Waiting On Wednesday (06/30/2010)

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection by yours truly is:
Almost to Die For by Tate Hallaway
Release Date: August 3rd, 2010

Summary from Barnes and Noble

On her sixteenth birthday, Anastasija Parker learns that her so-called deadbeat dad is actually a vampire king. And he wants Ana to assume her rightful position at his side, in spite of the fact that she has witch's blood running through her veins-from her mother's side.

Too bad witches and vampires are mortal enemies. And now Ana's parents are at each other's throats over her future. It's up to Ana to make a choice, but deciding your eternal destiny is a pretty big deal for a girl who just wants to get through high school.

Since I've already enjoyed a few other books by Tate Hallaway I'm eager to read the start to her first YA series. What are you all waiting on?

Teaser Tuesday (6/29/2010)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! This week I am teasing you all with Skinned by Robin Wasserman

So I compromised: Just let me open my eyes, let me be able to speak, let me be able to move and feel. Let this not be permanent. Let me get better. And then, later, still no change, still no hope: Let me open my eyes. Let me speak. Let me escape. That was before the pain. Page 6


I've just started reading this and it is already sucking me in! Happy Reading!

Book Review: The Mermaid's Mirror by L.K. Madigan

Author: L.K. Madigan
Release Date: October 4, 2010
Pages: 320
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Recommended Ages: 12 and up
Where I Got It: NetGalley

Lena has lived her whole life near the beach - walking for miles up and down the shore and breathing the salty air, swimming in the cold water, and watching the surfers rule the waves - the problem is, she's spent her whole life just watching.As her sixteenth birthday approaches, Lena vows she will no longer watch from the sand: she will learn to surf.

But her father - a former surfer himself - refuses to allow her to take lessons. After a near drowning in his past, he can't bear to let Lena take up the risky sport.
Yet something lures Lena to the water ... an ancient, powerful magic. One morning Lena catches sight of this magic: a beautiful woman - with a silvery tail.
Nothing will keep Lena from seeking the mermaid, not even the dangerous waves at Magic Crescent Cove.
And soon ... what she sees in the mermaid's mirror will change her life ... Taken from Barnes and Noble.comIt was such a pleasure to read this book. I had never read anything by L.K. Madigan or anything about mermaids before so I wasn't really sure what to except when I picked this one up. Lena was a very typical teenager, life focused on herself, her boyfriend, and her friends. One day Lena spots what she thinks is a mermaid out in the ocean and after that she can't stop thinking about her. I really don't want to give anything away with this review so I will just say that the first half of the book is a story about a girl that wants to learn to surf and she really wants her father to teach her. His response is always "I can't" the reason he can't is very mysterious and Lena learns that her stepmother and her father are keeping a secret from her. Lena becomes desperate to figure out what the secret is. She finds a little help figuring it out from the ocean. The second half of the book is about a mermaid and her life under the ocean. I loved this half of the book. Madigan does a wonderful job describing the world under the water and the mer-people living there. She made me want to live there. The decisions that Lena must make at the end of the book were heartbreaking to me and I wouldn't have wanted to make choices like hers. All in all I was very happy that I picked up The Mermaid's Mirror. I would definitely recommend that you check it out. Happy Reading!

In My Mailbox (3)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren. Anyone can participate in IMM and you are not limited to only sharing books that arrive via your mailbox. You can also share books that you've bought or books that you've gotten at the library.

This week I picked up two books from the library that looked like good reads. I haven't really heard much about them though so here is hoping!!!
1. Angel by Cliff McNish
2. Skinned by Robin Wasserman

I also downloaded to my nook the following books this week.
1. One Bloody Thing After Another by Joey Comeau
2. Wildthorn by Jane Eagland
3. Red Rock Pass Cry Sanctuary by Moira Rogers a freebie from Barnes and Noble

So looks like I have a lot of reading to do. Time to get to it! Have a wonderful week of reading everyone!

Friday! Time for a little hop and follow!

Today is Follow Friday! To join Parajunkee's Follow My Book Blog Friday you need to go to her blog and read the rules and add your blog to the Mr. Linky she's got going on. A great way to discover new blogs and spread the bloggin love.

