Bout of Books 2.0 Read-a-thon

I will be participating in the Bout of Books 2.0 Read-a-thon hosted by On A Book Bender. I will update this post as the week progresses! If you would like to participate, go here.

Time Devoted to Reading:

I am committed to reading at least 1 hour per day. Hopefully as the week progresses, I can read more, particularly on the weekend.

My Goals:

• I would like to read 3 books this week. My ultimate goal would 5 books.
• I will post at least 1 review this week.
• I will continue to participate in the weekly memes I normally participate in.

Books to Read:

• finish Cinder by Marissa Meyer
• Happy Birthday to Me by Brian Rowe
• Happy Birthday to Me Again by Brian Rowe (to review)
• Tempest by Julie Cross
• Beauty Queens by Libba Bray
• The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Updates:

I will be posting my updates here in this post. I am going to "sticky" this post to keep it at the top of the page for those wishing to follow my updates. I will also be tweeting about it!

10/24

Number of books/pages I've read today: finished Cinder! Yay!

Total number of books I've read: 1

Books:  Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Today in #insixwords:  Finished Cinder by Marissa Meyer!

10/25

Number of books/pages I've read today: 7% of Happy Birthday to Me by Brian Rowe

Total number of books I've read: 1

Books:  Cinder by Marissa Meyer, Happy Birthday to Me by Brian Rowe

Today in #insixwords:  No reading--sick all day--headache.

10/26

Number of books/pages I've read today:  almost 40% done with Happy Birthday to Me

Total number of books I've read: 1

Books:  same as above  

Today in #insixwords:  Making good progress on second book!

10/27

Number of books/pages I've read today:  finished Happy Birthday to Me, started Happy Birthday to Me, Again

Total number of books I've read:  2

Books:  Cinder and Happy Birthday to Me

Today in #insixwords: Need motivation to finish this book!

10/28

Number of books/pages I've read today:  Completed 24% of Happy Birthday to Me, Again

Total number of books I've read:  2

Books:  Cinder, Happy Birthday to Me and Happy Birthday to Me, Again

Today in #insixwords:-------

10/29

Number of books/pages I've read today:  20% of HBDTMA 

Total number of books I've read: 2

Books:  See above

Today in #insixwords:

10/30

Number of books/pages I've read today: Unfortunately, none

Total number of books I've read:  2

Books:  See above

Today in #insixwords:

Have a great week! And read, a lot!


Update 10/31/2011:  Well, I totally lost steam as the week progressed. I think it was the book. Sadly, I just couldn't get into it. Not enough to want to keep picking it up and reading it, all the time. It was my third and final book and every time I picked it up, it felt like work. That is not why I read! I read because I love it, not because I have to. Oh well, I am still glad I participated! 

In My Mailbox (11)

In My Mailbox (IMM) was started over at the The Story Siren by Kristie and has evolved to over 300 participating blogs.  It is a way for bloggers to network and socialize and to show everyone the various books that they have received.  It is also a great way to showcase books you receive that you may not have a chance to review. Postings may vary by blog, some bloggers post weekly, bi-weekly and so forth.

This week I received approval for eight books through NetGalley. I was given automatic approval status for a couple of publishers and I am very excited! A lot of these books do not come out until 2012, and per publisher request, I will not be posting the reviews until approximately one month prior to the release of the book. I can't wait to read them! Hopefully you can be patient waiting for my reviews!

  

The Girl in the Park by Mariah Fredericks
Red Heart Tattoo by Lurlene McDaniels
On a Dark Wing by Jordan Dane
The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman

Cross My Heart by Sasha Gould

Drowning Instinct by Ilsa J. Bick

Hushed by Kelley York

The Katrina Trilogy Vol. 1, The Gathering Storm

Now, please leave a link in the comment section to your In My Mailbox post and I will stop by and check it out!

Forbidden Mind by Kimberly Kinrade

Title:  Forbidden Mind 

Author:  Kimberly Kinrade

Genre:  Young Adult Paranormal Thriller

Publisher:  Evolved Publishing

Format/Pages:  Kindle

Sam is sure that college, as well as a normal life, is within her reach. After years of being “rented” out to the rich—and greedy—for her paranormal abilities, Sam can almost taste freedom. She can finally leave Rent-a-Kid on her eighteenth birthday. But when her mind-reading ability allows her to connect with Drake, who has been kidnapped and held against his will by the people at Rent-a-Kid, Sam begins to realize that her life is one big lie. And her dreams—college, freedom, and normalcy—are not going to happen. Now Sam must join forces with Drake, whose paranormal abilities are even more powerful than hers, to save their lives.

