Here is a screen shot of my Wordle for the week (Wordle is a toy for generating “word clouds” from words that is seen on my blog)
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Waiting on Wednesday- March 31, 2010
Radiant Shadows
by Melissa Marr
Publication Release Date: April 20, 2010
From Melissa Marr's website:
Hunger for touch.
Hunger to belong.
Half-human and half-faery, Ani is driven by her hungers.
Those same appetites also attract powerful enemies and uncertain allies, including Devlin. He was created as an assassin and is brother to the faeries' coolly logical High Queen and to her chaotic twin, the embodiment of War. Devlin wants to keep Ani safe from his sisters, knowing that if he fails, he will be the instrument of Ani's death.
Ani isn't one to be guarded while others fight battles for her, though. She has the courage to protect herself and the ability to alter Devlin's plans—and his life. The two are drawn together, each with reason to fear the other and to fear for one another. But as they grow closer, a larger threat imperils the whole of Faerie. Will saving the faery realm mean losing each other?
Alluring romance, heart-stopping danger, and sinister intrigue combine in the penultimate volume of Melissa Marr's New York Times bestselling Wicked Lovely series.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Teaser Tuesday- March 30, 2010
TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:
Grab your current read.Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
Please avoid spoilers!
My two teasers:
" 'We haven't broken the treaty,' Dad said quietly. 'Helios-Ra says you
have.' "
~pg 32, Hearts at Stake by Alyxandra Harvey
have.' "
~pg 32, Hearts at Stake by Alyxandra Harvey
Book Review- Ruined
On the plane flight to Denver, I finished reading Ruined by Paula Morris for TeensReadToo.
From Goodreads:
Rebecca couldn't feel more out of place in New Orleans, where she comes to spend the year while her dad is traveling. She's staying in a creepy old house with her aunt. And at the snooty prep school, the filthy-rich girls treat Rebecca like she's invisible. Only gorgeous, unavailable Anton Grey seems to give Rebecca the time of day, but she wonders if he's got a hidden agenda. Then one night, in Lafayette Cemetery, Rebecca makes a friend. Sweet, mysterious Lisette is eager to talk to Rebecca, and to show her the nooks and crannies of the city. There's just one catch: Lisette is a ghost.
A ghost with a deep, dark secret, and a serious score to settle.
As Rebecca learns more from her ghost friend -- and as she slowly learns to trust Anton Grey -- she also uncovers startling truths about her own history. Will Rebecca be able to right the wrongs of the past, or has everything been ruined beyond repair?
I think my favorite part of the story was reading all about New Orleans. I loved reading some of the history of the city and of Mardi Gras. I went there last spring so it was neat to read about things I have learned.
This was a fun ghost story. There were several big twists at the end. Two of them were complete surprises and one I saw coming. I really liked the characters of Rebecca and Aurelia. I found them both believable and Aurelia seemed so cute.
I gave this book a rating of 3.5/5.
This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2010 100+ Reading Challenge: 42
2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 31
ARC Reading Challenge 2010: 29
*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free by Jen from TeensReadToo for an honest review.
From Goodreads:
A ghost with a deep, dark secret, and a serious score to settle.
As Rebecca learns more from her ghost friend -- and as she slowly learns to trust Anton Grey -- she also uncovers startling truths about her own history. Will Rebecca be able to right the wrongs of the past, or has everything been ruined beyond repair?
I think my favorite part of the story was reading all about New Orleans. I loved reading some of the history of the city and of Mardi Gras. I went there last spring so it was neat to read about things I have learned.
This was a fun ghost story. There were several big twists at the end. Two of them were complete surprises and one I saw coming. I really liked the characters of Rebecca and Aurelia. I found them both believable and Aurelia seemed so cute.
I gave this book a rating of 3.5/5.
This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2010 100+ Reading Challenge: 42
2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 31
ARC Reading Challenge 2010: 29
*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free by Jen from TeensReadToo for an honest review.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Mailbox Monday- March 29, 2010
Mailbox Monday: Here's what came in my mailbox this week
MONDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
Sunday, March 28, 2010
The Sunday Salon- March 28, 2010
So Friday was the start of Spring Break--yay! Yesterday Kory and I went to watch the Braves spring training game. We sat on the lawn seats so it was nice to just stretch out. And I didn't get burnt like I thought I did. Early Tuesday morning we fly out to Denver to visit Kory's family. I just hope the weather isn't too cold!
I finished and reviewed the following books this week:
I fulfilled items in the following challenges this week:
A to Z Challenge: K
2010 100+ Reading Challenge: 38, 39, 41
2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 28, 29, 30
2010 Debut Author Challenge: 11
ARC Reading Challenge 2010: 26, 28
I am currently reading Ruined by Paula Morris and up next is The Returners by Gemma Malley.
