Saturday, August 28, 2010

Stuffed Bookshelf (2)



For review:

Spy Glass By Maria V. Snyder (Thanks to Maria V. Snyder
for being kind enough for sending me a copy)

Won:
Aces Up (from Random Buzzers)

Bought:

Hunger Games T-shirt from Hot Topic!!

From the Library:



Girl in The Arena By Lise Haines

Rampant By Diana Peterfreund

Forget You By Jennifer Echols

Raised By Wolves By Jennifer Barnes

A Blue So Dark By Holly Schindler


So what did you guys get to stuff your bookshelves this week? I had a pretty good week from the library. Again thanks to Maria V. Snyder for a copy of her beautiful book! Lots of love! Expect reviews soon! =D







I am back! With an award!

Okay so I am back from all that hectic school stuff! For now. But I am still not done reading Mockingjay, I really don't wanna! I always get this sad feeling when reading the last book to a series so I am taking my time. But I now have some time to blog since I am done with my book report and got through the first day of school alive!

So first thing is first, a couple of days ago I received my first blogger award from Elaine over at I Live In A Fictional World. Fellow blogger and an amazing person! Thanks Elaine you are awesome! *hugs*


Here are the rules for this award:

1. Thank and link back to the person who gave you this award.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Pass the award along to 15 bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic for whatever reason! (In no particular order...)
4. Contact the bloggers you've picked and let them know about the award.

So 7 things about me:
  1. I broke my elbow about two years ago while roller-skating. Ouch. Never doing that again! And the pain is still there to remind me about my clumsiness
  2. I can speak Spanish. Not very well, but I try!
  3. I have this obsession with Michigan. Yeah, the state. I don't know why, I have never visited but I wanna!
  4. My favorite music is rock and classical.
  5. I play the piano
  6. I had a pet chicken for a while, his name was Mumble. And during those 3 months that I had him as a pet, I was a vegetarian (for obvious reasons). Didn't go so well.
  7. I am terrified of bees, I am sort of allergic If I am stung. But it is embarrassing when I run and scream when there is one near. But oh well. Same with cockroaches. *shudders*
I am passing this award to:

  1. Reads, Reviews, Recommends
  2. Good Golly Miss Holly
  3. Loud Words & Sounds
  4. The Bookish Type
  5. Ashley's Bookshelf
  6. Princess Bookie
  7. /-LA FEMME READERS-/
  8. Fantasy Fanatic
  9. An Addicted Book Reader
  10. A Reader's Review
  11. Larissa's Bookish Life
  12. Book by Book Summer
  13. Chick Loves Lit
  14. Penultimate Page
  15. Reading the Best Of the Best
There are many blogs I would like to give this review to. Every single book blogger new or experienced deserves one. But here are the book blogs I know and love and I will e-mail them shortly!

Happy Readings!

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Excuses and a Book!

You see the picture of that book there? The pretty blue one with the bird? Yeah that one. Okay well I just bought a lovely copy of it and I cannot wait to read it. Though I am really anxious and sad that this is the last book of these wonderful series, I am determined to give it my undivided attention. So maybe or maybe not, I will hold on blogging for a while now. Maybe the rest of the week.

Think of it as a vacation, from two(or is it three?) exhausting(not really) months as a blogger. But note that I am very, very likely to change my mind, because that is how I am so I may post after all. I just don't know. But in case I don't, well I am already prepared! So while I am "gone" feel free to look around my new blog designed by the lovely Andrea over at Loud Words & Sounds.
Thank you so much Andrea! So feel free to look around and tell me what you think over at the chat box. The last two pages? INTERVIEWS and TBR are a work in progress so you probably wont get anything.

Also to keep in mind in the near future: on weekdays I will have late posts since I just started school. I will be constantly bombarded with Homework so I will sometimes take a while to post things. But fear not! I am thinking of doing a weekly wrap-up with all the book news on Fridays and Saturdays. I will figure something out.

To look forward for the next two weeks:

  • In Stuffed Bookshelf(2) post
  • Interview with 2 authors- not gonna tell! But you can guess and I will let you and only YOU if you are right if you do indeed answer with the correct answer!
  • Book reviews
  • Guess who received a blog award? ME! Not trying to brag or anything I just CANNOT believe it! So I will pass it to 15 fellow bloggers, I decided who already(mostly) so I gotta just e-mail them.
  • I got a few affiliates and I will announce who they are (*dun dun dun*) soon. As soon as I can!
So bear with me since I just started school and I already have homework to do, and it is not easy. But I also have a lot of books to read so YAY!

