Stephanie writes young adult contemporary novels and is the creator of GoTeenWriters.com. Her novels include The Reinvention of Skylar Hoyt series (Revell) and The Revised Life of Ellie Sweet (Playlist). You can connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and check out samples of her work on her author website.
Today's a holiday in the states. I'm not really sure what Labor Day is for. For me it marks the ceremonial end of summer (which is weird here in Kansas since my daughter has already been in school for a couple weeks) but I don't know what exactly I'm supposed to do on this day. Besides pack away my white skirt.
Okay, since I think I say something similar every Labor Day on the blog, I decided to look it up. If Wikipedia can be trusted:
Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September, that celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers. It was first nationally recognized in 1894 to placate unionists following the Pullman Strike. With the decline in union membership, the holiday is generally viewed as a time for barbeques and the end of summer vacations.So there we go. And since the Morrill family actually will be firing up the grill today, we'll be celebrating "correctly." What a relief.
Since summer is a season that celebrates reading, I thought it'd be fitting to give away one of the best books I read this summer, Captives by my lovely friend Jill Williamson.
To get entered to win, just leave a comment below sharing the best book you read this summer! (Due to the sad realities of pricey international shipping, this giveaway is limited to U.S. residents only. Sorry! This giveaway ends on Friday, September 6th)
Hey.. whoa! Never knew what labor day actually was. Thanks!!! Best book ive read.....? Lets see. Probably it would have to be ur awesome writing book!!!!! (One of the best books ever!!!!!) Tw
ReplyDelete*blushes* That is a very kind thing to say, TW. :-)
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ReplyDeleteInteresting. I actually start school today- my choice. I'm homeschooled and usually don't bother much about holidays on Mondays. (I'll save my day off for my birthday, thank you!)
ReplyDeleteThe best book I've read this summer . . . hmm. Probably Dragonwitch by Anne Elisabeth Stengl.
I have that book, but I haven't read it yet since it's book four and I like to start at the beginning and I don't own the other books. So it's just sitting there...
DeleteOoo, read the first four books before Dragonwitch! You won't regret it! My favorite books ever!
DeleteThe best book I read this summer was by far The Book Thief! It was super good, and made me cry like three times!
ReplyDeleteHappy Labor Day :)
Oh, a very good book. Took me a while to get through, but I'm so glad I did.
DeleteBest book I read this summer...The Brothers Karamazov. Took me a few days to get through but I loved it. :)
ReplyDeleteHappy Labor Day!
'Also Known As Rowan Pohi' was a book I just read that I thoroughly enjoyed. I read a ton though so that's the only one I can remember, but only because I read it recently! Thanks for the giveaway :) Hope you have an awesome labor day :D
ReplyDeleteUm... maybe The Hobbit. I've read it before, but I read it to my younger siblings this summer. We still have one chapter left.
ReplyDelete~Robyn Hoode
I'm reading it to Mommy, every Wednesday on the way to piano lessons!
DeleteI read it to my kids!
DeleteOh the Hobbit! Good book! :)
DeleteThe best book I read this summer was From Darkness Won.
ReplyDeleteWow! Was that a good book!
Blood of Kings is a must read!
Samuel, you are very sweet. Thank you. :-)
DeleteBlood of Kings is awesome! I mean to read the last book now that my brother got it for me.
DeleteYes, Blood of Kings is some of Jill's best stuff. I LOVED it!
DeleteThat's hard! I'd have to say either Mind Games by Kiersten White, Catching Fire by you-know-who, or one of the Gallagher Girls books by Ally Carter (don't have a favorite among those). :)
ReplyDeleteMy favorite Gallagher Girls books start after the second one. They are very interesting. For a more serious spy story with a guy lead, try Alex Rider. Unless you've already read it. :P
DeleteI'm starting school today (I'm homeschooled) because my mom has the day off work. She works at a community college, so this way she can help my sister and I get started with all out new curriculum.
ReplyDeleteThe best book I read this summer... That's hard. It would either be Homeland by Cory Doctorow, The Eight by Katherine Neville, or possibly Parnucklian for Chocolate by B.H. James.
