Review: John Green - The Fault in Our Stars

John Green - The Fault in Our Stars

• Pub Date: January 10, 2012
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Format: Audio book 7hr 14min
• Age Range: Young Adult
• Source: Library

Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 13, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now.

Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.

Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.

Oh goodness. I laughed a lot. I cried a bit. My emotions ran high and low. I really enjoyed this novel. Hazel and Augustus are wonderful characters that I will not soon forget. They're fantastically amazing, and their journey broke my heart. Everything about this book made me think and wonder. I can't even imagine being in their shoes. They're brave and courageous. It's incredible to hear this story.

The narrator does a fabulous job with the different voices. She's entertaining and brilliant. She made this story so enjoyable even with the sad, emotional topic. Even though my heart was breaking and tears were falling, I was still laughing at the funny parts and feeling happy when Hazel and Augustus were together. They were just great.

Everything about this book is moving and touching. Parts of me wanted to live inside the novel with Hazel, Augustus, Isaac, and even that crazy author forever. This book is so well-written, and the characters stand out so much! Okay, I can't stop talking about the CHARACTERS! I swear I'll stop now. It's just.. so many people told me to read a book by John Green, this book in particular. I'm so glad I did!

Bottom line: In sum, cancer is a bitch, but this book is outstanding.

Rating:

4.5 / 5 book sharks

Review/Giveaway: Emily Giffin - Where We Belong

Emily Giffin - Where We Belong

• Pub Date: July 24, 2012
• Publisher: Macmillan Audio
• Format: Audio book 11hr 1min
• Age Range: Adult

Marian Caldwell is a thirty-six year old television producer, living her dream in New York City. With a fulfilling career and satisfying relationship, she has convinced everyone, including herself, that her life is just as she wants it to be. But one night, Marian answers a knock on the door . . . only to find Kirby Rose, an eighteen-year-old girl with a key to a past that Marian thought she had sealed off forever. From the moment Kirby appears on her doorstep, Marian’s perfectly constructed world—and her very identity—will be shaken to its core, resurrecting ghosts and memories of a passionate young love affair that threaten everything that has come to define her.

For the precocious and determined Kirby, the encounter will spur a process of discovery that ushers her across the threshold of adulthood, forcing her to re-evaluate her family and future in a wise and bittersweet light. As the two women embark on a journey to find the one thing missing in their lives, each will come to recognize that where we belong is often where we least expect to find ourselves—a place that we may have willed ourselves to forget, but that the heart remembers forever.

I love Emily Giffin, and I was really glad that this dealt with such a difficult topic to even fathom. It's strange and hard on many levels - adoption vs. abortion and finding and meeting biological parents/child. This book opens with Kirby Rose on the doorstep of Marian Caldwell. They're mother and daughter, but they've never met. Oh yeah. And it only gets crazier - baby daddy doesn't know he has a child! And he was the love of Marian's life, and vice versa. What nutty thoughts! How bizarre! And it's a great tale. Giffin spins a great web of confession and closure.

I really liked the fact that this is told from both Kirby's and Marian's point of view. And it's first person, present tense. LOVE that, of course. But you really get to see both sides of this story when it's told this way. Kirby is so determined yet slightly shy and pretty vulnerable. Marian is overwhelmed and full of regret. They're both very nervous women, and it shows! I love the way Giffin writes, and this book is a great example of how she works. It also bridges a gap between young adult and adult literature. Kirby's POV is much younger, with teen tales of school dances, fights with friends, and first kisses. Marian talks of adult things, like a well-to-do career, possible marriage and kids, etc etc.

The narrator does a fantastic job of doing the different voices. She's great as both Kirby and Marian. Every time I got in the car I looked forward to listening to this book. I didn't want it to end, and I definitely wanted more before it finished. I won't give anything away, so that's all I will say.

Bottom line: Definitely check this out if you like emotional chick reads that unite YA and adult literature in a great way.

Rating:

4/5 book sharks

Giveaway Alert!!

I received two copies of WHERE WE BELONG in the mail, so I'm giving one of the audio books away! Like I mentioned above, this is a great listen. I really enjoyed the whole book, so I'm hoping that one of my readers does too. Use the Rafflecopter form below to enter. Ends 10/6/12. US only for shipping costs. Questions? Email me at imabookshark at yahoo. Thanks and good luck!!