People(the whole world) reading Mockingjay:

When I am done with it[Mockingjay] I will like to share mt thoughts and feelings about the book with all of you guys! Well the ones who have read it anyway.So I will think of something to do so we can talk about it! No spoilers to the ones who have not read it! This is a spoiler free book! I have pledged to it on Twitter. =D

Love you guys! And have a great week! Students who have recently returned to school: the best of luck! And I am sorry summer is over.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

ARC Giveaway!


















<<<<--- My OMG This-is-such-an-awesome-giveaway-face!



Why yes I am doing yet another dedicated post for yet another amazing giveaway!Because as you guys may or may not know, I am very competitive and even though I don't win most of the time I do everything in my power to make sure I give it my all when entering a giveaway.I love spreading the word out about giveaways because that way you guys also have a chance at getting one of these amazing books! So shall we start?

*ahem*

ARC GALORE!!!! A NEW amazing ARC giveaway over at Carol's Prints!

Okay so I am gonna list the books instead of putting the pictures since Carol has put up more books than I am willing to put pictures up for. But I am definitely NOT complaining!

So here we go: (Click on Links to find out more about the authors and their books)

And yes the list keeps on going... =D Excited!
Good Luck and may the odds be ever in your favor! Sorry about the last part..couldn't help myself with Mockingjay release coming so soon!

So yeah...FREAKING AWESOME! Right? Alright you guys, what are you waiting for?

You can enter this amazing giveaway HERE. And find out who the previous winners of the previous giveaway were also!

Friday, August 20, 2010

TORMENT Teaser Trailer # 3!

So Lauren Kate author of Fallen and Torment just posted up in her site the 3rd teaser trailer for her upcoming book Torment.







I posted the previous two trailers and they should be about 3 posts below from this.

Enjoy!

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Feature and Follow Friday!

My first "Feature and Follow Friday!" YAY!
*throws confetti* again...This is a week of first for me!




Hosted By parajunkee.com so check out her blog! This week's question is:

How many blogs do you follow?

I would have to say right now at this second 84 blogs, but they are increasing by the day. Or minute.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Waiting On Wednesday 8/18/10

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine to spotlight upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating.

Okay, so this is my first WOW! *throws confetti* And hopefully there will be more to come!


Fixing Delilah By Sarah Ockler
Release Date: December 15, 2010 A.K.A Soooo far away!
Summary from Goodreads:

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?

Rich with emotion, Sarah Ockler delivers a powerful story of family, love, and self-discovery


I loved Sarah Ockler's previous book Twenty Boy Summer and I cannot wait for this book to come out. What are you waiting on this Hot and Sunny(here in Texas anyway) Wednesday?

Clockwork Angel Book Trailer!




Um, WOW! That's all I have to say about this particular trailer! I got shivers just watching it..and watching it..and watching it AGAIN. It was freaking amazing and I can't wait to read the book! Mind officially blown! Okay I'm going to watch it again...and again.So what did you guys think?
For more info on this mind blowing trailer, click HERE.

ARC Galore!



































You see all these amazing books? All of these NOT RELEASED YET books? Well they are all up for grabs if you visit Babbling Flow! Not only that, but both Beautiful Creatures AND Beautiful Darkness(ARC!!) are signed by the authors! So what are you waitin' for? Click HERE for the direct link to the giveaway! (click on the pictures of each book for a summary) Good Luck Everybody! and thanks Sara for having this amazing giveaway!

*On another note, sorry for not posting anything for the last few days, I have been sick and not feeling so well so I am a little behind on posts and everything! I am gonna make it up to you guys next week since I will be feeling better by then, but for now I will try to post as many stuff as I am able to.

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Review: The Eternal Ones By Kirsten Miller


The Eternal Ones By Kirsten Miller
August 10th 2010
Source: Good Golly Miss Holly ARC Tours

Summary from Goodreads:
What if love refused to die?

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.

My Thoughts:


Okay, first of all I have to blame this book for giving me a headache. Yes, this book was so good that I spent half of sleeping time finishing it. That's why it is being blamed for the lack- of-sleep- headache that I now have, but that is all it is being blamed for. Actually the blame for my headache is me .But if this book wasn’t so good, I wouldn’t have the headache in the first place. So it all goes back to the book, so there. And even though I have this monstrous headache, I didn’t postpone this review for tomorrow because it was so good that I am too excited to not tell you guys about today. So as long as I am able to think coherent thoughts and type, why not review it?


