Let's Talk is a weekly feature here at i swim for oceans. I think it's important that we all have our say, and there's something to be said for raising our voices. Simply put, here on the little old blog, I like to host some of my very own discussion posts because, well, I like to converse with you all.

And so, Let's Talk will feature questions or prompts, which I will answer, too. Love it or hate it, weigh in or don't, it's my hope that Let's Talk will at least get you thinking...and maybe even get you discussing with the rest of us!

With Thanksgiving approaching, what are you most thankful about in the world of books (blogging, authors...anything) this year?

Thanksgiving is one my all-time favourite holidays - probably mostly because we get to spend this time with our loved ones, all of whom abstain judgment about our overeating for one day. Yes, I'm that gluttonous. However, truly, there are so many things to be thankful this year, and when I began to think about it in terms of my blog, I'm thankful for so many things. Here are just a few:

• I've been blogging for almost four years now, and the fact that I managed to come back to some wonderful, sweet friends and follower after a nearly 8-month hiatus was something I'm really, truly thankful for. Who would have thought that I'd still have readers after that long - and some wonderful new ones, at that?
• The book blogosphere has changed a lot over the past three(+) years and, while some of these changes might not have been my favourite, there seems to be a loyal core of friends, wonderful reviews, generous publisher and fantastic authors. 
• I am so, so, so thankful to the amazing authors whom we get to interact with every day. This community has really united people around a true love of books and the written word, and the authors we interact with are the present and future of our literature. It's fantastic to watch people transition from bloggers, to literary interns and editorial assistants and, sometimes, authors themselves!
• The publishers are pretty much a godsend for book bloggers out there. Their dedication and generosity fuels the fire and excitement for new books, inspires us to try new things and, at times, step outside of our comfort zone. Going to BEA and meeting some of the publicists I interact with on a daily basis is one of my all-time favourite memories.
• My fantastic, amazing, wonderful friends and readers...I am thankful for all of YOU. Even if I didn't have a blog, I'd be reading every day, but the fact that you introduce me to books and vice versa multiple times a week is incomparable. The fact that you take my opinions to heart is so amazing and, basically, you all rock!

This season makes me sentimental, so you'll have to forgive me, but I'm truly thankful for so much that I've seen, done and accomplished through book blogging, and I've made so many wonderful friends through it all. It's quite the community we have, my friends!

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. The feature was created because they are particularly fond of lists over at The Broke and the Bookish.

Each week they will post a new top ten list that one of our bloggers at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All they ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a great way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

Top Ten Things That Make Being a Book Blogger/Reviewer Easier

1. NetGalley - The easiest way to read and access eARCs. Plain and simply, my friends. It's fantastic.

2. eReader - I own a Barnes & Noble Nook. While I'm attached to my hard copies, this lil' device has changed reviewing books for the better. Forever.

3. SEO - It sounds silly, but my day job has made my book blogging easier. SEO lets me make my site more visible to search engines and to lovely readers like you.

4. Edelweiss - I swear this is one of the best kept secrets of book blogging. It's incredible to browse and sometimes access e-galleys from publisher catalogs.

5. Book Expo America - If you've been, you get it. Meet the publishers, meet the authors, meet your friends. It's awesome.

6. Facebook - This is a no-brainer. Connect with one of the largest social engines on the web and your site and reach will boost exponentially.

7. Book Blogger Convention - I only went the first year, but I hear it got a lot better this past year, which means it can only get better. I can't wait to see what else they have in store for us.

8. LibraryThing - Enter your library. Share it with a community of book lovers like yourself. Spread the word about great books. It's awesome.

9. Twitter - This is also a pretty obvious one. Real-time interactions between authors, book lovers and publishers, plus an easy way to get the word out about your posts? Yes, please.

10. Goodreads - This should be first on my list, and it kind of really is. I think that reviewing was made a HELL of a lot more simple with this awesome site. To date, I've posted 382 reviews there, and I have really found some of the best recommendations and libraries ever. I love it. You MUST have it.

Kids, it's that time of year again. You know, that time of year where Christmas happens in July for all the lovely bloggers and bookish people in the world? Well, if you live under a rock (no offense to all of you that live under rocks of course), that time of year comes along when BookExpo America rolls around at the Javits Center in New York City. Now, the reason I'm telling you this is because I left for Ohio yesterday morning to meet up with Jenny from Supernatural Snark. Proof? See below.

