Sunday, July 10, 2011

In My Mailbox(7 new)

In My Mailbox is a weekly event exploring the books received this week and is hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren. Please comment with your links so I can come see what's new with you too!!

 This week I got 6 new books!

These are the ones from the library that I checked out:

The first one is, Wither by Lauren DeStefano.

2. Is Jinx by Meg Cabot. Which I'm very excited to read since Meg Cabot is one of the awesome-est writers ever!

3. Torment(Fallen #2) by Lauren Kate (NOT FOR REVIEW). I'm excited to continue this series :)

4. Divergent by Veronica Roth(already read it and reviewed - it's amazing!)


5. The Outsider(Roswell High #1) by Melinda Metz(read it, still need to review it, but it's great!)


And I won The Hollow by Jessica Verlay.


So what did you get this week? Leave a comment with what you got or the link to your post and I'll check it out :)

Have a great week everybody!

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Top 5 Sunday: Top 5 Books of 2011 So Far

Top 5 Sundays is hosted by Larissa @ Larissa's Bookish Life

This week's theme: 
TOP 5 BOOKS OF 2011 SO FAR!
(In no particular order)






Honorable mentions:



So.. what are your top 5 so far?

Divergent - Veronica Roth

"Somewhere inside me is a merciful, forgiving person. Somewhere there is a girl who tries to understand what people are going through, who accepts that people do evil things and that desperation leads them to darker places than they ever imagined. I swear she exists, and she hurts for the repentant boy I see in front of me. But if I saw her, I wouldn't recognize her.” -Beatrice(Tris)


Title: Divergent
Series: Divergent series 1
Author: Veronica Roth
My Rating: A+

Summary: 

In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.
During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris, and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together, they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes-fascinating, sometimes-exasperating boy fits into the life she’s chosen.
But Tris also has a secret: one she’s kept hidden from everyone, because she’s been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly-perfect society, she also learns that her secret might be what helps her save those she loves . . . or it might be what destroys her.

Review: (I like to be able to talk about parts of the book, so reviews most likely have spoilers in them.)
I just finished DIVERGENT and to tell you the truth, I'm quite impressed. Of all the things I've read, this one just blew my mind. And what really killed me is that the end was a HUGE cliff-hanger. The thought of having to wait to read the second book, well, it kills me knowing I will have to wait a year to read it. 
First off, I loved Four(whoops, Tobias ;), although at sometimes I wanted to slap him. Other times, I had to swoon about him. He just had so many personalities, I just didn't know what to say or do at times. He really is a dream character. Beatrice(Tris) was well established as well. She kind of reminded me of Katniss in The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins, she was brave and outgoing and she wanted to improve. She wouldn't give up. The book itself reminded me of Matched by Ally Condie. Because of the way they run things. Each kind of have the same idea going on with how people make choices and how Cassia and Tris were both similar, even though they are really nothing alike.
I could feel the adrenaline whenever Tris did something new that was just crazy. It made me want to jump off a train unto the roof of a building(ahem, not that I did...). But sometimes I just had to shake my head and laugh thinking that I would never have the guts to do it. 
The end of the book really hit me. Tris's parents gave their lives for her. Well, not just for her, but for her brother and everyone who was fighting. The only problem I had with this book is that when Tobias was pretty much a robot, he just all of a sudden 'woke up'. I thought it just happened like BAM! and he was back. But, I don't have that big of a problem with that. I guess, it's just something that didn't really make sense to me. 
But all in all; It was an amazing read! Roth definitely has a great writing skill!

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Follow Friday & Blog Hop!

Hi! My name is Hannah and I'm the blogger at Follow Me To The Bookshelf. I've been blogging since October of 2010(although, this is a whole new blog that just started up about 2 weeks ago), and have had my fair share of meeting authors, book bloggers and finding out about new books. 

Book bloggers, if you're interested in posting a guest post or guest review, please send me an e-mail at followmetothebookshelf(at)gmail(dot)com. 

Authors/editors/publishers, if you're interested in having an interview or guest posting, feel free to send me an e-mail as well. 

Now for some TGIF stuff ;)

Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee @ Parajunkee's View.

"Lets step away from besties..what is the worst book you've ever read and actually finished?

"This is going to sound really horrible. I've never finished a horrible book. I close it and throw it away(metaphorically, I would never throw away a book). But, I haven't done that too often. I have pretty good luck with choosing the right book to read next."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Blog Hop is hosted by Jen at Crazy-for-books.


This week, we are supposed to 'promote' a giveaway happening on someone else's blog. I found the PERFECT person to promote.

Soon to be author, Natalie Whipple is who I chose to promote!

Natalie tweeted tonight, a link to her blog post - I, of course, followed the link to the blog title of "O_O"(odd title, I know). I found out within the next few minutes of reading that Natalie's book is going to be published! In the summer of 2013, Natalie's book "Transparent" will be released.
And to celebrate this absolutely WONDERFUL news, Natalie is hosting a book giveaway!

