Books Are Life

Waiting On Wednesday!

2011-08-11T00:14:00.003-04:00

Anyone who’s had something truly crappy happen to them will tell you: It’s all about Before and After. What I’m talking about here is the ka-pow, shake-you-to-your-core-and-turn-your-bones-to-plastic kind of crappy.

Sixteen-year-old Laurel’s world changes instantly when her parents and brother are killed in a terrible car accident. Behind the wheel is the father of her bad-boy neighbor, David Kaufman, whose mother is also killed. In the aftermath of the tragedy, Laurel navigates a new reality in which she and her best friend grow apart, boys may or may not be approaching her out of pity, overpowering memories lurk everywhere, and Mr. Kaufman is comatose but still very much alive. Through it all there is David, who swoops in and out of Laurel’s life and to whom she finds herself attracted against her better judgment. She will forever be connected to him by their mutual loss—a connection that will change them both in unexpected ways.

Jennifer Castle’s debut novel is a heart-wrenching, surprisingly witty testament to how drastically life can change in the span of a single moment.

This one comes out next month and it sounds amazing! I'm quite excited. :)

Startdust by Neil Gaiman

2011-08-07T18:00:00.000-04:00

Date Released: July 2007
Publisher: HarperCollins
Rating: 5 keys
Source: Bought
ISBN: 0380804557

Description:

In the sleepy English countryside of decades past, there is a town that has stood on a jut of granite for six hundred years. And immediately to the east stands a high stone wall, for which the village is named. Here in the town of Wall, Tristran Thorn has lost his heart to the hauntingly beautiful Victoria Forester. One crisp October night, as they watch, a star falls from the sky, and Victoria promises to marry Tristran if he'll retrieve that star and bring it back for her. It is this promise that sends Tristran through the only gap in the wall, across the meadow, and into the most unforgettable adventure of his life.In the sleepy English countryside of decades past, there is a town that has stood on a jut of granite for six hundred years. And immediately to the east stands a high stone wall, for which the village is named.

Here in the town of Wall, Tristran Thorn has lost his heart to the hauntingly beautiful Victoria Forester. One crisp October night, as they watch, a star falls from the sky, and Victoria promises to marry Tristran if he'll retrieve that star and bring it back for her. It is this promise that sends Tristran through the only gap in the wall, across the meadow, and into the most unforgettable adventure of his life.

Review:

This book was my first reading of Neil Gaiman and oh, did it start a beautiful friendship. Since this book I have scrounged up nearly every book ever written by him and keep trying to fit them into my schedule around every turn because this man is one amazing writer.

This book is one that was surprisingly great, I didn't expect to like it as much as I did. I had seen the first ten or so minutes of the movie, but when one of my friends read American Gods and couldn't stop going on about it I decided I had to read some Gaiman myself.

And we all know, I'm a YA girl.

So, Stardust was what I picked up and it was amazing. The book doesn't center around any one character, of course it focus' on Tristran but it jumps around to give a more well rounded view of all of those who live beyond Wall and this was a world I wanted to get to know more about. It was interesting, the characters, the setting, the situations, all of it kept my interest and had me reading until late in the night.

What I really loved though about Stardust was just Neil Gaiman's way of writing. The way he phrases simple things astounds me and it makes me realize just how powerful words can be. After reading this book I am on a quest to read all of his others and that doesn't happen all the time.

If you haven't read Gaiman yet, or if you just want to, Stardust is the perfect starter book to one of the greatest writers out there. I highly recommend it - so you should go read it.

Harry Potter, the Fun Stuff

2011-08-06T17:00:00.001-04:00

I'm still not over the end of Harry Potter.

I'm actually not sure if I will ever be completely "over" Harry Potter as I credit it to making me who I am. Not completely of course, Harry Potter didn't make me cheat on my math test in second grade, or cause me to get that speeding ticket when I was sixteen, but Harry Potter did do some other things in my life.

Because of Harry Potter, I became a reader. I have said it before, but I really do think Harry Potter inspired my generation to do more than just read, we believed in magic again which is something we were lacking in a world filled with The Backstreet Boys and Brittany Spears because they were the people kids were looking up to.

Until we met a little boy with a scar.

So, I take this opportunity to stop my sappiness, and move onto other things.

These are some of the best Harry Potter related images I have found on the internet so far, I have done enough talking about exactly what Harry Potter means to me to fill several posts, so this one I just want to make fun.

Here they are. Enjoy.

Lolz!

Lol, Spidey...

I don't think this was a waste of five dollars...

No offense Twilight, I loved you as well... it's just not the same thing. lol

And finally...

It's over guys, and I never did get my hogwarts letter...

Hey, Guess What... I'm BACK!

2011-08-05T23:51:00.006-04:00

So, I have been MIA for the last few months, most of that was due to college and me starting work but there was a problem... I missed you guys too much!

So, without further ado, I am here to say that I am back.

Just because I wasn't blogging, doesn't mean I wasn't reading so I will have some reviews coming your way quickly.

I can't wait to see you all again!

As always, books are life and I have missed you all!

(The reason for the picture of the cast of Harry Potter, is because I like Harry Potter...)

Miss Delacourt Has Her Day by Heidi Ashworth

2011-03-23T12:05:00.000-04:00

Date Released: February 4, 2011
Publisher: Avalon
Rating: 5 keys
Source: From Author for Review.
ISBN:978-0803477162

Description:

Ginny Delacourt felt the course of true love could not have run smoother. After all, it required only a fortnight, a pair of highwaymen, a pox quarantine, a sham betrothal, and a masquerade ball to bring Sir Anthony up to snuff. When her beloved suddenly becomes the heir to his uncle, the Duke of Marcross, protocol dictates that he drop the "Sir" from his name. It's his uncle who insists Ginny, daughter of a lowly vicar, is not the proper bride for a future duke.

Lucinda and Lord Avery arrive on the scene to stir up trouble, and Ginny's normally manipulative Grandaunt Regina seems helpless to arrange anything, least of all a frowned-upon wedding. It's up to Anthony, with help from his fussy valet, to see to it that Ginny has her day.
The road to true love just got a little bumpier.

Review:

Those of you who have followed me for awhile know all about my secret obsession with Regency Romances. I flock to them when given the opportunity because a ~~huge~~ small part of me loves the idea of the dances, the dresses, the perfect gentlemen... what is not to love?

I came across Miss Delacourt Speaks Her Mind by Heidi Ashworth around two years ago, you can read my review here. I loved it then, and when I heard there would be a sequel I couldn't repress my excitement (because honestly, who doesn't want to read an awesome regency when given the chance?)

The sequel to Miss Delacourt Speaks Her Mind, the book I swooned over two years ago definitely did not disappoint. This book did not suffer the curse of the sequel and it held my attention with the perfect amount of drama and humor to keep me fervently flipping the pages.

There are times in both books where I find myself laughing out loud, this book is filled with what I love to find in a regency romance. It's full of errors and missteps and moments where you can't help but giggle at the characters.

I loved watching the characters develop, they changed throughout this book I believe more than they did in the first installment and I enjoyed watching their development as they ran through the hurtles that faced them.

If you enjoy regency romances, humor, or are just yearning for a well developed and well plotted story you cannot miss this series!

Get Your Finished Faces Ready!!

2010-12-16T15:37:00.002-05:00

I finished my first semester of college!

Sorry for the lack of posts this last week but things were hectic with finals and everything so I just didn't have time, but I am DONE!

DONE!!

I feel like I can breathe again, but I am just so unbelievably happy.

I have missed all of you and I can't wait to be back in the swing of things.

Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead

2010-12-10T17:34:00.001-05:00

I don't think I can do a review for this book.

I have been thinking about it since completing it Wednesday and it's just too hard to put into words how I feel about the book, and specifically how the end of this series is making me feel.

On one hand, I love having an ending, but on the other I hate to see the series end. It's even different than Harry Potter because when I read the last Harry Potter I was so excited and I wasn't nearly as involved in the book world as I am now, so I just wanted the book, I never thought about the fact that it would be over. I was 15 and dumb.

This time though with my second favorite series I knew what was coming and I knew that this would be it.

Yes, there is a spin off and yes I think it will be amazing but still it won't be Rose, and that is what has me so messed up today.

Last Sacrifice as a book left me satisfied, more than satisfied really, but I don't know what I'm going to do now.

What will I do without Dimitri, Rose, Lissa, and Adrian?

I feel pathetic because I actually cried when I reached the end. This is just what books do to you I guess. I can't imagine not being a reader and not having this emotional pull to characters that feel more real to me than people I know in the real world.

I don't know how nonreaders make it through life without this.

Last Sacrifice is a great end to an even better series, I'm just sad to say goodbye.

Book Blogger Hop & Follow Friday!!

2010-12-09T21:43:00.001-05:00

The Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Jennifer at Crazy-for-Books!

This Week's Question:

What do you like most about reading book blogs?

My Answer:

Really for me it's not the guest posts or the reviews even, my favorite thing about book blogs and any blog in general is the person who runs it and seeing their personality come through in what they do. Just in the way they write reviews and do discussions, the books they like, how they portray their excitement. I like getting a sense of the person behind the blog. That's my favorite.

Follow Friday is hosted by the awesome Parajunkee at Parajunkee's" View

This Week's Question:

Do you have an undernoticed author you think we should all know about?

My Answer:

YES! Maria V. Snyder is a personal favorite of mine and I think she is amazing so you should definitely go read her. Her Study Series is one of my favorites. Also, Tara Altebrando's The Pursuit of Happiness was one of the first YA books I ever fell in love with. It's a must read.

Waiting On Wednesday!

2010-12-08T19:55:00.000-05:00

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, and its purpose is to spotlight those titles we can't wait for!

Lexi is cursed with a dark secret. The water calls to her, draws her in, forces her to sing her deadly song to unsuspecting victims. If she succumbs, she kills. If she doesn’t, the pain is unbearable. To keep herself and those she cares about safe, she shuts herself off, refusing to make friends or fall in love—again. Because the last time she fell in love with a boy, he ended up dead.

Then Lexi meets Cole. Against her better judgment, she finds herself opening up again, falling in love when she knows she shouldn’t. But when she’s offered the chance to finally live a normal life, she learns that the price she must pay to be free of her curse is giving him up.

In Ripple, Mandy Hubbard spins a sea-ravaged tale of melancholy beauty, and the choices one girl makes between land and waves, love and freedom, her future—and her heart.

I'm so excited for this one! I love Mandy Hubbard and have been reading her since her days on Fiction Press, so I'm sure this one will be amazing!

What are you waiting on?

You'll Never Guess...

2010-12-07T22:54:00.004-05:00

So, I have not spoken to all of you in two days! I just wanted to let you all know that I am currently 100 pages from finishing Last Sacrifice and then I shall resurface to all of you and humanity in general.

My friend and I went to four different places to find it at midnight last night, but it was so worth the sleep deprivation. I don't even mind I slept four hours last night.

I'll do a post about it and what not, but so far I am very, very happy.

Now to go back to reading.

In My Mailbox!

2010-12-05T19:59:00.003-05:00

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi aka The Story Siren and was inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie!

This week I got...

I wasn't able to do an In My Mailbox last week so this is for the last two weeks. I'm excited to read everything, though sadly I have finals coming up. :(

Who else is going to go buy their copy of Last Sacrifice at midnight tomorrow?! There are few things I will risk school for but I NEED THAT BOOK. I'm so excited and I don't even care that I will be a creeper going in to get it, they're not even having a release party. *sigh*

Team Dimitri! I'm crossing my fingers. :)

What did you get this week?

How Well Read Are You?

2010-12-04T18:53:00.000-05:00

Apparently..."The BBC believes most people will have read only 6 of the 100 books listed here.

I am bolding the ones I have read.

•Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
•The Lord of the Rings – JRR Tolkien
•Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte
•Harry Potter series – JK Rowling
•To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
•The King James Bible
•Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte
•Nineteen Eighty Four (1984) – George Orwell
•His Dark Materials – Phillip Pullman
•Great Expectations– Charles Dickens
•Little Women – Louisa M Alcott
•Tess of the D’Urbervilles – Thomas Hardy
•Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
•Complete Works of Shakespeare (umm, I've read 3...)
•Rebecca – Daphne Du Maurier
•The Hobbit – JRR Tolkien
•Birdsong – Sebastian Faulk
•Catcher in the Rye – JD Salinger
•The Time Traveler’s Wife – Audrey Niffenegger
•Middlemarch – George Eliot
•Gone With The Wind – Margaret Mitchell (LOVE!)
•The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald
•War and Peace – Leo Tolstoy
•The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams
•Brideshead Revisited – Evelyn Waugh
•Crime and Punishment – Fyodor Dostoyevsky
•Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck
•Alice in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll
•The Wind in the Willows – Kenneth Grahame
•Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy
•David Copperfield – Charles Dickens
•Chronicles of Narnia – CS Lewis
•Emma -Jane Austen
•Persuasion – Jane Austen
•The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe – CS Lewis
•The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini
•Captain Corelli’s Mandolin – Louis De Bernieres
•Memoirs of a Geisha – Arthur Golden
•Winnie the Pooh – A.A. Milne
•Animal Farm – George Orwell
•The DaVinci Code – Dan Brown
•One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
•A Prayer for Owen Meaney – John Irving
•The Woman in White – Wilkie Collins
•Anne of Green Gables – LM Montgomery
•Far From The Madding Crowd – Thomas Hardy
•The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood
•Lord of the Flies – William Golding
•Atonement – Ian McEwan
•Life of Pi – Yann Martel
•Dune – Frank Herbert
•Cold Comfort Farm – Stella Gibbons
•Sense and Sensibility – Jane Austen
•A Suitable Boy – Vikram Seth
•The Shadow of the Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafon
•A Tale Of Two Cities – Charles Dickens
•Brave New World – Aldous Huxley
•The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time – Mark Haddon
•Love in The Time of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
•Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck
•Lolita – Vladimir Nabokov
•The Secret History – Donna Tartt
•The Lovely Bones – Alice Sebold
•Count of Monte Cristo – Alexandre Dumas
•On The Road – Jack Kerouac
•Jude the Obscure – Thomas Hardy
•Bridget Jones’s Diary – Helen Fielding
•Midnight’s Children – Salman Rushdie
•Moby Dick - Herman Melville
•Oliver Twist – Charles Dickens
•Dracula – Bram Stoker
•The Secret Garden – Frances Hodgson Burnett
•Notes From A Small Island – Bill Bryson
•Ulysses – James Joyce
•The Inferno – Dante
•Swallows and Amazons – Arthur Ransome
•Germinal – Emile Zola
•Vanity Fair – William Makepeace Thackeray
•Possession -AS Byatt
•Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens
•Cloud Atlas – David Mitchell
•The Color Purple – Alice Walker
•The Remains of the Day – Kazuo Ishiguro
•Madame Bovary – Gustave Flaubert
•A Fine Balance – Rohinton Mistry
•Charlotte’s Web – E.B. White
•The Five People You Meet In Heaven – Mitch Albom
•Adventures of Sherlock Holmes – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
•The Faraway Tree Collection – Enid Blyton
•Heart of Darkness – Joseph Conrad
•The Little Prince – Antoine De Saint-Exupery
•The Wasp Factory – Iain Banks
•Watership Down – Richard Adams
•A Confederacy of Dunces – John Kennedy Toole
•A Town Like Alice – Nevil Shute
•The Three Musketeers – Alexandre Dumas
•Hamlet – William Shakespeare
•Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Roald Dahl
•Les Miserables – Victor Hugo

Counting series books I have read 40! Yay! I'm in the process of reading more, I've gradually been going through my classics.