The point of this post is simply to say that posts are going to be sporadic at best this week. Jenny and I are headed to NYC early tomorrow morning for the Book Blogger Convention, then we'll be there through Thursday. We're super excited to see all of you - bloggers, authors and publishers/publicists - we can't flipping wait!

I'll be doing my very best to update you all throughout the week with the goings-on. Here's to another great year - and a million wonderful bookish people all crammed into one building!

As we all know, the book market (and the YA market in particular) is fast-becoming dominated by killer covers that rival the content of the books. I'm a self-professed cover slut, and I'm completely okay with that, but I think it's time we pay a little tribute to the fantastic covers on the market today. So, welcome to a brand new Friday feature at i swim for oceans!

Each week, I will feature a book with a cover that just blew my mind with its amazingness, and I invite you to join in. Simply post the cover, the author/publisher, the release date, why you love it and any other pertinent details you'd love to share with other cover-lovers out there. Want to join in? Simply link up and join the fun!

Title: Liesl & Po
Author: Lauren Oliver (Twitter...Facebook)
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publish Date: October 4, 2011

Fun Fact: Apparently the ARCs came out in adorable cutout theatre boxes - as magical as the cover itself! I got my copy at BEA, so I didn't get one, but I believe it. I saw a hint of it on Lauren's blog.

Why I Have Cover Love: It's enchanting, obviously. Remember those Grimm's fairy tales with the classic, ornate covers? This is like a throwback to that, and I'm excited to have something more artsy on my shelves.

What do you think? Are you dying of cover love over a certain book? Link up and share the love with the rest of us!

As you all know, I had the great privilege and honour of attending BookExpo America in May, and I'm still swimming in a huge sea of books (many of which are duplicates). So, what better way to celebrate our shared love of reading than to offer some books in a giveaway to all you lovely people, eh?! In that spirit, we're onto giveaway number 3...here's what's up for grabs:

The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney

February 8, 2001 - Flux

Freak. That's what her classmates call seventeen-year-old Donna Underwood. When she was seven, a horrific fey attack killed her father and drove her mother mad. Donna's own nearly fatal injuries from the assault were fixed by magic—the iron tattoos branding her hands and arms. The child of alchemists, Donna feels cursed by the magical heritage that destroyed her parents and any chance she had for a normal life. The only thing that keeps her sane and grounded is her relationship with her best friend, Navin Sharma.

When the darkest outcasts of Faerie—the vicious wood elves—abduct Navin, Donna finally has to accept her role in the centuries old war between the humans and the fey. Assisted by Xan, a gorgeous half-fey dropout with secrets of his own, Donna races to save her friend—even if it means betraying everything her parents and the alchemist community fought to the death to protect.

Awesome, right?! Here are the rules to enter: You do NOT have to be a follower but, as always, it's always appreciated. This giveaway is open internationally and will end promptly at midnight on Sunday, July 24th. Still interested?

Click HERE to enter!

Title: Fury
Author: Elizabeth Miles
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Published: August 30, 2011
Genre: YA, Paranormal
Pages: 352
Source: Publisher

Between cozy traditions and parties with her friends, Emily loves the holidays. And this year’s even better--the guy she’s been into for months is finally noticing her. But Em knows if she starts things with him, there’s no turning back. Because his girlfriend is Em’s best friend.

On the other side of town, Chase is having problems of his own. The stress of his home life is starting to take its toll, and his social life is unraveling. But that’s nothing compared to what’s really haunting him. Chase has done something cruel...something the perfect guy he pretends to be would never do. And it’s only a matter of time before he’s exposed.

In Ascension, mistakes can be deadly. And three girls—three beautiful, mysterious girls—are here to choose who will pay. Em and Chase have been chosen.

Emily's crush is finally spending time with her, and she's ecstatic. The catch? It's her best friend's boyfriend. Chase's love interest is finally showing interest in him, but it appears she has a secret, and it's driving him mad. With teens, rampant hormones, festivities and a group of gorgeous girls who are set to wreak havoc on those committing sins against one another, it's setting up to be one heck of a holiday. Love makes people do crazy things, and winter break in Ascension, Maine is about to get crazier than ever.

Fury is the first book in a planned trilogy loosely based upon the myth of the Greek Furies. Placed in the modern context of a high school dynamic, loaded with teenagers and rampant with hormones, Fury explores the idea of what might happen if, indeed, these mythical Furies were real and how life would continue for a group of teens. Author Elizabeth Miles has created a pulse-pounding adventure alive with detail and imagery sure to captivate teen readers. Fury features a pressure-building approach, leading up to an ultimate climax that will leave you desperate for book two.