Another fun way to find new bloggers is Crazy-for-Books Book Blogger Hop. She's got the awesome Mr. Linky and her rules over there too. I know I have found a lot of amazing blogs using these links. Most important for Friday, have fun it is Friday after all! Have a great weekend!

Book Review: Death of a Trophy Wife

Author: Laura Levine
Release Date: May 1, 2010
Pages: Hardcover 304
Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corporation
Most Appropriate for ages: This is marketed for the adult crowd
Received by: Amazon for Kindle

Freelance writer Jaine Austen is moving on up! A cushy new advertising gig promises champagne wishes and caviar dreams, but Jaine soon discovers she's not the only one in town who's making a killing. . . Without a job or a date in sight, Jaine is equally out of luck in finance and romance. So when her friend Lance offers to treat her to brunch at the Four Seasons, Jaine leaps at the chance like a fashionista at a pair of half-price Louboutins. They've barely made it through the menu when Lance spots his friend Bunny. Dressed like a million bucks--and probably worth twice that--Bunny is the new trophy wife of mattress maven Marvin Cooper. When Bunny generously offers Jaine a gig writing Marv's new advertising campaign, Jaine accepts the job, and an invitation to her upcoming soirée. But at the party Bunny cruelly rules the Cooper mansion with a fist full of martinis, abusing terrified staff and her browbeaten husband alike. It seems like this society girl could use a good kick in the assets. Indeed, before the evening is over, someone poisons the D-cup diva. Dead must be the new black. The police arrest Lance, but Jaine knows his murderous urges end at her closet door. She sets out to clear his name and discovers a list of suspects longer than Bunny's credit card bill. Did Mattress Marv get tired of his little bunny hopping into another man's bed, or did a jealous boy-toy fix her a fatal cocktail? Marv's ex-wife Ellen has plenty of motives for murder, as does Bunny's harassed maid Lupe. Or was it Bunny's seething stepdaughter who sent her to that Great Shopping Mall in the Sky? Jaine is running out of time. Jobless, Lance is losing his mind and taking it out on Jaine's apartment, wardrobe, and indignant cat Prozac. And before Jaine can say 9021Oh-no someone else is murdered. Between a house guest that won't leave, a suitor-turned-stalker, and killer on the loose, Jaine's jackpot may turn out to be fool's gold. Summary from Shelfari


I downloaded this book from Amazon for free onto my iphone Kindle app. I had never heard of Laura Levine or The Jaine Austen Mysteries before and wasn't really sure what to expect. I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised. Death of A Trophy Wife is the 9th book in this series. I hadn't read any of the others, but that didn't keep me from enjoying this book.
This was a fun and light read that had me interested and amused. I was also happy that I never figured out who did it. I was guessing through the whole book and never got it right, which is a good thing. I hate it when a mystery is overly predictable. I would definitely read the earlier books in this series. Thanks Amazon for a fun, free read.

Waiting on Wednesday (6/23/2010)

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week I'm itching to get my hands on:
Other by Karen Kincy
To be released on July 1st 2010
This book sounds so cool! The cover is gorgeous too, there are feathers on her shoulder! Feathers unfurl from my skin. My plummet curves into a swoop, and I tuck my talons beneath my body. From girl to great horned owl in about a second. Pretty good, huh?

Gwen Williams is like any other modern teenager with one exception: she's a shapeshifter. Never having known her Pooka-spirit father, Gwen must struggle with the wild, wonderful magic inside of her alone—and in secret. While society may tolerate vampires, centaurs, and "Others" like Gwen, there are plenty of folks in Klikamuks, Washington, who don't care for her kind.

Now there's a new werewolf pack in town, and Others are getting killed, including Gwen's dryad friend. The police are doing zilch. In the midst of terrible loss and danger, Gwen meets a cute Japanese fox spirit who's refreshingly comfortable with his Otherness. Can Gwen find the courage to embrace her true self and find the killer-before she becomes the next victim? Summary from Amazon

So what are you waiting on this Wednesday?

Teaser Tuesday (6/22/2010)

My Teaser:

"Well, that's good. Jesus, do you remember Darren from last year?"
Claire's embarrassment faded. "Oh, yeah. The one who kept licking your teeth?"

From: Claire de Lune by Christine Johnson

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
• PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own Teaser Tuesdays post, or share your 2 ‘teasers’ in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Thanks!