Monica,
DeleteVery glad to hear you enjoyed the book, and I appreciate your mentioning it here. Do you mind me asking how you stumbled upon it.
Thanks,
BH James
www.bhjames.com
Well, I read all of the Harry Potter books this summer, which were fantastic. But I also really enjoyed Scarlet by Marissa Meyer! It was a great sequel and now I eagerly await the next book in the Lunar Chronicles! :)
ReplyDeleteHarry Potter is one of my favorites!
DeleteThe best book I read this summer was probably The Help. I loved it!
ReplyDeleteI adore that book. I think it's about as close to perfect as a book can get.
DeleteI bought The Help! It's sitting there waiting for me. Right on top of my copy of Dragonwitch and The Time Traveler's Wife.
DeleteThe Time Traveler's Wife is one of my favorites! So creative and such lovely writing. I should put that in my "To Reread" pile!
DeleteOne of my favorite books I read this summer was Inturrupted: A Life Beyond Words by Rachel Coker. I really liked it! :)
ReplyDeleteThat's a good one!
DeleteAlthough I love Chasing Jupiter more.
DeleteI really like that one, and Chasing Jupiter :)
DeleteThe best book I've read this summer was either How I Lost You by Janet Gurtler or The Revised Life of Ellie Sweet by Stephanie Morrill.
ReplyDeleteThank you :)
DeleteThe best book I've read this summer was Please Stop Laughing At Me by Jodee Blanco.
ReplyDeleteBest book? Ummm... only one? ;) It would be Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix. I think there might be a sequel, but I haven't read it.
ReplyDeleteGosh, this is so hard. But the best book I read this summer was probably The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey or Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor.
ReplyDeleteThe best books I read this summer were probably the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling.
ReplyDeleteYES. Those are amazing!
DeleteYes, indeed. I've only gotten the first six books read so far, but hopefully will get to read the seventh starting in about a week! :)
DeleteThe best book I read this summer was probably 4:50 From Paddington by Agatha Christie. :)
ReplyDeleteThe best book I've read all summer is easily Scarlet by Marissa Meyer. It's the second book in the Lunar Chronicles and also gets the award for Best Book I've Read In 2013 (so far) :)
ReplyDeleteI read those this summer! <3
DeleteThe best book I read all summer was "Mistborn" by Brandon Sanderson. :)
ReplyDeleteThose are in a different to read pile. They will probably get read before the others... I'm dying to read them!
DeleteAngel Eyes series!
ReplyDeleteI'm reading Dark Halo right now!
DeleteThese are great!
DeleteBest book I read ..... probably Harry Potter. But I did particularly enjoy The Revised Life of Ellie Sweet. :) Such hard decisions!
ReplyDeleteHa! Thanks, Leanna :) I'll take second place to Harry Potter any day!
DeleteIt's extremely hard to chose, but if I had to narrow done the hundreds... :)... I would have to say Ashes by Ilsa .j. bick
ReplyDeletenataliebrun@me.com
Best book? I could as soon pick a best family member! :O ;D My favorites of the summer were probably Cinder by Marissa Meyer, the Mirrorworld Novels by Cornelia Funke, and Captives by Jill Williamson. Yes, I've read it. Yes, I still want it! It's that good. :D
ReplyDeleteLOL! Thanks, Georgina! I have Cinder in my To Read pile. I bought it because I loved the cover.
DeleteThe best book? But it's so hard to choose just one! Hm...I guess I'll go with Free Souls by Susan Kaye Quinn. But The Revised Life of Ellie Sweet was really good, too. :D
ReplyDeleteAnd I never actually knew why Labor Day was celebrated, either. So that's good to know.
I haven't read that one yet, Caitlin. That trilogy looks really intriguing.
DeleteI read A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. It was a very emotionally difficult book to read, but my friend Courtney insisted that I read every word of it. And I did. The writing is incredible and the character development is effortless.
ReplyDeleteThe best book I read this summer... I unfortunately didn't read many, but the best one I read is an unpublished novel by my fellow OYANer Rachel Garner, entitled Forest of Lies. And in thinking things over, I only read two books this summer, so in second place comes Crazy Dangerous by Andrew Klavan.
