Thursday, December 9, 2010

TMAS tour stop: Xanda's Favorite Books+Giveaway

Hello everyone! It's been a while, hasn't it? I'm not totally back yet but I have a wonderful treat for you. I was fortunate enough to be part of Holly Cupala's Tell Me A Secret tour  and since today's my stop, you'll be able to get a glimpse into one of Holly's characters and better yet, get a look at her taste in books!

Read on and see if you have any books in common with Xanda--I already spotted one of my favorites among her list. :)

 Xanda’s Favorite Books

You might be tempted to think that Xanda, the mysterious older sister in Tell Me a Secret—with her stunning DIY creations, Hollywood dreams, and flaming romance with Andre—wouldn’t find time to lose herself in the pages of a book.

On the contrary…some of Xanda’s greatest wishes were inspired by the books she loved. Here are some of her favorites:

Crank, by Ellen Hopkins. Xanda would have loved anything by Ellen Hopkins, but she could particularly  relate to Kristina’s fascination with danger and flirtation with the wild side.

On the Road, by Jack Kerouac. It was Xanda’s dream to flee to Hollywood with Andre to pursue an acting career. But first, there would be the epic road trip.

The Collected Poems of Sylvia Plath. The tortured lady poet appealed to Xanda’s dramatic side and inspired many of her own poetic ramblings.

Gingerbread, by Rachel Cohn. Xanda cherished this groundbreaking YA about a grown-up girl lost who finds her way—all the while wearing awesome stripy socks and boots.

The Lover, by Marguerite Duras. Xanda had a romantic streak and adored this tale of forbidden love.

Weetzie Bat, by Francesca Lia Block. Xanda’s all-time favorite book. She had a signed, first edition copy from her Uncle Brit. There is still a dent in the wall behind Miranda’s bedroom door, where she once threw it at her sister.

The candle of Xanda’s life blew out five years ago, but some more recent books I think Xanda would have loved are: Looking for Alaska, by John Green; Stolen, by Lucy Christopher; I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone, by Stephanie Kuehnert; Losing Faith, by Denise Jaden. (And just between us, I think she would be on Team Jacob.)

Thank you, Sandy, for hosting me and the Tell Me a Secret blog tour!

Thank you, Holly, for such a great post! I was pleasantly surprised to see that Xanda mentioned Weetzie Bat as one of her favorites--it's one of my favorites too.  But anyway, enough of my babbling. Now let's talk about the super awesome giveaway! Holly has made a beautiful art collage based on her book trailer and one lucky reader will be able to win it. Isn't it gorgeous? ;)

This giveaway is open only to the US; the deadline is December 16th and I'll announce the winner the following day. To enter, just fill out this form.  Good luck to those that enter! This contest is now closed!


 Important contest links: Privacy policy/ Contest policy  

The amazing book trailer for Tell Me A Secret:
 
Holly also found a link to a cool photo shoot inspired by Weetzie Bat!
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