With winter just around the corner, this is a perfect theme for a blog hop. What better way to spend the chilly evenings than with a few beloved books? There are many books I'm glad to have read, either for pure enjoyment or because they challenged me to see topics from different viewpoints. But these two titles are ones I'm GRATEFUL I READ because they've helped me to improve as a writer and expand from my fav paranormal genre into contemporary young adult fiction projects. And here's why...

Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

I still remember the day I randomly decided to buy this book after skimming the paranormal Young Adult fiction shelves at a Chapters store and being caught by the simple, yet effective cover. Zero blood, no fangs, and yet...something about it called to me. That the novel was a duo point of view tale written by two authors - also a draw. How would they pull something like this off? Would the story be choppy? Would one voice stand out more than the other? Nope. The freaking nailed it!

This was also the first Young Adult title I'd read that had a similar "voice" to any contemporary stuff I'd tried writing, but thought my style was too edgy. It was because of Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist that I decided contemporary YA was my next genre to tackle. NOTE: I would encourage you to read the book, then see the movie. And if you've only seen the film - try the novel, you won't be disappointed.

Just One Day by Gayle Forman

I confess, I haven't read Forman's most talked about novel, If I Stay, as I'm not a fan of that sub-genre that has been called "sick lit" - and I almost didn't fork out the money for my copy of Just One Day, because I stressed that one of the characters might die at the end. And I wasn't in the mood for crying novel. Hey, don't judge. I've been on a paranormal fiction binge for about ten years now and one thing about them - immortality, hello! Main characters usually don't bite it. Well, they bite, but....

Anyway, I read Just One Day - um...in about one day. :) Forman does a wonderful job of immersing you in the magic and misadventures of young people traveling abroad. As someone who has accompanied her social studies teacher husband on a few school trips to Europe, I also found myself wondering what would happen if some of the students we were charged with supervising had slipped away from the tour group. The mind boggles! (Fingers crossed this NEVER happens.) While I stressed over that plot point, I did indeed fall in love with the characters and their tenuous romance. I'm GRATEFUL I READ Just One Day as it sent me on a mission to seek out other New Adult titles and this is another genre I'm tackling with my own writing.

So here's to these two great reads who have sent me down other literary paths! To celebrate I have this cool giveaway for a $20.00 Amazon Gift Card. Enter below....


a Rafflecopter giveaway
Check out other blogs participating in this hop.