2012 Year In Review

2012 has been a very fun year for me. It was my first year doing actual challenges other than the Goodreads challenge so I had fun trying to accomplish those. So here's my year in review and my look forward!

• Book Blogger Recommendation Challenge

I wasn't sure how many books I could actually get so I started off easy with the Book Blogger Recommendation Challenge. I initially challenged myself to 5 books off the list and figured I could go up from there. I'm proud of myself because I accomplished that goal and went on to reach level 2 which is 10 books from the list. Here are the books I read:

1. Rot & Ruin by Jonathon Maberry
2. Delirium By Lauren Oliver
3. Tiger's Curse By Colleen Houck
4. Graceling by Kristin Cashore
5. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
6. Wither by Lauren DeStefano
7. Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
8. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
9. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
10. The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

• Ebook Challenge

When it came to the Ebook challenge I also took the easy road and only went for level 2 which is 10 books. I am happy at that because I only managed to read a grand total of 11 ebooks this year. Not a lot considering I have a kindle with around 800 books on it. Hopefully next year I'll read a few more. Here are the ebooks I read:

1. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
2. Voices Of Angels by Hannah M. Davis
3. Reflection by Jessica Roberts
4. Midnight Frost by Kailin Gow
5. Frost Fire by Kailin Gow
6. Spring Frost by Kailin Gow
7. Delirium by Lauren Oliver
8. Intangible by J. Meyers
9. Anthem by Ayn Rand
10. Spirits of Glory by Emily Devenport
11. Stupid Perfect World by Scott Westerfeld

• A-Z Challenge

 I came across the A-Z challenge from a group on Goodreads. The idea is to read a book where the book title or authors name starts with a letter of the alphabet. I almost completed this challenge. I had my books planned out but didn't get to them all. I missed it by 4 letters, here they are:

a - Anthem by Ayn Rand
b - Beautiful creatures by Kami garcia & margaret stohl
c - Crank by Ellen Hopkins
d - Delirium by Lauren Oliver
e - Evermore by Alyson Noel
f - Frost Fire by Kailin gow
g - Graceling by Kristin Cashore
j - Intangible by J. Meyers
h - Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins
i - Infinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon
k - The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
l - Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
m - Midnight Frost by Kailin Gow
n - Vs. Reality by Blake Northcott
o - Retro Demonology by Jana Oliver
p - Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver
q - Tiger's Quest by Colleen Houck
r - Rot & Ruin by jonathin maberry
s -Spirits of Glory by Emily devenport
t - Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck
u - Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
v - Voices of Angels by Hannah m. Davis
w - Wither by Lauren DeStefano
x - Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
y - Slumber by Samantha Young
z - Zan by Dalya Moon

• Goodreads Challenge & Million Page Quest

For Goodreads I decided that I wanted to read 26 books this year. I'm very proud of myself because I managed to read 34. Here they are:

1. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins - 404 pages
2. Rot & Ruin By Jonathon Maberry - 458 pages
3. Voices of Angels By Hannah M. Davis - 272 pages
4. Reflection By Jessica Roberts - 289 pages
5. Midnight Frost by Kailin Gow - 262 pages
6. Frost Fire by Kailin Gow - 270 pages
7. Spring Frost by Kailin Gow - 141 pages
8. Delirium By Lauren Oliver - 480 pages
9. Intangible By J. Meyers - 264 pages
10. Anthem by Ayn Rand - 90 pages
11. Beautiful Creatures - 563 pages
12. Spirits of Glory by Emily Devenport - 145 pages
13. Infinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon - 464 pages
14. Crank by Ellen Hopkins - 537 pages
15. Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck - 403 pages
16. Glass by Ellen Hopkins - 681 pages
17. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld - 406 pages
18. Wither by Lauren DeStefano - 358 pages
19. Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins - 323 pages
20. Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins - 359 pages
21. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher - 288 pages
22. Graceling by Kristin Cashore - 471 pages
23. Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver - 375 pages
24. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater - 390 pages
25. Evermore by Alyson Noel - 301 pages
26. Stupid Perfect World by Scott Westerfeld - 55 pages
27. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson - 278 pages
28. Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25 By Richard Paul Evans - 326 pages
29.  Legend by Marie Lu - 305 pages
30. Cinder by Marissa Meyer - 387 pages
31. Tiger's Quest by Colleen Houck - 479 pages
32. The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter - 287 pages (book starts on pg 7)
33. The Iron King by Julie Kagawa - 355 pages (book starts on pg 9)
34. The Iron Daughter Julie Kagawa - 351 (book starts on pg 9)

