Reading Road Trip: Maryland (and GIVEAWAY!)

Hey there! Welcome to the Reading Road Trip Day 7! This fabulous blog event is coordinated by the amazing Britta from I Like These Books and Hafsah from IceyBooks.

Follow the rest of the road trip!

I am BEYOND excited to share with you the wonders of MY state, Maryland! I am honored to have been chosen to represent Maryland. So, I hope you enjoy my post!

What's so great about Maryland?

- MD is one of the thirteen original colonies; it is the seventh state

- MD is the most democratic state in the USA

- The Baltimore Ravens (MD's football team) won the Superbowl in the seasons of 2000 and 2012!

- MD hosts the Pimlico race, one of the three races of the Triple Crown

- MD was one of the border states in the Civil War

- MD has Johns Hopkins University (HOLLA! I'll be a freshman there in August!), a top-15 university in the USA

- MD is the fifth greenest state in the USA (yay environment!)

- Baltimore, MD's largest city, used to be known as The City That Reads

Classic Maryland Foods!

(edited to add this section, because I'm clearly without a brain if I can talk about Maryland without mentioning Maryland foods)

- Blue crabs! From the Chesapeake Bay! So like, crab cakes. Crab dip. Steamed crabs. That sort of thing. I kind of don't like crabs (I know, I'm a disgrace to Maryland)

- Oyster... stuff. Oyster stew. Steamed oysters. I don't really like oysters either.

- Chicken. Okay, this one is really general, but one of the most known Perdue farms is in Maryland! Plus, there are a ton of privately owned poultry farms all over Maryland.

- Pit beef (sandwiches). Oh, yeah.

- BERGER COOKIES! The best cookies in the world!

- Smith Island Cake (the official dessert of Maryland)

(Smith Island Cake)

Maryland Slang!

The most distinct slang of Maryland comes from Baltimore - or "Balmar", I should say. Check this out:

- Hon is the most famous Baltimorese word, and it's an endearment

- Pavement ("payment") is the substitute for "sidewalk"

- O's is short for the Orioles (we're in Birdland, people!)

- Down the ocean typically means going to Ocean City

- Ok/Kay is used a lot in the beginning of sentences, but this might not just be a Maryland thing

- Wash can be pronounced "warsh"

- Carry can be pronounced "curry"

- Maryland can be pronounced "Murland"

I don't use most of those words/phrases/connotations in my speech, but I hear them all the time!

Famous Maryland People (NOT including authors):

- Spiro Agnew, 39th Vice President (with Nixon)

- Benjamin Banneker, scientist

- Frederick Douglass, abolitionist

- John Wilkes Booth, assassinated Lincoln (yikes...)

- John Dickinson, lawyer, officer during the American Revolution

- Babe Ruth, baseball player

- Harriet Tubman, abolitionist,

- Roger B. Taney, 5th Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court

Well-Known Maryland Authors (Historic):

- Francis Scott Key (Oooo, didn't know he was an author? YUP!)

- Upton Sinclair (The Jungle)

- Leon Uris (Exodus)

- Edgar Allan Poe (Okay, he WROTE in Maryland, but he was born in Massacusetts)

- Tom Clancy (Clear and Present Danger)

Well-Known Maryland Authors (Modern):

(Author websites/blogs and books' Goodreads links provided)

- Sara Walsh (The Dark Light)

- Brigid Kemmerer (The Elemental series)

- Jeri Smith-Ready (The Shade trilogy)

- Ellen Oh (The Dragon King Chronicles)

- Laura Kaye (Hearts in Darkness)

- Kelly Fiore (Taste Test)

- Lea Nolan (The Hoodoo Apprentice series)

- Karen Hooper (The Kindrily series)**

**She lives in Florida, but she was born in Maryland!

Well-Known Maryland Bloggers:

(Blog links provided!)

- ME! (Couldn't help myself)

- Jen from Jenuine Cupcakes

- Hannah from The Irish Banana

- Lena from I Love Books Club

- Jessica from Step Into Fiction

- Steph from Cuddlebuggery

- Stacey from Fantasy Book Addict

- Scarlett from Books Before Bed

- Liza from Reading with ABC

- Amber from The Musings of ALMYBNENR

- Terri from My Book Boyfriend

- Rachel from Unforgettable Books

- Kelly from KellyVision

- Alexa from Writing the Universe

- Nadah from Reading, Writing, and COFFEE!

And now, for the giveaway!

Okay, so there are a ton of books set in Maryland, and even more books by Maryland authors. But I thought I'd give away a book that is one of my all-time favorites, AND recently got a new cover!

Recognize this beauty? Check out my review (and the old cover) HERE.

The Dark Light by Sara Walsh

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Publication Date: August 28, 2012

Summary (from Goodreads):

Mia is torn between two guys—and two worlds—in this epic, romantic fantasy.