Book Review- Zombie Queen of Newbury High
I just finished reading Zombie Queen of Newbury High by Amanda Ashby--all in one sitting!
From Goodreads:
Quiet, unpopular,non-cheerleading Mia is blissfully happy. She is dating super hot football god Rob, and he actually likes her and asked her to prom! Enter Samantha--cheerleading goddess and miss popularity--who starts making a move for Rob. With prom in a few days, Mia needs to act fast. So she turns to her best friend, Candice, and decides to do a love spell on Rob. Unfortunately, she ends up inflicting a zombie virus onto her whole class, making herself their leader! At first she is flattered that everyone is treating her like a queen. But then zombie hunter hottie Chase explains they are actually fattening her up, because in a few days, Mia will be the first course in their new diet. She's sure she and Chase can figure something out, but she suggests that no one wear white to prom, because things could get very messy.
This was a cute YA book. I think it would work well for the younger YA crowd who is into paranormal stories. There wasn't a lot of depth in the book, but it was a nice change from the vampire and werewolf books that I have been reading lately. There really isn't much for me to say about the book. I read it all in one sitting--it was easy to breeze through. The characters were cute and the plot was fun and that's all!
I gave the book a rating of 3.5/5.
This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2010 100+ Reading Challenge: 41
2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 30
ARC Reading Challenge 2010: 28
*FTC Disclosure: I traded this book with a friend.
From Goodreads:
This was a cute YA book. I think it would work well for the younger YA crowd who is into paranormal stories. There wasn't a lot of depth in the book, but it was a nice change from the vampire and werewolf books that I have been reading lately. There really isn't much for me to say about the book. I read it all in one sitting--it was easy to breeze through. The characters were cute and the plot was fun and that's all!
I gave the book a rating of 3.5/5.
This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2010 100+ Reading Challenge: 41
2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 30
ARC Reading Challenge 2010: 28
*FTC Disclosure: I traded this book with a friend.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Book Review- City of Glass
I finally finished reading City of Glass by Cassandra Clare.
From Goodreads:
To save her mother's life, Clary must travel to the City of Glass, the ancestral home of the Shadowhunters -- never mind that entering the city without permission is against the Law, and breaking the Law could mean death. To make things worse, she learns that Jace does not want her there, and Simon has been thrown in prison by the Shadowhunters, who are deeply suspicious of a vampire who can withstand sunlight.
As Clary uncovers more about her family's past, she finds an ally in mysterious Shadow-hunter Sebastian. With Valentine mustering the full force of his power to destroy all Shadow-hunters forever, their only chance to defeat him is to fight alongside their eternal enemies. But can Downworlders and Shadowhunters put aside their hatred to work together? While Jace realizes exactly how much he's willing to risk for Clary, can she harness her new found powers to help save the Glass City -- whatever the cost?
Love is a mortal sin and the secrets of the past prove deadly as Clary and Jace face down Valentine in the final installment of the New York Times bestselling trilogy The Mortal Instruments.
Geez, this series took me forever to read! Once again, I wasn't blown away by the book. But it was my favorite out of the three. I think that City of Glass had more character development in it, and while it still had tons of action, I feel like I wasn't overwhelmed by it like I was in the other two books.
There was definitely a big twist in the story, but I figure out what it was pretty much from the beginning. I really liked the ending of the story. I think it wrapped up nicely and I liked the way it went.
I gave this book a rating of 3.5/5.
This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2010 100+ Reading Challenge: 39
2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 29
*FTC Disclosure: I traded this book with a friend.
From Goodreads:
As Clary uncovers more about her family's past, she finds an ally in mysterious Shadow-hunter Sebastian. With Valentine mustering the full force of his power to destroy all Shadow-hunters forever, their only chance to defeat him is to fight alongside their eternal enemies. But can Downworlders and Shadowhunters put aside their hatred to work together? While Jace realizes exactly how much he's willing to risk for Clary, can she harness her new found powers to help save the Glass City -- whatever the cost?
Love is a mortal sin and the secrets of the past prove deadly as Clary and Jace face down Valentine in the final installment of the New York Times bestselling trilogy The Mortal Instruments.
Geez, this series took me forever to read! Once again, I wasn't blown away by the book. But it was my favorite out of the three. I think that City of Glass had more character development in it, and while it still had tons of action, I feel like I wasn't overwhelmed by it like I was in the other two books.
There was definitely a big twist in the story, but I figure out what it was pretty much from the beginning. I really liked the ending of the story. I think it wrapped up nicely and I liked the way it went.
I gave this book a rating of 3.5/5.
This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2010 100+ Reading Challenge: 39
2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 29
*FTC Disclosure: I traded this book with a friend.
