chosen Ones, but the Council itself. Will Tess be able to stand up to those who would oppress her, even if it means giving up the only happiness in her life? (Goodreads)
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Top Ten Tuesday (22)
Top Ten Favorite Quotes From Books
- Is this the part where you start tearing off strips of your shirt to bind my wounds?"
"If you wanted me to rip my clothes off, you should have just asked. -City of Bones by Cassandra Clare - Mine" he said.
Adam's eyes narrowed. "I don't think so. She is mine."
It would of been flattering,I thought,except that at least one of them was talking about dinner and I wasn't certain about the other. -Moon Called by patricia Briggs - You think my first instinct is to protect you. Because you're small, or a girl, or a Stiff. But you're wrong."
He leans his face close to mine and wraps his fingers around my chin. His hand smells like metal. When was the last time he held a gun, or a knife? My skin tingles at the point of contact, like he's transmitting electricity through his skin.
"My first instinct is to push you until you break, just to see how hard I have to press." he says, his fingers squeezing at the word break. My body tenses at the edge in his voice, so I am coiled as tight as a spring, and I forget to breathe.
His dark eyes lifting to mine, he adds, "But I resist it."
"Why..." I swallow hard. "Why is that your first instinct?"
"Fear doesn't shut you down; it wakes you up. I've seen it. It's fascinating." He releases me but doesn't pull away, his hand grazing my jaw, my neck. "Sometimes I just want to see it again. Want to see you awake. -Divergent by Veronica Roth - Are you implying that shreds of my reputation remain intact?" Will demanded with mock horror. "Clearly I have been doing something wrong. Or not something wrong, as the case may be."
He banged on the side of the carriage. "Thomas! We must away at once to the nearest brothel. I seek scandal and low companionship. -Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare - Mom says it's because she has PMS.
Do you even know what that means?
"I'm not a little kid anymore. It means pissed-at- men syndrome -The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks - I reached out blindly, clasped a warm hand, faded from life and into peace.
Well, that was what was supposed to happen.... Except an annoying, distracting tug kept pulling and yanking....
When I woke, I thought I had overcome the pull and stayed in the afterlife. Whiteness billowed over me in soft waves. My body was cushioned and cocooned in warmth. I stretched my legs and then tried to raise my arms, but my left arm wouldn't budge. Rolling over, I encountered a number of very unpleasant realities.
I was alive. I was in a room. I was naked except for a blood-stained bandage wrapped tight around my stomach. Kerrick lay beside me. And his hand trapped mine.
Kill. Me. Now. -Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder - Is this some sort of test?"
"Everything that doesn't kill you is."
"Mind you," he added, "surviving doesn't always mean you passed. -Cast in Secret by Michelle Sagara - “I run for I don't know how long. Hours, maybe, or days. Alex told me to run. So I run. You have to understand. I am no one special. I am just a single girl. I am five feet two inches tall and I am in-between in every way. But I have a secret. You can build walls all the way to the sky and I will find a way to fly above them. You can try to pin me down with a hundred thousand arms, but I will find a way to resist. And there are many of us out there, more than you think. People who refuse to stop believing. People who refuse to come to earth. People who love in a world without walls, people who love into hate, into refusal, against hope,and without fear. I love you. Remember. They cannot take it.” -Delirium by Lauren Oliver
- “When you love someone, its never over. You move on, because you have to but you take them with you in your heart” -Kissed by an Angel by Elizabeth Chandler
- “She was struck by the simple truth that sometimes the most ordinary things could be made extraordinary, simply by doing them with the right people...” - The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks
I could seriously go on and on well beyond ten quotes for this one!
Friday, May 4, 2012
TGIF (15)
Question: Literary Vacations: If you could take a trip this summer to any place within a fictional book, where would you go? Tell us about your summer dream vacation!
I would love to visit England so I'm going to go with Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare for this one. I know the place isn't exactly fictional but the book is. I love the shadowhunting world and I would totally love to visit it and I mean who wouldn't want to meet Jem? I have never been to England but it sounds beautiful and I would love to just explore everywhere and listen to those accents all day. I don't have specific places I want to see I would just want to explore and probably hang out and read somewhere, scratch that I would find someone with an awesome accent to read to me. :)What you may have missed on my blog this week:
Sorry to say there isn't a whole lot new this week. It is the end of the semester and I have been overwhelmed by homework and getting ready for finals. I will be getting back into the grove of blogging and posting steady reviews once the semester is over which is soon! Thanks for sticking with me and I'm sorry I haven't been as active. I appreciate everyones support and loyalty.
Features:
Other Awesome Stuff:
- New Blog Tour Page - I have been joining a lot of blog tours recently so I made a page, check it out to see what will be featured on my blog!
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Waiting on Wednesday (21)
Underworld by Meg CabotExpected Release Date: May 8th, 2012
Escape from the realm of the dead is impossible when someone there wants you back.
Seventeen-year-old Pierce Oliviera isn’t dead.
Not this time.
But she is being held against her will in the dim, twilit world between heaven and hell, where the spirits of the deceased wait before embarking upon their final journey.
Her captor, John Hayden, claims it’s for her own safety. Because not all the departed are dear. Some are so unhappy with where they ended up after leaving the Underworld, they’ve come back as Furies, intent on vengeance…on the one who sent them there and on the one whom he loves.
But while Pierce might be safe from the Furies in the Underworld, far worse dangers could be lurking for her there…and they might have more to do with its ruler than with his enemies.
And unless Pierce is careful, this time there’ll be no escape. (Goodreads)
This book sounds really good! I need to read the first one now. I also love the cover, it is so pretty,
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Top Ten Tuesday (21)
Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week they will post a new Top Ten list that one of their bloggers at The Broke and the Bookish will answer.
Top Ten Books Christie would Like To See Made Into A Movie
- Moon Called by Patricia Briggs
- City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
- Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
- Remembrance by Michelle Madow
- Significance by Shelly Crane
- Divergent by Veronica Roth
- Delirium by Lauren Oliver
- Cast in Shadow by Michelle Sagara
- Kissed by an Angel by Elizabeth Chandler
- Six Months to Live by Lurlene McDaniel
Top Ten Books Katie would Like To See Made Into A Movie
- Moon Called – Patricia Briggs
- Old Magic – Marianne Curley
- My Fair Godmother – Janette Rallison
- City of Bones – Cassanra Clare
- The New Kid – Temple Mathews
- Darkness Becomes Her – Kelly Keaton
- Peter and the Starcatchers – Dave Berry , Ridley Pearspn
- Rangers Apprentice: The Ruins of Gorlan – John Flanagan
- The Named – Marianne Curley
- Summerland – Michael Chabon
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