ReplyDeleteClockwork angel by Cassandra Clair, but sadly, I didn't read much this summer :(
ReplyDelete(This is Maddie by the way but my iPod wont let me use my google account so I have to live a sad lonely life in the world of anonymous)
I didn't get to read as much as I wanted this summer either :( Winter is when I do more of my reading.
DeleteSo if my entry counts (since we have a US mailbox) here is my favorite book I've read this summer... Divergent (it was AWESOMEi finished that and Insurgent in two days best summer read ever ;) )
ReplyDeleteThat will totally count, Adriana :)
DeleteI love that I asked this question. My to-read list is growing!
ReplyDeleteHappy Labor Day!
ReplyDeleteBest book I've read this summer?? Such a hard question! "Ben-Hur" by Lew Wallace. A great classic! (Far better than the movie, in my opinion.) =]
Blessings,
Sarah
My Favorite book of the summer is tied closely between The Help (I totally got sucked into that book!) and Ink by Amanda Sun. I really really loved Ink, especially since I'm in love with Asia, especially Japan, and the book went deep. Furthermore, it helped me expand my Japanese Vocabulary (I'm now saying "Moshi Moshi!" each time I answer the phone) and I got all giddy when she slipped in a Japanese word or phrase I already knew.
ReplyDeleteThis is so hard!! I really loved Angel Eyes by Shannon Dittemore. But I also read Belle Prater's Boy and Walk Two Moons and really enjoyed those.
ReplyDeleteWell picking just one book out of the 55 I read would be next to impossible since so many of them made it to my favorites list, but I will say that my favorite authors who's books I read several of this summer were Sarah Sundin, Julie Lessman, and Roseanna M. White!
ReplyDeleteThe best book I read this summer was Insurgent by Veronica Roth, definitely worth the wait.
ReplyDeleteHappy Labor Day everyone in the US
I read the Hobbit and it was amazing! I was completely captivated by the book the entire time. When it ended I was crying!!! I cried for I don't know how long!!!!!! It is now my favorite book and I just can't help but obsesses over it. My mom is sick and tired about hearing about the book. I am now taking a college level class about it hoping it will sustain my hunger for more. lol
ReplyDeleteI love that book too! It's long been one of my favorites :)
DeleteI reread the Silmarillion this summer. Definitely my best book. :)
ReplyDeleteI feel like I might be admitting some sort of crime here, but I haven't actually read much this summer. D: I have started reading The Return of the King, but I haven't gotten far.
ReplyDeleteI did re-read one of my all time favourite books, though. A Whole Nother Story by Dr. Cuthbert Soup. It's probably the fourth or fifth time I've read it.
I really need to get some new books...
Oh yeah! This might not have been during summer, (I have a bad memory right now) but I read Dragonspell by Donita K. Paul, which was great!
You're our winner, Wynne! Please contact me with your mailing address, and I'll get your book in the mail: http://www.stephaniemorrill.com/contact-me/
DeleteI really got into reading the classics this summer, but I think my favorite one was the Virginian, by Owen Wister. That book was totally AMAZING!!
ReplyDeleteThe best book I've read this summer...it would have to be either Divergent by Veronica Roth or Catching Fire (reading Mockingjay now!). Thanks for this giveaway, by the way! :)
ReplyDeleteThe best book this summer...hmmm... I am not sure. Probably Whispers in the Shadows by Rossana M. White. I also liked The New Recruit a lot. I wasn't sure what to expect when I opened that book, but I definitely liked it a lot. In fact, I just finished the reread.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
Best book I read this summer? The best published book I read was "The Hobbit" by J. R. R. Tolkien!!! It was my second time through. I read it two years ago for school, but I wanted to read it again before the next installment of the movie. :)
ReplyDeleteBest non-published book that I read this summer was "Refined by Fire" (which is a Chronicles of Narnia fanfiction and therefore is not a published book) by WillowDryad. It was amazing. Talk about an edge-of-your-seat thriller!!! The suspense between chapters was terrible.
The best book I've read this summer...Probably Paper Towns by John Green :) I've read a lot this summer, but that's the first book I thought of :P
ReplyDeleteI read The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey and I must say it was amazing! But I also read The Mortal Instruments:The City Of Bones so it's a toss up for best book.