This book starts a little slow, but don’t get me wrong, every bit of that slow-paced part is interesting and leaves you curious of what is going to happen next. Now on the second part of the book (titled The One Who Was Waiting) it where all of the action takes place. That is when Heaven decides to do something about the visions she has and visit the guy who has been in most her visions and dreams. Ethan, who is the one invading most of her past-life memories is (according to Heaven) nineteen-year-old playboy/murder suspect Iain Morrow in this lifetime. And she is not waiting for her grandmother’s approval to find out if he is her soul mate Ethan, reincarnated. The weird thing is Ethan was also a murder suspect of someone other than Constance.

The way Kirsten Miller describes the streets of New York made me feel like I was actually there. It surprised me how much detail she could put into words. This book had more suspense that I could handle, and I am not complaining at all. But I think I handled it well. My guesses of who the murderer was were as messed up as Heaven’s. Every time I kept guessing who and what (usually I am very good at this) I ended up being wrong.


Heaven Moore, I am glad to say was a very likeable character and I did not get frustrated with her or disliked her at any point of the book. I actually felt empathy her for everything she went through and for the frustrating choices she had to make. She didn’t go through it alone though. Beau Decker, her best friend and dress design partner, had her back for most of the time. Beau was my favorite character of the book. He was so hilarious and loyal that he made me wish I had a friend like that. Her grandmother was a bit annoying and non-grandma-y sometimes. But she wasn’t the character I disliked the most.

The romance between Iain and Heaven (which was quick-paced but at the same time very understandable due to that fact that well in their past lives they had a very steamy romance going on) is every girls dream of love at first sight. And Iain, well I don’t want to say a lot about him (might spoil it) but he is now in my Boys Are Better in Books List. And brace yourself for the last few chapters of this book, because you are in for a shocker!

This book left me thinking and wondering about the possibilities of previous lives and the meaning of love at first sight.


Do I recommend it?: Heck yeah I do!


My Review: 5 out of 5


What's Next?: I will post any info if there is going to be a second Eternal Ones book. Which I think it is a very big possibility. *fingers crossed* But for now, no info has been reported (that I know of).


Age Recommendation: I think it has very little steamy romance to be considered older young adult material, so my opinion would be 14 and older.

I have a favorite quote on the book and I want to post it as a teaser post:
" --"No! The slut!"
--"She's not a slut." Heaven was surprised to discover she couldn't muster any hatred for Marta. "She's actually kind of cool."
--"I was talking about Iain." " I LOL'd big time on that one.

Cover Love: The cover is simple and beautiful at the same time. But I have to wonder, Is the thing at the end of the circle a snake's head or a hand in a weird angle?


About the Author

Kirsten Miller

Kirsten Miller is also the author of the critically-acclaimed Kiki Strike book series. She lives in Brooklyn, NY, and she suspects she may have been either Amelia Earheart or Catherine the Great in a previous existence.

Visit her blog HERE.
And her Goodreads page HERE.










Friday, August 13, 2010

Review: Jealousy By Lilith Saitcrow

Jealousy By Lilith Saintcrow
July 29, 2010
Summary From Goodreads:

Dru Anderson might finally be safe. She’s at the largest Schola on the continent, and beginning to learn what it means to be svetocha–half vampire, half human, and all deadly. If she survives her training, she will be able to take her place in the Order, holding back the vampires and protecting the oblivious normal people. But a web of lies and betrayals is still closing around her, just when she thinks she can relax a little. Her mentor Christophe is missing, her almost-boyfriend is acting weird, and the bodyguards she’s been assigned seem to know much more than they should. And then there’s the vampire attacks, the strange nightly visits, and the looks everyone keeps giving her. As if she should know something. Or as if she’s in danger. Someone high up in the Order is a traitor. They want Dru dead–but first, they want to know what she remembers of the night her mother died. Dru doesn’t want to remember, but it looks like she might have to–especially since once Christophe returns, he’ll be on trial for his life. The only person who can save him is Dru. The problem is, once she remembers everything, she may not want to…My thoughts:


Dru is back and better than ever.After all she has been through, she is now at the largest Schola on the continent surrounded by djamphir,loup-garou, a broken werwulf, and a svetocha who might be trying to kill her. She feels safe, for now. But that safe feeling starts to drift away as soon as she is summoned by the djamphir council and is questioned about Christophe Reynard and her scape from Sergej the most powerful djamphir alive.

