STALKING THE BOOKSHELVES

An Excuse to Have a Giveaway!

2012-02-23T11:30:00.001-06:00

Today is February 23rd...and that probably means nothing to most of you. However, it means I've officially passed my 15 month blogger mark. It also means that Carrie has been part of this blog for 8 months. Both of those things are reason to celebrate and since we haven't done a giveaway in FOREVER we're basically making an excuse to have one now, LOL!

So what's up for grabs? Oh you know, just some of the most highly anticipated YA novels releasing this spring, well except for Insurgent. We'll be doing a giveaway for that one another time.

There will be 2 winners. Each winner will get to choose one book from the titles shown below.

Covers all link to goodreads in case you'd like more info on each book

*If you can't see the cover on the top right, its THE VICIOUS DEEP by Zoraida Cordova

Hopefully there's at least one title everyone is interested in. Of course we might have given you to many options, LOL.

RULES:
~Open Internationally (*book depository must ship to your country)
~Must be 13 years or older to enter
~Contest runs from 02/23-03/03
~Winners will be announced on March 5th and will have 48 hours to get back to us before we'll have to pick new winners!

Following is NOT required to enter but is greatly appreciated. :D
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Thanks to everyone who entered, especially our lovely followers!!! Good luck everyone!

In Support of Parnassus Books

2012-02-21T11:30:00.000-06:00

This past Saturday I was fortunate enough to make my first trip to Parnassus Books in Nashville. In case you aren't familiar with the story; Parnassus is the newly open and only indie bookstore in all of Nashville. Its co-owned by author Ann Patchett (Bel Canto, State of Wonder) who helped open it because she "had no interest living in a city without a bookstore."

I had been meaning to visit the store ever since it opened in November but due to the holidays and the hour long trip it takes for me to get there, I hadn't yet managed to make it. Thankfully I was already in Nashville over the weekend so with just a small detour and a bit of traffic, I found myself standing inside a quaint little bookstore.

As I do in any bookstore I headed for the YA section first. I was really surprised at the variety the had for such a small section (it was made up of only 2 bookcases). It was so wonderful to see bestselling YA books like The Hunger Games, Perfect Chemistry & Nightshade alongside smaller titles like Ashfall, Half-Blood & Torrent. The selection of new titles was also impressive, I easily spotted Cinder, Born Wicked & Harbinger.

Pull Down Theater System & Children's Door

The store layout is classic & simple, nothing fancy here, but there are little things that make it feel special. Take for example the lit stars that hang over the children's section and a small doorway that lead into it. They both add a whimsical touch to a store that's already warm and inviting.

The selection of titles per section was vast and the staff was lovely. I was even asked if I'd like a call when the restocked order of a middle grade title came back in. (They had sold out of The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making.) Although I kindly said "no thank you" since I was from out of town, I did end up buying two book. The first was a YA title I had been looking for (Torrent by Lisa T. Bergern) while the other was an adult title I had not (The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey). I've already started The Snow Child and its incredible so far.

To say my trip to Parnassus was delightful would be an understatement. I truly wish I lived closer to the store so I could visit weekly. Instead, I'll just have to hope the store hosts some upcoming YA events so I have an excuse to visit as often as possible. Plus I'd really love my own pictures of the store, preferably with me in them, LOL. All of these pics came from the store's Facebook page.

Although it was a brief visit I can definitely say, without a doubt, that I'll be a repeat customer in support of Parnassus Books whenever I'm in Nashville.

Opening Day at Parnassus

On a sort of side note: Ann Patchett was on The Colbert Report last night talking about Parnassus and the need for indie bookstores. Its a charming and funny interview, one you can all watch below. I hope it will make you think twice about shopping online if your lucky enough to have an indie bookstore nearby because as Ann so eloquently put it, "You could wake up one morning and be the Unabomber."

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Ann Patchett

www.colbertnation.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

Political Humor & Satire Blog

Video Archive

Release Me (Cover Reveals) #13

2012-02-20T09:30:00.000-06:00

Our "Release Me" posts focus on upcoming novels that have recently had their covers revealed. We love to help spread the word about new books, so we hope you'll get excited about these. Maybe you'll even discover a few titles you hadn't heard of before. All links go to goodreads so you can find out more about the books and easily add them to your "to-read" pile.

~Silver by Talia Vance

RD: September 8th, 2012 from Flux

~Gravity by Melissa West

RD: October 2012 from Entangled Publishing

~Ashes of Twilight by Kassy Taylor

RD: November 13th, 2012 from St. Martins Griffin

~Sapphire Blue by Kerstin Gier (Sequel to Ruby Red)

RD: October 30th, 2012 from Henry Holt & Co.

~What's Left of Me by Kat Zhang

RD: September 18th, 2012 from HarperTeen

~The Sinister Sweetness of Splendid Academy by Nikki Loftin

RD: August 21st, 2012 from Razorbill

~ShadowFell by Juliet Marillier

RD: November 2012 from Knoft Books for Young Readers

~Grim by Anna Waggener

RD: June 2012 from Scholastic

~Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson

RD: July 3rd, 2012 from HarperTeen

~Fingerprints of You by Kristen-Paige Madonia

RD: August 7th, 2012 from Simon & Schuster BFYR

~Looking For Me by Betsy R. Rosenthal

RD: April 17th, 2012 from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

~The Ghost of Graylock by Dan Poblocki

RD: August 28th, 2012 from Scholastic Inc.

~Butter by Erin Jade Lange

RD: October 2nd, 2012 from Bloomsbury

~Hidden by Sophie Jordan (Firelight #3)
RD: September 11th, 2012 from HarperTeen

~The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
RD: September 18th, 2012 from Scholastic Press

Had you already seen or heard about most of these books? Find anything new? Which covers do you like best? Which ones have you the most excited? Sound off below!

Carrie's In My Mailbox #19

2012-02-19T11:20:00.001-06:00

Hi all, Carrie here.

It's that time again. Here is what I got in my mailbox this go around. All books
shown are ones I bought or received between Feb 5th - 18th.

In My Mailbox is a meme created by Kristi@ The Story Siren, its purpose is to encourage blogger interaction, as well as highlight books for our readers. IMM is not only for books you have received through the mail, but also library,borrowed, and bought books.

For Review:

Life is But a Dream by Brian James (received ARC through Net Galley)

Bought:

All I Ever Wanted by Vikki Wakefield (Thanks Text Publishing for the super fast shipping!)

Free Nook Book:

Hearts at Stake by Alyxandra Harvey

Borrowed (from the library):

Murder at Mansfield Park by Lynn Shepherd

Before I Go To Sleep by S. J. Watson

Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran

Well that's it for me. What did you get in your mailbox?

Review: The Dressmaker

2012-02-16T09:00:00.000-06:00

Need To Know Info:

Title: The Dressmaker
Author: Kate Alcott
Format: Hardcover, 320 pages

Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Release Date: February 21st, 2012

Received E-ARC for Review from Publisher

Carrie's Review:
The Dressmaker has fashion, romance and the Titanic. What more could you ask for in a book?

I have always been fascinated by the story of the Titanic. From the people aboard, to the grandeur of the ship and of course to the tragic events that lead to its sinking. This book has all those elements and even a bit more. Kate Alcott introduces us to an unknown servant Tess; whose gift as a seamstress lands her an unexpected opportunity aboard the Titanic. She finds herself employed by the famous Lady Duff Gordon and believes her fortunes are about to change. Of course no one would have expected that this “unsinkable” ship could in fact sink.

The author does a good job bringing the people and the ship to life. It was clear she did her research. I was of course already familiar with Molly Brown but didn’t know as much about Lady Duff Gordon. She really was quite a character.

A large part of the book takes place after the sinking of the Titanic and the aftermath that unfolded. It was interesting to hear details from the hearings regarding safety measures that were overlooked or simply felt weren’t needed. It was also fascinating to see how the public (the rich and the poor) dealt with the information that came after the sinking.

Tess is of course the main character so we see all these events unfold through her eyes and how they affect her life. That is where fashion and romance play a large part. As a seamstress, under the famous and even a bit scandalous Lady Duff Gordon, Tess utilizes her skills and soon begins to leave her own mark on the fashion industry. As a girl that loves fashion, I always enjoy a good book that shows how fashion evolved and changed throughout time.

The last element to talk about is romance. Yes, this book has it in the form of a love triangle. Tess has two suitors clamoring for her affection. There is Jack, an American millionaire, and Jim, a working class sailor, both whom she met aboard the Titanic. As a young woman in the 1900’s this poses a bit of a dilemma for Tess. Does she marry for love or does she marry to ensure her future? I have to admit the romance was my least favorite part of the story. I’m not a huge fan of love triangles and the characters left a bit to be desired in the romance department for me. That said I did root for a particular gentleman to win the hand of Tess.

The Dressmaker is an enjoyable historical fiction novel that weaves together politics, fashion, love and the unrelenting human spirit. I would recommend this book to fans of lighter historical fiction, Titanic enthusiasts, and teens.

Rating~

Just an FYI - I don’t do half ratings so I rounded up to 4.

Review: Touch of Frost

2012-02-13T09:00:00.000-06:00

Need To Know Info:

Title: Touch of Frost
Author: Jennifer Estep
Format: Paperback, 350 pages
Publisher: Kensington Teen
Release Date: July 26th, 2011

Finished Copy for Review from Publisher

Synopsis from Goodreads

My name is Gwen Frost, and I go to Mythos Academy — a school of myths, magic and warrior whiz kids, where even the lowliest geek knows how to chop off somebody's head with a sword and Logan Quinn, the hottest Spartan guy in school, also happens to be the deadliest.

But lately, things have been weird, even for Mythos. First, mean girl Jasmine Ashton was murdered in the Library of Antiquities. Then, someone stole the Bowl of Tears, a magical artifact that can be used to bring about the second Chaos War. You know, death, destruction and lots of other bad, bad things. Freaky stuff like this goes on all the time at Mythos, but I'm determined to find out who killed Jasmine and why—especially since I should have been the one who died. . .

Shannon's Review
Touch of Frost was an enjoyable paranormal read with a great mystery and a fun new twist on mythology.

I've always been a huge fan of mythology so the idea of Mythos Academy; an elite school for the descendents of Amazons, Valkyries and Spartans was a well developed and unique one. I loved learning about the school, its history, and all the different myths that tie into it.

I liked the MC Gwen a lot. I think she's easy to relate to if you've ever felt like an outsider or had to be the new kid at school. Gwen is independent, smart and cares deeply for her family. She also has a great sense of humor, always poking fun at people especially herself. My only complaint with Gwen is that I wish she had been more confident in her gypsy gift and herself. She keeps seeing all this crazy stuff happen around her and sometimes to her, but then just lets it go because she can't figure it out. This becomes more frustrating by the fact that Gwen already knows the answer but can't grab onto what it is.

The supporting cast of Daphne, Logan, and Professor Metis all help bring out a new side of Gwen and its fun to see her explore all these different relationships. Professor Metis tries to help Gwen be more comfortable with her abilities, while Logan adds a bit of intrigue with his bad boy ways. However, its Daphne who surprised me the most. She's much more then the mean girl she appears to be and had easily won me over by the end of the novel.

I think the murder mystery side of the story was well paced and featured a few surprise twists, some which I never saw coming. In fact I only figured out the mystery shortly before its reveal, which is actually a bit late for me.

A few themes do get repeated several times throughout the novel, most notably Gwen's feelings about her gypsy gift and how it landed her at Mythos. While it's a bit distracting I don't think it hurts the novel to much. Instead, it just kind of slows down the pacing for a bit.

I think a Touch of Frost will definitely appeal to any fan of paranormal, mythology or mystery books. Its a great start to a fun new YA series and I'm looking forward to reading the next book, Kiss of Frost.

Rating~

NIfty Nook Book Deals #3

2012-02-12T14:00:00.000-06:00

The first two times I did this post it was a huge success, so I'm back to do it again. Thanks to everyone who showed their support since I wasn't sure how many people would find it helpful. Hope you all find some books to fill your reading appetite. :D

All title links go to Barnes & Noble so you can easily buy the books. BTW, I have no affiliation with B&N.com so I don't make any money off the sale of these books. Instead this post was inspired by the lack of attention Nook Books get in comparison to Kindle Books, which always seem to be on sale.

Most of these deals run through this whole week (2/12-2/18) while others last till the end of the month.

Free Nook Books:

~Hearts at Stake (Drake Chronicles #1) by Alyxandra Harvey

On Sale For $0.99

~Into the Wild (Warriors #1) by Erin Hunter
~Boyfriend from Hell by E. Van Lowe
~Branded by Keary Taylor

On Sale For $1.99-$2.49

~Cold Kiss by Amy Garvey

~Zora and Me by Victoria Bond & T.R. Simon

~Making of a Duchess by Shana Galen

~The Lady of the Storm by Kathryne Kennedy
~The Hunter (Legend Chronicles #1) by Theresa Meyers

On Sale For $2.50-$2.99

~A Visitor's Guide to Mystic Falls:
Your Favorite Authors on the Vampire Diaries - Edited by Red & Vee

~Jane by April Lindner

~White Cat (Curse Workers #1) by Holly Black

~Infinity (Chronicles of Nick) by Sherrilyn Kenyon

~The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams

~Lady Macbeth's Daughter by Lisa Klein

~Devil's Kiss by Zoe Archer

~Big Fat Manifesto by Susan Vaught
~The Boyfriend Thief by Shana Norris

~The Healer's Apprentice by Melanie Dickerson

On Sale For $3.00-$3.99

~Wait Till Helen Comes by Mary Dowing Hawn
~Torn by Erica O'Rourke

~Highland Protector by Hannah Howell

On Sale For $4.00-$4.99

~The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa

~Eight Grade Bites (Vladimir Tod #1) by Heather Brewer

~Blood Feud (Drake Chronicles #2) by Alyxandra Harvey

~The Dead of Winter by Chris Priestley

~The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson #1) by Rick Riordan
~In a Heartbeat by Loretta Ellsworth

Please leave a comment if you'd like me to do more of these Nook Deal posts. They take quite a bit of time but if you all like them then I will keep posting them and make it a bi-monthly thing.

Happy Reading Everyone!!!