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ARC Review: Miranda Kenneally - Stealing Parker

Miranda Kenneally - Stealing Parker

• Pub Date: October 1, 2012
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
• Format: Paperback/ebook, 245 pages
• Age Range: Young Adult
• Source: ALA

Red-hot author Miranda Kenneally hits one out of the park in this return to Catching Jordan's Hundred Oaks High.

After a scandal rocks their conservative small town, 17-year-old Parker Shelton goes overboard trying to prove that she won't turn out like her mother: a lesbian. The all-star third-baseman quits the softball team, drops 20 pounds and starts making out with guys--a lot. But hitting on the hot new assistant baseball coach might be taking it a step too far...especially when he starts flirting back.

AAAHHHHH this book! I sighed happily and hugged this book when I finished. It was a bit of a roller coaster, up and down, happy and sad. I wasn't exactly sure where it would go sometimes, which is awesome because I hate the predictability of YA romances. It surprised me until the end.

At first, I actually liked the idea of Brian and Parker. Then it went downhill, fast! Corndog didn't hit me right at first, but then I really got into him. It's interesting to see how this story plays out! I loved almost all of the characters (besides aforementioned Brian and some others), and I read almost the whole thing in one day.

What I didn't particularly care for was the religion aspect. I'm not religious in the least, but it didn't stop me from reading this. Everything bad that was happening in the story was because of religion. If there wasn't so much religion, no one would have cared that this stuff was going on. But alas, that's the tension in the story, so it worked.

This cover is just so cute. I love that Kenneally's books are about girls and sports. Stealing Parker so enjoyable, just like Catching Jordan! I absolutely cannot wait for more from Miranda Kenneally!

Bottom line: Read Catching Jordan if you haven't. Then definitely read this!

Rating:

4.5 / 5 book sharks!

ARC Review: Janet Gurtler - Who I Kissed

Janet Gurtler - Who I Kissed

• Pub Date: October 1, 2012
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
• Format: Paperback/ebook, 312 pages
• Age Range: Young Adult
• Source: ALA

She never thought a kiss could kill...

Samantha didn’t mean to hurt anyone. She was just trying to fit in...and she wanted to make Zee a little jealous after he completely ditched her for a prettier girl. So she kissed Alex. And then he died—right in her arms.

Was she really the only person in the entire school who didn’t know about his peanut allergy? Or that eating a peanut butter sandwich and then kissing him would be deadly? Overnight Sam turns into the school pariah and a media sensation explodes. Consumed with guilt, abandoned by her friends, and in jeopardy of losing her swimming scholarship, she’ll have to find a way to forgive herself before anyone else will.

First of all, this cover really does the book no justice. I have to say this because I had the TOTAL wrong impression of what this book was going to be about! I feel like I have to always say this, but more often than not I tend to pass on reading the description of books. I just genuinely like to read, and covers generally draw me in. This book looked very interesting at ALA, and I got it signed by the author. I thought it was more of a light teen romance, but that's definitely NOT what this book is. At all, really. Even with the title.. but I was so wrong.

And that turned out to be okay! Since it took a total turn for the "I have no idea what's going to happen next," I was able to stay much more interested than I originally thought. Well, I probably would have been just as interested in a teen romance since that's what I thought I was getting myself into. But this book is about death, grief, forgiveness. There's a bit of the romance stuff in there, but this book is about Samantha's journey after a significantly sad event occurs in her life.

Sam is strong but totally broken after the "event." She basically gives up, tortures herself by going back to school, and tries to get lost in a relationship that is barely even there. She has to work through her emotions with the help of her father, her kooky aunt, and some pretty good friends. Some things we just need to fix on our own time, I guess. I don't know how I can relate this story to my own life, but I can definitely feel myself inside Samantha's shoes. She had something horrible happen, and getting through it must be just like she describes it. It sounds awful, but I think most people would react the same way. That makes this book a little enjoyable in a way.

I really enjoyed this. I read it in a few hours because I couldn't put it down. Not because I had to know what happened to Sam, really. More because I liked being inside their lives. They were a fun group of people, and I'd like to read more about them for sure. Check this book out if you're ready to be so deceived by this cover, if you like a a bit of darkness in your YA, and if you need a book to pull you out from anything that's dragging you down.

Bottom line: Read it! It's fresh and emotional.

Rating:

4/5 book sharks

Cover Reveal: MR Merrick - Release

M. R. Merrick - Release
The Protector #3

Release Date: December 10, 2012

After uniting the shifters and calling in reinforcements, Chase has to face his toughest challenge yet: learning to control his emotions. But as tensions rise and his powers grow, controlling his emotions becomes the least of his problems.

