Guest Post: Jamie Baywood (Author of Getting Rooted in New Zealand)

 

Synopsis:

Craving change and lacking logic, at 26, Jamie, a cute and quirky Californian, impulsively moves to New Zealand to avoid dating after reading that the country's population has 100,000 fewer men. In her journal, she captures a hysterically honest look at herself, her past and her new wonderfully weird world filled with curious characters and slapstick situations in unbelievably bizarre jobs. It takes a zany jaunt to the end of the Earth and a serendipitous meeting with a fellow traveler before Jamie learns what it really means to get rooted.

Get this book on Amazon

Guest Post:

It was always my dream to live abroad when I was growing up in California.  I had bad dating experiences in California and read in a New Zealand tour book that the country’s population at 100,000 fewer men than women.  I wanted to have some me time and an adventure. New Zealand seemed like a good place to do so.

I consider myself an accidental author. I didn’t go to New Zealand with the intentions of writing a book about my experiences there. I had funny experiences that I had trouble believing were true. I wrote the stories down to stay sane. I wrote situations down that were happening around me and shared them with friends. The stories made people laugh so I decided to organize the stories into a book and publish in the hopes to make others laugh too.

One of the first people I meet was Colin Mathura-Jeffree from New Zealand’s Next Top Model. I had no idea who he was or that he was on TV when I meet him. He is friends with my former flatmate Liam. We had a steep staircase that I kept falling down. Colin taught me to walk like a model so I wouldn’t fall down the stairs.

In New Zealand, I had a lot of culture shock.  One of the most memorable moments was learning the meaning of the Kiwi slang word “rooted.” One night I was brushing my teeth with my flatmate Liam and I said, ‘I’m really excited to live in this house because I have been travelling a lot and I just need to settle down, stop traveling and get rooted’.  Liam started choking on his toothbrush and asked me if I knew what that meant because it had a completely different meaning New Zealand than it does in the States.

I had the opportunity to write and perform for Thomas Sainsbury the most prolific playwright in New Zealand. I performed a monologue about my jobs in the Basement Theatre in Auckland.  The funny thing about that experience was Tom kept me separated from the other performers until it was time to perform. I was under the impression that all the performers were foreigners giving their experiences in New Zealand.  All of the other performers were professional actors telling stories that weren’t their own. At first I was mortified, but the audience seemed to enjoy my “performance,” laughing their way through my monologue. After the shows we would go out and mingle with the audience. People would ask me how long I had been acting. I would tell them, “I wasn’t acting; I have to go to work tomorrow and sit next to the girl wearing her dead dog’s collar around her neck.”

I love making people laugh more than anything else. I feel very grateful when readers understand my sense of humor. I plan to divide my books by the countries I’ve lived in. My next book will be about attempting to settle in Scotland.

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 Thank you Jamie for guest posting here on Book-A-Holic!

About the author:
Jamie Baywood grew up in Petaluma, California. In 2010, she made the most impulsive decision of her life by moving to New Zealand. Getting Rooted in New Zealand is her first book about her experiences living there. Jamie is now married and living happily ever after in the United Kingdom. She is working on her second book.

Connect with the author:
Facebook| Twitter | 
Pinterest | Goodreads 
| Amazon

Hope you enjoyed!
xoxo, Mariam

Goodbye..... for a YEAR!?

So yeah, as you can see from the title of this post, I am taking a break from blogging for this whole year. And the reason why, is because this school year for me is extremely important and based on my grades, it will be decided which colleges I can get into next year - as it kinda works out differently here in Egypt - so as I said, extremely important and its my last year of school! :D 

So I guess that this is going to be my very long hiatus because I need to be focused as much as I can, I won't kill myself or anything but between going to school, studying, doing homework, reading ( hopefully ) and maintaining a social life, I found that fitting blogging in here won't work because for me, blogging is so time-consuming. BUT I am planning on posting reviews and participating in memes from time to time whenever possible so I won't be completely away for the whole year. However, it is true to say that I will miss blogging and reading consistently because it is something that I do enjoy and find myself in it :/ but hopefully, I will be back after finishing school this year ;)

And here is just an inspirational quote that I came across today 

and thought why not share it with everybody! ;)

xoxo, Mariam

Feature eand Follow Friday #24

Feature & Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by 

Alison Can Read and Parajunkee where they choose a featured blogger every week along with a question for everybody to answer! It's an awesome way to meet new book bloggers and share the follower love :) 

*** 

Q: If you could only have ONE - one book - for the rest of your life. Don't cheat.... what would it be?

This is in one hard question but after withdrawing the series that I love and can't live without - because I simply can't choose just one book, I need the whole series - it came down to stand-alones and so, this one book for me is Dare You To by Katie McGarry! ( Review HERE )

***

So that was my answer guys! What about you? Leave me a comment telling me or a link to your own post I'll be sure to check out :)

And don't forget to follow my blog via GFC for more posts and reviews! 