Shannon's In My Mailbox #40

2012-02-11T19:30:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone, hope you had a great week. Here is my newest IMM post, which was suppose to be a vlog but after recording it twice the audio wouldn't stop sounding like crap. :( Hopefully it won't be an issue next time cuz I am dying to do a vlog. Feels like I haven't done one in forever. All books shown are ones I received between Jan 30th - Feb. 11th.

For Review:

~The Humming Room by Ellen Potter (Thanks to MacMillian)

~The Vicious Deep by Zoraida Cordova (From author, thank you so much Z!)

If you're signed up for the Southern Book Bloggers ARC Tour then you'll be glad to hear that The Vicious Deep will be touring this spring. :D If your not signed up yet or would like more info about it, go here.

Gifted:

~Cody Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

~Gilt by Katherine Longshore

~On the Fringe by Courtney King Walker (Signed)

~Everneath by Brodi Ashton (Signed)

Thanks so much to Britney @ I Eat Words for getting me CNV and Gilt from ALA Midwinter and to my sister Carrie for the personalized copies of OTF and Everneath for my birthday! You are both beyond awesome!!!

Traded for:

~Article 5 by Kristen Simmons

Bought w/ Random Buzzers Buzz Bucks:

~Juliet Immortal by Stacey Jay

(Random Buzzers is a great program for readers & bloggers. You should definitely check it out if you haven't. If you end up joining please put ShaEliPar under who referred you. Thanks!)

Free Nook Book:
~Hearts at Stake by Alyxandra Harvey

Swag:

~Dead Elvises (Everneath) guitar pick neaklace

~Tokyo Heist bookmarks

~Slide bookmark, personal signed to me

~Kiss the Morning Star bookmarks, all signed

~Wander Dust bookmark, signed

Thanks to Brodi, Carrie, Diana, Jill, Elissa, Jacinda and Michelle for all the cool swag!

Plus I ordered Stalking The Bookshelves mini business cards!

As you can see I had an amazing two weeks worth of goodies. Can't wait to see what you all got in your mailboxes.

Free Friday Nook Book

2012-02-10T09:35:00.000-06:00

I know many bloggers are Nook users and are probably familiar with B&N's Free Book Friday. Well today's deal is so AMAZING I just had to share it with everyone.

~Hearts At Stake by Alyxandra Harvey

The link takes you to B&N so you can get your own Free Nook Copy!

I've heard such great things about this series and have always wanted to read it. Now I have no excuse not to, LOL. Who doesn't love free books?!!!

Mini Reviews: On the Fringe & Cinder

2012-02-09T15:00:00.000-06:00

On the Fringe by Courtney Walker King

I decided to read On the Fringe on a whim. I bumped into the author, Courtney Walker King, while waiting in line at Brodi Ashton’s launch party. We started talking about books and blogging. She was even gracious enough to sign a copy of her book while standing in line. I grabbed the opportunity since I knew Shannon really wanted a copy of the book. I asked Shannon if she minded if I read it real quick before I shipped it to her and since she is the best sister ever, she said of course I could borrow it.

On the Fringe is a bittersweet story of first love. Right from the start I felt the emotions of the two main characters Claire and Daniel. Courtney’s writing style was just so easy and comfortable that I felt at home with these characters. It easily reminded me of young love; the new emotions, the butterflies and of course the games that we inevitably play. I think both Claire and Daniel are very easy to relate too.

I enjoyed the pacing of the book. Courtney captured my attention from the beginning and it never waned. The back and forth perspectives of the two main characters kept me engaged and interested as a reader. I especially enjoyed Daniel’s voice. The plot has its share of obstacles for Daniel and Claire to overcome; emotions, mystery, danger and of course the scariest of all; the future.

I’m so glad I picked up On the Fringe. I really enjoyed the contemporary and paranormal elements to this book. I felt it was a very solid debut and I look forward to reading more from this author.

Rating~

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Cinder is a sci-fi, fairytale adventure which easily blends all three elements into one astounding novel. It's intricate, detailed, romantic, heartbreaking and pulse pounding. It's everything I wanted out of a YA novel and so much more.

In case you couldn't already tell Cinder is a re-imaging of Cinderella. I really enjoyed all the winks to the classic Cinderella fairy tale as they're done in such original and clever ways. There's no fairy godmother or mice but there's a scientist and android in their place.

I LOVE Cinder! She's just such an amazing main character and I don't just mean because she's part cyborg! She's smart, funny, tough, and talented. Her life isn't easy but she tries to make the best of it while holding onto hope that things will somehow get better. It never matters how many times Cinder is knocked down; she will ALWAYS get back up.

The supporting casts of characters are all just as well developed and complex as Cinder. From Prince Kai, the future king of New Beijing to Queen Levana, the ruler of the moon colony and everyone in between.

I found the setting of a futuristic China completely captivating, with its temples and street markets. In fact I have a hard time imagining the story taken place anywhere else. Author Marissa Meyer has a true gift for world building and it was easy to envision New Beijing and all its inhabitants.

If you've never attempted to read a YA Sci-Fi novel before then I think Cinder is a brilliant starting off point. It’s a well paced novel, with interesting characters amidst a futurist world. Honestly I can't recommend Cinder enough, you all MUST read it. Now, if only I could get my hands on the sequel somehow. :D

Rating~

Carrie's In My Mailbox #18

2012-02-07T11:45:00.000-06:00

Hi all, Carrie here. I know this is a little late but it was a rough weekend for me. Here is what I got in my mailbox this time. All books shown are ones I bought or received between Jan 22nd –Feb 4th.

Bought:
Everneath by Brodi Ashton (signed)

Free Nook Book:
Zombies Don’t Cry by Rusty Fischer

Borrowed (from the library):
Looking for Alaska by John Green
Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

Well that's it for me. What did you get in your mailbox?

Review: Born Wicked

2012-02-06T10:00:00.000-06:00

Need to Know Info:

Title: Born Wicked
Author: Jessica Spotswood
Format: Hardcover, 326 pages
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Release Date: February 7th, 2012

Received ARC for Review from Publisher through LibraryThing

Shannon's Review:
Born Wicked was a novel that I was sure I was going to love since it has a historical setting, witches, and romance. While all three of those things are done extremely well, I felt the novel's slow pace and lack of intensity really hurt the story.

One of my biggest issues with the story begins with the protagonist Cate. Although I liked Cate, I didn't love her. She's actually quite judgmental and overbearing. She thinks very little of the other girls in town, despite the fact that she doesn't really know them and never once in the entire novel does she allow her sisters (Maura & Tess) to make decisions for themselves. I mean its very clear how much Cate loves her sisters, but at what cost? I felt a lot of the conflict in the novel could have been completely avoided if Cate had just trusted her sisters enough with what she learns about their mother.

Though I may not have loved Cate, I did love every minute she spent with Finn. He's smart, kind, values his family and isn't afraid to protect the people he loves. Their connection is undeniable and they're absolutely perfect for each other. Finn helps Cate be more self confident and she helps him relax. I love how their courtship was right for the time period too, its completely enthralling. It was their chemistry and relationship that keep me turning pages even when I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to finish the book.

I really enjoyed the historical setting as well, though its set against an alternative timeline where the Brotherhood persecuted all the witches and now very few remain in existence. Any witch that is discovered is immediately arrested and sent off to an asylum. Author Jessica Spotswood really makes the town and citizens feel isolated from the rest of the country adding to the atmospheric and historical quality of the story.

I found the novel's pacing incredibly slow, painfully so and I'm not usually the type of reader that has problems with things like that. Part of the pacing problem was that I never felt like the sisters were in any real danger. You hear the past stories about the witches that were arrested, imprisoned or murdered, but you rarely see it. When you do, it seems more like something that's just happening than any real threat to Cate or her sisters. I found that very disappointing.

Also for a novel about witches I didn't think there was enough magic in it. Though it flows beautifully when its written, taking on an intoxicating quality, I felt a lot of the sisters magic was explained instead of shown.

The ending of the novel left me a bit confused since a lot of things happen very quickly and I wanted more of a resolution as to why Cate choice to do what she did. Lets just say I wasn't happy with her choice. I was also unhappy with the lack of resolve involving Maura and Tess, as some big things happen to them right before the novel closes. While I realize its the first book in a planned series and we aren't going to get all the answers, I guess I felt there was just to much set up and not enough revealed. The biggest being; who's out to help the witches and who's out to harm them.

Overall I just wanted a lot more from Born Wicked. Perhaps my biggest disappointments lie in the fact that I didn't like Cate as much as I wanted and the slow pacing of the plot. While it didn't quite work for me, I still think a lot of readers will enjoy the mix of magic, romance and sisterhood.

Rating~

Adapt Me: Beautiful Creatures & The Selection

2012-02-03T09:45:00.000-06:00

Just in case you've been living under a rock the last week, here is some awesome bookish news you need to know about.

First up, actress Viola Davis (The Help, Doubt) has signed on to star in the film adaption of Beautiful Creatures as Amma, the seer who looks after Ethan and his father.

Beautiful Creatures is the first book in the YA series written by Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia. It tells the story of Ethan and Lena, two southern teens who uncover dark secrets about their families, their histories and their town.

Production is scheduled to get underway this April in and around New Orleans with Richard LaGravanese set as director. LaGravanese also wrote the screenplay for the film. His credits include directing P.S. I Love You and Freedom Writers, as well as being the screenwriter for Water for Elephants and The Bridges of Madison County.

There's no further casting information right now, but I will share more news as it becomes available. I hope you're as excited about his news as I am. I loved Beautiful Creatures and with talented people like this involved with the film, I have nothing but high hopes for it.

Elsewhere in TV news...the CW has ordered a pilot based upon Kiera Cass' forthcoming novel The Selection (due out April 24th). Former Angel & Dollhouse writers Elizabeth Craft & Sarah Fain wrote the pilot script and will be producing.

The Selection is set 300 years in the future and tells the story of a poor young woman who is chosen by lottery to participate in a competition to become the next queen of a war-torn nation.

As its still very early stages, that's all the news I have for now.

If you've been lucky enough to read The Selection already, do you think it would make a good TV show?

I always love hearing from you all so if you've got some thought about these two projects share them below.

Review: Don't Breathe A Word

2012-02-02T11:00:00.000-06:00

Need To Know Info:

Title: Don't Breathe A Word
Author: Holly Cupala
Format: Paperback, 299 pages
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: January 3rd, 2012

Received ARC for Review from Publisher

Synopsis from Goodreads
Joy Delamere is suffocating...

From asthma, which has nearly claimed her life. From her parents, who will do anything to keep that from happening. From delectably dangerous Asher, who is smothering her from the inside out.

Joy can take his words - tender words, cruel words - until the night they go too far.

Now, Joy will leave everything behind to find the one who has offered his help, a homeless boy called Creed. She will become someone else. She will learn to survive. She will breathe... if only she can get to Creed before it’s too late.

Shannon's Review:
Don't Breathe A Word is a bit like a car crash you can't look away from, but that's not meant to be an insult. Rather its a reflection on all the emotions you feel when you see one: Curiosity, Sadness, Disbelief, Hope. Mix all these things together and you have a sense of what it was like to read this gut wrenching, contemporary novel that was impossible to put down.

From the very first page of Don't Breathe A Word I wanted to help Joy so badly. Due to her asthma, she's spent most of her life in and out of hospitals, making her feel like a burden to her family. She's also become dependent on her verbally abusive boyfriend, but isn't sure how to change that. Feeling like her only solution is to runaway, she goes searching for a homeless boy named Creed. However, running away isn't quite the solution Joy thought it would be and soon living (as well as breathing) become difficult for her.

It's impossible not to care for Joy because she's such a broken person. She honestly believes all the bad things that have happened to her are somehow her fault. She's never had the chance to be independent either and is desperate to prove to herself that she can be. This causes her to make a lot of mistakes, but desperate as I was for Joy to change I was glad that author Holly Cupala didn't just magically make Joy self confidant and tough. Despite everything she's been through Joy is not weak or helpless and its great to see how she slowly begins to understand that about herself.

Joy's connection to Creed didn't play out quite the way I thought it would. That's not to say I didn't like how it ended up, just that I didn't always "get it". I felt that sometimes their was this amazing connection between them and then other times it didn't feel like there was any at all. I did like Creed though, he cares deeply for people and uses his music as an outlet for all his emotions. I also like how him being a musician played into the story.

I really loved the dynamic between Joy, Creed, May and Santos. All four may have very different reasons for living on the streets, but none of that matters when they end up sharing an abandon house and trying to keep each other safe. While its not always happy times, they bicker and fight just like any other family, they do care about each other.

Despite its heavy subject matter, the novel has a very quick pace which I found to be helpful in dealing with all the intense emotions. The ending is pretty good though not what I was expecting. Still its a hopeful one and I don't always need my novels to have perfect storybook "happy" ending if it's done in a thoughtful, realistic way.

If you're a fan of YA contemps that deal with serious subject matters then you should definitely read Don't Breathe A Word. I'm certainly looking forward to reading more from author Holly Cupala.

Rating~

Cover Reveal: Lucid by P.T. Michelle

2012-02-01T00:01:00.001-06:00

Today Carrie & I are pleased to be able to help reveal the cover of Lucid by P.T. Michelle. I know that many of you, including Carrie, are huge fans of Brightest Kind of Darkness and this will be the next book in the series. So feast your eyes upon this gorgeous cover:

Lucid releases spring of 2012 (official date to be announced)

Twitter | Facebook | Website| Goodreads

Don't you just love it? I know we do! Thanks so much to P.T. Michelle and Trisha of YA Bound for letting us be a part of this.

Release Me (Cover Reveals) #12

2012-01-31T08:00:00.000-06:00

Our Release Me posts focus on upcoming novels that have recently had their covers revealed. We hope to gets you excited about these books & maybe discover a few you hadn't heard of before. All links go to goodreads so you can find out more about these titles and easily add them to your "to-read" pile.

