Happy Birthday Mark Twain

Happy birthday to Mark Twain (Samuel Langhorne Clemens). He's 176 years old today. Thank you Mark Twain for bringing us such wonderful novels as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Those may be some of the most famous of his works. Others include The Prince and the Pauper and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (you can read this particular one online here).

His are classics that will never be forgotten. Thank you for a childhood full of adventure. Happy birthday.

It's lovely to live on a raft. We had the sky up there, all speckled with stars, and we used to lay on our backs and look up at them, and discuss about whether they was made or only just happened. - The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Covers Around the World: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

In honor of my Follow Friday post and my IMM post this past Sunday, I decided this weeks CAtW should be:

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Yay! Have I mentioned how much I love Harry Potter?

Cuz I do.

Ok, here we go.

I want to say that ^ is the UK edition. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Again, correct me if I'm wrong, but I think this is another UK edition of the cover. Gorgeous.

German Cover. I like how they added the Chamber of Secrets in this one too.

Italian cover. I like how Harry sticks out on this one, but if you look around the rest of the cover you find different pictures that make up the story as well.

Spanish Cover. Love how the prophecies were included in this one. And how it shows him looking over his shoulder and running.

French Cover. I think it's cool how it's hand drawn and includes Harry, Ron, & Hermione all. Not just Harry.

This is the Flemish cover. I think it's bright and vibrant and I love how it has the Thestrals on it!

I think my favorite is the on the copy that I have. But that's just because that's the one that I've been staring at since I got it (er, now it's since i found it hiding in my shed and since I bought it on tape!). I think Mary GrandPre is a fabulous artist and you should check her out and the rest of her artwork for the series! It's fun to look at! 

Homeschool Reading Corner: If the Dinosaurs Came Back by Bernard Most

My daughter and I just finished up a unit study on Dinosaurs. If the Dinosaurs Came Back by Bernard Most was on the list of recommended reading for this particular unit study which was supposed to be at a 3rd grade level.

After actually reading through the book, it was a little below a 3rd grade level, but still a cute book to read. And it inspired her creativity so that when I asked her to write her own "If the dinosaurs came back" story, she had plenty of ideas.

The book itself is great for probably 1st or 2nd grade. The drawings are simple and the fact that everything but the dinosaur is black and white helped them stick out. And in the back of the book there was a picture guide and names of all the dinosaurs who had been in the story. So while not exactly old enough for my kiddo, it was still fun for her to read through.

Goodreads Blurb:

What would the world be like if the dinosaurs came back? Well, just think of all the useful things they could do! They could reach books from tall shelves, cut down trees, mow lawns, give giraffes someone to look up to--and, most of all, be pets for those who love dinosaurs! Most's whimsical first book, illustrated with simple, childlike drawings, is a springboard for discussion with young dinosaur lovers.

Daring You To Read - and Falling, fly by Skyler White

Daring You to Read is a fairly new meme hosted by Tynga over at Tynga's Reviews.

Here's how it works:

- You choose a book you’ve read, loved and would dare your readers to read!

- The book you choose must be an older release (at least 6 months ago), because let’s be honest, we’re all quite aware of the latest releases.

- Write your own blog post, using the button and linking back to Tynga’s Reviews, inviting your readers to read your chosen book.

- Come back on Tynga’s Reviews and put your link in the linking tool.

- Browse other bloggers Dare and let them know if you’ve read their featured book, or plan on reading it.

- Super easy and an awesome way to discover that special book who might have slipped off your radar!

The book I chose this week was and Falling, fly by Skyler White.

From Goodreads:
I won this book long ago and far away from Jess, The Cozy Reader. And I have to tell you that I'm wicked glad I did. It was really good. I'd long been reading books that did all necessary thinking (about the plot, characters, feelings about certain happenings in the book etc) for me. Easy books to read ya know? This one was not like that.

It was extremely different than any other book I'd ever read. Vampires were fallen angels and scientists trying to forget past lives were experimenting as if the paranormal was a mental illness that could be removed from your memory. Olivia wants nothing more than to be loved and Dominic wants nothing more than to forget.