PS: I follow/comment back! Just leave me a comment ;)
xoxo, Mariam

Blog Tour: The Forgotten Ones by Lauren Howard

Synopsis:
Allison O’Malley’s plan is to go to grad school so she can get a good job and take care of her schizophrenic mother. She has carefully closed herself off from everything else, including a relationship with Ethan, who she’s been in love with for as long as she can remember.

What is definitely not part of the plan is the return of her long-lost father, who claims he can bring Allison’s mother back from the dark place her mind has gone. Allison doesn’t trust her father, so why would she believe his stories about a long forgotten Irish people, the Tuatha de Danaan? But truths have a way of revealing themselves. Secrets will eventually surface. And Allison must learn to set aside her plan and work with her father if there is even a small chance it could restore her mother’s sanity.

Series: The Danaan Trilogy #1
Publication date: April 30th 2013
Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult

 Excerpt:

“What time do you get off work?” he asked.

I turned and narrowed my eyes at him. “I close at six. Then I have to balance the register, so around six thirty.”

Ethan looked down at his hands for a second, then glanced up at me through his thick lashes. “You want to get something to eat when you’re done?”

I licked my lips, his dark brown eyes pulling me in. I tore my gaze away and tried to focus on the computer screen. He didn’t say anything for a few moments, and I fidgeted, knowing he was watching me. When I turned toward him, his expression was so intense that my stomach somersaulted.

“Just one time,” he said quietly.

“What?”

“Say yes, just one time.” Ethan slowly moved behind the counter, his eyes never leaving mine.

“If you don’t have a good time, fine. But, I’ve been trying to get you to give me a chance for years. Don’t act like you didn’t know.”

I shook my head slightly as he approached, wanting him closer but afraid of what it would mean.
He stopped, his brow creasing. “I won’t hurt you,” he whispered.

His expression was so earnest my mind went blank for a moment.

“Ethan,” I began, my thoughts scrambled. “You know I’d like to—”
“So say yes.”

I looked up at the ceiling. I was tired of always pushing him away. If I went out with him once, maybe then I could convince him too that this was a bad idea. I covered my face with my hands.  “All right,” I mumbled through my fingers.

“What was that?” I felt the warmth of Ethan’s hands as he pulled my own away from my face.

“I said all right,” I repeated, my insides fluttering.

He gathered my hands and pulled them close to his chest. His scent, clean and fresh like sun-warmed denim, made my knees go weak.

With his head tilted back, he exclaimed in a mock reverent tone, “Yes! Thank you! Six-thirty on the dot. Be ready. I’m picking you up!” 

Giveaway (International):

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About the author:
Laura Howard lives in New Hampshire with her husband and four children. Her obsession with books began at the age of 6 when she got her first library card. Nancy Drew, Sweet Valley High and other girly novels were routinely devoured in single sittings. Books took a backseat to diapers when she had her first child. It wasn’t until the release of a little novel called Twilight, 8 years later, that she rediscovered her love of fiction. Soon after, her own characters began to make themselves known. The Forgotten Ones is her first published novel. 

Connect with Laura:

Blog | Twitter | Facebook

Links: 

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

 

 



 

Have Fun!
xoxo, Mariam

Book Review: Golden by Jessi Kirby

Synopsis:

Seventeen-year-old Parker Frost has never taken the road less traveled. Valedictorian and quintessential good girl, she’s about to graduate high school without ever having kissed her crush or broken the rules. So when fate drops a clue in her lap—one that might be the key to unraveling a town mystery—she decides to take a chance.

Julianna Farnetti and Shane Cruz are remembered as the golden couple of Summit Lakes High—perfect in every way, meant to be together forever. But Julianna’s journal tells a different story—one of doubts about Shane and a forbidden romance with an older, artistic guy. These are the secrets that were swept away with her the night that Shane’s jeep plunged into an icy river, leaving behind a grieving town and no bodies to bury.

Reading Julianna’s journal gives Parker the courage to start to really live—and it also gives her reasons to question what really happened the night of the accident. Armed with clues from the past, Parker enlists the help of her best friend, Kat, and Trevor, her longtime crush, to track down some leads. The mystery ends up taking Parker places that she never could have imagined. And she soon finds that taking the road less traveled makes all the difference.

My Review: 

   This book may not have stood out in the sense of it being a one of a kind novel, one that you won't forget easily but it did kind of stand out through the meaningfulness of the story itself, that it wasn't just a love story where instantly everything came together and everybody was happy. Their were certainly some moments where I was definitely intrigued by the path that the story was taking, there was unique vibe to the plot and that captivated me to complete reading the book but other than that I guess the plot was okay and also it was like a story within a story which was fun too! Furthermore, I did like the poetry entries that the author added, it wasn't overwhelming which was crucial or it would have been a total turn off.