I have to premise my review saying that if you're going into reading Fury looking for a true and accurate take on the Furies, allow me to enlighten you. This is what I like to call "mythology-lite," meaning simply that Fury takes liberties that changes much of the actual idea of the Furies, while borrowing the idea of their revenge as the fuel for the fire of the story. That said, let me focus on the characters for a moment. I'll be honest and say I didn't really like any of them, but let me clarify that my saying that I don't believe I was supposed to. The fact that I didn't like them actually made me like the story more because they felt more tangible and their acts seemed more real and reprehensible, if that makes sense. Em and Chase were pretty good characters - fleshed out and flawed, which drove the story towards the whirlwind finish. The Furies, however, were a bit too surface-only for me. I didn't get much anger, or emotion at all from them. Mostly, I just knew they were deceptively gorgeous, and a lot of time was spent on that. I wish I'd known more about them. Also important to note is the pacing of Fury. Not quite slow, but certainly steady, I found that the pace grew a bit tiring for a bit, but as you reach the end of the book, the action is fast, intense and white-knuckle worthy.

All in all, Fury was a pretty good book with a great premise and a pretty decent follow-through. While I think a lot could have been played up and played out, I do look forward to seeing book two (hopefully) exceed book one. I give it a strong 3.5 out of 5, and I'd recommend it to upper YA audiences due to some graphic and foul language, as well as other lurid teenage activities. Those who enjoy paranormal stories and series will also enjoy Fury.

I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. The feature was created because they are particularly fond of lists over at The Broke and the Bookish. They'd love to share their lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week they will post a new top ten list that one of our bloggers at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All they ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

BROKE AND BOOKISH 1 YEAR BLOGOVERSARY -- Top Ten Reasons I Love Being A Book Blogger/A Bookish Person:

1. The authors - How else could I have met so many fantastic authors, writing fantastic books in one fantastic group?! I know I just said fantastic 23984023894098234 times, but for real...having the opportunity to speak to authors like Michelle Hodkin and Savita Kalhan is such a treat.

2. The books - Don't get me wrong, I've always been a reader, but I didn't know about half the books I learned about once I started book blogging. Plus, I've had the chance to introduce others to the awesome books I've been reading.

3. The bloggers - It's true! I'm not even lying...meeting lovely people like Jenny from Supernatural Snark, Danny & Pushy from Bewitched Bookworms, Anna from Anna Reads, Tara from Hobbitsies and Jamie from The Perpetual Page Turner was one of the most exciting times of my life. If you have the chance to go some day, trust me, it's worth it.

4. BEA - Uhhhhh duh. Need I really say more? Books. Authors. Giant venue for all of us to geek and fangirl/boy out. Yeah, sold.

5. Goodreads - I didn't know about it until I started blogging, and now it's honestly a tool I use every single day. I always find books I need to add to my lists, and finding obscure books is SO much fun!

6. Geeks > Normal People - I finally found a forum where I can be as geeky as I want...and the bonus? Everyone else is exactly like me! Win-win situation, of course!

7. Me time - I get to spend an hour+ to myself every day focusing on what I love so much without anyone telling me to "shut up about books already" or to "go get a better hobby." Plus, I get to be as introspective and honest as I want.

8. Learning to be critical - Don't get me wrong. I still read just to read, but learning to critique books and writing has been so fun, and it gives me a reason to analyze the stories I read.

9. Learning to write better - I would LOVE to be a YA author someday! Will I be one? Probably not, but I've learned so much more about what to do and what not to do. It's like a constant writing class for me.

10. The amazing, amazing, AMAZING publishers - I knew the big names in publishing when I first started blogging, but getting to know the people that work there, as well as the smaller publishing houses and the ins and outs of indie publishing has been amazing - plus, they are so generous, and I'm endlessly grateful for them!

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine, and specifically spotlights upcoming novels we can't wait to read. As always, there are some amazing upcoming books, but this week I'm particularly excited for...

Title: Frost
Author: Wendy Delsol
Publisher: Candlewick
Published: October 11, 2011
Genre: YA, Paranormal
Pages: 384

After the drama of discovering that she’s a member of the Storks, a mystical order of women endowed with powerful abilities, Katla Leblanc is finally settling into her life in chilly Minnesota. In fact, the ex-California girl even hopes for a white Christmas.