The Friday 56- March 26, 2010
2. Turn to page 56.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like).
5. Post a link along with your post back to Storytime with Tonya and Friends.
~From City of Glass by Cassandra Clare
Friday Fill-In- March 19, 2010
Friday Fill-In
1. The right word is sometimes hard to think of.
2. Go away and shut the door quietly, please.
3. Up in the air is where I will be next Tuesday morning.
4. On a plane to Denver is where you'll find me.
5. Ooh! What is that package that I wasn't expecting to get?
6. Packing for both cold and warm weather is a good idea.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to relaxing, tomorrow my plans include going to see a Braves spring training game with Kory and Sunday, I want to get a Bandit shift at the ride so I can keep my status!
Friday Finds- March 26, 2010
Here are my finds for the week:
Lavish parties. Passionate meetings in the night. Bone-chilling murders. Midterms. The day-to-day life of Schuyler Van Alen and her Blue Bloods friends (and enemies) is never boring. But there's oh-so-much more to know about these beautiful and powerful teens. Below the streets of Manhattan, within the walls of the Repository, exists a wealth of revealing information about the vampire elite that dates back before the Mayflower. In a series of short stories, journal entries, and never-before-seen letters, New York Times bestselling author Melissa de la Cruz gives her hungry fans the keys to the Repository and an even more in-depth look into the secret world of the Blue Bloods. Won't you come inside? (From Goodreads)
As the FBI's newest civilian profiler, Abby Cooper has a tough job ahead of her. Not only does she have to use her powers of intuition to help solve a backlog of the bureau's cold cases, but she must also win over a frosty group of seasoned investigators and teach them how to develop their own perceptive abilities.
If that weren't challenging enough, Abby's sure that several of the cold cases are connected, but she's the only one who's convinced. Things go from bad to worse when Abby and another agent are suspended for not following protocol, leaving Abby and her old partner, Candice, to investigate on their own. To discover how these pieces fit together, Abby will have to call on every intuitive bone in her body... before she's the one put on ice. (From Victoria Laurie's website)
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Author Interview and Giveaway- Bree Despain
But first, I got to ask the lovely Bree Despain a couple of questions as part of the Dark Divine Blog Tour!
Only one?! Oh man, that’s pressure. This sort of thing really depends on my mood. Today I’m going to say THE WAY HE LIVED by Emily Wing Smith, not only because it’s an excellent book (recently won the Utah Book Award and was a 2008 Lambda finalist) but also because it was written by a wonderful person. Emily is an author that I admire and aspire to be as good as—and she’s also an awesome friend.
2.What is your guilty pleasure, food-wise? (And if it's chocolate, be specific)
Well, there was a time when I would have said a Ghirardelli triple chocolate brownie and bowl of Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Therapy ice cream, but that was before I discovered that I have an intolerance to wheat, dairy, and eggs.
Every once in a while, I indulge in some chocolate ice cream (shhh…don’t tell my doctor) but I mostly get my guilty pleasures from dairy-wheat-free dark chocolate chips these days. I eat them while I write. Often with cinnamon bears.
However, when I finish my sequel, I am planning on eating one of those Ghirardelli brownies . . . even if it kills me.
3.Will there be a sequel to The Dark Divine, and what can you tell us about it?
Yes, there is a sequel to TDD. It’s called THE LOST SAINT, and it’s scheduled to be released on December 28th of this year!
I’m really not sure what I’m allowed to tell you about it at this point, but it’s definitely going explore some of the issues that came up at the end of TDD. We may, or may not, find out what happened to Jude. And there’s a couple of new characters headed to Rose Crest that are bringing a whole new set of complications with them—and one of them just happens to be pretty darn hot.
Please go to The Book Scout, http://thebookscout.blogspot.com/, tomorrow to see the next stop on The Dark Divine Blog Tour.
Thank you so much, Bree!
And now for the giveaway!
HOW TO ENTER:
~Tell us what your favorite guilty pleasure is, food wise. (Mine is definitely different flavors of popcorn..yum!)
+1 Post about the contest on your blog and leave the link in your comment
+1 Tweet about the contest and leave the link in your comment (make sure to put @purplg8r)
+1 Become a follower (or if you already follow me, let me know!)
+1 Follow me on Twitter (@purplg8r) (make sure to leave your Twitter name)
~~For each thing that you do, please leave a separate comment or you will only be entered once!!
~~Make sure to leave your e-mail address on one of your entries or it won't count!
~~The contest will end on Sunday, April 4th at 11:59pm
~~This contest is open to US only.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Wednesday Wordle- March 24, 2010
Here is a screen shot of my Wordle for the week (Wordle is a toy for generating “word clouds” from words that is seen on my blog)
Waiting on Wednesday- March 24, 2010
Lies (Gone #3)
by Michael Grant
Publication Release Date: May 4, 2010
From Goodreads:
It happens in one night: a girl who died now walks among the living, Zil and the Human Crew set fire to Perdido Beach, and amid the flames and smoke, Sam sees the figure of the boy he fears the most - Drake. But Sam and Caine defeated him along with the Darkness - or so they thought. As Perdido Beach burns, battles rage: Astrid against the Town Council; the Human Crew versus the mutants; and Sam against Drake. And the prophetess Orsay and her companion, Nerezza, are preaching that death will set them all free. As life in the FAYZ becomes more desperate, no one knows who they can trust.Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Teaser Tuesday- March 23, 2010
TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:
Grab your current read.Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
Please avoid spoilers!