Take that BBC! (Though, I actually adore BBC, they make my favorite Jane Austen movies... plus they have Chef Ramsey).

Book Blogger Hop & Follow Friday!!

2010-12-02T22:26:00.004-05:00

The Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Jennifer at Crazy-for-Books!

This Week's Question:

What hyped about book did you not enjoy?

My Answer:

The first one to come to mind was Fallen by Lauren Kate, it just didn't work for me for whatever reason. There's not really many though that I haven't enjoyed, I am a reader who is very easily pleased. I didn't necessarily enjoy writing my review for Fallen but I was honest. We just weren't meant to be book friends.

Follow Friday is hosted by the awesome Parajunkee at Parajunkee's" View

This Week's Question:

What do you do besides reading/reviewing as a hobby?

My Answer:

Great question! It's almost hard for me to think of a hobby I do outside of reading and blogging honestly... because that's really the main thing I do in my spare time. I guess when I'm not blogging I'm writing, crocheting, or doing something with friends. My biggest hobby is still definitly reading though, I get grumpy if I don't get reading time. I actually give up quite a bit of sleep to guarantee I have my reading time. :)

Waiting On Wednesday!

2010-12-01T16:36:00.003-05:00

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, and its purpose is to spotlight those titles we can't wait for!

This is Agnes Wilkins’ debut season and already she’s attracting the attention of one of England’s most eligible and desirable men: Lord Showalter. He’s been quite forward about his intentions and Agnes finds this at once thrilling and terrifying. He is handsome and wealthy and has this quirky interest in helping England amass the world’s finest collection of Egyptian artifacts. It could be a good match—but everything Agnes knows about courtship and high society romance comes from A. Lady novels, and it seems to be a rule that men who are too good to be true are usually hiding something.

But, what Showalter is hiding is not crumbling finances or boarish behavior. He is deceiving the whole British Empire. He is spy working for Napoleon, his orders smuggled into London in Egyptian artifacts—like the one Agnes pockets while at a mummy unwrapping party at Showalter’s home. Her innocent interest in this trinket (and childish need to keep it) jump starts a chain of events that bring out dangerous characters, dangerous circumstances, and the biggest danger of all—true love.

I think this book sounds amazing! It sounds like a regency and if you know me at all you know I adore regency themed things! So excited!

What are you waiting on this week?

The Weekly Write [1]

2010-11-29T17:04:00.000-05:00

This is a brand new thing that I will be doing every Monday, since I have recently decided to take my writing seriously I need to keep track of it somehow. :)

For one day a week I will consider myself a writer, and I will share with you whatever I have discovered on the writerly journey so far.

This week was extremely hectic because I was out of town for Thanksgiving and I had a ton of school work to do, of course this didn't stop this editing craziness...

This is the crazy that has been my life this past week. I have been editing the partial draft like crazy, which means that I have just been going through and adding description because apparently my first draft brain hates description.

I found gems like this while going through and the question was raised, what was I thinking?

As I was editing, I made the mistake of going back through and reading my edits which resulted in me editing my edits. :(

I haven't finished the first 100 pages yet, and this week is known as Hell week at my college so it may be another hectic week, but I know that editing is a completely different game than writing.

I actually find it interesting how my vision is the same, and what I wrote and what I wanted to write in edits matched perfectly. Because of the break and the editing I have done so far, I really think I know exactly where I'm going.

I actually had a brain blast the other day where I realized something about the plot that was obvious, but I'd just never noticed it before. I'm excited to get back. My goal is to have it all done by January 1st and to have critique partners reading it the 2nd. :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T11:42:00.002-05:00

To all of my followers who celebrate it, Happy Thanksgiving!!

I'm off to go play in the ocean and eat some turkey.

Nano Update/I'm a Failure.

2010-11-23T16:32:00.000-05:00

I failed NaNoWriMo. :(

I started Nano so excited and so full of confidence that I would and could do it, and I still think that I could have.

I was ahead actually when I decided to quit but I don't feel like a failure because the reason I stopped involved my story. I reached a part in the novel where I realized I had done something wrong, and I'm still not completely sure what that thing is. At times it felt too strained, my main character felt flat and I decided that if I kept writing without fixing this problem I would be in a very deep hole. Now I have 100 pages of something I need to fix so I'm going to do that first.

I just printed out my partial draft and I'm taking it with me to edit during the long car rides I have ahead of me this week and hopefully by the time I return home I'll know where I'm going.

So, all in all I don't feel like a failure, I have something that needs fixing that I believe has potential - that was my goal in the first place.

I think I'm going to start doing a Weekly post that solely focuses on how writing is going. I don't know if any of you are fellow aspiring authors, but it would help to talk about it. :)

I will be partially MIA this week because Thanksgiving means hectic travel in my family.

Guest Post: Who Doesn't do Crazy Things For Harry Potter?

2010-11-18T16:16:00.003-05:00

Today we have Diana from Books By Their Story here discussing some of the crazy things her love of Harry Potter has made her do!

Who hasn’t done crazy things for the love of Harry Potter?

When I first discovered Harry Potter I fell in love with the books immediately. This was about 4 years ago when a friend of mine introduced me to the world of Harry Potter. I just couldn’t believe that such amazing books could exist. Then came the crazy part.

Being the little kid that I was, my friend and I decided to give roles to everyone in our class. This meant that one of our friends could be Hagrid and the other could be Lavender Brown. We used to have a book that kept all the names of those in our class, and even those who weren’t, and next to their name was the character who they were.

Sometimes we gave them a character according to their personality or simply because they had the same color hair. Some of them even responded when we called them by a character instead of their real name.

We went as far as saying that rulers were our wands! We used to cover them up in colored paper and would go to lunch with them and pretend we were fighting with them. One day while we were in the classroom doing nothing, we decided to have duel with our wands. We were just playing around when all of a sudden the desk that one of my friends was pointing at with her wand fell. We thought it was really creepy since it looked like it had fallen magically.

To this day many of those who were involved in this crazy thought of still remind me of the things I did. Most of them now know that I love Harry Potter and I also think that they believe I’m a bit weird.

Guest Post: Harry Potter and the Gift of Reading

2010-11-17T19:10:00.001-05:00

Todays guest post is from Jill at Owl For YA! It's all about how Harry Potter has shaped the way kids read today. :)

It feels like I can’t remember a time in my teaching career without Harry Potter. They have become such an engrained part of being a 7th grade English teacher. Each year new kids decide to pick them up, and each year more kids fall in love with Hogwarts, Harry, Hagrid and the thought of having their own wand. I am one of the mass that love Harry Potter now, but when he first came on the scene you would’ve never thought I would be.

I have never been a big fantasy fan. Books like The Lord of the Rings never interested me. I didn’t like the idea that I had to learn a whole new world beyond my own. I found it confusing and frustrating so I never got very far. This was even true for the Chronicles of Narnia series because so much of it was spent in that “other” world so different from our own. When so many of my students were reading the Harry Potter books I thought there was no way I was ever going to read them. But, after awhile I knew I should at least attempt the first one, so I would know what my students were talking about. With that I picked up book one.

By the time Harry meet Hagrid I was back at the story buying all the other books. I was in love with Harry Potter. Buy why? What did Harry Potter have that all those other fantasy books didn’t? There are two things I can think of. One: the “fantasy” world doesn’t start right away. I get to know Harry without having to get to know a whole new world at the same time. And that whole new world is still a part of the world I knew. I didn’t have to learning everything new. Two: Harry. How could you not fall in love with Harry? His poor little life made me just feel for him, and I wanted to keep reading because I knew it would get better. I was rooting for him, and I couldn’t quit reading until I knew his life was better.

So I continued reading. I laughed with Harry and Ron. Rolled my eyes at Hermione. Smiled when Harry “saw” Ginny for the first time. Worried about all characters as they battled to save what they loved. And saddest of all, cried when Dumbledore died. Harry Potter is a part of my life and a part of the lives of my students. I am thankful for those books because I know they have created a love of reading in students who might have never found it. What a gift to give to me and to generations of children.

Guest Post: Why Harry Potter is a Fantasy Classic

2010-11-17T15:55:00.004-05:00

I'm Alison of Alison Can Read. I've been blogging for 5 months. I review mostly young adult literature with some middle grade books and manga.

I read my first Harry Potter book in the summer of 2000, when I was 18 years old. Up to that point, I hated the fantasy genre. Madeline L'Engle's A Wrinkle In Time was confusing and boring. I had no desire to read C.S. Lewis. There were a few exceptions, of course. I loved Roald Dahl's Matilda and Lois Lowry's The Giver. But for the most part I stuck solely to historical fiction, contemporary fiction, or historical non-fiction.

From the moment, I picked up Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, I was entranced with the series, immersed into the world of Harry and Hogwarts. I immediately picked up the second and third books and actually worked at Barnes & Noble the night of the midnight release of the fourth book in July 2000. For the next seven years, I waited with bated breath for the remaining three books to be published and now re-read the entire series every year. Since reading my first Harry Potter book, I've given fantasy a fair shot. And to my surprise I love it! Now, paranormal romance, high fantasy, and urban fantasy comprise a good percentage of my reading material.

Why is the Harry Potter series such a good introduction to the fantasy genre? Harry Potter exemplifies the best of the genre. Fantasy can transport you to another world. And I mean that almost literally. When I'm reading Harry Potter, I am immersed in the world of wizardry. Everything around me fades away. Part of me truly believes that this world actually exists. It seems entirely logical. Rowling does an incredible job of building a world that seem very much like our own, in a way. There is school, family, sports, bureaucracy. The parts that are unfamiliar are explained so well, with such detail, history, and symbolism, that the fantastical is on equal par with reality.

Fantasy is an excellent vessel for themes that are hard to get across in realistic fiction without insulting someone, or sounding extreme, depressing, or preachy. For example, government corruption is a strong theme throughout the series, yet no particular government or political party can legitimately claim the book is attacking it, since the Ministry Of Magic is not real. Deathly Hallows practically hits the reader on the head with a Christian allegory, yet it is presented in a way that doesn't make you feel as though you were reading a sermon.

In the best fantasy novels, the reader really relates to the characters, knows them as well or better than he/she knows people in real life. This is crucial to any novel, of course, but particularly important for the fantasy genre, where the characters are naturally harder to understand because they live in a world where the reader does not. The author has to work extra hard to make the characters feel just as human, just as three-dimensional as the reader. This is where J.K. Rowling truly excels. Every one of her characters are complex, flawed, real people. Harry Potter is brave, loyal, and selfless, yet also has a horrible temper, isn't unusually bright, and makes rash conclusions. Dumbledore, one of the series' heroes, is wise, brilliant, and caring, but is also cold, calculating, and arrogant. Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy seem like heartless villains, yet their love for their son ultimately saves Harry's life and thwarts Voldemort. Snape turns out to be incredibly brave, loyal, and an eternal romantic, but he is a resentful, bitter, and heartlessly cruel man

Classic good versus evil tales work better in fantasy than in realistic fiction. The stories can be more extreme than reality allows - evil is elevated to a higher level when the supernatural is involved and the hero is endowed with extra skills to defeat the bad guy. This is certainly the case in Harry Potter. With a single swipe of their wands and an incantation, the villains and the heroes can fly, torture, and kill. Mere muggle battles simply cannot compare. Rowling also does a marvelous job of showing that good versus evil is not a black and white world, something that is difficult to do in any kind of novel. In my opinion, the two most evil characters in the series are Voldemort and Delores Umbridge, and they are on different sides of the Dark Arts battle line (Bellatrix Lestrange gives Umbridge a very good run for her money, but even she has a human weakness - she's in love with Voldemort). The fantasy world reflects the very human reality that people who are arguably on the "good side" can be just as evil and cruel as the villains.

Harry Potter has earned a spot aside such venerable classics as The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia. It is a marvelously complex tale that manages to be fun and heartwarming at the same time. The series certainly worked it's magic upon me and opened my eyes to a whole new world of literary possibilities.

Make Candace Read Harry Potter Campaign!

2010-11-16T16:10:00.004-05:00

Some things are just not right with the world. There are a few things that should be guaranteed, Life, Liberty, and the Opportunity to read Harry Potter and Candace at Candace's Book Blog, has never read Harry Potter!

I can't even begin to comprehend how a life without Harry Potter must feel so we need to help her! This is what she had to say:

It's really a combination of reasons, first of all it was so hyped that I think that I lost any interest in reading them for that reason alone. If I hadn't read Twilight before it was something HUGE then I probably never would have read them either.
Another reason is those books are freaking HUGE! I mean seriously! I have 60+ books waiting for me to read NOW and I could get through at least 3 of them in the time it would take me to read ONE HP.
HP is for little kids. Okay, so let me explain that one. Many years back when my brother Seth was only 10 or so I got him an HP book cause my mom said he liked them. It was the small version, for the younger kids, I assume. That stuck in my head though and I guess it may have influenced my decision.
And then last, but not least, those books are HUGE (oh, did I say that already?) well, that is really the main reason.
So tell me, why should I take my precious reading time and put it into reading HP? Is it really worth putting off those other books? -Candace

Clearly, she needs us.

She needs us to convince her to read the books! She doesn't know what she's missing. So if you are as horrified at this as me please support the Make Candace Read Harry Potter Campaign. There are many ways you can help out, and all of them are easy! You can grab the button below for starters, and then visit Candace at her blog, leave a comment telling her why she should read Harry Potter. You can even send her a tweet with the reason why she should read them. Please put your support behind this!

Only we can help her!

If you Tweet her or leave her comments come back and let us know! It's worth 5 extra points in the giveaway!

&lt;center>&lt;a href="http://books-are-life-reviews.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">&lt;img border="0" alt="Make Candace Read Harry Potter Campaign" src="http://i913.photobucket.com/albums/ac339/Loriimagination/Harry%20Potter%20Week/harrypottercampaign1.jpg"/>&lt;/a>&lt;/center>

It's Harry Potter Week!

2010-11-15T13:03:00.001-05:00

As you may remember this week Lori from Pure Imagination and I are giving you an entire week of Harry Potter goodness!

We have great guest posts planned, a giveaway and an amazing cause that we need your help on so be sure to check back and join in the fun!

For now grab the button and get ready for the HP giveaway!

<center><a href="http://books-are-life-reviews.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="Harry Potter Week" src="http://i913.photobucket.com/albums/ac339/Loriimagination/Harry%20Potter%20Week/harrypotterweek.png"/></a></center>

In My Mailbox!

2010-11-13T19:28:00.000-05:00

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi aka The Story Siren and was inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie!

This week I got...

This week was full of amazing, I still can't quite get over it.

I'm so excited to read everything!

What did you get this week?

Book Blogger Hop + Follow Friday!

2010-11-11T22:43:00.004-05:00

The Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Jennifer at Crazy-for-Books!

This Week's Question:

If you see a book that looks good, but it is part of a series, do you start with book one or just read the one you want to read?

My Answer:

I always, always, always start with book one. I can't read just part of a series. Series are all about getting indebted in the characters and becoming immersed in the world and I can't do that just reading the last book or book 2. My brain just doesn't work that way, plus I'm kind of nosy when it comes to my characters. I want to know as much as I can.