But Katla’s wintry wish unexpectedly turns into the snowstorm of the century, drawing the attention of Brigid, a gorgeous environmental researcher with an amazing array of fur coats and an unusual interest in Katla’s boyfriend, Jack.

Once upon a time, I read and reviewed the first book in an entirely original series and was completely blown away. That book was Stork, and when I discovered that the sequel, Frost, was coming out this fall, I almost died with excitement. Now, I was lucky enough to meet the amazing Wendy Delsol at BEA this year and score an ARC of this one, but I'm holding off reading it a little until the review date. I can't wait to see how Katla is growing in her role as a Stork, and I'm intrigued by this new girl that might just be more than meets the eye. I'm sensing tension, and I'm loving it! Plus, this darker cover for book two is just stunning. What do you think, and what are you waiting on this week?

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine, and specifically spotlights upcoming novels we can't wait to read. As always, there are some amazing upcoming books, but this week I'm particularly excited for...

Title: Bunheads
Author: Sophie Flack
Publisher: Poppy
Published: October 10, 2011
Genre: YA, Contemps
Pages: 304

As a dancer with the ultra-prestigious Manhattan Ballet Company, nineteen-year-old Hannah Ward juggles intense rehearsals, dazzling performances and complicated backstage relationships. Up until now, Hannah has happily devoted her entire life to ballet.

But when she meets a handsome musician named Jacob, Hannah's universe begins to change, and she must decide if she wants to compete against the other "bunheads" in the company for a star soloist spot or strike out on her own in the real world. Does she dare give up the gilded confines of the ballet for the freedoms of everyday life?

First, I have to mention how super-cute and clever the cover of Bunheads is. Second, I have to say that I managed to snag an ARC of this bad boy at BEA this past week, BUT because the release is so far away, I'm desperately waiting to start reading this! I think the premise is cute, and I really like that the protag is older YA. I'm really hoping that resonates in her voice. I also like that it sounds a wee bit like Center Stage, or something like that. I'll never be a dancer (though I desperately tried for years, I'm built for swimming), but reading books like these gives me a teensy glimpse into their pretty lives. What do you think, and what are you waiting on this week?

So, as you all probably know, I spent the better half of this past week at BookExpo America, or better known as BEA at the Javits Center in New York City. I went in with few expectations, but I came out with a lot of books, amazing experiences and the chance to meet with some of my favourite authors and bloggers, as well as some of the fabulous contacts I've made since starting this lovely little site. It would be easy to say that the trip was worth it for the books, alone, but truly my time at BEA was made better by meeting other like-minded bloggers, readers and reviewers like myself, not the least of whom were the fabulous ladies behind Supernatural Snark, Bewitched Bookworms, Hobbitsies, Fiction Folio and more.

Now, a lot of what happened at BEA was exactly as I'd expected. For example, there were lines. LOTS of lines. There were also hundreds (maybe even thousands) of people milling about the center throughout the day. There was also definitely a tangible air of excitement from the time the doors opened and well past closing time. There were, however, also things I didn't expect. The bruises from book bags, overzealous fans and many more events that I was even expecting. I will definitely make a more set schedule next time because I most certainly intend to go again, and I definitely want more time to spend with more people, too. To those who couldn't go, don't worry! There's always next year, and remember that each year, things change up a wee bit...plus, I've made sure to get a few treats for those of you who couldn't make it this year, too.

So, in the spirit of kicking off just the first of many to come BEA giveaways, I'm offering a very coveted ARC of the third book in Maggie Stiefvater's popular Shiver trilogy. What book, you ask? Well, see below (yes, it's really up for grabs!)

Here are the rules:

This giveaway ends at exactly midnight on June 11, 2011, and it's open internationally. You do NOT have to be a follower to enter, but it is definitely always appreciated. The winner will be chosen by the all-too-awesome Random.org, and the winner will be emailed directly. Still interested in the ARC of Forever? 

Click HERE to enter!

It's true, my friends. I'm a day late due to the news I (still) can't tell you all, but I'm off to BEA today! If you don't know what BEA is, you may be living under a rock, but allow me to enlighten you...BEA is Book Expo America where little nerdlets like ourselves go get their geek on with authors, panels, conferences, exhibits and more, all dedicated to the amazing written word. How cool is that?!

Anyway, posts will be a bit sporadic this week, though comments should be good, so I'll do my best to keep you all updated! I have a busy schedule set up, and I'm so excited to meet some amazing bloggers, too. I hope to see all of you there!