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Thursday, January 26, 2012

2012 Reading Challenges

Hi guys! I haven't really gotten around blogging this week which sucks beacause when I want to I'm usually tired or busy with school. As for last year, when I was pretty new to blogging, I didn't really have any Reading Challenges except reading the lastest new book I MUST get my hands on. ;)
So........I decided on Reading Challenges as goals for this year!
Along with a goal to read 80 books! Yes...80 Books!

2012 Challenges:
2012 TBR Reading Challenge:
Rules:
1.) The TBR Pile Challenge runs from Jan 1,2012-Dec 31,2012.
2.) Only blogger can enter and win prizes as they link up there review.
3.) Books must be from 2011, NO ARC, and freshly-pressed 2012 releases!
Check out Evie from Bookish for more info!

I will go for A Sweet Kiss 21-30 Books and I seriously have lots of books from last year that I still need to read so this should motivate!!!!



ABC Reading Challenge

*Rules:
1.) You need to be a book blogger or have a GoodReads account.
2.) Any book fictional book released in 2012 will count towards the challenge. MG, Young Adult or Adult.
3.) Make a blog post/Goodreads list on the books you plan on reading and then link back here.
4.) Sign ups end at June 2012
5.) Create a list of books A-Z to read in 2012.
*Credits go to Mia at Gripped Into Books and check her blog out for more info!

A-Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson
B-Birthmarked by Caragh O' Brian
C-Crossed by Ally Condie
D-Delirium by Lauren Oliver
E-Everneath by Brodi Ashton
F-Fever by Lauren DeStefano
G-
H-Hallowed by Cynthia Hand
I-Insurgent by Veronica Roth
J-
K-
L-Lengend by Marie Lu
M-
N-NightShade by Andrea Cremer
O-
P-Posession by Elana Johnson
Q-
R-
S-Spellbound by Rachael Hawkins
T-The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead
U-
V-Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
W-Wolf Pact by Melissa De La Cruz
X-XVI by Julia Karr
Y-You Have Seven Messages by Stewart Lewis
Z-

The blank spaces are ones that I couldn't find a book for and if you have any suggestions for them leave them in the comments! :)


2012 Debut Author Challenge
I had to do the 2012 Debut Author Challenge! And Kristi over at The Story Siren hostets this challenge.

Rules:
1.) To read & review a minimum of twelve young adult or middle grade debut novels between the dates of January 1, 2012 – January 31, 2013.*
*The 2013 extension is so that December Debuts can be read and count toward the challenge.\
2.) Any advance reader copies you read from 2012 BEFORE the January 1st start date DO NOT count toward the challenge! 
3.) You can read twelve books in one month, or one book a month. It doesn’t matter as long as you have 12 read by the end of the year! 
4.) Must be a young adult or middle grade title.
5.) Must be the author’s YA or MG debut, released in 2012.
Check The Story Siren for more info!

So much good YA, 2012 debuts out this year I can't wait to dive right into them!

That's all the challenges so far...but I'll update between here and there to add new goals and I'll also plan to cross out the books I read to see how far I am :D Feel free to link your challenges for 2012 in the comments!

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Dusty Reads (#1)


Dusty Reads is a meme hosted at Giselle over Xpresso Reads
You basically share books with reviews or not that have been on your shelf for months! It goes on every Tuesday or when ever you like!

Looks what's getting Dusty on My Shelf:
 





That's what's getting Dusty on my bookshelf! I'll be posting up pics next week and review satrting soon! I'm still debating what book to start! Leave them in the comments! ;)

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Author Interterview-C.C Hunter

Hi Booklovers! I have an interview with C.C Hunter, author of Born at Midnight and Awake at Dawn! Miss Hunter is a funny, and an author I would really love to met and get my books signed!







The Interivew:
1.) A Song, Food, and Favorite Quote?
Song:   
Hmm.  Well, first, I should explain that I like all kinds of music, from country to classic rock, to some pop and alternative rock.  It just depends on my mood.  But when I’m writing, I can’t listen to music with lyrics.  Songs with lyrics tell stories and it’s just too distracting for me when I’m trying to write a story myself.  Now, that all said, one of my favorite songs that tell a story is Hero by Enrique Iglesias.  It’s such a romantic song, and it touches my heart.

Food: 
Oh, pizza, definitely, or just about anything with cheese.  And I admit, I also love ice cream.

Favorite Quote: 
“Never give up.  Never surrender.”  It’s actually a line from the movie Galaxy Quest but it’s also a great writer’s motto, too, which is why I love it.

