Armchair BEA Day 3: Giveaways & Literature

Welcome back to Armchair BEA! If you're not sure what it's all about be sure to visit the Armchair BEA headquarters.

Before I jump right into the giveaway, I want to talk about what I'm giving away. Something we haven't talked about officially all week are series! If you have had time this week to check out my archive, then you'll see LOTS of series. I'm a pretty big fan of book series. To me they are like a television show with seasons, multiple episodes featuring the same core characters that I love to hate and just flat out love and my heart breaks when it's over, either for the season or series ending. Some of my favorite series are: Mercy Falls by Maggie Stiefvater, Mercy Thompson by Patricia Briggs, Revenants by Amy Plum, & Soul Screamers by Rachel Vincent. I've been fortunate enough to meet some of these women (it's not intentional that they're all ladies, I promise) and I've even hosted a week celebrating one of these series.

Now here's where the fun part comes in. While I don't have a first copy of all of these to give away, I've got something just as good. There will be two giveaways. The first one is for US residents only and will allow you to win your choice of one of the following books:

• The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
• My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent
• Angus, Thongs, and Full-frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison
• Die for Me by Amy Plum
• Delirium by Lauren Oliver
• Leaving Paradise by Simone Elkeles

The second giveaway is open internationally! I'm giving you the chance to pick your own book(s)! I will pay up to $15 (US) for you to choose your own book(s). You tell me your selection and I will pay for it on your behalf.

Contest rules: You must be over 13 years old to enter; if you submit an entry into the US only giveaway, you must have a US address for me to ship to; if you submit an entry in the international giveaway you must tell me your book selection(s) within 72 hours of receiving my winning notification email; both giveaways close at 12:00 AM (CST) on June 1.

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If you're still with me, we'll now progress to the more "high brow" portion of today's segment. :) General literary fiction is a term I associate with assigned readings in high school and college. That being said, there are still a few great ones that really had a profound impact on my life or helped me to see another point of view:

• The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood was the first book I read about women's roles in society that actually frightened me; and it's fiction! There were so many parallels between this book and our world that caused me to take pause and reevaluate how I was thinking and behaving in regards to what's going on this world. I also think this book started me on my post-apocalyptic/futuristic world kick. It also encouraged me to educate myself about real women's roles & lead me to reading more women's memoirs (like Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali & Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi).
• The Help by Kathryn Stockett doesn't always get the credit it deserves. While the content wasn't earth-shattering, the execution was incredible. Told from three very distinct points of view, we follow the events of a few months in the lives of a non-traditional Southern belle writing a book about "The Help", her maid, and another maid. This book shone a fairly accurate light on the reality of life in the South during this time period. It had such a profound impact on me because of the conversations it opened up with other people about that time period. 
• L'assommoir by Émile Zola was one of the first books I read completely in French. In my literature class during my semester abroad we read selections from several time periods and only a few select books. This one was one of the books we read. It was a whole new way for me to learn a language. By reading it on my own, digesting what I thought was the meaning, and then dissecting it in class I gained a new respect for writers, their craft, and second language apprehension. If you've never tried it, give it a shot some time!

There you have it folks. Three of my most influential, and most non-required by school, reading assignments. What books did you choose?

Nostalgic Friday: The Story of Babar: the little elephant

Welcome back to Nostalgic Friday! Since I love all things historical (culturally, physically, and personally) I do a post on Fridays honoring some awesome book that is a bit older. Many of them are books I enjoyed in my teens and others are books that I discovered as an adult that I think are relevant to YA readers.

As I'm sure many other children did, I remember watching early morning cartoons on the weekends. One of my favorites was Babar which came on very early on HBO. Words do not properly convey how much the stories resonated with me. There was always a moral lesson to be learned and despite the preposterous basis (a walking, talking, gentleman elephant) I was enraptured! Imagine my delight when one morning my mother happened to catch the tale end of the program & informed me that it was actually a book. Several in fact. I demanded that we find these books so I could devour them! Along the same line as Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans, the Babar book series by Jean de Brunhoff consisted of several shorter books all with a moral attached. Below are some of my personal favorites.

The Story of Babar the little elephant
This book was the first book written and it tells the story about how Babar came to be in Paris among the educated & elite. After the tragic murder of his mother by a hunter, a kind elderly woman became his patron by dressing him, educating him, & ensuring his place in the world. But dissatisfied, Babar returns to his rightful place in the forest & is promptly crowned king.

