Notice for Review Requests

I receive review requests weekly. However, my personal schedule is hectic and I no longer review actively. (I also manage another blog called The Toronto Cafe and Food Blog). I do read every request sent but I apologize in advance that I do not reply to them all.

If I do take on a request, I will forewarn that it may take some time before I can review it. I am now looking to review adult fiction and self-help books instead of young adult fiction because I have grown out of it. If you are to request a review for either adult fiction or self-help, I will more likely to give it a shot.

In the meantime, Stop, Drop, and Read! serves as an archive book review blog. When I have the time, I may post a review. Thank you for understanding.

Saturday, November 10, 2012

4th Annual YA Novel Discovery Contest

Just passing on a message for YA writers to be! :)


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4th Annual YA Novel Discovery Contest
Get in Front of Top YA Editors and Agents with
ONLY the First 250 Words of Your YA Novel!

No query? No pitch? No problem!
Have a young adult novel—or a YA novel idea—tucked away for a rainy day? Are you putting off pitching your idea simply because you’re not sure how to pitch an agent? No problem! All you have to do is submit the first 250 words of your novel and you can win exposure to editors and a review of your manuscript from one of New York’s TOP young adult literary agents, Regina Brooks.

NOVEMBER IS NaNoWriMo
In honor of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo.org)—an international event where aspiring novelists are encouraged to write an entire novel in 30 days—this contest is meant to encourage the aspiring YA author to get started on that novel by offering an incentive for completing the first 250 words.


GREAT PRIZES
The Grand Prize Winner will have the opportunity to submit an entire manuscript to YA literary agent Regina Brooks AND receive a free, 10-week writing course, courtesy of Gotham Writers' Workshop, plus a collection of gourmet teas from Possibiliteas.co!

The Top Five Entrants (including the Grand Prize winner) will receive a 15-minute, one-on-one pitch session with Regina Brooks, one of New York’s premier literary agents for young adult books. They will also receive commentary on their submissions by editors from Scholastic, Feiwel and Friends, Random House, Harelquin Teen, Kensington, Kimani Tru, Candlewick, Bloomsbury, Simon and Schuster and Sourcebooks. In addition, they will receive a year’s subscription to The Writer magazine!

First 50 Entrants will receive a copy of Writing Great Books for Young Adults by Regina Brooks.

HERE’S HOW IT WORKS:
The rules of the contest are simple and entering is easy. Submit entries of ONLY the first 250 words of your manuscript and the title via the contest website at http://www.writingclasses.com/ContestPages/YAPitch.php.

One entry per person; anyone age 14+ can apply. Open to the U.S. & Canada (void where prohibited). 

Entries for the YA Novel Discovery 
Contest will be accepted from 12:01am (ET) November 1st, 2012 until 11:59pm November 30th, 2012 (ET).

YA literary agent Regina Brooks and her team, will read all of the entries and determine the top 20 submissions. These submissions will then be read by Navah Wolfe Simon and Schuster, Tracey Sherrod Harlequin Kimani, Krista Viola Random House, Nicole Raymond Candlewick, Rachel Griffiths Scholastic, Aubrey Poole Sourcebooks, Mercedes Fernandez Kensington, Nataysha Wilson Harlequin teen, Laura Whitaker Bloomsbury, Anna Roberts Feiwel and Friends and Kendra Levin from Penguin. These judges will whittle the top 20 down to five, and each of the five winners will be provided commentary on their submissions.

So enter now! http://bit.ly/YAContest

Regina Brooks is the founder of Serendipity Literary Agency and the author of Writing Great Books for Young Adults and You Should REALLY Write a Book: How to Write, Sell, and Market Your Memoir. Brooks has been instrumental at establishing and building the careers of many YA writers, including three-time National Book Award Honoree and Michael Printz Honoree Marilyn Nelson, Bil Wright Winner of the Stonewall Award, as well as Sundee Frazier—a Coretta Scott King Award winner, an Oprah Book Pick and an Al Roker book club selection. Her authors have appeared in USA TODAY, NY TIMES, Washington Post as well as on Oprah, ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, FOX, MSBNC, TV ONE, BET and a host of others. As an agent, she is known for her ability to unearth raw talent and develop successful 

authors.

For more information contact Regina Brooks
info@serendipitylit.com
@serendipitylit
www.serendipitylit.com/facebook

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Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Watching on Wednesday: Girls

Title: Girls (Season 1)
Type: Show
Age Group: Older Teens +
Release Year: 2012
My Rating: 5/5

A TV series following real problems of a group of girls in their 20s living in NYC.

LOVE IT. Yes, straight to the point with this review. It's one of the very few modern shows I find that tackles life issues in a more realistic way compared to something like Gossip Girl. Each girl has their very own unique personalities and quirks that contribute to the show. I admit, one of the girls, Shoshanna (Zosia Mamet), can get a little too animated for me. But I absolutely love love love Marnie (Allison Williams) because not only is she stunningly gorgeous but I love her caring for her best friend Hannah (Lena Dunham) and her stern persona. 

What I enjoy watching as well are the sex scenes. Nothing explicit but a lot more realistic with what sex would be like in real life compared to the glamorized version in Hollywood. It can be awkward sometimes and Girls definitely brings that up.

There is no direct plot line because the show follows the girls' lives day-to-day. I really don't mind it because I personally enjoy how it's a show I can relate to. Such as how relationships fall apart and time changes everything. If you want something more plot-driven, Girls may be a little bit harder to get into. 

The one thing that I did find bothersome once in awhile is the lack of proper transition from one episode to another. It doesn't happen for every episode but I realize that it would time skip and you suddenly would be like, "What just happened? When did this just happen?". However, overall I highly recommend this show. I watched episode one after another after I started until I was done. I am very eager for the second season this winter!


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