2.)What Inspired you to write?
Some writers will tell you that they were born with a pen in their hands and by the time their umbilical cord fell off, they’d finished the first draft of their first novel.  Not me.  I was raised in the south, where all my family tried to one-up each other with their stories, I grew up surrounded by storytellers.  And while I was good at it, I was also dyslexic, and writing was not my strong suit.  (Now, standing up and telling my story to an audience?  That I could do with no problem.)  I was twenty-three before I told my husband I wanted to be a writer.  It took years…lots of years that I spent teaching myself how to put my talent of telling a story on paper.  I think I may be finally catching on, too. 


3.) The story behind Born at Midnight?
Well, the idea of the paranormal camp came from my editor Rose Hilliard.  However, I’m what we authors call a character-driven writer, meaning a story doesn’t come to life for me until I have my characters in my head.  For some writers, it’s the plot or the setting.  But not for me.   Before I started writing the book, I spent a good week taking a mental trip down Memory Lane and revisiting my youth.  I recalled all the things that were important to me at that age, all the issues I dealt with, and I used them to help me create my array of characters for the series.   So many of the issues I write about in the book are issues I lived through.  For example, my parents got a divorce, I was the wallflower at school, I loved a boy but wasn’t ready for the things he wanted, and I was dyslexic.  So the beginning inspiration for the Shadow Falls series really stemmed from Rose’s two-word idea, but the story didn’t start coming together until I fleshed out my characters.  So, I guess you can say that the story behind the series is really my own life experiences.


4.)What do you do on your free time?
Well, lately I haven’t had that much free time, thanks to back-to-back writing deadlines.  (Not that I’m complaining, mind you.  LOL.  Writing is my passion.  And I feel so very lucky to be where I am in my career.)  But when I want to relax and kick back, I love to read, walk along the beach, especially with my hubby.   Another thing I like to do in my spare time is get together and have lunch with my girlfriends.  There’s just nothing like visiting good friends over good food and sharing some laughs.


5.)A book you believe everyone should read?
ell, first I want to say that I read across the board.  I love novels that offer pure escapism.    It’s not necessarily a genre that I look for, it’s a great book that takes me away.  I want that book to come with a wide range of characters and emotions.  I don’t want to read fluff, but neither do I want to be depressed.  I want to read about characters who are struggling, but who never lose their sense of humor.  Those are the kind of books that I enjoy reading.  Okay, those are also the kind of book I enjoy writing.

As for what book I think everyone should read, well, that could be hard.  Everybody has their own unique tastes, and what works for me may not work for somebody else, and vice versa.  That said, I’d probably recommend E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web.  I fell in love with this book when I first read it and I still love it today.  Now, I know this is a classic children’s book but to me, it’s also an interspecies romance.  Think about it—Wilbur, the pig, and Charlotte, the barn spider.  They formed a bond that nothing and nobody could break, not even death.  I think it’s one of the reasons why I enjoy writing my own “interspecies romances” so much.  LOL.


Writer's Advice? Basic things you have to do to write a novel, especially in the YA genre?

Oh, great question.  I have three pieces of advice for new writers.  First, remain positive and focused on your goal.  What works for me is to do something each and every day to achieve that goal.  It can be a little thing, such as researching something you need to know before you write a scene, or it can be something bigger, such as writing X number of pages.  One thing I really believe is that keeping a positive outlook is vital to building a career as a writer.  Surround yourself with people who share your positive outlook, and try to limit your contact with those who spread negativity. 

My second piece of advice goes along with my first, and that is to work hard to become a better writer every day.  Take a writing class or a workshop or read a how-to book.  Expand your horizons and read widely.  Become a sponge and soak up as much about the writing process as you can.   

Last, and perhaps most important of all, accept that rejection will happen, no matter if it’s your first book or your 20th, and it’s never personal.  I worked hard to get published and believe me, I had my share of rejections.


   7.) And last:) what is one person you would talk to for a day, dead or living?
Hmm.  That’s a good question.  I suppose I’d pick E.B. White just so I could tell him how much I loved his book.  And, yeah, I’d probably ask if he wrote it as an inter-species romance.  LOL.
Thanks for the interview!

Saturday, January 21, 2012

The DNF Collection




Welcome to the DNF Collection! :P




Paperback, 1st edition, 306 pages
Published May 1st 2007 by St. Martin's Griffin                      
I serioulsy could not get into this book! The main character, Luce Price is the most infuritating, clueless (yet, smart bacuase of her grades? So lost of commom sense?), and annoying. Fallen is just another spin-off Twilight. O.O *Eyes cover*



Marked by P.C Cast
Paperback, 1st edition, 306 pages
Published May 1st 2007 by St. Martin's Griffin
Zoey Redbird, the amin charcter was so annoying! The author over uses way to graphic scence and language a total turn-off! It had so much potential and ended flat.




