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Monday, March 11, 2013

Top Ten Tuesday: My Spring TBR


Top Ten Tuesday is hosted over at The Broke and Bookish.

This week's topic is pretty exciting for me... so

Top Ten Books At The TOP Of My Spring 2013 TBR list!

Some people have been talking exclusively about spring releases and while I have included some that I am pretty excited about, it was not my sole focus. Spring also means that I am done school for summer and I have plenty of time to read, so I have added books that I haven't had time to read, but I've been dying to.

Hope you enjoy.

1) Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen- I am bound and determined to get this book read sooner rather then later. I have been a little obsessed with the story (which I actually have never read), I will be reading it soon.

2) Lover at Last by JR Ward- This hits stores March 26th (and yes, I have already pre-ordered it). I don't want to talk to much about this. But you best believe that this is on the top of my spring TBR- I'll drop everything to read this.



3) Boundless by Cynthia Hand- I am DYING to read this book. I absolutely need to know what happens to Clara and Tucker and Christian and everyone involved. It drives me crazy that I haven't read this yet.

4) Dare You To by Katie McGuire- This comes out in early June and I am pretty excited to read it. I really enjoyed Pushing the Limits and I love the way McGuire writes her characters. I'll be happy to experience that again.

5) Strands of Bronze and Gold by Jane Nickerson- Happy Book Birthday, This novel hits shelves today and, however I won't be reading it until later this spring. I am very curious about the story and I don't know the Bluebeard fairy tale at all so...

6) Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins- Sooooo... I still haven't read this one yet. Please don't shoot. This has been sitting on my shelf for a good long time and I really need to get to reading it. SO one day, I will sit down and do nothing all day but read. It will be magical.

7) Asunder by Jodi Meadows- Another book that I have on my shelf that I am sad I haven't read yet. I loved Incarnate so much and the fact that I haven't read the sequel is killing meeeee.

8) Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by JK Rowling- I have made it my goal to reread the entire Harry Potter Series while I am not in school (so from May-September). There may be one or two of those books that I have only read once (the 5th and 7th one I think, maybe the 4th as well). I know. Shame on me.

9) Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor- There are a lot of sequels that I need/want to get to. And this is one of them. I am hopeful that it will happen. I am particularly excited about this one. I have heard nothing but good things about it.


10) An Abundance of Katherines by John Green- This is only the only novel by JG that I have not read. I think it order to call myself a true fan I need to get on it. I have also heard this one is pretty funny and I like funny.








So that is my list for this week, feel free to comment and let me know what you plan on reading this spring.

~Happy Reading Everyone!

Friday, March 8, 2013

Stacking the Shelves (9)



This is one heffer of a book haul. I have about five weeks of books to show you. I hope you're all ready for this.  I am a little freaky in this video. It's all kinds of crazy. 

Staking the Shelves is hosted over at Tynga's Reviews


Books Mentioned (all links link to Goodreads)

Library: 

Pride and Prejudice  by Jane Austen 

Won: 

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo 
Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne 

Gifted:

What Happens Next by Colleen Clayton 
(Thanks Aylee
The Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling 
(Thanks Mum) 

Bought: 

Asunder by Jodi Meadows
Boundless by Cynthia Hand 
The Taker by Alma Katsu 

For Gifts: 

Go the F**k to Sleep by Adam Mansbach

That's it for me, be sure to link your book hauls below so I can check them out. 

~Happy Reading Everyone! 



Wednesday, March 6, 2013

My Thoughts: Unremembered by Jessica Brody

The only thing worse than forgetting her past... is remembering it.

When Freedom Airlines flight 121 went down over the Pacific Ocean, no one ever expected to find survivors. Which is why the sixteen-year-old girl discovered floating among the wreckage—alive—is making headlines across the globe.

Even more strange is that her body is miraculously unharmed and she has no memories of boarding the plane. She has no memories of her life before the crash. She has no memories period. No one knows how she survived. No one knows why she wasn’t on the passenger manifest. And no one can explain why her DNA and fingerprints can’t be found in a single database in the world.

Crippled by a world she doesn’t know, plagued by abilities she doesn’t understand, and haunted by a looming threat she can’t remember, Seraphina struggles to piece together her forgotten past and discover who she really is. But with every clue only comes more questions. And she’s running out of time to answer them.

Her only hope is a strangely alluring boy who claims to know her from before the crash. Who claims they were in love. But can she really trust him? And will he be able to protect her from the people who have been making her forget?


**ARC received from publisher for review** 

Believe it or not, I have not read many books about memory loss. Actually- I don't think that I have ever read a book about memory loss. Which is strange, considering that there are So many of them out there. Again, the fact that I have never read a novel on memory loss is also weird for me as I am kind of fascinated by it. What is more mysterious than not remembering yourself? So, I was really excited at the idea of Unremembered by Jessica Brody. I thought: well here we go, a book about a girl who can't remember where she came from, who she is and has no past. So cool.