Follow Friday is hosted by the awesome Parajunkee at Parajunkee's" View

This Week's Question:

What is your monthly book budget?

My Answer:

I don't have a monthly book budget really, maybe if I did I would be more organized with my buying but really I just pick up things randomly. I do try to only go once a month in order to pick up things I only really, really want, but that normally doesn't happen... and when I go to signings (which seems to be fairly often recently) that idea goes out the window.

Waiting On Wednesday!

2010-11-10T15:59:00.002-05:00

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, and its purpose is to spotlight those titles we can't wait for!

When Jill finds a rusty sword tip on a Caribbean beach, she is instantly intrigued—and little expects it will transport her through time to the deck of a pirate ship. Will a dark enchantment, salty kisses, and a duel with an evil pirate captain leave her stranded in the eighteenth century forever?

Drawing on piratical lore and historical fact, Carrie Vaughn creates a vivid world of swaying masts and swelling seas, where blood magic overrules the laws of nature, romance is in the air, and death can come at the single slip of a sword.

***

Doesn't it sound awesome?! Pirates?! Please!!

Released: March 15th

NaNoWriMo Update: Day 9

2010-11-10T12:00:00.000-05:00

I meant to do this post yesterday, but I had an essay that stole my soul. It was horribly hard and I'm still unsure on my topic, but I refuse to think of that now.

I am going to focus on what is more important to me at the moment, and that is how my essay made me feel about the book I'm writing.

I had been longing to write all day, but I knew from the time that I woke up that I couldn't until I had written this first draft. I needed to have something to bring to class tomorrow and that fact absolutely destroyed my inner drive to do it.

I ended up doing something essayish which will definitely suffice for a peer editing discussion, but I have never wanted to write so much in my life as I did today. I was thinking about the next scene constantly and I was so ready to just write as much as I could and I missed my characters.

I missed my characters, people that don't exist.

It kind of surprised me, I missed them, really missed them. I didn't get to write and be a part of their world until almost midnight and only writing 1k was torture, but it was worth it because now I know that I have to finish this story.

I really hope NaNoWriMo where be where I do it, but school has to be priority. So far I am fine, but I don't know how much I'll be able to write with this horrible essay due Monday.

At least I know, I have to keep writing.

Word Count: 17145

How Much Do You Love Harry Potter?

2010-11-08T19:23:00.001-05:00

How much do you love Harry Potter? Were you like me, and completely obsessed with the books? Did you write very bad fan fiction? Can you quote the movies word for word?

Did you cry when you didn't get your Hogwarts letter?

Maybe you didn't like Harry Potter, maybe you for some odd reason, were in love with Draco Malfoy or even Seamus Finnegan.

Either way, I want to know all about it.

Lori and I are doing Harry Potter week and we are seeking Guest posts! If you love Harry Potter, Hogwarts, Hedwig, and the entire Potter universe as much as we do, we want to know why.

Just send me an email at books_are_life@yahoo(dot)com if you have an idea and want to write about it.

But for the rest of you... get ready for Harry Potter week! I know I'll be wearing my Gryffindor tie proudly...

Just Listen by Sarah Dessen [Review]

2010-11-08T15:30:00.002-05:00

Date Released: April 6th, 2006
Publisher: Viking
Rating: 5 keys
Source: Bought.
ISBN:9780670061051

Summary:

Last year, Annabel was "the girl who has everything"—at least that's the part she played in the television commercial for Kopf's Department Store.This year, she's the girl who has nothing: no best friend because mean-but-exciting Sophie dropped her, no peace at home since her older sister became anorexic, and no one to sit with at lunch. Until she meets Owen Armstrong. Tall, dark, and music-obsessed, Owen is a reformed bad boy with a commitment to truth-telling. With Owen's help,maybe Annabel can face what happened the night she and Sophie stopped being friends.

Review:

There is a truth universally acknowledged* that I adore Sarah Dessen. In reality, all of Sarah Dessen's books are amazing, but I have never reviewed Just Listen, and I feel it is time I do so.

Just Listen was the first book by Sarah Dessen that I ever read and because of that it will always hold a special place in my heart, but it is not just because it introduced me to her that I love this book. Just listen is just amazing in general.

I'm afraid that any review of a Dessen book I do won't be the average review because of how amazing I feel they all are, they're almost in a separate category in my mind that goes from, Okay, Good, Great, Sarah Dessen, I really feel that is an example of how my brain works half of the time, but I digress.

Annabell's story is amazing and in Just Listen Dessen really hits on the issues of perfection and the entire girl who has everything idea. Nobody's life is perfect even if it seems that way and in Just Listen we get to experience that through Annabell.

There are so many different things going on in Just Listen, there is a concept of family dynamics, the idea of friendship, perfection, and eventually just getting it right.

Owen is one of my favorite boys in the world, and he still is to this day having read this book 4 years ago. Owen is completely misunderstood and the person he is now in no way reflects the person he might have been in the past which is itself is a powerful message. He is never without his Ipod and the music he loves, which is at times, not even considered music, is one of my favorite aspects of the novel.

Annabell's story is powerful and if you haven't read Just Listen yet, I can't even express how much you are missing out.

Don't think or Judge. Just Listen.

*Thank you Jane Austen for lending me part of that line.

In My Mailbox

2010-11-07T13:19:00.006-05:00

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi aka The Story Siren and was inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie!

This week I got...

For Review:

The Trouble with Chickens by Doreen Cronin

Bought:

The Morganville Vampires Volumes 1 & 2 by Rachel Caine

Huge thanks to Harper for the surprise fun!

I went to a Rachel Caine and Heather Brewer signing this week, I have yet to read any of the Morganville Vampire series, but I have heard such amazing things I'll read them soon.

As soon as November is over. If you're doing Nano, you know my pain. :)

So, what did you get this week?

Nano Update: Day Five

2010-11-06T13:30:00.002-04:00

Ugh.

Oh dear...

Today has been completely filled with self doubt about my story. It has been awful. I wrote quite a lot, I just hit 3000 words, but it was not easy and I hated every second of it. I'm not sure where to go to get from where I am to where I want to be, but I think it will become easier once I completely figure out what will happen with certain aspects of it.

Anything that is wrong I know I can fix in revision but I guess my self editor has just been in full bloom today. Everything I wrote sounded too stupid, and I was never able to fully get rid of that feeling. I keep telling myself I'll go back and add the lyrical prose I love to read, but I do not believe myself apparently.

I have never written a contemporary before, or a book told in the first person. Both of these things are proving relatively challenging for me because they're just so new, but I am still writing and I still love my characters and my story! Which is the important thing.

Oh well.

Word Count: 10,125

Time to go reread The Truth About Forever. Yes, I have read it already this year. Don't judge, it's research.

And the winner is...

2010-11-05T15:36:00.002-04:00

My contest for an ARC of Siren is officially over!

So, I picked the winner (with the help of a bajillion tiny pieces of paper) and the winner is...

Danielle!

Insert the streamers and balloons!

Congrats Danielle and I will be sending you an email soon.

Now, I'm off to write 10,000 words for Nanowrimo.

Book Blogger Hop & Follow Friday!!

2010-11-04T22:51:00.003-04:00

The Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Jennifer at Crazy-for-Books!

This Week's Question:

How do you feel about losing followers? Have you ever stopped following a blog?

My Answer:

Losing followers leaves me paranoid. I always wonder what I have done wrong and I begin to really hope it was a Blogger mistake, but it is what it is. I myself have never unfollowed a blog because if I'm following you, that means there was something about your blog I liked. I'm not a big fan of seeing my numbers drop, but thankfully it doesn't happen that often.

Follow Friday is hosted by the awesome Parajunkee at Parajunkee's" View

This Week's Question:

Who are your favorite authors?

My Answer:

I have a ton. Sarah Dessen, John Green, Stephenie Meyer, Richelle Mead, Jennifer Echols and the list goes on, and on, and on...

Nano Update: Day One!

2010-11-04T10:25:00.003-04:00

So far I have been very pleased with the way Nano is going! My goal word count for each day has been 2000 words and so far I have met that without really even trying!

I have always had to make myself get away from the computer so far to quit which can't be a bad sign.

I thought it would be horrible on me honestly because I'm a full time student and I have animals that need to be taken care of and a blog that has to keep running and reading! I need to read!

Reading has kind of taken a hit, but it's day three. I'm still getting used to this. :)

I don't know how much writing I'll get done today as I'm going to a book signing, but I'm three days ahead according to the Nano counter. I hope I can write some at least - I really like the next scene.

How are you guys doing? Anything that has been difficult?

Word Count: 6227

In Defense of NaNoWriMo

2010-11-03T17:44:00.003-04:00

Yesterday around the blog world there was a bit of a controversy (I say controversy for lack of a better word, it wasn't bad) on NaNoWriMo.

Maggie Stiefvater (who we all love) came out with an Anti Nano blog post which actually really surprised me. I'd never heard anything bad about Nano before so it was strange to see a published author not liking it.

Her reasons are solid and I understand where she's coming from, but there's one point where I think we definitely disagree. She said in her post that doing Nano wasn't really realistic for publication because essentially your writing will be awful, and I have to say I agree with her on that...

But that's the point.

NaNoWriMo is not supposed to be a perfect novel. The point of Nano is to make you write. It makes you give yourself permission to write crap which honestly I feel is very important. I have tried many times to write whenever the inspiration hit me or whenever I had the time, but at the end of the day, I had no reason to keep going. I was writing so gradually that eventually I didn't care if it ever got finished because I lost the passion for it.

Nano is something that will make you keep going and if you reach 50,000 words or you finish your first draft in December you will have something completed to revise and you will be able to work with something. All first drafts are supposed to be crap, it's just how it works.

I mean I could spend a year writing a novel, but I honestly feel that I would get so into the editing that I wouldn't do much writing. I love Nano because it gives me permission to keep going.

I personally love knowing I have thirty days to do this. All the people in my life who know I'm participating do think I'm crazy, but that's okay and I'm fine with that. I just really love this story now and the more I write, the more I want to write. I've never felt like that before.

Everyone has a different writing style, but I personally need a word count goal and a deadline, otherwise I wouldn't be able to get anything done.

As far as publication goes it is definitely not impossible for your Nano book to be your break.

Just ask Courtney Allison Moulton, the author of the upcoming Angelfire, or Julie Kagawa, the author of the Iron Fey series.

This is my defense for Nano, how do you guys feel about it?

Is Nano good for the writer or is it destructive?

Waiting On Wednesday!

2010-11-03T10:50:00.003-04:00

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, and its purpose is to spotlight those titles we can't wait for!

Writing her own love story could drive a girl insane!

When you’re the daughter of the bestselling Queen of Romance, life should be pretty good. But 16-year-old Alice Amorous has been living a lie ever since her mother was secretly hospitalized for mental illness. After putting on a brave front for months, time is running out.

The next book is overdue, and the Queen can’t write it. Alice needs a story for her mother—and she needs one fast. That’s when she meets Errol, a strange boy who claims to be Cupid, who insists that Alice write about the greatest love story in history: his tragic relationship with Psyche. As Alice begins to hear Errol’s voice in her head and see things she can’t explain, she must face the truth—that she’s either inherited her mother’s madness, or Errol is for real.

000

Does this not sound awesome?! We don't ever hear much about cupid in YA so this definitely intrigues me.

What are you waiting for this week?

The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney [Review]

2010-11-02T17:07:00.005-04:00

Release Date: November 2, 2010
Publisher: Little Brown Books For Young Readers
Source: ARC Tour
ISBN:978-0316090537
Rating: 5 Keys

Summary:

Some schools have honor codes.
Others have handbooks.
Themis Academy has the Mockingbirds.

Themis Academy is a quiet boarding school with an exceptional student body that the administration trusts to always behave the honorable way--the Themis Way. So when Alex is date raped during her junior year, she has two options: stay silent and hope someone helps her, or enlist the Mockingbirds--a secret society of students dedicated to righting the wrongs of their fellow peers.

In this honest, page-turning account of a teen girl's struggle to stand up for herself, debut author Daisy Whitney reminds readers that if you love something or someone--especially yourself--you fight for it.

Review:

It has been months since I had the opportunity to read The Mockingbirds and I still think about it constantly. I can't express my love for this book enough or how important I feel it is for everyone to read it.

Alex's character is honest and well developed in every way, she doesn't hold anything from us and the first person narrative just adds to the emotion within the pages. We feel what Alex feels and her story is powerful. We witness the changes that the rape does to not only how she feels about herself, but how it impacts her day to day life and essentially everything within it. It all revolves around IT. Everything, from where she goes, how she gets to class, even whether she eats lunch or not. It all revolves around what happened.

Themis Academy was a great setting for such a story because I myself went to a school which liked to ignore things that happened within the student body, they were there to teach us and that was where it ended. It wasn't because they believed we were perfect, but because they essentially didn't want to know. Whatever happened among us, we could work it out, so I completely took the idea of The Mockingbirds and saw the genius within such an idea. I imagine a lot of schools take that approach to dealing with their students and I wish The Mockingbirds had been there for us.

The topic of consent is what drives this novel and it's an important one that everyone needs to understand. Alex's story of rape is not one that is traditionally told. When most think of rape they think of being dragged off of the street or other such events, but with Alex that is not the case. Her story is about consent. That night she was in absolutely no condition to consent, and her lack of memory of what happened proves that. Only a yes is ever a yes

With all of the serious topics in this novel there are its light moments, particularly those involving Martin. I adored her with Martin because her interacting with him seemed normal and with all of the darkness circulating her recent life she needed some touch of normalcy. Alex had a group of friends who truly never turned their backs on her.

I really believe this book will be taught in schools one day because its subject matter is so important for teenagers to know.

Everyone should be required to read this book.

Nano Update: Day One

2010-11-01T23:00:00.005-04:00

Today was the first day of Nano and I'm pretty okay with how I did. I have been trying to decide which story I was going to do for weeks now, and I ended up changing my mind last minute. The one I decided on I really don't know as well as the other, but I am definitely embodying the idea of Nano!

I saw this daily update over at Blkosiners Book Blog, and I don't know if I'll do this every day (if you want me to let me know!) but here's my update for day one.

Word count: 2271
Any problems today? Figuring out where I want to go, and just overall character development.
Any victories, no matter how small? I think I picked good names, and I think it will get better.

NaNoWriMo is Almost Here!

2010-10-31T19:22:00.000-04:00

Nano starts tonight at midnight and I am so excited!

Nano will probably effect my blogging a bit, but I'm waking up an extra hour earlier every morning to write and I have some posts scheduled so if it works out right you won't even notice I'm gone. :)

If I start not replying to emails as often you know where I am.

If you want to add me as a writing buddy my name is christina.books.are.life. I'm amazingly original when thinking up usernames.

I will be doing Nano updates throughout the month, probably letting you guys no how much I am failing, but hopefully I will make it.

50,000 words in 30 days here I come!

What I Wish Was In My Mailbox!

2010-10-30T19:28:00.009-04:00

Since this week I didn't get any books I am going to do something a bit different. Rather than the what I got post, this will be the what I wish I got post.

In other words, these are the books that would make me do a happy dance in my driveway if I got them.

I don't think words can describe how much I ~~want~~ need this book. It's kind of ridiculous really and I'm sorry to those who have heard me talk about my want in person. I can get nerdy when talking about Angelfire.

I'm a huge space fan meaning that Star Wars/Star Trek really make me happy. I'm actually wearing my Star Trek shirt right now so a YA set in space? Yes, Please!