This book is by far my favorite book of the trilogy, of course I love all of them. But this certain book in the trilogy has it all. Romance, betrayals ,mystery, and everything else a book needs in order to be swoon-worthy.
Being one of the two svetocha left, she is being constantly shadowed by her own personal group of bodyguards. Not only that but she is forced to remember that night many years ago when her mom hid her in a secret compartment in the closet and Dru didn't see her ever again.

I honestly couldn't stop reading this book, and when I did because I had to I couldn't stop thinking of what was going to happen next. Especially when things were starting to get tense between Dru and Graves. And me being team Graves (Graves all the way!) couldn't wait till they had another one of their moments. Call me a Christophe hater, but I was glad this book didn't have a lot of him in it. But I am curious to find out what was going on with Dru's mom and him, as creepy as that sounds.

At the last agonizing page of the book I found myself wondering again where in the world are the rest of the pages?! The last chapter of this book will have you counting the days until the fourth book DEFIANCE coming out in April 2011. And It will be agony having to wait to find out who she picks, is it going to be Graves(whoot!) or Christophe (*cricket* *cricket*)?I will say no more because I fear that If I let myself say anything else, I will get to excited and start giving out spoilers, and I wouldn't want that. However, If you are new to the series, I would recommend you start from Strange Angels because otherwise you won't understand what is going on. And trust me there is a lot gong on that you wouldn't like to miss!

Review: 5 out of 5

What's next?: Well If you haven't read these wonderful series and you like reading about half-Asian hunky loup-garou and cocky but good looking djamphir. Then this is the series for you! Start with Strange Angels then because you will be addicted to these series(trust me)continue with Betrayals and join me and many other bookaholics in waiting for the next book in the series Defiance being released April 2011. Let the waiting begin!

Age Recommendation? Maybe 14 and older for the mild language.

Cover love: When I purchased this book one of the employees was fascinated with the cover. "So shiny ", she had said and looked like she wanted to take it away from my hand. But of course I stood my ground and held on to the book as tight as I could. So yes, the cover is so shiny and beautiful! But who is the dude in the cover? Christophe? Or Graves? Let me know what you think by leaving a comment!

Teaser Line: " 'It wasn't sarcasm.' Graves blew out a cloud of acrid smoke. 'It was pointing out a fallacy in you logic, babe' "
So here you go! A teaser quote from Graves. Me showing some love to my favorite character!

About the Author

Lilith Saintcrow

Lilith Saintcrow was born in New Mexico, bounced around the world as an Air Force brat, and fell in love with writing when she was ten years old. Lili lives in Vancouver, WA with her children, a houseful of cats, and assorted other strays.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Review: Passing Strange By Daniel Waters


Passing Strange By Daniel Waters
June 1st,2010
Summary from Goodreads:

Karen DeSonne always passed as a normal (if pale) teenager; with her friends, with her family, and at school. Passing cost her the love of her life. And now that Karen’s dead, she’s still passing—this time, as alive. Karen DeSonne just happens to be an extremely human-like zombie. Meanwhile, Karen’s dead friends have been fingered in a high-profile murder, causing a new round of antizombie regulations that have forced them into hiding. Karen soon learns that the “murder” that destroyed their non-life was a hoax, staged by Pete Martinsburg and his bioist zealots. Obtaining enough evidence to expose the fraud and prove her friends’ innocence means doing the unthinkable: becoming Pete’s girlfriend. Karen’s only hope is that the enemy never realizes who she really is—because the consequences would be worse than death.

My thoughts:


“I don’t want to die, I thought. Not again."

I was kind of disappointed when I read that the third installment of the Generation Dead series, Passing Strange, was going to be mainly from Karen DeSonne’s point of view. I loved reading in Phoebe’s point of view, and I really don’t understand why that had to change. However, one of the things I didn’t mind was getting to read and learn more about Karen, who died and came back to life after she committed suicide. I wanted to know why she had done that, and this book answered my question. And what a shocker that was!

That’s all I am going to say about that. Karen DeSonne, who seemed brave and fierce from Phoebe’s point of view, is in reality a troubled and afraid un-dead girl. She is forced to disguise herself as something she is not, a breathing-living human in order to keep her job and the cops from arresting her. Because it is now a crime to be un-dead. And Karen, now more than ever wishes she was alive.

The book is also in the point of view of Peter Martinsburg, zombie hater and murderer. And somehow he ends up interested a particular Wild! Thingz employee, who just happens to be Karen. But Peter doesn’t know that, she introduces herself as Christie Smith, a seemingly normal human girl. She knows she must pretend to like Peter also, in order to save her un-dead friends from being blamed for something they didn’t do and she will stop at nothing to get the proof.