My two teasers:
~pg 241, City of Glass by Cassandra Clare
Monday, March 22, 2010
Mailbox Monday- March 22, 2010
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Book Review- Whisper
I just finished reading Whisper by Phoebe Kitanidis for an Around the World Tour.
From Goodreads:
I’d love a cup of coffee. I wish she knew how pretty she was. I wish I could drop this kid in the dryer sometimes. I just want her to be happy. I hope she didn’t find out what Ben said about her. I wish I knew how many calories were in a bite of muffin…
Joy is used to hearing Whispers. She’s used to walking down the street and instantly knowing people’s deepest, darkest desires. She uses this talent for good, to make people happy and give them what they want. But for her older sister, Jessica, the family gift is a curse, and she uses it to make people’s lives—especially Joy’s—miserable. Still, when Joy Hears a frightening whisper from Jessica's own mind, she knows she has to save her sister, even if it means deserting her friends, stealing a car and running away with a boy she barely knows—a boy who may have a dark secret of his own.
Being able to hear people's thoughts is a new power for me to read about. I mean, I know in some books, vampires have this ability, but this is the first time that I have read a book where this is the main characters only power. I have always said that if I had the choice, my superpower would be to read minds. But after reading this book, I would have to add that I would want to be able to switch this power on and off. I wouldn't want to always have other's thoughts in my head like Joy did in this story. I think it would drive me crazy!
I have read mixed reviews about this story so I wasn't too sure what to expect going into it. But I enjoyed it. I liked the character of Joy and I liked to hate her sister "Icka" (although towards the end I just felt sorry for her). Most of the story is a character story, until the action at the end, but that's fine with me.
I thougth the story flowed well and went quickly for me. If you're looking to read about a new power in the world of YA paranormal, then I think you should check this one out.
I gave this book a rating of 3.5/5.
Whisper will be released on April 27, 2010.
This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
A to Z Challenge: K
2010 100+ Reading Challenge: 38
2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 28
2010 Debut Author Challenge: 11
ARC Reading Challenge 2010: 26
*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free for an honest review as part of the Around the World Tours.
From Goodreads:
Joy is used to hearing Whispers. She’s used to walking down the street and instantly knowing people’s deepest, darkest desires. She uses this talent for good, to make people happy and give them what they want. But for her older sister, Jessica, the family gift is a curse, and she uses it to make people’s lives—especially Joy’s—miserable. Still, when Joy Hears a frightening whisper from Jessica's own mind, she knows she has to save her sister, even if it means deserting her friends, stealing a car and running away with a boy she barely knows—a boy who may have a dark secret of his own.
Being able to hear people's thoughts is a new power for me to read about. I mean, I know in some books, vampires have this ability, but this is the first time that I have read a book where this is the main characters only power. I have always said that if I had the choice, my superpower would be to read minds. But after reading this book, I would have to add that I would want to be able to switch this power on and off. I wouldn't want to always have other's thoughts in my head like Joy did in this story. I think it would drive me crazy!
I have read mixed reviews about this story so I wasn't too sure what to expect going into it. But I enjoyed it. I liked the character of Joy and I liked to hate her sister "Icka" (although towards the end I just felt sorry for her). Most of the story is a character story, until the action at the end, but that's fine with me.
I thougth the story flowed well and went quickly for me. If you're looking to read about a new power in the world of YA paranormal, then I think you should check this one out.
I gave this book a rating of 3.5/5.
Whisper will be released on April 27, 2010.
This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
A to Z Challenge: K
2010 100+ Reading Challenge: 38
2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 28
2010 Debut Author Challenge: 11
ARC Reading Challenge 2010: 26
*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free for an honest review as part of the Around the World Tours.
The Sunday Salon- March 14, 2010
So today Kory and I went to the Disney Fairytale Wedding Open House. No, I'm not engaged yet (although I'm hoping its coming soon!) But I know I want to get married there and Kory actually agreed to go with me, so we went! Everything was so beautiful! It makes me want to plan a wedding!
I finished and reviewed the following books this week:
I fulfilled items in the following challenges this week:
2010 100+ Reading Challenge: 34, 34, 37
ARC Reading Challenge 2010: 23, 24
2010 Chick Lit Challenge: 4
2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 25, 27
I am currently reading Whisper by Phoebe Kitanidis and up next is City of Glass by Cassandra Clare.
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