Last Page First: December 2010

Thursday, December 30, 2010

A Touch Anemic

So, a few days ago I discovered that I was a touch anemic. My roommate's sister pointed it out, after I told her about my last month's exhaustion, over-sleeping, lack of appetite, brain fog, and overall disinterest in everything except sleeping.

Then I went to Japan and felt wonderful! I woke up early in the mornings, had breakfast, walked around all day (with chronic pain between my shoulder blades from those damn boots!), ate lots of fish and veggies, slept all night, and generally felt good for the duration of the trip. But when I got home, it wasn't just jet lag that had me so tired. I'd reverted to my old diet of drinking black tea and eating nothing. My brain shut down. I lost interest in reading and writing. No care for anything except my bed.

Insert roommate's sister, who is very astute! She pointed out that I was probably anemic, considering my heavy flows and excessive lethargy. She suggested that I eat some MEAT. My iron-deficiency was a serious problem, and for someone like me a little protein goes a long way.

Thus began the quest to EAT BETTER. And OH MY GOD do I feel better! It's amazing what even a little protein can do in your daily diet. I started buying ground beef and making patties and meatballs, eating frozen mixed veggies, and spreading peanut butter on whole grain bread for breakfast. That's not a lot, and I have yet to eat fish (which is loaded with good stuff), but that little bit made a HUGE difference.

I FEEL SO MUCH BETTER!

And here's the most amazing thing: the better I feel, the better I want to eat. I love this feeling so much that I want it to continue, and grow, and get stronger. Hell, I'm even willing to choke down a tin of sardines if it means feeling this good all the time!

I mean, this isn't some great revelation for most people. It wasn't even that shocking of a news flash to me. But the problem is, the further you fall down that hole of listlessness and disinterest, the harder it is to pull yourself back up. On an intellectual level you know that you need to eat right and exercise in order to feel good. But you feel so bad that you can't bring yourself to care. How do you start the process of feeling better, when you feel bad all the time? How do you get to the point where you're ready to do something about it?

If it wasn't for my recent trip to Japan, and my roomie's sister talking some sense into me, I probably would have continued as I was. Weak, tired, listless...

I needed something to open my eyes. I needed a period of well-being to awaken me to all the advantages of eating right, to have those two feelings for comparison, so I could look back on how good I felt and wonder why the hell I wasn't feeling that good all the time.

Anyway, I'm doing much better now. Slept well, woke up early, ate breakfast, wrote a little (as last night's story and this morning's blog post can attest) and seriously considering a walk outside. Such a lovely day!

I may not be the most productive person, and there are times when low feelings wash over me that no amount of protein or exercise can prevent, but for today it's enough. The real challenge is seeing whether I can keep this up. For the sake of my mental and physical well-being, let's hope I do!

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

MY SOUL TO STEAL is almost here!

2011 is looking to be another great year in YA books!

So many awesome releases, including the next or *sob* last installments in some already well-known and very popular series, sequels to some wonderful 2010 debuts, and a slew of new 2011 debuts that are sure to knock our socks off!

To start the New Year with a bang, check out Rachel Vincent's MY SOUL TO STEAL

(Soul Screamers Book #4)

MY SOUL TO STEAL officially releases on January 1, 2011!

Official blurb:

YOU WANT MY SOUL AND MY BOYFRIEND?

Trying to work things out with Nash—her maybe boyfriend—is hard enough for Kaylee Cavanaugh. She can’t just pretend nothing happened. But “complicated” doesn’t even begin to describe their relationship when his ex-girlfriend transfers to their school, determined to take Nash back.

See, Sabine isn’t just an ordinary girl. She’s a mara, the living personification of a nightmare. She can read people’s fears—and craft them into nightmares while her victims sleep. Feeding from human fear is how she survives.

And Sabine isn’t above scaring Kaylee and the entire school to death to get whatever—and whoever—she wants.

I DON'T THINK SO.

And check out the book trailer below!

Go get your copy today and start the New Year with a scream!

(I'm sorry...I couldn't resist.)

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Bree Despain's THE LOST SAINT: 10 more days...

Bree Despain's THE LOST SAINT, the sequel to THE DARK DIVINE, releases in 10 days!

It officially comes out on December 28th! Yay!

I love the covers in The Dark Divine series!
I am such a sucker for a pretty cover!