Terrorized by a multi-shifter who is hell-bent on turning him, Chase questions just how far he’s willing to go to stop his father. Meanwhile, Tiki’s virtuous nature has placed him in the middle of Vincent’s past, leaving Chase to oppose a senate of vampires and defend a demon he hates.

Trying to balance his friends, his enemies, and his inner demons, Chase is left searching for answers about the Mark, his destiny, and where he can find the next soul piece. Stopping Riley is his top priority, but as more obstacles arise, he finds himself doubting all the decisions he’s made - especially regarding Rayna.

One thing is for certain: Chase has finally realized that he doesn’t know anything. The light doesn’t always quell the darkness, the monsters don’t always stay in the shadows, and the past doesn’t always stay in the past - sometimes, the demons inside are the hardest to fight.

M.R. Merrick is a Canadian writer, and author of Exiled, the first installment in The Protector Series. Having never traveled, he adventures to far off lands through his imagination and in between cups of coffee. As a music lover and proud breakfast enthusiast, he's usually found at the computer, between a pair of headphones and in front of a large bowl of cereal.

Find M.R.:

website | goodreads | twitter | amazon 

Blog Tour: Darynda Jones - Fourth Grave Below My Feet

Darynda Jones - Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet
Charley Davidson #4

• Pub Date: October 30, 2012
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Format: Hardcover/ebook, 320 pages
• Age Range: Adult

In Darynda Jones's Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet, sometimes being the grim reaper really is that. Grim. And since Charley’s last case went so awry, she has taken a couple months off to wallow in the wonders of self-pity. But when a woman shows up on her doorstep convinced someone is trying to kill her, Charley has to force herself to rise above. Or at least get dressed. She quickly realizes something is amiss when everyone the woman knows swears she’s insane. The more they refute the woman’s story, the more Charley believes it.

In the meantime, the sexy, sultry son of Satan, Reyes Farrow, has been cleared of all charges. He is out of prison and out of Charley’s life, as per her wishes and several perfectly timed death threats. But his absence has put a serious crimp in her sex life. While there are other things to consider, like the fact that the city of Albuquerque has been taken hostage by an arsonist, Charley is having a difficult time staying away. Especially when it looks like Reyes may be involved. Just when life was returning to normal, Charley is thrust back into the world of crime, punishment, and the devil in blue jeans.

Top Ten Heroines I Would Most Like To Be

by Darynda Jones

Thank you so much for having me, Mickey!

I love top ten lists, and I wracked my brains for hours (okay, minutes) to come up with the perfect list for the blog today. Why only minutes? Because at the moment, I am hooked on what makes a great heroine. So, I thought, out of all the heroines I’ve seen and/or read about, who would I most like to be? I mean, we all dream of being a larger-than-life character or of having superpowers right? Surely it’s not just me. :)

Here is my top 10 list of heroines I would most like to be:

1. Katniss from Suzanne Collins’s HUNGER GAMES: Not only does she use pure skill to win a fight to the death against 23 opponents, she saves the guy! How hot is that?

2. Leeloo from THE FIFTH ELEMENT: Yes, I realize this is a movie, but Leeloo is such a baddy and can turn thermal bandages into a fashion statement.

3. Daphne Bridgerton from Julia Quinn’s THE DUKE AND I: I simply love her spunk and her unwillingness to give up on the infuriatingly sexy Simon Bassett.

4. Lisbeth Salander from Steig Larson’s THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO: Cleverness and courage wrapped in vulnerability. Just don’t make her mad.

5. Jane Eyre from Charlotte Bronte’s JANE EYRE: She is so stoic and proper, but her passion and strength shine through from the very beginning. Such a great character.

6. Hermione Granger from JK Rowling’s HARRY POTTER series: ‘Nuff said.

7. Bella from JR Ward’s LOVER AWAKENED: I mostly want to be Bella because she gets the ever-so-drool-worthy Zsadist, the most tortured and hardened hero I’ve ever fallen in love with. And Bella saved him. You go, girl!

8. Charley Davidson, LOL: Hey, there’s a reason I write her. I like her! I would love to be her, to have her capabilities, her wit, and to have the ultra hot Reyes Farrow after me. A girl can dream.

9. Elizabeth Bennett from PRIDE AND PREJUDICE: Yes, even my own Charley pales against the allure of being Elizabeth Bennett. Feisty, strong, and down to earth. Any girl who can bring Mr. Darcy to his knees gets my vote.