   The romantic aspect of this story was really cute, normal but not cheesy and that I appreciated because it definitely added to the story. However, I felt that there wasn't much focus on Olive's relationship because the actual relationship didn't happen until the last few chapters of the story and I would have loved to see more and that kind of left me with the feeling that something was incomplete in the story but I liked it nonetheless.

   I wasn't really comfortable with the writing style, I mean it was good but not always because it slightly annoyed me for some reason throughout the first half of the story. But the characters were a strong feature in this story. The book was told from Parker's point of view - which is by the way a somewhat odd name for a girl, right? - and she was a character that I definitely liked, generally, her actions, mistakes and way of thinking are definitely one of a real human's, making her believable and I personally can relate to her in some things. Another character worth mentioning was Trevor, who was such a sweet guy and I can't get over how sweet he was and I pitied him because of the constant rejection from a certain someone in the story which I guess this someone is obvious but still, lets not get in further in the fear of giving away anything. Nonetheless, the ending of this book was a nice happy one, a bit vague on a few parts but it was okay, you pretty much get what happens in the end.

   Overall, I definitely did like this book because firstly, it didn't go directly under the category of the average romantic contemporary novels because there was more to the story than only that. There were some words of wisdom thrown here and there in this book as I also found the characters to be authentic and lovable, a nice storyline with some diversity as we also go through a journey of self-discovery and a world of new chances. However, I honestly can't say that I do wholeheartedly recommend this book because for me, I did like it but it didn't wow me, so I'd would say to just give it a try if you found it interesting enough to intrigue you because who knows, maybe it will wow you ;)

َFavorite Quotes:

- It’s one of those moments I think Frost was talking about when he wrote “Nothing Gold Can Stay.” I see it differently now. Not as a sad thing, but as a truth of nature. And life. Things have to change.

- Up until tonight, I thought that making big choices took courage—more than I had. But what I realize, here, now, is that it’s not actually making the choice that takes courage. It’s facing it afterward. Owning up to it, whether it’s good or bad. 

- ‘What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?’ Mary Olive.

Title: Golden

Author: Jessi Kirby

Series: Stand-alone

Source: Owned

Published: May 14th 2013 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Links: Goodreads | Amazon

Rating: 3/5  

"What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" 

xoxo, Mariam

Blog Tour: The Witchling by Ari Harper

Synopsis via Goodreads:

Nera is a normal teenage girl living in Ireland-or so she thought. Her world is forever changed when she discovers that she is descended from a long line of witches. To her horror she finds she is the one that is supposed to stop the curse that has taken the life of every girl before her. As if that isn't enough, she must learn to use magic and her trainer is a man named Bones. He is the son of Mari, Queen of the Witches, and a god. It is Bones that has been entrusted to teach her the skills she needs to stay alive, which wouldn't be so bad if he didn't have an uncanny knack for pushing her buttons. Can Nera learn what she needs while staying immune to the charms of the man that gets under her skin at every opportunity?

Series: Curse of Kin #1

Released: November 29th 2012

Publisher: Lycaon/Breathless Press

Purchase: Amazon

 Excerpt: 
Chapter One

    The  smell  of  smoke  pricked  at  my  nostrils  and  dragged  my  concentration  away   from  my   math  test. I  looked  sideways and watched it swirl over the floor like a silent, deadly serpent, coiling around the desks and feet of my classmates. I listened for the crackle that accompanied the smoke and saw the flames licking along the floorboards. Cold sweat broke out on my neck and ran down my spine, galvanizing me out of my chair.

    I tried to call out, but my throat was locked. No one seemed to notice the flames creeping up the walls toward the ceiling. I was shaking so hard I could hardly walk. I pushed between the desks  toward Mr. Devon at the front of the class. Surely he could see the flames creeping up the walls by now.  

    He  looked  up  from  his  desk.  “Nera,  please  go  back  to  your seat and finish your test," he said, his brow wrinkled in a frown.

    My mouth worked as I tried to get the words out, but they refused to budge past my burning throat. Changing track, I turned toward the door in a blind frenzy. I had to get   out! Tears were pouring down my cheeks, blurring my vision, and I could hardly breathe for the smoke that surrounded me. I reached for the door handle and jerked my hand   away as the hot metal burned my palm. 

    "Nera, what are you doing?" Mr. Devon hurried toward me. 

     I slumped to the floor, burned and struggling foe breath.
    "Brie, get the headmistress!"

Giveaway: (International)

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Author Bio:
Ari Harper never wanted to grow up.

To offset the limitations of aging ungracefully, she created her own set of unique worlds where she can be and do whatever she wants.

Gods, witches and demons surround Ari while she spins her magic, doing mainly what they tell her to do. Given a chance, she prefers to work amongst chaos, which is good because she is constantly surrounded by children, all clamoring for attention. Some of them end up in her stories, some of them even get to die grisly deaths or be cast away to another realm.

Website | Facebook

Have fun!
xoxo, Mariam