~172 Hours on the Moon by Johan Harstad
RD: April 5th, 2012 from Little Brown BFYR

~Guitar Notes by Mary Amato

RD: July 25th, 2012 from Egmont USA

~The Best Night of Your (Pathetic) Life by Tara Altebrando
RD: July 5th, 2012 from Penguin Group USA

~Purity by Jackson Pearce
RD: April 24th, 2012 from Little Brown Children's Bks

~IronSkin by Tina Connolly
RD: October 2012 from Tor Books

~The Peculiars by Maureen Doyle McQuerry
RD: May 1st, 2012 from Amulet Books

~Blind Spot by Laura Ellen
RD: October 23rd, 2012 from Harcourt Children's Books

~Torn by Stephanie Guerra

RD: April 1st, 2012 from Marshall Cavendish

~Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger
RD: October 2nd, 2012 from Aladdin Books

~The Obsidian Blade by Pete Hautman

RD: April 10th, 2012 from Candlewick Press

~Temptation by Karen Ann Hopkins

RD: June 26th, 2012 from Harlequin Teen

~A Midsummer's Nightmare by Kody Keplinger
RD: June 5th, 2012 from Poppy

Had you already seen or heard about these books? Which covers do you like best? Which ones have you the most excited? Sound off below!

Review: New Girl

2012-01-30T08:30:00.000-06:00

Need To Know Info:

Title: New Girl
Author: Paige Harbison
Format: Paperback, 304 pages
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release Date: January 31s, 2012

E-ARC received for Review from Harlequin Teen via NetGalley

Carrie's Review:

I am very conflicted about this book so I’m not sure how this review is going to turn out. I am going to try my best to let you know my honest opinions of the book however.

I don’t read a lot of contemps but I wanted to push myself to read more and step out of my comfort zone a bit. The premise of a new girl at a prestigious boarding school and the mysterious disappearance of a previous student had me intrigued which was a good sign so I figured I would give it a go.

I am going to tell you right off the bat that I am pretty sure I’m not the target audience for this book. As a thirty-five year old, wife and mother parts of this book made me cringe. I don’t consider myself a prude. I am pretty liberal and have given kudos to other authors for the way they haven’t sugar-coated the issue of sex and teens. In my opinion, it is important to have open and honest dialogue and not to just pretend teens aren’t having sex. With that said however, there was just too much sex, drugs and alcohol for my liking in this book. I get having it there but it got to be too much.

The plot of the story goes back and forth between the “new girl” (we don’t learn her name until the end of the book) and Becca (the previous new girl). It was an interesting plot line and I liked how the story moved back and forth revealing more and more about Becca and her mysterious disappearance as the book progressed. The plot and the pacing of the book is what kept me turning the pages. I definitely wanted to find out how it was all going to play out.

Speaking of Becca, she is a sad character and I could see straight thru her facade. As a mother, I just wanted to take her in my arms and give her a big hug. I think the author definitely brought her character to life. From moment one, I knew exactly who she was. The “new girl” however wasn’t as easy for me to pin down. I found myself rooting for her at times (as a military brat, I know all too well how it feels to be the new girl) while other times I was completely baffled by her choices. I understand wanting to fit in and staying strong but come on, how many times are you going to put yourself out there to continually get burned. I also have to say I totally didn’t get the attraction between Max and the “new girl”. I guess for me personally the author didn’t show enough honest interaction between the two of them. There was just so much drama at school, parties on the weekend and lots of running away from emotions that I just didn’t see how a relationship could actually develop. That is the book I would have liked to read. The honest moments in the middle of everything that I just don’t feel like the author utilized enough. There were other characters in the story as well that I wish would have gotten more development time. I just had a hard time understand Max, Johnny, Dana and the others actions without fully understanding who they were and what they were trying to achieve.

It is my understanding that New Girl is a retelling of Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. I have not read the original novel that this book is based on but New Girl did do enough to peak my interest in reading the classic.

Overall, I think this book had potential but unfortunately it just didn’t deliver. I guess I just wanted more from this book and its characters. Who knows, maybe after I read Rebecca I will understand some of the author’s choices better.

This is just my opinion and there is always someone with an opposite one. Here is a link to Amber's (The Musings of ALMYBNENR) review. She felt much differently about New Girl than I did. http://almybnenr.tumblr.com/post/16367521931/new-girl

Rating~

Shannon's In My Mailbox #39

2012-01-29T10:50:00.002-06:00

So here it is my newest IMM. All books shown are ones I received between Jan 15th-29th.

Bought:

~Tempest by Julie Cross

For Review:

~The Forgetting Curve by Angie Smibert (Thanks to publisher Marshall Cavendish)

~Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama (From author, thanks so much Beth!)

If you're signed up for the Southern Book Bloggers ARC Tour then you'll be glad to hear that Monstrous Beauty will be touring this summer. :D If your not signed up yet or would like more info about it, go here.

From the Traveling Book Box:

~The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa

~Winter Town by Stephan Emond

~The Luxe by Anna Godberson

~Frost by Wendy Delsol

~The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

~Wings by Aprilynne Pike

~Extraordinary by Nancy Werlin

~Once in a Full Moon by Ellen Screiber

If you want to watch my vlog of the TBB or find out more about it go here.

I also got some swag but forgot to take a picture of it. I'll try and remember to add it to the next IMM post. What did you all get in your mailboxes?

An Unearthly Adventure

2012-01-27T09:00:00.001-06:00

I was recently introduced to the Unearthly series by Cynthia Hand and quickly feel in love with it. So when I found out that Cynthia Hand was going to be doing a signing in Idaho I knew I had to make the drive from Utah to meet her.

As the day drew closer, I made plans to meet up with fellow bloggers Ashley and Emily (from ID). I selected an audio book for the 3 hour drive each way and printed out directions to find the bookstore. I was very excited about the trip until the day before. The weather forecast wasn’t looking so good. It was calling for rain and possibly snow. That wasn’t a good sign and then Ashley told me she probably wasn’t going to be able to make it. I was starting to get nervous that this trip wasn’t going to work out.

Saturday morning I woke up bright and early and checked my weather app. It was raining in UT but I didn’t see snow forecasted for ID so I figured I could handle a bit of rain. I got dressed, grabbed my books to be signed, my audio book and hit the road. It was a rainy drive through most of UT and I even hit a little snow in ID but once I got close to Pocatello it was smooth sailing the rest of the way to Idaho Falls.

It was my first time in Idaho Falls but I found the Grand Teton Mall with no problem. It was so cool to see the mall described just like in Unearthly. The signing was in the Barnes & Noble (that is indeed in the mall). I could easily picture the exact place where Clara saw the dark stranger standing near the B&N.

Anyway after arriving I parked and met up with Emily in the store. We both arrived early enough to get our wristbands and get low numbers for the line (she was #3 and I was #4). We killed a bit of time talking and discussing books which is always fun. Then they announced over the loud speaker that Cynthia was ready to sign and wristbands 1-5 could come and meet her.

It was so fun to see Cynthia in person and she was very nice. We chatted a bit with her as she signed all our books. We discussed the different foreign covers (since I brought my UK copy of Unearthly), my drive from Utah, how much I adore Tucker and how there needs to be MUCH more of him in book 3. She assured me that no one loves Tucker more than she does. She was gracious enough to take photos with Emily and me and then we were all done. Emily and I said our good-byes because she had a wedding to get to. I was so glad I got the opportunity to meet her in person and will hopefully get a chance to meet Ashley as well. I ended up walking around the mall for a little while after and on my way out I noticed that her line had definitely grown. I hope it was a successful signing for her.

I decided to make my way back home since the sky was pretty gray and I didn’t want to push my luck with Mother Nature. I wish I could have gotten a picture of the Tetons to share with you but the clouds were hiding their majestic beauty. I’m glad I left when I did because the closer I got to Utah the uglier the sky got. I started seeing signs that I-15 at the UT border was closed and started getting really nervous. Sure enough, I started receiving text messages from friends saying the weather was nasty at home and to drive careful. Once I reached Utah it was a slow drive home. It was snowing pretty good and the roads were wet and a bit slick. I just loved the trucks that flew by spraying slush all over my windshield and making the drive even scarier. However I made it home just in time before the worst of the storm. I de-stressed with my fuzzy socks, my book and a glass of wine. I earned it!

Well that was my adventure to Idaho. Two signed books, pictures with Cynthia Hand, a completed audio book and a fun story to tell. The things we book lovers do! Team Tucker 4 Ever!

The Traveling Book Box 2.0

2012-01-26T10:30:00.000-06:00

A while back I signed up for the Traveling Book Box hosted by Erika of Moonlight Book Reviews and then was super disappointed when the box went missing. After a lot of hard work on Erica's part to put another box and tour together I finally received it this week. I was only the 2nd person on the tour and couldn't wait to peek inside.

While I can't tell you all the books that were in there, I can show you what I took out. It was a lot, LOL! I'll also show you half of what I put in and the other bks we'll be a surprise for whoever gets the box next. :)

If your interested in being participating in the Traveling Book Box head on over to Erika's blog for more info.

Adapt Me: The Sky is Everywhere

2012-01-25T09:30:00.000-06:00

Actress Selena Gomez may have signed on to be in Thirteen Reasons Why, but that certainly hasn't stopped her or her production company July Moon from optioning the Jandy Nelson novel The Sky Is Everywhere. Gomez will help develop the book for the screen with herself in the leading role. She will play 17-year old Lennie Walker, a bookworm who plays clarinet and lives in the shadow of her older sister, Bailey. When Bailey dies suddenly, Lennie is left to take center stage while balanceing her sister’s grieving boyfriend and a musician from Paris.

No word yet on a production start date or other casting news. It also isn't clear how this will effect her involvement with Thirteen Reason Why, which I first posted about here. If I hear any more news about either project I will be sure to share it.

In the meantime, what's your reaction to this news? Happy? Disappointed? Feel free to share your thoughts below.

Nifty Nook Deals #2

2012-01-24T10:00:00.000-06:00

The first time I did this post it was a huge success, so I'm back to do it again. Thanks to everyone who showed their support since I wasn't sure how many people would find it helpful. Hope you all find some books to fill your reading appetite. :D

Free Nook Books:

~The Emerald Talisman by Brenda Pandos

On Sale For $0.99

~Angelfall by Susan Ee
~Glimpse by Stacey Wallace Benefiel

~Cloaked by Alex Flinn
~Lily's Ghosts by Laura Ruby

On Sale $1.99-$2.49

~Sins of a Wicked Duke by Sophie Jordan
~The Lost Duke of Wyndham by Julia Quinn

~My Fair Godmother by Janette Rallison
~Dirty Little Secrets by C.J. Omololu

~The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner
~The Last Apprentice: #1 Revenge of the Witch by Joseph Delaney

On Sale For $2.50-$2.99

~June of Rock by Elisa Ludwig

~The A Circuit by Georgina Bloomberg & Catherine Hapka
~Ophelia by Lisa Klein
~Faerie Wars by Herbie Brennan

~Ten Cents a Dance by Christine Fletcher
~Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
~Destined by Allison Kraft

~Mesmerized by Julia Crane & Talia Jager
~Becoming by Raine Thomas
~Surfacing by Shana Norris

On Sale For $3.99-$4.99

~Shadowland (Mediator Series #1) by Meg Cabot
~Living Violet by Jaime Reed

~The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
~Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally
~War Horse by Michael Morpurgo

~Touch of Frost by Jennifer Estep
~Kiss of Frost by Jennifer Estep
~Graceling by Kristin Cashore

~Crave by Melissa Darnell
~The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima
~Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

~The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley
~Storm Born by Richelle Mead
~The Darkest Night by Gena Showalter

-There are currently a ton of adult & YA books on sale for the NOOK at $4.99, way to many to list here. Head over to B&N if you want to check out the rest.

Please leave a comment if you'd like me to do more of these Nook Deal posts. They take quite a bit of time but if you all like them then I will keep posting them.

Happy Reading Everyone!!!

Mini Reviews: The Statistical Probability of Love at First & The Reapers are the Angels

2012-01-23T09:45:00.000-06:00

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

Finished Copy provided by Little Brown for Review

I was looking for a light/easy book that I could just snuggle up with and quickly read on the weekend. This book was that and more.

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight takes place in just 24 short hours. That concept drew me in right away. I was intrigued to see how the author was going to tell the story and make me care about the characters in such a short time span. Well let me just tell you, that she succeeded.

Hadley and Oliver are both very relatable characters. They are both dealing with some tough issues in their life but I thought the author handled it in such a clever way. I enjoyed how the story unfolded and how we learned the information a bit at a time. From the moment these two meet, how can you not root for them? Oh and I’m a sucker for a guy with an accent.

This book is full of interesting twists and turns, characters that are likable, and family issues and emotions that are important to address.

If you are looking for a cute love story that will have you smiling throughout the book, then I HIGHLY recommend The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight. Simply put, sometimes you just need to read a book that makes you happy. This was it for me!

Rating~

The Reapers are the Angels by Alden Bell

Borrowed from the Library

I thought The Reapers are the Angels was an interesting read. I chose this book for an Alex awards challenge I signed up for. It was written for adults but has elements that will appeal to a mature teen audience as well.

Zombies have infested a fallen America but it is so much more than just a zombie book. Set in the South, it has western elements along with some stereotypical Southern characters. There is horror and violence but it is certainly more character driven. At 15 years old, the main character Temple (who only knows the world since the zombie infestation) definitely has a strong and unique voice. She really draws you into the story. She meets lots of strange characters on her journey that impact her and definitely leave their mark.

The story raises some interesting questions and will most certainly leave you thinking. The ending was a surprise for me which was a good and a bad thing.

The Reapers are the Angels is not your typical run of the mill zombie book. So if you are looking for something different within the genre I would recommend this book. *Cowboy hat not required*

Rating~

Carrie's In My Mailbox #17

2012-01-21T19:50:00.000-06:00

Hi all, Carrie here. Just wanted to share with ya'll what I got in my mailbox this time. All books shown are ones I bought or received between Jan 8th - 21st.

For Review:

The Rebel Wife by Taylor M. Polites
(thanks Simon & Schuster)

Gifted:

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
(thanks @jderucki)

Bought:

Cinder by Marissa Meyer (signed)

Borrowed (from the library)

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

Well that's it for me. What did you get in your mailbox?

Author Interview w/ Miranda Kenneally

2012-01-21T10:00:00.000-06:00

Miranda Kenneally is the author of CATCHING JORDAN, a contemporary YA novel about football and femininity, coming in December 2011. Other books include STEALING PARKER (fall 2012) and BAD, BAD THING (spring 2013). Miranda is the co-creator of Dear Teen Me. The Dear Teen Me Anthology will be published by Zest Books (distributed by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) in late 2012. She enjoys reading and writing young adult literature, and loves Star Trek, music, sports, Mexican food, Twitter, coffee, and her husband. Follow her on Twitter or Facebook. Miranda is represented by Sara Megibow at Nelson Literary Agency.

