Blog Tour: Being Henry David by Cal Armistead / Guest Post + Win a signed print copy!

Bonjour everyone!

Oh.My.Goodness! I am so excited about this tour! I was asked a few weeks ago to review Being Henry David and I jumped at the opportunity. If you have not heard about this book then this will be a good chance to learn more about it and win a SIGNED print copy of your very own. :) The book is a fun mix of a young adult (coming of age) mystery. I myself can't wait to read it. I am part of the blog tour for the book and will be sharing with my readers all about the book and author as well as a guest post from the author Cal Armistead. Of course there will be a giveaway at the end of the post for one lucky readers of Bittersweet Enchantment to win a free copy!

So without future ado....

Being Henry David

by Cal Armistead

Hardcover, 270 pages

Genre: YA > Coming of Age > Mystery

Expected publication: March 1st 2013 by Albert Whitman Teen

Seventeen-year-old "Hank" has found himself at Penn Station in New York City with no memory of anything --who he is, where he came from, why he's running away. His only possession is a worn copy of Walden, by Henry David Thoreau. And so he becomes Henry David-or "Hank" and takes first to the streets, and then to the only destination he can think of--Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts. Cal Armistead's remarkable debut novel is about a teen in search of himself. Hank begins to piece together recollections from his past. The only way Hank can discover his present is to face up to the realities of his grievous memories. He must come to terms with the tragedy of his past, to stop running, and to find his way home.

Purchase: Amazon | Barns and Noble | IndieBound

About The Author: Cal Armistead

Find Cal @
Goodreads | Website | Twitter

Cal Armistead has written extensively for radio, newspapers and magazines, including The Chicago Tribune, Shape Magazine, Body & Soul Magazine, Christian Science Monitor, Chicken Soup for Every Mom’s Soul, and others. She holds an MFA in creative writing from the Stonecoast program at the University of Southern Maine, works at an independent book store, is a voice-over actress, sings semi-professionally, and lives in a Boston suburb with her amazing husband and a dog named Layla. Being Henry David is her first novel.

Top Ten Favorite YA Book

 Thanks so much for hosting me on your wonderful blog! But wow, talk about a difficult

challenge. I’ve been asked to name my top-ten favorite YA books, and that’s no easy

task. There are so many amazing YA books out there that I’ve read, am reading, or would

love to read. Some of the books on my list have been around since I was a teen myself,

and some aren’t even officially released yet. Although I wrote about this subject recently

on my own blog, I’ll give a different twist here. I’ll start with the four most recent YA

books I’ve read and really enjoyed:

1. The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green. Yep, just about everybody in the world, plus

me, loves this book. And what’s not to love? Green is sensitive, funny, smart, and his

characters are so authentic and alive--even (especially) the ones who are dying of cancer.

But Green, and the characters themselves, never allow us to feel sorry for them. They

refused to be defined by their illness, and that makes them feel real and relatable.

2. Thirteen Reasons Why, by Jay Asher. I really liked the immediacy of this book. In

it, we “hear” the recorded tapes of a girl who has committed suicide, right along with

the protagonist, a guy who might have loved and saved her. Sometimes I felt like the

book tried too hard to be a cautionary tale, but overall, I really liked the writing, the slow

unfolding of the story, and the voice of the protagonist. Plus, it’s a cautionary tale that

needs to be told.

3. The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman. Loved, loved, loved this book! It’s about a

baby who wanders into a graveyard after his parents are murdered, and he is raised and

protected by the ghosts who inhabit it. This is technically a young reader book (I’m not

sure why!), but anybody of any age could read and enjoy it. The story, the voice, the

details—yeah, I really loved this one.

4. The Hunger Games Trilogy, by Suzanne Collins. I’m not usually a sci-fi, dystopian-

book fan. But this was different. The Hunger Games was a fascinating, addictive read.

I think the reason I liked the trilogy so much is because Katniss has so much integrity,

heart, compassion, and strength. It’s nice to have a female character with these qualities.

I like what’s “real,” and she definitely felt real to me.

Okay, now for a few oldies, but goodies:

5. Go Ask Alice, by Anonymous. This is probably the first real “teen” book I ever

read, back when I was a teen. It’s the actual diary of a girl who got addicted to drugs.

I remember being so moved by her writing because it sounded a whole lot like my own

diary at the time (without the drugs, thankfully), and I could understand a lot of what she

was feeling, both good and bad. It’s a true teenager’s voice that still resonates.

6.The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton. Ditto the above. I read this when I was a kid, and

found it to be profoundly real and fascinating. The life of Pony Boy in the city was very

different from my safe little suburban life, but still it resonated with me. I cared about

those characters, and trusted the voice of the author, who was herself a teen when she

wrote it. (It’s no accident that teenagers themselves guided YA literature to where it is

today.)

7. The Catcher In the Rye, by J.D. Salinger. I don’t think good ol’ J.D. meant for this

to be a YA novel since YA as we know it didn’t even exist back then (1951). But it was

probably the first strong, real, gritty, no-nonsense teen voice the world ever heard, and it

was the start of something amazing.

8.Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson. This book is not actually that old (1999), and it’s

something of a modern-day classic. It has a serious theme—a girl who was raped at a

party who can’t find a way to talk about it, or speak much about anything—but somehow

she maintains an inner hope and quirky humor that make the book an excellent read.

I’ll end this guest blog with two books I’m looking forward to reading. They happen to

be books that are also written by fellow 2013 debut authors who will be releasing their

books in March. Hooray for the Lucky 13s! (http://thelucky13s.blogspot.com/)

9. Dr. Bird’s Advice to Sad Poets, by Evan Roskos. In this book, sixteen-year-old James

Whitman struggles with anxiety, depression, and the destruction of his family, while

trying to “Whitmanize” his worldview through the poetry of Walt Whitman. Obviously,

I love books in which characters gain strength and comfort from literature, so I’m very

much looking forward to this one! I feel this this book and my book would be best

friends if they ever met. Roskos’ character James would be sharing quotes by Whitman,

and my character, Hank, would spar back with phrases by Henry David Thoreau. Then

they’d go play video games and eat pizza and have burping contests, like any other

teenage boys.

10. Dear Life, You Suck, by Scott Blagden. Foul-mouthed, irreverent seventeen-year-old

Cricket is the oldest ward in a Catholic boys’ home in Maine—and his life sucks. In fact,

things look so bleak that Cricket can’t help but wonder if his best option is one final cliff

dive into the great unknown. But then Wynona steps into his world, and Cricket slowly

realizes that maybe, just maybe, life doesn’t totally suck. Looking forward to this wild

ride!

Thanks so much for allowing me to drop by!

(Me: Your so very welcome, Cal. Thanks for being here. I love choices! )

A HUGE thank you to Cal for offering my readers a signed copy of her book, Being Henry David. Thank you everyone stopping by. 

Giveaway Details:

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Ends March 7th.

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