I really think this may be the most gorgeous cover I have ever seen and the story sounds super interesting as well. Can't wait for this one!

I LOVE SARAH DESSEN! Sorry for the caps, but I feel they were necessary. Her books really got me into YA and I'm so excited for her newest one I don't know what to do. Her release dates always feel like another holiday to me.

Secondhand Charm by Julie Berry [Review]

2010-10-29T16:48:00.000-04:00

Release Date: October 12, 2010
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's Books
ISBN:9781599905112
Source: Publisher.
My Rating: 4.5 Keys.

Summary:

In a secluded village, magic sparkles on the edges of the forest. There, a young girl named Evie possesses unusually strong powers as a healer. A gypsy's charms-no more than trinkets when worn by others-are remarkably potent when Evie ties them around her neck. Her talents, and charms, have not escaped the notice of the shy stonemason's apprentice. But Evie wants more than a quiet village and the boy next-door. When the young king's carriage arrives one day, and his footman has fallen ill, Evie might just get her chance after all . . . Berry's debut novel garnered glowing reviews and strong sales-and now she's done it again with a beautifully woven tale to keep all readers, young and old, absolutely charmed.

Review:

I've been thinking all day about how exactly to describe this book, but when it comes right down to it, I honestly don't know how. It has so many different aspects and so many things going for it I just don't know of the word that explains it perfectly. I almost want to call it an adventure because with each page came another twist I wasn't expecting. I literally had no idea what would happen next and I loved it that way.

It has been a while since a book has stumped me, normally I can kind of figure out what is going to happen and really guess the plot just based on the summary but that wasn't the case for Secondhand Charm, it constantly surprised me.

This book is perfect for those who love a good fairy tale because essentially that is what it reads like. It reminds me of the fairy tales I read when I was younger and it's great to see fairy tales aren't dying - even if we all are focused on the horror aspect of them these days with Vampires, Werewolves, etc..

Because it was a fairy tale it contained a lot of fantasy elements which I loved. My favorite creature in the book was definitely the Leviathans because they weren't evil or creepy or anything. By the end of the book I wanted a Leviathan of my own because they just seemed so perfect and loyal.

I really felt Evie grew as a person during her journey and I really enjoyed Evie and Aiden's relationship. I really feel they complemented each other well and I almost wish there was the promise of a sequel because I would love to spend more time with them.

I will definitely be checking out Julie Berry's first book, The Amaranth Enchantment, because if it is half as fun as this one I won't be dissapointed.

If you're still a kid at heart like me, you need to read this book!

Book Blogger Hop & Follow Friday!!

2010-10-29T00:45:00.000-04:00

The Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Jennifer at Crazy-for-Books!

This Week's Question:

What is the one bookish thing you would love to have?

My Answer:
I've always wanted a home library with walls lined with shelves, it's kind of a dream thing at this point. The other thing I would love to have is a bit less realistic and that is one of first editions of Harry Potter from its first ever UK printing. They're terribly rare but I think it would be amazing to have one.

Follow Friday is hosted by the awesome Parajunkee at Parajunkee's" View

This Week's Question:

If you have, or think you will ever have a daughter, what book would you want her to read?

My Answer:

There are a lot of books that I would want a future child/daughter of mine to experience. Reading is a huge part of who I am so I would want them to experience the books that made me want to be a reader. I feel like I would read Harry Potter to them from the day they were born. I grew up with Harry, so I would love for them to do the same. The one book though I feel I would have to share would be The Diary of Anne Frank simply because that is the only book me and my mother ever talked about, and Anne's story is just very important to me. Also, she would read Twilight, I would love to hear what she thinks of our Vampires and Werewolves. :)

Have You Heard About My Giveaway?!

2010-10-27T20:11:00.003-04:00

If you haven't, this is your last week to enter!

I announced two months ago that I was giving away an ARC of Siren and a signed The Body Finder bookmark, so if you have not entered this is your chance before the giveaway ends on Tuesday!

Here's what you can win:

You don't have to be a follower to enter, but of course that is appreciated. If you tweet or blog post about it you get bonus entries.

If you would like to enter, just fill out this form. US readers only, sorry International readers.

I've had this contest going for forever so I can't wait to see who wins. :)

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Waiting On Wednesday!

2010-10-27T08:46:00.001-04:00

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, and its purpose is to spotlight those titles we can't wait for!

I want this book so bad! I couldn't find a summary for it, but from what I have heard around the blogosphere this one is amazing and I can't wait!

I really think 2011 might be the best year for books I have ever seen.

What are you waiting on this week?

Author Signing: Scott Westerfeld Edition!

2010-10-26T17:25:00.001-04:00

Last Wednesday Lori from Pure Imagination, her friend Kristen and I all packed into the car and went off to Alpharetta for the Scott Westerfeld signing!

I'd had next to no sleep the night before, and when I was driving to meet them I actually thought I might not make it the entire night, but as soon as I got in the car the power of books made me sane again! That or it could have just been the coffee.

Scott was very fun and he went into depth on how he got the idea for the Uglies series which in turn really made me want to read them. He answered a lot of questions and I was surprised by how in depth he went into his answers, normally you get asked the same questions so many times it's just a rambling off of facts but it never felt like that when he was talking and I loved it!

He talked a lot about Leviathan and the reason why there were illustrations and he really made me want to read it ASAP, which is perfect because that's what I bought there!

His wife Justine Larbalestier (Liar, edited Zombies Vs. Unicorns) was there and she also signed some books including Zombies Vs. Unicorns for Lori.

I definitely recommend going and seeing him if he's coming anywhere near you! I promise you won't regret it!

*I don't know why this posted twice, but I deleted the other one. Sorry!*

Tweet Heart by Elizabeth Rudnick [Review]

2010-10-25T17:20:00.001-04:00

Claire is a #hopelessromantic. Lottie is determined to set up her BFF with Mr. Perfect. Will wants his #secretcrush to finally notice him. Bennett is a man with a plan.

Claire can’t believe it when her dream guy starts following her on Twitter. She never thought he noticed her, and suddenly he seems to understand her better than almost anyone.

But the Twitterverse can be a confusing place, especially when friends act differently online than they do in person. Things get even more complicated when Claire realizes she’s falling for someone else, the last person she ever would have expected….

Told in an innovative format combining tweets, emails, and blogs, Tweet Heart is a contemporary romantic comedy that will set your heart atwitter.

Rating: 4.5 or 5 keys

Source:

From publisher.

Review:

This book was completely cute and I can't think about it without smiling. No, it was not deep and no, it doesn't contain the secret to life, but it was a lot of fun to read.

What first attracted me to this book was its format. I'm a new Tweeter and the entire Twitter universe still kind of baffles me, but reading this book with all of the Tweets really made me understand why it's fun and it often had me laughing out loud.

I loved Bennett, even though I know he's not the focus of the novel I just loved him and his nerdy self, plus I really enjoyed Bennett and Will's friendship and how they interacted with Claire who is essentially the friend that keeps all of them together.

This book really revolves around friendship in all of its many forms. It is a novel about friends written by those friends and I loved it. I really felt like I was getting to know them because honestly, nothing is as a part of you as your Twitter and your blog.

It was perhaps a bit predictable but I really enjoyed it overall. If you want something light, quick, and fun Tweet Heart is definitely the read for you!

In My Mailbox!

2010-10-23T17:03:00.001-04:00

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi aka The Story Siren and was inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie!

This week I got...

Huge thanks to Lori from Pure Imagination for letting me borrow Matched and Lauren Bratz-Logsted for The Twin's Daughter. :)

I went to a Scott Westerfeld signing this week so expect a post soon about the awesome that was that. :)

What did you get this week?

Book Blogger Hop & Follow Friday!!

2010-10-21T22:50:00.007-04:00

The Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Jennifer at Crazy-for-Books!

This Weeks Question:
What is your favorite place to read?

My Answer:
I love reading outside, but I don't really have one specific place where I just relax and read. I like being amidst chaos in a way so I enjoy reading in coffee shops and places like that, I feel it makes me concentrate, but normally I just read in my bed.

Follow Friday is hosted by the awesome Parajunkee at Parajunkee's" View

This Weeks Question:

What book are you reading?

My Answer:

Interesting question for me... I'm currently between books at the moment though I am kindasorta reading Ransom My Heart by Mia Thermopolis/Meg Cabot. The next books I will be reading are Arson by Estevan Vega and Matched by Ally Condie. :D

***

If you're here from the Hop or Follow Friday be sure to let me know so I can come see your blog! If you follow, be sure to let me know!

Comments are my form of happy. :)

Waiting On Wednesday!

2010-10-20T00:01:00.001-04:00

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, and its purpose is to spotlight those titles we can't wait for!

I loved Infinite Days and I'm super excited for the next in the series!

What are you waiting on?

I Must Be Crazy... NaNoWriMo 2010!

2010-10-19T20:22:00.005-04:00

I'm either really ambitious or really, really dumb. I haven't decided which one yet, but I am participating in NaNoWriMo!

I've done it before but this year I am dedicated and the YA fantasy I will be writing is awesome, at least in my head it is, though knowing me I will probably think it is crap once I place it on paper.

I'm super excited about it because I hardly ever have time to write anymore and I really think this is just the thing I need because I have had this in my head for 6 months now. It's time to write something.

So, I have my writing music all ready and because I find this song strangely inspirational for writing here it is!

Yes, I know it's about writing music, but work with me here. I find it inspirational, and perfect for NaNoWriMo.

I might post my in depth writing playlist later because it is full of emotion and awesome, but this is my pep song and maybe it will help some of my fellow Wrimos this year!

If you're participating let me know so I feel less crazy!

Thank You!

2010-10-18T16:38:00.001-04:00

So this post is my 300th post and two days ago I received my 300th follower. It was sometime while I was sleeping and I really didn't expect it, but when I woke up it was a very happy moment for me.

I don't know why 300 seems like such a huge number to me, I know that most people have a lot more than 300, but I honestly never thought that I would get there. I mean, in the beginning having 100 followers seemed like this huge unattainable thing. I never thought I would make it here and I'm kind of still in shock that I did. I really thought if I ever made it to 100 I would be shocked, and I have 305 now and I just can't wrap my head around it.

So, this is a thank you to all of my followers because without you I wouldn't still be doing this. I would still be reading of course, but I don't think I would have had the inspiration and initiative to post and update without you guys. You are awesome, and I really hope you'll stick with me. I don't see me giving up blogging for a long, long time. :)

You're my favorite, all of you!

P.S. * My computer likes to schedule things two times, no idea why, so sorry if you saw this twice!

P.S.S *Who, like me, is obsessed with LOL cats? How awesome is that one?!*

In My Mailbox

2010-10-17T00:27:00.003-04:00

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi aka The Story Siren and was inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie!

This week I got...

This week was awesome! I've already read Delirium and it was amazing, and I got a great deal on Somebody Everybody Listens To ($3.97!).

What did you get this week?

Book Blogger Hop & Follow Friday!!

2010-10-15T02:32:00.008-04:00

The Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Jennifer at Crazy-for-Books!

This Weeks Question:

When you are reading a book and you just can't get into it do you stop and move on or try to finish it?

My Answer:

Depends on the book. If It is a book that I have requested or accepted for review then I definitely try harder to finish. If I bought it or borrowed it, 50 - 100 pages in if it's not working then it isn't going to happen. Luckily though, this doesn't happen very much as I normally have a good idea of what I'll love.

Follow Friday is hosted by the awesome Parajunkee at Parajunkee's" View

This Weeks Question:

What is your reading suggestion this week?

My Answer:

Well, I finished Delirium by Lauren Oliver last night and at the moment I'm a bit preoccupied thinking about that story so that is my recommendation. You all should read it because it is one amazing story.

If you're here from the Hop or Follow Friday be sure to let me know so I can come see your blog! If you follow, be sure to let me know!

Comments are my form of happy. :)

What I Want To See In YA.

2010-10-13T20:48:00.001-04:00

I've been seeing this around for a while, people posting about their favorite YA trends and what not, but this is what I would like to see in YA. Not that I'm not in love with it as is (because I LOVE my genre) but because things can always become more amazing.

These are in no particular order.

1.) I want more fantasy! For those of you who know me, you know that I am OBSESSED with fantasy and I want more epic fantasy in YA. Fantasy with everything. Romance, quests, hidden things, I just want fantasy, you know, with maps and everything!

2.) Good guys, not just bad boys. I see the bad guy trend everywhere and I like it in a way because I think it's just girls nature to want the bad boy, but honestly nice guys are just better. You're not gonna change him, sweetie, so go with the good guy. I mean Edward was a nice guy but even he doesn't really qualify because of the whole throat ripping thing.

I just want more nice non throat ripping romances in YA.

3.) More Southern settings! The south is awesome, and quaint and I love it. I want YA to love it too. It was so awesome when I read The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller and it was partly in the south, I just want mountains and trees and creeks and accents! Come to the south some Ya'll!

4.) More foreign settings. I want more traveling books with awesome settings. 13 Little Blue Envelopes style. I just love actually feeling like I'm seeing these places.

5.) More strong female protags! Nothing makes me happier than really strong female protagonists and there are a lot more than there used to be in YA, but I just love them so much I'm putting them on the list. In the style of Yelena from Poison Study, because she's probably my favorite strong female, I want more!

6.) More historical! I love historicals, particularly regencies and I would LOVE to see some more historical in YA. It's one of my favorite genres and I feel that is something we don't see too much unfortunately.

Okay, that's my short list of things I would LOVE to see in YA. Any I missed that you want to see? Let me know!

Waiting On Wednesday!

2010-10-12T23:21:00.003-04:00

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, and its purpose is to spotlight those titles we can't wait for!

The summer of 1889 is the one between childhood and womanhood for Amelia van den Broek—and thankfully, she’s not spending it at home in rural Maine. She’s been sent to Baltimore to stay with her stylish cousin, Zora, who will show her all the pleasures of city life and help her find a suitable man to marry.

With diversions ranging from archery in the park to dazzling balls and hints of forbidden romance, Victorian Baltimore is more exciting than Amelia imagined. But her gaiety is interrupted by disturbing, dreamlike visions she has only at sunset—visions that offer glimpses of the future. Soon, friends and strangers alike call on Amelia to hear her prophecies. Newly dubbed "Maine’s Own Mystic", Amelia is suddenly quite in demand.

However, her attraction to Nathaniel, an artist who is decidedly outside of Zora's circle, threatens the new life Amelia is building in Baltimore. This enigmatic young man is keeping secrets of his own—still, Amelia finds herself irrepressibly drawn to him. And while she has no trouble seeing the futures of others, she cannot predict whether Nathaniel will remain in hers.

When one of her darkest visions comes to pass, Amelia's world is thrown into chaos. And those around her begin to wonder if she’s not the seer of dark portents, but the cause.

Historical fiction? I WANT it! I just love the cover and I really enjoyed Shadowed Summer. I. Can't. Wait.

Big Nate Strikes Again by Lincoln Peirce [Review]

2010-10-11T19:21:00.002-04:00

Big Nate is back! And he WILL surpass all others!

But it wont be easy. He's stuck with Gina, his all time enemy, who just might ruin everything!

Will Nate win or lose? Pass or fail? Or end up in detention . . . again?

Rating:

Source:
From publisher for review.

Review:

I was a bit hesitant to start Big Nate Strikes Again simply because I had never read anything like it before and it was a second in a series, but when I found myself in a light and fun type of mood I picked it up, and I'm very glad I did!