I adopted this book for Adopt-an-Indie month.  I simply perused the book lists until I found one that looked interesting and I adopted it. I am extremely glad that I did. This book was great! It had interesting characters and an original and well-thought out plot.  While this is a paranormal book, you will not find any vampires, werewolves, angels or zombies in this story. Instead, it is chock full of kids with amazing abilities, the kind you usually only see in an X-Men movie.  The children of Rent-a-Kid live a seemingly idealistic life: a terrific school, a beautiful campus with all the amenities and the chance to go anywhere they want for college. Occasionally, the kids are “rented” out to the rich and powerful to help them become richer and more powerful. They don’t know their parents, believing they were abandoned by them because of their special powers.  All they have to look forward to is the day they turn eighteen; the day they gain their freedom and leave Rent-a-Kid forever. That is where we find Sam, weeks away from her birthday. She is ready to leave, until she catches a glimpse of a boy, strapped down and begging for help. That one glance changes everything for Sam. Suddenly, she begins to learn the truth about the people who have raised her and things begin to…..change. Now Sam must escape the nightmare she suddenly finds herself in. And the only person she can trust is someone she has never even met—technically.

I absolutely loved the originality of this story.  Kinrade was able to create characters that you care about and want to cheer for. I found myself completely engaged in this book and anxious to find out what was going to happen next. The twists and turns in the story are perfectly timed, which adds to the suspense. The characters are believable; they actually act like real teenagers and speak like real teenagers. Kinrade’s writing is well-thought out and convincing. All in all, this is a very good story with an interesting plot and great characters. This a great read and I highly recommend it!  The next two books in the series, Forbidden Fire and Forbidden Life will be available in November and December, as well. Yay! You can get them on Smashwords.

My grade for Forbidden Mind by Kimberly Kinrade:

 

Follow Friday (10)

Follow Friday is hosted by Rachel at Parajunkee’sView and Alison at AlisonCan Read. It is another way for bloggers to make new friends and find new blogs to follow. Go to either blog, follow ALL the instructions and then add your link to the list. It's just that easy!

This week's question:

"If you could have dinner with your favorite book character, who would you eat with and what would you serve?"

I thought about posting my usual answer, cough*Edward*cough, but I'll give him a break this week (and besides, he doesn't eat). Instead, I will choose to have dinner with one of my other favorite characters, Clary from the Mortal Instruments books (and I will pray vehemently that Jace decides to make an appearance). I would most likely make something like a chef salad, light and easy. That way we can spend more time talking and hanging out. What I would really work hard on would be dessert, because I make a mean chocolate cake with homemade frosting. Yum! 

Leave a link with your FF post and I will definitely check it out!     

Teaser Tuesday (October 25th)

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

·         Grab your current read

·         Open to a random page

·         Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

·         BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

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

My teaser is from Happy Birthday to Me by Brian Rowe:

"But I'm not really eighty. Just a few weeks ago, I was your typical high school senior, worried about basketball practice and prom dates, worried about when I could kiss my girlfriend next and when that acceptance letter to Yale would be arriving in the mail."

Now, leave a link in the comments to your Teaser Tuesday so I can stop by and check it out!

In My Mailbox (10)

I did not get any books this week, though I did put in about 6-7 requests at NetGalley. I have a huge TBR list, so no books is probably a good thing! I hope everyone else had a great book week! Have fun reading everyone! 

Ratings System

I have decided it is time to institute a ratings system. I have been reviewing so many books, and I have so many on my list to review, that I really think it is time. I am going to utilize letter grades (since I am a soon-to-be teacher). I will also use "plus" and "minus" in the ratings, especially if I am wavering.

So, here is my ratings system:

It was awesome/unbelievable/fantastic/amazing (pick your adjective)! Basically, I loved it. Buy it, put it on your shelf and read it again and again!

I liked it! I'll probably buy it if I find it on sale. It was a good book. I might read it again.

It was ok. I won't buy it and I won't read it again. It was good enough to read once.

I didn't like it. I read the whole book, but it felt like work and I got no enjoyment from it. I will be deleting/donating my copy of the book.

 I hated it. Or I didn't finish it. I will never allow the book to darken my doorstep again.

Ok, there it is. I will start using this on my next book review. I will also put a tab on the blog with the rating system available for all to peruse.  Hopefully, this won't make me seem like a big meanie, but it was time to add it.  

Book Blogger Hop and Follow Friday (9)

Book Blogger Hop is a weekly meme that is hosted by Jennifer over at Crazy for Books It is a place for book bloggers and readers to find and follow new book blogs; to share their love of the written word, support other book bloggers and find new friends. So, HOP on over to Crazy for Books to grab the button, post about the hop and answer the question on your blog, then visit the other links to make new friends.