 Bumped by Megan MecCafferty
  Hardcover, 323 pages
Published April 26th 2011 by Balzer + Bray
Bumped look promising but ended up being a nonsensical book! I honestly got the book beacause of the cover and he way the author writes and describes I could not get into in! You either love it or hate it for this book! :)
Hereafter by Tara Hudson
Hardcover, 404 pages
Published June 7th 2011 by HarperCollins
Herafter..I had to admit was unique and a fresh new take on a love,ghost story but its different. The writing was strange and I really was hoping more!!! Page 50 into the story I wanted to stop and find something better to read! ;)




That's my DNF Collection, what's your's?


Entice- Carrie Jones

   Entice by Carrie Jones  
Date Released: January 3, 2011
Publisher:Harper/HarperCollins
Pages: 264 pages
Date Read: September 15th, 2011
Format: Hardcover
Source: Rented from the library
Goodreads Sypnosis Zara and Nick are soul mates, meant to be together forever.
But that's not quite how things have worked out.

For starters, well, Nick is dead.
Supposedly, he's been taken to a mythic place for warriors known as Valhalla, so Zara and her friends might be able to get him back. But it's taking time, and meanwhile a group of evil pixies is devastating Bedford, with more teens going missing every day. An all-out war seems imminent, and the good guys need all the warriors they can find. But how to get to Valhalla?

And even if Zara and her friends discover the way, there's that other small problem: Zara's been pixie kissed. When she finds Nick, will he even want to go with her? Especially since she hasn't just turned...she's Astley's queen.


My Review:
In Entice, Carrie Jones is fearless!!! Everything about this book was so good that I finished it in a day and still haven't wrote a review till this year! Its action-packed, full-on romance with pixie king, Astely, and its has a crazy ending that will make your jaw drop!


Well Entice quickly picks off right after Captivate and Zara is just adapting to being Astley's queen. Her friends are supportive as ever and they are still finding out how to head to Vahlaha to find Nick. I really liked Nick in the beginning but after Zara trying  find him it died out and I moved to Astley.*Crowd Cheers*

Zara has a mission to find Nick and she, her friends, and Astley are still working hard as ever to find Nick and in Entice we met new characters, like Astley's mom and a few others outside of Maine,which I finally hoped for! :D Issie was so fun and bubbly and she's porbbaly my next-favrorite side-kick charcter!

I so cannot wait for Endure coming out this year , May 10! Definitely give this series a go if you love a great, heart-felt love triangle, pixie action, and something different for your paranormal reads! Entice had it all and surpassed all my high-expectations for it! So good! I love this book!


Friday, January 13, 2012

Between Updates.......



Over the week I finished Clockwork Prince and Speak so my reviews will be up pretty soon. I was seriously surprised that I actually read more this time! My schedule for probably this week and next week are to finish and I'm keeping my fingers crossed to have time to read during finals *sighs* Its will probably look like this:

My Books To Read No Matter What:
*Deadly Little Voices by Lauria Faria Stolaz
*Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessan
*And to start on 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher 

And the winner for New Year's Giveaway is Krystal L.! I already shipped out you book :)

Also Here are my New Year's Resolutions :) Even though its a bit late...

*Be Nicier to Your Wallet. I'm right now completely borke. Yup, no more money to buy books! :( But my wallet felt kinda sad, being used all the time and taken out it wants a break. To solve it, I'm saving every penny I find till I have enough money to go and a book buying spree and still have some left. And I'll start checking out thrift shops for books, since their way cheaper.
*Blog More. Use my planner and scheduale more things and be organized :)
*Read More. 80 books this year, and that's the MINIMUM!!!!
*Organize My Bookshelf. Right now my bookshelf is a mess. Like books all over the place and its really bugging me eyes off. O.O And I need some new organizing tips! Leave them in the comments! :D
*Join Reading Challenges! Till this year, I heard about Reading Challenges so I'm deciding to particapate in a few beacause its sounds fun and I'll actuallly accomplish something this year!! :D
*Facebook and Twitter More. I have both of them and mada a page for the blog so just really want to use it more xD

So those are my goals, what are yours??



Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Giveaway! Posession by Elana Johnson Swag!