Unfortunately, Unremembered fell really short for me. So short, that I didn't finish it. I got to about a hundred pages from the end and had to stop reading it. So yes, My review may be incomplete and maybe I shouldn't even be reviewing a book I didn't finish but here we are. I am not saying Unremembered was bad. However, there were a few things that just did not work for me. Which is sad, because I think Brody had such potential with this book.

Unremembered was really good for the first 175 pages or so. But after that it sort of lost steam. The story started strong with this girl (Violet) being the only survivor of a plane crash. She has no memory of who she is and what she was doing there or why she was going where she was going. Also there is no evidence that she even boarded the plane. No one checked her in, she wasn't on the passenger manifesto. She was this nameless individual. Once in the hospital  no one came to claim her (even though she was supposed to be about 16 years old), she was an orphan. All of this was really intriguing and I so curious to find out what happens. Later on in the book the Violet starts having these mysterious run ins with this boy who claims to know her, who she is and where she came from. But every time you think you might get an answer he disappears again. You would get a little hint of Violet's past, enough to keep you on the edge of your seat.

And then.... at about page 150

Everything is revealed. All at once. That really bothered me. Once I knew what happened and why Violet (who is actually Sera) lost her memory and who the antagonist was and why, I lost complete interest in reading. And all of this happened by about page 175, so I gave it a good twenty-five to fifty more pages to see if things would pick up, but it didn't. And I had to stop reading.

I think I could have kept reading, if the characters had been more engaging and interesting, but they weren't. If you have read my reviews before you know that I prefer books that are more character driven. And the characters in Unremembered weren't great for me. Cody, the foster brother, I thought was a great character. He had personality and spunk and if all the characters in the book would have been written like he was, the story would have done better with me.

I am perfectly aware that my giving up on reading this book means I may have missed some crucial moments that would have blown the whole thing out of the water. But I feel like I gave Unremembered a fair shot. I got well into the story and was over 200 pages in when I felt like I couldn't do it anymore. I understand that these are just my opinions and that others loved this story and that's awesome. It just wasn't for me.

~Happy Reading Everyone!


Monday, March 4, 2013

Top Ten Tuesday: Series I need to start



Top Ten Tuesday is hosted over at The Broke and Bookish

This week's topic is a good one for me. Why... cause it's a long list...

Top Ten Series I'd Like To Start But Haven't Yet

1) The Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead- So many people have read this series. It's like a cult favourite. But I haven't even read the first sentence of the first book. I know, it's shameful. I have read the first book in the spin off series though. So that has to count for something. Right?



2) The Delirium series by Lauren Oliver- I am not sure why I haven't read this one yet. Not a clue. Maybe because I have read so many mixed reviews? Maybe... who knows. But with the last one coming out soon, and the tv show in production, I best get on it.

3) The Jessica Darling series by Megan McCafferty- I have wanted to read this series for eons now. But I have never gotten around to it. I think they look cute, and funny. It's gonna be my summer goal I think. I hope.



4) The Gemma Doyle series by Libba Bray- I have nothing but good things about these books and I want to read them. I believe I borrowed the first one from the library once and had to return it before I actually had time to read it. But I will. I promise.

5) The Paranormalcy by Kiersten White- I own this book. I have owned it for years, and still it sits unread. I know I would love it. I just need to get around to reading it.


6) The Forest of Hands and Teeth series by Carrie Ryan- I haven't actually read a single zombie novel and I really want to dig into this series. Even though a number of people have not enjoyed it, I think that I would. So here's to hoping.

7) The Lumatere Chronicles by Melina Marchetta- As I hang my head in shame when I admit that I haven't actually started this series. I own the first novel- Finnikin of the Rock. It's on my shelf of to read asap. But I haven't yet. But I will before the year is through. Promises, promises.



8) The Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness- I have heard nothing but good things about this series and I think I would really enjoy it. I don't know when I will get around to it, but someday.

9) The Maze Runner Series by James Dashner- Another book I borrowed from the library, but didn't read before it needed to be returned. I really want to read this one though. So hopefully soon.



10) The Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan- As I hang my head in shame (again) in my admission that this book has not been read by me. My housemates are always getting on my case to read it. I need to find the time to read this series.







Well there are ten series that I have yet to begin (on top of all the others that I have begun and not finished) I have a never ending TBR. Whew.

Better get started

~Happy Reading Everyone.

Sunday, March 3, 2013

February Wrap Up


March!!! What?!?! I know February  is a short month, but really is it that short?

I had a pretty good month. Went away for a few days to see a friend (which was not good, but it wasn't bad either). While away I got to meet up with Aylee from Recovering Potter Addict and Cassay from Vamps, Were and Cassay Oh My. It was fun to spend a couple hours talking books and blogging with people who understand what it's all about. When I got home, I ended up getting really sick for a week and didn't do anything. I was to sick to even read.