Prizes:
There are 5 books available.
White Cat(OR Red Glove) by Holly Black
Incarceron(OR Sapphique) by Catherine Fisher
If I Stay(OR Where She Went) by Gayle Forman
My Fair Godmother(OR My Unfair Godmother) by Janette Rallison
Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves

All you have to do is leave a comment on HER POST(click on that to go to her post) telling her what one of your favorite genre busting books is.


It all ends on July 12th(winners will be announced July 13th), so hurry and go enter!


Good luck to Natalie and her book, I'll make sure to pick it up when it comes out into the book world!

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

The Angel Experiment - James Patterson

Let's throw all their stuff in the cannon.
-Iggy


Title: The Angel Experiment
Series: Maximum Ride #1
Author: James Patterson
My Rating: A+


Summary:

In James Patterson's blockbuster series, fourteen-year-old Maximum Ride, better known as Max, knows what it's like to soar above the world.
She and the other 5 members of the "Flock" -- Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gasman, and Angel -- are just like ordinary kids -- only they have wings and can fly. They have been grafted with avian DNA (bird DNA), and their bones are thin and light, and have extra muscles. Their lungs are bigger, and theur hearts are more efficient. They need to eat a lot more though.
It may seem like a dream come true to some, but their lives can morph into a living nightmare at any moment . . . like when Angel, the youngest member of the flock, is kidnapped and taken back to the "School," where she and the others were experimented on by a crew of whack-jobs that they call white coats.
Her friends brave a journey to blazing hot Death Valley, California, to save Angel, but soon enough, they find themselves in yet another nightmare -- this one involving fighting off the half-human, half-wolf "Erasers" in New York City.
Whether in the treetops of Central Park or in the bowels of the Manhattan subway system, Max and her adopted family take the ride of their lives.
Along the way Max discovers from her old friend and father-figure Jeb -- now her betrayed and greatest enemy -- that her purpose is to save the world -- but can she?

Review:
Rated 4.5 stars(rounded to 5).
I personally enjoyed reading this one. It was my first by James Patterson, and already knew when I was halfway through the book, that I would read the rest of the series. Not only was this a new kind-of genre to me, but also a new idea. Mutant creatures. James Patterson is definitely a new and exciting author. He has wrote a lot of books that I would like to read, but he just seems to keep publishing book after book. It's amazing how fast he can write up a whole book in the little amount of time that he does. 
I would recommend this to anyone who likes paranormal or science fiction.  

Monday, June 20, 2011

Top Ten Tuesday: Why I Love Being A Book Blogger

This awesome meme is hosted by the lovely bookaholics over at The Broke and the Bookish!

This week's theme: Top Ten Reasons Why I Love Being A [Book] Blogger

I'm really excited to share with you guys MY ten reasons why I love being a blogger, although, I can see how many of our reasons are going to be the same. . .

1. The people. I'm thinking this is going to be one of the most popular answers; the people. People come for the blogging, but stay for the people. You start to bond with the others, and before you know it, you have many MANY friends on here and you know you could never leave them, just like you could never leave your family.

2. The books. Once you start blogging, you eventually get used to knowing the release date of books and whats coming out when and whose the author of that. It's addicting. I left blogging for 4-6 months and came back and it's been driving me CRAZY not knowing when something was being released.

3. The reading. You get used to reading every night and meeting deadlines, I missed that! I would sit there and try to finish a book as fast as I could just to get it over with and move on to the next one. I know it sounds pathetic, but it's true! I missed blogging and the reading! 

4. Reviews. I love reading the reviews. I can't help it. I like knowing what others think about the books that I read too. Good or bad, I want to know.

5. The authors. Every time I meet an author, I can't help but scream on the inside. I mean, seriously, an author, no matter how big or small, is still an author. I can't not go crazy. 

6. Goals. I've set goals for myself in book blogging. It helps myself set on task and follow through. It showed me that anything is possible!

7. Finding new books. There are millions, probably billions of books out there that I haven't read. Every time I read a book, it's like I'm opening a new doorway. Letting myself escape into a new story and not returning into the world until the story ends. 

8. Meeting NEW people. I live in a big city, sure I meet new people every day, but I can meet people from all over the world through blogging. It's just something FUN to do. 

9. TBR. Lets all just come clean and say it; our TBR is never going to be empty. Cry, if you want at that, but it's just not going to happen. It will always have something on there. It may only have 1 book, it may have thousands of books. Your TBR is never going to be empty though. With blogging, mine only gets longer with every day, it helps me set a HUGE goal that I may never get to, but I like adding a new book and being able to check off an old one. It's a feeling of relief.

