Nadette Rae Rodgers's Blog, page 5
June 12, 2018
Upcoming Event | Blueberry Hill Association
Hi All!
Just wanted to post a quick update and let you all in the Pittsburgh area know that I will be doing an Author Appearance this Thursday from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Blueberry Hill Association Community Room. You can find more info here, on my Upcoming Events page. So, come celebrate Flag Day with us with some Red and Blue books! 
June 11, 2018
Nadette Rae Reads | Instagram
Hi all!
I’ve gotten a lot of questions about what I’m currently reading or what books have influenced my writing. So, I decided to start a second Instagram account where I will be sharing photos of books I’m currently reading or reviews of my favorite books! The full reviews will all be posted here on the blog, but snippets and my overall thoughts will be shared on the new Instagram.
[image error]@nadetteraereads My new account!
I will be continuing my author Instagram account (@nadetterae). This new account will be strictly for “Bookstagram” posts.
May 29, 2018
Announcement | Look HOO won an award!
I am so thrilled to have been named a Finalist in the 2018 International Book Awards! This book was such a joy to write! My favorite thing is that parents and grandparents have been reaching out to me telling me it’s their child’s favorite book. I think that is the best compliment an author could ever get!
Thank you to the International Book Awards! I am so honored!
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Happy Reading!
~Nadette
May 24, 2018
Announcement | Book Three of The Illusion Trilogy Title Revealed!
And the title of the third (and final) book of The Illusion Trilogy is…
*drum roll please*
“Sweet Dreams”
[image error]Revealed on Instagram @nadetterae
The Illusion Trilogy, consisting of Illusion (book one) and Echo (book two), follows Addison Smith, a dreamer who’s Dreams and nightmares come true in her waking life. The 5-star Romance-Thriller Trilogy will come to a close with Sweet Dreams, to be released later this year. •
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I can’t wait to share more info about this book with you all!
Now, off to go write some more!
Happy Reading and sweet dreams!
~Nadette Rae
May 23, 2018
My Summer TBR | My Top 8 Books for Summer of ’18 (Summer Reads)
Hello all!
May is coming to a close which means summer is almost officially here! For me, my college semester just wrapped up, so in my book it is officially summer time! That means time to focus on finishing Book Three of The Illusion Trilogy and hopefully get some more info about that out to you all soon (be sure to check back tomorrow for a new detail!).
It also means time to catch up on my reading– books not assigned for courses! I’m really excited about these books, so I wanted to share my top 8 books I want to read for the Summer of 2018!
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This summer:
I want to read another Sarah Dessen novel. I have been reading one of her books every summer because to me, Dessen completely captures the vibe of summery books. Summer officially starts when I get to walk into a bookstore and pick out a new Sarah Dessen book and read it.
I want to also read a Kasie West novel. I have seen many reviews by my fellow book bloggers of West’s books and they sound very cute and classic summer romantic book, so I really want to read one of her stories. (Suggestions on which one to start with, anyone???)
I want to read a classic novel. Some friends of mine have read many classic novels and gave me some recommendations. I really want to read more classic literature, so I’m hoping to get a jump on that this summer.
Better Off Friends by Elizabeth Eulberg
Talking As Fast As I Can by Lauren Graham
Someday, Someday Maybe by Lauren Graham
The Summer Series by Jenny Han (now this is technically 3 novels, but this series is the epitome of summery books! So I am very excited to read these!)
Not If I Save You First by Ally Carter (this book takes place in Alaska, which is not exactly a summery-type book. However, I think it’ll be a good escape during the very hot days of summer to read a book with snow and Alaska and bears. This book just came out this spring, and I am really excited to finally have a break from school so I can take the time to read it!)
Well, there you have it! The top 8 books I am looking forward to reading Summer of ’18! If you guys have any suggestions, comment down below and let me know what summery books you are looking forward to reading or have read in past summers that you just loved!
Happy Reading and Happy (almost) Summer!
~Nadette
March 16, 2018
Free Download Day
Hi all!!
Illusion is FREE! Yes free!! Today on Amazon Kindle. Today is the last day it’s free.
Get your copy today and read Illusion before the third book in the trilogy comes out!
Click here to download it on Amazon.
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~Nadette
January 1, 2018
8 Books I can’t wait to read in 2018 | Happy New Year Part 3
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! I hope you all had a fun and memorable New Years Eve, and I hope your 2018 is off to a wonderful start!
I decided to make my Goodreads challenge 18 books this year, since it’s 2018! I ended up reading 17 books last year, which was not my goal, but I thought it was fitting for the year. So this year, I made my goal 18 books! I’m going to really focus on taking time to read this year. So hopefully I reach that goal!