10. Buffy Summers from Joss Wheddon’s BUFFY: THE VAMPIRE SLAYER: Show of hands: Who wanted to be a vampire slayer after seeing this series? It’s okay, you’re among your own here. Joss is a genius. I would love to be Buffy, but I think I would love to live in Joss’s brain even more.

Feel free to weigh in on whom you would most like to be!

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Darynda Jones has won numerous awards for her work including a prestigious Golden Heart®, a RITA®, and a Daphne du Maurier. As a born storyteller, she grew up spinning tales of dashing damsels and heroes in distress for any unfortunate soul who happened by, annoying man and beast alike. Darynda lives in the Land of Enchantment, also known as New Mexico, with her husband and two beautiful sons, the Mighty, Mighty Jones Boys.

Find Darynda:

website | goodreads | twitter | facebook

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"Waiting on" Wednesday - All You Never Wanted

Hosted by Breaking The Spine, this section will feature future upcoming releases that I personally am excited about. These will generally be coming up later in the year. Let me know what you're looking forward to, or even what you're writing, and maybe I'll feature it here as well.

Adele Griffin - All You Never Wanted

• Pub Date: October 9, 2012
• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
• Format: Hardcover, 240 pages
• Age Range: Young Adult

With my eyes closed and Alex's core friends all around me, it was like I'd become my big sister, or something just as good. And so who cared if they were calling it Alex's party? One thing I knew: it would be remembered as mine.

Alex has it all—brains, beauty, popularity, and a dangerously hot boyfriend. Her little sister Thea wants it all, and she's stepped up her game to get it. Even if it means spinning the truth to win the attention she deserves. Even if it means uncovering a shocking secret her older sister never wanted to share. Even if it means crying wolf.

Told in the alternating voices of Alex and Thea, Adele Griffin's mesmerizing new novel is the story of a sibling rivalry on speed.

I love books with alternating voices!! Hopefully this one is fantastic. I have it on Net Galley. Looking forward to it! What are YOU waiting for??

Top Ten Tuesday - Unfinished Business

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, this feature includes random weekly bookish top tens. This week's list is - top ten series you have finished. The lovely ladies say it can be because you didn't like them, you've procrastinated, whatever. But I'm not including ones that aren't over yet. I'll explain why they're incomplete with each one. And it's gonna get a bit snarky. And way over 10 series! It's my birthday so I can do what I want! Hehe! Here it goes, mostly in no particular order!

1. PC Cast - House of Night
   Usually these are in no particular order, but this is definitely number one. I listened to five of these and gave up. They're ridiculous! They aren't written very well, and I just don't care about the characters or the story.
2. Patricia Cornwell - Kay Scarpetta
   I gave #5 four stars, so I obviously liked this series. I just got lazy and needed something new. There are a ton of books in that series, so it's tough. I'll continue one day.
3. Ellen Schreiber - Vampire Kisses
   I got through four of them and wanted to punch something. These are so terrible. They're completely overdone and just way too much. Not a fan at all.
4. Suzanne Young - A Need So Beautiful
   Okay, I know that the second one just came out. But I don't think you understand how much I didn't care for this book. I refuse to put myself through more of that.
5. Richelle Mead - Dark Swan
   So.. I absolutely adored Georgina, and I haven't yet read VA, but I just couldn't get into Eugenie here. I listened to the first two. That was all I could take. To be fair, it could be the audio narrator.
6. Jim Butcher - The Dresden Files
   I think I've listened to five of these. I like them. I just needed to put them on hold for a while. This is my top Harry wizard. See below.
7. JK Rowling - Harry Potter
   Not. For. Me. At. All. I listened up to the beginning of #5 and the same narrator started pronouncing names differently. So I was done. It was an excuse, really. I didn't care about the characters.
8. Libba Bray - Gemma Doyle
   Ugh. I'm not one for historical books anyway, but I loved Beauty Queens so I thought I'd try it out. It's so different from BQ and I just couldn't get into it. Listened to only the first one.
9. Sarah Rees Brennan - The Demon's Lexicon
   Nope. I didn't get into the first one at all. Totally not for me. So I stopped this series. I think I made the right choice. 
10. Aprilynne Pike - Wings
    So not a fan of this series! I mean.. she's an effing plant. Really? Plus it's for younger girls. And every time I see this author at a signing she says something really off-putting. Not a fan.
11. Cassandra Clare - Mortal Instruments
    A couple things here: we all know that weird twist at the end (yuck) and I just can't get over the whole plagiarism thing. I may or may not finish. Don't really care one way or another.
12. Ally Condie - Matched
    This one didn't do it for me. I honestly may go on from the first one,  but I wasn't really impressed or thrilled by this one. Hmm. We'll see.
13. Alex Archer - Rogue Angel
    These are full cast with sound effects, so they're awesome! But I've been busy and lazy as of late. I'm on number 24 or something ridiculous. They're all so short and crazy, but I like them.
14. Deborah Harkness - All Souls Trilogy
    Yuck and boring. I was so not impressed with this like everyone else was. Go figure. That's usually how it works for me!
15. Alyson Noel - The Immortals
    I was intrigued at first, then I was bored. I got through four so I should probably just finish them up. I think I'm behind on Riley, and I'm NOT liking Fated. Grr.
16. Melissa Marr - Wicked Lovely
    Words can't express how much I didn't care for this book. I'd almost like to try it again because I feel like I am missing something big here, but I just did not like it! Oh well. It doesn't help that I don't much like faeries. 
17. Rachel Vincent - Shifters
    Good golly, Faythe is so annoying! I've heard she gets better, but I don't like the narrator so I'd have to read them. Good luck there.
18. Laurel K. Hamilton - Anita Blake
    I've listened to five (that's really where I seem to stop, huh) and I'd go back to them if I ran out of stuff to listen to. It was just enough for the time. 
19. Maggie Stiefvater - The Wolves of Mercy Falls
    I didn't really care for this one. Most likely I won't continue this series since it's been a while since I listened to the first one anyway. Oh well.
20. LJ Smith - Vampire Diaries: The Return
    So.. I think I read all TVD books, but the spin-off series is where I left off. Didn't much care for TVD at all, but I continued anyway. Blah.

