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text 2018-03-28 17:59

I have stayed away from these curated boxes because so much of the stuff inside looked like junk to me but after seeing this one and all of the great items being posted on Instagram, I broke down and used my piddly tax increase of $10 a week to subscribe to the Nocturnal Reader's Box as a present to myself before the cash got sucked up by something else far less fun. I am picky and I have no room in my house for junk and I am thrilled with this box. There was only one item that I didn't recognize, a little wooden pin featuring artwork from a book I haven't yet read. This is a fun, high quality box containing no junky filler.

Here it is!

March's box included a coffee mug in tribute to Jack Ketchum's passing, a Mr. Mercedes print of Brady in his ice cream man garb, two Dark Tower stickers, a book mark, a little wooden pin for a book I haven't read yet but will get to at some point, a hardcover copy of a new release "The Gone World"by Tom Sweterlitsch and a trade paperback copy of John Farris's "The Fury".

And this creepy t-shirt that I will wear to scare my daughter! It's a little baggy but it's better than being skin tight! The quality far exceeds my usual Old Navy fare too. It's nice and soft for such a creepy shirt :)

You can check out the company at their website: The Nocturnal Reader's Box

horror merch

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text 2014-04-26 00:24

Tiny Book Haul (Haul #1)

Tea & Tomes

Today was very sad. One of my favourite bookstores is permanently closing.

On the plus side, that means their entire inventory is on sale! So of course, I picked up some things. I ended up getting 3 books, a cute bookmark, and a bookish t-shirt.

I got only short books for the Deweys 24-Hour Readathon tomorrow (which I will be posting updates on every 3 hours here)

Title: Dubliners

Author: James Joyce

Edition: Paperback, Penguin English Library

Page #: 224

Goodreads Description:

This work of art reflects life in Ireland at the turn of the last century, and by rejecting euphemism, reveals to the Irish their unromantic reality. Each of the 15 stories offers glimpses into the lives of ordinary Dubliners, and collectively they paint a portrait of a nation.

Utopia Title: Utopia

Author: Thomas More

Edition: Paperback, Penguin Classics

Page #: 192

Goodreads Description: In his most famous and controversial book,Utopia, Thomas More imagines a perfect island nation where thousands live in peace and harmony, men and women are both educated, and all property is communal. Through dialogue and correspondence between the protagonist Raphael Hythloday and his friends and contemporaries, More explores the theories behind war, political disagreements, social quarrels, and wealth distribution and imagines the day-to-day lives of those citizens enjoying freedom from fear, oppression, violence, and suffering. Originally written in Latin, this vision of an ideal world is also a scathing satire of Europe in the sixteenth century and has been hugely influential since publication, shaping utopian fiction even today

Birds of a Lesser Paradise: Stories Title: Birds of a Lesser Paradise

Author: Megan Mayhew Bergman

Edition: Paperback, Scribner
Page #: 272

Goodreads Description: Exploring the way our choices and relationships are shaped by the menace and beauty of the natural world, Megan Mayhew Bergman's powerful and heartwarming collection captures the surprising moments when the pull of our biology becomes evident, when love or fear collides with good sense, or when our attachment to an animal or wild place can't be denied.

Also some additional purchases:

Fahrenheit 451 t-shirt from out of print clothing

One of my favourite dystopians!

Bookjigs bookmark fox Fox Bookmark from Bookjigs Bookmarks

Foxes are my favourite animal, and also boyfriends last name. Perfect :)

book haul james joyce merch short stories utopia

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text 2014-01-07 08:18

Interview With Author Rebecca Lewis + Review of 'Merch Girl'

Vogel

I had the pleasure of interviewing author of Merch Girl, Rebecca Lewis about music festivals and life on the road, and reviewed Merch Girl myself.

Let's get to know about the book first...

Synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Lacey Kind doesn’t have the guts to talk to cute boys, isn’t a size two, and would rather stay home and listen to music than go to a party. But in the summer before her first year of college, she ends up thousands of miles away from home, in the back of a tour bus, underneath the half-naked body of the hottest teen rock star in the country.

When Lacey and her best friend Trina sneak into a Boston nightclub to see their favorite band, they not only get to watch their rock gods perform for the first time, but score a chance to meet the band too. Lacey’s heart races as she comes face-to-face with her idol, nineteen-year-old lead singer, Logan Shire.

The girls charm their way into being hired to sell merchandise on Lansdowne’s first summer tour. As “merch girls” Lacey and Trina quickly find themselves transported from their ordinary, suburban life to an exhilarating few months on the road. But they soon realize that life on the road isn’t always a smooth ride...