And to celebrate the upcoming release, Bree is hosting a Countdown Contest on her blog!

THE PRIZES:

1st Place
6" Kindle with WiFi
$10 Amazon gift card
$20 gift card to iTunes
Signed first edition of MATCHED by Ally Condie

2nd Place
Signed first editions of:

MATCHED by Ally Condie

THE SCORCH TRIALS by James Dashner

BEAUTIFUL DARKNESS by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

3rd Place
Signed first editions of:

THE SCORCH TRIALS by James Dashner

BEAUTIFUL DARKNESS by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

The contest ends December 26th and the winner will be announced December 28th.

(Just in time for the release!)

And to tide you over until then...

Read the Prologue and First Chapter of THE LOST SAINT at RT Book Reviews!

Listen to THE LOST SAINT Soundtrack over at Bree's Blog!

And watch the Book Trailer! It's awesome!

Ramblings of a Teenage Bookworm Giveaway!!

Ramblings of a Teenage Bookworm is giving away 3 YA books of 2011!

How awesome is that?

(very awesome!)

One winner will get to choose 3 books from among the following 2011 releases:

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Angelfire (Book #1) by Courtney Allison Moulton

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

A Touch Mortal by Leah Clifford

Wither (Chemical Garden, #1) by Lauren DeStefano

Small Town Sinners by Melissa C. Walker

Divergent by Veronica Roth

The Iron Queen (Iron Fey, #3) by Julie Kagawa

She's got all the details on her blog, so stop by and check it out:

2011 YA Giveaway

DESIRES OF THE DEAD Widget Contest!!!

To count down to the release of DESIRES OF THE DEAD

(60 days and counting!)

Kimberly Derting, author of THE BODY FINDER, is hosting a...

...drumroll...

"BIG FRICKIN' HUGE GINORMOUS DESIRES OF THE DEAD WIDGET CONTEST!!!"

Prizes include a signed ARC of DESIRES OF THE DEAD, ARCs of UNEARTHLY and THROUGH HER EYES, signed copies of THE BODY FINDER, swag packs and gift cards!!!

There are a TON of easy ways to earn points!

Contest ends December 31st.

Check out all the details at Kim's blog:

DESIRES OF THE DEAD CONTEST

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Beth Revis' ACROSS THE UNIVERSE Contest!!!

Beth Revis is hosting an "Epic Contest Of Epic" on her blog in anticipation of her debut release

ACROSS THE UNIVERSE!

She and Penguin/Razorbill are teaming up to offer 100 Prizes!!!

Yeah, you heard that right. ONE HUNDRED PRIZES!

There will be swag and signed ARCs, watches and buttons, postcards and bookmarks,

and even a Signed Hardcover First Edition of ACROSS THE UNIVERSE!

How amazing is that?

(Very amazing!)

The contest ends December 20th.

For all the details, see Beth's blog: Epic Contest of Epic

My Thoughts on ACROSS THE UNIVERSE:

Of the dozens of books coming out next year, ACROSS THE UNIVERSE is at the top of my Most Anticipated Books of 2011 list. The first chapter is amazing, the cover is eye-catching, and the entire premise is just so fascinating that I cannot wait to read this book! I'm not normally a big fan of science fiction in literature (time travel, advanced technology, space exploration, etc.) but this title caught my attention mainly due to its similarities to FIREFLY.

Joss Whedon's FIREFLY was one of my favorite short-lived television shows: it revolves around a motley crew of disreputable space smugglers living aboard a small, cramped metal ship that is nevertheless very homey and familiar, traveling from planet to planet as they avoid the authorities and try to survive in an east-meets-west style universe.

ACROSS THE UNIVERSE is also about a crew living aboard a ship, and that's what first caught my attention. But the story is not so much about survival in the "running-from-the-law" sense (I'm assuming, since I haven't read the book yet) but about a very long journey--not unlike the Star Trek spin-off VOYAGER--and a murder mystery the must be solved by the two main protagonists.

I also read something about a very strange social order that exists on the ship, different from what Earth-girl Amy is used to. The whole thing sounds so interesting and so different from a lot of YA fare coming out right now, and I've heard so many good things about the book and been blown away by the first chapter, that I know it'll be good. Definitely a must-read for 2011!