ReplyDeleteYou really want me to list the best book I read this summer? I've read over 30 so that might be hard.
ReplyDeleteRaised by Wolf by Jennifer Lynn Barnes was really good. (It's a werewolf book.) Another good one was Fragments by Dan Wells. I also enjoyed Scarlet.
Oh, to pick the best is a struggle! But I shall try.
ReplyDeleteI loved The Homelanders series by Andrew Klavlan. The first book is called The LAst Thing I Remember. I also loved Shakespeare's play As You Like It. Those were probably my favorites, but I read a lot of good ones.
Favorite book so far: The Lightkeeper's Daughter by Colleen Coble
ReplyDeleteBest. Book. Ever. Hands down!
You don't have to enter me to win. I've already bought Captives. :)
ReplyDeleteBut my favorite book this summer...
Maybe Burnimg Sky, a book I just finished. It was so, so good.
Destiny of One by Sarah Holman, Divergent by Veronica Roth, and The Reluctant Assassin by Eoin Colfer were also pretty good. :)
I would have some of ya'll's books on here, I'm sure, but I read them in Spring/Winter! :P
DeleteOn the other hand if I did win this, I could give it to a friend and introduce them to the fantastic Mrs. Williamson... :)
DeleteI didn't actually get to read as much as I wanted this summer, but I did do a lot of rereading. But new books... Oh, I finally read The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank. And it was just amazing, can't really describe that one. I reread Walk Two Moons for the first time since third grade, and it just gets deeper and deeper... I love that book. And I read Reason to Breathe by Rebecca Donovan just because I saw it on Amazon and it sounded interesting. It was really good, but it does get a bit inappropriate in the later books, so I wouldn't recommend it to people who won't read books like that.
ReplyDeleteI wish I could have read more over the summer, but now I've finally made an actual book bucket list instead of one I just keep in my head... so maybe I'll be able to make more progress now. *Goes to put some of these books on my booklist* :)
You're our winner, Maya! Can you please email me your shipping address?
Deletehttp://www.stephaniemorrill.com/contact-me/
Hmmm...I have read several amazing books this summer but my favorite is probably Waterfall by Lisa T. Bergren.
ReplyDeleteLoved Waterfall!
DeleteProbably the best book I read this summer was Micheal Vey: Prisoner of Cell 25.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I would have to say that Replication (also by Jill Williamson) and Enclave came in pretty close. :)
The best book I read this summer? Tough question, although I didn't read nearly enough this summer. And I didn't read alot of great books either. But I would probably go with Stones in Water by Donna Jo Napoli. It's aimed for readers younger than me but I liked it anyway, just cuz I love historical fiction.
ReplyDeleteBest book this summer was Emperor's Edge by Lindsay Buroker. It's actually a free ebook, and I recommend checking it out. It is seriously an amazingly well-written book. :D
ReplyDeleteoh wow. definitely know the best book of the summer:)
ReplyDeleteJewel of Persia by Roseanna M. White! It was splendidly written---I loved all the historical truths, while incorporating the realms of White's imagination! I could hardly put it down-in fact, my mind refused to sleep until the book was finished:)
I also love Captives!Cannot WAIT for the next Safelands book to come out!! I must admit I am dying to finish the story!:) thanks for the give-away...everybody loves free books!:)
Ender's Game! It was really good! With "Ender's Game" being a Sci-fi, it quenched my Summer thirst, indeed. I've decided if I go see any movies based on books, I must read it first!
ReplyDeleteIt all started with reading all three Hunger games in a week before I went to see it in theaters:) To me, it's no fun reading a book after you've seen the movie(even though movies leave out quite a bit). You already know the ending and all the twists.
I guess it just sucks the fun and imagination out of reading!
"Don't judge a movie by it's book."
-Katy:)
theartistshollow.blogspot.com
"Ender's Game" by Orson Scott Card
DeleteHahaha! That's super funny cause I never knew what Labor day was. I just had a feeling I didn't like it because in my mom's head, it translated into "Work day! Yay! Let's paint the ceiling!"
