Friday Firsts- April 30, 2010

The first line can make or break a reader’s interest. Just how well did the author pull you in to the story with their first sentence? To participate in this weekly book meme is extremely easy.
~Grab the book you are currently reading and open to the first page.
~Write down the first sentence in the first paragraph.
~Create a blog post with this information. (Make sure to include the title & author of the book you are using. Even an ISBN helps!)

"I buried my father the day after my seventeenth birthday."
~Jekel Loves Hyde by Beth Fantaskey (ISBN 978-0-15-206390-0)

Friday Fill-In- April 30, 2010

Friday Fill-In

1. I was hoping that it would happen by today.
2. I was in a rush and I left my book at home.
3. Why yes, I did enjoy the chocolate fondue for dessert tonight, thanks.
4. Kory's family was in my thoughts today.
5. One of my father's favorite sayings was "I love you punkin" (his nickname for me).
6. Being exhausted--I know that feeling!
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to going to Relay for Life and dinner with hte Goldsteins, tomorrow my plans include relaxing and Sunday, I want to go get a massage!

Friday Finds- April 30, 2010

Here are my finds for the week:

Nightshade (Nightshade #1)- Andrea Cremer

While other teenage girls daydream about boys, Calla Tor imagines ripping out her enemies’ throats. And she wouldn’t have it any other way. Calla was born a warrior and on her eighteenth-birthday she’ll become the alpha female of the next generation of Guardian wolves. But Calla’s predestined path veers off course the moment she saves the life of a wayward hiker, a boy her own age. This human boy’s secret will turn the young pack's world upside down and forever alter the outcome of the centuries-old Witches' War that surrounds them all. (From Andrea Cremer's website)

The Clockwork Angel- Cassandra Clare

Magic is dangerous—but love is more dangerous still.

When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.

Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What's more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own.

Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by—and torn between—two best friends: Jem, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone in his life at arm's length...everyone, that is, but Tessa. As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world...and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.  (From Goodreads)

Book Review-Spell Hunter (Faery Rebels #1)

I just finished reading Spell Hunter (Faery Rebels #1) by R. J. Anderson for an Around the World Tour.

From Goodreads:

Forget everything you think you know about faeries. . . .

Creatures full of magic and whimsy?

Not in the Oakenwyld. Not anymore.

Deep inside the great Oak lies a dying faery realm, bursting with secrets instead of magic. Long ago the faeries mysteriously lost their magic. Robbed of their powers, they have become selfish and dull-witted. Now their numbers are dwindling and their very survival is at stake.

Only one young faery—Knife—is determined to find out where her people's magic has gone and try to get it back. Unlike her sisters, Knife is fierce and independent. She's not afraid of anything—not the vicious crows, the strict Faery Queen, or the fascinating humans living nearby. But when Knife disobeys the Faery Queen and befriends a human named Paul, her quest becomes more dangerous than she realizes. Can Knife trust Paul to help, or has she brought the faeries even closer to the brink of destruction?

Talented newcomer R. J. Anderson creates an extraordinary new fantasy world and weaves a gripping tale of lost magic, high adventure, and surprising friendship in which the fate of an entire realm rests on the shoulders of one brave faery rebel.

I think this is a story directed at younger teens, which I don't normally read.  But I really enjoyed this story.  It was sweet, and had just the right amount of tension for the younger crowd.

I liked Knife (well except for her name).  She seemed like a mysterious little faery.  I like that she was curious and open to the outside world.  And I like the way that the human, Paul, was brought into the story and the interaction that he had with Knife.  Then there was always the guessing of whether the faery queen was good or bad.  I kept going back and forth until we find out the truth at the end.

I think this is an interesting series and I look forward to reading the next one, Wayfarer.

I gave this book a rating of 4/5.

This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2010 100+ Reading Challenge: 52
2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 38

*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free for an honest review as part of the Around the World Tours.

Book Review- Tell Me a Secret

I just finished reading Tell Me a Secret by Holly Cupala for an Around the World Tour.