Okay okay! I'll stop there. I start a lot of series, but for every one that I've started I'm current or finished with two or three. I love series books! But they need to be done right (Night Huntress, anything by Charlaine Harris, Georgina, Soul Screamers, etc). It's all good! Happy birthday to me!! <3

Blog Tour: Kailin Gow - Never Land

Kailin Gow - Never Land
(Never Knights #2)

• Pub Date: September 24, 2012

• Publisher: theEDGEbooks.com

• Format: Paperback/ebook

• Age Range: New Adult/Mature YA

Welcome to Never Land, the land of Never and the world of rock, the world of new experiences and sensations, a world where music runs through the veins of the dedicated, and love is taken and given with consequences. Never (Neve) Knight, the lead singer and manager of a band filled with the hottest guys in rock finally gets the dream that she wanted: a label signing her band The Never Knights. It is what she always wanted, a band of her own and playing her own kind of music. Getting her band to where it was came at a high price, including giving up the man who makes her heart race and her blood pound, the man who caused her to nearly lose her band. As she gets ready to go on her world tour, fate brings her close to Danny Blue again, and she's not sure if she can give him up a second time even if it means losing the band.

Excerpt
Never Land (Never Knights #2) by Kailin Gow

My voice hardly sounded like my own. Eerily echoing out of the microphone, it was louder than I was used to. Stronger. Filled with a magic that seemed to transform it from the voice of a nervous, eighteen-year-old girl into something far greater. A voice that could affect each and every one of these people, a voice that could get inside their heads and hearts and make them dance like their lives depended on it. The sweat was pouring down my body and I could catch a glimpse of sweat, too, on the faces of my bandmates, who were rapt in concentration, lost in the music. And I was lost, too – wandering through a labyrinth of sound, trying to find my way out of this energy, this power, this beautiful music that at once belonged to me and yet was something wholly other, some great mystery I had only just begun to learn how to unfold. 

Kailin Gow is the author of over 100 books, with the majority of them for young adults. Her most popular series are: The Frost Series, PULSE Series, Desire Series, Wicked Woods, Steampunk Scarlett Novels, and more. A full-time author, she is also a producer, having worked in radio, television, and film. She grew up in Southern California, lived in Texas and England, and had traveled extensively around the world.

Find Kailin:

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Giveaway Alert!!

• *Signed* copy of Never Say Never, Saving You Saving Me, and Loving Summer 
• $25 Amazon Gift Card

Use the Rafflecopter form below to be entered to win. Thanks and good luck!

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Also, anyone can enter to win a signed (Kailin will sign the inside) red patent leather Coach handbag for the Never Say Never Contest going on HERE.