10. And number ten.. Well, I don't have a reason #10. I'm completely blank as to what to put here.. So I'm just going to say..
HAPPY TUESDAY! 
Have a great day :)

In My Mailbox(2 new)

In My Mailbox is a weekly event exploring the books received this week and is hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren. Please comment with your links so I can come see what's new with you too!!

So, I've been keeping up with my reading/lowering the number of books I check out from the library every week, so surprisingly, this week I have 2 new books to share with you guys! 

Last week, I checked out Abandon by Meg Cabot and Red Glove by Holly Black(both are truly amazing and unique - definite must reads). This week, I have a few different and unique books to read!

The first one is Living Dead In Dallas by Charlaine Harris. It's the second book in the Sookie Stackhouse series. But, I didn't review the first book on this blog, so I won't be reviewing it on this blog. Any series that I have not started on THIS blog, will not be reviewed. Just to clear that up for everyone :)

Here's the book cover and a few things about 'Living Dead In Dallas'.
Cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse is on a streak of bad luck. First, her coworker is murdered. Then, she's face-to-face with a beastly creature that gives her a poisonous lashing. Enter the vampires, who graciously suck the poison from her veins. But they saved her life, so when one of the bloodsuckers asks for a favor, Sookie complies - and soon she's in Dallas using her telepathic skills to search for a missing vampire.

And the second and last one I got was The Iron King by Julie Kagawa. I know I'm a little late for reading this book, but I'm pretty sure the hype on this series has DEFINITELY not died down. 
Now, isn't this cover just gorgeous?? 
Meghan Chase has a secret destiny; one she could never have imagined.
Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school or at home.
When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.
But she could never have guessed the truth - that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face; and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.


And wait for it..
The rest of the series! Well, the first full three anyway. And then there's the more talked about one:
The Iron Knight! You can obviously tell that the book belongs in the series, but with the change from girl to boy on the cover kind of makes you wonder whats in store for us..

Well, that's all for this week! Make sure to stop by tomorrow for Top Ten Tuesday and Teaser Tuesday!

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Top 5 Sunday: Books for a PNR 1st Timer

Hosted by Larissa @ Larissa's Bookish Life

Happy Sunday everyone! Well, Saturday really, but I'm posting early ;)

This week's theme is Top 5 Books For A Paranormal 1st Timer! 
My choices:

The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. This series ROCKS. A must-read for a first timer :)

House of Night series by P. C. Cast & Kristen Cast. I've only read the first few, but really love the series!

Caster Chronicles by Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia. I love this dark, twisted series. No doubt that you won't love it!

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead. I'm in love with this series already and I've only read the first 2 ;)

And last, but NEVER the end of my long, long list of recommend-ies
The Sookie Stackhouse series! They are awesome, for a vampire series ;)

Well, that's it for this week! What are your recommends for the 1st timers?

White Cat - Holly Black

Title: White Cat
Series: Curse Workers #1
Author: Holly Black
My Rating: B

Summary:

Cassel comes from a family of curse workers -- people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, by the slightest touch of their hands. And since curse work is illegal, they're all mobsters, or con artists. Except for Cassel. He hasn't got the magic touch, so he's an outsider, the straight kid in a crooked family. You just have to ignore one small detail -- he killed his best friend, Lila, three years ago.
Ever since, Cassel has carefully built up a façade of normalcy, blending into the crowd. But his façade starts crumbling when he starts sleepwalking, propelled into the night by terrifying dreams about a white cat that wants to tell him something. He's noticing other disturbing things, too, including the strange behavior of his two brothers. They are keeping secrets from him, caught up in a mysterious plot. As Cassel begins to suspect he's part of a huge con game, he also wonders what really happened to Lila. Could she still be alive? To find that out, Cassel will have to out-con the conmen.
Holly Black has created a gripping tale of mobsters and dark magic where a single touch can bring love -- or death -- and your dreams might be more real than your memories.


Review:

I read this a while back and am just now reviewing it. I have to say, it still scares me a little bit in White Cat how they can CHANGE people into other things. I think Black did an amazing job with writing this book.
Cassel's character is perfect. For a scam-artist anyway. I mean, he IS a scammer. But, I don't blame him for what he does. Everyone has to live, right? ;)
Lila is a stubborn girl, but I can see why she is the way she is. Her father isn't really a good example for her, but what can she do? You can't pick who your parents are, so you have to do with what you have.
I admit I didn't start this book until the last possible moment, I wasn't all that excited about reading it. I mean, the genre just didn't seem like one I'd really get into. I read paranormal romance, yes, but magic and wizards and stuff, it's not my favorite thing to read about. I do enjoy some of the books though.
I was actually shocked to find out that I couldn't sleep at night because I was wondering what would happen next and who would do what next. It was rather exhausting to go to bed and just THINK about it.
I will definitely read this fast-pacing and truly unique series to the end!

Don't worry, you can always read the next book in this must-read series: