My Month of Reading: August and Happy Release Day!

Yay, the computer's working!!

Not nearly as good of a month of reading as July. I only read 5 books (maybe 6 if I can finish Shiver tonight). That's pathetic. there are 2 excuses that I have come up with: A. Summer is definitely coming to an end; I've been running around like crazy. B. Most of August's books were not nearly as good as July's books. But, here they are:

1. The Devouring (3 stars)

2. Shattered Mirror (3 and 1/2 stars)

3. Hawksong (3 and 1/2 stars)

4. Prophecy of the Sisters (3 and 1/2 stars)

5. Fade (Favorite)

Favorite book from August: No contest. Fade.

Worst book from August: The Devouring.

Other posts of significance:

(My First!) Contest: The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening


September brings not only a new month of reading, but a whole crap-load of new releases! Here are just some books that come out...tomorrow (two hours):









Yay! These are the ones that I'm SUPER excited for! Guess which one I'm most excited for? September's gonna be an awesome month...I can feel it.

Possible Temporary Leave Absense Notice

Yeah. It sucks 'cause I'm not going on vacation or anything fun like that. No, not at ALL. My laptop (or, more specifically, my mom's laptop) is...pretty much broken. When we try to turn it on, the LED lights come on, and you can hear the fan starting up is you listen really hard, but it won't turn on. We can get it on after a while if we take out the battery, take out the charger, and hold the power button down for 30-40 seconds, then leave the battery out but plug the charger back in. (Though I'd post that in case anyone else was having this problem.) Hopefully, I will find some way to get on the computer...even if it means going on my dial-up computer (we live in the middle of nowhere which means, no high speed) because I'd probably go crazy without it. On the positive side, hopefully I'll get some much needed reading done.

So, hopefully it will still come on with our little trick, but if not, I will have no guilt now.

I'm gonna go read Shiver and try to get rid of the remains of my nasty zit. (Not simultaneously, though.)

My YA Debut!

No, not really. Not yet, although I am writing a YA book-but that's not what this post is about. I finally made my cover:
Here's how to make your own:

1 – Go to “Fake Name Generator” or click http://www.fakenamegenerator.com/

The name that appears is your author name.

2 – Go to “Random Word Generator” or clickhttp://www.websitestyle.com/parser/randomword.shtml

The word listed under “Random Verb” is your title.

3 – Go to “FlickrCC” or click http://flickrcc.bluemountains.net/index.php

Type your title into the search box. The first photo that contains a person is your cover.

4 – Use Photoshop, Picnik, or similar to put it all together. Be sure to crop and/or zoom in. (I highly recommend Picnik, one of my new favorite sites. Photoshop and I are kinda mortal enemies, so you get the idea.)

5 – Post it to your site along with this text.

What Would You Do For Catching Fire?

(Sorry it's so small.)


3. MORE. DAYS. UNTIL. CATCHING. FIRE. I'M. EXCITED. (In case you couldn't tell.)

And, on a different note, I'm more than halfway through Shiver. It's taking me longer than I'd expected to read, but in a really good way... I'll explain exactly what that means in the review.


Oh, and while I'm being random, it's the perfect time to announce my brand-new award from Sarbear at My Life Is An Effing Fairy Tale (an awesome blog name, in my opinion)! Thanks Sarbear!

I have to pass the award on to some fellow bloggers. If I gave it to you and you already have it, sorry. I nominate:

1. Writer's Block Reviews
2. Poisoned Rationality
3. I Was A Teenage Book Geek
4. Read Now, Sleep Later (It's where I got the Catching Fire comic.((see above)
5. The Neverending shelf

Thanks again to Sarbear!


And now I'm off to continue being dead-tired. (8 is early for me.)

Waiting On Wednesday (5)

So, I suppose my WoW this week is slightly unoriginal, since I'm pretty sure just about everyone has heard about this book. But, I have no other ideas and I'm also really excited for it.


There were no surprises in Gatlin County.
We were pretty much the epicenter of the middle of nowhere.
At least, that's what I thought.
Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong.
There was a curse.
There was a girl.
And in the end, there was a grave.

Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.

Beautiful Creatures will be released on December 1. I, for one, cannot wait!

Waiting On Wednesdays are hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine.

Teaser Tuesdays (August 25th, '09)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme, hosted by MizB of Should

Be Reading.

Anyone can play along, 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!

Here's mine:

"And then I jumped from my chair, my notes fluttering to the floor like listless birds. I left them where they fell and ran for my car."