In addition to that I read a total of 11,817 pages this year which brings my grand total to 21,177 on my quest to one million! Hopefully I'll read more than that next year.

• Favorite Books of the Year

        

• Most Anticipated Books of 2013

     

• Movies I'm Looking Forward To

          

*Delirium and Thirteen Reasons Why are only rumored to come out in 2013. The posters are fan made BUT Selena Gomez HAS signed on to star as Hannah Baker in Thirteen Reasons Why. Lily Collins is NOT an official cast member.

No More Book Ban

Yeah, so as you guys know I had decided to stop reading for the rest of 2012 to have time to do other things and get the blog ready for the upcoming year.Well, I was doing good until Wednesday when I went to the public library to get The Polar Express for my mom. She's a 3rd grade teacher & planned to read it to her class.
Anyways, I can't go into a library and not look around their young adult section. It's like going to a candy store and only looking at bottles of water. As I was looking around I saw quite a few books that I had been wanting to read, that made me happy. Needless to say, I couldn't walk out there without getting something. Could you?? When it was all said & done I arrived back home with The Polar Express for my mom & six library books for me. My stack? Tiger's Quest, Legend, Wintergirls, Dust and Decay, Michael Vey #1 and Cinder. It's 5 am Saturday morning and I've already completed Wintergirls & Michael Vey. Both, by the way, were pretty good.
I have decided that even though I'm reading more books I won't be posting the reviews till 2013. I think I'm going to post one a month along with whatever books I read in that month, so for Jan to Aug you'll see one extra review. One library book per month plus the two leftover reviews I haven't posted for previous books.

In other news... only a few days left until Christmas? What's on your holiday wishlist?

2013 Preparations

I just wanted to take a moment to let you all know that there won't be anymore reviews from me for 2012. I'm going to be spending these next 2 weeks writing and scheduling posts for the upcoming year and getting organized. I'm actually in the process of writing out a bunch of Wordy Wednesday posts and picking out some books for Spotlight of the Week. I'm really looking forward to this year. I plan to do a lot more blogging and I hope to grow my blog. I would love to get 100+ followers by the end of the year also. I know it can happen. Let's make this year a success for all of us!

Happy reading Residents!

Let Me Count the Ways Reading Challenge

I know there are many of us out there with goals to read 1 million pages in our lifetime, and some people with lesser goals. I decided to create a challenge for those of us with a page count goal and for others to start one. I'm excited about this!

The challenge goes from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2013

There are levels for you to choose from. You can always move up a level but you can't go down. The levels are:

• Living with the parents: 0 - 2000 pages
• College Dorm: 2,001 - 4,000 pages
• Off Campus Apartment: 4,001 - 6,000 pages
• My First Place: 6,001 - 8,000 pages
• Condominium: 8,001 - 10,000 pages
• Mansion: 10,001 + pages

There is also an audio version for those of you who like to listen to audio books!!!

Just like the book version, you can always move up a level but you can't go down. The levels are:

• Living with the parents: 0 - 75 hours (0-4,500 minutes)
• College Dorm: 76 - 150 hours (4,501-9,000 minutes)
• Off campus Apartment: 151 - 225 hours (9,001-13,500 minutes)
• My First Place: 226 - 300 hours (13,501-18,000 minutes)
• Condominium: 301 - 375 hours (18,001-22,500 minutes)
• Mansion: 376+ hours (22,501+ minutes)

To participate all you have to do is create a post announcing your participation with a link to the challenge in and sign up with the link below. You should also specify which version you're doing on your post, you can also do both if you would like.  If you don't have a blog you can make a post on Goodreads or Shelfari. If you use audible.com or another audio book site you can track your progress on there as well so others can see it.