In this fractures Hotel of the Damned, Olivia and Dominic discover the only force consistent in their opposing realities is the deep, erotic gravity between them. Bound to each other finally in a knot of interwoven freedoms, Dominic and Olivia-the vision-touched scientist and the earth-bound angel, reborn and undead-encounter the mystery of love and find it is both fall...and flight.

Sadly, I loaned my copy out and then moved before I got it back, but the people I loaned it to LOVED it. I definitely recommend this to everyone (probably age 18+). It's a book that makes you think. That presents ideas to you that you would have NEVER thought of and those ideas make you go "You know what? I bet that really COULD work."

I dare you to try it. :-)

Teaser Tuesday #24

Thank you to MizB of Should Be Reading for giving us Teaser Tuesday every week!

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's teaser comes from Experience by Meg Kerr. I reviewed this a while back and absolutely LOVED it. You can read my review for it here. Meg did such a good job with the story and I just fell in love with everyone all over again.

"Shall I ask you the reason of your grave and troubled look this morning?" inquired Mrs. Darcy as their coach conveyed them out of the innyard onto the North road. "I am inclined to attribute it to the breakfast ham, though it might equally have been the cold damp toast." p 1

That right there, as you can see, is from the very first page. Any book that can make me smile or laugh within WORDS of beginning it is awesome. I urge everyone to read it. I got it for review from Bluebell Publishing, with a note from Meg inside! You can find the book here on Amazon. It's totally worth it!

Book Trailer - Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce

Because I'm a tad bit slow, I've just recently picked up Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce. I saw Sweetly and wanted to buy it, but hadn't read the first book yet and even though I know they're two different stories, I still wanted to read them in order. I'm excited to read it because I love re-tellings. They make me remember why I love the stories to begin with. And they're always exciting.




How many of you have read this one already?

Review - Make Mine a Bad Boy by Katie Lane

I finished it! I finished Make Mine a Bad Boy by Katie Lane. If you remember my review about book one, Going Cowboy Crazy, I won this in a cowboy giveaway from Sarah, The Brazen Bookworm.

It was wonderful. I wasn't sure that after "falling in love" with Slate Calhoun I'd be able to read this when he wasn't exactly as prominent a feature. I also wasn't sure I'd enjoy reading about the other twin's life. She hadn't made that great an impression on me in the last book so I was wary when I picked this up.

I was wrong on both counts. I loved Hope Scroggs. And to be honest, I'd take Colt Lomax over Slate Calhoun any day. Slate was football coach who always did was expected of him until Faith came along. But Colt is a bad boy with an enormous heart of gold, he's just afraid to show anyone. We see him transform in this book from someone who just doesn't give a rat's butt to someone who seems to just be exploding with feeling. ::sigh::

Reading this I found myself getting angry at Hope for not just melting into a puddle as soon as Colt looked at her. But it wouldn't have made for a very long book if she had. Not to mention I probably wouldn't have liked it half as much as I did.

And now a quote from Colt:

I heard you, but that doesn't mean I understand what she has to do with my hangdog look - not that I have a hangdog look - but if I did, she wouldn't have anything to do with it.

Poor thing was trying to backpedal. As if it wasn't obvious to everyone.

I love how redeeming this is. The surprise twists. How the town may seem clueless, but maybe some of them aren't completely. I do like Faith's role in this book, even though it's small as Hope is the main character. I love Hope's fire and determination. And Colt's heart. It's just wonderful.

I definitely recommend this book to everyone (over the age of 18). I think it may have made it on to my favorites list. I just wish I'd had book three in the Deep In The Heart of Texas series, Catch Me a Cowboy, so that I didn't have to wait to read it. I hate waiting. I'm really impatient.

Check out Katie Lane on Goodreads, Twitter, and her webpage, Katie Lane Books. You won't be sorry you did!!