Book Review: Tyger Tyger by Kersten Hamilton

Author:Kersten Hamilton
Release Date: November 15, 2010
Received by: netGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Pages: 322 (on my nook)

Teagan Wylltson's best friend, Abby, dreams that horrifying creatures--goblins, shape-shifters, and beings of unearthly beauty but terrible cruelty--are hunting Teagan. Abby is always coming up with crazy stuff, though, so Teagan isn't worried. Her life isn't in danger. In fact, it's perfect. She's on track for a college scholarship. She has a great job. She's focused on school, work, and her future. No boys, no heartaches, no problems. Until Finn Mac Cumhaill arrives. Finn's a bit on the unearthly beautiful side himself. He has a killer accent and a knee-weakening smile. And either he's crazy or he's been haunting Abby's dreams, because he's talking about goblins, too . . . and about being The Mac Cumhaill, born to fight all goblin-kind. Finn knows a thing or two about fighting. Which is a very good thing, because this time, Abby's right. The goblins are coming. Summary from Shelfari.



I did like this book and I absolutely loved the characters. Teagan is a strong girl that knows what she wants from life and is working hard to get it. Aiden is her little 5 year old brother and not only is he adorable, the boys got charm. Abby, Teagan's best friend is hilarious and adds a bit of spice to the book. Finn is an Irish Traveller and I had the best Irish accent going on in my head for him. Plus he is honorable and who doesn't love an honorable teen boy. Mameio is a fiery grandma, everyone needs a Mameio in their life at some point, and I must say I want my own Raynor (read the book and you'll see what I mean about Raynor.)

I loved the Irish mythology that this book hints at, and now I want to read a lot more about Irish mythology. I loved the supernatural aspects with the goblins, sprites, angels, and the different sidhe.

So why only 3.5? Well I had one big problem with the book. I don't want to give anything away so I'll just say that near the beginning of the book a very tragic, truamatic event happens and it totally gets glossed over. I was so disappointed that this issue wasn't really dealt with and it really bothered me through the rest of the book. I just couldn't get past that.
With my main complaint out of the way, I would definitely recommend reading this and I think it would be a fun book to read aloud with the family. The romance is there but it is totally G rated.
If this book continues on as a series I would pick it up to find out more about Teagan and Finn.

In My Mailbox (2)

Oh it's so good to be back. This week was a very long week. My three children were in a production of The Wizard of Oz over the weekend. There were rehersals everyday last week some were 8 hour days and then three show times over the weekend. The show was a great success and the kids had a great time. It's good to be back to my regularly scheduled life again though. This week my favorite post delivery lady brought me:
Embrace the Night by Karen Chance
This is the third book about a clairvoyant named Cassandra Palmer.
Traded for this book on paperbackswap.com









She also brought Really Unusual Bad Boys by Mary Janice Davidson.
This one sounded like a fun read an except from the back of the book reads:
Meet Damon, Maltese, and Shakar- three noble brothers from an enchanted kingdom where wooing and pleasuring is practically a royal commandment. They're hot. Irresistible. And just a little different. But what woman doesn't like a guy with a few surprises?
This one came from swaptree.com


Truesight by David Stahler Jr. is another one that came this week that I talked about a few days ago.


I'm really excited about Peeps by Scott Westerfeld. I loved the Uglies series and I'm hoping that this series is just as good.

Did You Know? I'm Bodacious!

The lovely Tammy over at The Book Fairy's Haven named me Bodacious with this oh so chic Blogging Book Reviewers Award! Thanks Tammy!

Here's how the award works (as copied from The Book Fairy's Haven blog):
If you are given this award you must first accept it by leaving a comment on the post you were nominated on.

Then copy and paste the post and add it to your own blog. Make a list of the last 5 books you read and pass the award on to 5 other bloggers (no backsies!). Please also identify the blog from which you got the award and don’t forget to tell your picks that they have a blog award!
Getting down to it, the last 5 books I've read were:
1. Birthmarked by Caragh M. O'Brien
2. Crank by Ellen Hopkins
3. The Ghost and The Goth by Stacey Kade
4. Full Moon Rising by Keri Arthur
5. Dead In The Family by Charlaine Harris

Now I would like to award the following blogs with some of their own Bodaciousness:
1. Manda's Movements
2. Writing From The Tub
3. The Fiction Enthusiast
4. Kimberly's Bookshelf
5. Tina Say's

You are all Bodacious Bloggers, says me!