From page 48 of Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater (I'm only on, like, page 50 to my dismay.)

Fade Review

SPOILERS FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN'T READ WAKE


Release Date: February 10, 2009
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Age Group: 14+
Pages: 248 (Hardcover)
Other Titles in the Series: Wake

Some nightmares never end. For Janie and Cabel, real life is getting tougher than the dreams. They're just trying to carve out a little (secret) time together, but no such luck. Disturbing things are happening at Fieldridge High, yet nobody's talking. When Janie taps into a classmate's violent nightmares, the case finally breaks open -- but nothing goes as planned. Not even close. Janie's in way over her head, and Cabe's shocking behavior has grave consequences for them both. Worse yet, Janie learns the truth about herself and her ability -- and it's bleak. Seriously, brutally bleak. Not only is her fate as a dream catcher sealed, but what's to come is way darker than she'd feared....

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By far the best book I've read in August.

The unique plot takes many turns during the book, which keeps you additively flipping pages until you finish it and take a minute to digest it all. This book is dark and slightly disturbing, but I loved every minute of it.

The characters in this series are phenomenal. Janie kicks butt, or ass-whichever you prefer. Cabel is a great character and has his own issues that he constantly battles and I love him for it. Captain is the tough boss, but she also provides even greater tough love, making her an extremely lovable character. We see much less of Janie's friend, Carrie, in Fade, but she kinda annoyed me anyways-she was very selfish.

Janie and Cabel's romance escalates throughout Fade and it makes the story even more addictive. Cabel is constantly there for Janie, jumping over hurdles just to get her a glass of milk, and Janie definitely loves him for it. This book, along with everything else it has to offer, also offers great chemistry from two easily lovable characters.

Lisa Mcmann's writing is just as addictive as the storyline. She really has effortlessly made a writing style all her own, and I love it. She is-without a doubt in my mind-one of my favorite authors.

Overall, a gripping, disturbing, and...well, great, sequel to it's successor Wake. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of reading it. It had a huge shocker towards the end, but didn't leave you on a cliffhanger (luckily). But, that doesn't mean that I'm not counting down the days until Gone, the next book in the series.

Was it better than Wake? It was close. I think I probably like just Wake a little more, though.

Judging A Book By It's Cover, Double Take: Glass Houses

I've heard nothing but good things about this book, and have it on my shelf to be read. Here's the cover:


I don't know why, but there's something about this cover that just puts me off. Maybe it's the stereotypical goth girl, the odd mixture of colors, or the weird font. Here's another cover that I found to compare this too:


I like this one better. The colors go better together, the girl on the cover is less-for lack of a better word-stereotypical, and I like the house more. The font's much better, too. But, I feel like they're so different that only one sticks to the book. So I'll probably have a different opinion after I read the book. What do you think about them, and which do you like more?

Zombie Chicken Award!

I'm so excited, I finally got my own Zombie Chicken Award! Thanks to Teens Read and Write! Here's the description for the Zombie Chicken:

The blogger who receives this award believes in the Tao of the zombie chicken - excellence, grace and persistence in all situations, even in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. These amazing bloggers regularly produce content so remarkable that their readers would brave a raving pack of zombie chickens just to be able to read their inspiring words. As a recipient of this world-renowned award, you now have the task of passing it on to at least 5 other worthy bloggers. Do not risk the wrath of the zombie chickens by choosing unwisely or not choosing at all.

OK, five, um...I'll stick to people who don't have it:

Lolita of The Striped Sock Story Society

Lindsay of Just Another Book Addict

Kira of Kira's Book Paradise

Jess from Lost In A Book

Briana, Arielle, and Marissa of B.A.M. Reviews

These blog are all rather awesome, and if I were you I would check them out. Thanks again to Teens Read and Write!

My Life According To Books I've Read In '09

I saw this at Sharon Loves Books and Cats and thought it might be fun.

Using only books you have read this year (2009), cleverly answer these questions. Try not to repeat a book title. It's a lot harder than you think!

Describe Yourself: A Great And Terrible Beauty

How do you feel: Once Dead, Twice Shy

Describe where you currently live: The Hunger Games

If you could go anywhere, where would you go: City of Bones

Your favorite form of transportation: Wings

Your best friend is: Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side

You and your friends are: Specials

What's the weather like: The Struggle (Vampire Diaries book 2)

Favorite time of day: Moonlight

What is life to you: Revelations

Your fear: The Devouring

What is the best advice you have to give: Hush, Hush

Thought for the Day: Life As We Knew It

How I would like to die: Demon In My View

My soul's present condition: Eternal

Prophecy of the Sisters Review

Release Date: August 1, 2009
Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers
Age Group: 12+
Pages: 343 (Hardcover)

An ancient prophecy divides two sisters-

One good...