Goodreads blurb:

THERE'S A NEW BRIDE IN TOWN!
Hope Scroggs is finally ready to get hitched. After years of sowing her wild oats, the former head cheerleader and homecoming queen has returned to Bramble, Texas, to marry her high school flame. But her perfect wedding plans are stomped to smithereens when her adoring cowboy two-steps down the aisle with someone else. Now Hope is stuck with the one man from her past she can't shake: Colt Lomax, an irresistible bad boy whose sultry kisses are hotter than the Panhandle in August . . . 

Colt lives for freedom and the open road; he never gets attached, never looks back. Still, he can't forget the night of passion he once shared with Bramble's sweetheart—a night he wouldn't mind repeating. So, he piles on the Texas charm to tease the feisty beauty back into his bed, while she tries her darnedest to resist. But something unexpected is about to tie their fates together . . . and oh, baby, will it ever!

In My Mailbox #21

A big thank you to Kristi, The Story Siren for hosting IMM every week.

I've been lucky two weeks in a row to have something to post on Sunday! This past week my library was having a book sale (well, really books/cds/dvds/videos and BOOKS ON TAPE!).

So I'm looking around to see what they've got and what to my wandering eyes did appear?

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. On Tape! And you want to know how much I paid for it? All 14 cassettes of it?

Drumroll please............... 50 cents.

How sweet is that? I've got three out of the seven books on audio cassette now. Only four more to go to complete my collection! And I'm really excited. I mean seriously... who just decides to give that up for 50 cents? Not that I'm complaining or anything. But still.

I totally love Jim Dale as a narrator. I know I've said that before. He made me like listening to books on tape/cd. And there's just something.... magical about his voice. Does that make me weird? Probably. But if you haven't LISTENED to Harry Potter on tape or CD I highly suggest you do so. It's wonderful.

What did you get this week?

Review - Afterlight by Elle Jasper

First off, I have to say that I love this cover. Riley Poe is a badass chick with tattoos. What more could you want?

I loved Afterlight by Elle Jasper. It's the first book in the Dark Ink Chronicles and it was fabulous. Riley was definitely not one of those helpless females that needs to have everyone look after her. She wasn't falling all over herself to try and figure out which one of her many suitors she liked more. She was just... Riley. And that was enough for her. She was protective and strong and fierce.

Her brother and his friends do something stupid and it results in him being kidnapped by a "cult led by centuries-old vampires" and Riley has to find a way to save him. She comes across Eli Dupre who has smoldering good looks and the hots for our chick. The story has romance without being pathetic or raunchy. And lots of action.

What Riley doesn't know is that a lot of the people around her have known about the things going on in Savannah much longer than she has. And they've been watching out for her. They're there to help keep her safe as she fights to keep her brother from "certain undeath".

I loved the book. It was nice to read about a girl like Riley for a change. Who could still have a "romance" but didn't need to become a squishy damsel in distress in order to do it. It was a new twist on an old story so to speak. I've been trying to find the second book in the series in a store here, but to no avail. I would definitely recommend this read to everyone.

"I kept my eyes locked on his as I lifted my whiskey, downed it in one gulp, pulled two bucks from my pocket, and dropped it on the table. "Duties relieved," I snarled, and headed for the door. I was the last person who needed a freaking babysitter; I'd gone through too much in my young life and handled a lot of problems most never encounter in their entire existance. Screw that."

Follow Friday #24

It's time again for Follow Friday! I'm a bit late posting this one, but better late than never right?
This weeks question:

Q: It’s Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. so we want to know what you are Thankful for – blogging related of course! Who has helped you out along the way? What books are you thankful for reading?