Big Nate Strikes Again was adorable (though I'm sure Nate would be quite offended at me saying so) it was fun and there were several occasions where I laughed out loud, which never happens when I'm reading.

I loved the cartoons and found some of them actually quite educational and Nate's take on Benjamin Franklin I found to be hilarious. Nate's entire personality I just couldn't get enough of because he reminded me of every single boy I knew in the sixth grade.

I wish I had a younger brother or sister to pass this book onto, Nate would have gotten me through some pickles in Middle School, and if nothing else he would have made me laugh!

It was a very quick read but I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it.

I can't wait to see what happens to Nate next!

[Review] The Body at the Tower by Y.S. Lee

2010-10-10T15:15:00.001-04:00

This is another colourful, action-packed Victorian detective novel about the exploits of agent Mary Quinn. At a young age, Mary Quinn is rescued from the gallows and taken to Miss Scrimshaw's Academy for Girls. The school turns out to be a front for a private detective agency. At age 17, Mary takes on her first case (A Spy in the House). In this, the second book of the series, Mary Quinn sets out to uncover the truth behind a suspicious death at St. Stephen's Tower, better known as the clock tower of the Houses of Parliament. The accident occurred after hours in a highly public part of town and despite the presence of night watchmen. Mary, disguised as Mark Quinn, becomes a builder's assistant to find out the truth about the body at the tower.

Rating:

Review:

I can't express enough my love for this series! This second book in The Agency series is no less fascinating than the first and I am in need of the next book in this series!

Mary is such an excellent protagonist and she just became more interesting in this book. I love everything about Mary and in this book we see her having to face and accept aspects of herself and her over all identity. Mary has strength, I can't even imagine doing half of the things she does.

Y.S. Lee is the only writer who has ever just completely stumped me and I thought that maybe in this book I would be able to figure it out... but of course I was wrong. This is a mystery in every sense, and her plot is perfect. I never had any inkling of what was going to happen, I thought I might several times, but of course, I was wrong.

Now, to my favorite aspect of the series...

James.

*Sigh*

For those of you who have noticed James Easton is a very prominent member of my Literary Crushes list and for good reason because James is just amazing and I adore him. He's gotten even better with this book and I was so happy to see James and Mary's relationship change... kinda. Maybe? I have no idea. Ms. Lee, you have me stumped, but I love it and I can't wait to see what happens.

If you haven't read this series yet, what on earth are you waiting for? These books will make you love historical fiction, go read them!

:)

In My Mailbox!

2010-10-09T17:48:00.004-04:00

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi aka The Story Siren and was inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie!

This week I got...

Quick question: Do I have to read Inside the Mind of Gideon Rayburn before I read The Other Girl? I'm thinking I do, but if anyone knows it it would work okay as a stand alone let me know!

Super huge thanks to Bloomsbury, St, Martin's Press and Estevan Vega!

What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen [Cover]

2010-10-08T18:19:00.003-04:00

So, I'm sure you all have probably seen by now, but Sarah Dessen's latest cover is finally here!

What Happened to Goodbye is about a high school senior who, after her parents’ divorce, has taken up the practice of assuming a new identity in each of the four towns she’s lived in.

I'm so excited! Sarah Dessen is probably my favorite author and I LOVE this cover!

It's due out May 10th!

Book Blogger Hop & Follow Friday!!

2010-10-07T23:08:00.005-04:00

The Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Jennifer at Crazy-for-Books!

This Weeks Question:
What is your favorite beverage while reading or blogging?

My Answer:

Definitely coffee. I adore coffee. I actually would say that I pretty much live off of coffee during the week with school. I have such a busy day, coffee is pretty much all I have time for! I love, love, love curling up with a book and a HUGE cup of coffee. It's amazing. I highly recommend it.

Follow Friday is hosted by the awesome Parajunkee at Parajunkee's" View

This Weeks Question:

How many reviews do you like to post a week?

My Answer:

How many do I like to? At least 3. How many do I? 1 normally, sometimes 2 and I hate it! I can't stand it but with school I just can't post as many as I would like to. I'm doing my best to maintain the blog and school and so far I have been very happy with how I've been, but I miss writing reviews and I am making it a goal to try and post at least 2 a week from now on.

If you're here from the Hop or Follow Friday be sure to let me know so I can come see your blog! If you follow, be sure to let me know!

Comments are my form of happy. :)

Waiting On Wednesday!

2010-10-06T12:55:00.007-04:00

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, and its purpose is to spotlight those titles we can't wait for!

Azalea and her younger sisters dance in the mysterious silver forest every night, escaping from the sadness of the palace and their father’s grief. What they don’t understand—although as time passes they begin to get an inkling of the danger they are in—is that the mysterious and dashing Keeper is tightening his snare with deadly purpose. Luckily, Azalea is brave and steadfast. Luckily, a handsome young army captain also has his eye on Azalea. . . . Lush, romantic, and compelling, this debut novel by Heather Dixon will thrill fans of Shannon Hale, Robin McKinley, and Edith Pattou.

*So... maybe this week's pick is based on the cover, but the summary sounds awesome too! I really do think this cover may be my favorite ever though. Just look at that castle in the background! *

What are you waiting on this week?

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins [Review]

2010-10-04T20:15:00.014-04:00

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love

Rating:

Source: Bought.

Review:

I know I am the last person on the planet to read this book, but I finally understand what everyone was talking about.

It was amazing, so amazing I wanted to skip school and finish reading it, but of course the responsible part of me wouldn't let that happen.

I was surprised by how quickly I got caught up in the world. Katniss is a great and powerful protagonist. She just radiated with strength from the very first chapter and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. I just loved her life, not in the sense that it was perfect or easy at all, but because of how she dealt with the things that were thrown at her and how she instead of accepting her life as what it could have been, went and changed it.

I can't express enough my love for Peeta. I am in love with Peeta. He was so sweet and kind and just the perfect awesome guy. I don't know too much about Gale from the first book but I sense him being the bad guy to Peeta's nice... but I don't believe nice guys finish last.

I love this concept and the more I read Dystopian the more I really adore it. I was late to the Dystopian trend but I just keep finding more amazing reads within it and I must say I aprove thoroughly and if anyone has any other amazing Dystopian recommendations I am more than willing to hear them.

I love The Hunger Games and I'm so glad I listened to everyone when they told me to read it.

Can't wait to read the rest of the series!

In My Mailbox!

2010-10-03T18:45:00.005-04:00

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi aka The Story Siren and was inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie!

So, this week I was a little late posting this simply because everything I got, I got today.

It was a Hunger Games week.

I swear I have the worst internet connection on the planet. It took two hours of me connecting and disconnecting for me to post this. Most. Annoying. Thing. Ever. :(

Psssst, if you look real close you can see the bottom of my Dumbledore's Army poster!

So, what did you get this week?

*Oooh I meant to say this, I knew I would get asked, but the Hunger Games poster came from Hot Topic, and it was free! You go to their facebook and take a 4 question quiz and then just print out the coupon... of course I forgot my coupon... and my Hot Topic gave it to me anyway, but that's a story for another day. :)

Tag! I'm It!

2010-10-02T16:00:00.001-04:00

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I absolutely adore Tag. It's actually quite ridiculous but you have not lived until you have played an intense game of Tag that turns into a life or death situation, or at least it begins to feel like one.

So I was super excited when Heather from Buried In Books tagged me in a virtual game of tag, though not quite as epic as flashlight tag outside - it is still pretty great.

Here are my questions!

If you could have a superpower, what would you have? Why?

A super power eh? I always wanted to be able to read minds. I know what you're thinking, "Oh how very Edward Cullen of you..." Well, just so you know, I would want to be able to turn off my mind reading powers so there. Totally different from Mr. Cullen.

Who is your style icon?

Definitely Audrey Hepburn. Not in the sense that I dress like her constantly, but she just has this class that I admire, and she's my favorite actress. She was a really great person in real life as well so I just over all admire her, not just for her style but for everything.

What is your favorite quote?

My senior quote was,"The shadow proves the sunshine." - Switchfoot, but I think my favorite quote of all time is probably, "When the world says, 'Give up,' Hope whispers,'Just one more try.'" I just like it. A lot. I try to live by it.

What is the best compliment you've ever received?

"Your blog so totally freakin rocks dude!" Actually, I've never been told that, but I have had a lot of really nice comments and emails about the blog and those always make me smile.

What playlist/cd is on your ipod/cd player right now?

I have a writing playlist I listen to constantly which primarily consists of Snow Patrol. Other than that I listen to The Beatles constantly and have recently really gotten into OneRepublic.

Are you a night owl or a morning person?

Definitely a night person. I wake up early every morning for school, even the days I don't have to be there until 12 I always have to be up by eight to do everything, so when the weekend comes around I really think I end up sleeping 17 hours on Saturdays. It's just against my nature to go to bed before 1 or 2, and I hardly ever do throughout the week, so that makes for a very sleepy Christina.

Do you prefer dogs or cats?

I'm really just an animal lover but I have a very soft spot for dogs. I have two right now and they're my babies. They're two Boston Terriers, one which I have had since I was 7 and she has literally been there with me through everything. I also have a cat who I adore, and I used to have a rabbit named Jack Sparrow, so I really have all the bases covered as far as animals go.

What is the meaning behind your blog name?

I thought of my blog name in like two seconds and if we're being completely honest here, I don't know how I feel about it now. For a while I really wished I had done something like, "Christina's Bookshelf" or something normal but I've grown very fond of my blog name recently. It really describes me quite well. In high school I was known to always be reading, and books really were my life - and still are. I mean, I want to be involved with books for the rest of my life, so I think it fits.

The bloggers I'm sending this to are:

I know it is completely lame, but I am giving this to everyone who wants it. I don't think it's fair for me to pile on more things for bloggers to do who already have a ton. So, if you want to do this and be tagged, do it, and leave me a comment with your link so I can see what you say. :)

Book Blogger Hop + Follow Friday!

2010-10-01T21:35:00.000-04:00

The Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Jennifer at Crazy-for-Books!

This Weeks Question:

How do you spread the word about your site?

My Answer:

Ummm.... *Looks away*

I don't know. I actually have an issue with spreading the word because I always feel so bad doing it. I don't want to seem like, "Hey! Look at me! I'm over here!! I have reviews! Come look!"

That's what I don't want and sometimes, I feel like that's what I'm doing. I don't feel I really do a good job at spreading the word if that's what I am doing, I mean it was more than a year before I had 100 followers.

Primarily though I have now started posting on Twitter and I do Blog Hop and Follow Friday. That's how I spread the word right now. I'm sure there are a ton of people who spread the word wonderfully, but I like to sit back and hide in the corner. I love followers, and I love comments and discussions, but I'm constantly afraid any type of promotion I do could be Spam... and I despise Spam.

Follow Friday is hosted by the awesome Parajunkee at Parajunkee's View

If you're here from the Hop or Follow Friday be sure to let me know so I can come see your blog! If you follow, be sure to let me know!

Comments are my form of happy. :)

YA = Books Based On TV Shows?

2010-09-30T15:16:00.010-04:00

I had a discussion with one of my friends not too long ago, and during the discussion I brought up how much I love YA books and pretty much everything about them. My friend is very academic, and she does not view YA the way I do, and a comment she made about YA made me question some things. She said, "YA seems to be where all of those books based off of TV shows end up."

I didn't know what to say to this, because I know that books like Vampire Diaries, were in fact books before they were TV shows... but apparently not everyone knows this. So this left me thinking about those covers and the possibility that maybe the covers are turning people off. Granted, I think that the TV show is probably turning a good many people on to reading the series, but what about those people who don't care about things like that and the only cover they see is one promoting the show?

Maybe they would think it was a product of the show rather than the show being a product of the book.

What really bothered me about it was because of these covers my friend was, whether she meant to or not, dismissing all of YA based on what she said. I can't help but wonder how everyone else who isn't as into the YA scene as me perceives these things. Do they primarily lump all of YA together and call it like Twilight, or do they actually recognize it for how different it is?

I don't know where I stand on TV and movie based covers for books. I'm very undecided.This just got me thinking about whether they help, or turn people off.

How do you feel on the cover remakes we see in YA so often?

Do they ultimately help people read YA, or do they make people shrug it off?

Censorship and Why It Sucks.

2010-09-29T22:26:00.001-04:00

I have been a victim of book banning.

Just like every single one of us.

Book banning makes my skin curl, and leaves me looking for my pitch fork to go fight off this form of censorship. This week is Book Banning week and I am going to share with you a bit about my banning and censorship experiences.

My first ever experience with book banning came when I was around ten years old. I had just read the first Harry Potter book and inside I was absolutely consumed with this joy I'm still not sure I can ever feel again. Finally, something makes sense, finally life seems like more than this average world around me, and finally, I have read and loved a story. While I was on this high of greatness, something I didn't understand happened. Everyone started telling me how horrible I was for loving it.

I have a religious family, and live in a fairly conservative part of the country, and all of a sudden I am being told that this new thing that I love and never want to let go of is wrong, and that even God is angry at me for it.

This was a horrible thing for little ten year old me to accept. I never did accept it.

Instead of accepting this and raising my pitch fork towards the direction of the Harry Potter lovers, I instead thought of argument after argument that tried to prove, at least in my mind, that I was not crazy, and that this thing I adored was not bad. I thought, "How different is Harry Potter really than The Wizard of Oz? They both use magic, and if that is your argument, than lets ban that too." and, "Harry Potter is essentially Good vs. Evil. What is wrong with that?"

However many arguments I tried to come up with, I was young, and my opinion on this matter was deemed unimportant to those around me. I had parents who thankfully, did agree with me on these points, but still my resolve was essentially shattered. I didn't want to go to Hell for something I loved... and I truly was afraid that that would happen for a while.

When I was in high school I also had several experiences with banning that left me chilled on the inside by how crazy and ridiculous some of them were. At this point in time I had long since stood my ground with the Harry Potter issue and had since become extremely concerned with every type of censorship I saw. A lot of these issues were just teachers telling me things after they'd read books, sometimes these things involved sexual situations, drugs, alcohol, cussing, etc...

More times than not, once these people reached these parts they stopped reading, and then complained about how awful it was, and how teens should not be exposed to these things.

Ummm... have you been to high school?

I promise you that every single day I was exposed to every single thing that was complained about and more. These books should be given to Teens because we need them! There seems to be a misconception that within these books these authors are encouraging us to partake in these things and that is simply not the case. If they actually finished or read the books they are banning they might see that.

Teens need these books because sometimes that's the only form of encouragement we have. These books have the potential to say, "Hey, you're not alone," to every Teen across the country. Only people who have read a book and instantly felt that connection and change in themselves understand what that can mean.

My school librarian my senior year of High School used to skim books that came in for the YA fiction section. We'd had an amazing librarian the year before, so this action completely stunned me. She would look for key words, mainly cussing, drinking, drugs, etc... and I remember feeling nothing but a complete outrage at this action. She did it quietly, no one knew she did it, and she'd just take the book off the shelf.

No reading of it, no asking of opinions, nothing. If she saw words that she deemed, "Unacceptable," it was gone. I watched as Looking For Alaska by John Green, Just Listen by Sarah Dessen, Crank by Ellen Hopkins, and Forever by Judy Blume were all taken from shelves and no matter how many times I asked her about it or tried to stop it, there was absolutely nothing I could do.