One evil...

Who will prevail?

Twin sisters Lia and Alice Milthorpe have just become orphans. They have also become enemies. As they discover their roles in a prophecy that has turned generations of sisters against each other, the girls find themselves entangled in a mystery that involves a tattoo-like mark, their parents' deaths, a boy, a book, and a lifetime of secrets.

Lia and Alice don't know whom they can trust.

They just know they can't trust each other.
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It took me longer than I would've expected-longer than I've hoped-to get into this book. A dangerous prophecy sounds really engrossing, but it seemed to me like it dragged on quite a bit.

Once the plot actually got going, it was pretty good. But it took it kind of long to get to that point. I know this is the first book in what's supposed to be a series, but it did take some wading through on my part. I'm definitely glad I read it, don't get me wrong. It was a unique, dark, tale of the choices we have to make-and just a good fantasy.

The characters were pretty good. I didn't have one that I didn't like-save for Alice. She was deceptive and just all together evil. Lia was a well put together protagonist, and her friends Sonia and Luisa were very likable. My favorite may be Madame Berrier, who plays a big part in the story in a short amount of time.

The writing was there, definitely. Very dark, descriptive and perfect for the vibe of the book. We should be expecting good, if not great, things from author Michelle Zink.

All in all, not bad. A well though out, original story...once I got into it. I would recommend it, and will be reading the sequel.
(It was bordering on 3 1/2 and 4.)

If you liked A Great And Terrible Beauty, you may like this.


And, on a completely non-prophecy related note, I have 50 followers! Yay! Thanks guys, you rock.

So...

With some help from Picnik and Cutest Blog on the Block, I've gotten a new template. I don't know why, but it felt like it was time for a change. Whadda you think? Yay or nay?

Waiting On Wednesday (4)

Sleepless by Cyn Balog
Release Date: Summer 2010

Eron DeMarchelle spent seventeen years on earth before his death in 1908. Now, he’s part of another world that invisibly coexists with earth. He is what humans call in their bedtime stories a “Sandman,” and his only purpose is to seduce them to sleep night after night. This dull, meaningless existence wears on him until he falls for the one girl he cannot seduce, a human named Julia. He conspires with his oldest friend, the princess Chimere, to find a way to be with the object of his affection forever. But even the most carefully made plans sometimes have unexpected consequences . . .

Why has no one thought to write about the Sandman yet? I really enjoyed Cyn Balog's Fairy Tale and cannot wait for next summer to come!

Teaser Tuesdays (August 18th, '09)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme, hosted by MizB of Should

Be Reading.

Anyone can play along, 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!

Here's mine:

I watch her leave but do not do anything about the alteration with James. I want to apoligize for Alice's add demeanor, but my mind is full of questions to which I am not sure I want answers.- Page 42 of Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink.

(My First!) Contest: The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening

Contest is closed.

So, I went on another Goodwill book-hunt today. I didn't find much, but I did find The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening 90's print, which I though was very cool. (They were reprinted in '07 where The Awakening and The Struggle were in the same book.) I already own the entire Vampire Diaries series, seeing as it's one of my favorites (even though I still haven't gotten around to reading the newest one). But I got it anyways and thus, my very first contest was born! And just in time for the TV series-which premieres September 10th.

Book details:

I did get it from Goodwill, so it'd probably been read. But it's in great condition. And it doesn't smell funny. (I know I've heard people say that used books smell funny.) It's the first book in the series. It's a Paperback.

How to enter:

Just leave a comment with your email address, or a blog where I can comment and tell you you've won and you email me (please let me know if you want me to contact you via blog). Whatever floats your boat. But: no form of contact, no entry. Contest ends 1 month from now, so September 17th, midnight. Open to the U.S. only. (So sorry! I'm broke as it is)

Extra entries:

+2 If you follow me.
+1 If you already followed me before the contest. (So, a total of 3 entries for those who already followed me.)
+2 If you post about this on your blog. (Sidebars rock, I love sidebars.)


This is a great book and a great series, it's one of my favorites and I highly recommend it!
Good luck to everyone!



(Oh, and by the way, Jess from Lost In A Book has a contest of epic-ness going on at her blog! Go enter now!)