A. Well, there are a few different things.

1. First of all, I'm thankful for Jess aka The Cozy Reader. I don't remember how exactly I found her blog, but in doing so, I found literally HUNDREDS of books that I couldn't wait to get my hands on. Some of them, unfortunately, I'm still waiting on. But I'd been in a reading rut, and I got so many great "suggestions" from reading her.
2. Second, I'm thankful for Siobhan at Totally Bookalicious for being my ONLY follower for the longest time when I restarted my blog.
3. I'm thankful for memes. Without them I wouldn't have gotten to meet some of the coolest book bloggers. I love checking in with The Story Siren every week to see what new books she has. It's a blast looking for teasers every Tuesday to post on Miz B's wall at Should Be Reading. And then of course there's Follow Friday brought to us by Parajunkee. I love reading her BB101 posts too. It's so fun to participate in these things and it gave me a chance to "meet" a lot of really cool people.
4. I'm thankful that blogging has opened up the book world to me. I've had the good fortune to meet Maggie Stiefvater in person during a book signing as well as authors like A.M. Hudson, Shelley Watters, and Lisa Mantchev online. They are all fantastic people and are all wonderful authors.

Books that I'm thankful for?

Harry Potter. Definitely. I used to read. A lot. And I know I've posted about this in here before somewhere, but I'm going to do it again. There was a time when I was severely depressed and couldn't figure out how to get out of my own way. I probably hadn't picked up a book in forever. And then I remembered Harry Potter. I'd read it in highschool, but I decided to pick it up again. Which was a big for me because I hadn't felt like even opening the cover of any other book in a long time.

Reading Harry Potter took me away from all the stuff that was being thrown in my face left and right. It let me be someone else for as long as I could stay awake and read it. It gave me something to look forward to and be excited about. And as silly as this may sound, while I'm reading, the characters in the books are my friends. It was my escape. They took me away to somewhere better. They let me stop hurting and being angry. I could breathe again.

I think Harry Potter will forever be my all time favorite series.

And with that, I've written too much and bored you all.

What were you all thankful for this year?

Covers Around the World: The Poison Diaries

This week's Covers Around the World features the book The Poison Diaries by Maryrose Wood with The Duchess of Northumberland.

Now, from what it looks like on Goodreads, the same covers were used in several different languages, so ... enjoy.

I loved the font on this one. It's beautiful.

I love the blue tint and misty wooded scene on this one.

This next one is the Hungarian edition

Bulgarian Cover

I like this because it doesn't look like any of the others so far.

I'm unsure where this cover comes from. Any ideas?

Also extremely interesting. Mysterious even. I like the vines crawling across the cover.

So there ya go! Which one is your favorite?

Visit The Poison Diaries on Facebook or the official Poison Diaries website. It's BEAUTIFUL. I love it. ALSO - check out Nightshade, the second book in The Poison Diaries. I believe it's on sale now. 

RIP Anne McCaffrey

Obituary from GalleyCat, written by Jason Boog:

Fantasy novelist Anne McCaffrey has passed away. She was 85 years old. GalleyCat confirmed the sad news with Random House this afternoon.

McCaffrey’s career began with Restoree in 1967. She went on to earn a dedicated following for her beloved series, Dragonriders of Pern. At her website, McCaffrey answered letters from dedicated fans through November. This GalleyCat editor will never forget reading her books as a middle-school kid. Share your memories in the comments section…

You can read her complete biography at her site. An excerpt: “Her first novel, Restoree, was written as a protest against the absurd and unrealistic portrayals of women in s-f novels in the 50s and early 60s. It is, however, in the handling of broader themes and the worlds of her imagination, particularly the two series The Ship Who Sang and the fourteen novels about the Dragonriders of Pern that Ms. McCaffrey’s talents as a story-teller are best displayed.”

On her blog, she offered this advice for aspiring writers: “First — keep reading. Writers are readers. Writers are also people who can’t not write. Second, follow Heinlein’s rules for getting published: 1. Write it. 2. Finish it. 3. Send it out. 4. Keep sending it out until someone sends you a check. There are variations on that, but that’s basically what works.”

Book Trailer - Inheritance by Christopher Paolini

Unfortunately I have to wait a bit longer for this as I'm broke and can't afford any books. I'm really excited to read it though. Check out the trailer I found from Random House Books!

Teaser Tuesday #23

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!