Happy reading & listening!

To share your progress for the month click here

2013 Reading Challenges

All of the challenges allow crossovers. And the books I chose may change over time!

• Novel In Verse Challenge hosted by The Busy Bibliophile

I can't wait to start this challenge. I've been wanting to read more Ellen Hopkins books and here's a perfect reason why I should get on it. You have to read at least 6 books to complete this challenge but you can always read more. I plan to read:

1. Burned
2. Fallout
3. Tilt
4. Impulse
5. Identical
6. Tricks

• The Outdo Yourself Challenge hosted by The Book Vixen

This should be no problem. I plan to read 10 more books in 2013 than I did in 2012. Any full length novel & novellea over 100 pages count for this challenge. I plan on doing level 2 Out of breath with is 6-10 more books than last year. Hopefully I'll even surpass that!

• Ebook Challenge hosted by Workaday Reads

I tried this last year and made my goal so I figured I'd do it again this year. I'm going to start on level 1 though, which is 5 ebooks. The ebooks I plan on reading are:

1. Matched
2. Wings
3. City of Bones
4. The Vincent Boys
5. Twenty Weeks

• Let Me Count the Ways Challenge hosted by Me

I know there are many of us out there with goals to read 1 million pages in our lifetime, and some people with lesser goals. I decided to create a challenge for those of us with a page count goal and for others to start one. I'm excited about this!

The challenge goes from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2013

There are levels for you to choose from. You can always move up a level but you can't go down. The levels are:

• Living with the parents: 0- 2000 pages
• College Dorm: 2,001 - 4,000 pages
• Off Campus Apartment: 4,001 - 6,000 pages
• My First Place: 6,001 - 8,000 pages
• Condominium: 8,001 - 10,000 pages
• Mansion: 10,001 + pages

• 2013 Book Blogger Recommendation Challenge

The Rules:

• Challenge will run January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2013. Participants can join anytime throughout the challenge.
• Create an intro post, linking back to this post. 
• Sign up with the Linky below. Please link to your challenge intro post, not your blog home page. 
• Chose your own books from the list. You can decide to read books only on the Top 25 list or from the entire recommendation list. You do not have to make a list of books before the challenge begins.
• All forms of books acceptable (audiobooks, eBooks, etc.)
• Rereads do not count towards the completion of the challenge. The challenge is about discovering books that are new to you.
• You don't need a blog to participate.
• Reviews, while always appreciated, are not mandatory.

The Levels:

Level I - Read 5 books from the 2012 Book Blogger Recommendation List

Level II - Read 10 books

Level III - Read 15 books

Level IV - Read 20 books

Level V - Read 20+ books

I plan to start easy this easy and just start on level 1. I can always add more books from the list as the year goes on. I enjoyed this challenge last year.

• Dystopia Reading Challenge 2013

I've recently become fascinated with dystopian books and came across this challenge. Let's see how it goes. I wonder how many badges I'll get this year.

Rules

The challenge will run from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2013. Each month will have its own link form so you will be able to share your book reviews. You do not have to review the books you read to participate, but only those who read/reviewed at least one dystopian book will be able to participate in the giveaway (you can track your reading without the reviews with Goodreads, Shelfari etc.).

Books that count in this challenge must include any form of post-apocalyptic theme (book sites like Goodreads are good sources of genre information). The books must be full-length.

All formats allowed.

Rereads allowed.

It does not matter whether it's a series or a stand-alone book.

If you are participating, grab the challenge button from below and post it on you blog. You can also make a post with the header (the code is also below). Please include the link back to this post so others will be able to participate as well.

If you will participate, put the sign-up link to your blog post (about the challenge) or blog (for the button) directly into the linky below. Sign-ups will be open until December 20, 2013.

You do not have to list your books in advance, go and do as you please. Read as many as you want (you can read more than 24!) and whenever you want, as long as you have fun!