Judging A Book By It's Cover: Prophecy of the Sisters

I'm currently reading Prophecy of the Sisters, and I'm only 50 or so pages into it but so far it's of to a good start. And here's the cover:

I LOVE this cover! I love the covers, the statues, the background, the font, all of it. It doesn't seem like a cover I would like this much, but I can't stop staring at it (which makes it hard to read it). But, that's just my opinion. What do you think?

Hawksong Review

Release Date: September 2004
Publisher: Perfection Learning
Age Group: 12+
Pages: 243 (Hardcover)

DANICA SHARDAE IS an avian shapeshifter, and the golden hawk’s form in which she takes to the sky is as natural to her as the human one that graces her on land. The only thing more familiar to her is war: It has raged between her people and the serpiente for so long, no one can remember how the fighting began. As heir to the avian throne, she’ll do anything in her power to stop this war—even accept Zane Cobriana, the terrifying leader of her kind’s greatest enemy, as her pair bond and make the two royal families one. Trust. It is all Zane asks of Danica—and all they ask of their people—but it may be more than she can give. A School Library Journal Best Books of the Year A VOYA Best Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror List selection From the Hardcover edition.


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Hawksong...hmm.... What should I say about Hawksong...?

I think I know why it took me so long to read it and why it was so easy to put it down: no suspense. There was no mystery to keep me guessing, or villain for me to hate. And there was a weird romance going on that wasn't quite a romance going on between Danica and Zane. Now, both of these facts change in the last 60 or so pages, but it wasn't until then that I really got into the book.

I didn't seem to relate to Danica. She was supposed to have a composure on the outside-which I get-but she didn't have much emotion in her narration. I liked Zane a lot, though. Other than that, I didn't really love any of the characters.

The writing was great, but I always rave about Amelia Atwater-Rhodes' writing. I did feel like she lost some of her storytelling ability in Hawksong, though.

Was Hawksong worth the read? Sure. Would I recommend it? With my opinion, but yeah. Since I liked the ending so much, I'll be reading the second one. It wasn't as good as I'd hoped it would be, though.

An WAY Bigger Contest!

I'm at a friend's house until tomorrow, so I can't post my review of Hawksong yet. What I can post is a contest I'm sure you've heard about plently of times, but this gets me extra points, so sorry. Anyways, it's a contest that Princess Bookie is hosting, and here's what you can win:

1. Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick ARC2.
Along For The Ride by Sarah Dessen ARC
3. Kiss of Life by Daniel Waters ARC
4. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater ARC
5. Troy High by Shana Norris ARC
6. Love You Hate You Miss You by Elizabeth Scott ARC
7. Reincarnation by Suzanne Weyn ARC
8. Lovestruck Summer by Melissa Walker
9. Death by Series by Linda Gerber (3 books total)
10. a 5 dollar giftcard from Walmart (you can buy yourself half of a book with it, lol)
11. 3 Sarah Dessen books ( Just Listen, This Lullaby, Someone Like You)
12. Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson
13. Fire By Kristin Cashmore ARC
14. Last but not least, a preorder for CATCHING FIRE BY SUZANNE COLLINS. It will be shipped to on or around Sept 1st (whenever they ship it)
AND a book of your choice (under $15.00 please and it can be a preorder as long as it comes out in September-so many good books get released)

And, since she's gotten so many followers due to this amazing contest, she's also got 2 or 3 stacks of random books, and she'll be choosing a book out of each of those stacks.

So, yeah, a probably the biggest book contest that I've ever seen. Head on over there and enter, I'll be crossing my fingers for you.

Waiting On Wednesday (3)

Yay! Blogger is finally letting me get on! Sorry I haven't posted, I've been away at the beach with friends and read approximately 3 pages. And then this morning Blogger was making me loudly growl. But, anyways, here is my WoW:

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting
Release Date: March 2010

Violet Ambrose is grappling with two major issues: Jay Heaton and her morbid secret ability. While the sixteen-year-old is confused by her new feelings for her best friend since childhood, she is more disturbed by her “power” to sense dead bodies—or at least those that have been murdered.

Since she was a little girl, she has felt the echoes the dead leave behind in the world . . . and the imprints that attach to their killers. Violet has never considered her strange talent to be a gift; it mostly just led her to find dead birds her cat had tired of

playing with. But now that a serial killer has begun terrorizing her small town, and the echoes of the local girls he’s claimed haunt her daily, she realizes she might be the only person who can stop him.

