Saturday, June 23, 2018

GIVEAWAYS!

Hey there! Happy Saturday!
Just a reminder that I have two giveaways going on right now.
Don't forget to enter!
 Read the review, answer the question, and let me give you a book!
 Join the "Splash Into Summer" Giveaway Hop and win a $10 gift card from Amazon.
Scroll down the web page for all information and get in on these great giveaways!

Wednesday, June 20, 2018

BOOK REVIEW: Tell Me No Lies and Giveaway

TELL ME NO LIES
By Adele Griffin
Algonquin Publishers
June 2018

Amazon Synopsis:
Lizzy Swift is a senior in high school, shyly emerging from her nerd chrysalis to take her first gamble on the Argyll social scene. She braves a relationship with her longtime crush, Matt Ashley, and befriends the reckless, enigmatic senior transfer, Claire Reynolds, who introduces Lizzy to downtown Philadelphia—its clubs, street life, and vibrant art scene. Soon art and passion take priority over homework, after-school jobs, and her longstanding Ivy League ambitions.

But almost as quickly, these delights and distractions are clouded by suspicions and doubts. Sometimes Lizzy feels that she and Matt are soul mates; other times it seems he’s holding back from her. Claire can be moody, and while she confesses bits and pieces of a breakup so heart-wrenching she changed schools, she won’t tell Lizzy the whole story. Lizzy wants Claire to confide in her, even as she keeps her own secrets from her new best friend.  When startling revelations inevitably come to light, they just might shatter these delicate bonds of love and passion, friendship and loyalty.

Set against the neon pop of the late eighties and told with authentic voice and inimitable prose, Adele Griffin’s heart-racing novel takes readers on a journey through the thrill of rebellion and the complications of first love. 

My Thoughts: First,I loved that this story took place against the back drop of the 1980's. The reference to music,clothes and culture were fun. These were the days before selfies, text messages, and snap chat. The cover of the book looks light-hearted and makes it look like it's going to be a cotton candy read but, in all actuality it's filled with very complex characters. 

Each character carries a secret that can lead to heartbreak or shattered friendships.The main character Lizzy is extremely likable as she tries to navigate epilepsy, her senior year, college choices, a possible first love, and complicated friendships. She is an easy character to root for throughout the book. On the other hand I pegged Claire as a frenemy(who becomes Lizzy's best friend) as soon as she and Lizzy met. I didn't like her at all, but as the story starts to unfold you see where Claire comes from and the empathy starts to pour in. 

As if these characters and their issues aren't big enough to deal with in a story- the author throws a curve ball of the AIDS epidemic that is running rampant through the United States during this time. It's so easy to forget what a scary time this was for everyone. The author bravely dips a toe into the lack of knowledge, the fear, and the intolerance that was happening during this time period. 

The characters in the book are easily relate-able and likable, each with their own great story to tell. I thoroughly enjoyed reading "Tell Me No Lies" and look forward to Adele Griffin's next book.

This book was sent to me by Algonquin Young Readers for review and as no baring on my review or thoughts about the book. Because this is an ARC I would like to give this away to the first person who answers this question--What is the name of Lizzy's best friend? in the comment section below.
CONTEST IS OVER. THANK YOU!!!!


A LITTLE ABOUT AUTHOR ADELE GRIFFIN
Adele Griffin is the highly acclaimed author of almost thirty books for Young Adult and middle grade readers.Her works include the National Book Award Finalists Sons of Liberty and Where I Want to Be, as well as the popular Oodlethunks series for younger readers. Her latest novel The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone was a YALSA Best Book of 2015, an Amazon Best YA Book of the Year, a Booklist Top Ten Arts Books for Youth, a Junior Library Guild selection, a Romantic Times Finalist for Book of the Year, and a School Library Journal Top Fiction pick. Her latest novel Be True to Me is publishing in June 2017 with Algonquin Books.Adele serves on the Board of Directors of the MacDowell Colony, and is on the advisory board of 826NYC. She lives with her husband, Erich, their two young children, and their dog, Edith, in Brooklyn, New York.

MOVIE REVIEW-"LOVE, SIMON"

The Movie: LOVE, SIMON
PG-13
How do I even put into words how much I loved this movie? 
Love, Simon is adapted from the book "Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda" It's just one of those movies that you can tell your going to love by looking at the movie poster, I mean...come on..the lead actor, Nick Robinson, is adorable. The trailer hooked me and then I'm sitting in front of my TV with a bowl of popcorn falling in love with all the characters.(sigh) It also stars the actress from 13 Reasons Why, Katherine Langford.
Please rent this movie and watch it with your tween/teen. The message is powerful and hopefully gets the message across that everyone deserves a love story.
The Book:


Thursday, June 14, 2018

GIVEAWAY HOP: SPLASH INTO SUMMER

SUMMER IS HERE!!!
AND WHAT A AWESOME WAY TO KICK IT OFF!

To enter this giveaway and a chance to win a $10 gift card from Amazon-I'm asking you to do THREE things:



I'm only asking you to do THREE things to enter this giveaway:
1. Follow "Mug of Moxie" on Facebook
2. Follow "Mug of Moxie" on Twitter
3. Follow "Mug of Moxie" on Blogger(here)
ALL buttons are located to the right on my blog page.
This is giveaway is INTERNATIONAL.
Please Include contact information(email address)in comment section.
Giveaway for a $10 gift card will run from June 15th to June 30th
Winner will be chosen on July 2nd 
Good Luck AND a GIANT thank you from Mug of Moxie!
AND thank you to Book Hounds for hosting this fantastic giveaway!


Sunday, June 3, 2018

READING AT THE MOMENT......


 ARTEMIS
BY ANDY WEIR

Jasmine Bashara never signed up to be a hero. She just wanted to get rich. 
 
Not crazy, eccentric-billionaire rich, like many of the visitors to her hometown of Artemis, humanity’s first and only lunar colony. Just rich enough to move out of her coffin-sized apartment and eat something better than flavored algae. Rich enough to pay off a debt she’s owed for a long time.
 
So when a chance at a huge score finally comes her way, Jazz can’t say no. Sure, it requires her to graduate from small-time smuggler to full-on criminal mastermind. And it calls for a particular combination of cunning, technical skills, and large explosions—not to mention sheer brazen swagger. But Jazz has never run into a challenge her intellect can’t handle, and she figures she’s got the ‘swagger’ part down. 
 
The trouble is, engineering the perfect crime is just the start of Jazz’s problems. Because her little heist is about to land her in the middle of a conspiracy for control of Artemis itself. 
 
Trapped between competing forces, pursued by a killer and the law alike, even Jazz has to admit she’s in way over her head. She’ll have to hatch a truly spectacular scheme to have a chance at staying alive and saving her city. 
 
Jazz is no hero, but she is a very good criminal. 
 
That’ll have to do. 
 
Propelled by its heroine’s wisecracking voice, set in a city that’s at once stunningly imagined and intimately familiar, and brimming over with clever problem-solving and heist-y fun, Artemis is another irresistible brew of science, suspense, and humor from #1 bestselling author Andy Weir.

***THE JUDGE IS STILL OUT...I'M NOT A BIG FAN OF SCI-FI. BUT MY BROTHER RECOMMENDED IT SO I'M GIVING IT A SHOT...STAY TUNED....