Manic Monday Recaps (Week 4/12/10)

It's Monday again! Why is it that I always feel like I need a break after my weekends? urgh - and the weather is not helping any either. It's a dreary day here in sun-less South Florida.

Here's what I plan on reading this week:

I'm catching up on my YA. :)

Last week I read the following:
- Hold Still - Nina LaCour
- Flirting with Forever - Gwyn Cready
- Crazy Beautiful - Lauren Baratz-Logsted
- Dark Slayer - Christine Feehan
- The Body Finder - Kimberly Derting
- How I Live Now - Meg Rosoff
- The Darkest Passion - Gena Showalter
- 43 Old Cemetary Road: Over My Dead Body by Kate Klise & M. Sarah Klise

I reviewed the following:
- A Touch of Scandal by Jennifer Haymore [review]
- Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart by Beth Pattillo [review]
- The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen [review]

Sorry about the review shortage. I promise to try to have one up each day this week and I also promise to catch up on my giveaway winners.

On a side (and much happier) note, I got to meet GAYLE FORMAN last night (eeeekk)! I was so excited to have made my way over to her reading/signing under torrential rains on my own - since my lovely friends (a/k/a Book♥Soulmates) had too much fun on Saturday night and couldn't come along. And let me tell you, I was driving very carefully to get there. Considering what the book is about, I kept thinking how ironic it would be if I were to get into an accident.

Gayle was just the loveliest person. I felt terrible that she got the horrible, rainy Florida weather that we get most of April through June, but otherwise, it was a nice turnout. Her book If I Stay, was one of my favorite books read last year. Mia's story was heartbreaking and emotional, but at the same time, uplifting and hopeful. I gush to everyone about it's awesomeness and can't recommend it enough.

Gayle's reading was fabulous and just like the book and the importance that music plays throughout the story, she had music playing throughout her snippets of the story. It was very nice. She gave us insider tidbits about the upcoming movie, the one that Catherine Hardwicke (Twilight) would be directing, but is no longer, a new director is still in the works, and she even knows who the actor that will play Mia is gonna be, but she wasn't able to give us her name (boo!). But she is excited about it, so it does sound promising. She also gave us some info on the companion book to If I Stay - titled Where She Went (scheduled to release in 2011). It wasn't too much info, but she did say that it would be Adam's (Mia's boyfriend) story - taking place about 3 years later, and letting us see how he's handling the decisions and promises he made in If I Stay (hmmmmmmm) - can't wait.

Here are some pics of Gayle:

I also took a picture with her when she signed my book, but I refuse to put it up since it's not one of our better pictures (i.e. Gayle looks like a pirate [she has one eye closed] and I look like I'm choking)... don't ask.

Anyway, I mentioned to Gayle how excited I was to meet her and how I feel that authors are my rockstars... and she said the sweetest thing - Bloggers are her rockstars! LOVE HER!

Hope y'all have a great reading week!