Meet My New Co-Blogger: Virginia!

Hi guys! So over the years it's been just me running this blog, and while I've loved every second of it, it's a lot to handle. And now that I got my first job, I decided I needed some help, and I'm so so excited Virginia is the person to help me! She's not only fun to be with, but I love her passion for books, and I know she's going to be a great addition to Shut Up! I'm Reading.

                Hello blog readers! I’m so excited to meet all of you. My name is Virginia, and I’ll be writing here part time.

                 I’m a friend of Jessica’s from the fabulous writing retreat we both went on late last year. I was totally wowed by her writing prowess, and her successful blog. This girl wrote a 40,000 word book in two weeks! She’s got mad dedication.

                Anyway, a few days ago, she put out a call for a co-blogger. As I understand it, she’s starting to get busier, and the books are starting to pile up. She just doesn’t have time to read and review all of them. I have school and homework and writing and stuff of my own, but I couldn’t pass up an opportunity like this, so I jumped in and said I would write with her. So, I will be posting here anywhere from twice a week to twice a month. Depends on my schedule, but I’m really excited to be here and I want to be a good blogger, so I’ll try to post around once a week.

                A little about me. I’ve been homeschooled all my life. I’m sixteen years old. I like driving, dogs, knitting, cooking, the woods, science, making zines, long walks, caffeine, skype, indie/grunge/rock music, texting, existential crises, journaling, Shakespeare, hair dye, and staying up late. I also like writing and books, of course. I learned to read when I was four. The very first book I read was the Magic Treehouse Series #1, the one with the pterodactyl. Over the last twelve years, I’ve remained faithfully nerdy. I love the classics: Harry Potter, Narnia, etcetera. Never been able to read Tolkein, though he is on my list. I was pretty hardcore about Shakespeare in 8^th grade. I was even in A Midsummer Night’s dream as Titania.
                I had a long epic fantasy stage, including Stuart Hill’s Icemark Chronicles, Cinda Williams Chima’s Heir Trilogy, and all the things by Tamora Pierce. And the Inheritance Cycle. I still haven’t finished the last one, though, because it’s almost 900 freaking pages. Don’t tell Christopher Paolini. I’ve met him, and he’s a really nice guy.

                I love the recent trend in dystopian fiction. I’ve read the Hunger Games, Divergent, The Eleventh Plague, Myra Grant’s Newsflesh Trilogy, and many more. This is my current obsession, so you’ll probably see me talking about the decline of society and human nature and robots and stuff a lot. I feel like I don’t read as many classics as I should, but with so many new books coming out, I feel like I have to keep up with them too! I’m a pretty tough reviewer, but I try to be fair too. I can find a redeeming quality in almost any book, but I can’t stand a two dimensional character or a poorly paced plot. Or love triangles. I’m getting really, really tired of love triangles.
                My favorite author is a tossup between Barry Lyga and John Green. Lyga’s books can hit really hard. I Hunt Killers and Boy Toy were both brutal. I loved the characters. I love how tough and honest and real they are, but how caught up and twisted in their own minds they are. I am currently on a quest to get my hands on the ARC of Game, the sequel to I Hunt Killers.

                Green, though. He’s… just… amazing. How do I even say? His writing is beautiful, and profound, and, just, go read his books right now. John Green fandom is one of the first things Jessica and I bonded over. We were talking about his books, and she said she’d never read Will Grayson. I immediately started yabbering about how much I love that book and how she needed to read it, but she stopped me and said not to spoil it, because she was saving it for a rainy day when she really needed a new John Green book. I admire her willpower.
                Only four books have made me cry. Looking for Alaska, by John Green; The Fault In Our Stars, by John Green; Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, by our lord and savior J.K. Rowling; and The Perks Of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky. I may have also choked up at the end of the Perks movie. It was beautiful, and it really did justice to the book.
                Anyway, I just finished reading The Hunt, by Andrew Fukuda, when I was on the bus yesterday. I liked it quite a lot. I’m going to write up a review and post it soon. Until then, cheers, and DFTBA.

To celebrate this new chapter for my blog, I've decided to host a giveaway! I've got an ARC of Between Here and Forever, and a hardcover of Pushing The Limits to give to one lucky winner. US only, please. Ends on April 20.
a Rafflecopter giveaway