Meg-A Readers Kick Off! (My Meg Story!) (AND GIVEAWAY!!)
OH. MY. GOODNESS! I am SOOOO excited right now!!
Today is finally here!! Meg-A Readers has begun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Over the next couple of months, The Romance Bookie is going to be overflowing with posts dedicated to Meg Cabot.
As some of you may know, as I have mentioned it...oh only about a MILLION TIMES!! I am a HUGE Meg Cabot fan! And to further uphold my obsession of Meg's book, Diana, over at Little Miss Drama Queen, and I have joined forces...or maybe I should say blogs?...to give you the first ever Meg-A Readers Blog Hop!
Pretty exciting right??!!
I sure am!!!!!!!!!
ANYWAY, over the past two months Diana and I have gotten a few bloggers to join us, in celebrating the work of Meg! All of us are so excited for this, I've gotten many emails from participants letting me know how excited they are too!
We've got so many exciting things in store for you! From Book reviews, interviews, to GIVEAWAYS!
And with the support from MEG CABOT herself, we've got some AMAZING swag to give to her fans, like you!!
So keep up with us, over the next few months, where we'll be giving SOOOO Much information about Meg and her books, that your head is going to be spinning!!!!!
So to officially kick-off Meg-A Readers Blog Hop! I have decided to tell you all my official story of how Meg's books came into my life...
Flash back to a little over six years ago...It's the beginning of 2006 and I was a freshmen in high school, starting off my second semester. I'd lost most of my friends during the first semester, friends who'd vowed with me, only that past summer, that we would be BFFs forever and always...well, through some drama, hardships of changing, through the start of high school, to make a long story short, we weren't friends anymore.
I was left alone, while they all had each other.
I was sitting in my English class one day, having just transferred to the class, after my old English teacher had to leave on Maternity leave; when my teacher passed us all...our independent reading charts.
We all groaned in unison, especially when we learned we had to read ONE-THOUSAND pages that semester!
I hated reading! English was my second language, the only real books I had ever read at that point, were The Harry Potter Series! Nothing else though! Reading sucked!
Having nothing else to do during my lunch period, except sitting with a few friends I'd made, who let's just say, didn't quite like to talk about the same subjects I did, I decided to head to the library one day.
Scanning, what felt like, hundreds of books, each one blurring my vision, as they seemed to become one GINORMOUS book on the shelves, I started getting frustrated. I was going to fail this assignment!
We'd been reading the most boring books imaginable over the past few years, including a book about an old man and the sea, called none other than The Old Man and the Sea.
I was about to give up, and just except my failure, when a pink cover caught my eyes.
The Princess Diaries? Wasn't that movie, with Anne Hathaway and that lady from Mary Poppins? I thought to myself, as I turned it over in my hands.
I loved that movie! It had come out when I was only in fifth grade (TEN YEARS AGO NOW!!!), and the sequel had been pretty great too!
Not seeing any other choice, I decided to check it out of the library.
To be honest, I didn't expect much. Like I said, reading wasn't my strong suit at the time...or at least I thought so. I struggled in elementary school, always getting that low grade when it came to reading out loud, and always ending up having to spend at least part of the year in some sort of reading class. Teachers wouldn't allow me to check out the books I actually wanted to read, because they felt I wasn't quite ready for them, reading level wise.
Well, the next day, during my English class again, I picked up that tattered paperback copy, with it's library tape all over the front, and opened it to the first page.
Turning to the second page, I literally already found myself cracking up as I read "She has to go out with my Algebra teacher. Thanks Mom. Thanks a whole lot."
I couldn't believe it! I hadn't laughed while reading since starting Harry Potter in elementary school! How was that possible?!
I continued reading...finishing the book in less than a week, something I don't remember ever doing at the time...and almost immediately heading back to the library and checking out Book 2 in the series.
As I scanned the titles, all of which had some form of Princess in the title, I found myself quivering with excitement. There were just so many of them! And if each one could make me laugh, just like that first had? Wow! I couldn't even imagine!
Over those next few months, I read every Princess Diaries book available in the library. I read all the way to number Seven, which was Party Princess before I had to wait for the next book to released.
That summer I found myself going to the library, bored with nothing to do. I was directed towards the Meg Cabot section. And found what felt like hundreds of books by her! My mouth just dropped!
By that time, I had started collecting the Princess Diaries books, through Thrift Stores around my area. I'd even started rereading them, something I'd only done once in my life, a couple of years after I read Ella Enchanted, by Gail Carson Levine.