I was just a Teen who's opinion didn't matter.

I just wish that these people who take books from shelves would realize that what they are doing is not changing our idea on the book. All of those people who told me all of that stuff about Harry Potter did not in any way, shape, or form make me love the book any less. All they did was outrage me and make me want to do everything I could to stop them. It changed my view of them as people, and they can't get that back. By banning a book you're not making it go away, you're just outraging the people who love it into expressing how much they love it. You just end up bringing us anti book banners together, and believe me, you don't want that to happen.

I just wish people would stop being afraid. Teens need these books because, I know my life has been influenced by a piece of fiction, and I can't imagine who I'd be now if someone had taken that book from the shelves.

No one should be able to decide what you should and shouldn't read. Think for yourself and read what YOU want, and if it's been banned, it's probably a really, really good book.

*I'm sorry this is so ridiculously long, if you read it all I applaud you!*

Waiting On Wednesday!

2010-09-29T00:23:00.005-04:00

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, and its purpose is to spotlight those titles we can't wait for!

Directly between my feet is a coppery-bronze octagon with a star. Words are engraved in the stone around it: POINT ZÉRO DES ROUTES DE FRANCE.

"Mademoiselle Oliphant. It translates to 'Point zero of the roads of France.' In other words, it's the point from which all other distances in France are measured." St. Clair clears his throat. "It's the beginning of everything."

I look back up. He's smiling.

"Welcome to Paris, Anna. I'm glad you've come . . . Now make a wish."

Anna was looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. So she's less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris — until she meets Étienne St. Clair. Smart, charming, beautiful, Étienne has it all . . . including a serious girlfriend.

But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss? Stephanie Perkins keeps the romantic tension crackling and the attraction high in a debut guaranteed to make toes tingle and hearts melt.

I want it SOOO bad! I really think it is kind of ridiculous how much I am looking forward to this book. I love books that take place in Europe, especially when the main character lived in Atlanta. I just really can't think of anything I might not like about it, and that is always awesome. :)

Book Love.

2010-09-28T15:00:00.000-04:00

I'm sure as avid book readers like myself you all are aware of the marvelous phenomenon which happens to all of us a couple, perhaps fewer, times a year.

This phenomenon is known as Book Love, and I am in intense book love at the moment.

I started The Hunger Games last night, you know, REALLY started it... and I never should have made that decision. I have been up reading for hours... and I have an exam today!

I will be scheduling this post for while I am actually in my exam, but I just can't stop reading, and I had to tell you guys so I feel a bit less crazy.

Lori, I hope you are proud of yourself, and I definitely should have listened to you sooner!

(For those who are wondering, at the moment I am completely Team Peeta *swoon*)

Now back to readi... studying. :)

YouTube Monday [1]

2010-09-27T15:43:00.001-04:00

Mondays always seem to be a strange day for me, simply because Mondays are my back to school days and they tend to be hectic.

So, to fix this Monday problem I have decided to post a bookish video from YouTube every Monday.

My first video is one of my absolute favorite videos from John and Hank Green, also known as the Vlogbrothers. This video makes me smile every time I watch it. It was made right before Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows came out and Part 1 of the movie comes out in November, so we need to prepare. If you've never heard of Vlogbrothers or read anything by John Green I recommend you do that pronto.

I hope you love it as much as I do. :)

Let me know what you guys think!

Now, I'm off to do homework. DFTBA.

DFTBA = Don't forget to be awesome.

In My Mailbox!

2010-09-25T18:15:00.006-04:00

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi aka The Story Siren and was inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie!

This week I ~~almost~~ spazzed out in my driveway. I got...

It's so pretty! I absolutely loved the first in the series, The Body Finder, and this book is one of the ones I have been most looking forward to!

I technically got it last week, but I didn't actually open it until this week... so I believe it counts.

What did you get this week?

2011 Books I Can't Wait For!

2010-09-25T12:00:00.000-04:00

This is a one time post just to show you a short list of the books I am greatly looking forward to in 2011 - pretty much a very large Waiting on Wednesday post because I can't get over how amazing next year's books seem!

I'm not even including ones without covers here guys! Next year = epic.

Links go to Goodreads so you can see them for yourself!

Release Date: February 15, 2011
I have a soft spot for awesome looking paranormals!

Release Date: February 1, 2011
It's a southern contemporary! Of course I will love it!

Release Date: January 11, 2011

I love outer space... and the Beatles. Even though The Beatles have nothing to do with this book, the title reminds me of them which in turn makes me happy.

Release Date: February 1, 2011
I've just heard so many amazing things I can't not be excited for this one! I love the cover and the description.

Release Date: March 2011
I just really love this cover and the description involves a guy from her dreams who shows up... which just sounds interesting.

Release Date: March 1, 2010
I loved The Body Finder so much! I was so happy when I heard there was more.

Release Date: March 29, 2010
This may be the most gorgeous cover I have EVER seen, and the summary sounds amazing also. I am definitely counting the days!

This is just a very, very short list of books I can't wait for. If there's any you think I've missed let me know! I'd love to know what you can't wait for!

Book Blogger Hop!

2010-09-23T23:38:00.003-04:00

The Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Jennifer at Crazy-for-Books!

This Weeks Question:

When you are writing a review, do you write it while you are reading or wait until you have read the entire book?

My Answer:

It's a little of both really. While I'm reading I think of things I definitely want to include and I even write them down in this 'idea book' I have, but when I'm really writing a review I don't feel like it's fair to actually sit down and write it with out having read the book all the way through. The things I write down ahead of time are things like, "I love that it's funny! Lend = awesome!" <--- exact quote taken during reading Paranormalcy, and another one was, "Music and voice are amazing!" <--- while reading The Mockingbirds.

So now you know how strange my notes are, but that's really how my reviews go. I collect all of the little note feelings and then sit down to write my review.

If you're here from The Hop, welcome!

Be sure to leave a comment so I can visit you!

Waiting On Wednesday!

2010-09-22T22:12:00.001-04:00

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, and its purpose is to spotlight those titles we can't wait for!

Things in Delilah Hannaford's life have a tendency to fall apart.

She used to be a good student, but she can't seem to keep it together anymore. Her "boyfriend" isn't much of a boyfriend. And her mother refuses to discuss the fight that divided their family eight years ago. Falling apart, it seems, is a Hannaford tradition.

Over a summer of new friendships, unexpected romance, and moments that test the complex bonds between mothers and daughters, Delilah must face her family's painful past. Can even her most shattered relationships be pieced together again?

*I really loved 20 Boy Summer so I'm super excited for this one. I just love summer novels, summer has so much possibility! *

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White [Review]

2010-09-22T12:00:00.004-04:00

Weird as it is working for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, Evie's always thought of herself as normal. Sure, her best friend is a mermaid, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she’s falling for a shape-shifter, and she’s the only person who can see through paranormals' glamours, but still. Normal.

Only now paranormals are dying, and Evie's dreams are filled with haunting voices and mysterious prophecies. She soon realizes that there may be a link between her abilities and the sudden rash of deaths. Not only that, but she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.

Rating:

Source:

From publisher for review

Review:

This book was fantastic! Normally with Paranormals there's essentially a formula you could put in for the story, but with Paranormalcy this was definitely not the case. There are so many original elements that join together to make this book and it was such a refreshing read.

It is a fun paranormal which is something I have missed so much! It's fun and it doesn't brood or focus on the dramatic. It's light, funny and perfect, I could not put it down.

I loved Evie because she was always herself. She grew up in the IPCA building, so maybe she never thought to hide herself but she is fun and vibrant and I loved that about her. So often now it seems that our protagonists are emotional and almost in a state of depression and it was so nice to have a character who feels sadness but yet doesn't let it effect who she is and how she acts. I mean, she has a pink taser named Tasey! How much cooler can a protag get?

I loved the variety of paranormal beings that are found within Paranormalcy as well. There were vampires, werewolves, faeries, hags, shape shifters, mermaids, and so many more that I can't even think of right now. It was awesome! White takes a completely different approach to some of these beings and I loved hearing about them and their galmours.

The romance in the book was sweet and I really adored Lend. He's one of my favorite leading men of recent memory just because of how genuine he was. Every once in a while I just want to read about a nice guy and Lend fit that perfectly.

I loved how we also got a peek into the inner workings of the IPCA and even see a hint of government and its lack of perfection. It was really nice to watch Evie come to terms with everything that was being thrown at her, especially when it questioned everything she had ever known.

Paranormalcy is just one of those books I want to hug and keep with me all the time so I can reread the conversations and relive my favorite parts. I don't want to be too far away from Evie and Lend and the paranormal creatures I came to love in Kiersten White's world. It's definitely one of my favorites of 2010, if not one of my favorites of all time!

I bleeping love this book!

Out With The Old, In With The New...

2010-09-22T00:17:00.007-04:00

So for those of you who visit my blog regularly you might have noticed something different about it this afternoon. I got a new blog design!!

Lori from Pure Imagination and Use Your Imagination Designs made me this amazing one and I am in LOVE with it.

When I was younger I was absolutely obsessed with fairy tales and because of this (and me never getting to live in a castle) I decided my blog should have a castle of its own.

For an example of this new designs awesome, I give you my new rating system:
I really love every aspect of this new design and I hope you do too!

So out with the old...

And in with the amazing!

Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel [Review]

2010-09-20T20:25:00.002-04:00

Lenah Beaudonte is, in many ways, your average teen: the new girl at Wickham Boarding School, she struggles to fit in enough to survive and stand out enough to catch the eye of the golden-boy lacrosse captain. But Lenah also just happens to be a recovering five-hundred-year-old vampire queen. After centuries of terrorizing Europe, Lenah is able to realize the dream all vampires have -- to be human again. After performing a dangerous ritual to restore her humanity, Lenah entered a century-long hibernation, leaving behind the wicked coven she ruled over and the eternal love who has helped grant her deep-seated wish.

Until, that is, Lenah draws her first natural breath in centuries at Wickham and rediscovers a human life that bears little resemblance to the one she had known. As if suddenly becoming a teenager weren’t stressful enough, each passing hour brings Lenah closer to the moment when her abandoned coven will open the crypt where she should be sleeping and find her gone. As her borrowed days slip by, Lenah resolves to live her newfound life as fully as she can. But, to do so, she must answer ominous questions: Can an ex-vampire survive in an alien time and place? What can Lenah do to protect her new friends from the bloodthirsty menace about to descend upon them? And how is she ever going to pass her biology midterm?

Rating: A
Source: From publisher for review.

Review:

I am so happy to see a truly original take on vampires! Recently there are so many vampire books, and don't get me wrong, I have liked most of them, but this one is a completely different kind of story and I loved it!

The story itself is told between the present and flashbacks of the past. I have to say that these flashbacks may have been my favorite part of the novel as they were just so beautiful to read. Lenah's past as evil vampire queen was truly captivating and I found myself getting lost in the glamor of it all, but then also being taken back by some of the truly horrible things she was a part of.

I loved Lenah as a protagonist and during her human transition I felt like I was making the transition with her. Her thoughts sounded like something someone would feel being completely disconnected from the modern world and I just loved being in her head.

The romance in the book is absolutely fantastic! I was instantly team Rhode, though I like Justin. I felt Lenah and Justin's relationship might have developed a bit on the fast side but I still really enjoyed reading about them together, plus I thought Justin was sweet.

I really liked the pacing of the novel, and the ending left me saying, "WOAH!"

If you haven't read it yet, I strongly urge you to do so as this novel is definitely one of my favorites of 2010. I really, really missed when vampires were scary, and this book gave me that again!

Infinite Days is a novel that can't be missed for fans of the paranormal and I absolutely can not wait for the sequel!

-Christina

In My Mailbox!

2010-09-18T22:37:00.004-04:00

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi aka The Story Siren and was inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie!

This week was full of surprises, but they were awesome surprises!

I got...

I've been having such good weeks recently! *does happy dance*

What did you guys get this week?

Book Blogger Hop!

2010-09-16T21:06:00.006-04:00

The Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Jennifer at Crazy-for-Books!

This Weeks Question:

Who are some of your favorite book bloggers and why?

My Answer:

You couldn't have asked a harder question because there are just so many book blogs I love! The two that really stand out though are probably Pure Imagination and of course, The Story Siren.

The Story Siren was the first blog I ever really learned from if that makes sense, I was a very, very new blogger and she had so much advice and her blog was a great resource for finding other blogs and just learning the ins and outs of blogging. Plus, she was amazingly nice and supportive whenever I asked a question.

Lori at Pure Imagination is one of my favorites because she's just so nice! I met her at the Decatur Book Festival and she let me tag along with her everywhere, for real, I felt like a lost puppy. She's definitely one of the nicest people I have met in a while, and she's the closest blogger to me at thirty minutes away! She's an awesome blogger and if you haven't seen her blog yet you should definitely go do that.

If you're from the hop be sure to leave a comment so I can go visit your blog!

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare [Review]

2010-09-16T16:21:00.007-04:00

When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder—much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It’s hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing—not even a smear of blood—to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary’s first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It’s also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace’s world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know. . . .

Exotic and gritty, exhilarating and utterly gripping, Cassandra Clare’s ferociously entertaining fantasy takes readers on a wild ride that they will never want to end.

Rating: B

Source: Bought

Review:

Everyone has been talking about this series, and quite frankly I felt tired of being out of the loop. So I read it, and I really enjoyed it.

There is so much in the pages of this book, so many beings, secrets, and I feel it really effectively creates this other world. Cassandra Clare is amazing at drawing you into the story. I really liked the way that this underground world was sewn into our real world. It's normally my favorite type of story because I like to believe these things are possible (my Hogwarts letter is coming, I know it) but while I really liked the story and direction it took throughout, I didn't like everything.

Luke really annoyed me, and this isn't to say that I didn't like him, in fact I love the idea of Luke, but I was constantly thinking about Gilmore Girls. There are other similarities with other well known things but this one was the one that really struck out to me. I mean, he was so much like the Luke I have loved forever... and his name is Luke! This didn't ruin anything for me as I really did enjoy the story throughout, I just wish she had made him wear a suit or something... or had named him John.

I loved Clary and Jace's relationship because Jace was amazing and sarcastic. They were just fun to watch and I loved spying on them, though I do wish there had been more emotion from both of them at times. Simon was the perfect nerd boy, and I really wish he was my best friend because he made me laugh.

The big twist at the end didn't really surprise me as I just expect that from someone as evil as Valentine and I refuse to accept it is true.

Overall I did really enjoy this book and I can't wait to read the rest of the series!

-Christina

Waiting On Wednesday!

2010-09-15T12:34:00.004-04:00

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, and its purpose is to spotlight those titles we can't wait for!

Corrinne Corcoran’s upscale Manhattan life is perfectly on track—until her father announces he’s been laid off and she’s shipped off to Broken Spoke, Texas, to live with her grandparents. All alone in a big public school and forced to take a job shoveling manure, Corrinne is determined to get back to the glamorous life she’s supposed to be living. But as she grudgingly adjusts—making new friends and finding romance along the way—this city girl begins to realize that life without credit cards and shopping sprees may not be as bad as it seems....

In this sparkling debut that flawlessly balances romance and humor, readers will grow to love sharp and sassy Corrinne as she goes on her totally reluctant but completely irresistible journey of self-discovery.

I think this one sounds utterly amazing. Contemporary titles are some of my favorite, and contemporary titles dealing with the south are even more so. So excited!!

