Saturday, July 31, 2010

New Books are Fun(1)


So today my mother and I went to a few used book stores and borders. I was mainly looking for two specific books but of course I brought my list of books I wanted to buy with me.
I was going for just two books and ended up getting 8 books total. They are all listed below. The ones that have a * next to them are in a series and are NOT the first book in that series.


The Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale
Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin
A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin
Envy by Anna Godbersen*
Flawless by Sara Shepard*
Perfect by Sara Shepard*

If you have read any of these books and want to leave some feedback or have a review on them please post that information in a comment. THANKS.

Also please note that the book I am currently reading has changed to one of the ones I bought. I have decided to stop reading the other book and start this one because I like to read an entire series in order before moving on; otherwise I would forget what is going on in the series.

Friday, July 30, 2010

Follow My Book Blog Friday (1)

Hello it is Friday and Welcome to my Blog!


This is hosted by Parajunkee

To join the fun and make now book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:


1. the Follow My Book Blog Friday Host { Parajunkee.com } and any one else you want to follow on the list

2. Follow our Featured Bloggers - http://theauthoress-amelia.blogspot.com/

3. Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing.

4. Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say hi in your comments

5. Follow Follow Follow as many as you can

6. If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers




Thursday, July 29, 2010

Good Choice Reading-Iron King and Iron Daughter giveaway

Good Choice Reading is giving away a copy of Iron King and Iron Daughter.

For more information on it visit Good Choice Reading

ALSO read their book reviews they have a wide range in taste and I love their book reviews.

LA FEMME READERS GIVEAWAY

La Femme Readers also has a lot of great giveaways going on. I suggest you take a peek and enter the ones you want a chance at winning.

Confessions of a Bookaholic is having giveaway galore.

Confessions of a Bookaholic is have a summer giveaway galore. The following are what is being given away:


For more details on each or just to enter visit Confessions of a Bookaholic


Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Reads, Reviews, Recommends Eclipse OST Giveaway

Reads, Reviews, Recommends is giving away the Eclipse OST for her fifty followers milestone. Go to Reads, Reviews, Recommends for more information.


I saw the movie and loved the music.

Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard

Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard
Paperback, 304 pages
HarperCollins Publishers
September 2007
Everyone has something to hide-Especially high school juniors Spencer, Aria, Emily, and Hanna.
Spencer covets her sister's boyfriend.
Aria's fantasizing about her English teacher.
Emily's crushing on the new girl at school.
Hanna uses some ugly tricks to stay beautiful.
But they've all kept an even bigger secret since their friend Alison vanished.
How do I know? Because I know
everything about the bad girls they were, the naughty girls they are, and all the dirty secrets they've kept. And guess what? I'm telling.
-A
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I decide to read this book after seeing so many previews for the tv show. I have not watched one episode of the show but the previews looked interesting and I decided if I am ever going to watch it I want to read the books first.

For me this book had a slow start. It wasn't until about 100 pages into the book that I really got into it. By the end of the book I am ever bit as curious as the girls to finding out who A is. The reason I took so long to into the book I believe is because of the bouncing back and forth between characters and the flashbacks. Most books I have read when they do flashbacks something about the font changes so later in the book you know when you are in a flashback. This book however kept everything the same. I am ever bit intrigued in finding out what other secrets these girls could possibly have. I have the full intention of finishing out the series.

Was this the best book I have ever read? No but was this the worst book ever? No. I did enjoy reading it and really want to read the rest of the series. It's not getting a 5-star rating from me just because it did take a bit for me to really get into the book. It wasn't until the last 100 pages that I absolutely could not put the back down.

Who knows the book might be the right book for you. Everyone has their own taste. Give it a try!

I decided..

That I'm not going to post a review for every book I read since Hourglass by Claudia Gray. Instead I have just posted three new reviews for the books I have read since June. So I am now officially all caught up with my reviews and my blog is no longer under construction. Don't worry about the books I didn't write a review because a couple of them have a sequel coming out this fall so I will reread those and write the review then.


Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Secret Vampire by L. J. Smith


Secret Vampire by L. J. Smith
(combined w/ Daughters of Darkness and Spellbinder Vol 1. of Night World)
Paperback, 752 pages
Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
June 2008

Poppy thought the summer would last forever. Then she was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Now Poppy's only hope for survival is James, her friend and secret love. A vampire in the Night World, James can make Poppy immortal. But first they both must risk everything to go against the laws of Night World
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The storyline of this book is what caught my attention. At first it seemed like a typical story of a vampire and human falling in love but this book had so many different aspects than an other vampire book. You get see a human who doesn't know they are witch become a vampire. That was something I was not expecting. In most paranormal novels the character is either or, never both. It makes for an interesting combination.

As the storyline builds you really begin to feel for Poppy. It really makes you think what would you do if you had cancer. The emotion in the book is so realistic that you can actually imagine someone feeling that way. Taking out the fact that this a story about a secret world of vampires, witches, and werewolves it is something you could see happening in real life. By that I mean finding out a close friend has cancer and you willing to do anything necessary to help her.

The only thing I would have done different in this book is the ending. There are a few things you don't see coming but I feel it ended short. It was a story that could easily be continued. I felt left with some questions I wanted answered. Other than that it was a good book that never lost my attention.

