Sunday, March 31, 2013

April TBR Pile

This month I failed to achieve my reading goal due to my being overwhelmed with the month's events. This has caused me to fall behind in 3 of my 4 yearly challenges. But now that all my medical issues have finally been fully taken care of and there is nothing more for me to fret about, I can focus my attention on catching up with my reading.

Finish:
Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

Other Books I Want To Read:
With All My Soul by Rachel Vincent
The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan
Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris
Impostor by Jill Hathaway
Unremembered by Jessica Brody

I probably won't get to all of these, but here's hoping I finish a good majority of them. What books are you planning to read in April?

Saturday, March 30, 2013

Just One Day by Gayle Forman

Book: Just One Day (Just One Day #1)
Author: Gayle Forman
# of Pages: 369 (Hardcover)
Challenge: 2013 YA Contemporary Challenge
Rating: 4 stars

Goodreads Summary:
When sheltered American good girl Allyson "LuLu" Healey first meets laid-back Dutch actor Willem De Ruiter at an underground performance of Twelfth Night in England, there’s an undeniable spark. After just one day together, that spark bursts into a flame, or so it seems to Allyson, until the following morning, when she wakes up after a whirlwind day in Paris to discover that Willem has left. Over the next year, Allyson embarks on a journey to come to terms with the narrow confines of her life, and through Shakespeare, travel, and a quest for her almost-true-love, to break free of those confines.

Just One Day is the first in a sweepingly romantic duet of novels. Willem’s story—Just One Year—is coming soon!


My Thoughts:
I just adored If I Stay and Where She Went. So I was super excited when I found out about this book.

Allyson is organized and does everything she can to make her parents happy. But she never does anything for herself. Then she meets Willem, an actor, and spends a day with him in Paris.

I did not really like Allyson at first, but as I kept reading I saw how strong she really was and could not help rooting for her. On the other hand, Willem was mysterious, too mysterious. Not too many details are revealed about him making it hard to like him.

Forman's writing was as beautiful as ever. I felt like I was in Paris with Allyson and Willem. The one complaint I have is the slow pacing of the story. I felt like it needed a little more action.

Overall, Just One Day was a very enjoyable book, and I am looking forward to seeing what happens next for Allyson and Willem. If you liked Gayle Forman's other YA books, then you will definitely want to check this one out.

Friday, March 29, 2013

Stacking the Shelves #18

Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews where you share what books you obtained over the week.

Bought


Mila 2.0 (MILA 2.0 #1) by Debra Driza
Fragments (Partials Sequence #2) by Dan Wells

Gifted


In Her Name: Redemption (In Her Name: Redemption #1-3) by Michael R. Hicks
First Contact (In Her Name: The Last War #1) by Michael R. Hicks

For My Nook


With All My Soul (Soul Screamers #7) by Rachel Vincent
Impostor (Slide #2) by Jill Hathaway
Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt


Black Hole Sun (Black Hole Sun #1) by David Macinnis Gill

What books did you get this week?

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Stacking the Shelves #17

Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews where you share what books you obtained over the week.

I only got one book this week. But, I was SO excited when it came in the mail!

Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices #3) by Cassandra Clare

What books did you get this week?

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Waiting on Wednesday

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

Book: Icons (Icons #1)
Author: Margaret Stohl
Release Date: May 7, 2013

Goodreads Summary:
Your heart beats only with their permission.

Everything changed on The Day. The day the windows shattered. The day the power stopped. The day Dol's family dropped dead. The day Earth lost a war it didn't know it was fighting.

Since then, Dol has lived a simple life in the countryside -- safe from the shadow of the Icon and its terrifying power. Hiding from the one truth she can't avoid.

She's different. She survived. Why?

When Dol and her best friend, Ro, are captured and taken to the Embassy, off the coast of the sprawling metropolis once known as the City of Angels, they find only more questions. While Ro and fellow hostage Tima rage against their captors, Dol finds herself drawn to Lucas, the Ambassador's privileged son. But the four teens are more alike than they might think, and the timing of their meeting isn't a coincidence. It's a conspiracy.

Within the Icon's reach, Dol, Ro, Tima, and Lucas discover that their uncontrollable emotions -- which they've always thought to be their greatest weaknesses -- may actually be their greatest strengths.

Bestselling author Margaret Stohl delivers the first book in a heart-pounding series set in a haunting new world where four teens must piece together the mysteries of their pasts -- in order to save the future.

What book are you waiting on this Wednesday?

Monday, March 11, 2013

Top Ten Books On My Spring 2013 TBR List

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.





Sever by Lauren DeStefano
The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan
The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa
Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris
With All My Soul by Rachel Vincent
Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry
Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare
Spirit by Brigid Kemmerer
Of Triton by Anna Banks
Dead Silence by Kimberly Derting

What books are on your Spring TBR list?

Saturday, March 9, 2013

Stacking the Shelves #16

Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews where you share what books you obtained over the week.