Author Guest Post: Angela Morrison!

2010-09-14T11:01:00.000-04:00

I was lucky enough to have the always amazing, Angela Morrison, author of Sing Me To Sleep, Taken By Storm, and Unbroken Connection with me today to do a guest post about one of her own publishing experiences.

Wednesday. February 24, 2010, my phone rang. I stopped packing heavy sweaters, wool socks, and boots for SING ME TO SLEEP's launch tour back in Canada and answered.

Cool. My editor was on the phone. SING ME TO SLEEP was one week away from launch. I was leaving on Friday to join Amabile Choirs of London Canada to celebrate their 25th Anniversary and SING's release at a gala festival concert. How nice of her to call and wish me well.

But my editor had news of her own. The kind of news authors have nightmares about. She was leaving Razorbill to start her own boutique literary development company. Just great. It was so hard to find an editor who was willing to take a risk on my type of stories--heartfelt love stories with subtle spiritual underpinnings. Finding my editor was truly a miracle. Had I used up my share or could I count on another?

It should be okay, I reasoned. TAKEN BY STORM was out in paperback. SING ME TO SLEEP was on it's way. But I had submitted STORM's sequel, UNBROKEN CONNECTION, months back in fulfillment of my contract's option clause and really wanted sign that and the final novel in Michael and Leesie's saga, CAYMAN SUMMER. My agent was counting on the same. With my editor gone, could that still happen?

Monday morning--after a hair-raising drive through a blizzard from the Detroit Airport to London, Ontario, a fantastic weekend with Amabile, and getting to see Matt's mom again and go to the hospital with her to meet the wonderful team of nurses who cared for Matt, I got an email from Razorbill's publisher rejecting UNBROKEN CONNECTION. Three days before SING ME TO SLEEP's launch. Cold, huh?

My agent talked brave about finding a new publishing home. And then I didn't hear from him--for months. (We've since parted ways.) But I had huge support from my readers and the blogging community. One blogger started a FB group and another designed a "Don't Break the Connection" icon to post around the blogosphere. That all meant so much to me.

So I made plans of my own. Why not go indie? Publish UNBROKEN CONNECTION myself. I got some great advice from other authors who'd taken the same path and my son assured me he could do all the design work (phew! great to have talented kids, huh?), so I jumped.

UNBROKEN CONNECTION is now available as an eBook or a paperback. Isn't the cover gorgeous! I'm so excited to have you all read it. I hope it surprises you as much as it surprised me.

What's next? Like I said, UNBROKEN CONNECTION is book two in Michael and Leesie's drama. They really don't like where I left them. I tell them to be patient--second books have to end on a bit of a cliffhanger, right? They are tired of being patient. So--October 15th--I'm launching a new blog site devoted entirely to CAYMAN SUMMER. I plan to post the novel as I write it--poem by poem, dive log by dive log, chat by chat. This is a journey I want to bring all my readers along for! Are you game? Stop by http://www.angela-morrison.com/ for updates and links or friend me on FaceBook or Goodreads where you'll get even more up-to-date info!

Thanks so much, Christina, for hanging in there with me. You hear about things like this happening all the time in the publishing industry--but you don't ever think it will happen to you. I have learned something huge, though. Editors, agents, publishers come and go. That's reality. There is nothing constant in this business. Except . . . YOU! Readers. It's my commitment to be constant for you. In the long run, nothing else really matters.

Thank you so much Angela for doing this guest post and I am one of the many who are so, so happy that Unbroken Connection is in book form at last! Team Michael and Leesie!

You can watch the trailer to Unbroken Connection here:

In My Mailbox

2010-09-12T00:01:00.001-04:00

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi aka The Story Siren and was inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie!

This week I got...

It was an amazing week!

Super big thanks to Daisy Whitney for adding me to the blog tour for the Mockingbirds (it's amazing!) and to Disney Hyperion.

What did you get this week?

Why I Dislike Romeo and Juliet

2010-09-11T00:02:00.001-04:00

About two months ago I did a post describing why I love Gone With the Wind. This time, I'm going to be talking about something I don't like so much.

Romeo and Juliet.

Don't get me wrong, I like the story, I really do and I think Shakespeare is a genius and always will be one, but I have always had a problem with Romeo and Juliet, and as I was flipping through one of my old journals I found a full out rant about exactly why I feel this way, and now I'm going to share some of those reasons with you.

We start the play with Romeo head over heels in love with Rosalie. Rosalie, Rosalie, Rosalie. All he can talk about is how he is, "Out of her favor, and in love." It's depressing and completely superficial, he is not in love, and by what I know of Romeo and his nature she is not the first girl he has been in "love" with.

Romeo is a hopeless romantic who is in love with the idea of love.

The forbidden love aspect and feuding families make for an amazing story premise but the characters just never followed suit with me. If you look at the timeline for Romeo and Juliet it is just insane by how quickly their relationship develops.

(I'm guessing the exact times, the days are what matter.)

Day one, 12:00 pm - Romeo is obsessed with Rosalie.
Day one, 8:00 pm- Romeo sees Juliet and instantly is in love with her.
Day one, 12:00 am - Romeo and Juliet plan to marry the following day.
Day two, 12:00 pm - Romeo kills Tybalt
Day two, 2:00 pm - Juliet doesn't care
Day two, 4:00 pm - Romeo and Juliet get married
Day three, 12:00 am- Juliet's marriage to Paris is planned.
Day four, 12:00 am - Juliet wants to commit suicide.
Day five, 2:00 pm - Juliet and Romeo die.

I'm sorry, but I do not find this romantic. This does not scream the ultimate love story to me, to me this screams insanity and lust. They were kids, I believe Juliet was thirteen at the time and she did not know what love was and it's a great story and I understand that this is classic literature and viewing it almost like a science experiment is not its intention, but I just think that there are so many better examples of true, real, lasting romance in the world.

Lets take Ron and Hermione from Harry Potter for a stroll shall we?

Ron and Hermione's relationship took years to develop yet we all knew it was there, their relationship felt real to the point where we knew it would happen before it did. They were friends first and foremost which led to more which is in itself the most realistic relationship you can find. Harry Potter wasn't about Ron and Hermione's relationship but yet I still definitely cared what happened with them.

I'm not saying that Ron and Hermione's relationship is the ultimate one at all, I just find it to be a really realistic representation of one.

I don't rant about things often and really there are very few pieces of literature that I just don't connect with, but Romeo and Juliet was one of those pieces. I believe that perhaps Shakespeare's intention was not for it to be this love story but maybe to show how the actions of these people can completely change everything. It's a tragedy unlike any other because essentially the parents, the people who should be protecting and loving their children are responsible in part for their ultimate demise.

I believe it is a marvelous play and that Shakespeare is still one of the greatest writers on the planet, but Romeo and Juliet is not great for its love story because its love story seems like it's almost meant to seem artificial. I think he put so much more thought and meaning into it, and I feel like that has gotten lost with the "worlds greatest love story" label found everywhere Romeo and Juliet is these days.

It's just a thought, and I really hope I didn't offend anyone with this because I adore Shakespeare and I even love Romeo and Juliet, it's just the fact it is known for the love story that bothers me when I feel it goes so much deeper than that.

(Please don't sent me hate mail *crosses fingers.*)

Book Blogger Hop!

2010-09-09T18:15:00.005-04:00

The Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Jennifer at Crazy-for-Books!

This Weeks Question:

Post a link to a favorite post or book review that you have written in the past three months.

My Answer:

I'm not sure how much I like this weeks question. I don't really have a favorite blog post or review because all of them I feel aren't as good as I wanted them to be, simply because I'm a reviewer so spending a week writing one review while there are ten more in the waiting is not a very productive thing. The reviews of books that I love are always the hardest to write so I'd say my favorite review is the one I did on Fallen by Lauren Kate, because I didn't like it very much and the words just poured out of me. It's very seldom I give a negative review, but this one is really almost like my thought process.

You can read my Fallen review here.

My favorite review that I've done recently for a book I LOVED was definitely for The DUFF. I adored this book. LOVED it. I was surprised by how much I did and really my review is full of gushing, but everyone should read The DUFF.

You can read my review for The DUFF here.

If you're here from the Hop be sure to leave your link so I can try to come by and say hello!

Decatur Book Festival Recap Part 2

2010-09-08T19:45:00.018-04:00

The second day of the festival was just as amazing as the first and for those of you who haven't seen day one, you can check that out here, or just scroll down. :)

Day two I started my day with coffee. A lot of coffee. For some reason I just could not sleep so I ended up arriving at the festival around 11 and immediately met up with Lori and her husband Beau. We were trying to figure out what our schedule would be when we saw Kirsten Miller. Lori had a surprise breakfast with her, so I was relatively bummed about missing my chance to meet her when she just walks by. I instantly freaked out because this means I didn't have to try to track her down! (kidding guys!)

So, I stopped her and begged her to sign my books which she did because she was such a sweetheart!

The first panel we went to was Kirsten Miller's and this was one of the ones I was most looking forward to throughout the festival because I LOVED The Eternal Ones!

Then after her panel we were off to Cassandra Clare! We were in a bit of a hurry to get there because there was already a line forming outside of the door, but we ended up getting pretty good seats.

Jackson Pearce dressed up as Magnus Bane which was pretty amazing because her costume was hilarious!
Cassandra then came out and read from City of Fallen Angels and then took the audience's questions.

After the signing we were taken outside to this little side tent to wait in the enourmous line for her signing. The line wrapped around the street, but it was completely worth it.

Me and Cassandra Clare! Who cares if I look dumb? It's Cassandra Clare!!

After the signing we went and ate at the Raging Burritto (who had great Queso dip) and then went back to the Old Courthouse for the Jackson Pearce, Michelle Zink, and Robin Benway signing. We got our times slightly mixed up but we arrived in enough time to witness them speaking and get our books signed!

Jackson Pearce, Michelle Zink, and Robin Benway!

Me and Robin Benway!

Michelle Zink! She was so sweet, she got up and gave me a hug and everything, plus she signed my books with nice notes!

Then the festival was sadly over, the end to one amazing weekend! I can't wait until next year and I find myself even more eager to find a way to get to BEA.

Here I am with Lori from Pure Imagination aka, my signing partner in crime!

Here are all of the books I got signed!

Here's the swag! Carrie Ryan was so sweet signing all of those bookmarks for us! We were still in line when she did it. Notice the stickers: Eat, PREY, Love. How amazing is that?!

So that was my amazing weekend. I loved meeting all of the awesome authors and bloggers and I can't wait to see you guys again at the next signing we all happen to attend!

-Christina

Decatur Book Festival Recap Part 1

2010-09-07T20:11:00.017-04:00

There are so many amazing things I could say about the Decatur Book Festival but I can sum it up in only one word for you.

Amazing.

It was amazing and it surpassed my expectations.

I had been planning to go to the Festival for a few months now and Saturday morning, at 5 it finally happened. We left at 5 in order to make it to the blogger/author breakfast at J.Christophers and when I arrived there I was greeted with a massive table. It was a bit weird at first because I only recognized a couple people, Lori from Pure Imagination, and Kelsey from Just Blinded Book Reviews but about ten minutes after I arrived guess who comes walking up to our table?

Carrie Ryan and Jackson Pearce.

I ~~almost~~ spazzed out. I didn't actually think there were going to be any authors there so when they walked up it was the equivalent of having Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter, he's my R. Pat) show up at my house.

Carrie Ryan and Jackson Pearce then sat down, Carrie Ryan sitting next to me (remember I'm already freaking out guys) and so I did the hug, OMG thing and then retained my cool.

There were so many amazing authors and bloggers at the breakfast. The authors included: Nancy Werlin, Jackson Pearce, Carrie Ryan, Mari Mancusi, Christina Gonzalez, Jennifer Jabaley, Liz Maverick, and new upcoming author, Michelle Hodkin.

Some of the bloggers that were in attendance were: Vania, Lori (book signing buddy/neighbor!), Kelsey, Jeremy & Jeffrey, JP, and Shalonda. I think that's everyone, if I'm missing you please let me know!

Here's some breakfast pictures!

Do you see that?! That's Carrie Ryan beside me! Me = green shirt

The breakfast table!

The authors!

Carrie Ryan and myself after breakfast! I look goofy... but it's Carrie Ryan!

Breakfast was awesome and it involved a lot of talking, laughing and bookmarks.

The first panel was David Levithan and Terra McVoy so after breakfast Kelsey and I went to go look around and prepare for the panel.

Davith Levithan is so funny and I definitely agree with Lori that it may have been my favorite panel. After David's reading from Will Grayson, Will Grayson, I was in awe of the writing and now find it to be one of my life goals to read that book.

Favorite David Levithan quote during the panel, about getting material:

"Remember to always take the Taylor Swift approach, for each ex boyfriend you have get at least five songs out of it."

The next panel was the fantasy panel with Saundra Mitchell, Jessica Verday, Cinda Williams Chima, and Kathleen Duey! I love fantasy and I was really looking forward to this panel and actually finding out what goes into the creating of entire worlds. Also, I was happy to hear the issue of maps come up during the panel as I have always heard the mark of a true fantasy is if it contains a map!

Saundra Mitchell!

The next panel was Carrie Ryan and Alyxandra Harvey's Vampires vs. Zombies panel and sadly we were late getting to it because the signing ran over. :(

What we did see was awesome though, especially Carrie discussing her research being playing Zombie video games and watching Dawn of the Dead! (I think it was Dawn of the Dead...)

The next and final panel of the day was the Real Issues in an Unreal World panel with Rachel Hawkins and Nancy Werlin! After this panel I really want to read Rachel Hawkins' book Hex Hall, if only to find out how to write a fan fic about the cat on the cover.

After that panel I was thoroughly exhausted and it was time for me to head back to the hotel and await the next day!

Part two of the Decatur Book Festival awesomeness will be up tomorrow and among tomorrow's authors are Kirsten Miller, and Cassandra Clare!

In My Mailbox - Week of September 5th

2010-09-06T17:27:00.006-04:00

In My Mailbox

So you guys remember how I said I had scheduled posts right? Well, while I was in Decatur I realized something.

They're not scheduled if you don't press publish. *palm to forehead*

Sorry about that, but in my defense I was packing and rechecking books to make sure I had all of them and I was quite giddy with excitement. So here is my In My Mailbox for this week, though I won't be including any books I purchased at the festival.

This one came as a total surprise as I have never heard of it, and it's a Middle Grade second in a series, but the first line made me laugh and that's always a good sign right?

What did you guys get this week?

I'm posting my Decatur post tomorrow, and I'll go ahead and say the trip was amazing!

-Christina

Off To The Festival!

2010-09-03T21:15:00.002-04:00

Most of you know at around 4:00 this morning I will be heading to Decatur, and I'm not bringing my laptop with me.

I have a scheduled post or two but I probably will not be able to check my email until Monday so just a heads up if you send me something, I probably won't reply till then.

Wish me luck and prepare yourself for some epic pictures when I get back!

-Christina

The Book Blogger Hop!

2010-09-03T13:31:00.002-04:00

The Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Jennifer at Crazy-for-Books!

This Week's Question:
Do you judge a book by its cover?

My Answer:

Absolutely. I feel like I should be ashamed to admit this but the cover is very important when picking a book. Not only are covers the first thing you see but normally they hold clues to the story, plus adorable and cute covers just make me want to hold the book and keep it forever. The cover isn't the main say or the only say in me reading a book, but great covers that I love are definitely more likely to be picked up by me.