Info about the giveaway will be available in December 2013.

Levels

Level 1: Recruit (1 to 6 books)

Level 2: Rebel (7 to 12 books)

Level 3: Revolutionist (13 to 18 books)

Level 4: Leader (19+ books)

Each time you reach a new level, you will receive a badge.

• 2013 Library Books Challenge

hosted by Gina at Book Dragon's Lair

Sign- up here

Our love of reading can be expensive! Not only are we purchasing books but we also need space to keep them. I've started using the library (again) but couldn't find a challenge to help me. Here it is. There are a number of levels, for those who don't have a library card yet to those that live there. Enjoy!

 Requirements:

• choose a level - you may move up as needed, just not down.
• check books out of the library
• books may overlap with other challenges
• any format allowed (print, ebook, audio)
• reviews are not necessary but a list of books read is.
• a blog is not necessary, just comment that you want to join in

Levels:

• board book - 3
• picture book - 6
• early reader - 9
• chapter book - 12
• middle grades - 18
• Young adult - 24
• adult - 36
• just insert IV - 50 

I've recently rediscovered the library this year. I figured this challenge will help me borrow library books in 2013 instead of spending money buying books I'll only read once since I never reread books. Since I know I can move it I think I'll start off with the Young Adult level: 24 books

December & January

Hey guys! I haven't been here in a while. Just letting you know I'm preparing to start up this blog again. I'm in the final weeks of the school semester and then I'm out for a while. I'll be taking online classes next semester so I'll have plenty of time to read. Yay! I've got a list of books I want to get through. I haven't decided how many books I want to shoot for in 2013 but I'm thinking around 36, 3 books a month. I like to keep my numbers low because I know things come up throughout the year. 36 is actually a step up because this year my goal was 26 and I'm currently at 25.

So, starting Dec 1st I'll be participating in a book of the month with one of my goodreads groups. We'll be reading City of Bones. It's perfect because I've had the book on my kindle for a while now (I got it while it was $0.99) but have yet to read it. This is the perfect reason to get to it. It will probably be my last book of 2012. In January, I've gotten my 3 books together that I want to read. I'd like to go ahead and finish the Uglies series. So look for reviews for Pretties, Specials & Extras in Jan. Hopefully I'll get to read more than that but those are my 3.

I'll also be setting up my sale/trade/borrow page in January. I'll have a list of all the dtb books I'd like to sell or trade and some kindle books I'm willing to loan if someone wants to read them.
January is going to be a great month for the blog so come back and visit me!

Happy reading!

Coming back soon!

Hey guys! Thank you for coming to my blog!
I know there's nothing up here and I'm sorry for that. It's just me running this blog so when I start to get busy with school and life the blog gets left in the dust. I'm currently reading Tiger's Curse although it's taking me longer than usual due to school obligations and my outside life. I hope to be back up blogging by next week so look for me!
   
     -Avanti

Review: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Title: Thirteen Reasons Why
Author: Jay Asher

Series: Not a series
Publisher: Razorbill
Release Date: October 18, 2007
Pages:  288 pages - Hardback
Age: Mature YA
Website Amazon Goodreads

                   Synopsis:

Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers thirteen cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker, his classmate and  crush who committed suicide two weeks earlier.
On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out how he made the list.
Through Hannah and Clay's dual narratives, author Jay Asher weaves and intricate and heartrending story of confusion and desperation that will deeply affect teen readers.

My Thoughts:
This books is crazy because this is such a real life story. We all know this is a fictional story, but it could have just as easily been a true story. It really touched me.
The entire time I read this book I felt so bad for Hannah. I truly wanted for something to go right & stay right in her life. Every time something seemed to be good, a negative consequence would come from it. Then she pushed away the one thing that could have stayed good in her life, Clay.
I couldn't imagine being Clay. Listening to tape after tape and hearing all the stories, wondering where you come in and how. I don't know about those of you who read the book before me, but I could connect with Clay and feel the emotions that he felt as he went through the tapes.
This book may just make you look at people, and yourself, in a different way from now. Do you see yourself in one of the characters? Did you have the power to stop something bad but didn't? The book makes us look at ourselves and how we treat others. You never know how something that seems so trivial could be something so monumental to somebody else.