With that being said, here is a list of 8 books I am really excited to read this year (8 for 2018):
1. Talking as Fast as I Can (Lauren Graham’s memoir)
2. Someday, Someday Maybe (Lauren Graham’s novel)
3. Not if I Save You First (Ally Carter’s latest book that comes out this Spring!)
4. All the Light we Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
5. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
6. Fallen by Lauren Kate
7. The Midnight Dance by Nikki Katz
8. The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon
Some of these are new and coming out, and others are books I’ve recently gotten or heard about and I’m really excited to read them!
Do you guys have any books you’re looking forward to reading in 2018? Or any recommendations for me? I’d love to hear them and am always looking for more books to read!
happy new year!
~Nadette Rae
December 31, 2017
THE BEST YA BOOK I READ IN 2017 | Happy New Year! Part 2
Good Afternoon Everyone!
I hope you all are enjoying the last few hours remaining of two-thousand seventeen! I really can’t believe this year is almost over. Yesterday’s post listed my top 7 books I read this year in the young adult category. I thought I’d pick 7 for 2017 (I didn’t have a list of 17 books in the YA category because I focused more on reading classic novels this year.) Tomorrow, I have a post planned for the top 8 books I am excited to read in 2018.
For those of you who read yesterday’s post (click here to see my list of my 7 favorites), you know that I left the number one spot blank. This is because I haven’t given this book a full review yet here on the blog, and I felt this YA novel deserved it’s own post. As I also said yesterday, this book is not just my favorite book of 2017, but it may just be my new all time favorite book!!
And that book — my FAVORITE read of the whole year — is…
*drumroll*
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Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone
So without further ado, here is my full review of this incredibly well written novel.
Book: Every Last Word
Author: Tamara Ireland Stone
My Goodreads Rating: 5 stars! *****
[image error]As I was creating the following images, that depict my favorite line from the book, I spilled some of the letters from my message board on the floor. I had this idea to scatter the letters and numbers around the book (without the dust jacket because the spine was so pretty and blue) and jumble everything. I left the word “words” showing because this book highlights the importance of words. What we say and think has an effect. There’s always a jumble of words in our heads, but some stick out more than others. So, that is the little story behind this photo. Follow @nadetterae on Instagram for others.
Synopsis (via Goodreads.com):
If you could read my mind, you wouldn’t be smiling.Samantha McAllister looks just like the rest of the popular girls in her junior class. But hidden beneath the straightened hair and expertly applied makeup is a secret that her friends would never understand: Sam has Purely-Obsessional OCD and is consumed by a stream of dark thoughts and worries that she can’t turn off. Second-guessing every move, thought, and word makes daily life a struggle, and it doesn’t help that her lifelong friends will turn toxic at the first sign of a wrong outfit, wrong lunch, or wrong crush. Yet Sam knows she’d be truly crazy to leave the protection of the most popular girls in school. So when Sam meets Caroline, she has to keep her new friend with a refreshing sense of humor and no style a secret, right up there with Sam’s weekly visits to her psychiatrist.Caroline introduces Sam to Poet’s Corner, a hidden room and a tight-knit group of misfits who have been ignored by the school at large. Sam is drawn to them immediately, especially a guitar-playing guy with a talent for verse, and starts to discover a whole new side of herself. Slowly, she begins to feel more “normal” than she ever has as part of the popular crowd . . . until she finds a new reason to question her sanity and all she holds dear.
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My Review:
Do you know the feeling when you’ve just finished reading a book and it was just so perfectly and beautifully written that you just close the book, sit there a minute, and say wow?
That’s how I feel right now, after just finishing this book. Stone’s writing in Every Last Word captivated me. Every. Last. Word. If I could give more than five stars as a rating for this book, I would.
Honestly, the way this book was written and the way each little piece was woven together so well, makes it feel so realistic. As the reader, you feel like you are Sam McAllister, and you’re invested in the story and all of the character’s in Poet’s Corner.
Which, how insanely cool is Poet’s Corner?! For those of you who have read it, let me know below what you thought ofthe concept. But for those of you who haven’t yet read it, it is basically a hidden room at Sam’s high school where the teens “who need it” go to read their poetry or sing the songs they wrote. After reading this book, I seriously wish my school had a secret club like that, meant only to help and build others up through words. Because words have so much power. Every last one of them.
Each kid in the group was dealing with something. And as AJ says, “everyone’s got something.”