This week's question:

"What is your favorite type of candy?"

This is hard! I love candy! But....I'll have to say that my favorites are Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and M & M's--especially the red and green ones! I love Christmas M & M's!

Follow Friday is hosted by Rachel at Parajunkee’s View and Alison at Alison Can Read. It is another way for bloggers to make new friends and followers. So jump in and say hi! Then jump over to either blog and post a link to your blog (be sure to follow the required steps!).


This week's question:

"What superhero is your alter-ego?"

I'm not a huge reader of comic books, but when I was little I always, always, always wanted to be Wonder Woman. And I wanted to be this Wonder Woman:

Yes, I am that old! She was my hero when I was a little girl. I longed to lasso the bad guy or deflect bullets with my bracelets, just like Diana Prince did as Wonder Woman. And the costume was gorgeous (especially for a girl growing up in the 70's). She was my favorite!

Now, what's your answer? Leave a link in the comment box and I will stop by!  

A Thousand Lives: The Untold Story of Hope, Deception and Survival at Jonestown by Julia Scheeres

Title:  A Thousand Lives: The Untold Story of Hope, Deception and Survival at Jonestown 

Author:  Julia Scheeres

Genre:  Non-fiction

Publisher:  Simon and Schuster, Inc.

Format/Pages: NetGalley/Kindle

Release Date: 10/11/2011

Julia Scheeres, a former resident of a religious rehabilitation camp in the Dominican Republic, utilizes diaries, letters and tapes, along with survivor interviews to tell the story of the followers of Jim Jones and the People’s Temple. Jones led his church into the jungles of Guyana with a dream to create a utopian society. Instead, he pulled his followers into his paranoid, insane world, eventually bringing about the mass murder/suicide of the men, women and children living in Jonestown. A Thousand Lives chronicles the rise and fall of Jones and his church.

A Thousand Lives is a book that completely astonished me. The lengths a man like Jones would go to in order to establish himself as a powerful religious figure astounded me.  The fact that someone like Jones would exploit and manipulate those who trusted him in the ways this man did quite literally makes me sick to my stomach.  Also, the complete lack of responsibility and inaction of the governments involved is practically implausible. Once it became obvious that Jones had become a drug-addled lunatic keeping his followers sequestered in a foreign country it was too late to save his doomed followers. Scheeres does a remarkable job of helping the reader understand why people followed Jones. She thoroughly explains the types of lives and the desperation his followers felt; the need to belong, the church’s help with those who were drug addicts, single mothers or homeless. Jones idealistic “everyone is equal” sermons appealed to many, many people, drawing believers to him in droves. Jones took this desperation and exploited it and manipulated it to serve his own sick needs.

While I found A Thousand Lives fascinating, it at times was a difficult read. Not because of its content matter, but rather its lack of continuity. It seemed to jump around in the timeline of the years leading to Jonestown’s final days, which made it a bit difficult to follow along. The book was a bit disjointed and the huge list of people involved in the church and its story could get very confusing. Once everyone had arrived in Guyana and the book focused on that time period, I was able to follow along a bit better. That being said, A Thousand Lives was a fascinating read. It was a frightening look at the life and death of those who thought they had found a place to be accepted, but instead found death.

I will be asking my daughters to read this book. I think it is important for them to understand how desperate people can be manipulated by someone who seems like a good person. 

Teaser Tuesday (October 18th)

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

·         Grab your current read

·         Open to a random page

·         Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

·         BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

·         Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

The Reluctant Disciplinarian by Gary Rubinstein pg. 52:

“I quickly decided, enough of this advice. Enough of my life-long pursuit of passive resistance. Just give me peace and QUIIEEEEEEEET!”

Now leave a link back to your teaser in the comment section. Have a great Tuesday!

In My Mailbox (9)

In My Mailbox (IMM) was started over at the The Story Siren by Kristie and has evolved to over 300 participating blogs.  It is a way for bloggers to network and socialize and to show everyone the various books that they have received.  Postings may vary by blog, some bloggers post weekly, bi-weekly and so forth.

I had a very diverse week in the book department. So, let’s just jump in and see what I got this week.

Ok, all you Twilight haters, brace yourself, my first acquisition is Twilight related!

Bought:

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer (movie cover). I needed this book to add to my collection. I have 4 copies of each book.  *Stop laughing*  I have the hardcover, the paperback and the 2 movie cover paperbacks that were released (small and large--they are different) for each book.

