Now, The Moon and More is brilliant. Obviously. It is written by the incredible Sarah Dessen. And you want to know something extremely exciting? Sarah Dessen will be taking in the awesome #PenguinChats in two days time along with the equally brilliant Cathy Cassidy! For more info on that, check out my posts: here!
If you can't be bothered with that, here's the basics: Ok, so #PenguinChats is back! Yay! For those of you who don't know what it is, here's the basic idea: it's to connect us bloggers and readers with some of our fave YA authros on Twitter for a 30-minute chat, using: @PenguinUKBooks and #PenguinChats. This time we get to interrogate chat with SARAH DESSEN AND CATHY CASSIDY!! Yay!!
And like I said, it's almost time... :D The chat is Sunday 30th June 2013 at 6pm BST and all you've gotta do to take part is use the trend #PenguinChats. To get you in the mood, Penguin has launched an awesome blog tour which is - you guessed it! - stopping by here today! Yay! :D
But onto the blog tour... Sarah has whipped up an awsome playlist for The Moon and More - enjoy! :D
But before you enjoy, remember these super important words:
But before you enjoy, remember these super important words:
The Moon and More Playlist
1. “Emaline,” Ben Folds Five. When I start having ideas for a book, the name of the narrator comes first. Sometimes, it’s instantly perfect, but others I have to figure out spelling and how I think it would be pronounced. I wasn’t sure how I wanted to spell Emaline’s name until I found this song by Ben Folds Five. And I just knew.
2. “Free Girl Now,” Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. A lot of this book is about breaking free of expectations and other things that might limit what you can, and do, end up accomplishing in this life. Plus this is a great kiss off song, and you can never have enough of those.
3. “Walk,” Foo Fighters. Another great song about starting over and making changes. Plus no one rocks like the Foo Fighters.
4. “Shake It Out,” Florence + The Machine. I started writing The Moon and More in the winter of 2011, then had to set it aside to go on tour to promote What Happened to Goodbye. Traveling and meeting my readers is always so fun, but it’s hard to be away from my family, and there were certain times I was just exhausted and homesick. This song was my therapy for MONTHS when those feelings hit, and I still put it on when I need to remember “it’s always darkest before the dawn.” It always does the trick.
5. “The Church of Everybody Else,” Ben Lee. I love all things Ben Lee, but the title of this song is what really got me. Like Emaline, I’ve spent too much time worrying about what other people think of me and my choices, but it’s also scary to decide not to worry about other people’s opinions, because then no one is accountable but you. It’s about a balance between the two, and like Emaline, I’m still trying to find it.
6. “Leaving New York,” R.E.M. A great song about coming to realizations about what a person can do for you, as well as finally getting the things they just won’t be capable of, no matter how much you wish things were different.
7. “Daughter,” Loudon Wainwright III. Emaline talks a lot in this book about the difference, in her mind, between her father and her dad. This song sums up parenthood to me, especially that sense of wonder I still feel at times about my own little girl: “That’s my daughter in the water/Who’d have ever thought her?”
8. “Silver, Blue & Gold,” Bad Company. I listened to so much classic rock when I was in high school: it was the soundtrack to my entire experience. I was driving one day and this song came on. I hadn’t heard it in years, and it just brought back SO much, especially my senior year, when I went through a really brutal breakup (read: I got dumped). My heart was just broken and hearing this song after all those years---“Don’t forsake me, cause I love you”---brought back all that pain in one big wave. I was dealing with some sad stuff in Emaline’s story as well, and it just made me get it that much more. Music has that kind of power. Thank goodness.
9. “Dreaming,” Blondie. The chorus says it all: “Dreaming is free.” Emaline’s limited by a lot of things in this story---money, family, people who aren’t who she wishes they could be---but in the end, I think she still ends up in a good place. You can’t stop hoping and wishing and just thinking things will and can happen. What’s the harm in it? After all, it doesn’t cost anything.
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Previous Stop On The Blog Tour: Chicklish
Next Stop On The Blog Tour: Daisy Chain Book Reviews
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Yay, thank you so much, Sarah! It's been great having you here - I love all these songs! I've just downloaded a whole bunch of Ben Lee - I loved that song!! :D
Now all of you - don't forget to check out the #PenguinChats on
Sunday 30th June 2013 at 6pm BST
and don't forget these either:
Happy reading!! :D