Even though I've got several books sitting on my desk begging to be reviewed, I feel like indulging in a little randomness today. Bookish randomness, but randomness nonetheless. Just humor me, mmkay?

First and foremost, don't forget to enter the fabulous giveaway I have going on right now. You could win a boxed set of The Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy by Maggie Stiefvater. Nice, right? Click here for all the details. Less than 40 people have entered, so the odds of winning are still pretty good. The contest ends on August 10, so enter ASAP!

Book Blogger Appreciation Week is coming up fast. I love this event that celebrates book bloggers and the wonderful online book blogging community. Click here to register and start nominating your favorite book blogs for awards in a variety of categories. Nominations will only be taken through August 13, so hurry, hurry, hurry.

Do you love magazines? I do. Not as much as books, of course, but I still get excited about flipping through the glossy pages of a great periodical. Even better is when they include sections on books. Oprah's a famous book nerd, so naturally, books are always chatted up in her magazine. This month's issue gushes about all kinds of intriguing titles. Books added to my TBR pile because of it: The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb by Melanie Benjamin, Among the Wonderful by Stacy Carlson, Northwest Corner by John Burnham Schwartz and FatherMotherGod by Lucia Greenhouse. The August issue of Adoptive Families includes the magazine's 2011 Best Books List. Titles added to my TBR pile because of it: Mamalita by Jessica O'Dwyer, I'm Chocolate, You're Vanilla by Marguerite A. Wright, Dear Birthmother by Kathleen Silber and Phyllis Speedlin, and In On It: A Guide for Relatives and Friends by Elisabeth O'Toole. I've added other titles because of suggestions in All You, Good Housekeeping, Elle, and, of course, Bookmarks, BookPage and, interestingly enough, Costco Connection. Have I mentioned how much I love magazines?

Speaking of magazines, I happened by the clearance sale at my local Borders (Okay, I left my 12-year-old in charge of the younger kids and rushed off to the mall as fast as I could to hit the sale for the second time in a week). Through my tears over the bankruptcy of my favorite bookstore, I managed to find a *few* bargains, including a magazine put out by Writer's Digest called Writing for Kids & YA. I'm only about halfway through it, but there are some excellent articles about cultivating an authentic voice, writing the kinds of books agents/publishers are looking for, the e-publishing revolution and much more. My favorite article so far is one by Andrew Karre, the editorial director at Lerner Publishing Group, entitled "The YA Perspective." If you have dreams of publishing a YA novel, it's a must read.

If this randomness isn't quite exciting enough for you, you can read about my most memorable kiss in the comments of yesterday's guest post by Brooke Moss. Can you say, awkward?

If randomness isn't your thing, well, buck up little trooper - Bonus points if you can name the movie from which that little gem comes (Hint: I love me some John Cusack.) - I'll be back soon with more reviews. Watch for posts about The Agency: The Body at the Tower by Y.S. Lee, Storm Runners by Roland Smith, and Sharks & Boys by Kristen Tracy (if you're LDS, you're going to be very interested in this one ...). Stay tuned!

Because of a mix-up with the publisher, I haven't yet had a chance to read The "What If" Guy, a contemporary romance by Brooke Moss. So, we'll save the review for later and do something else. How about a guest post by the author? Good idea? I think so, too.

Come on ... you don't really think that all romance writers write from experience only, do you? Contrary to popular belief, we are not all running around in flowing gowns and rolling around with shirtless warriors on white sand beaches while waves crash nearby. Most of us are normal chicks. Some with husbands and families, some without. Some with day jobs, some without. But I'll let you in on a little secret: We authors wear a lot of sweats.

I love watching a good chick flick for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, I love watching a couple fall in love. There is nothing that warms my heart more. Plus, in each and every chick flick out there, there are subplots and characters that usually inspire a story to blossom in my mind. That blossom quickly becomes a sapling which, unless written, will become a redwood tree that will eventually keep me up at night. I use this inspiration, these small details from these movies, to inspire me.

There are all sorts of kissing scenes that have inspired me to write different parts in my books. Some are sweet, tender first kisses that make me want to sigh blissfully and remember my own kiss that happened in the small town of my youth, in front of the library building. Others are passionate kisses that make me blush and reach for the cigarettes I no longer smoke. Some are initiated by conflict, full of anger and rage that quickly morphs into passion. Others are brought on by acute sadness that evolves into a desperate affirmation of what is real and good on the earth.