If you're here from the hop, I hope you enjoy your stay! Please leave a comment so I can return the favor and visit your blog. :)

The Decatur Book Festival is Two Days Away!

2010-09-02T21:11:00.006-04:00

I. Am. So. Excited!!!!!

I can't even imagine a better end to my first week of college. I'm so excited and even though I will probably be dead on my feet I just can't wait and will give up the sleeping in opportunity to meet authors and fellow bloggers!

Here is a small list of some of the authors who will be attending the festival:

Michelle Zink

Jackson Pearce (meeting her... again!)

Nancy Werlin

Carrie Ryan

Alyxandra Harvey

Robin Benway

David Levithan

Kirsten Miller (squeee!)

Lisa Klein

Saundra Mitchell

Rachell Hall

and...

Cassandra Clare!

Who's excited? I'm excited! I have mentioned that fact several times already but if you're attending I'm sure you know the feeling yourself.

(Watch me go off and forget to bring all of my books. Seriously, I would do that.)

Let me know if you'll be there!

-Christina

Waiting On Wednesday!

2010-09-01T15:58:00.003-04:00

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, and it's purpose is to spotlight those titles we can't wait for!
With her rare ability to breathe fire, Jacinda is special even among the draki—the descendants of dragons who can shift between human and dragon forms. But when Jacinda’s rebelliousness leads her family to flee into the human world, she struggles to adapt, even as her draki spirit fades.

The one thing that revives it is Will, whose family hunts her kind. Jacinda can’t resist getting closer to him, even though she knows she’s risking not only her life but the draki’s most closely guarded secret.

*This one just seems amazing... I can't really describe it in any other way.

Let's Have Some Fun!

2010-08-31T14:30:00.003-04:00

I wanted to do something a bit more fun today so I decided to do a book survey! I found this one over at Lori's blog, Pure Imagination, and she found it from The Owl! Enjoy guys!

1. Favorite childhood book?
Because of Winn Dixie, definitely. That book was my favorite forever!

2. What are you reading right now?
Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel (it's awesome!)

3. What books do you have on request at the library?
My library sucks. I don't use it. I was going to volunteer there for a bit... until I realized how sad the selection made me.

4. Bad book habit?
I read ahead. It's a horrible habit but when I just can't take the suspense anymore I start flipping pages and reading passages. Normally I don't see anything that ruins things but sometimes I definitely do.

5. What do you currently have checked out at the library?
Nothing, don't use it. lol

6. Do you have an e-reader?
Nope. :( I want one, but then I know I would need to have the legit book as well but it would make carrying them easier!

7. Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or several at once?
Always one. If I try to read more than one I get more interested in one and the other sits having 30 pages read of it forever.

8. Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog?
Definitely. Before I started blogging reading was purely fun and it still is but now reading is more of a scheduled thing because I have to do it to get my review books in, of course I don't find this an issue because I love to read. That's why I'm here. lol

9. Least favorite book you read this year (so far?)
I don't fully read books I just can't connect with so I didn't finish it but it was a book a family member gave my by Pat Conroy. It's what I get for accepting non YA books.

10. Favorite book you’ve read this year?
Probably The DUFF by Kody Keplinger. I think about it every day and I never expected that to happen.

11. How often do you read out of your comfort zone?
Anything YA is my comfort zone and I don't read outside of it very much anymore. For a period I only read adult books because I felt people saw Teen books as beneath them, then I decided I really didn't care. haha

12. What is your reading comfort zone?
YA, Historical Romances, Paranormal, Classics.

13. Can you read on the bus?
I've never rode the bus in school but I can read in a car, I assume it's the same thing. lol

14. Favorite place to read?
In bed or on a comfy couch.

15. What is your policy on book lending?
I have an issue with lending books but I don't normally voice it. I have a couple friends who like to borrow books from me and I can never say no to them. I just feel it would be mean to do so although secretely I hate doing it.

16. Do you ever dog-ear books?
Not anymore. I did when I was younger but now I want to keep my books perfect and it pains me to see them not so! (This is part of why lending is an issue for me... most people are not as careful as I am with my books.)

17. Do you ever write in the margins of your books?
I never wrote in margins but I did underline when I had doubles of favorite books, like I have like 3 copies of The Truth About Forever and one of them I underlined my favorite quotes. Makes it easy when I want to make one my Facebook status. :)

18. Not even with text books?
No. The text book knows more than me, why would I write in the margins?

19. What is your favorite language to read in?
English? I don't know any others. :(

20. What makes you love a book?
Characters and emotions. I'm huge on character development and wanting to feel something.

21. What will inspire you to recommend a book?
When I can't sleep because I want to keep reading.

22. Favorite genre?
Fantasy/Paranormal/Contemporary. I can't choose. :)

23. Genre you rarely read (but wish you did?)
I wish I read more Regency because I love them but I never seem to have any in my TBR pile! That and Historical fiction in general because I really love it, I just don't read it as much as I used to.

24. Favorite biography?
Audrey Hepburn by Barry Paris

25. Have you ever read a self-help book?
nope lol.

26. Favorite cookbook?
I don't cook.

27. Most inspirational book you’ve read this year (fiction or non-fiction)?
Inspirational... does The DUFF count? It changed the way I thought of things...

28. Favorite reading snack?
Coffeeeee, and I tend to like BBQ chips, but not with Coffee. lol

29. Name a case in which hype ruined your reading experience.
eh Twilight I guess. I still love the books but just hearing the name tends to sicken me now because I instantly think of all those girls in my high school who were obsessed.

30. How often do you agree with critics about a book?
Not very often because I seem to look for different things in books than they do.

31. How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews?
I do it but it's not the majority. Normally I know within the first 50 pages whether I'll like the book and if I don't it will get put aside.

32. If you could read in a foreign language, which language would you chose?
Italian! I've always wanted to learn Italian.

33. Most intimi33dating book you’ve ever read?
Gone With the Wind because it was so huge! It's one of my favorites now though.

34. Most intimidating book you’re too nervous to begin?
Hunger Games because everyone loves them so much... I'd feel horrible if I was alone hating it. haha

35. Favorite Poet?
Emily Dickenson or E.E. Cummings.

36. How many books do you usually have checked out of the library at any given time?
We've been over this! None.

37. How often have you returned book to the library unread?
Whenever I borrowed one. lol

38. Favorite fictional character?
Harry Potter, Wes from The Truth About Forever, and Dimitri Belikov.

39. Favorite fictional villain?
Voldemort. I love to hate him.

40. Books I’m most likely to bring on vacation?
Something long so the car ride can be epic reading time, and I need less books that way also because long books take longer.

41. The longest I’ve gone without reading.
3 months?

42. Name a book that you could/would not finish.
The Host by Stephenie Meyer. :/

43. What distracts you easily when you’re reading?
The tv and texting. lol

44. Favorite film adaptation of a novel?
BBC Pride and Prejudice & Lord of the Rings

45. Most disappointing film adaptation?
The Other Boleyn Girl.

46. The most money I’ve ever spent in the bookstore at one time?
50 I believe.

47. How often do you skim a book before reading it?
... often. :D

48. What would cause you to stop reading a book half-way through?
Slow pace or for the MC to do something completely out of character that just doesn't make sense.

49. Do you like to keep your books organized?
I keep my favorite ones together so I can admire their awesomeness, other than that it's just by author.

50. Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once you’ve read them?
If I finished it I'm keeping it.

51. Are there any books you’ve been avoiding?
I don't think I've really been avoiding Hunger Games. I have it and I want to read it, I'm just semi afraid to. lol

52. Name a book that made you angry.
I don't know really.

53. A book you didn’t expect to like but did?
Z by Michael Thomas Ford

54. A book that you expected to like but didn’t?
Fallen by Lauren Kate (I liked it okay, but it just didn't sit well with me most of the time.)

55. Favorite guilt-free, pleasure reading?
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead (LOVE THEM!)

The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller [Review]

2010-08-30T14:34:00.000-04:00

The Eternal Ones

by Kirsten Miller

Haven Moore can’t control her visions of a past with a boy called Ethan, and a life in New York that ended in fiery tragedy. In our present, she designs beautiful dresses for her classmates with her best friend Beau. Dressmaking keeps her sane, since she lives with her widowed and heartbroken mother in her tyrannical grandmother’s house in Snope City, a tiny town in Tennessee. Then an impossible group of coincidences conspire to force her to flee to New York, to discover who she is, and who she was.

In New York, Haven meets Iain Morrow and is swept into an epic love affair that feels both deeply fated and terribly dangerous. Iain is suspected of murdering a rock star and Haven wonders, could he have murdered her in a past life? She visits the Ouroboros Society and discovers a murky world of reincarnation that stretches across millennia. Haven must discover the secrets hidden in her past lives, and loves¸ before all is lost and the cycle begins again.

Rating: A+

Source: From Publisher for review.
Release Date: August 10, 2010

Review:

For those of you who have been following my blog over the past few months you know The Eternal Ones was a novel I was dying for this summer. It did not disappoint and it is definitely one of my favorites of 2010.

The first thing that struck me about this novel was the beginning location. I loved the time we spent in Tennessee and I'm not just saying that because I'm a Tennessee native (go Vols!) but it was a refreshing atmosphere that I don't see very much of in YA. Granted, some of the things in the Tennessee town were exaggerated but most of it was dead on.

Haven and Beau never fit the Snope City norm and I spent quite a bit of time in these first few chapters despising Haven's grandmother for her own actions. They were a God fearing society, but I saw no love in what was dispensed on Haven and her supposedly demon possessed self. Snope City seemed to be such a small town that I believed that just this thing could happen, and Haven's blackouts and Ethan moments were sure to turn the town into a fit.

I felt like Haven was a strong character, perhaps a bit naive, but strong. It takes courage and strength to live in a place where everyone is against you and Haven never seemed to lose her focus and need to make it to New York.

When Haven is finally in New York City and Ian Morrow comes into the picture there are many swoon worthy moments, but I wasn't sure whether I liked him at first. I wanted him to be more straight forward, and less of a secret keeper but the farther you get into the book the more you understand him and by the end I was quite enamored with Ian Morrow. Although, I do wish we could have seen their relationship develop further in this book I have a feeling we will get to see more about them and the relationship in the sequel.

Beau was the friend I wish I'd had in high school and he was such a funny part of this novel. I really think every moment he was involved made me smile or laugh and he may be my favorite character. He was just so much fun!

I loved the mystery throughout the book and how the visions seemed to gradually put the pieces together. It constantly kept me guessing and the ending took me by surprise.

I loved the Eternal Ones! If you haven't read it yet what are you waiting for? You won't be disappointed. :)

-Christina

In My Mailbox- Week of July 29th

2010-08-29T00:21:00.005-04:00

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi aka The Story Siren and was inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie!

This week I got...

I won this from Random Buzzers and I'm so excited to read it!

Also, sorry my posts have been so strange the past few days. I start college Monday so I've been trying to get that all sorted out, but wish me luck and expect my review for the Eternal Ones on Monday!

What did you get this week?

Book Blogger Hop!

2010-08-27T00:34:00.006-04:00

The Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Jennifer at Crazy-for-Books!

This Week's Question:
Do you use a rating system for your reviews and if so, what is it and why?

My Answer:
Yes, I do use a rating system for my reviews simply because I have a hard time explaining exactly how I feel about the book because I go on my own personal emotions as judge. My ratings (A-F) are given to explain how high the book rates on the awesome scale. I wish I had one of those super cute picture ratings, but I am not tech savy so I feel this rating system works well for me and helps me formulate exactly how I feel when a review just isn't enough. I don't finish books I don't connect with though so most of my ratings are A's and B's so maybe my rating system is pointless, but it makes me feel better if nothing else.

If you're here from the hop I hope you enjoy your stay! Be sure to leave a comment so I can find your blog and visit you. :)

From Dusk Till Dawn Read-A-Thon! #1 Show Off Your Read

2010-08-25T20:35:00.004-04:00

I am participating in another one! Luckily this challenge ends the day before I start school, so I can squeeze it in. :)

Here are the books I hope to read:

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare
City of Glass by Cassandra Clare
Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel

Notice a theme? I need to be ready to see Cassandra Clare at the Decatur Book Festival (which is in 9 days. Not that I'm counting...)

Also, here is my entry to the first challenge which is hosted by Jami at YA Addict!

Yes, I have been living under a rock the past two years, but I just have one thing to say since I've started this book. IT'S AMAZING! Why didn't you guys tell me?!

Waiting On Wednesday!

2010-08-25T01:33:00.006-04:00

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, and it's purpose is to spotlight those titles we can't wait for!

What Lily Carter wants most in the world is to attend Princeton University just like her grandfather. When she finally visits the campus, Grandpa surprises her: She has been selected to take the top-secret Legacy Test. Passing means automatic acceptance to Princeton. Sweet!

Lily's test is to find the Ivy Key. But what is she looking for? Where does she start? As she searches, Lily is joined by Tye, a cute college boy with orange and black hair who says he's her guard. That's weird. But things get seriously strange when a gargoyle talks to her. He tells her that there are two Princetons—the ordinary one and a magical one—and the Key opens the gate between them. But there are more secrets that surround Lily. Worse secrets.

When Lily enters the magical Princeton, she uncovers old betrayals and new dangers, and a chance at her dream becomes a fight for her life. Soon Lily is caught in a power struggle between two worlds, with her family at its center. In a place where Knights slay monsters, boys are were-tigers, and dragons might be out for blood, Lily will need all of her ingenuity and courage—and a little magic—to unite the worlds and unlock the secrets of her past and her future.

*The entire Princeton thing sounds weird, but I am intrigued...

What are you waiting on?

Shadow Hills Ebook Edition!

2010-08-24T14:30:00.008-04:00

Today the Shadow Hills eBook is available for all of you lucky Kindle/Nook people!

After her sister Athena's tragic death, it's obvious that grief-stricken Persephone "Phe" Archer no longer belongs in Los Angeles. Hoping to make sense of her sister's sudden demise and the cryptic dreams following it, Phe abandons her bubbly LA life to attend an uptight East Coast preparatory school in Shadow Hills, MA — a school which her sister mysteriously mentioned in her last diary entry before she died.

Once there, Phe quickly realizes that something is deeply amiss in her new town. Not only does Shadow Hills' history boast an unexplained epidemic that decimated hundreds of its citizens in the 1700s, but its modern townies also seem eerily psychic, with the bizarre ability to bend metal. Even Zach — the gorgeous stranger Phe meets and immediately begins to lust after — seems as if he is hiding something serious. Phe is determined to get to the bottom of it. The longer she stays there, the more she suspects that her sister's untimely death and her own destiny are intricately linked to those who reside in Shadow Hills.

You can find it here from Barnes and Noble and Amazon!

In My Mailbox - Week of August 22

2010-08-22T00:42:00.014-04:00

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi aka The Story Siren and was inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie!

This week from Random Buzzers I got...

I've heard nothing but great things about this book and it's my first buzz bucks purchase! Woot!! I'm super excited to read it.

What did you guys get this week?

2010-08-19T23:56:00.003-04:00

The Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Jennifer at Crazy-for-Books!

This Week's Question:

How many blogs do you follow?

My Answer:

I can't even keep track anymore but I always check out each update in my google reader. It's like an obsession but I like being up to date on what's going on. If I had to put a number on it I'd say I follow over 200.

If you're here from the hop be sure and leave your link so I can check out your blog!