STARRY EYES BLOG TOUR: Guest Post from author Jenn Bennett

Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett
(standalone)
Published: April 3, 2018 by Simon Pulse
MY REVIEW

Summary from Goodreads:
Ever since last year’s homecoming dance, best friends-turned-best enemies Zorie and Lennon have made an art of avoiding each other. It doesn’t hurt that their families are the modern day, Californian version of the Montagues and Capulets.

But when a group camping trip goes south, Zorie and Lennon find themselves stranded in the wilderness. Alone. Together.

What could go wrong?

With no one but each other for company, Zorie and Lennon have no choice but to hash out their issues via witty jabs and insults as they try to make their way to safety. But fighting each other while also fighting off the forces of nature makes getting out of the woods in one piece less and less likely.

And as the two travel deeper into Northern California’s rugged backcountry, secrets and hidden feelings surface. But can Zorie and Lennon’s rekindled connection survive out in the real world? Or was it just a result of the fresh forest air and the magic of the twinkling stars?

GUEST POST FROM JENN BENNETT

Lefty asked: If Zorie were writing a wilderness survival guide, what kind of stuff would she include in it?

Interesting question, because it’s something that’s touched on in Starry Eyes—only, not for Zorie. In the book, Zorie teases goth-boy Lennon about writing a backpacking book, which she imagines would be called Grim’s Super-Gothy Guide to the Dark Wilderness.

Lennon’s guide would contain:
· Gory facts about all the ways you can die in the wilderness

· Campfire ghost stories

· Stern warnings about how everyone must use bear vaults


Zorie’s guide would contain:
· Fill-in calendars, checklists, and color-coordinated tabs for planning your trip

· Star charts showing the constellations

· Stern warnings about how everyone must use bear vaults

I'm so glad Jenn could stop by the blog today! I literally love this book with all my heart and I hope everyone reads it. And personally, I wish Jenn would release Lennon's wilderness survival guide because I would read the HECK out of that. And y'all are gonna have to read the book if you wanna know why both characters are so adamant on using bear vaults because DRAMA! 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jenn Bennett is an award-winning author of young adult books, including: Alex, Approximately; The Anatomical Shape of a Heart (aka Night Owls in the U.K.); and Starry Eyes. She also writes romance and urban fantasy for adults. Her books have earned multiple starred reviews, won the Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA® Award, and been included on Publishers Weekly Best Books annual list. She lives near Atlanta with one husband and two dogs. Visit her at www.jennbennett.net.

FOLLOW THE TOUR

Covers According to Different Genres (Guest Post)

Hello everyone! You may (or may not) have noticed that my blog posts have been a bit sparse these days. That's because I'm back at school, where my life is moving approximately 4 gazillion miles an hour. Luckily, a handful of delightful people have volunteered their help to keep my blog at least a little active.

Today's guest post is coming at you from the lovely Anna at Adventures with a Book Nerd, and she's going to talk to y'all about some patterns she has noticed in book covers!

Covers According to Different Genres

Hi everybody, and thanks to Lefty for having me on her blog! It can be hard to fit blogging in around school, so I’m happy that I could help out. :)

I noticed something this month. I noticed that different genres have their own style of covers. Let me try to explain this better. YA romances often have covers with soft colors, couples, and landscape backgrounds. Fantasy covers will have weapons, symbols, and sometimes fighting. Horror covers will have dark colors, abandoned places, dolls, and other things like that. You see what I mean? I feel like the different genres have similar covers. Why?

My guess is that publishers know what will get books to sell. They found the right formula, and they stick to it. And while yes, no cover is exactly the same. There are definitely similarities.

Romance:

Horror:

Fantasy:

Science Fiction:

While it’s easier to see with more than three examples (thanks a lot, Anna), there is definitely a pattern. So what do you think? Do you see a pattern among the covers? Or am I just crazier than I thought that I was? Let me know in the comments!

EDUMACATION HERE I COME

Classes started up yesterday. I'm already exhausted. The second I moved back to school, life got swamped. I became busy with sorority recruitment stuff, choir, friends..It's going to be a heck of a year, I can feel it. But I also feel my energy depleting and my time slipping away from me. This week, I've had about an hour of free time every day.

That said, I might disappear a little, and I really hope you bear with me. I'll try to post as much as I can, but if past patterns have shown me anything, it's that my bookish life tends to be swept to the side when school starts. I worked on my blog A LOT this summer, and it's more important to me now than ever, so I'm really hoping that I'll still be semi-active. But I promise you, no matter how long I go without posting, I will be back. And I'll be back with fun, fresh content. I have so many ideas and plans that I can't wait to reveal to y'all. I love my blog and I love this community so much that I can't stay away! 

So, in an effort to combat a total disappearing act, I'm on the search for some help. I am doing an official call for guest posts/reviews and a co-blogger. I have two separate forms you can fill out, depending on which role you'd be interested in. Basically, if you fill out a form, you are NOT committing yourself to anything. I just want to get a good idea of who might possibly be interested and then I'll email you with more information (the sad fact is, it is almost midnight and I am too exhausted to provide all the details right now). 

So please, please, please sign up--even if you are NOT SURE whether or not this is something you truly want to do, because I could really use the help to keep The Left-Handed Book Lover alive. 

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please leave them in the "Any other information" box!! 

CO-BLOGGER APPLICATION

GUEST POST/REVIEW APPLICATION

THANK YOU SO MUCH. I LOVE YOU ALL DEARLY. I REALLY HOPE YOU DON'T GIVE UP ON ME THIS SEMESTER! 

Summer Blog Promo Tour #2: Jessica from The Book Bratz

So, today is the second week of the Summer Blog Promo Tour, hosted by the wonderful blog, The Book Bratz (seriously, they're awesome). This tour is exactly what it sounds like--bloggers promoting other bloggers! Every Sunday of July and August, a different blogger will be stopping by with a fun post to let you get to know more about them! And, of course, every week I will doing fun stuff on other people's blogs, so make sure to give them a gander.

Today, I'm thrilled to be hosting the lovely Jessica from The Book Bratz! Jessica is a dancer (another talent I am endlessly envious of), so we thought it would be fun if she shared some of the songs she loves to choreograph to. 

So, without further preamble: 

1. All Fall Down by One Republic
2. All of Me by John Legend
3. Cecilia and the Satellite by Andrew McMahon In The Wilderness
4. Come Home by One Republic
5. Turning Page by Sleeping at Last
6. Always Be by Holly Maher 
7. Fall For You by Secondhand Serenade 
8. Flightless Bird, American Mouth by Iron & Wine
9. Kiss Me by Ed Sheeran
10. Lux Aeterna by Clint Mansell

I've compiled all ten songs on a Spotify playlist if you wanna give it a hear. When she gave me this list, I immediately listened to all of them and just *insert heart eyes emoji* I added some new songs to my personal playlist, and also I'm now convinced that I, too, am a fantastic dancer (which is in no way true or a pleasant image--trust me). Anywaaaayyyy, the playlist!


I'm currently hardcore digging Cecilia and the Satellite now, thanks to you, Jessica!  Jessica has great taste in music, so you should definitely follow her. Here are some conveniently placed links for you to do so:  BLOG | TWITTER | GOODREADS Also, also, also don't forget to stop by Valerie's blog He Said Books Or Me to see my post! I talk about my non-bookish hobbies and there are, in fact, gifs included. 

So, any dancers out there--I want to know which songs you love dancing/choreographing to. And to the non-dancers such as myself--which of these songs make you wanna hop off your bed and do a  twirl or two?