My teaser this week comes from my current read, Make Mine a Bad Boy by Katie Lane. It's the second book in the Deep in the Heart of Texas series. The first one Going Cowboy Crazy, was really good and I'm about halfway through this one now. It's a tad bit slower but I'm sure it'll pick up.

"At that point, Colt probably could've stepped in and tried to set things straight about Hope not being pregnant. It would be the right thing to do. But Cold had never done the right thing where Hope was concerned, and it seemed a shame to start now." p 120

4th Annual Debut Author Challenge

I'm signing up for the 4th Annual Debut Author Challenge hosted by Kristi, The Story Siren. I'm excited. I missed out on doing this years challenge so I wasn't going to have the same thing happen for next year.

Here's the info from Kristi:

CHALLENGE OBJECTIVE:

• 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.

RULES & GUIDELINES:

• You must have a Blog to post your reviews or be a member of Goodreads.
• Your blog must be written in English.
• Deadline to join is May 31, 2012.

BOOK GUIDELINES:

• Must be a young adult or middle grade title.
• Must be the author’s YA or MG debut, released in 2012.
• If an author has a previous novel published for adults or children, they can still qualify for the challenge.
• If an author has a previous YA or MG title, they do not qualify for the challenge

Head on over to her page and sign up with me!

Become a Citizen of PanEm

I'm a citizen of Pan Em now! I went to The Capitol's Website and signed up to be a citizen. I was placed in District 2 and got to make my own ID card. Apparently I'm a plasterer.

You guys should definitely check it out!

Movie Trailer: Snow White and the Huntsman

Ok, so I'm an on again/off again fan of Kristen Stewart. But this actually looks like it's going to turn out to be a fairly decent movie and I'm excited to see it. The shield in the movie poster kind of reminds me of Lord of the Rings though. It's scheduled to hit theaters in June of 2012.




So what do you think?

In My Mailbox #20

Thanks to Kristi, The Story Siren for hosting IMM every week!

This past week I got some cool stuff from a contest I won over at Aine's Realm so many thanks to her!

First I got a book that I'm looking forward to reading soon:

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

by Sherman Alexie (Illustrated by Ellen Forney)

A poster signed by:

Kristen Miller

Brenna Yovanoff

Andrea Cremer

Ally Condie

Beth Revis

There was also a poster of the first three books in the Need series by Carrie Jones but I can't seem to get that picture to come through. It's still wicked cool!!!

Thanks again for the contest!! 

2012 TBR PILE Reading Challenge

I'm going to sign up for the 2012 TBR PILE Reading Challenge. I've got tons of books that I haven't read  that have been sitting on my shelves for way too long. I feel bad buying new ones while these go unread.
Here's all the info from Evie's Bookish Blog. Check it out and sign up!!



<center><a href="http://evie-bookish.blogspot.com/p/2012-tbr-pile-reading-challenge.html"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ULiNSADK35M/TsAmvDkki1I/AAAAAAAACnA/GoduRwvOGZo/s1600/2012-TBR-Reading-Challenge-Button.png" /></a></center>

Welcome to 2012 TBR PILE Reading Challenge!!!
We all have those books. We buy them, win them, they're gifted to us.. Then we put them up on a bookshelf and there they stay, collecting dust, waiting for the time when we'll finally decide to pick them up..

Join us on a quest to dust off your TBR Pile and read all the books you've been telling yourself you'll read next time you'll get a chance.. This is your chance! And we've got PRIZES!!! :D

Challenge guidelines: 

