Authors are Rocking the Drop All Day!

Authors are Rocking the Drop around their areas RIGHT NOW! Here's who's tweeting so far.... use the #rockthedrop tag and join in with readergirlz and Figment to ROCK THE DROP!

More updates to come throughout the day...

The Ruby Oliver Series: Self-Respect

This week's theme is Self-respect. In Monday's guest post, featured author E. Lockhart wrote:

"Ruby goes from calling herself a leper (really grodie and unloved) to calling herself a roly-poly (only a little grodie and even beloved by certain bug-fond weirdos). A bit of progress, right."

Sometimes we all judge ourselves harshly. Have you experienced that? How did you change that mindset and up your self-respect factor like Ruby does over these four books?

PS-Don't forget to Rock the Drop tomorrow to be entered to win the entire Ruby Oliver series!

PPS-Visit our archives for a whole month of featured content featuring E. Lockhart and The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks!

Rock the Drop to Win E. Lockhart's Ruby Oliver Series!

Perhaps you've heard about this Rock the Drop thing, where we'll be dropping books in public places on Thursday to celebrate YALSA's Support Teen Lit Day, and we hope everyone will join us!

Here's even more incentive: If you Rock the Drop, send us an email (readergirlz AT gmail DOT com) or a photo or a video (just let us know you've rocked it, really), and you'll be entered to win a full set of featured author E. Lockhart's Ruby Oliver series! We'll choose a winner at random on Friday.

Good luck!

Thank You, E. Lockhart!

Here's a big DANKE to the ever-awesome E. Lockhart for joining us at readergirlz this month!

We loved hearing stories from E. and learning more about the smart and thoughtful Frankie Landau-Banks. We also learned that:

1. E. fought for her Dramarama ending! (And it's her favorite book of hers.)

2. She pictured Frankie's Alpha as "a little bit Philip Seymour Hoffman"!

3. She decided to be a writer in second grade.

We've so loved having you here this month. Thank you, E.!

January: Is it Better to be Alone Than With Someone Who Doesn't Get You?

In the end, Frankie concludes, "It is better to be alone than to be with someone who can't see who you are." Do you agree with her?

January Party It Up: A Disreputable Bash!

Planning your own book group/get-together for this book? Here are some party ideas from author E. Lockhart!

Invite: A top-secret invitation that asks you to dress in black and meet in a mysterious location after dark. In an envelope sealed with sealing wax.

Food: Garlic knots. Salad bar! Strawberry Mentos. But mainly salad bar. Frankie campaigns for a half-decent salad bar at her boarding school.

Décor: Stuffed basset hounds. China basset hounds. Basset hound paraphernalia of all kinds.

Movies: The Muppet Movie shows up in the book. The Skulls is a pretty bad movie about a secret society on a college campus. Dead Poets Society.

Craft: Sealing wax and seals! A little history and playing around with them. Alternately, create a secret society - silly or serious. Give it a mission. Give it an amusing name and invent a bit of imaginary history. Create a logo for it. Imagine a prank it would execute.

January: Can Frankie Be Loved as an Equal?

Frankie wants Matthew to ". . . admire her cleverness, her ambition, her vision. That he would admit her as his equal, or even as his superior, and love her for what she was capable of." E. asks, "Do you think this is even possible in teen relationships? Is it possible in life?"

PS-E. also wants to know: "What do you think of Frankie's outfit on the paperback cover?"

January: The Unwritten Codes of School

In addition to raging against expectations, Frankie also rails against the unwritten codes of her school, such as who gets to sit at the senior table. What are the unwritten codes and rules at your own school? Has anyone ever tried to defy them? What were the consequences?

January: Have You Ever Been a Prankster?

Frankie Landau-Banks turns out to be quite the prank mastermind. E. Lockhart asks, "Have you ever been a prankster? Tell me a story."

January: Rage Against Expectations

Over the course of our January featured novel Frankie gets more and more angry about how other people perceive her. Author E. Lockhart asks, "Have you ever felt this rage against expectations? What did you do about it?"

January Playlist: The Disreputable Soundtrack

Featured Author E. Lockhart hand-picked songs for the playlist that accompanies The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks this month (and how cool is that peek at the mix, left?). Listen to the full soundtrack with the player in the right-hand sidebar or in the January issue!

January: Thinking Before You Speak

Frankie weighs everything before she says it and considers her options before she speaks. Are you able to do this? Do you wish you could?

January: Why Do Secret Societies Exist?

Frankie learns about a secret (all male) society at her private school called the Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds. E. Lockhart asks, "Why do you think secret societies exist? What's the point?"

TRW Tribute: E. Lockhart 2:30

"If you have a book, you are never alone."

E. Lockhart

Books as Gifts!

We are loving all the online buzz about giving books as holiday presents this year! Here are a few spots where you can get must-buy advice and add your own purchases to the recommendation lists:

First, Book Reporter tells us all the many reasons why books are the perfect gift!

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks author (and National Book Award nominee) E. Lockhart's recommended list for "boyfriend and teenagers."

Our own Little Willow blogs on sparknotes.com about the right book picks for all sorts of recipients, plus book-related gift ideas (think literary music mixes, writing journals, and multiple copies of a title for a new book club!)

Amor and Summer Secrets author Diana Rodriguez Wallach brings us The 12 Books of Christmas!

Yahoo!'s SHINE recommends gifts for the literary fan.

Add the titles you've picked out to the growing list at When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Buy Books.

Who else has a list of great book gift ideas? Let us know.

UPDATED: A fantastic list from Chasing Ray!

Happy book shopping!