Recommend:
I recommend this book to everybody. It's a great reason to start a discussion about real life topics.

Other Reviews:
Good Books & Good Wine
One Librarian's Book Reviews
The Book Swarm

Wordy Wednesday #8

This is a meme I'm doing where I literally open the dictionary to random pages and post words. I figure every reader has had a few times where we come across a word in a book that we have no idea what it means. So every week I'll be posting  new words, until I complete the whole dictionary. If you do your own Wordy Wednesday post, please link back to mine since I created this.



Diatribe - n - : biting or abusive speech or writing

Plantar - adj -: of or relating to the sole of the foot

Xeriscape - n -:  a landscaping method utilizing water conserving techniques

Review: Tiger's Curse by Eileen Houck

Title: Tiger's Curse
Author: Eileen Houck

Series: Tiger Saga #1
Publisher: Splinter
Release Date: May 1, 2012
Pages:  456 pages - Paperback
Age: YA
Website Amazon Goodreads

                   Synopsis:

The last thing Kelsey Hayes thought she'd be doing this summer was trying to break a 300 year old Indian curse. With a mysterious white tiger named Ren. Halfway around the world.
But that's exactly what happened. 
Face to face with dark forces, spellbinding magic, and mystical worlds where nothing is what it seems, Kelsey risks everything to piece together and ancient prophecy that could break the curse forever.
Packed with magic, action-adventure, and romance, the epic Tiger's Curse series will keep you breathless and yearning for more.

My Thoughts:
I really enjoyed Tiger's Curse. It sorta kinda reminded me of Alladin, in the sense that Princess Jasmine had a pet Tiger and Ren, the tiger in the book, is somewhat of a pet. He's actually a circus tiger, and Kelsey helps to take care of him. I thought this book was pretty funny. It had lots of funny moments and kept me wanting to turn the page. The romantic side of this book was also interesting. Could you imagine building a connection with a tiger and finding out later that he's actually a man?? Well that's what happens to Kelsey. Ren slowly start developing feelings for Kelsey but it's hard for her to return them because she can't really see past the tiger Ren and see the man Ren.
I also liked the sneaky, educational characteristic of the book. You got to learn a few Italian words & phrases from the circus owner and you get to learn some Indian ones from Ren and Mr. Kadam. I thought that was very cool. Especially since I'm in the process of learning Italian right now.
The overall plot of the story was interesting to me. The fact that Ren is this extremely old tiger and has been that way for decades is crazy! He hasn't been able to change into human form in so long and now that he has that ability again he's on a quest to break the curse that was placed on him & his brother. They way that they get Kelsey to come help is kind of mean. She gets tricked into coming along before she really gets to know the truth, but once she does know the truth about things she agrees to help.
The adventures that kelsey and Ren go on in this book are nuts. They spend days in the jungle, search through old places for things & clues they don't fully understand, get chased by weird creatures and so much more. I'm honestly not sure I'd be willing to go through all of that. I'm not much of an outdoors girl.
Overall, the book was a great read and I can't wait to read the rest of the series.

Recommend:
I would definitely recommend this book! It's full of mystery, adventure and of course there's a budding love in there. Who doesn't love a story like that?

Other Reviews:
The Book Bind
Reading Coma
BookNook

Review: Infinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Title: Infinity
Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon

Series: Chronicles of Nick #1
Publisher: St. Martin Griffin
Release Date: May 25, 2010
Pages: 464 pages
Age: YA
Website Amazon Goodreads

                   Synopsis:

At fourteen, Nick Gautier thinks he knows everything about the world around him. Streetwise, tough and savvy, his quick sarcasm is the stuff of legends... until the night when his best friends try to kill him. Saved by a mysterious warrior who has more fighting skills than Chuck Norris, Nick is sucked into the realm of the Dark-Hunters: immoral vampire slayers who risk everything to save humanity.