Mysterious lights have flickered above Crownsville for as long as Mia can remember. And as far as she’s concerned, that’s about the only interesting thing to happen in her small town. 

That is, until Sol arrives. Mia’s not one to fall for just any guy, but she can’t get Sol—or the brilliant tattoo on his back—out of her mind.

Then Mia’s brother goes missing, and Mia’s convinced that Sol knows more than he’s sharing. But getting closer to Sol means reevaluating everything Mia once believed to be true. Because Sol’s not who Mia thought he was—and neither is she.

Author Blog | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

The Giveaway:

Grand Prize: A paperback pre-order of The Dark Light by Sara Walsh, a mini-poster with the original cover of The Dark Light, and a bookmark with the original cover of The Dark Light! Open to anyone as long as The Book Depository ships to your country!

Second Prize: A mini-poster with the original cover of The Dark Light, and a bookmark with the original cover of The Dark Light! Open to anyone!

PLEASE read the rules in the Rafflecopter before entering!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Feature and Follow Friday (#15)

The Feature & Follow is a creative meme that allows bloggers to get to know each other, and gain more followers! It is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee and Alison Can Read.

If you would like, it would be great if you followed me via Email, GFC, Linky, Bloglovin, or Google+ (all on the right). Let me know in the comments if you did, leave a link to your blog, and I will comment and follow back! I always do, I promise! Thank you!

Q: If you could hang out with any author (living) who would it be and what would you want to do?

Kristin Cashore, author of the following:

  

I love fantasy, and I love the world that Cashore has created in these books. I know that whatever Cashore writes in slow and deliberate, what she wants it to be, and not what a deadline is telling her to write (Bitterblue took like, four years!). I would love to meet Kristin Cashore. We'd probably have some interesting conversations about world happenings.

Also, I would love to meet Sara Walsh, author of:



She lives in Maryland. I live in Maryland. BUT, even though Maryland LOOKS like a small state, it's really not THAT small. We're easily at least an hour apart from each other. Same with me and Brigid Kemmerer, author of:

     

It sucks that Sarah Walsh and Brigid Kemmerer live in the same state as me (in fact, I think THEY live close to each other, but really far from me), and I've never met them. But, I know I will soon!

How about you, lovely people! Let me know in the comments your response, and how you follow me! I always follow new people back!

Review: The Dark Light by Sara Walsh

The Dark Light by Sara Walsh

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Publication Date: August 28, 2012

Rating: 5 stars

Source: Won a giveaway 

(This review is a little late. I read this book back in September! The first review was originally posted HERE, on December 28, 2012)

For the year of 2012, I have not given many five-star ratings (most of my reviews are on Goodreads), but this book definitely deserved all five stars. I do not understand why the overall rating of this book is so low. This book is incredible. 

Summary (from Goodreads):

Mia is torn between two guys--and two worlds--in this epic, romantic fantasy.

Mysterious lights have flickered above Crownsville for as long as Mia can remember. And as far as she's concerned, that's about the only interesting thing to happen in her small town.

That is, until Sol arrives. Mia's not one to fall for just any guy, but she can't get Sol--or the brilliant tattoo on his back--out of her mind.

Then Mia's brother goes missing, and Mia's convinced that Sol knows more than he's sharing. But getting closer to Sol means reevaluating everything Mia once believed to be true. Because Sol's not who Mia thought he was--and neither is she. 

What I Liked: 

I am going to be honest - I had very high expectations for this book. I am a sucker for fantasy, paranormal, and a little science fiction. This book met all of my expectations and then some. I expected to see a weak-ish protagonist in the beginning of the book, with tunnel vision (to find her brother), and at the end of the book, she is defiant and brave, but still wary and concerned about herself and others. I definitely saw the character development in Mia. I liked her from the start, because she cared about her brother more than anything else. But I also liked how she attacked situations head-on, considering the factors that came on both sides of the decision. 

On the topic of protagonists, I liked Sol. He is one of my favorite heroes of Young Adult literature this year. And it is not because he is described as absolutely gorgeous - tall, brooding, and oh so ripped - but also because he is fierce and loyal, yet gentle and sweet. He seems so sure of himself, but not in a cocky, arrogant way; and yet, sometimes, he is nervous and hesitant in his actions and feelings. 

I loved the fantasy in this book - because Sol and Delane are warriors, which ups my respect for them. Delane is a cute, funny character, but he is serious and stern when he needs to be. I loved how Ms. Walsh ties the royalty and lands and wars aspects into this book. It is epic! Trust me. I could go on and on (but I will not). 

What I Did Not Like: 

I cannot say that there was much that I did not like. This sounds stupid, but it is so true. I loved this book so, so much. 

Would I Recommend It: 

YES! To all fantasy lovers out there, this is definitely a book for you. 

Rating:

5 stars. I really hope this book is not a standalone, because I want more! Wonderful debut, Ms. Walsh!

Author Blog | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

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