Interview with Rebecca Lewis

Q): Hi Rebecca, thank you for stopping by to answer a few questions! I've been wondering, how did the idea of writing a story about a merch girl on tour come about?

Rebecca: I've always been into music and live concerts. In college I interned for a few record labels and worked as a merch girl for local bands. I always wondered what it would have been like if those bands got super famous and I was on tour with them, or if I was able to tour with one of my favorite bands, and that's how the story idea came to be.

Q): I was a merch girl for the past three summers for the Vans Warped Tour, which is why MG drew me in. So I have to ask: were you ever a merch girl for a concert, tour or festival?

Rebecca: I would have loved to work Warped Tour! I am probably dating myself here, but I first went to Warped Tour in High School in 2000 when Green Day headlined and it was one of the best/craziest days ever. I got heat stroke and fainted in the middle of the field, but it was still worth it. And yes, I was a merch girl for a local band in Boston when I was in college, but I also worked for a grassroots entertainment marketing company and did promotions for a lot of major-label and indie bands as well.

Q): Oh, no! Glad you were okay. Things can get out of hand at Warped Tour. What was being a merch girl like for you? Was it anything like Lacey's story?

Rebecca: I loved it. The band I knew mostly played little club or bar shows, and I would get to go into the venues early with them to set up and then we'd end up hanging out at their apartment afterward. My friends usually came too and it was fun just being with everybody. I also went to a lot of other concerts and knew some of the other local band guys so there was always something going on. I don't think my experiences were that similar to Lacey's because I never dated anyone in a band, but we all still hung out and had fun. I probably was boy crazy like her though.

Q): That is so awesome! I have some crazy stories from tour -- do you have any crazy stories from tour to share that was not included in the book?

Rebecca: I have a lot of weird/random stories, but not necessarily from being a merch girl. My friends and I used to go to a lot of shows and sometimes we'd hang out with the bands afterward or before in the backstage area or in the tour bus. However, I'd like to make it clear that you do not have to do drugs, get drunk or have sex to have a good time -- we always had a blast and kept it pretty clean.

Q): I agree! Other than personal experience, how did you do research for writing MG?

Rebecca: In addition to my merch girl experience, I also interned for Interscope Records in NYC and learned a lot of the business-side of the music business there. It was great to have experience in promotions, marketing, and PR from that side, and then also work with the bands/artists on the performance side. And if you're wondering what I do professionally now (besides writing), I am a publicist and have worked with a variety of clients, including events with celebrities around the country.

Thank you for taking the time to chat, Rebecca!

Review

Best friends Lacey and Trina got a once in a lifetime opportunity every girl (who were music fanatics/frequent concert-goers) would give a limb for. They got to meet their favorite band and befriend them, and soon found themselves being invited to sell merchandise on their tour across America. They knew that this doesn't come by very often, so they take it. I mean, who in their right mind would decline an offer to go on the road with their favorite band for a couple of months? They should count their lucky stars because that's the kind of thing you grab and run with the intentions of never letting go. Okay, so maybe being stuck on a bus with a girl from school whom hates your guts is tagging along too, but some sacrifices are worth it, right? They are aware of the craziness that a tour can get, and they get a taste of what it's like behind the scenes and on the buses. What they didn't expect was to get their emotions in the mix with their favorite rock gods not only to rock their world but also shake up their life.

Thus begins the adventure on the road with the beloved band. Best friends working side by side, touring and hanging with their favorite band. They learn the ropes of selling merchandise, life on the road, band rehearsals, and the whole tour life. Of course it's not all fun and games, though -- there are technical problems, grumpy/hungover bandmates and crew, drama, equipment issues, rivals, and list can endlessly go on. You can see the toll months-long tours can take on the crew that may cause some irritable behaviors. And the besties run into a number of problems as well. Misunderstandings ensues, and their summer job hangs in balance. It's up to them to try and convince their case with the guys, and save their job and friendships/relationships.

Lacey and, Lansdowne frontman/Lacey's band crush, Logan's friendship slowly blossoms into something more during the time share on the road, and it was adorable to see their relationship grow. The guys and some crew members on the team may have been against their forming romance for reasons at the beginning, which is why there wasn't much involvement with the other guys and crew as much. I wish we got to see them more as a couple, but the moments that they shared were sweet even though they were far and few in between. In the end, all that matters was that Lacey and Logan truly care a helluva lot about each other.

There's this character, Devin, who Lacey had met at a couple of stops and automatically hit it off. They become fast friends and Devin helps Lacey out when Trina is sent packing. I liked their friendship more than Lacey's and Trina's. I know that's a bit mean, but Trina's character wasn't all that great. Devin was more of a genuinely sincere friend to Lacey than Trina was. I kind of wish for Devin to get her own book or a companion novella. I really liked her and see a lot of potential. I should have asked Rebecca now that I think of it.