That summer I ended up reading FIVE different Meg Cabot books, ALONG with about ten other books (including 6 Nancy Drew books!).
I guess you could say, by that time, I'd been bitten by the reading bug.
I spent many lunch periods in the library.
During my sophomore year, I did end up hanging out with a couple of those old friends again, but for some reason in many ways it wasn't the same anymore, so when drama ensued, I found myself hiding out in the library. It was a small school, a TOTAL of a little less than about a thousand students, so usually the library was always empty, aside from the librarian of course.
Over my four years at my high school, I devoured not only every Meg Cabot book featured in there, but also probably close to a hundred other books. And that wasn't even including the books I found myself buying in Thrift Stores and book stores!
When I got my first job, in the summer before my junior year in high school, I found myself spending the majority of my paychecks on books! Books, that to this day, quite a few of them I haven't even read yet! I know, shocking right?!
Well, when my senior year rolled around, there was only one brand new book store open in my town (unfortunately, since then it's closed down). I walked in there, and Pre-Ordered my copy of Forever Princess, the TENTH and FINAL novel in the Princess Diaries Series.
Unfortunately, since the store owner was very unorganized, I ended up having to wait about two weeks past the release date, because the idiot had SOLD MY COPY to someone ELSE!
However, as I laid my hands on that light blue hardcover, I found myself opening it up immediately, and starting to read.
I finished that book in about a day.
And as I read that last sentence, "If I hadn't, I highly doubted I'd have gotten this majorly happy ending." I found myself bursting into tears.
I started my freshmen year with Mia Thermopolis.
Four years and about three months later, I graduated with her.
Mia became my best friend in high school. And even though she wasn't there to listen to me, without realizing it, she helped me through so much pain through school. She made me feel better, about becoming a young woman, the issues of boys, and the heartache they caused, as well as the break-ups of friendships, that were always believed to last forever.
It's been almost seven years, since I picked up my first Meg Cabot book in that cold library that became my sanctuary during high school.
Since then I've not only read practically every Meg Cabot book available in book stores, I own about sixty of them currently, but I also have a small library of my own sitting on my bookshelves in my room, containing not only Meg's novels, but anything from JK Rowling to Stephenie Meyer, to Sarah Dessen, Simone Elkeles, and even a couple of classics like Jane Eyre, A Midsummer Nights Dream, Romeo and Juliet, and Wuthering Heights.
I owe my reading fetish to Meg Cabot 100%! Without having found that pink cover from The Princess Diaries my freshmen year, for all I know I could have failed my independent reading that semester in my English class. Who knows?
Without Meg, I wouldn't have started my love for reading, I DEFINITELY wouldn't have even considered starting my own blog! Instead, I would probably be one of those ignorant people who makes fun of readers and bloggers.
Now, do you know what I have to say to those ignorant people?
Go to the library and pick up the first book that catches your eye! For all you know, it could be the one to change your life forever! :)
Thank you Meg! I look forward to reading and Rereading EVERYTHING you write in the future, and from your past! I know these next few weeks I'll definitely be looking forward to enjoying many of them again, as we begin our first ever Meg-A Readers Blog Hop! :)
Today is finally here!! Meg-A Readers has begun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Over the next couple of months, The Romance Bookie is going to be overflowing with posts dedicated to Meg Cabot.
As some of you may know, as I have mentioned it...oh only about a MILLION TIMES!! I am a HUGE Meg Cabot fan! And to further uphold my obsession of Meg's book, Diana, over at Little Miss Drama Queen, and I have joined forces...or maybe I should say blogs?...to give you the first ever Meg-A Readers Blog Hop!
I sure am!!!!!!!!!
ANYWAY, over the past two months Diana and I have gotten a few bloggers to join us, in celebrating the work of Meg! All of us are so excited for this, I've gotten many emails from participants letting me know how excited they are too!
We've got so many exciting things in store for you! From Book reviews, interviews, to GIVEAWAYS!
And with the support from MEG CABOT herself, we've got some AMAZING swag to give to her fans, like you!!
So keep up with us, over the next few months, where we'll be giving SOOOO Much information about Meg and her books, that your head is going to be spinning!!!!!
So to officially kick-off Meg-A Readers Blog Hop! I have decided to tell you all my official story of how Meg's books came into my life...
Flash back to a little over six years ago...It's the beginning of 2006 and I was a freshmen in high school, starting off my second semester. I'd lost most of my friends during the first semester, friends who'd vowed with me, only that past summer, that we would be BFFs forever and always...well, through some drama, hardships of changing, through the start of high school, to make a long story short, we weren't friends anymore.