So...

I had a pretty slow month. I did manage to read six books (which I guess is still pretty good). But I didn't get as many reviewed as I would have liked. Anywho... Here goes.

Books Read:

1) On the Island by Tracy Garvis-Graves
2) The Seclection by Kiera Cass
3) Altered by Jennifer Rush
4) Pantomime by Laura Lam
5) Unremembered by Jessica Brody
6) Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys

Books Reviewed:

Again, I only reviewed three books this month (it would have been four, but I needed to take a week off, because of my sickess).

1) Sever by Lauren DeStefano
2) Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
3) Pantomime by Laura Lam

Challenges:

I did better with my challenges this month. Sort of.

Debut Author Challenge: 1/20 (although I have read two, my review will go up in March sometime)

YA Audiobook Challenge: 2/12 (Right on track, and I have another going up soon)

2013 Reading Challenge: 16/75 (which puts me 5% and 4 books a head- which I think I will need in March).

So, Miserable March is upon us (as most University students call it). March I have two papers, one exam and a bunch of labs to get done. I will do my best to keep posting semi-regularly, however I cannot promise anything. But I will not be totally absent.

That's it for me,

~Happy Reading Everyone!

Saturday, March 2, 2013

The Midnight Spell Excerpt & a Giveaway

Adam and Christy have been best friends since kindergarten. Always the perpetual outsiders in their small town in Texas, they’ve always had to deal with nasty comments from their classmates. Adam is called “gay” while Christy is called “witch.”

On both counts the bullies are right.

Their junior year in high school seems destined to be the same old same old until Christy decides to cast a love spell for Adam at the midnight hour. The next day an alluring and mysterious new boy enrolls at school and sets hearts a flutter, including Adam’s. Meanwhile, Christy’s mad crush on the handsome Ian seems to be going nowhere fast. Struggling to capture the heart of Ian while trying to come into her full witch powers is tough enough, but when a great evil arrives in town that threatens everything they hold dear, she realizes that finding a boyfriend is the least of her and Adam’s worries.

Soon Adam, Christy, their potential love interests, and their good friends Drifter and Olivia, will have to battle a force of darkness that has killed in their town before and will again.


Lets talk about The Midnight Spell by Rhiannon Frater and Koby Boye. Some of you may have heard of Rhiannon, as she is fairly popular for her adult zombie apocalypse series As the World Dies. And co-author Kody Boye is no stranger to horror writing either, with a number of short stories under his belt. So you can imagine The Midnight Spell is going to be a winner. I am about a third of the way into The story and I am loving it. It's fun and I love the characters. Be sure to keep an eye out for my review in the next couple of weeks.

To give you all a little taste of what to expect from The Midnight Spell I have for you today a excerpt of the novel (with permission of course) and a couple of chances to win a copy for yourself.  Pretty cool eh?

Giveaway details can be found after you have read the excerpt below.