This was a fun, short and quirky read and it'll take you back to the days where you had an obsession for your favorite band, attempts of sneaking into concerts with friends, or your first concert experience. It reminded me of my days as a merch girl on the Vans Warped Tour (that I still attend and work at every summer), which is what got me to pick up this book. I may not get to tour with all the bands like Lacey and Trina does, but I do get to hang backstage/sidestage, hang with the bands and roadies, witness the shenanigans that happens on their tour buses, and sell their merchandise. Live the tour life vicariously through Lacey, and get exclusive behind the scenes of a rock bands life on the road.

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review 2013-12-23 00:00

Merch Girl

Fathomless Reveries

CHARACTERS
At the beginning of the novel, I found myself getting bored of Lacey, because she usually just went with the flow of things, and that really didn't help me like her. She came off as weak and insecure, which is why I initially preferred Tina, who had so much more self-confidence. However, in the middle of the tour, my opinion changed completely. While Trina started to appear irritatingly bratty and possessive, I couldn't help but fall in love with Lacey, whose character development was just so beautifully written.

PLOT
I have to admit, I was a bit envious of the girls. I mean, getting to go on tour with my favorite boy band? Count me in! But anyways, the plot was pretty good. I especially liked how the development of the band was shown as the story went on. And then there was the romance between Lacey and Logan, which was just so adorable! Ahhh! (Sorry, excuse my fangirl-isms!)

CONCLUSION
If you like contemporary YA books, you're into music, and you're looking for something short, light and fun to read, then this book's for you!

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review 2013-05-15 00:00

The YA Book Blog!

Full review also posted here on TotalTeenFiction.

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

I've been searching for more music themed YA novels recently so I when I came across Merch Girl I actually got in touch with the author who very kindly sent me a copy to review. Merch Girl follows Lacey and best friend Trina as they head off on tour with their favourite band.

You know when you finish a book and end up overwhelmed by all of the feelings? That was me after finishing Merch Girl! I loved this book so much, but we better start at the beginning. Immediately I was drawn to main character Lacey. She starts out shy and awkward which I can totally relate to. She's never had a boyfriend and is kind of carried along by her best friend Trina, who's the more outgoing one of the two. The book is set during the summer before Lacey starts college and I think that's the perfect time to explore yourself and have fun, so it was great to see Lacey experience that and gain some confidence.

Needless to say with the characters hanging around with a band made up of three good looking guys, there's plenty of romance to be had! Lacey finds herself drawn to lead singer Logan, and I have to admit, I am completely with her there. I don't often get fictional crushes but Logan is totally swoonworthy! I absolutely loved him. He had great chemistry with Lacey and I really enjoyed their scenes together. Despite Lacey being shy, she just seems to be so comfortable with Logan and he was such a caring and thoughtful character (which made for a nice change!). They have a fair few barriers up against them, mainly the attention Logan gets from fans and the fact the record label want the guys to appear single, so it was good seeing how the two of them coped with those obstacles.

Now I wanted a book about music but I never imagined I would get such an experience! Reading Merch Girl left me feeling like I was right there on tour with Lacey and the gang. I could feel the atmosphere of the gigs and got swept up in the celebrity, rock and roll lifestyle of the band. I absolutely love road trip novels as well so having that element of the story was an added bonus! I enjoyed reading about all the different places they get to visit (and I was only a teeny bit jealous...).

The friendship between Lacey and Trina was a real backbone to the story. I adored the relationship the girls had and how they were always on hand to give each other advice, whether it be about matters of the heart or what to wear the next day. They really balanced each other out as well being quite different from each other.

There were more great characters to mix up the story a bit, from bitchy Jenna who causes a whole load of drama, to superfan Devin who gave that insight into the band's fans. I loved all the little sub-plots going on alongside Lacey's adventures because it meant there was always something happening.

I couldn't put this book down. By the end I'd surprised myself with just how emotional I'd become about the story coming to a close! I was just so invested in the characters and the plot and didn't want that journey to end but when it did I was blown away by what a perfect way to leave things it was.

I honestly can't recommend this book enough. It's fun, yet filled with drama and has a fantastic love story. I think it will appeal to a wide range of people, from lovers of YA contemporary to die hard music fans. If you've obessed over a band at any time in your life (and let's face it, who hasn't?) then you'll find something to relate to in there. And it really encapsulated that time of life when you're finishing school and heading out into the big wide world. The writing completely caught my attention and I can't wait to read more from this author!

Find more books like this at TotalTeenFiction!