Q&A:
STB: Your main character Jordan learns a lot of things about herself throughout the book. What's one thing you learned about yourself while writing it?

MK: I learned that I should write the book I want to read, not necessarily what readers want to read. I put everything into Catching Jordan and I was so excited when other people loved it like I did. So I guess I learned to trust my instincts.

STB: Why did you choose to set Catching Jordan in Tennessee? I know it’s your home state but is there any other reason? Do you think you'll continue to set your novels in the south?

MK: I set Catching Jordan in Tennessee because I grew up there, and it's what I know. And it's a beautiful place with lots of culture and personality. I imagine most of my books will take place in the South, although I've played around with some stories set in Boston, New York, and Washington, D.C. We'll see, I guess!

STB: What made you decide to incorporate sports so heavily into the plot of your novels? Are you an athlete or sports junkie?

MK: I know quite a bit about sports, even though I'm one of the worst athletes on the planet. For real. Again, I think it goes back to writing what I know. I know sports, I know Tennessee - so I write about them.

STB: What can you tease about your second book Stealing Parker, which is a companion to Catching Jordan? What other projects are you working on?

MK: Stealing Parker is about a girl named Parker, who used to play softball. After an incident, she quit the team and now doesn't know who she is anymore and doesn't trust many people. But then she meets the new coach of the baseball team. He's 23, but he seems to understand Parker when most other people don't... I'm also working on a third novel, a companion to both Catching Jordan and Stealing Parker. I have no idea what it's called, so I'm calling it BAD BAD THING for now. It's about a devout Christian girl who helps her best friend to get an abortion, and it makes her go wonky and question everything she knows. It's set at a camp and there is a very cute boy there! It's supposed to come out in 2013. I also just finished editing an anthology called Dear Teen Me, in which authors write letters to their teen selves.

STB: What was the last YA book you read and which are you dying to read?

MK: The last YA book I read was UNDER THE NEVER SKY, by my friend, Veronica Rossi. I loved it! The next book I'm planning to read is BITTERBLUE by Kristin Cashore and I can't wait.

STB: What's your favorite thing to do when you’re not reading or writing?

MK: Eating Mexican food.

STB: If I were to give you a free plane ticket to anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?

MK: Probably Australia, so I could go to the Outback and Great Barrier Reef. Also, I would probably stalk Melina Marchetta.

We want to thank Miranda so much for stopping by our blog and taking the time to answer our questions. We really appreciate it and hope all of you enjoyed reading the interview.

Follow Miranda on Twitter: @MirandaKennealy

Read Shannon's review of Catching Jordan

Or you can buy Catching Jordan from:

Amazon/ B&N/ Book Depository

TGIF (4) - Recommend It

2012-01-19T23:00:00.000-06:00

So its Friday which means its time for another TGIF hosted by GReads.

This Week's TGIF Question –

Which book from the last 10 you've read would you recommend to a friend?

Shannon's Answer:

This question is nearly impossible because I've read so many good book lately. For contemporary I loved Catching Jordan and then with paranormal I loved The Space Between. However, If I absolutely had to choose just one, then I would say Cinder by Marissa Meyer. I haven't posted my review yet, look for it next week, but this book just blew me away. The world Marissa Meyer created is vast and easy to imagine. Her writing is beautiful, her characters feel real and there wasn't a single moment where I doubted what I was reading. If you've never attempted reading a Sci-Fi novel before then I think Cinder is a great starting off point. Honestly, I really wish I had the second book to read right now!

Carrie's Answer:

I don’t know which book to pick. I loved Unearthly and Brightest Kind of Darkness in the paranormal genre and Saving Francesca & Paper Towns from the contemporary genre. I think I’m going to go with The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith though. I think it is a story that will appeal to a wide range of readers. Plus it’s just one of those books that will make you smile. Everyone needs a book like that once in awhile, I know I do. Happy reading!

Adapt Me: The Carrie Diaries

2012-01-19T13:30:00.000-06:00

Yesterday the CW network ordered a pilot version of The Carrie Diaries, from Warner Bros TV. The novel chronicles Carrie Bradshaw’s coming of age in the 1980s when she began to ask her first questions about love, sex, friendship and family while exploring the worlds of high school and Manhattan. Amy Harris (Gossip Girl) wrote the script and is executive producing with Bushnell as well as Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage.

Just because a show gets a pilot made doesn't mean it will actually go to series, but if it does, who would you like to see play the young Carrie and company? If you've read the book or watch the original show its based on (Sex and the City) does this news have you all excited?

As always I will keep you up to date on any casting or production developments that heads my way. Thanks to deadline hollywood for the scoop.

Review: Catching Jordan

2012-01-16T13:45:00.000-06:00

Need To Know Info:

Title: Catching Jordan
Author: Miranda Kenneally
Format: Paperback, 281 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Release Date: December 1st, 2011

Received E-ARC for review from Publisher

Synopsis from Goodreads
What girl doesn't want to be surrounded by gorgeous jocks day in and day out? Jordan Woods isn't just surrounded by hot guys, though - she leads them as the captain and quarterback on her high school football team. They all see her as one of the guys, and that's just fine. As long as she gets her athletic scholarship to a powerhouse university. But now there's a new guy in town who threatens her starring position on the team... and has her suddenly wishing to be seen as more than just a teammate.

Shannon's Review:
Catching Jordan was everything I wanted a YA sports book to be because it wasn't really about the sport (in this case Football) but the people who played it.

I loved the character of Jordan so much! She's a smart, funny tomboy who's completely comfortable in her own skin. Caring about her and her future in football was easy because she's not only an amazing player, but a dedicated athlete who trains just as hard as the boys. It would be easy to dismiss the believability of a female quarterback playing in high school, but I love that author Miranda Kenneally handle this topic as though it weren't. Jordan just simply is the best quarterback in her state.

Jordan's awkwardness towards Ty is really cute. She kind of mentally falls apart whenever he's around. Its important to her that Ty know how seriously she takes football but not have him see her as just another member of the team. What Jordan doesn't know is that Ty's has his own set of problems, ones which having him thinking about a lot more then football.

The friendship that Jordan shares with Henry, JJ, and Carter was wonderful and extremely believable. These guys were not only amazing teammates, supporting Jordan's decisions on the field, but her best friends off the field. I found it especially amusing when they tried to give Jordan romantic advice or threatened to beat people up for her. LOL. Of the trio, Henry is the clear stand out. Always being the first to crack a joke, cheer Jordan up or stick up for her. Seriously I love that boy!

Jordan's strained relationship with her dad was something I wasn't expecting. Jordan's dad is a pro football player who doesn't want his daughter playing. The fact that he continually supports her older brother Mike, who's also a quarterback, further complicates things. There were often times when I could understand her dad's concern or point of view, but it still broke my heart for Jordan since all she really wants is her dad's acceptance.

Catching Jordan is about so much more then the synopsis would have you believe. Yes, its about a girl who develops a crush on her teammate, but its also about first loves, friendship, family and how far one is willing to go to chase down their dreams. Best of all you don't have to know a thing about football to enjoy it.

If you ever watched and loved the NBC show Friday Night Lights then you must read Catching Jordan! If you haven't, well then I advise you to do both! This contemporary novel easily passed all of my expectations making it a perfect touchdown! The characters are real, the situations are honest and there's no shortage of humor or heart.

Rating~

Shannon's In My Mailbox #38

2012-01-14T20:00:00.000-06:00

I really wanted to post a IMM vlog today but it just didn't happen. I promise to try and record one soon since I haven't made one in so long. All books shown are ones I bought between Jan 1st-14th.

In My Mailbox is a meme created by Kristi @ The Story Siren, it's purpose is to encourage blogger interaction, as well as highlight books for our readers. IMM is not only for books you have received through the mail, but also library, borrowed and bought books.

Bought:

~You Against Me by Jenny Downham

~The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

~Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler

~The Alchemy of Forever by Avery Williams

~Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

So that's everything I got over the pass 2 weeks. Thanks to Barnes & Noble's for their AWESOME 50% off Teen Books coupon since that's how I bought and saved on all these books. I pre-ordered a few too but I'll show those off as I get them.

What did you all get in your mailboxes?

Release Me (Cover Reveals) #11

2012-01-13T14:00:00.000-06:00

~Otherkin by Nina Berry
RD: July 31st, 2012 from Kensington Teen

~Vessel by Sarah Beth Durst
RD: September 11th, 2012 from Margaret K. McElderry Books

~Unbreak My Heart by Melissa Walker

RD: May 22nd, 2012 from Bloomsbury Childrens

~While He Was Away by Karne Schreck
RD: May 1st, 2012 from Sourcebooks Fire

~Wentworth Hall by Abby Grahame
RD: May 1st, 2012 from Simon & Schuster BFYR

~Transcendence by C.J. Omololu
RD: June 5th, 2012 from Walker Childrens
(New/Updated Cover, title originally had a different cover)

~Dark Destiny (Dark Mirror #3)by M.J. Putney
RD: July 3rd, 2012 from St. Martin's Griffin

~Spark (Sky Chasers #2) by Amy Kathleen Ryan
RD: July 12th, 2012 from St. Martin's Griffin

~Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult & Samantha Van Leer
RD: June 26th, 2012 from Simon Pulse

~The Whispering House by Rebecca Wade

RD: May 22nd, 2012 from HarperCollins Children's Books

~Rage Within (Dark Inside #2) by Jeyn Roberts
RD: September 4th, 2012 from Simon & Schuster BFYR

~The Unnaturalists by Tiffany Trent
RD: August 14th, 2012 from Simon & Schuster BFYR

~Stealing Parker by Miranda Kenneally
RD: October 2012 from Sourcebooks Fire

~Seraphina (US Cover) by Rachel Hartman
RD: May 8th, 2012 from Random House BFYR

~Kill Me Softly by Sarah Cross
RD: April 10th, 2012 from Egmont USA

Had you already seen or heard about these books? Which covers do you like best? Which ones have you the most excited? Sound off below!

TGIF (3) - 2012 Must Reads

2012-01-13T00:01:00.000-06:00

So its been about 6 months since Carrie and I did a TGIF hosted by GReads, which is CRAZINESS because we really love participating.

This Week's TGIF Question –

2012 Must Reads: Which books are at the top of your list to be read this year (new or old releases)?

Even though GReads said we could pick either new or old releases, we've both decided to only pick new ones.

Shannon's Must Reads

1. In Honor by Jessi Kirby
I really enjoyed Jessi's debut novel Moonglass and this novel sounds like it will pack an equally emotional punch. Plus I'm a such a sucker for contemps and this is at the top of my Must Read contemps list.

2. Stealing Parker by Miranda Kenneally
I just finished Catching Jordan not to long ago and I loved it so much! I can tell you I'm absolutely desperate to get my hands on another one of Miranda's books. The fact that Stealing Parker is a companion to Catching Jordan is just icing on the already awesome cake.

3. Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen
So any novel that takes the Robin Hood legend and flips it on its head is already pretty cool in my book. Its also kind of historical which makes it a nice departure from all the contemp and paranormal books I read.

4. The Vicious Deep by Zoraida Cordova
Evil mermaids...check! Hot Merman...check! Greek Mythology...check! An awesome author who has been amazing to me and this blog...check! I can not wait to read this book. I just wish I had it to read right now, LOL!

On Both Our Must Read Lists

1. GILT by Katherine Longshore
We both enjoy historical fiction and this one definitely sounds like a must read. You had us at Tudors, LOL. A soon to be guilty pleasure, we're sure.

2. Insurgent by Veronica Roth
Honestly is there anyone who read Divergent that doesn't want to read this one? Yeah, we don't think so and we're super jealous of anyone who's already had the chance to read it.

Carrie's Must Reads

1. Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness
I have been anxiously awaiting the sequel to A Discovery of Witches. I can't wait to see what will happen next for Diana and Matthew. I have a feeling they may get more than they bargain for on their timewalk.

2. Rage Within by Jeyn Roberts
Dark Inside was a surprise for me. I bought it on a whim because the premise sounded really good (albeit a bit out of my comfort zone). Once I started it, I couldn't put it down. The ending left me wondering if there would be another one and to my delight there is. Can't wait for September!

3. The Savage Grace by Bree Despain
The third and final installment in The Dark Divine series. Can't wait to see how things are going to turn out for Grace and Daniel!

4. A Want So Wicked by Suzanne Young

I won A Need So Beautiful from Loretta at Between the Pages and we quickly bonded over our love for it and became book buddies. I foresee lots more bonding, gushing and texting over the next installment in the series.

What books make up your 2012 Must Read List?

Carrie's Mini Reviews: Rules of Civility & Exiled

2012-01-12T10:00:00.000-06:00

Rules of Civility by Amor Towles

A thoroughly engaging historical fiction novel set in the 30's. I fell in love with the atmosphere and the characters in this book. How can you not? Jazz, night clubs, trust fund kids, immigrants and artists. New York City is teeming with strangers from all walks of life; each person with their own unique wants and needs. However, the person is truly defined by which desire they choose to pursue.

This book is definitely character driven. Amor doesn't disappoint, each of his characters are well defined and thought out. The main character Katey Kontent has such a great voice and has many memorable quotes throughout the book. As someone who commutes to work on the train, I personally found this quote to be quite accurate. “It is a lovely oddity of human nature that a person is more inclined to interrupt two people in conversation than one person alone with a book.”

I also enjoyed that the author used Walker Evans' photography collection Many Are Called as a backdrop for the book. As an amateur photographer myself I enjoyed seeing the photographs and the moment in time that was captured by the snapshot. Who was this person, what did they do, where were they going?

Rules of Civility is a fascinating, well written and researched historical fiction novel. It is witty, moving and profoundly deep. My hat is off to Amor Towles for this gem. It's hard to believe this is his first book. I look forward to more from him.

Rating~

Exiled by M.R. Merrick

This is a hard review for me to write since it seems like I’m the only one that didn’t love this book but I’m just going to be honest and let you know what didn’t work for me.