The Travels of Babar
In this story, Babar met a lady elephant & they fell in love. He is in need a queen & Celeste fills that role quite nicely so the two are married. The Travels of Babar follow the two lovebirds as they embark on their honeymoon. Naturally it can't go without a hitch & the young couple soon finds themselves in a terrible storm, leaving them to fend of hunters.

Babar and His Children
As in many love stories, there comes a time when the happy couple wants to multiply their love by having children. In Babar & Celeste's case they are fortunate enough to have three at once. Flora, Pom, and Alexander are just like their parents & seem to have a knack of getting in to trouble only to be rescued by their parents or other animals in the forest.

One of the most important things to keep in mind when reading these classic French tales is that they were told/written in the early 1930's. Context & societal norms are something that must be taken into consideration when enjoying them. There are depictions & events that aren't "politically correct" or that may seem "strange," but as with any historical piece, the context clues are a vital part of what makes the story. Just keep that in mind; not just for these books, but for any older book. J'espère que vous les aimez! (I hope you like them!)

Waiting on Wednesday: The Fortune of Carmen Navarro

Waiting on Wednesday recognizes that we as bookies pine for books. This post is about what I am impatiently waiting for right now. It was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

The Fortune of Carmen Navarro by Jen Bryant is set to be released November 9th. This style of retelling famous stories has caught on quickly with me & being that I studied Carmen by Prosper Mérimée in French, in France, I think this one will be a big hit with me. I hope you all are enjoying this retelling resurgence as much as me.

Carmen Navarro rings up customers at the Quikmart, bored to tears. It’s a job, and she needs it. But Carmen’s true love is music: she dropped out of high school to sing with the Gypsy Lovers and land a recording contract, someday.

Just a few miles away, Ryan Sweeney hunches over his books, a studious cadet with his eye on West Point. There’s not a single girl at the Valley Forge Military Academy, and that’s fine by him.

But when Ryan, on a day pass from campus, spots Carmen, with her shining black hair and snake tattoo, his pulse quickens. Carmen, who normally rolls her eyes at the stiff Academy soldados, can tell this one is different. She slips him a note: “Come hear my band.” A romance begins, unlikely, passionate . . . and quickly imbalanced. In an enthralling narrative of obsessive love, the novel builds to a stunning close.

Inspired by the novella and opera Carmen, Jen Bryant creates a strong-minded and alluring heroine in this contemporary tale of tragic love.

From Goodreads

How tantalizing does that sound? Even if it wasn't based on the famous novella, I think this storyline would still have attracted my attention. I'm hoping Jen Bryant can be as magical in her future endeavors. What are you waiting on this week?

Nostalgic Friday: Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince)

Welcome back to Nostalgic Friday! Since I love all things historical (culturally, physically, and personally) I do a post on Fridays honoring some awesome book that is a bit older. Many of them are books I enjoyed in my teens and others are books that I discovered as an adult that I think are relevant to YA readers.

This week's selection is Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince) by Antoine de Saint-Exup -->éry. My degree, as useless as many claim it to be, is in French and International Studies. Therefore, I LOVE it when French-language books are embraced by non-French speaking audiences. This one is probably the most well-known French book other than the wildly popular Babar.

In the simplest of terms, this story follows the life of a little prince from Asteroid 325 as he explores other planets to cure his loneliness. While he meets adults along the way, he doesn't really care for their ways of life and what they do. The little prince just wants to enjoy life to the fullest and experience all that the universe has to offer. His exposure to the interesting characters he encounters along the way show him the truth that:
Voici mon secret. Il est très simple: on ne voit bien qu'avec le cœur. L'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux. Here is my secret. It is very simple: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.

This philosophical and enigmatic little novel, while only 96 pages, is an absolute must read! The little prince is absolutely charming and heart-breaking at the same time. He is so sad and lonely on his planet that he decides to travel in search of things with which to occupy himself. It is really a great journey of self-discovery that kind of reminds me of an Aboriginal walkabout. While the story is about the little prince's journey, it is actually written from a narrator's point of view; he is the crashed pilot who meets the little prince in the Sahara Desert. Through his eyes do we experience the little prince and the "longing for a simpler time" that he represents.

This book, while written mainly for children, is a great inspiration to any age. It encourages the reader to learn all that they can through exploration and experimentation, while being cognizant of how their own experiences has altered their perception. Many people fall in love with the book do to the poignant symbolism that the little prince represents. I just liked the story, the symbolism came later. :) S'amuse bien! (Enjoy yourselves!)