And to those Tak haters, you’ll probably change your mind about that, and those who liked him will get a chance to learn more about him and be able to get a glimpse of his emotional side and learn a little bit more about his previous life.

Even in a different point of view, Daniel Waters, still rocks it! Though I gotta say that I enjoyed reading Kiss of Life and Generation Dead a lot better. I might be biased though, since I loved reading in Phoebe’s point of view much better. I enjoyed this book and can’t wait to read the next book in this series. But you be the judge of that, if you enjoyed reading the previous Generation Dead series I’m sure you’ll enjoy this one too. But honestly, I thought that this book did not live up to the previous two books.

What's next?: At this moment, nothing has been said about the 4th book in the Generation Dead series. Or even if there is going to be a fourth book. But I will post the details about either possibilities as soon as I find out. But to those of you who haven't read the previous two books: Generation Dead and Kiss of Life. And love zombies and original story plots, you need to add these books to your to-read list!

Age recommendation: I would recommend this book for older readers. Maybe 15 and older.

Review: 3 out of 5

About the Author:

Daniel Waters
Um he's Married and Likes Sandwiches. That's all I found out about him....













TORMENT Teaser trrailer: In 3 parts!

Okay here's part One:


And here's part two!:



Okay, part three is coming soon! To read more about the Fallen series visit Lauren Kate's website HERE.
So excited! What do you guys think?

Monday, August 9, 2010

Review: Linger By Maggie Stiefvater


Linger By Maggie Stiefvater
Publish Date: July 13, 2010
Summary from Goodreads:

In Maggie Stiefvater’s Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past…and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabel, who already lost her brother to the wolves…and is nonetheless drawn to Cole. At turns harrowing and euphoric, Linger is a spellbinding love story that explores both sides of love–the light and the dark, the warm and the cold–in a way you will never forget.
-->
“This is the story of a boy who used to be a wolf and a girl who was becoming one”

Thoughts: -->
I read Shiver and was not-so-patiently waiting for Linger. When it finally came out, and I bought it, I was a little afraid it wasn’t going to be as good as the first book. I was completely wrong. This book left me spellbound, I loved how the author always described what the character was seeing with so much detail and Sam’s feelings toward being a human were so deep and just WOW.
I personally don’t like reading in so many points of view because I get confused sometimes about what’s going on with the story. But with Linger, I actually liked the fact that it’s in 4 character’s point of view. Maggie made the transition so smooth and not confusing at all, I loved that.
There is also an addition of characters throughout the story, Cole St. Clair being the main additional character. I loved Cole with his cocky attitude and mysterious past, I was glad he was one of the points of views in the story. So in a quick summary of what to expect of this book: mysterious things going on concerning Grace’s humanity and the cure they found, more Sam and Grace lovin’, Sam and Grace might have competition for cutest couple *hint*, and an ending that will make you want to, well I don’t know about you but I was wondering where the rest of the pages of the book were. Why did it have to end there?! July 2010 cannot come soon enough!
Review: 4.5 out of 5
Cover Love: I loved the cover! It had some sort of meaning to it. And the matching green print was incredibly awesome! Can't wait to see the color for the next book....Blue then Green, what next? Any guesses?
To those who haven't read Shiver and love werewolves and kissing : What are you waiting for? Go to your nearest bookstore/library right now!

What's next ?: The third installment in The Wolves of Mercy Falls Series Forever will be released July 2011.

Age recommendation: Pretty much for everyone!



All of my life decisions have been based around my inability to be gainfully employed. Talking to yourself, staring into space, and coming to work in your pajamas are frowned upon when you're a waitress, calligraphy instructor, or technical editor (all of which I've tried), but are highly prized traits in novelists, musicians, and artists (I've made my living as one of these since I was 22).

I now live an eccentric life in the middle of nowhere, Virginia, with my charmingly straight-laced husband, two small kids, two neurotic dogs, one criminally insane cat, and a 1973 Camaro named Loki.
I'm an avid reader, an award-winning colored pencil artist, and play several musical instruments, including the Celtic harp, the piano, and the bagpipes. I also make great cocktail party conversation.

Okay sorry for the long overdue review, I have been trying to make this blog as decent looking as possible and doing a lot of reading! So all this week I will post one review a day. So you can call it a 5-review week! Let me know what you think!


© Copyright More Than Just A Book. FDS