Unremembered (Unremembered #1) by Jessica Brody
Breaking Point (Article 5 #2) by Kristen Simmons
Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy #1) by RIchelle Mead


I just loved The Fault in Our Stars and when I saw this on BN.com and I had to get it.

What books did you get this week?

Friday, March 8, 2013

Cross My Heart, Hope To Die by Sara Shepard

Book: Cross My Heart, Hope To Die (The Lying Game #5)
Author: Sara Shepard
# of Pages: 321 (Hardcover)
Challenge: 2013 YA Contemporary Challenge
Rating: 5 stars

Goodreads Summary:
When I died two months ago, my killer told my twin sister to become me—or else. Now Emma has it down to a T. She tosses her hair with the signature Sutton Mercer flip and can lead a Lying Game prank with the best of them. She’s even repairing my relationship with my adoptive family. The only thing she hasn’t done is solve my murder.

Then our birth mother, the woman who abandoned us, showed up in Tucson. Emma hasn’t seen Becky in twelve years, but Becky recognizes Emma immediately—as Emma. Is it a mother’s intuition . . . or does Becky know I’m already gone?


My Thoughts:
If you have not read books 1-4 there may be spoilers.

This is by far the best book in the series. It's creepy. It's dark. And like the rest of Sara Shepard's books, it was addictive.

I am starting to like Thayer more and more with each book and really starting to hate Ethan. While Thayer is kind and patient, Ethan is short-tempered and manipulative. I thought Ethan was particularly evasive in this book. He would not give Emma direct answers when she asked him questions and he was very smooth when it came to changing the subject.

Emma and Sutton's birth mother, Becky has a bigger role in this book and we learn more about her past. Emma continues to pretend to be Sutton, although I don't get how she has managed to make it so long when she and Sutton have two completely different personalities. And it is becoming more and more evident who the murderer is. I will be very surprised if it isn't who I think it is. Also, I was stunned by the ending. I had to read it again to make sure I read it right the first time.

Overall, Cross My Heart, Hope To Die was a fantastic book. And with an unexpected ending like that, I'm going to be counting down the days until the final installment in the series comes out in July.

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Waiting on Wednesday

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

Book: Sky of Fire (Monument 14 #2)
Author: Emmy Laybourne
Release Date: May 28, 2013

Goodreads Summary:
The world hasn't ended...yet.

In this sequel to MONUMENT 14, the group of survivors, originally trapped together in a superstore by a series of escalating disasters, has split in two. Most of the kids are making a desperate run on their recently repaired school bus for the Denver airport where they hope to reunite with their parents, be evacuated to safety, and save their dying friend.

But the world outside is dark and filled with dangerous chemicals that turn people into bloodthirsty monsters, and not all the kids were willing to get on the bus. Left behind in a sanctuary that has already been disturbed once, the remaining kids try to rebuild the community they lost. But when the issues are life and death, love and hate, who can you really trust?

What book are you waiting on this Wednesday?

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Cover Reveal: The Liberator by Victoria Scott

The Liberator (Dante Walker #2) by Victoria Scott
Release Date: September 3, 2013


OMG!!! I am SO excited for this series! And, I just love this cover. The Liberator is the second book in Victoria Scott's Dante Walker series. The first book, The Collector, will be released April 2. You can find out more about Victoria and her books here.

Are you looking forward to this series? What do you think of this cover?

Monday, March 4, 2013

Top Ten Series I'd Like to Start But Haven't Yet

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

1. A Song of Ice and Fire series 
by George R.R. Martin

2. Leviathan series by Scott Westerfeld

3. The Heir Chronicles by Cinda Williams Chima

4. Iron Codex series by Caitlin Kittredge

5. Benny Imura series by Jonathan Maberry

6. Lumetere Chronicles by Melina Marchetta

7. Steampunk Chronicles by Kady Cross

8. Article 5 series by Kristen Simmons

9. Tempest series by Julie Cross

10. Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead

Saturday, March 2, 2013

Stacking the Shelves #15

Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews where you share what books you obtained over the week.

Sever (The Chemical Garden #3) by Lauren DeStefano
Shades of Earth (Across the Universe #3) by Beth Revis
Dance of Shadows (Dance of Shadows #1) by Yelena Black


Things I Can't Forget (Hundred Oaks #3) by Miranda Kenneally
The Morganville Vampires Volume 1 (The Morganville Vampires #1-2) 
by Rachel Caine

What books did you get this week?

Friday, March 1, 2013

February Wrap Up & March TBR Pile


Books Read in February:
Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Running Blind by Lee Child
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
Crash (Visions #1) by Lisa McMann
Obsidian (Lux #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Challenges:
2013 TBR Pile Reading Challenge: 3/25

2013 Ebook Challenge: 2/25

2013 YA Contemporary Challenge: 0/6

March TBR Pile:
I have a habit of changing my mind about what I wan to read halfway through the month, but this month I'm going to try and stick to my choices.

Finish Cross My Heart, Hope to Die by Sara Shepard
Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Dream Dark by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
The Secret of Ella and Micha by Jessica Sorenson
Sever by Lauren DeStefano

What books are you reading this month?