I was left alone, while they all had each other.
I was sitting in my English class one day, having just transferred to the class, after my old English teacher had to leave on Maternity leave; when my teacher passed us all...our independent reading charts.
We all groaned in unison, especially when we learned we had to read ONE-THOUSAND pages that semester!
I hated reading! English was my second language, the only real books I had ever read at that point, were The Harry Potter Series! Nothing else though! Reading sucked!
Having nothing else to do during my lunch period, except sitting with a few friends I'd made, who let's just say, didn't quite like to talk about the same subjects I did, I decided to head to the library one day.
Scanning, what felt like, hundreds of books, each one blurring my vision, as they seemed to become one GINORMOUS book on the shelves, I started getting frustrated. I was going to fail this assignment!
We'd been reading the most boring books imaginable over the past few years, including a book about an old man and the sea, called none other than The Old Man and the Sea.
I was about to give up, and just except my failure, when a pink cover caught my eyes.
I loved that movie! It had come out when I was only in fifth grade (TEN YEARS AGO NOW!!!), and the sequel had been pretty great too!
Not seeing any other choice, I decided to check it out of the library.
To be honest, I didn't expect much. Like I said, reading wasn't my strong suit at the time...or at least I thought so. I struggled in elementary school, always getting that low grade when it came to reading out loud, and always ending up having to spend at least part of the year in some sort of reading class. Teachers wouldn't allow me to check out the books I actually wanted to read, because they felt I wasn't quite ready for them, reading level wise.
Well, the next day, during my English class again, I picked up that tattered paperback copy, with it's library tape all over the front, and opened it to the first page.
Turning to the second page, I literally already found myself cracking up as I read "She has to go out with my Algebra teacher. Thanks Mom. Thanks a whole lot."
I couldn't believe it! I hadn't laughed while reading since starting Harry Potter in elementary school! How was that possible?!
I continued reading...finishing the book in less than a week, something I don't remember ever doing at the time...and almost immediately heading back to the library and checking out Book 2 in the series.
As I scanned the titles, all of which had some form of Princess in the title, I found myself quivering with excitement. There were just so many of them! And if each one could make me laugh, just like that first had? Wow! I couldn't even imagine!
Over those next few months, I read every Princess Diaries book available in the library. I read all the way to number Seven, which was Party Princess before I had to wait for the next book to released.
That summer I found myself going to the library, bored with nothing to do. I was directed towards the Meg Cabot section. And found what felt like hundreds of books by her! My mouth just dropped!
By that time, I had started collecting the Princess Diaries books, through Thrift Stores around my area. I'd even started rereading them, something I'd only done once in my life, a couple of years after I read Ella Enchanted, by Gail Carson Levine.
That summer I ended up reading FIVE different Meg Cabot books, ALONG with about ten other books (including 6 Nancy Drew books!).
I guess you could say, by that time, I'd been bitten by the reading bug.
I spent many lunch periods in the library.
During my sophomore year, I did end up hanging out with a couple of those old friends again, but for some reason in many ways it wasn't the same anymore, so when drama ensued, I found myself hiding out in the library. It was a small school, a TOTAL of a little less than about a thousand students, so usually the library was always empty, aside from the librarian of course.
Over my four years at my high school, I devoured not only every Meg Cabot book featured in there, but also probably close to a hundred other books. And that wasn't even including the books I found myself buying in Thrift Stores and book stores!
When I got my first job, in the summer before my junior year in high school, I found myself spending the majority of my paychecks on books! Books, that to this day, quite a few of them I haven't even read yet! I know, shocking right?!
Well, when my senior year rolled around, there was only one brand new book store open in my town (unfortunately, since then it's closed down). I walked in there, and Pre-Ordered my copy of Forever Princess, the TENTH and FINAL novel in the Princess Diaries Series.
Unfortunately, since the store owner was very unorganized, I ended up having to wait about two weeks past the release date, because the idiot had SOLD MY COPY to someone ELSE!
However, as I laid my hands on that light blue hardcover, I found myself opening it up immediately, and starting to read.
I finished that book in about a day.
And as I read that last sentence, "If I hadn't, I highly doubted I'd have gotten this majorly happy ending." I found myself bursting into tears.
I started my freshmen year with Mia Thermopolis.
Four years and about three months later, I graduated with her.
Mia became my best friend in high school. And even though she wasn't there to listen to me, without realizing it, she helped me through so much pain through school. She made me feel better, about becoming a young woman, the issues of boys, and the heartache they caused, as well as the break-ups of friendships, that were always believed to last forever.