Despite his fierce protectiveness over her, Jay reluctantly agrees to help Violet on her quest to find the murderer—and Violet is unnerved to find herself hoping that Jay’s intentions are much more than friendly. But even as she’s falling intensely in love, Violet is getting closer and closer to discovering a killer . . . and becoming his prey herself.

It looks creepy and engrossing, March cannot come soon enough! Waiting On Wednesdays are hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine.

Crazy Contest Going On!

Just to let everyone know, there's a crazy huge contest going on at Genevieve's Blog in honor of her half birthday. Some of the books include an ARC of Fire, Fade, and Prophecy of the Sisters. She's not closing the contest until she get a hundred entries, so go sign up and spread the word!

Shattered Mirror Review

Release Date: July 8, 2003
Publisher: Laurel Leaf
Age Group: 12+
Pages: 221 (Paperback)
Other Titles In Series: In The Forests on the Night, Demon in my View (You should read them in order.)

To the casual observer, Christopher Ravena and Sarah Vida look like normal high school students. But he’s a vampire who has sworn off human blood, and she’s a witch, a daughter of the most powerful vampire-hunting dynasty in history. Slowly, without meaning to, Sarah finds herself won over by his sensitivity, his gentleness, his kindness. But his past and her future collide when they both get tangled up with Nikolas, one of the most reviled vampires ever.
-------------------------------------------------------

I think I liked Demon In My View more, but this was still a really good addition to the Den of Shadows series.

The plot was very original, and executed well. There was lots of action, and the Sarah's journey was very well documented. Even so, I didn't have much trouble putting it down, although there were parts where I couldn't.

I think part of the reason it was semi-easy to put down was that I didn't love any of the characters. Sarah, Christopher, Nissa, and Nikolas, were all OK. Sarah was probably my favorite; she had awesome fighting skills, wasn't whiny, and let her emotions guide her through the whole book.

What can I saw about Amelia Atwater-Rhodes? She is one of my favorite authors. All of her books that I've read (which, right now, has only been the first 3 in the Den of Shadows series) have been very well-written, well thought out, and very quick reads. And, of course, Shattered Mirror was no exception.

So, although Demon in my View is still my favorite out of the series, Shattered Mirror was still a pretty darn good read, and quick. If you're looking for a new, relatively unknown, well-written vampire and vampire hunter book, pick up Shattered Mirror. And the rest of the 90s, gothic Den of Shadows series.

Friday Finds (1)

I forgot to do my Waiting on Wednesday, so, viola! My first Friday Finds.

Principal Taft's 3 Simple Rules for Surviving a Zombie Uprising:

Rule #1: While in the halls, walk slowly and wear a vacant expression on your face. Zombies won't attack other zombies.

Rule #2: Never travel alone. Move in packs. Follow the crowd. Zombies detest blatant displays of individuality.

Rule #3: If a zombie should attack, do not run. Instead, throw raw steak at to him. Zombies love raw meat. This display of kindness will go a long way.

On the night of her middle school graduation, Margot Jean Johnson wrote a high school manifesto detailing her goals for what she was sure would be a most excellent high school career. She and her best friend, Sybil, would be popular and, most important, have boyfriends. Three years later, they haven't accomplished a thing!

Then Margot and Sybil arrive at school one day to find that most of the student body has been turned into flesh-eating zombies. When kooky Principal Taft asks the girls to coexist with the zombies until the end of the semester, they realize that this is the perfect opportunity to live out their high school dreams. All they have to do is stay alive....

Sounds frickin' awesome right? It's being released August 18th, I didn't realize it was so soon! I'm gonna go put it on hold at my library. :)

New Library Books!

I have a tons of books that I own just begging me to read them. But, so is just about every book in the library. And if I keep getting library books, then there's no time to read books I own. But I can't stop getting library books. My mom calls it my "disease." I told her that the next time we went to the library, I COULD NOT get any more books. So, here's what I got:

Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink
Cirque Du Freak: A Living Nightmare by Darren Shan (Book 1)
Ninth Grade Slays: The Chronicles of Vladmir Tod by Heather Brewer (Book 2)
Newes From The Dead by Mary Hooper
Kissing Coffins: Vampire Kisses Book 2 by Ellen Schreiber (I wasn't a fan of the first one, but I've heard so many people rave about the series that I decided to give Book 2 a try.)

It's a disease. But these are the last books that I'm getting from the library that aren't already on hold...seriously.