Once Upon a Blog Hop - Contemporary Week!

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It's October! Bree from The Magic Attic and I have decided to host giveaways all through this month, and you can join us! The 'Once Upon a Blog Hop' will feature four weeks, and four genres. Each week, we'll giveaway a set of books on our blogs, and discuss reads within that genre. The titles will depend on the genre of that week.

Week one, which will last from October 3-9 is reserved for things in the Fantasy genre (paranormal, urban fantasy, supernatural, etc included). 

Week two, which lasts from October 10-16 is Steampunk week. 

Week three, which lasts from October 17-23, is for Contemporary.

Week four, which is October 24-30, is a week for Dystopia.

I'm so sorry this post is sooo late, but this week is contemporary.

Now for the questions:

• Who is your favorite contemporary author?
• What is your favorite contemporary book?
• Who is your favorite contemporary character?
• What do you love most about contemporary books?  

Share them with us! Write a blog post/Facebook post/Goodreads note/etc sharing some of your favorite/most highly anticipating titles within the fantasy genre, and attach our Once Upon a Blog Hop Week One: Fantasy banner to it. Leave a link below in the comments anytime during this week to share it with your fellow bookworms :)

I'll go first :D

Who is your favorite contemporary author?

Sarah Dessen, by a long shot. I love all of her books and characters and plots.

What is your favorite contemporary book?

That's hard because I pretty much love all the contemporary books that I read. As of lately, I'd have to say If I Stay and Where She Went by Gayle Foreman.

Who is your favorite contemporary character?

Dexter from This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen. If you've read the book, you know why.

What do you love most about contemporary books?

They're real. They focus on real struggles and hardships. I'm not saying paranormal doesn't, because I LOVE paranormal books. But contemporary books are usually just emotional battles for me. And, if written well, they REALLY make me feel. 

Now, time for free stuff!

Once Upon a Blog Hop - Steampunk Week!

<div align="center"><a href="http://theawesomemagicattic.blogspot.com/2011/10/once-upon-giveaway-blog-hop.html" title="The Magic Attic" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1131.photobucket.com/albums/m560/breechri/Blogger%20Buttons/OnceUponaBlogHop.jpg" alt="The Magic Attic" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

It's October! Bree from The Magic Attic and I have decided to host giveaways all through this month, and you can join us! The 'Once Upon a Blog Hop' will feature four weeks, and four genres. Each week, we'll giveaway a set of books on our blogs, and discuss reads within that genre. The titles will depend on the genre of that week.

Week one, which will last from October 3-9 is reserved for things in the Fantasy genre (paranormal, urban fantasy, supernatural, etc included). 

Week two, which lasts from October 10-16 is Steampunk week. 

Week three, which lasts from October 17-23, is for Contemporary.

Week four, which is October 24-30, is a week for Dystopia.

This is week two, therefore it is time for STEAMPUNK!

For those of you who don't know what steampunk is, well...it's sort of difficult to explain so I'll direct you to a post on Andrea Cremer's blog.

Now for the questions:

• What is your favorite steampunk book?
• What are your thoughts on steampunk in general?
• Are there any authors you would like to see try out their hand at steampunk?
• Are there any steampunk books being released that you are especially excited about?

Share them with us! Write a blog post/Facebook post/Goodreads note/etc sharing some of your favorite/most highly anticipating titles within the fantasy genre, and attach our Once Upon a Blog Hop Week One: Fantasy banner to it. Leave a link below in the comments anytime during this week to share it with your fellow bookworms :)

I'll go first :D

What is your favorite steampunk book?

Personally, I haven't actually read that much steampunk, and some of the books I've read I probably didn't even realize WAS steampunk. However, even if I had read a lot, I have a feeling my anser would be the same because of how much I LOVE the book. Clockork Angel by Cassandra Clare (which I am giving away). Clockwork Angel is the first book in the Infernal Devices series, which is the prequel to the Mortal Instruments series. Cassie Clare is just a fabulous author with fabulous ideas, plots...and BOYS!

What are your thoughts on steampunk in general?

I think steampunk is a really cool concept. The amount of steampunk books being produced is increasing daily, and I think there are a bunch of great ideas floating around, waiting to be written. Like I said, I haven't read a whole lot of steampunk, but I want to.

Are there any authors you would like to see try out their hand at steampunk?

Oh, hah! I made this question and I'm having a hard time answering it. Uh...okay. I have a few in mind. First, Kelley Armstrong. All of her books have really awesome plots and characters and I'd certainly be interested to see her attempt steampunk. Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. After reading the Caster Chronicles, I feel like they have the right feel in their writing. Richelle Mead. I just love her.

Are there any steampunk books being released that you are especially excited about?

Like I said, the amount of steampunk books is rapidly increasing, so there are a load of great books that are coming out. Obviously, I'm beyond excited for Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare. Also, Andrea Cremer, the author of Nightshade and Wolfsbane is writing a steampunk book, and I love her work so I'm pretty excited for that.

Now, we all love free stuff, right? Giveaway time!

I've added a ton of extra entries, so you can pick and choose which ones you want!

Announcements

Hello everyone! It has been a busy week for me so I haven't been able to post everything, so I'm doing a quick post with a few announcements.

First, I'm going to tell you that me and Bree from The Magic Attic are hosting an October blog hop called Once Upon A Blog Hop

(Thanks for the beautiful button, Bree)

Once a week during the month of October we will feature a different genre.

Week one: Fantasy (Paranormal/Supernatural included)
Week two: Steampunk
Week three: Contemporary (Romance, Edgy, etc)
Week four: Dystopia (Post apocalypse included)

There will be giveaways and we will be asking you questions about the genre and it will all be a bunch of fun, so make sure that you stay tuned for that!

Also, I am going to be taking part of some book tours, so here are the dates:

October 10: Flames of Surrender by Rhiannon Paille (I think I spelled that right!)

October 21: Blood's Voice by Aine Massie

October 23: Savor by Megan Duncan

November 5: Blood Bound by Aine Massie

So make sure you come back on those dates!

*If I forgot you, email me at gabbicalabrese@hotmail.com and let me know!

Something else I wanted to announce is that EVERYONE should head over to Ivy Reads because she is hosting a program that is absolutely fantastic, in my opinion. It is a big sib/little sib program where you fill out an application and you get a blog sibling! If you are a veteran blogger you get to be a big sib, and if you are a novice blogger like me you get to be a little sib! I thought it was a great idea and it definitely deserves some recognition.

Also, don't forget to head over to my new writing blog, WriTEEN Adventures, and if you are a teen that likes to write, fill out the application in the sidebar to become a part of the Team!

And don't miss your chance to WIN A COPY OF VAMPIRE ACADEMY BY RICHELLE MEAD!