I thought the premise of the book sounded interesting and so many people seemed to love it so I thought I would give it a go. The book starts off with its foot on the accelerator and doesn’t slow down. It is very fast paced with non-stop action but I wanted more from the characters as far as development and back-story. For me personally, there was just too much non-stop violence and not enough character building. I felt like I didn't have time to really develop a relationship with these characters. I think Chase and Rayna could have been great if they were given more time to develop. From the start, they were thrown from one action scene to the next so I never really got the chance to start caring about them. Also there were quite a lot of spelling errors. I tried to overlook them but after awhile it was hard not to notice. I only bring it up because it seemed to pull me out of the story.

I honestly think this book just wasn’t for me. I read a LOT of paranormal books but I tend to be drawn to the characters and the story while the action is just icing. This book was too much icing and not enough substance for me. Maybe I need to give paranormal books a break for a bit. I think I’m getting a bit burnt out on the genre.

These are just my feelings and my opinion. I am definitely in the minority it seems on this book. If you enjoy books with demons, vampires, snarky banter and characters that kick lots of ass then this is probably the book for you. However, if you are looking for a more character driven story than I wouldn’t recommend this one. Just my two cents for what it’s worth.

Rating~

"Waiting On" Wednesday #40

2012-01-10T22:00:00.003-06:00

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

What I'm "Waiting On" this week...

Shannon's Pick~

WAITING by Carol Lynch Williams
Release Date: May 1st, 2012 from Simon & Schuster

Synopsis from Goodreads
Growing up in Africa and Latin America as the children of missionaries, London and Zach were as close as could be. And then Zach dies, and the family is gutted. London’s father is distant. Her mother won’t speak. The days are filled with what-ifs and whispers: Did Zach take his own life? Was it London’s fault?

Alone and adrift, London finds herself torn between her brother’s best friend and the handsome new boy in town as she struggles to find herself—and ultimately redemption.

Here's something I'm sure many of you didn't know about my sister and I, our brother died when I was 18 and my sister was newly married. There are many reasons I don't usually share this information, Carrie is much more open about it then I am, but I'm sharing it now because I want you to know just how much this novel will probably effect me. It's also because of that reason that I can't wait to read it. Books that deal with the loss of a family member are always deeply personal for me and it's because I've been through something so similar that I choose to keep reading them. I can relate to the characters in a way many people can't and although it makes these kinds of novels hard to read, its also incredibly therapeutic.

Carrie's Pick~

THE WICKED AND THE JUST by J. Anderson Coats
Release Date: April 17th, 2012 from Harcourt Children's Books

Synopsis from Goodreads
Cecily longs to return to her beloved Edgeley Hall, where her father was lord of the manor. But now he has completely ruined her life. He is moving them to Caernarvon, in occupied Wales, where he can get a place for almost nothing, since the king needs good strong Englishmen to keep down the vicious Welshmen. At least Cecily will get to be the lady of the house at last—if all goes well.

Gwenhwyfar knows all about that house. Once she dreamed of being the lady there herself, until the English came and destroyed the lives of everyone she knows. Now Gwenhwyfar must wait hand and foot on this bratty English girl who has taken what should have been hers.

While Cecily struggles to find her place amongst the snobby English landowners, Gwenhwyfar struggles just to survive. And meanwhile the Welsh are not as conquered as they seem. Outside the city walls of Caernarvon, tensions are rising ever higher—until finally they must reach the breaking point.

My favorite genre has always been historical fiction. It seems however that since I decided to help Shannon with the blog last year I have pushed historical fiction to the back burner in favor of the over abundance of YA paranormal books. I have vowed this year to get back to my roots and make historical fiction a priority again. The Wicked and the Just sounds like just what I need to get 2012 off to a great start. Medieval Britain…here I come!

What are you all "Waiting On"?

Review: The Queen of Kentucky

2012-01-09T14:00:00.000-06:00

Need to Know Info:

Title: The Queen of Kentucky
Author: Alecia Whitaker
Format: Hardcover, 375 pages
Publisher: Poppy
Release Date: January 2nd, 2012

ARC Received from Publisher for Review

Synopsis from Goodreads
Fourteen-year-old Kentucky girl Ricki Jo Winstead, who would prefer to be called Ericka, thank you very much, is eager to shed her farmer's daughter roots and become part of the popular crowd at her small town high school. She trades her Bible for Seventeen magazine, buys new "sophisticated" clothes and somehow manages to secure a tenuous spot at the cool kids table. She's on top of the world, even though her best friend and the boy next door Luke says he misses "plain old Ricki Jo."

Caught between being a country girl and wannabe country club girl, Ricki Jo begins to forget who she truly is: someone who doesn't care what people think and who wouldn't let a good-looking guy walk all over her. It takes a serious incident out on Luke's farm for Ricki Jo to realize that being a true friend is more important than being popular.

Shannon's Review:
The Queen of Kentucky is a charming coming-of-age contemporary with a spunky main character you'll love to root for.

I really liked Ricki Jo, her voice is authentic for her age and funny. She's someone who wants to stay true to herself but also make new friends and fit in, which isn't the easiest combination for her. Even though she doesn't always make the right choices, she does tries to learn from them. She's very resilient, which is great for someone her age and means she's quick to bounce back when she's down. I also adore how much Ricki Jo's family means to her, even when she thinks they're uncool.

The friendship between Ricki Jo and Luke was lovely. I mean what fourteen year old girl wouldn't love a friend like Luke? He's loyal, honest, hard working and always there when you need someone to listen. Plus his quiet demeanor and serious nature help bring out a more mature side to Ricki Jo.

While none of the supporting characters were all that original in the personality department, they're well written and felt real. They're the kinds of characters you either love, or love to hate. I just wish we could've gotten more character development from Mackenzie (the other new girl) and Wolf (freshman bad boy) since its hinted that they're much deeper then the story allows.

At 375 pages I felt the novel was a little on the long side, while the pacing isn't slow I felt that a few parts did drag. The small Kentucky town setting fits the story perfectly and adds lots of atmosphere to a storyline that could have felt cliche, but instead feels just right.

While it doesn't break any new ground, The Queen of Kentucky is an absolute treat and a delightful debut. I look forward to reading more from author Alecia Whitaker and hope she continues to write about her deep southern roots because its a style and voice that suit her well.

Rating~

Carrie's In My Mailbox #16

2012-01-07T23:00:00.002-06:00

Hi all, it's my first in my mailbox post of 2012. All books shown are ones I bought or received between December 26th - Jan 7th.

In My Mailbox is a meme created by Kristi@ The Story Siren, its purpose is to encourage blogger interaction, as well as highlight books for our readers. IMM is not only for books you have received through the mail, but also library, borrowed, and bought books.

For Review:
The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
Thanks to Poppy & Little Brown

Gifted:
Hallowed by Cynthia Hand (ARC)
BIG thanks to Lori @ Pure Imagination

The Lost Crown by Sarah Miller
Thanks Mom!

Bought:
Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta

Bought for my Nook:
The Piper's Son by Melina Marchetta
Angelfall by Susan Ee
The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley
Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr

Borrowed (from the library):
will grayson, will grayson by John Green & David Levithan
Blink & Caution by Tim Wynne-Jones

Well that's it for me. What did you get in your mailbox?

Review: Brightest Kind of Darkness

2012-01-07T09:30:00.000-06:00

Need to Know Info:

Title: Brightest Kind of Darkness
Author: P.T. Michelle
Release Date: June 27th, 2011
Publisher: self-pub
Format: ebook

Available in Paperback? Yes, through Amazon

Carrie's Review
I don’t know how to write this review. I keep typing and then erasing it. P.T. Michelle has created a story that has left me speechless.

I don’t think I was prepared for how much I was going to love this book. I was expecting to like it based on the feedback I received from a few trusted bloggers but I had no idea it would consume my whole day. I was glad I decided to start it on the last day of my Christmas vacation because once I started I knew I wasn’t leaving the couch any time soon.

What sucked me in, you may ask. Well let me tell ya. First of all, the cover is gorgeous. I try not to judge a book by its cover but this cover had me from the beginning. Then once you open the book and start reading you realize the inside is as great as the outside.

P.T. Michelle certainly has a way with words and created characters that I at once felt comfortable with. It’s hard to explain but I just felt they were so believable. I didn’t find myself questioning their motives or objectives; I just enjoyed learning and growing with them. Nara was such a strong female character. She has this amazing ability that at times can make it tough being a normal teenager and have normal teenage experiences but she takes it in stride and does what she needs to do. For some reason the Spiderman quote "with great power comes great responsibility" keeps popping into my head right now. Anyway, Nara is the kind of character that is easy to fall in love with. As I mentioned before she is strong, but also fiercely loyal. She is definitely the kind of friend that is good to have in your corner. She hasn’t had a perfect life but those imperfections make her that much more interesting. Speaking of interesting, that brings me to Ethan. Ethan, yes please! He is the mysterious new kid with a bad reputation but don’t worry he is anything but predictable or cliché. If you know me, you will totally understand my love for Ethan. I’m a sucker for a hot guy with ink. Anyway back to the book, Nara and Ethan have this great chemistry between each other. They have a connection that ignites a spark from the beginning but like a spark, it needs the right conditions, kindling and timing before the spark will ignite into a flame. I thoroughly enjoyed the pacing of their relationship, no insta-love here. There were definitely moments when my heart was all a flutter. I love when characters can make my heart go all pitter-patter.

Now don’t get me wrong, there is more to this book than just strong characters and romance. There is also an interesting plot that will keep you on your toes. I am not one for spoilers so all I will say is that the plot was fast paced and engaging. There were many twists and turns to keep you guessing about what on earth might happen next. It took me on a dark but beautiful ride that captured my heart and my imagination. The ending answered some questions and tied up some things but also left me wanting more. I can’t wait to find out what is in store next for Nara and Ethan.

Well for someone that was speechless at the beginning I certainly seem to have found a few things to say. I hope this review was helpful and that it encourages you to pick it up. I know some people are leery of self-published books but you should give it a try. I promise you won’t be sorry!

I highly recommend Brightest Kind of Darkness for fans of YA paranormal and paranormal romance books.

Rating~

Author Interview w/ Alecia Whitaker

2012-01-06T10:00:00.000-06:00

Alecia Whitaker grew up with big dreams on a small farm in Kentucky, which was worlds away from where she currently lives in fast-paced New York City. She knows more about cows, tobacco, and carpentry than the average girl and uses her strong work ethic and southern upbringing to help navigates her career and family life in the big city.

Alecia graduated from the University of Kentucky with a BFA in Theatre and a BS in Advertising but has always been a writer. The Queen of Kentucky is her debut novel and proudest artistic accomplishment.

Q&A:

SBS: You grew up in a small Kentucky town just like your main character Ricki Jo, so how much of your own personality would you say is a part of her? Or is she based on someone you know?

AW: When I was growing up, my dad would stop at houses out in the country that he saw under construction. We would walk through their framework and try to guess which rooms were bedrooms, living rooms, bathrooms, etc. I think that The Queen of Kentucky is a lot like that in general, from the setting to the main character. Ricki Jo (Ericka) is spunky, sensitive, fun, and dreams big much like myself, but she's also her own person. I remember writing the book and giggling out loud as I typed. My husband would sometimes ask, "What's funny?" And I'd say, "This girl. This girl is something else." She puts it all out there and lives bolder than I ever did at her age.

STB: If there's only one thing your readers take away from The Queen of Kentucky, what would you want that to be?

AW: Give yourself a break. It's so easy to be hard on ourselves and I feel like we're all guilty of comparing ourselves to other people. But it really is okay to be yourself.

STB: Do you have plans to write more books set in the south and what are your currently working on?

AW: The book I'm working on now is set in Lexington, Kentucky. It's a bigger town than the one from The Queen of Kentucky and it's a place I know very well since I went to college there. And you know, I'm really proud of my home state and think that it is often portrayed poorly to the world. I'm always reading or hearing about southern stereotypes and shaking my head. I want to scream, "We wear shoes! We brush our teeth!" A good story can take place anywhere and if I can shine a nice light on Kentucky while I'm at it, then bonus!

STB: What's the last YA book you read and which one are you dying to read?

AW: I loved The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jen E. Smith. She and I are both with Poppy and release this Monday, January 2nd! I can't think of a better gal with whom to share a book birthday. And I've recently gotten to know Rebecca Serle a little bit and I love her positivity and encouraging attitude. I am dying to read her debut When You Were Mine.

STB. What are your favorite things to do when you're not reading or writing?

AW: I love going to the movies. I just sawYoung Adult over the break actually and thought it was so smart.

STB: If we gave you a free plane ticket to anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?

AW: Italy. My husband and I went for my 30th birthday and I've never felt more in love. I got so wrapped up in the history. It's crazy to see ancient ruins directly next to modern buildings. And to tell you the truth, it was nice to be disconnected from social media for a couple of weeks. I know it may seem silly to go back to a place I've been since you're giving me a free plane ticket and all (thanks for that, btw), but I guess it's like reading Gone With The Wind every year... It's something I know I love.

We want to thank Alecia so much for stopping by our blog and taking the time to answer our questions. We really appreciate it and hope all of you enjoyed reading the interview.

Follow Alecia on Twitter: @AleciaWhitaker

Buy The Queen of Kentucky from:

Amazon/ B&N

Available to buy from the Book Depository in Feb 2012

Coming January 9th: Shannon's review of The Queen of Kentucky!

Review: Shatter Me

2012-01-04T13:00:00.000-06:00

Need to Know Info:

Title: Shatter Me
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Format: Hardcover, 338 pages
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: November 15th, 2011

Synopsis from Goodreads
Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war-- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

Shannon's Review-
In the Fall of 2011 Shatter Me was the one book I couldn't escape. It seemed everyone was talking about it. I heard constant question like "Did you get an ARC?" "Have you read it yet?" "What did you think?"...and with this review, you'll finally get an answer to that last question.

From the start of the novel I knew I was going to enjoy reading Shatter Me. Juliette's voice is like no other narrative I've read before. She constantly repeats herself, says things to only take them back, and most of the time she's doing all of this in her own head. She barely even speaks for the first few chapters of the book. I love how Juliette's a little crazy, not because of an actual mental illness, but because her isolation has made her so. I'm in no way glad her character went through this horrible ordeal and was locked away but rather it made her more impulsive and unhinged. I never really knew what she was going to say or do.