ReplyDeleteBut, yeah, lol. The best book I read this summer is probably Divergent, by Veronica Roth. IT WAS AMAZING!!!!!! I couldn't put it down!!! Thank you for the give away! I really am dying to read this series! :):):)
I read the Jungle Book. That was a good 'un, even though it's really old. Surprisingly, it's not even that similar to the movie - it was probably meant for adults at the time it was written, surprisingly. Either that or children back then we a lot more patient. It was a good book, only occasionally did it get monotonous.
ReplyDeleteNow I know that labor day is more than just a day I don't have to do school!! hahaha! Well, the best book(s) I read over the summer were the Ashtown Burials series by N. D. Wilson, more specifically the Drowned Vault! I had been waiting for it to come out for soooo long over the summer and when it finally did, I read it in around 2 days!!!!!! :):):) Well, thank you SO much for the giveaway! What a great idea! :D
ReplyDeleteThe best book I read this summer would have to be The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I used to hate sad stories, but this one had me sobbing and loving it! :)
ReplyDelete-Rachel
barrelrider96@gmail.com
My favorite book I've read this summer would be Splintered by A. G. Howard. A delightfully dark spin on my favorite book (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland).
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI've read so many amazing books! I'd have to say Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs, but SEND by Patty Blount is an extremely close second.
ReplyDeleteHmm. It's funny. I read a TON of books this summer. But very few of them jump out as THE BEST BOOK. But of the handful left I'd have to say it was the Knight and Rogue series. (Maybe for older readers?) The characters are memorable and witty, they had an actual goal that they had to achieve. And in the end, they had to make a sacrifice that actually hurt them. Too many times I read books where the characters make a sacrifice where they suddenly get back what they lost. That being said, my favorite books of all time are the LOTR trilogy. ^.^
ReplyDeleteI did also like the first two Inkheart books. But Inkdeath ruined it for me. I hated the ending. :/ So that bumped them down.
DeleteI read our own Jill Williamson's Blood of Kings Trilogy for the first time this summer and they were without a doubt my favorite reads all year. They immediately became one of my favorite books in general
ReplyDeleteTo Darkness Fled was my favorite of the three so I suppose that would qualify as my favorite read over the summer.
My friend recommended this blog to me, and what am I greeted with right away? A free book giveaway! Let's just say, not for the book alone, I think I'm going to be coming back to read this blog...
ReplyDeleteOh... books. I absolutely adored reading this summer. I can not really pick a favorite of the summer, as they are all so different. The ones I've narrowed it down to though are "Ender's Game" by Orson Scott Card, that book is just stunning. "Airman" by Eoen Colfer. I literally had to double check if he was the author after reading his Artemis Fowl series. Airman doesn't even compare, I loved it. "The Bronze Bow" by Elizabeth George Speare, particularly touched me. It just spoke to my spirit, as a book like that should. Tears of special meaning blurred my vision by the end.
Hey they're awesome like that believe me. They were hosting a contest when I first arrived here. And about 3weeks later they had a retreat as I recall. :D stick around
DeleteI finally got around to reading The Book Thief, and it was amazing.
ReplyDeleteI also loved Cracked Up to Be (Courtney Summers), and How to Save a Life (Sara Zarr). There are probably more books that I loved, but I read so many that it's hard to remember. >.<
I always have a hard time picking a favorite book for any subject/category/time frame, but my favorite book I've read recently is THE CRYSTAL ORDEAL by M.G. Dekle - it's self-published, but it is fantastic.
ReplyDeleteWould have to be BrotherBand #3, the Hunters, by Flanagan.
ReplyDeleteHmm...*thinks* I've read some excellent books this summer, but the ones that stand out the most are "Never" by J. Grace Pennington and "To Kill A Mockingbird". Both were incredible. They've left a deep impression on my mind that will probably stay forever. Highly recommended. ^_^
ReplyDeleteMust look for Never Annie............
DeleteThe Lord of the Rings, hands down. I was totally obsessed with them for like, a month. I locked myself in my room for a week reading them. Time well spent.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I have read a lot of amazing books this summer, I would have to say that If You Find Me, by Emily Murdoch was one of the best. Although the prose was a little boring at times the plot and the characters were amazing.
ReplyDelete