Nick quickly learns the human world is only a veil for a much larger and more dangerous one: a world where the captain of the football team is a werewolf and the girl he has a crush on goes out at night to stake the undead. But before he can even learn the rules of this new world, his fellow students are turning into flesh eating zombies. And he's next on the menu.

As if starting high school isn't hard enough... now Nick has to hide his new friends from his mom, his chainsaw from the principal, and keep the zombies and the demon Simi from eating his brains, all without getting grounded or suspended. How in the world is he supposed to do that?

My Thoughts:
I had a great time reading this book, the main character Nick has a pretty interesting life to read about. You get a nice laugh over the struggles & interactions that he has with other people around him and himself. I have never read a book with such a sarcastic teen & it was nice. He had a comeback for anything anybody would say to him. You could never catch him off guard.
Since the book is essentially a zombie book I guess I should say a bit about them haha. Honestly, I thought they were kind of cool. Not your typical, nasty, smelly, living dead zombies. They were average teens who... well, played a game. And because the zombies came about, that opened the door for Nick to come in contact with other creatures he never even knew existed. The crazy part was that they were always in his face.
The characters and storyline together make a wonderful book and I can't wait to finish the second book.

Recommend:
I'd recommend this book to pretty much anybody. It's pretty engaging and funny with lots of sarcasm. Not your average zombie book.

Other Reviews:

Bloody Bookaholic
Mindful Musings
Dark Faerie Tales

Wordy Wednesday #7

This is a meme I'm doing where I literally open the dictionary to random pages and post words. I figure every reader has had a few times where we come across a word in a book that we have no idea what it means. So every week I'll be posting  new words, until I complete the whole dictionary. If you do your own Wordy Wednesday post, please link back to mine since I created this.



Magnanimous - adj - : showing or suggesting a lofty and courageous spirit

Petiole - n -: a slender stem that supports a leaf

Barbarous - adj -:  lacking culture or refinement

Library Rediscovery

So over this weekend I have rediscovered my local library. I honestly haven't been to my local library since 10th grade & I'm now going into my final year of college. Sad I know, but better late than never. I had a great time walking through the young adult section and seeing several books that I have wanted to read for a while now. I have a list of books that I want to check out. Today I checked out Hex Hall & Graceling. Demon Glass, Tricks, Impulse & The Magician are some of the books on my list of books to borrow. Borrowing from the library will surely help me save money since I'm always buying new books.
Do you borrow from your local library?

Stacking the Shelves #7

This feature is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.It's a weekly meme where we can show off the books we have gotten over the past week no matter how you got it or when you plan to read it. For more info go here.

Free for Kindle:
Life Knows No Bounds: One Who Loves You More By: Andrea Clinton
The Binding By: L. Filloon
Protector By: Vanna Smythe
Chance Encounters By: J. Sterling
Here By: Denise Grover Swank
Stirring Up Trouble By: Juli Alexander
Traitor By: Megan Curd
The Forever Contract By: Avery Sawyer
Become By: Ali Cross






To see how much I've saved in free kindle books this week, check out my Kindle Savings page!

Spotlight of the Week #5

Title: The Girl of Fire and Thorns

Author: Rae Carson

Publisher: Greenwillow

Release Date: September 20, 2011

Pages: 424 - hardcover

Age: YA

Author Bios:

I write books about teens who must do brave things. I'm originally from California, but I moved to Ohio to marry my husband, who is the smartest and therefore sexiest man I know. We live in Columbus with my teenaged stepsons, who are awesome. My books tend to contain lots of adventure, a little magic and romance, and smart girls who make (mostly) smart choices. I especially love to write about questions I don't know the answers to.

Synopsis:

Once a century, one person is chosen for greatness.

Elisa is the chosen one.

But she is also the younger of two princesses. The one who has never done anything remarkable, and can’t see how she ever will.

Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she has become the secret wife of a handsome and worldly king—a king whose country is in turmoil. A king who needs her to be the chosen one, not a failure of a princess.