Waiting On Wednesday 6/16/2010

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Breaking The Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that you are biting your nails in anticipation to read. This week I am losing sleep waiting for, you guessed it: Sleepless!
Release Date: July 13,2010
Author: Cyn Balog
Summary from Amazon: Eron DeMarchelle isn't supposed to feel this connection. He is a Sandman, a supernatural being whose purpose is to seduce his human charges to sleep. Though he can communicate with his charges in their dreams, he isn't encouraged to do so. After all, becoming too involved in one human's life could prevent him from helping others get their needed rest.

But he can't deny that he feels something for Julia, a lonely girl with fiery red hair and sad dreams. Just weeks ago, her boyfriend died in a car accident, and Eron can tell that she feels more alone than ever. Eron was human once too, many years ago, and he remembers how it felt to lose the one he loved. In the past, Eron has broken rules to protect Julia, but now, when she seems to need him more than ever, he can't reach her. Eron's time as a Sandman is coming to a close, and his replacement doesn't seem to care about his charges. Worse, Julia is facing dangers she doesn't recognize, and Eron, as he transitions back to being human, may be the only one who can save her. . . .

Even once they've become human again, Sandmen are forbidden to communicate with their charges. But Eron knows he won't be able to forget Julia. Will he risk everything for a chance to be with the girl he loves?

Cyn Balog's follow-up to Fairy Tale has more wit, more supernatural delights, and more star-crossed romance! Teen girls will love this story of a Sandman who falls in love with his human charge.
So what are you waiting for this Wednesday?

A Sad No Reading Day

Sadly I was unable to read today. I've been sewing flying monkey parts for my son and three other children that will be acting as flying monkeys in a production of The Wizard of Oz this weekend. I did get a book in the mail from paperbackswap today though.
Truesight by David Stahler Jr.
Summary from Shelfari: Everyone in Jacob's colony is born blind. It has always been this way. They embrace the philosophy of Truesight: Blindness brings unity, purity, and freedom. It is an exceptional community. Everyone is happy. As Jacob nears his thirteenth birthday, he anxiously anticipates his new role as an adult and all the changes that will bring. But as the day approaches, a far greater change threatens Jacob's future. It all starts with a searing pain in his eyes ... This is the first book of David Stahler Jr.'s gripping Truesight trilogy. Ages 12+
This looks like a very cool book and I'm looking forward to the day that I will actually get to read again. For now though I need to go catch up on some zzzz's so that I will be in tip top shape for tomorrow's final costume fitting and altering. Night all!

The Versatile Blogger Award

Yep I've been awarded, little ole me. I feel very special right now. Thank you so much to Book Sake for deeming me worthy. I am going to pass it along to 15 other blogs that I now get to deem worthy, oh the power I am feeling right now!
The Rules:
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

Seven Things About Me: This is going to be really tough
1. I met my husband when I was 13
2. I love Gilmore Girls and watch it a lot, it's on right now actually
3. The first adult romance book I ever read was Warrior Woman by Johanna Lindsay
4. I'm a vegetarian striving to be vegan
5. I have two dogs, a golden retriever "Harley" and a bichon frise "Chloe"
6. Jack Johnson makes me very happy
7. Jessica from Shut Up I'm Reading is my daughter and she designed my blog for me!! She rocks!

I deem the following blogs worthy:

Candace's Book Blog
My Books Get Away
Heaven, Hell and Purgatory - Book Reviews
Reclusive Bibliophile
A Bibliophile's Paradise
Into The Airwaves
A Dazzling Distraction
Another Book Junkie
Vampires and Books
Only Sexy Books Allowed
Book Love: Teen
Sam's Book Blog
A Trillian Books
I Heart Monster
Misadventures of a Teenage Bookworm

Now you should all go and check out everyone of these blogs if you haven't already!

I'm So Excited! Kindle is on it's way!