In my debut novel, The "What If" Guy (out today from Entangled Publishing), the characters were inspired by a kissing scene in the movie The Bounty Hunter. There is something about seeing Gerard Butler kissing a woman that makes me want to sit down and write. Call me crazy ... I prefer the term infatuated.

What are some of your favorite kisses? Do you have an amazing kiss story to share? Let it inspire you to write, paint, sculpt, or create something. If you're not a creative-minded person, then let it encourage you to go and give someone you love a big, fat, juicy kiss. There have been some pretty amazing kisses up until now. I can only hope my book might serve as an inspiration in the romance department for some of you.

My name is Brooke Moss and, like I said, my debut novel The "What If" Guy is available through Entangled Publishing. It tells the story of single mom Autumn Cole, who is returning to the small town of her youth to reluctantly claim her role as daughter of the town drunk. Her angst increases when she discovers that her son's history teacher is none other than the college sweetheart she left behind years ago.

As a writer, it's my passion to find the love story within every couple's past. I like to provide stories that are equal parts hilarious and heartwarming and I am thrilled to be sharing my book with you. The "What If" Guy is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books on Board, and at your local bookseller. A special thanks goes to Entangled Publishing for their amazing prizes and giveaways. Thanks, guys!

Find me on the web: Website, Blog, Twitter, Goodreads, and Facebook

Fondly,

Brooke Moss

(Note from Susan: Because I'm an idiot and couldn't figure out how to copy and paste this guest post, I had to type it up myself. Any typos/errors are my own fault. Also, Entangled Publishing and Coffee Time Romance are offering a Kobo e-reader to one lucky reader. Contest starts August 5.)

There are three big reasons why Flashback, the newest offering from Dan Simmons, really should not have appealed to me. Like at all.

Except I did.

Why?

I'll give you three reasons:

Number One: It's dystopian. What can I say? I'm a junkie. The world Simmons creates in Flashback isn't postapocalyptic - not exactly - but it's most assuredly dystopian. He describes a United States brought to its knees by economic collapse, a country ruled by warring factions, a nation so indebted to foreign governments that it sends teenage armies overseas in exchange for cold, hard cash. It's a bleak, brutal world, one that teeters on the brink of anarchy, civil war and total annihaltion by any number of nuke-toting superpowers.

Number Two: The premise. At its heart, Flashback is a murder mystery, but it's a murder mystery with flair. Think Mad Max meets Inception and you're sorta close. The story goes something like this: Denver detective Nick Bottom (yes, like the Shakespeare character) wants to find the person who killed 21-year-old Keigo Nakamura six years ago. He needs the work, or rather the money Keigo's billionaire father promises to pay, to support his drug habit. Nick's not the only American addicted to Flashback, a substance that allows users to escape the real world by "flashing" on old memories, but his overuse has cost him his job, his reputation and every single new dollar in his savings. Nick's desperate for more cash, more Flashback, more time to relive precious moments with his dead wife. To earn it, he'll have to "flash" back to the days when he first investigated Keigo's death, wander through his memory searching for new leads, and follow them in real time to solve a case that's growing colder by the second. Along the way he'll make shocking discoveries about his employer, his wife, his 16-year-old son and, most of all, himself.

Intriguing, no?

If you're familiar with Denver - or even if you're not - you might be interested in what Simmons does with its premiere indie bookstore, the Tattered Cover. When Nick visits the shop on East Colfax Street, he describes it thus:

Makes sense to me.

Number Three: The delivery. Flashback is a long book, a very long book, actually (550 pages), but it hardly dragged at all for me. The story chugs right along with plenty of action, plenty of suspense, and plenty of fascinating detours that added new layers to the plot. I'm not saying it's the best book I've ever read, I'm just saying that it was entertaining. And thought-provoking. Surprisingly so for a gritty, airport-guy thriller. I surprised myself by really enjoying it. Shocked? I am.

(Readalikes: Even though Flashback has nothing to do with zombies, it reminded me a little bit of The Passage by Justin Cronin.)

Grade: B

If this were a movie, it would be rated: R for strong language, violence, and sexual content

To the FTC, with love: Another library fine find