And he’s not the only one who seeks her. Savage enemies, seething with dark magic, are hunting her. A daring, determined revolutionary thinks she could be his people’s savior, and he looks at her in a way that no man has ever looked at her before. Soon it is not just her life, but her very heart that is at stake.

Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn’t die young.

Most of the chosen do.

Website Amazon Goodreads

Stacking The Shelves #6

This feature is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.It's a weekly meme where we can show off the books we have gotten over the past week no matter how you got it or when you plan to read it. For more info go here.

Free for Kindle:
Darkest Before Dawn by Arlene Brathwaite
Music City Dirt: Rags to Riches by Blake Eccles
Music City Dirt: Innocence Shattered by Blake Eccles
Music City Dirt: Blown Away! by Blake Eccles
Exiled by J.R. Wagner
7 Folds of Winter by Carolyn McCray


PulseIt:
The Forsaken by Lisa M. Stasse



To see how much I've saved in free kindle books this week, check out my Kindle Savings page!

Wordy Wednesday #6

This is a meme I'm doing where I literally open the dictionary to random pages and post words. I figure every reader has had a few times where we come across a word in a book that we have no idea what it means. So every week I'll be posting  new words, until I complete the whole dictionary. If you do your own Wordy Wednesday post, please link back to mine since I created this.



Rubidium - n - : a soft silvery metallic chemical element

Lief - adv -: gladly; willingly

Dysprosium - n -:  a metallic chemical element that forms highly magnetic compounds

Review: Spirits of Glory by Emily Devenport

Title: Spirits of Glory
Author: Emily Devenport

Release Date: October 24, 2010
Pages: 145 pages
Age: General
Amazon Goodreads

                   Synopsis:

One morning, the people of the North woke up and the people of the South were gone. That's the first thing every child learns on the colony world of Jigsaw. But for one girl, knowing about The Disappearance is not enough. Hawkeye wants to know why. That's why she spent half her life researching The Disappearance. And that's also why eight Nieghbors show up on her doorstep, demanding that she accompany them into the Forbidden Cities rules by the Southern Gods - to speak with the Spirits of Glory. Everyone thinks Hawkeye is an expert on Neighbors, these almost-humans who move, talk, and think as if they were born inside one of the Time Fractures. But she can't imagine what they want to ask the ghosts of their ancestors, or why they need her to go along. The Southern gods caused every human inhabitant of the Southern cities to disappear overnight - what else might they do?

But the Northern gods say Hawkeye should go - and her curiosity won't let her refuse, even though she's going into more danger than she can imagine. Pain & puzzlement wait along the broken interstate, along with scavengers who want to kill them all. Hawkete's questions only generate more questions as they move farther & farther into the South, right into the heart of the Disappearance, until Hawkeye's questions have all been answered.
Even the ones she was afraid to ask.

My Thoughts:
This was not a standout book to me. I got confused on some things and had to go back and reread parts to understand. Even though the overall story was okay, no part of this book really jumped out and grabbed my attention. There were aspects I liked, such as the two pets that could somewhat speak and the concept of the Time Fractures. I thought that was pretty cool.
I really wanted to like this book but I just couldn't get into it.

Recommend:
I personally wouldn't recommend this book to people. I finished it but it didn't really grab my attention.

Other Reviews:

Val's Random Comments

Pages Unbound

Wordy Wednesday #5

This is a meme I'm doing where I literally open the dictionary to random pages and post words. I figure every reader has had a few times where we come across a word in a book that we have no idea what it means. So every week I'll be posting  new words, until I complete the whole dictionary. If you do your own Wordy Wednesday post, please link back to mine since I created this.



Goad - n - : a pointed rod used to urge on an animal

Mellifluous - adj -: sweetly flowing

Sphagnum - n -: any of a genus of atypical mosses that grow in wet acid areas where their remains become compacted with other plant debris to form peat

Spotlight of the Week #4

Title: Starcrossed

Author: Josephine Angelini

Publisher: HarperTeen

Release Date: May 31, 2011

Pages: 487 - hardcover

Age: YA

Author Bios:

Josephine Angelini is a Massachusetts native and the youngest of eight siblings. A real-live farmer's daughter, Josie graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in theater, with a focus on the classics. She now lives in Los Angeles with her husband.