The Twilight Graphic Novel, Vol. 2 by Stephenie Meyer and Young Kim

For Review:

A Thousand Lives: The Untold Story of Hope, Deception and Survival at Jonestown by Julia Scheeres

Tempest by Julie Cross

It Is Dangerous to Be Right When the Government Is Wrong by Andrew Napolitano

Reluctant Disciplinarian: Advice on Classroom Management From a Softy Who Became (Eventually) a Successful Teacher by Gary Rubinstein

Forbidden Mind by Kimberly Kinrade (as part of Adopt-an-Indie Month)

And just because:

Jenny Pox by J.L. Bryan

Well, that is my week. I can't wait to see what everyone else got in their mailbox this week! 

GUEST REVIEW--Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

I am extremely excited to introduce a guest reviewer this week, my 15-year-old daughter, Tiana! She is a huge bookworm and she has agreed to write a review for Beauty Queens. She found this book last weekend on a trip to Half-Price Books and started reading it in the car on the way home. So, I asked her if she would like to review it for me and she said yes! So without further adieu, here is Tiana's review!

Title: Beauty Queens
Author: Libba Bray
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Format/Pages: Hardcover/390 pages


The fifty contestants in the Miss Teen Dream Pageant thought this was going to be a fun trip to the beach, where they could parade in their state-appropriate costumes and compete in front of the cameras. But sadly, their airplane had another idea, crashing on a desert island and leaving the survivors stranded with little food, little water, and practically no eyeliner. What’s a beauty queen to do? Continue to practice for the talent portion of the program – or wrestle snakes to the ground? Get a perfect tan – or learn to run wild? And what should happen when the sexy pirates show up?—book jacket description

Beauty Queens was absolutely one of the best books I’ve read. It was original and Libba Bray didn’t take herself too seriously as she wrote it. I expected it to be darker, much like her other book A Great and Terrible Beauty, but it was much livelier and had more funny moments. The book drew you in instantly, so you don’t have to worry about waiting around for it to get interesting, unlike some other books Bray has written.

She made each contestant have their own identity or quirk or personality that immediately sucked you in, rooting for the character the whole way. And although there are many characters in the book, it was difficult for me to choose just one I loved the most. And each girl had their own problem: either they were hated, had a wild side, had a secret that could crush their chances, were too stupid, or just had a tray stuck in their head. I couldn’t put the book down as Bray took us deeper into the girls’ lives, giving us a taste of what they go through. How she transposed their talents and lives onto the island was unbelievable, giving each girl a certain quality that just added to my love for this book. All these characters were so diverse, that’s it hard for me to choose one for my favorite.

The island itself was different. She doesn’t go into the background of the island too much, but that made it even better, because it gave the setting a sense of mystery. (She even threw in a Lost reference, which I found hilarious.) There is the volcano on the island that all the girls are afraid will erupt, but isn’t even a real, active volcano after all. Inside are employees of America’s government, “The Corporation,” and allies of the book’s villain, Ladybird Hope (a Miss Teen Dream winner). Ladybird isn’t like any other villain, she is all glitter and nails and pretty. She pretends to be on your side when she really isn’t. You hate her, but almost love her at the exact same time.

Bray certainly presented the perfect book for the “finding yourself” message, her characters growing stronger and more independent as the book goes on. It may be a little racy in some parts, sex being a main point for the plot line of one character, but it isn’t so bad that you need to hide the book from your younger children. It was one of the most interesting books I’ve read in a long time and it was hard for me to put it down as I read. It’s a book about finding your strength, imperfection, and surviving on a strange, desolate island. It will have you laughing more than once and have you on the edge of your seat almost all the way through.

BOOK COVER REVEAL! Anew The Archers of Avalon by Chelsea Fine

I am extremely excited to reveal the cover of a new book by an author I absolutely adore, Chelsea Fine. Her new book is called Anew and it is the first book in her Archers of Avalon series. It will be out sometime in December (exact publication date to come later).

Cover design by: Ashley Bugg (www.buggphotographer.com).

Cover model: Kasey Goff 

Book synopsis (courtesy of Chelsea Fine):

Scarlet awoke in the woods without her memories...without a past...without a future. Until she met a boy with a familiar voice. A boy with secrets. A boy with answers. A boy named Gabriel Archer. 

Intrigued by his voice, Scarlet immerses herself in Gabriel's life only to discover he has a brother he's kept hidden from her: Tristan Archer. Once Scarlet meets Tristan, her world becomes even more muddled. 

While she's instinctively drawn to Gabriel, she's impossibly drawn to Tristan--and confused out of her mind. Why does Gabriel seem so familiar? Why is she so attracted to Tristan? And why do both brothers keep telling her she's cursed to die?

Scarlet doesn't have the answers...but the Archer brothers do.