1. This challenge will run from Jan 1, 2012 - Dec 31, 2012.
2. As we would like to see quality reviews linked up to our monthly wrap-ups, only bloggers can enter. Sorry about that!
3. Any genre, length or format of book counts, as long as it is a book that's been sitting on your shelf for some time now. Only books released in 2011 and earlier! NO ARCs and 2012 fresh-off-the-press releases allowed!
4. You can list your books in advance or just put them in a wrap-up post. If you list them, feel free to change them as the mood takes you.
5. When you sign up in the linky, put the direct link to your post about joining the 2012 TBR PILE Reading Challenge (You need to include the info + host list + challenge button. You can also grab the button code and add it to your sidebar!)
6. You can move up levels, but no moving down.
7. Sign-ups will be open until Dec 15, 2012, so feel free to join at any time throughout the year.
8. At the end of each month one of the hosts will post a wrap-up. Every wrap-up will have it's unique theme, a mini-challenge, a giveaway and place for you to link up your reviews from this month. For each review you link up, you will get one entry in a drawing of one book of choice from Book Depository. It's open to INTERNATIONALS. For participating in the mini-challenge you will get +1 entry.
9. If you miss a wrap-up post + giveaway, you can link up your reviews next month. Do not, however, try to link up one review twice - we will be checking ;)
10. December is a wrap-up for the whole year. All the book reviews you linked up January-November + the ones you'll link up in December will be entered into a HUGE giveaway - 12 books, 12 winners, INTERNATIONAL. 
11. You don't have to follow all the hosts to join the challenge, but you do have to follow all of us to be entered in giveaways!

Levels:
1-10 - A Firm Handshake
11-20 - A Friendly Hug
21-30 - A Sweet Kiss
31-40 - Love At First Sight
41-50 - Married With Children

Hosts:
Evie from Bookish - http://www.evie-bookish.blogspot.com @SeoEvie
Nicole from All I Ever Read - http://www.nicoleabouttown.com/ @Nicoleabouttown
Bonnie from Hands and Home - http://www.handsandhome.ca/ @HandsHomeBlog
Donna from Book Passion For Life - http://bookpassionforlife.blogspot.com/ @BookPforLife
Caitlin from WatchYA Reading - http://whatchyareading.net @caitlingss
Rie from Mission To Read - http://missiontoread.com/ @missiontoread
Vicky from Books, Biscuits & Tea -http://booksbiscuitsandtea.blogspot.com/ @alouetteuette
Christa from Hooked On Books - http://christashookedonbooks.blogspot.com @ChristasBooks
Jenna from Fans Of Fiction - http://fansoffiction.blogspot.com/ @fansoffiction
Angel from Mermaids Vision - http://mermaidvision.wordpress.com @mermaidvisions

Wrap-up POST Schedule:
January - Donna (Theme: Let It Snow + Book Cover Challenge)
February - Nicole (Theme: Un-requited Love/Love Gone Wrong + Advice Column Challenge)
March - Rie (Theme: Green or Pinched + Green Cover Challenge)
April -  Bonnie (Theme: Easter + Mini Challenge)
May - Christa (Theme: MayDay - Disaster Books! + Cover Disaster Challenge)
June - Jenna ( Theme: Camping + Sentence Challenge)
July - Rie (Theme: International Day + Cover Comparison Challenge)
August - Angel (Theme: Summer Memories + Send Your Fav Character On Vacation Challenge)
September - Nicole (Theme: Life Changing Books + Mini Challenge)
October - Caitlin (Theme: Thanksgiving Theme + Share-A-Book Challenge)
November - Vicky (Theme: Spooky Halloween + Book Puzzle Challenge)
December - Evie (Theme: Xmas Bliss + Book Bachelor Challenge)

 

You get to read all the books you've been hoping to read for a loooong time now, enjoy the unique themes and mini challenges and WIN some fantastic new BOOKS! :D Can it get any better?

Sign up now!

Follow Friday #23

I'm a day behind on my FF post. I'm sorry. I couldn't post yesterday. Anyway, Follow Friday is hosted every week by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read.

This weeks FF:

Q: Letter to Santa: Tell Santa what books you want for Christmas!

A: There are so many different books that I want for Christmas. Inheritance by Christopher Paolini is one. Forever by Maggie Stiefvater would be another. Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick. A copy of Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer with the original cover. Sweetly by Jackson Pearce. The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater. All of the books in the Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa. Crossed by Ally Condie. Books 1 & 2 in the Across the Universe series by Beth Revis. Humanity Scar: Journal 1 - Last Words by Monique Doucette.

I could go on and on and on but then the list would never end.