Books w/Bite Contest


Books with Bite is having a contest for a copy of the ARC of Radiance by Alyson Noel.

For more details on this contest go to Books with Bite.

Paperback, 192 pages
Square Fish
August 31, 2010
Riley has crossed the bridge into the afterlife'a place called Here, where time is always Now. She has picked up life where she left off when she was alive, living with her parents and dog in a nice house in a nice neighborhood. When shers"s summoned before The Council, she learns that the afterlife isnrs"t just an eternity of leisure. Shers"s been assigned a job, Soul Catcher, and a teacher, Bodhi, a possibly cute, seemingly nerdy boy whors"s definitely hiding something. They return to earth together for Rileyrs"s first assignment, a Radiant Boy whors"s been haunting a castle in England for centuries. Many Soul Catchers have tried to get him to cross the bridge and failed. But all of that was before he met Riley...



The Girl Most Likely To... by Susan Donovan

The Girl Most Likely To... by Susan Donovan
Mass Market Paperback, 352 pages
St. Martin's Press
December 2008
Kat Cavanaugh was sixteen when she hitchiked out of Persuasion, West Virginia, and vowed never to return. Who could blame her? She'd just stumbled upon her father's adulterous affair, found out she was pregnant, got dumped by her boyfriend, and kicked out of her house and school... all in a single afternoon. Twenty years have gone by and Kat's back--gorgeous, rich, and looking for an apology from everyone who'd turned their backs on her. First on that list is Riley Bohland, the boy who broke her heart before she could tell him about the baby.
But Kat didn't count on Riley having his own axe to grind, or that he'd be just as delicious as he was at sixteen. She also didn't count on her heart opening at the sight of him. When their anger ignites a passion intense enough to burn through two decades of secrets and lies, Kat must question everything she thought she knew about her past. And what about her future? The only place to find the answers may be in Riley's arms....
---------------------------------------------------
This is not the typical type of book you would catch in my hand but lately I have been reading just about everything. It took a while before it had my full attention but that could have been because I don't typically read books that are just love stories without a twist of some sort. Once the book finally had my attention it hard for me to put it down. As Kat's secrets unravel so do the lies everyone has been telling. As each secret is revealed you are enticed to continue reading to find out what other juicy information is going to be revealed.
As secrets and lies come undone Kat's high school sweetheart and her begin to return to the past and relive their relationship. As Kat begins to spiral down that path with Riley, and as she begins to open her heart again to Riley you begin to open yours as well. I was head over heels for Riley as I read this. Not only do you feel what Kat feels about Riley but you begin to hate the people she hates and think other people are crazy when characters in the book think they are crazy.
I think for the first time one of my favorite characters in a book was not the main character in this book. Instead, it was the inn's keeper-Madeline. She was like the gossip queen; she heard and saw everything that went in Persuasion. What makes her my favorite character is the fact that everything she does or says you can't help but laugh because of the way she acts or speaks. She just has that personality that nothing she does or says can be taken seriously.
For being a romance novel that was not a paranormal romance or forbidden romance I truly enjoyed reading this book.

Monday, July 26, 2010

Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles
Paperback, 368 pages
Walker & Company
December 2008
$9.99

At Fairfield High, everyone knows that south siders and north siders aren’t exactly compatible elements. So when cheerleader Brittany Ellis and gang member Alex Fuentes are forced to be lab partners, the results are bound to be explosive.

Neither teen is prepared for the most surprising chemical reaction of all – love. Can they break through the stereotypes and misconceptions that threaten to keep them apart?

'Bad Boy' + 'Good Girl' = Perfect Chemistry

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This book is a forbidden love story. Like most forbidden love story's Perfect Chemistry had me from beginning to end. The way Simone wrote this book is the way, I believe all forbidden love type stories should be written. It is not written strictly in just one of the characters point of view instead each chapter goes back and forth between Alex and Brittany. I really loved how it did that. To me it gave me the feeling of what was going through each characters brain about the other character. You can truly feel their relationship evolve. I read this book in one day because I could not put it down. You can really feel the "chemistry" between the characters as it develops. From Alex writing on Brittany's paper "Saturday night. You and Me. Driving lessons and hot sex.." to Brittany really letting her fake image down and letting Alex see the real her.

I personally believe that this is not just a forbidden love story it is a story about how it doesn't matter about your outer appearance or who you display yourself as deep down inside we are all the same. The way Simone pulled off the layers of Brittany and Alex as they opened up to each other was not rushed. I feel it was done as realistically as it would have been in reality. There are very few books at there where the forbidden love story can be something you see in everyday life but Perfect Chemistry is something I can see happening between two people in real life.

I am disappointed that the sequel is not really about Alex and Brittany but I still look forward to reading about Alex's brother and his forbidden love. If you are someone who likes forbidden love stories then this book is really something you should pick up and read. The only thing I wish this book had was like a glossary in the back that tells what all the Spanish in the book means. I still don't know what some of it means but I still made it through the book and enjoyed every bit of it.




Sunday, July 25, 2010

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

I'm going to be redoing everything on here. I will keep the book reviews and post new ones on the ones I've read recently. I wil be adding new things and changing the layout. This will all happen within in this week. So bare with me.

I will post a book review for books I have read since my last review. One each day starting tomorrow.