I love, love, love this cover! It is gorgeous! 

You can read my review of Chelsea's other young adult novel, Sophie and Carter here. And if you would like to learn more about this up and coming author, please visit her blog.  Chelsea is a wonderful writer and her blog updates are awesome. She has an incredible knack for words, and she never fails to make me laugh, make me nod in agreement or make me think. 

I am very excited to read this book! So, be sure to watch for my review of Anew, the Archers of Avalon.

Book Blogger Hop and Follow Friday (8)

Book Blogger Hop is a weekly meme hosted by Jennifer over at Crazy for Books. It is a place for book bloggers and readers to find and follow new book blogs; to share their love of the written word, support other book bloggers and find new friends. So, HOP on over to Crazy for Books to grab the button, post about the hop and answer the question on your blog, then visit the other links to make new friends.

This week's question:

"What is your favorite spooky book (i.e. mystery/suspense, thriller, ghost story, etc.)?"

I had to think about this for a couple of minutes. My initial reaction was to say Stephen King's It, but then I realized I could pick just about any Stephen King book. I have read every book he has ever published and they are all spooky in some way. One of my favorites by Mr. King is a book called Bag of Bones, released in 1999. The story is very haunting, yet in a way, beautiful as well. I love this book. It kept me up at night, though. 

I also enjoyed Gerald's Game, but it scared the crap out of me! I was reading it alone in the bedroom when I reached a particularly scary part. I had to put the book down and go sit in the family room with my husband, it spooked me so bad. And the thing is, there were no ghosts or monsters, or creepy clowns. This was very realistic and could literally happen to someone. I think that is why it scared me so badly! Put, this is still one of my favorites, because the psychology of it is so frightening.

Follow Friday is hosted by Rachel at Parajunkee’s View and Alison at Alison Can Read. It is another way for bloggers to make new friends and find new blogs to follow. 

This week's question (it's a tough one):

"If you could have characters from a particular book meet characters from a particular tv show and form an epic storyline, which ones would it be and why?"

This question really made me think! But I think I finally came up with an answer. I think I would like   the characters from Megan Meade's Guide to the McGowan Boys to meet up with the characters from That 70's Show. Those McGowan boys need a good dose of Donna to whip them into shape, so maybe they will lay off of Megan a bit. Plus, that combination couldn't be anything but funny!   

So jump in and say hi! Then jump over to either blog and post a link to your blog (be sure to follow the required steps!).

Glow (Sky Chasers #1) by Amy Kathleen Ryan

Title:  Glow (Sky Chasers #1) 

Author:  Amy Kathleen Ryan

Genre:  Young Adult Science Fiction

Publisher:  St. Martin’s Griffin 

Format/Pages:  Paperback (ARC)/307 pages

Release Date:  September 13, 2011

The New Horizon and its sister ship, the Empyrean, are traveling through space, bound for New Earth.  But the families on the Empyrean have something those on the New Horizon do not have, and they will do anything to acquire it. Now a violent battle has forced the separation of two young lovers, the hope of a new planet torn apart. Everything depends on their survival. But that survival will come at a cost much higher than anyone could have anticipated.

I am not normally a science fiction fan, which made me hesitant to read this. I must have picked it up and set it down about 20 times while hanging out in the library at the junior high where I work. Then one day, I managed to go to work without a book OR my Kindle. I’m not sure how this happened—I think it was the combination of lack of coffee and my nerves being in hyper-drive because my daughter was driving us to school for the first time—but I walked out the door without my bag of books. It wasn’t until second hour that I realized I was bookless, so I rushed into the library and grabbed this book off of the rack near my dear friend the librarian’s desk. I figured I would at least have something to read for the day and then I could return it. Umm, yeah, so didn’t happen like that.

This book is in a word, FANTASTIC! I’m not sure how else to describe it without sounding like one of those clichéd book promotions—“couldn’t put it down” or “jaw-dropping.” But really, that is how I felt. The characters are captivating and they literally keep you guessing as to their motivations. I went back and forth between trusting and not trusting so many of the characters so many times that I began to question every thing, about every one.  The plot twists and turns, pulling your emotions first one way and then the other. Ryan has a knack for writing a book that keeps you guessing, and forces you to run the gamut of emotions. She weaves a story like no other I have recently read. And she does it with out bringing in any monsters (well, inhuman monsters anyway), aliens or paranormal baddies to scare the bejesus out of us. And yes, this book did scare me. The possibilities it brings to light are just downright frightening. It makes you believe anyone can become a monster if the circumstances allow it. 

Don’t pass this book by because you dislike or are unsure about science fiction books. I almost did and that would have been something to regret.