Hi Guys! Today, I'll be giving out a swag pack from Elana Johnson! It has One bookmark with Two bar code stickers inspired by her book, Posession!
All you have to do is enter the Rafflecopter giveaway and you'll be entered to win it!
Also, please read the giveaway policy!
* You must be at least 13 years old to enter.
* Any Personal Information will remain private and will not be saved.
* Winner will be chosen at Random.org or by Rafflecopter.
* Winner will be notified by e-mail or other networking devices.
*The winner will have 72 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen
.
*After the prizes are shipped I'm no longer responsible for them if they are damaged  in the mail. Sorry!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, January 9, 2012

Cover Reveal: City of Lost Souls, Thumped, and Before I Wake




Thumped
Thumped
by Megan McCafferty

THE CONCLUSION TO ONE OF THE MOST TALKED-ABOUT NOVELS OF LAST YEAR

It’s been thirty-five weeks since twin sisters Harmony and Melody went their separate ways. And now their story has become irresistible: twins separated at birth, each due to deliver twins…on the same day!

Married to Ram and living in Goodside, Harmony spends her time trying to fit back into the community she once believed in. But she can’t forget about Jondoe, the guy she fell for under the strangest of circumstances.

To her adoring fans, Melody has achieved everything: a major contract and a coupling with the hottest bump prospect around. But this image is costing her the one guy she really wants.

The girls’ every move is analyzed by millions of fans eagerly counting down to “Double Double Due Date.” They’re two of the most powerful teen girls on the planet, and they could do only one thing to make them even more famous:

Tell the truth.

Before I Wake (Soul Screamers, #6)

No Goodreads Summary Yet.



 City of Lost Souls (The Mortal Instruments, #5)

City of Lost Souls
by Cassandra Clare

In Book 5: City of Lost Souls, the Shadowhunters struggle to piece together their shattered world after a betrayal by one of their own leaves them reeling.
That's it?? :( Amazing cover! How is the last book going to compete with this one???!! Also, why do they look so old?

Sunday, January 8, 2012

The Wandering Stars Blog Tour-Interview with Author


About Marlon:
 Born and raised in Florida, Marlon moved to Iowa in the summer of 2008 after finishing his last year in high school to be with his long-distance girlfriend. Owing to that leap of faith, Marlon's experience with the motivating power of love inform and inspire his writing. A lifelong fascination with world mythology and legend has lead to the infusion of the supernatural into his stories.
Marlon's debut novelette,
Helena's Empire, is now available as an eBook at various online retailers. Its full-length sequel, Wandering Stars, coming Autumn 2011, explores the life of a teenage girl when her world is turned upside down by a chance encounter – and a blooming romance – with Lucifer himself.
1.)What inspired you to write Wandering Stars?
There's no singular reason. Part of it is that the main character, Alice, has been with me in one form or another since I was fourteen years old. She's grown and changed as much as I have in those six years between her inception and the creation of Wandering Stars. So I had Alice, and I had stories for her, just not the story. Being in love, and actually moving half way across the country ¨C from Florida to Iowa ¨C gave me the inspiration I needed to find her true story. Almost everything came easily once I had the initial setup in place; it was as simple as introducing Alice, this thoughtful, somewhat reserved but thoroughly kind and loving girl to the Prince of Darkness and writing down the results as they unfolded.


2.) A food. A board game. A movie
Lamb curry! (I like it so much, it gets its own exclamation mark.) Apples to Apples. Slumdog Millionaire or Breaking Dawn Part One.


3.)  Do you have a playlist for your book, Wandering Stars?
Sure do. The songs correspond to different plot points in the book ¨C if you're a fan of Black Sabbath, it shouldn't be too hard to figure out what NIB represents. I used the songs to break through writers' block when it arose.
1 -  Reach - Eyes Set to Kill
2 - N.I.B. - Black Sabbath
3 - Don't Fear the Reaper - Blue Oyster Cult
4 - Diabulus in Musica - Mago de Oz
5 - Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen
6 - The World Outside - Eyes Set to Kill
7 - Bleak - Opeth
8 - South of Heaven - Slayer
9 - Hurt - Johnny Cash
10 - To a Friend - Alexisonfire
11 -  Fire Burns Below - Judas Priest
12 - Aquelarre ¨C Mago de Oz

4.)What is something that would surprise people to learn about you?

I'm actually a paid employee of His Infernal Majesty, Lucifer. He pays me to write these books, says it builds good public relations.

5.) What character in your book resembles you the most and why?

There's a piece of me in every Wandering Stars character, except perhaps Indigo, Alice's dog. I'd say I have the most in common with Alice. We both “live in our heads” and when we fall in love, we fall hard.


6.)Say some person who never read a book wants a book recommendation. What book would you give?