I've heard Juliette compared to Rogue from the X-Men but its a poor comparison. Rogue chose to be bad before joining the X-Men, repeatedly using her abilities to harm and kill other mutants. While Juliette is adamant from day one that she doesn't want to harm anyone on purpose and refuses to have herself or ability be used as a weapon. So really the only thing the two characters have in common is their lack of physical human contact.

Adam, Oh Adam! What can I possible say about him that would do his character justice? Adam is loyal, brave and does nothing without a well prepared and thought out plan. He's incredibly selfless and would gladly die protecting those he loves before seeing any of them get hurt. Like Juliette, Adam is very, very patient and part of what makes them such a strong pair is their ability to watch and wait. Besides that, the natural chemistry between these two is pulse pounding and very HOT! I seriously couldn't get enough.

The pacing of the novel was a little uneven for me. I felt the first half was extremely intense and complex but felt the last half was rather slow. Part of my problem was that I enjoyed the character of Warner, the would be villain and he wasn't featured as heavily in the later half of the book. I say "would be villain" because I didn't necessarily root for Warner but strangely I didn't root against him either. I felt that many of the things he said to Juliette were true and got annoyed a few times with how easily she dismissed his views. I think Warner is a very misguided individual and I can't wait to find out more about him.

As for the ending...I wasn't a fan. It traveled way to far into X-MEN comic territory for me and not in a good way. Since I read a lot of X-Men comic as a kid the ending felt a little to familiar, like I'd read it all before because in a way I kind of had. I wanted so much more from the story and in a strange way it didn't seem to fit the rest of the novel. Having said that though I am curious to see where the storyline takes Juliette, Adam and Warner in book 2.

Shatter Me is a well written Dystopian debut with Paranormal elements and an intense plot. Although not as original as I was hoping, author Tahereh Mafi has certainly left quite an impression on me and her own stamp in the YA genre.

Rating~

Starting off 2012 with a little Indie love...

2012-01-03T21:54:00.005-06:00

Hi all,

Carrie here. Just wanted to pop in real quick and wish everyone a Happy New Year. Here's hoping 2012 is a fantastic year. I sure have enjoyed helping on the blog, reading lots of great books and making lots of new friendships during 2011. I'm sure 2012 will be even better!

Speaking of 2012, I wanted to start the year off with a little mini challenge for myself. I have a Nook Color and love adding new books to it all the time. Only problem is it seems that my Nook books get pushed to the side in favor of physical books, review books and etc. I also noticed that a lot of the books on my Nook are self published and/or by small independent publishers. Therefore I thought I would set aside the month of January to read the self published/indie books on my Nook.

Here are some of the books I am hoping to tackle this month:

Angelfall by Susan Ee

Destined by Jessie Harrell

Solstice by P.J. Hoover

Brightest Kind of Darkness By P.T. Michelle

Exiled by M.R. Merrick

The Forest of Adventures by Katie M. John

I am kicking off my January reading list with Brightest Kind of Darkness by P.T. Michelle. So far I am loving it and it is living up to all the hype. Why did I wait so long to read it? Anyway, I'm excited to dig into all these great books and give a shout out to all these great authors.

How are you kicking off 2012?

What's Going On - January Book Events

2012-01-02T09:00:00.000-06:00

We at Stalking the Bookshelves, thought it would be nice to keep our readers in the know by listing some fun book events happening each month in our local areas (Tennessee/Kentucky & Utah). If you live anywhere near by, be sure to go out and support these great authors & events!

TENNESSEE EVENTS

None That I Know Of

KENTUCKY EVENTS

Alecia Whitaker - The Queen of Kentucky
January 13th - Carmichael's Bookstore, Louisville @ 7:00pm

January 14th - Joseph-Beth Bookstore, Lexington @ 6:00pm
January 15th - Joseph-Beth Bookstore, Crestview Hills @ 2:00pm
January 17th - Cynthiana Public Library, Cynthiana @ 4:30pm

Erin Morgenstern - The Night Circus
January 24th - Joseph-Beth Bookstore, Crestview Hills @ 7:00pm
January 25th - Joseph-Beth Bookstore, Lexington @ 7:00pm

UTAH EVENTS (Salt Lake City & Surrounding Areas)

Marissa Meyer - Cinder
January 11th - King's English, SLC @ 7:00pm

January 12th - Author Event: Provo City Library @ 7:00 pm

Melissa Lemon - Cinder and Ella

January 14th - Barnes & Noble, Layton @ 6:00pm

Brodi Ashton - Everneath

January 24th - King's English, SLC @ 7:00pm

James Dashner - The Death Cure
January 24th- Jordan Landing Barnes & Noble, West Jordan @ 7:00 pm

If you live in either Tennessee, Kentucky or Utah and are heading to any of these events, please leave a comment and let us know. Maybe one of us will even see you there!

Shannon's In My Mailbox #37 the Holiday Edition

2012-01-01T12:25:00.000-06:00

Hope everybody had a Happy Holiday and a fun New Year! All books shown are ones I either bought or received between Dec 18th-31st.

FOR REVIEW:

~Dark Eyes by William Richter

~The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

(Thanks to LibraryThing, Razorbill & Little Brown for the review copies)

GIFTED:

From the Awesome Gilly-

~Rampant by Diana Peterfreund

~Impossible by Nancy Werlin

From my Super Cool Brother-In-Law-

~$25 Barnes & Noble Gift Card

Which I then used to buy e-copies of these books for my NOOK!

~Breathless by Jessica Warman ($5.03)

~The Musician's Daughter by Susanne Dunlap ($2.51)

~Ten Cents a Dance by Christine Fletcher ($2.51)

~The Death Catchers by Jennifer Anne Kogler ($2.51)

~Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr ($1.99)

~Stupid Fast by Geoff Herbach ($1.99)

BOUGHT:

~Ten Things We Didn't (and Probably Shouldn't Have) by Sarah Mlynowski ($0.99)

~Entwined by Heather Dixon ($0.99)

~Intrinsical by Lani Woodland ($2.99)

FREE NOOK BOOKS:

~Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

~The Emerald Talisman by Brenda Pandos

~The Soulkeepers by G.P. Ching

Now that you've all seen my very full mailbox from the last 2 weeks, I'm dying to know what you all got in your mailboxes over the holidays. Thankfully most of mine were e-books so they aren't taking up anymore room on my already over stuffed bookcases, LOL! How are all your bookshelves looking now that the holidays are over?

Release Me (Cover Reveals) #10

2011-12-29T09:00:00.005-06:00

Our Release Me cover posts focus on upcoming novels that have recently had their covers revealed. Hopefully this post will help you get excited about these books & maybe you'll even discover a few tyou hadn't heard of before. All links go to goodreads so you can find out more about these titles and easily add them to your "to-read" pile.

~Breathing Room by Marsha Hayles

RD: June 5th, 2012 from Henry Holt & Company

~Ordinary Magic by Caitlen Rubino-Bradway

RD: May 8th, 2012 from Bloomsbury

~Transcendence by C.J. Omololu

RD: June 5th, 2012 from Walker Childrens

~Fair Coin by E.C. Myers

RD: March 27th, 2012 from Pyr

~Smashed by Lisa Luedeke

RD: August 21st, 2012 from Margaret K. McElderry Books

~Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama

RD: August 21st, 2012 from Farrar, Straus and Giroux BFYR

~Before You Go by James Preller

RD: July 17th, 2012 from Feiwel & Friends

~Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne

RD: June 5th, 2012 from Feiwel & Friends

~Divine Intervention by Martha Brockenbrough

RD: June 1st, 2012 from Arthur A. Levine Books

~A World Away by Nancy Grossman

RD: July 17th, 2012 from Disney Hyperion

Had you already seen or heard about these books? Which covers do you like best? Which ones have you the most excited? Sound off below!

Review: Everneath

2011-12-28T09:30:00.006-06:00

Need To Know Info:

Title: Everneath
Author: Brodi Ashton
Format: Hardcover, 384 pages
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Release Date: January 24th, 2012

ARC received from HarperCollins for Review

Carrie's Review:

Everneath is an enjoyable romp into the world of mythology. Brodi Ashton takes an old myth and breathes new life into it.

Everneath is the story of Nikki Beckett, who after making a deal with an attractive Everliving, soon finds herself trapped in the Everneath. However, Nikki holds on to an image that eventually helps her escape her prison and returns to the surface. Unfortunately for Nikki you can't escape hell forever. There is always a price for making a deal with an Everliving.

I have always found Greek mythology so intriguing. When I heard about this book I knew I had to get my hands on a copy. Brodi uses the myth of Hades and Persephone as a fabulous backdrop for this modern story. I was of course familiar with Hades; the god of the Underworld; but I wasn't quite as familiar with Persephone's story. Brodi does a good job of weaving the basics of the myth into the story but it was fun to do some additional research on my own.

The mythology was definitely a big selling point for me but I have to say the characters are what sold me on this book. Nikki; the main character; is strong, loyal, loves deeply and fights for what matters most to her. She knows love but she also knows sorrow and loss. It is easy to see how the dark and seductive Cole can tempt her with an offer that seems too good to be true. Cole definitely has a dark side and selfish intentions, but there is something that lies beneath the surface that intrigued me. Then there is Jack, ah Jack. How can you not love Jack? Jack is the guy that all the girls would kill to be with but he only has eyes for Nikki. Even after they are separated, he won’t give up on their love. I have to say his vulnerability just added to his sex appeal. As you can tell, there is a bit of a love triangle happening in this book but it is done really well. There is a definite pull toward two of the characters while some outside feelings from other characters add an extra bit of tension and drama to the story. This love triangle worked and kept me flipping the pages.

Speaking of flipping pages, I really enjoyed the way the story was set up. We start the book in the present not really knowing what has happened and then Nikki slowly takes us back and forth unveiling the story in pieces. By the end, we have all the heartbreaking pieces and we are fully committed and invested in the characters outcomes. Oh and what an outcome it is. I had a feeling about something before it happened but I was still left with my mouth hanging open. Brodi, Brodi, Brodi…how can you do that to my heart? I am now breathlessly waiting for the next installment in the Everneath series.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Everneath. From the mythology, the characters, the setting (I am a sucker for books set in Utah), the pacing to the powerful ending, Brodi Ashton creates an original story that will hook you and pull you under into the Everneath.

Rating~

Nifty Nook Book Deals

2011-12-26T20:30:00.004-06:00

In the spirit of the holiday season I have decide to share my knowledge of some awesome e-book sales going on right now. So whether or not you've been neglecting your Nook for your physical books, got one for Christmas that you need to fill up or just love great deals...I hope you find great books to satisfy your reading appetite. :D

Free Nook Books:

~Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

~Reckless Magic by Rachel Higginson

~The Soulkeepers by G.P. Ching

On Sale For $0.99

~Entwined by Heather Dixon

~Ten Things We Did and Probably Shouldn't Have by Sarah Mlynowski

~Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

~Bumped by Megan McCafferty

~Hereafter by Tara Hudson

~Vesper by Jeff Sampson

~Brightest Kind of Darkness by P.T. Michelle

~Destined by Jessie Harrell

~Solstice by P.J. Hoover

On Sale For $1.99-$2.49

~Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

~The Mark by Jen Nadol

~This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel

~Beautiful Dead: Jonas by Eden Maguire

~Stupid Fast by Geoff Herbach

~Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey

On Sale For $2.50-$2.99

~Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore

~Need by Carrie Jones

~Small Town Sinners by Melissa Walker

~The Demon Trapper's Daughter by Jana Oliver

~Evermore by Alyson Noel

~Marked by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast

~Delirium by Lauren Oliver

~The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

~StarCrossed by Elizabeth C. Bunce

~The Agency: A Spy in the House by Y.S. Lee

~Ash by Malinda Lo

~Intrinsical by Lani Woodland

~Everblue by Brenda Pandos

~Exiled by M.R. Merrick

~Remembrance by Michelle Madow

On Sale For $3.00-$3.99

~Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

~Cross My Heart by Katie Klein

~The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

~Angel Burn by L.A. Weatherly

~Breathkept by Saundra Mitchell

~Half Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Bind Ups On Sale For $6.99

~Ruling Passion (Drake Chronicles 1-3) by Alyxandra Harvey

~Soul Screamers Vol. 1 (Includes Bks 0.5-2) by Rachel Vincent

Please leave a comment if you'd like me to do more of these Nook Deal posts. They take quite a bit of time but if you all like them then I will keep posting them and make it a bi-monthly thing. Also please let me know if you'd like to see more adult titles, self-pubs and indie authors included.
Happy Reading Everyone!!!

Carrie's In My Mailbox #15 (Christmas Edition)

2011-12-26T08:30:00.003-06:00

Hey look, its my newest in my mailbox post featuring books I got for Christmas and more. All books shown are ones I bought or received between December 11th - 25th.

In My Mailbox is a meme created by Kristi@ The Story Siren, its purpose is to encourage blogger interaction, as well as highlight books for our readers. IMM is not only for books you have received through the mail, but also library, borrowed, and bought books.

For Review:

~The Last Romanov by Dora Levy Mossanen
(ARC from NetGalley)

Free Nook Book:

~Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

Bought for my Nook:

~Entwined by Heather Dixon

Gifted Books:

From Shannon:

~Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey

~The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

~Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma

From my Hubby:

~Prized by Caragh M. O'Brien

From my Mom:

~My Name is Mary Sutter by Robin Oliveira

Borrowed from the Library:

~The Night Strangers by Chris Bohjalian

~Wrapped by Jennifer Bradbury

So that's all for me, what did you all get in your mailboxes?

Happy Holidays Everyone!!!

2011-12-25T11:06:00.001-06:00

Carrie and I hope all of you are having a very Happy Holiday and that its filled with lots of feel good moments like this...

And that all your holiday wishes came true! Have a wonderful day and a great season!

The Vicious Deep Cover Reveal

2011-12-23T08:00:00.004-06:00

As promised a few weeks ago, I get to help author Zoraida Cordova reveal the cover to her debut novel The Vicious Deep. So just feast your eyes below and check it out!