What about you? What books do you want?

Review - Going Cowboy Crazy by Katie Lane

Going Cowboy Crazy by Katie Lane
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

(cross post from Goodreads)

Many many thanks to Sarah The Brazen Bookworm for having the contest I won this in! I loved it!

I honestly don't think there was anything negative about this book. Sure, Faith was more or less hopelessly clueless about a lot of things (poor Buster!), but she was so likeable. Even the towns people in their refusal to believe the truth was funny in a "You have GOT to be kidding me. Are they serious?" kind of way.

And Slate. I love Slate. I personally, have always wanted a cowboy for myself and I got to have one. Albeit I was living vicariously through Faith, but that's ok. She did a good job allowing me to fall in love with him right along with her.

Next to Slate and Faith, I think Austin was my favorite character. Even for the short amount we got to see him he was a spitfire. Great addition to the story.

I loved it. And I'm so glad I won that AND its sequel. Because I don't think I could have waited to pick up the second book. I definitely recommend it to anyone 18+!

View all my reviews

Hunger Games Movie Trailer

I'm so excited!

Review: Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

(review is a crosspost from my Goodreads account, I don't generally do star ratings here)


Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The tense of the story threw me off a bit at first. I wasn't sure I liked it because I'd never read anything like that before. I actually put the book down for a couple of weeks before deciding to pick it back up again. I'm glad I did though, for the most part. It was really good.

I think my favorite part of the book was Tucker. Kind of the "southern" gentleman, even though he's not exactly southern. He seemed like he wanted to be harsh and rough but then his exterior started to peel away and he was just the biggest sweetheart. I loved him. I want a Tucker. And good for Clara for not falling in to the typical "love triangle" and pining over both men while wondering why oh why did this have to happen to her.

The ending I wasn't happy with. It made the end of the book awkward for me and I just didn't like it. If it had gone any other way I think I would have been fine with it, but I just didn't like how it turned out. The whole thing with the black wing just didn't really make sense to me. It didn't fit in well. And Christian? Boo. I think that was the wrong way to have him turn out.

I loved this book. Right up to the last few pages. And even with those being disappointing I think I'd recommend it to anyone.
But seriously....

I want a Tucker.

View all my reviews

Current Read: Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

So, there is no IMM post this week. I didn't get any books in the mail unfortunately. Or buy any from the store. OR find anymore in the shed. Bummer. :-) But that's ok. Because I have lots of books I haven't read yet.

My current read is Unearthly by Cynthia Hand. At first, it bothered me reading it. Because it's ALL present tense and I'd never read a book like that. But I kept picking it up and reading a little bit more and a little bit more and now I really enjoy reading it. I'm about halfway through right now and I look forward to making it through to the end.

Review: Eragon (Audio CD) by Christopher Paolini (narrated by Gerard Doyle)

So in anticipation of the final installment in the Inheritance Cycle, I re-listened to the audio CD version of Eragon by Christopher Paolini. I think I said in a recent post that this audio version is narrated by Gerard Doyle and I have to say I think he is just fantastic. He is tied with Jim Dale who narrates Harry Potter (and has played parts in movies like Pete's Dragon). 

Eragon has been one of my favorite series and I think the narrator plays a big part. I love Saphira's voice and honestly, I can't figure out how he does it without destroying his throat.

Now, there are times when Christopher Paolini goes in to TOO MUCH detail, and it kind of drags on when you're reading, but when you listen to someone else read it, it's not so bad. It's entertaining and best of all, it keeps my GIRLS entertained too. Which is generally a hard thing to do.

I love the series and really wish it had ended with Brisingr, but I understand there was just too much to fit in to one book. But he sure has taken his sweet time letting go of this fourth one. A lot of people say the series mimicks Lord of the Rings with the Urgls being like the Orcs and what not. But really, I don't care. Everyone gets their ideas from someone right?

I definitely suggest everyone who's read the book pick up the audio CDs. Even if you haven't read it and hadn't planned on it, you should pick up the audio CDs. Let someone else do the reading for you.