It's been almost seven years, since I picked up my first Meg Cabot book in that cold library that became my sanctuary during high school.
Since then I've not only read practically every Meg Cabot book available in book stores, I own about sixty of them currently, but I also have a small library of my own sitting on my bookshelves in my room, containing not only Meg's novels, but anything from JK Rowling to Stephenie Meyer, to Sarah Dessen, Simone Elkeles, and even a couple of classics like Jane Eyre, A Midsummer Nights Dream, Romeo and Juliet, and Wuthering Heights.
I owe my reading fetish to Meg Cabot 100%! Without having found that pink cover from The Princess Diaries my freshmen year, for all I know I could have failed my independent reading that semester in my English class. Who knows?
Without Meg, I wouldn't have started my love for reading, I DEFINITELY wouldn't have even considered starting my own blog! Instead, I would probably be one of those ignorant people who makes fun of readers and bloggers.
Now, do you know what I have to say to those ignorant people?
Go to the library and pick up the first book that catches your eye! For all you know, it could be the one to change your life forever! :)
Thank you Meg! I look forward to reading and Rereading EVERYTHING you write in the future, and from your past! I know these next few weeks I'll definitely be looking forward to enjoying many of them again, as we begin our first ever Meg-A Readers Blog Hop! :)
The Romance Bookie :)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
And if you still would like to sign-up to participate, here is the sign-up!
Oh and don't forget to enter the Grand Prize giveaway!! This Giveaway is just one of the many featured during this event, but it is the biggest! :)
This Giveaway is open from May 15st until the end of Meg-A Readers Blog Hop! (July 21st!)
Your story is great. I felt the same way about her books, friends came and went but those books were always there.
ReplyDeleteAnd you were lucky; when I started reading there were only 4 Princess Diaries books out. Which is why I've reread those so many more times.
Looking forward to the next two months!
What a sweet story Mandy! I love this!
ReplyDeleteThank you Karen! I tried! :)
DeleteI just stumbled across this... Thank Meg Cabot!!! I discovered her books in middle school starting out with the Princess Diaries!!!!!!! I love how she's always cranking out awesome books for us to read. I love the Boy Meets books and the Heather Welles series.
ReplyDeleteMe too! Except I started reading her novels my freshman year in high school :)
DeleteThat's a great story!!
ReplyDelete:D
Thanks Alex!
DeleteI loved your story! Almost the same happened to me and I COMPLETELY agree with you that those ignorant people should go to the library and pick up the first book that catches their eye. Reading has changed my life too and it all started with Meg!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear it! I believe she's changed many young girls (and boys) lives :)
DeleteI love love love Meg. I think I first git hooked with All American Girl. Then I discovered the Heather Wells books and fell in love!
ReplyDeleteHey McKenna! I loved both of those! I'm hoping to reread the Heather Wells Series during the next couple of months! :)
DeleteWhat a wonderful story of your journey into the bookish world! I enjoyed it very much (: I'm so excited about the blog hop! A pity this one isn't international. Are all the contests in this blog hop open to US only or are there a few which are internationally open? I'd like to know! Thanks a lot ;D
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, the giveaways I'm doing are only US, because I have to pay shipping on my own, and it is just too expensive to ship outside of the US. I'm SOOO sorry! I wish I could.
DeleteMeg Cabot has been my favorite author for 11 years, ever since Princess Diaries came out on my 14th birthday. Read my story over at http://jowritestheblog.blogspot.com and also see the calendar (so far) for this blog hop!
ReplyDeleteGreat story! :) I found Meg Cabot books at around the same age.
ReplyDeleteAwesome story! This seems so great :)
ReplyDeleteI loved your story!!!! So I actually just finished Abandoned my first Meg Cabot book and I loved it. I have had a bunch of her books on my TBR pile and I have just never gotten around to them I will now be reading more of her books because I really enjoyed Abandoned!!!! Thanks for this great giveaway I would love to read Underworld and start my own Meg Cabot collection!!!!
ReplyDeleteOh I hope you enjoy Meg's other books when you read them in the future! :)
DeleteWonderful story! And I can totally relate! Sometimes I feel like without books I will never survive school :)Especially Meg's books just always give me hope and grea, strong heroines to look up to!
ReplyDeleteYes books are definitely a HUGE part of my life! :) And Meg's heroines are definitely awesome and so relate able too! :)
DeleteThanks for stopping by!