RD: May 12th, 2012 from Sourcebooks Fire

Synopsis from Goodreads
When a sudden storm pulls sixteen year old Tristan from lifeguard duty into a deadly riptide, he discovers what he really is—a prince of the Sea Court. Turns out, his girlfriend hopping and talents as a swimmer aren’t caused by his teenage prime hormones after all.
In this modern Arthurian tale with a twist, when all a guy wants to do is get The Girl and enjoy the freak show that is a Coney Island summer, Tristan has to fight for his life, the lives of his friends, and his humanity, if he still wants it, as he’s caught in a race for a throne that is as ancient as the gods.

Isn't it gorgeous?!!! I think its perfect and not just because I got to help reveal it either, LOL! I think the cover does a wonderful job of hinting at the novel's premise without giving anything away. I mean I'm pretty sure we all know this is about merpeople, right? Also I love how there aren't any people on it, just like the cover's of The Hunger Games and Divergent. Sometime less is more and a single image or symbol can say so much.

What do you all think of the cover? Sound of below and then head over to Zoraida's blog and let her know what you think too! :D

To:

Add The Vicious Deep To-Read on Goodreads

Follow Zoraida on Twitter

Review: Fracture

2011-12-22T09:00:00.011-06:00

Need to Know Info:

Title: Fracture
Author: Megan Miranda
Format: Hardcover, 272 pages
Publisher: Walker & Company
Release Date: January 12, 2012

E-ARC received from Walker & Company through NetGalley for Review

Synopsis from Goodreads
Eleven minutes passed before Delaney Maxwell was pulled from the icy waters of a Maine lake by her best friend Decker Phillips. By then her heart and brain had stopped working. She was dead. And yet she somehow defied medical precedent to come back seemingly fine -despite the scans that showed significant brain damage. Pulled by strange sensations she can't control or explain, Delaney finds herself drawn to the dying. Is her altered brain now predicting death, or causing it?

Then Delaney meets Troy Varga, who recently emerged from a coma with similar abilities. At first she's reassured to find someone who understands the strangeness of her new existence, but Delaney soon discovers that Troy's motives aren't quite what she thought. Is their gift a miracle, a freak of nature-or something much more frightening?

Carrie's Review-
I found Fracture to be a highly fascinating and thought provoking book. I thought the concept of this book was very intriguing. It explores how Delaney copes with all the emotional and physical changes that come with surviving a traumatic accident as well as how those around her, such as her friends and family handle the changes that evolve in her. I don’t want to divulge too much and give anything away though so this review will be brief.

I have to admit Delaney Maxwell isn’t the most likeable character but come on she’s a teenager. *wink wink* She is headstrong, stubborn, moody, wishy washy, book smart but not always people smart. I did appreciate that Megan made grades and college important to Delaney. There were definitely times in the book I was puzzled by her choices and especially moments where I wanted to grab her by the shoulders and shake her. I have to say that the shaking moments most often occurred when Delaney and Decker were together. Decker is Delaney’s best friend and next door neighbor. I usually am drawn to the mysterious, broody boys (here enters Troy) in paranormal books but I have to say this time I was totally rooting for the best friend. Even though Delaney isn’t the most likeable I was still drawn to her and was fascinated by her story.

The plot moves at a pretty quick pace. The author packs in a lot of information and throws a lot of things at Delaney. The poor girl must deal with physical changes, friend drama, boy drama, survivor guilt, school, family and now a mysterious boy with a strange connection to her. It definitely makes for a really good page turner. I couldn’t wait to find out how Delaney was going to come to terms with everything and how/what she was going to do with her new “gift”. I thought that some of the ending was a little rushed. It felt like some plot lines didn’t get completely resolved or flushed out. However, overall I was left feeling satisfied and hopeful for Delaney’s future.

Fracture takes elements of suspense, paranormal and romance and wraps them all together into one entertaining package. Megan takes you on an exciting ride while at the same time makes you stop and think. “What would you do if you only had one day to live?”

Rating~

Top 10 Tuesday (2): Books We Hope Santa Brings Us

2011-12-20T08:00:00.000-06:00

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. This is our first time participating and we're very excited.

Top Ten Books We Hope Santa Brings Us

Shannon's Five~

1). You Against Me by Jenny Downham

2). The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

3). Torrent by Lisa T. Bergren

4). Angel Arias by Marianne de Pierres

5). The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente

Carrie's Five~

1. The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan

2. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

3. Witchlanders by Lena Coakley

4. Prized by Caragh M. O'Brien

5. Vanish by Sophie Jordan

Review: The Space Between

2011-12-19T10:00:00.004-06:00

Need to Know Info:

Title: The Space Between
Author: Brenna Yovanoff
Format: Hardcover, 363 pages
Publisher: Razorbill
Release Date: November 15th, 2011

ARC Received from Publisher for Review

Synopsis from Goodreads
Daphne is the half-demon, half-fallen angel daughter of Lucifer and Lilith. Life for her is an endless expanse of time, until her brother Obie is kidnapped - and Daphne realizes she may be partially responsible. Determined to find him, Daphne travels from her home in Pandemonium to the vast streets of Earth, where everything is colder and more terrifying. With the help of the human boy she believes was the last person to see her brother alive, Daphne glimpses into his dreams, discovering clues to Obie's whereabouts. As she delves deeper into her demonic powers, she must navigate the jealousies and alliances of the violent archangels who stand in her way. But she also discovers, unexpectedly, what it means to love and be human in a world where human is the hardest thing to be.

Shannon's Review-
From the very first page, I knew I was going to love The Space Between. It has a creepy, otherworldly factor that just sucked me right into the story. Brenna Yovanoff has a very unique writing style and voice, one which I can't wait to read more of and thankfully I already own her first novel The Replacement.

I found Daphne to be such a fascinating main character because she's basically the odd man out in a family full of sin loving demons. Her determination to find her brother Obie, is both noble and reckless since she has little help or hope of finding him but chooses to go looking for him anyways. She's also incredibly odd, which I found endearing and the way in which she slowly begins to understand and show human emotion was really beautiful.

Truman was someone who repeatedly broke my heart with how little he thinks of himself. He's someone who's just given up entirely and it takes meeting someone as bizarre as Daphne to snap him out of it. He wants to help her understand the world and how it works but its through her that he beings to see why its worth living in. The connection between the two is instant but not in a romantic way, its more of a desperate "please save me from myself" kind of way. Its pleading, needy and a bit hostel, but exactly what both of them needs.

I thoroughly enjoyed the novel's tone even though it turned out to be much more sinister then I originally thought. I found the author's religious mythology intriguing, but I'm not sure everyone is going to be a fan of it since its quite dark and twisty. I felt the mystery surrounding Obie's disappearance was paced very well leaving the story open for a few surprises. Plus there's a crazy twist at the end which had my head spinning. Its a huge "Holy crap did that really just happen!" kind of moment.

If you're looking for something a bit different in the sea of YA paranormal books then I highly recommend The Space Between.

Rating~

Shannon's In My Mailbox #36

2011-12-17T16:00:00.002-06:00

Just in case you hadn't noticed before, my internet is back and so am I!!! All books shown are ones I either bought or received between Dec 4th-17th.

For Review:

~Queen of Kentucky by Alecia Whitaker

~Cinder by Marissa Meyer

(Thanks to Little Brown & MacMillan for the review copies)

Bought for my NOOK:

~Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout

~Touch by Jus Accardo

~Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

~The Soulkeepers by G.P. Ching

~Exiled by M.R. Merrick

~Everblue by Brenda Pandos

(With the exception of Obsidian and Touch, all these ebooks were under $3.50)

Free NOOK Books:

~Shadow of the Sun by Laura Kreitzer

~Marked by Kim Richardson

~Promise by Kristie Cook

So that's all the books I got the last two weeks. What did you all get in your mailboxes?

"Waiting On" Wednesday #39

2011-12-14T08:00:00.000-06:00

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

What I'm "Waiting On" this week...

Shannon's Pick~

THE MURDER NOTEBOOKS: DEAD TIME by Anne Cassidy
Release Date: May 22nd, 2012 from Walker Childrens

Synopsis from Goodreads
When Rose was twelve, her mother and stepfather went out for dinner and never came back. After police inquiries went nowhere, Rose was dispatched to live with her chilly, unfriendly grandmother in London and her stepbrother, Joshua was sent to live with his uncle. Five years later, the two meet up again and find they have much more in common, including a desire to uncover the mystery surrounding their parents' disappearance. But when Rose witnesses the murders of not one but two of her classmates, she must uncover who is behind these violent crimes. And when she and Joshua discover that a larger conspiracy is underway, both of their lives could be in danger.

I love a good mystery and Dead Time sounds like a keeper. I've heard its going to be the first one in a planned series too, which is nice because I always thought mystery novels work well as series. The London based setting, family ties and missing parents certainly sound like the perfect formula for a great read, here's hoping!

Carrie's Pick~

SHADOW OF NIGHT by Deborah Harkness
Release Date: July 10th, 2012 from Viking Adult

Synopsis hidden dues to spoilers. Book Two of the All Souls Trilogy and sequel to A Discovery of Witches.

I fell in love with the first book in the trilogy, A Discovery of Witches and now I am impatiently waiting to read Shadow of Night so I can find out what happens next. July, why are you so far away?

What are you "Waiting On"?

Release Me (Cover Reveals #9)

2011-12-13T13:41:00.003-06:00

~The Vindico by Wesley King
RD: June 14th, 2012 from Putnam Juvenile

~A Girl Named Digit by Annabel Monaghan
RD: June 5th, 2012 from Houghton Mifflin Books for Children

~Kiss the Morning Star by Elissa Janine Hoole
RD: April 28th, 2012 from Marshall Cavendish

~The Summer of No Regrets by Katherine Grace Bond
RD: May 1st, 2012 from Sourcebooks Fire

~False Memory by Dan Krokos
RD: August 24th, 2012 from Hyperion Books

~So Close to You by Rachel Carter
RD: July 10th, 2012 from HarperTeen

~Lost Girls by Ann Kelley
RD: July 10th, 2012 from Little Brown BRYR

~Lucid by Adrienne Stoltz & Ron Bass
RD: July 19th, 2012 from Razorbill

~My Life in Black & White by Natasha Friend

RD: June 28th, 2012 from Viking Juvenile

~Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry
RD: August 2012 from Harlequin Teen

Had you already seen or heard about these books? Which covers do you like best? Which ones have you the most excited? Sound off below! P.S. Sorry if some of these are older covers you've already seen, I started putting this post together a month ago before all my internet issues.

Mini Reviews: Soulless & Dark Inside

2011-12-12T13:00:00.005-06:00

Soulless by Gail Carriger – 4 hearts

Soulless is my first venture into the world of steampunk. It came highly recommended by several of my favorite bloggers. It was a fascinating melding of the different genres. It effortlessly combines elements of historical fiction, romance and paranormal all into one exciting ride. Gail's writing is fun and witty. She had me giggling quite often throughout the book. The character of Miss Alexia Tarabotti is so spunky for a self proclaimed spinster. There are Victorian ladies in bustles, werewolves, vampires and highly improper sexy situations. What's not to like I say? I simply can’t wait to pick up the next book in the series.

Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts – 5 hearts

I bought this book on a whim. I thought the premise sounded fascinating. This book was dark, intense and scary good. From the moment I started it I was hooked. It had me completely on the edge of my seat. It revolves around four different teens from Canada and the US. I really liked how the story jumps between each of them and completely left you out of breath by the end of each chapter. It was fascinating to see how each of them handled themselves in this crazy new world and how very soon their lives would collide. I am a self proclaimed baby. I’m easily scared and avoid scary movies at all costs but I simply couldn’t shut my eyes this time. Nerves be damned, I had to see this book through till the end. I highly recommend this book to fans of dystopian novels as well as fans of horror and zombie fiction.

Carrie's In My Mailbox #14

2011-12-11T10:30:00.000-06:00

Hey its my newest IMM post. All books shown are ones I received between November 26th - December 10th. In My Mailbox is a meme created by Kristi@ The Story Siren, its purpose is to encourage blogger interaction, as well as highlight books for our readers. IMM is not only for books you have received through the mail, but also library, borrowed, and bought books.

For Review:
The Savage Grace by Bree Despain (ARC courtesy of the author)

Bought for my Nook:
Destined by Jessie Harrell

Bought:
City of Glass by Cassandra Clare
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (I had to have this cover as well!)
Unearthly by Cynthia Hand (The US cover is pretty but I simply had to have this cover instead)

Gifted (Broke and Bookish Secret Santa):
Unearthly by Cynthia Hand
Soul Screamers Vol. 1 by Rachel Vincent

She also sent me a cute bracelet and bookmark. Thanks Cathy @ Addicted to Books

Borrowed (from the library):
Fateful by Claudia Gray
The Soldier's Wife by Margaret Leroy

So what did you all get in your mailboxes?

Teaser Tuesday: Illuminate

2011-12-06T08:00:00.000-06:00

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, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Carrie's Teaser:

I stopped myself for a moment. Trust was a difficult word to stomach, a manipulative word. This book, which seemed to want to exert so much authority over me, had introduced itself by telling me my life was in danger and to keep quiet – that was kind of a lot. We were on shaky ground, me and this book. How could I be sure of its intentions? How did I know it wasn’t going to lead me straight into danger? The more I thought about it, the angrier it made me. The book had trapped me. I read on:

~pg 114, Illuminate by Aimee Agresti (taken from electronic ARC)

Review: What I Saw and How I Lied

2011-12-05T12:00:00.000-06:00

Need to Know Info:
Title: What I Saw and How I Lied
Author: Judy Blundell
Format: Paperback, 288 pages
Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.
Publication Date: 1/1/2010
Source: Public Library

Synopsis from Goodreads:
When Evie's father returned home from World War II, the family fell back into its normal life pretty quickly. But Joe Spooner brought more back with him than just good war stories. When movie-star handsome Peter Coleridge, a young ex-GI who served in Joe's company in postwar Austria, shows up, Evie is suddenly caught in a complicated web of lies that she only slowly recognizes. She finds herself falling for Peter, ignoring the secrets that surround him . . . until a tragedy occurs that shatters her family and breaks her life in two.
As she begins to realize that almost everything she believed to be a truth was really a lie, Evie must get to the heart of the deceptions and choose between her loyalty to her parents and her feelings for the man she loves. Someone will have to be betrayed. The question is . . . who?

Carrie's Review

I was looking for some historical fiction titles to read for a challenge when I stumbled across this book. I'm certainly glad I did.