Blog Tour: PT Michelle - Brightest Kind of Darkness

Today I have PT Michelle chatting with us about Parkour! It's featured in her second novel in the BKoD series, Lucid. Check out her guest post and enter the giveaway below!

• Pub Date: June 27, 2011
• Publisher: PT Michelle
• Format: Paperback/ebook, 357 pp
• Age Range: Young Adult

Nara Collins is an average sixteen-year-old, with one exception: every night she dreams the events of the following day. Due to an incident in her past, Nara avoids using her special gift to change fate...until she dreams a future she can't ignore.

After Nara prevents a bombing at Blue Ridge High, her ability to see the future starts to fade, while people at school are suddenly being injured at an unusually high rate.

Grappling with her diminishing powers and the need to prevent another disaster, Nara meets Ethan Harris, a mysterious loner who seems to understand her better than anyone. Ethan and Nara forge an irresistible connection, but as their relationship heats up, so do her questions about his dark past.

• Pub Date: July 7, 2012
• Publisher: PT Michelle
• Format: Paperback/ebook, 274 pp
• Age Range: Young Adult

Once Nara combines her prophetic ability with Ethan's power to outsmart Fate at his own deadly cat-and-mouse game, she's more determined than ever to help Ethan learn the meaning behind the raven sword tattoo that suddenly appeared on his back after their confrontation with Fate.

During her quest to uncover the tattoo's secrets, Nara enlists the help of some new friends and discovers her own surprising connection to Ethan.

While Nara digs deeper into the mystery, her desire for answers leads her down a dangerous path full of powerful and ruthless enemies. Swept into an age-old battle, Nara quickly learns that keeping one's enemies close can be a necessary evil, making an intangible enemy she can control far more preferable to the human enemies she can't.

PARKOUR IN LUCID
by PT Michelle

In the second book in my BRIGHTEST KIND OF DARKNESS series, LUCID, the main character, Nara, meets a guy named Drystan and soon discovers among other things that he has a unique talent. He's really good at parkour.  What is parkour?

Here's how Drystan explains it to Nara...

“Parkour is perceived as constant movement using natural motion. The technique is very physical, but it’s a way of evaluating and perceiving your environment around you in a strategic way, where you don’t let your mind or physical barriers stop you.”  ~ Drystan in LUCID


When Nara asks Drystan why he wants to teach her parkour, he says that it's all part of him helping her learn self-defense.

“...Defensively, if you can think at least two steps ahead of your pursuer, then your chances of getting away are much greater.” ~ Drystan in LUCID


And just like Drystan tells Nara that showing her parkour would be far easier than explaining it, I thought I'd share some visual examples with you. Click the links for the YouTube videos.

PARKOUR

You know that opening chase scene in the 2006 remake of Casino Royale (with Daniel Craig)? See here: (it starts at 5.02) That's parkour being used in the movies.

Here's a very well known traceur (the term for a parkour practitioner) in action, Damien Walters, doing all his great moves. Check them out and be entertained with his amazing flexibility!

SLACKLINE

In LUCID, Drystan takes Nara up on the slackline to teach her to learn to control her balance, since learning parkour starts with controlling one's balance.  Do you remember the guy in the white toga/dress doing crazy bounces on a thin piece of line on stage during Madonna's Super Bowl performance this past year? That was Andy Lewis on a slackline. He's the world champion in his unusual sport.  Here are a couple examples of tricklining (tricks/flips) done on a slackline.

Mike Payton on the slackline.

Andy Lewis, Mike Payton and others on the Conan show doing the slackline.

THE HISTORY OF PARKOUR

If you're curious about the history of parkour (where it came from and how it has evolved over time), here are a couple of links with all the deets! Parkour History and Wiki: Parkour.

I hope you found learning a bit more about parkour and slacklining interesting and that it has made you curious out LUCID! :)

P.T. Michelle is author of the young adult BRIGHTEST KIND OF DARKNESS series. When P.T. isn’t writing, she can usually be found reading or taking pictures of landscapes, sunsets and anything beautiful or odd in nature.

Find PT Michelle
website | blog | twitter | facebook | goodreads | pinterest | newsletter

Giveaway Alert!!

• Prize #1: 1 print copy of BkoD
• Prize #2: 1 print copy of Lucid
• Grand Prize: 1 print copy of BKoD + 1 print copy of Lucid + Nara's necklace.

Use the Rafflecopter form below to be entered to win. Thanks and good luck!!

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