Last night I ordered my very own Kindle! Now, I have absolutely NO intention of doing away with books completely uhh-uhh not happening. I love books and I can't imagine never reading a real book again. Plus I am an extreme bargain hunter and I find a lot of my books at used bookstores, Goodwill, library sales, paperbackswap, and swaptree. However, there are sometimes great deals on e-books and some places that send out Advanced Reading Copies in e-book form and I HATE reading on the computer so I broke down and went for a Kindle. I have thirty days to decide if I love it or not, and I intend to test this thing to the limit. So if you have a Kindle I would love to know, love it or hate it, or just wish you hadn't messed with it? Anything else that you think I should know about it would be welcome information as well. I'll be back in thirty days with my review of the Amazon Kindle. Have a great weekend everyone!! I'm heading for the beach in the morning.

Waiting and Wishing Not on Wednesday!

I totally missed "Waiting on Wednesday" so I'm doing the old switcheroo and doing mine on Thursday. I am so excited about Clockwork Angel, The Infernal Devices. I really, really liked The Mortal Instruments and if this book is anywhere near as good as they were then we are in for a treat.
Summary from Amazon:

Magic is dangerous—but love is more dangerous still.

When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gas lit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.

Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What's more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own.

Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by—and torn between—two best friends: James, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone in his life at arm's length . . . everyone, that is, but Tessa. As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world. . . . and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.

Hardcover is due to come out on August 31, 2010. Mark it on your calender bloggers!

Book Review: Birthmarked by Caragh M. O'Brien

Author: Caragh M. O'Brien
Released: March 30, 2010
Received: by the super generous Jessica at Shut Up! I'm Reading
IBSN: 9781596435698
Publisher: Roaring Book Press
Pages: 360
Summary:

After climate change, on the north shore of Unlake Superior, a dystopian world is divided between those who live inside the wall, and those, like sixteen-year-old midwife Gaia Stone, who live outside. It’s Gaia’s job to “advance” a quota of infants from poverty into the walled Enclave, until the night one agonized mother objects, and Gaia’s parents are arrested.

Badly scarred since childhood, Gaia is a strong, resourceful loner who begins to question her society. As Gaia’s efforts to save her parents take her within the wall, she herself is arrested and imprisoned.

Fraught with difficult moral choices and rich with intricate layers of codes, BIRTHMARKED explores a colorful, cruel, eerily familiar world where one girl can make all the difference, and a real hero makes her own moral code. Taken from Shelfari.

What I thought: At first I wasn't sure about Gaia, she seemed very naive about the world around her and she trusted completely in the Enclave, and she's not the only one who does. The servitude of the Wharfton citizens to the Enclave was a bit creepy, as was the plausible futuristic society. However, as the story unfolds Gaia becomes a much stronger character and she finds the courage to do things she never thought she would have to think about much less act on. By the end of the book I loved Gaia, she became such a worthy heroine.
Caragh M. O'Brien's writing is really great and this story was never dull. My attention was caught and I was anxious to learn all I could about Gaia and the tragic journey she must travel to save her parents from an unjust incarceration. With so many twists and turns and just a little romance you can't go wrong reading Birthmarked.

Teaser Tuesday (6/8/2010)

Abby stopped swinging. "The chimp's seriously crushing on the bald guy?"
"Seriously."
Teaser taken from Tyger Tyger by Kersten Hamilton

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a random page
3. Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
4. Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
I'd love for you to leave me a comment that links me back to your Tuesday Teaser.

Wanna Win Some Books?

Check out these blogs for some awesome book give~aways!!

1. Enter for your chance to win Beautiful Darkness, Matched, or Duff.
http://michellehodkin.blogspot.com/2010/06/my-very-first-very-celebratory-contest.html

2. Candance has a couple of different give-aways going on right now get over there quick!
http://candacesreadingblog.blogspot.com/search/label/Giveaway

3. Win Fragile Eternity and Radiant Shadows by Melissa Marr
http://www.fwiwreviews.net/2010/06/contest-win-fragile-eternity-radiant.html

4. Shadow Hills Contest
http://shutupimreading.blogspot.com/2010/03/shadow-hills-review-and-contest.html
and shutupimreading is also having a mega 500 followers contest
http://shutupimreading.blogspot.com/2010/05/500-followers-contest.html

So if y0u're felling lucky go and win some books!