Starcrossed is her first novel.

Synopsis:

Set on the island of Nantucket, STARCROSSED tells the tale of Helen Hamilton, a young woman whose destiny is forever altered when she meets Lucas Delos and tries to kill him in front of her entire high school. Which is terribly inconvenient, not only because Lucas is the most beautiful boy on the island, but also because Helen is so achingly shy she suffers physical pain whenever she is given too much attention. 

Making matters worse, Helen is beginning to suspect she’s going crazy. Whenever she’s near Lucas or any member of his family she sees the ghostly apparitions of three women weeping bloody tears, and suffers the burden of an intense and irrational hate. She soon learns that she and Lucas are destined to play the leading roles in a Greek tragedy that the Three Fates insist on repeating over and over again throughout history. Like her namesake, Helen of Troy, she’s destined to start a war by falling in love. But even though Lucas and Helen can see their own star-crossed destiny, they’re still powerfully attracted to each other. Will they give up their personal happiness for the greater good, or risk it all to be together?

Website Amazon Goodreads

Review: Crank by Ellen Hopkins

Title: Crank
Author: Ellen Hopkins
Series: Crank #1
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Release Date: October 5, 2004
Pages: 537 pages
Age: Mature YA and Adult
Website Amazon Goodreads

                   Synopsis:

This is a story about a monster. Not a dragon or a mythological beast, but a very real, very destructive monster--crystal meth-- that takes hold of seventeen-year-old Kristina Snow and transforms her into her reckless alter-ego Bree. Based on her own daughter's addiction to crystal meth, Ellen Hopkins' novel-in-verse is a vivid, transfixing look into teenage drug use. Told in Kristina's voice, it provides a realistic portrayal of the tortured logic of an addict.

My Thoughts:
I personally loved this book, I read it in two days! I've passed this book a million times in the bookstore but never bought it because of how it's written. Seeing that it was written in verse turned me off, but I went to a friends house and she raved about the book so I borrowed it. I'm so glad I did, the book is great!
Kristina is an interesting character, in the sense that she's really two people. Kristina is good girl who makes good grades and doesn't do anything risky. Bree is her alter ego who thrives on danger & fun. It's interesting to see how Bree emerges and takes control of Kristina's life. How her choices affect Kristina's relationship with her friends & family and affect her schoolwork. This book gave me an inside look into how people get started on drugs and how they think they can control it while their lives are falling apart around them. We get a look at Kristina/Bree's relationships with guys and how those relationships lead her further down the wrong path. We also see how she makes friends that aren't the best people to hang around. I've always wondered why people who are on drugs can't seem to get off them and this book gave me a window into the life of an addict. To know that this was based on a real person's life made it that much more real to me.

Recommend:
I would recommend this book for older teens & adults. The book is about drugs and there is some sex in it as well so I'd say this is a book for more mature teenagers who can handle the subject matter.

Other Reviews:

Proud Book Nerd

Books With Bite

Good Books & Good Wine

Stacking The Shelves #5

This feature is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.It's a weekly meme where we can show off the books we have gotten over the past week no matter how you got it or when you plan to read it. For more info go here.

Bought from Books A Million:

Pretties by Scott Westerfeld
Specials by Scott Westerfeld
Extras by Scott Westerfeld
(I decided to buy the rest of the series since BAM had the b2g1 sale)


Bought from Ingles Supermarket:
Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Free for Kindle:
Frost Arch by Kate Bloomfield
BrookLyn's Journey by Coffey Brown
Feathermore by Lucy Swing
Eden by Logan Rutherford
A Week At the Beach by Virginia Jewel
Lost Girls by Bob Mayer


NetGalley:
The Demon Catchers of Milan by Kat Beyer


PulseIt:
Between The Lines by Samantha Van Leer & Jodi Picoult



To see how much I've saved in free kindle books this week, check out my Kindle Savings page!