It depends on what genres they feel they'd be interested, but a good fall-back is Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, one of my all-time favorite books and, in my opinion, one of the world's greatest pieces of literature. Quite coincidentally, the main character in Wandering Stars is named Alice. Go figure!
7.) Twitter Style! Convince me to read your book in 140 words or less!

It's Roswell High meets Eclipse. Alice falls for the ultimate bad boy: the Devil. Can he be saved? Will she lose her soul? Wandering Stars takes you straight into Alice's heart as well as Lucifer's. Characters grow and hint at the future of the series.




The Wandering Stars Blog Tour-Guest Post


A Romance Writer's Thoughts on Breaking Dawn Part One

I became a fan of the Twilight saga after being introduced to it by my fiancee in mid 2008. Maybe “fan” isn't the right word, at least at first ¨C I have to say that I didn't enjoy the first book. Still, I soldiered on into New Moon, and was pleasantly surprised to find that it was gripping and emotional, charged with a bittersweet romance that firmly endeared me to Meyer's creation. Eclipse was better still, and by the time I reached Breaking Dawn I could hardly stand to put it down until the final page had been turned.

It's the same way with the films. Each is an improvement on the last, and Breaking Dawn Part One didn't disappoint. Although I wish the wedding scene had been longer (maybe on the DVD as an extended cut?) and the “werewolf telepathy” bit was kind of embarrassing to watch, Breaking Dawn Part One combined the sense of unconquerable love and the Edward ¨C Bella ¨C Jacob triangle we've come to expect with a chilling and genuinely creepy rendering of Bella's vampiric pregnancy. I was especially focused on the conflict between Edward and Bella here. I truly sympathized with Edward's desire to keep Bella safe at all costs, even if it meant the termination of her pregnancy. Bella found herself torn as well, this time not between Edward and Jacob, but between romantic love and motherly love. The heightened stakes coupled with Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson's excellent performances make you feel like the pages of the novel have literally been lifted onto the big screen and brought to life. I'm eagerly looking forward to the final installment ¨C and crossing my fingers for a film adaptation of The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner, too!

Writers of teen fiction, of the paranormal, and of romance owe much to the success of the Twilight saga. I'm doubly grateful as I count myself as all three. Although the Wandering Stars series eschews vampires in favor of angels and the closest it has to a werewolf is a grizzled, doglike creature named Jezebeth, Stephenie Meyer's writing is in many ways an inspiration to me. Although all the books have been released and the movies are coming to a close, we have now in its wake a plethora of spectacular YA romance from major and independent publishers, established and emerging authors alike.

It's a great time to be a reader.

Marlon Pierre-Antoine is the author of Wandering Stars and its companion novelette, Helena's Empire. Visit www.marlonpierre-antoine.com to purchase and read a free excerpt from the book.

Saturday, January 7, 2012

In My Mailbox #21

In My Mailbox
In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren 

This week I have a huge library haul and only I only bought one book! Yepee!! :D
      

Bought One Book This Week :D


Aria is a teenager in the enclosed city of Reverie. Like all Dwellers, she spends her time with friends in virtual environments, called Realms, accessed through an eyepiece called a Smarteye. Aria enjoys the Realms and the easy life in Reverie. When she is forced out of the pod for a crime she did not commit, she believes her death is imminent. The outside world is known as The Death Shop, with danger in every direction.

As an Outsider, Perry has always known hunger, vicious predators, and violent energy storms from the swirling electrified atmosphere called the Aether. A bit of an outcast even among his hunting tribe, Perry withstands these daily tests with his exceptional abilities, as he is gifted with powerful senses that enable him to scent danger, food and even human emotions.

They come together reluctantly, for Aria must depend on Perry, whom she considers a barbarian, to help her get back to Reverie, while Perry needs Aria to help unravel the mystery of his beloved nephew’s abduction by the Dwellers. Together they embark on a journey challenged as much by their prejudices as by encounters with cannibals and wolves. But to their surprise, Aria and Perry forge an unlikely love - one that will forever change the fate of all who live UNDER THE NEVER SKY.

I'm really excited to start on this! let me tell you the story on this one! . So I've been looking for this book forever at Barnes and Noble the day before it gets released and I looked everywhere for this book!! After my attempt, I ask the Barnes and noble workers to help me out and soon it became a seach party! Ben, Michael, and I scoured thorught BN looking for the book untill we found it in the cookbook area!! I was like "YES!!!" Its was fun and made me as excited to read the book now :)




Soooooooooooooooo, What did YOU get in YOUR mailbox???!
 
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