The book takes place not long after the end of WWII. It centers on Evie Spooner, a fifteen year old who simply can't wait to grow up. Her and her family travel from New York to Palm Beach, Florida on vacation. There she meets Peter, a handsome twenty-three year old war veteran. Evie soon finds her world turned upside and questioning everything around her.

This book is definitely a page turner; from the opening chapter I was intrigued and wanting more. I really enjoyed the atmosphere of the book the most. It felt very film noir to me. From the descriptions of the cars, clothing, hair and make-up, the author totally immerses you in the time period. Even the social attitudes and prejudices were realistic for the time. I also felt the characters were well developed. I understood who they were and what their motivations were.

My only complaint was that I was quickly able to deduce what was going on while the main character Evie seemed to have blinders on to what was unfolding around her. I will cut her character a little bit of slack though and put myself in her shoes. It's easy to see how an immature young girl could get swept up in the emotions of it all. Every little girl plays dress up in her mother's closet and dreams of their perfect first kiss. Every teenager thinks that they have it all figured out and goes charging ahead, swept up in their own thoughts and ideas of how things should be.

What I Saw and How I Lied is a compelling coming of age story with fascinating characters, an intriguing plot and a great sense of atmosphere. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Shannon's IMM #35

2011-12-04T21:38:00.013-06:00

Still no internet for me but I'm hoping I'll be back in business next weekend. I found some great deals on ebooks for my Nook. Everything I bought was $2.99 or under. What a steal, right? Plus I've heard great things about them all. Thanks to Carrie for posting this for me.

All books shown are ones I received between November 21st - Dec 3rd. In My mailbox is a meme created by Kristi @ The Story Siren, it's purpose is to encourage blogger interaction, as well as highlight books for our readers. IMM is not only for books you have received through the mail, but also library, borrowed and bought books.

For Review:
Kiss of Frost by Jennifer Estep (thanks to Kensington Publishing)

Bought:
Destined by Jessie Harrell
Brightest Kind of Darkness by P.T Michelle
Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey
Becoming by Raine Thomas
This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel
StarCrossed by Elizabeth C. Bunce

That's it for me, what did u all get in your mailboxes?

Alex Awards Challenge

2011-12-02T11:56:00.000-06:00

Ok so I found another 2012 challenge I will be signing up for. The Alex Awards Challenge. This one is hosted by Lorren of The Story Girl.

The Alex Awards are given to ten books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults, ages 12 through 18. The winning titles are selected from the previous year's publishing.

This will be a good way for me to mix the adult and YA genres and keep my reading lists fresh. I am definitely an eccletic reader and need to mix things up from time to time.

What are the rules? It's pretty simple -- read Alex Awards winners! She will also count nominees. You can find lists here.

There are four levels - 1-3 books, 4-6 books, 7-9 books, or 10+ books.

You are not required to post reviews, but on January 1, 2012 Lorren will put up a linky for participants to post their reviews.

I'm going to go ahead and challenge myself to read 7-9 books.

I've listed below some of the titles I plan on reading (starting in Jan) for the challenge.

The Reapers Are the Angels by Alden Bell

The Radleys by Matt Haig

32 Candles by Ernessa T. Carter

The Girl Who Fell from the Sky by Heidi W. Durrow

My Abandonment by Peter Rock

Mudbound by Hillary Jordan

Color of the Sea by John Hamamura

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

Waiting On" Wednesday #38

2011-11-30T10:11:00.009-06:00

"Waiting On" is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. What I'm "Waiting On" this week...

Shannon's Pick~

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

Release Date: May 15th, 2012 from Hyperion Books

Synopsis from Goodreads

Code Name Verity, which will publish in Spring 2012, is the story of two young women from totally different backgrounds who are thrown together during World War II. Only in wartime could a stalwart lass from Manchester rub shoulders with a Scottish aristocrat, one an Air Transport Auxiliary pilot, the other a wireless operator with the WAAF. Yet whenever their paths cross, they complement each other perfectly and before long become devoted friends. But then a vital mission goes wrong, and one of the friends has to bail out of a faulty plane over France. Almost immediately she is arrested by the Gestapo, and it seems her mission may be over before it's even begun. The story begins in "Verity's" own words, as she writes her account for her captors...

Historical fiction set during World War II with female spies and pilots. Do I really need to say anything else?

Carrie's Pick~

Catch and Release by Blythe Woolston

Release Date: January 28, 2012 from Lerner Publishing Group

Synopsis from Goodreads

Teenagers Polly and Odd are the only survivors of a MRSA (Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus--also known as flesh-eating bacteria) outbreak that killed several people in their town. They did not survive unscathed, however. Polly lost an eye and her face is horribly scarred; Odd lost his foot and is tortured by phantom pain. The two had no connection to each other prior to the MRSA outbreak. Polly was going to marry Bridger, her longtime boyfriend, and continue down the road toward normal adulthood and domestic felicity (kids, house, etc.). Odd’s ticket out was football. Now those plans are gone, and Polly and Odd have nothing but each other--the residents in their small Montana hometown are decidedly uncomfortable around these two who survived-- and a shared affection for trout fishing. So when Odd shows up in his grandmother’s 1979 Cadillac D’Elegance, promising a day on the river, it’s pretty clear that a more remarkable journey is in store for the two of them.

I came across this book on another blogger’s site (Thanks Melissa @ I swim for oceans). She mentioned it in her post of upcoming winter releases she was excited for. After reading the premise I was intrigued and knew I had to read this book. I really like the idea that the two main characters aren’t perfect. They are scarred and the life they know isn’t easy. I can’t wait to see what happens when these two get together.

Review: Eternal Starling

2011-11-28T08:00:00.002-06:00

Need to Know Info:

Title: Eternal Starling

Author: Angela Corbett

Format: Hardcover, 310 pages

Publisher: Pendrell Publishing

Release Date: 12/20/2011

Source: ARC (e-copy provided by author)

Synopsis from Goodreads

A love so strong, even eternity can't separate them. Evie Starling has lived a relatively uneventful life hanging out with friends, gossiping about boys, and driving her 1966 Mustang. All of that changes when she moves to Gunnison, Colorado, to start college and meets two mysterious men. For centuries, Alex Night and Emil Stone have yearned for Evie—but they each have their own reasons for wanting to be with her. When both men claim to be her soul mate and tell her about an unbelievable past, Evie learns that she's not the person she thought she was. Soon, Evie finds herself in the middle of an age-old battle between the Amaranthine Society—the soul protectors, and the Daevos Resistance—the soul destroyers. With a past she doesn't understand, and a future rife with danger, Evie has to decide who she can trust. But Alex and Emil aren't the only ones who want Evie, and her soul is about to become the rope in an eternal tug-of-war.

Carrie's Review

Let me start by saying I had the opportunity to meet the author Anglea Corbett last month and she is so sweet. She gave me the opportunity to read a review copy of Eternal Starling and even gave me some fun swag to give away. I wish her lots of success.

Having met the author, I really wanted to love this book. I really did. The concept for the story was what initially drew me in. Who doesn’t want to read about eternal love, soul mates and the ever constant struggle of good versus evil? Add in a strong girl who drives a kick ass car, a hot guy and I’m sold.

Evie was a fun character. She was strong and independent but also a bit stubborn. I also liked that the author made her confident and comfortable with her figure. You don't have to be a size 0 to be beautiful. It definitely helped that she had Alex Night and Emil Stone both fawning over her. What girl wouldn't enjoy some added attention by a couple of hot guys? There was some fun chemistry and sexual tension in the book. One kissing scene in particular left me with my mouth hanging open.

Well now let me tell you what didn’t work for me. I really struggled with the instant love connection that happens in the book. Now I may sound like a hypocrite because I have loved some other YA books that have had pretty fast love connections as well but I guess when you pair the insta love with the love triangle, it was just too much for this girl. I’m not a huge fan of love triangles but they can be compelling if done right. As a reader, it just felt unrealistic to me that Evie would fall so hard in that short amount of time for two boys. I wanted to swoon over the boys but there just wasn’t enough build up of their personalities or the relationships for me. It just happened so fast that I didn’t have time to build up that fun feeling of tension or excitement. Also Evie can’t make up her mind and her feelings flip flop quite often. I found myself frustrated and just wanted her to pick one. Sigh.

I don’t want this review to sound to negative because there were elements I did like. As I mentioned I liked the overall concept of the story. The idea of lost soul mates and a darker force working to keep them apart is a very compelling plot. I thought the pacing was a bit slow in the beginning but once the boys started revealing their secrets and things began to unfold the pace of the story really picked up for me. I enjoyed learning about the different character’s back stories and how their histories intertwined. I definitely enjoyed the latter half of the book better than the beginning. The ending definitely leaves it wide open for the next book. I think there is definite potential for book two to be more exciting and faster paced than the first.

Eternal Starling is a unique story and a solid debut. I think YA fans of paranormal romance (that don't mind love triangles) will enjoy this one.

Rating~

Carrie's In My Mailbox #13

2011-11-26T10:00:00.000-06:00

Hey its my newest IMM post. All books shown are ones I received between November 13th - November 25th. In My Mailbox is a meme created by Kristi@ The Story Siren, its purpose is to encourage blogger interaction, as well as highlight books for our readers. IMM is not only for books you have received through the mail, but also library, borrowed, and bought books.

For Review:

Illuminate by Aimee Agresti (via Net Galley)

New Girl by Paige Harbison (via Net Galley)

Bought:

Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts

Gifted:

Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout (signed copy) - received from Loretta (Between the Pages)

The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan (signed copy) - received from Angela (Reading Angel)

Won:

Waterfall by Lisa T. Bergren (signed) - Twitter contest from the author

Borrowed (from the library):

The Bird Sisters by Rebecca Rasmussen

Rules of Civility by Amor Towles

So what did you all get in your mailboxes?

Teaser Tuesday: Dark Inside

2011-11-22T08:00:00.000-06:00

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, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Carrie's Teaser:

"Town's dead," one of the voices said above her. Clearing his throat, he spat in the dust, inches from Clementine's face. Spit bubbles popped in the moonlight.
"Was fun, wasn't it?"
A throaty chuckle drifted downward.
Remaining calm was impossible. Every vein in her body ached to run. Dendrites exploded, sending false information to her brain. A million insects crawled around on her skin; spiders scratched their legs through her hair. Knees ached, longing to expose her through involuntary kicks. A tickle in the back of her nose threatened a full-blown sneeze. Even her eyes begged to be blinked.
“We should call it a night,then.”
“Sounds good.”
Footsteps crunched and she almost cried out in relief. But then one of them paused.

~pg 155, Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts

Shannon's IMM #34

2011-11-20T10:57:00.003-06:00

So even though I have no internet right now, I still got quite a few books the last 2 weeks. Thanks to Carrie for posting this for me.

For Review:

Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood

Living Violet by Jaime Reed

Won: (from Princess Bookie)

Without Tess by Marcella Pixley

Traded For:

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton

Shifting by Bethany Wiggins

Frost by Marianna Baer

Thanks to Lena, Lyndsay, Gilly, and Krystal for trading with me.

Bought With Random Buzzer Bucks:

My Beating Teenage Heart by C.K. Kelly Martin

Dearly Departed by Lia Habel

That's it for me, what did u all get in your mailboxes?

2012 Debut Author Challenge

2011-11-19T13:30:00.000-06:00

The 2012 Debut Author Challenge is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren! I didn’t sign up last year because I missed the deadline but I’m excited to give it a whirl this year. The goal is to read 12 books by 2012 debut authors. There are so many great new authors that I don’t think I should have a problem meeting this challenge. Here are just some of the titles I am excited to read for the challenge.

Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood
When the Sea is Rising Red by Cat Hellisen
A Breath of Eyre by Eve Marie Mont
Trafficked by Kim Purcell
Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen
Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
Gilt by Katherine Longshore
Grave Mercy by R.L. LaFevers
The Treachery of Beautiful Things by Ruth Frances Long

Shannon is going to participate in the challenge as well. Since her internet is still down I am doing her post for her. Here are the titles that she plans on reading for the Debut Author Challenge.

Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood

Illuminate by Aimee Agresti

Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen

The Gathering Storm by Robin Bridges

The Catastrophic History of You and Me by Jess Rothenberg

Gilt by Katherine Longshore

Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

Grave Mercy by R.L. LaFevers

Embrace by Jessica Shirvington

The Vicious Deep by Zoraida Cordova

Shift by Em Bailey

Breaking Beautiful by Jennifer Shaw Wolf

Mini Reviews: Chime & The Night Circus

2011-11-16T07:00:00.001-06:00

Chime by Franny Billingsley - 4 Hearts

I have to admit when I started this book I wasn't sure that I was going to like it. The writing style and story is just so different than anything else I have read before. However I soon found myself lost in the words and transfixed by the story. I love how it grabs you right from the beginning and doesn't let go. The ending kept me on my toes and left me feeling satisfied as a reader. Franny certainly has a unique voice and an amazing way with words. Speaking of words I love this quote and had to write it down. "How can something as fragile as a word build a whole world." It isn't hard to see why Chime has been nominated for the National Book Award.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern - 5 Hearts

I have decided I simply can't write a review that would do this book justice. I did however want to say a few things. Erin Morgenstern transported me to this magical circus and like my fellow rêveurs, I didn't want to leave. I slowly read each page to properly absorb each and every dazzling word. It was a fascinating journey and much like a train, the story started off slow and steady but then picked up steam. By the end of the story I was breathless with anticipation. I simply couldn't wait to find out how it would all end. I'm pleased to say I wasn't disappointed at all. If I had to sum this book up with one word, it would be fantastic!

Carrie's IMM #12

2011-11-14T22:12:00.000-06:00

Hey its my newest IMM post. Sorry this is late but I had a slight Skyrim obsession this weekend. If you are a fellow gamer you will understand. Anyway, all books shown are ones I received
between October 30th- November 12th.

Bought:

Firelight by Sophie Jordan

Crossed by Ally Condie (signed)

Gift (from my fabulous sister):

Darker Still by Leanna Renee Hieber (ARC)

Borrowed (from the library):

What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell

Soulless by Gail Carriger

The Taker by Alma Katsu

Juliet by Anne Fortier

Flygirl by Sherri L. Smith

The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan

Borrowed (from a co-worker):

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Well that's it for me. So what did you all get in your mailboxes?