* * *
Adam Excerpt
* * *
From the side of the room the door opened, instantaneously drawing almost everyone’s eyes to the newcomer.
My mouth dropped open.
The new arrival reached back to push his hair behind the nape of his neck and scanned the room with his magnetic gaze.
No. It couldn’t be.
There’s no such thing as magic, yet the guy from my dream the night before stood in the doorway. His face was exactly the same. His strong nose, his exquisite lips, his straight-edged brows that appeared harsh, yet empathetic. Even his eyes were the same color I’d seen in my dream, steel-gray and the shade of clouds filled with the most welcome of rains.
To my surprise, he glanced toward me and his finely-shaped lips curled into a smile. I could have sworn that my heart stopped beating. I had to force myself to breathe.
“Mr. Black,” Mrs. Berry said, instantly knocking me out of my reverie as she turned her attention to the newcomer. “A pleasure to see you. Did you find your way here all right?”
“Yes ma’am,” the guy named Black said. “I got lost, but I found the room finally.”
“You’ll sit there, next to Adam.” She pointed.
He started toward the desk beside me as the bell rang.
“But first, Mr. Black,” Mrs. Berry continued, “why don’t you introduce yourself? I’m sure everyone here would like to know who you are. Wouldn’t you, class?”
A resounding chorus of grunts and ‘sures’ followed. I was only able to nod.
The new guy straightened his posture, offered a slight smile, then cleared his throat, almost as if he were nervous to be in such a large group. “Uh… hi,” he said, his voice deep. “My name’s Mark Black. I’m from Houston. I moved back here with my mom and dad because my parents were originally from Trinity Springs.”
“Oh! A native!” Mrs. Berry clapped so enthusiastically I thought for a moment her French tips would fly straight off. “Splendid! Absolutely remarkable, Mr. Black. Please, take a seat.”
“Thank you,” Mark said, bowing his head.
When he settled into his seat, he turned and smiled at me before directing his attention to the front of the room.
This couldn’t be happening. I had to be dreaming.
I pinched myself and was surprised to feel pain.
Nope. I was definitely not dreaming.
My cellphone vibrated a third, then a fourth and fifth time. I still couldn’t understand how Christy was able to get away with texting in class so often. It was a miracle she hadn’t had her phone taken away yet.
Just as I was about to reach down and turn my phone off, Mrs. Berry began to walk the rows of desks to pass the tests out. “You have the whole period,” she said.
I accepted my copy of the test, passed my row’s set of papers back, then pulled my pencil from the edge of my desk and went to work.
Much of the period was spent working on the abysmally long but not overly difficult test. Having anticipated it being much harder, I found it refreshingly easy. While filling the bubbles not like the Christmas tree pattern I’d expected to use, I occasionally glanced over at Mark. Each time I looked, his gray eyes met mine.
I was unsettled, but reveled in the small sparks of pleasure I felt each time our eyes met. I’d never felt like this before. My gaze was repeatedly drawn to him, like two polar edges of magnets fighting to come together. Mark just smiled. It was almost like he could sense whenever I looked at him. My heart beat faster with the knowledge that he was at least all right with my attention. Considering the way most of the guys in the school treated me, Mark was a saint—an angel with grand sparkling wings that gleamed gold beneath the school’s fluorescent lighting.
I managed to tear my eyes away from Mark and looked up at the clock. I took note of the amount of time I had left and returned to my work. It was almost impossible to concentrate with Mark’s presence beside me. It seemed to pulse with the continuous beat of my heart. Somehow I managed to push through the test.
By the time I finished, the bell rang and the students began to rise from their seats.
“Turn your papers in here,” Mrs. Berry said, patting the tray on her desk.
I rose, along with Mark, and dropped off my paper in before heading toward the door.
Once more I caught his eyes with mine and offered a slight, unsure smile. He returned it with a short nod and a grin, then was gone.
I felt breathless in his wake.




The Giveaway:

It's pretty easy. Fill out the Rafflecopter and you are good to go.



a Rafflecopter giveaway

This is it. Enjoy, and

~Happy Reading Everyone!

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

My Thoughts: Pantomime by Laura Lam

R. H. Ragona’s Circus of Magic is the greatest circus of Ellada. Nestled among the glowing blue Penglass—remnants of a mysterious civilisation long gone—are wonders beyond the wildest imagination. It’s a place where anything seems possible, where if you close your eyes you can believe that the magic and knowledge of the vanished Chimaera is still there. It’s a place where anyone can hide.

Iphigenia Laurus, or Gene, the daughter of a noble family, is uncomfortable in corsets and crinoline, and prefers climbing trees to debutante balls. Micah Grey, a runaway living on the streets, joins the circus as an aerialist’s apprentice and soon becomes the circus’s rising star.

But Gene and Micah have balancing acts of their own to perform, and a secret in their blood that could unlock the mysteries of Ellada.


*ARC received from NetGalley* 

This is going to be a mini review- Pantomime is a difficult novel to speak on, as there are a number of things I could not say without spoiling.

When I first read the synopsis for Laura Lam's Debut Pantomime I was intrigued but uncertain if it was truly something I would enjoy. You must understand that I do not particularly like fantasy novels. I often find myself bored with them and they are just not my thing. However, Pantomime drew my interest, partially with the cover (because it is absolutely gorgeous), and the circus aspect really had me curious.

While Pantomime was not completely what I was expecting, I did know what was coming. I had read a few spoilers while I was looking into the book (which were disappointing to find out). However, I cannot say that I was incredibly shocked to discover the major twist that makes up this novel. I will say, it is slightly shocking, but you kind of see it coming. It is not an extreme revelation, and after reading the first few pages, you would most likely guess what's to come.

While some would describe Pantomime as a fantasy, I am not sure I would describe it as such. While it does have a fantastical feel to it, I would say it was more of a coming of age story. A story about coming to terms with who you are, and accepting it. I think this is the major theme of Pantomime. Both Gene and Micah both find themselves in Pantomime and it was magical.

Laura Lam does a wonderful thing with the characters in Pantomime. They are great. Gene and Micah are strong individuals, both with trials of their own. The secondary characters also add to the story. Often these characters can sometimes feel like they are just filling space. I did not get this feeling.

Overall, I really enjoyed Pantomime and I am looking forward to future books in this series. Because yes, there will be future books, and I am incredibly excited to read them.

~Happy Reading Everyone.
"So, please, oh please, we beg, we pray, go throw your TV set away, and in its place you can install, a lovely bookcase on the wall."
— Roald Dahl