[image error]Speaking of AJ! His story and character really stuck with me. I was just amazed at how Ms. Stone portrayed this boy and the things he’s accomplished and overcome, despite the difficulties he’s had. The way his forgiveness and his kind heart shine through in this story was so inspiring to me. I don’t know that I could have that much forgiveness if I were in his position.
AJ and Sam were so amazing together in that they were exactly what they needed from one another. There is one part in the book where Sam says of him, “…thinking about how perfect he is, maybe not in every way, but in every way I need him to be.” And I just found that line to be so incredible and well-said. I think a lot of people get caught up in the “perfect” love story or the “perfect” guy. I really appreciated the way this author said that line. AJ was perfect for Sam and Sam was perfect for AJ, in exactly the ways they needed.
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Also, the ending (which I will not say here to avoid spoilers) was SO well done and blew my mind. Also, the idea of 3’s in this book and the playlists and titles is so well incorporated into chapter titles and even the whole book’s title is only three words. Honestly, this author just thought everything through and it really shows in the writing and plot. In her author’s note, Stone explains the time she spent researching to make sure her story was accurate, and that really showed in the book as well. And as a fellow author who puts a lot of time into research before and while writing, I really appreciated that she put that time in. You can tell the subject is close to her heart and because of the effort she put in to explaining things, I am very interested in the subject as well.
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So thank you, Tamara Ireland Stone, for writing this story in the way you did and crafting a character I related to in so many ways like Sam McAllister, so that you could shed some light on difficult subjects like mental health. I think your story and the backstory to why you chose to write on this topic will help and inspire so many people.
My favorite quote:
“ Everyone’s got something,” he says.
“Do they?”
“Of course they do. Some people are just better actors than others.”
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So with that, I hope that you all have a very wonderful New Years Eve and a very Happy New Year! I hope that 2018 is better than you can imagine! I also hope that we all think about words and the impact they have on those around us, and ourselves. I know that my words are going to be a big focus in 2018, especially as I finish writing The Illusion Trilogy. With this being the final book in the series, I know the words I chose to end it with are very important and I want to really focus on my writing.
Happy New Year!
~Nadette Rae
December 30, 2017
My favorite 7 reads of 2017 | Happy New Year
Happy (almost) 2018! Wow, I can’t believe this year is coming to a close already! So many amazing things have happened this year, and I have all of you to thank for that! I also have some really exciting things planned for 2018 so stay tuned.
For today, I thought I’d share my top 7 reads from the year before that 7 changes to an 8 in January 1st, 2018.
7. The Crown by Kiera Cass
6. Once and For All by Sarah Dessen
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5. Take the Key and Lock Her Up by Ally Carter
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4. Happily Ever After by Kiera Cass
3. See How They Run by Ally Carter
2. Girls in the Moon by Janet McNally
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1. Check back tomorrow to read my review of my FAVORITE YA book I read in 2017. And let me tell you, this book might just be my all time favorite book now!
Wishing you all a very happy new year and a fabulous last two days of 2017!
~Nadette
October 31, 2017
Happy Halloween | Top Ten Thrilling Reads
Hi all! HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Today I thought it would be fun to share my top ten spooky/ thrilling reads. I’ll link all of them to Amazon in case you want to download any to read as a Treat this Halloween!
The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe (Some Poe is a necessity for a spooky Halloween night!)
The Bazaar of Bad Dreams by Stephen King (A really interesting collection of eerie short stories by King, another classic writer for this time of year.)
Whisper by Dana Faletti (angels on earth and demon-slayers, what more says Halloween than this?)
Red Riding Hood by Sarah Blakely-Cartwright (I also recommend watching this movie as a scary movie that isn’t “jump-scares” but really makes you think and keeps you on the edge of your seat!)
Beastly by Alex Flinn (This one is a romantic story for those of you who aren’t big on scary books/movies. I also really love this movie too!)
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare (more angels and demons and creatures for this Halloween!)
Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia (witches!)
Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling (Wizards! Another classic Halloween costume and story.)
Twilight by Stephanie Meyer (It wouldn’t be Halloween without some vampires.)
The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allen Poe (Another classic Poe story.)
AND!
If you’re looking for a thrilling, fast-paced read that will “captivate” you and leave you on the edge of your seat this October 31st, look now further than the first two books of The Illusion Trilogy!
You can download them both to your Kindle, Kindle App, or e-reader and read exciting stories complete with a masquerade dance, hidden pasts, a spooky small town, a menacing antagonist, and NIGHTMARES.
Click here to get both Kindle versions today for just $6.98!
Spooky Reading & Happy Halloween!
~Nadette