From Goodreads:

Tell me a secret, and I'll tell you one…

In the five years since her bad-girl sister Xanda’s death, Miranda Mathison has wondered about the secret her sister took to the grave, and what really happened the night she died. Now, just as Miranda is on the cusp of her dreams—a best friend to unlock her sister’s world, a ticket to art school, and a boyfriend to fly her away from it all—Miranda has a secret all her own.

Then two lines on a pregnancy test confirm her worst fears. Stripped of her former life, Miranda must make a choice with tremendous consequences and finally face her sister’s demons and her own.

In this powerful debut novel, stunning new talent Holly Cupala illuminates the dark struggle of a girl who must let go of her past to find a way into her own future.
 
First off, let me say that I think this would be an interesting book for teens to read.  I think it could be a semi-accurate portrayal of being pregnant while being a teen.
 
That being said, I didn't really feel any connection from Miranda.  I don't know if it's that I found her personality boring or that she was a downer, but I just didn't really care for her.  Or any of the characters for that matter.  Her new friend, Delaney, was just a witch and I have no idea why Miranda would have chosen to be friends with her.  And her old friend, Essence, wasn't any more pleasant.  And her mother--my god, it makes me glad that my own mom is as great as she is.  While I get that it could be reality for a mother to be so unaccepting of her pregnant teenager, it horrified me to read it.   And then Kamran was not the guy I wanted him to be (once again, I realize that this is reality and many guys freak when they find out a girl they slept with is pregnant).
 
I did however really like Shelley.  What a sweet, understanding character.  It was nice for Miranda to have someone to look up to and have take care of her.  And I felt bad for Miranda's dad.  You could tell he cared about Miranda and wanted to care about the baby, but was intimadated by his wife. 
 
I think the pregnancy leading up to the birth could be pretty accurate, but after the birth was another story.  There is no way that the hospital would let Miranda sleep there, and even if she was hiding, it wouldn't last that long. 
 
Anyways, I think that this could be a good book for teenagers to read and possibly even parents of pregnant teenagers.
 
I gave this book a rating of 3.5/5.
 
Tell Me a Secret will be released on June 22, 2010.
 
This book fulfills items in the following challenges:

2010 100+ Reading Challenge: 51
2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 37
2010 Debut Author Challenge: 14
ARC Reading Challenge 2010: 36

*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free for an honest review as part of the Around the World Tours.

Wednesday Wordle- April 28, 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- April 28, 2010

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Generation Dead: Passing Strange
by Daniel Waters
Publication Release Date: June 1, 2010

From Goodreads:

Karen DeSonne always passed as a normal (if pale) teenager; with her friends, with her family, and at school. Passing cost her the love of her life. And now that Karen’s dead, she’s still passing—this time, as alive. Karen DeSonne just happens to be an extremely human-like zombie. Meanwhile, Karen’s dead friends have been fingered in a high-profile murder, causing a new round of antizombie regulations that have forced them into hiding. Karen soon learns that the “murder” that destroyed their non-life was a hoax, staged by Pete Martinsburg and his bioist zealots. Obtaining enough evidence to expose the fraud and prove her friends’ innocence means doing the unthinkable: becoming Pete’s girlfriend. Karen’s only hope is that the enemy never realizes who she really is—because the consequences would be worse than death.

Teaser Tuesday- April 27, 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:

"Kamran was here, and now he wasn't.  Further down this shadowy passage was Lexi, a miniature copy of my sister, with accusation in her eyes."
~pg 219, Tell Me a Secret by Holly Cupala

Mailbox Monday- April 26, 2010

Mailbox Monday: Here's what came in my mailbox this week

MONDAY

Everlasting- Angie Frazier--review for an Around the World Tour








WEDNESDAY

Nice Girls Don’t Live Forever (#3)- Molly Harper—PaperbackSwap








FRIDAY

Tell Me A Secret- Holly Cupala--for an Around the World Tour

The Turning- Helen Ellis--for review from publisher








SATURDAY

The Path of Razors (Vampire Babylon #5)- Chris Marie Green--PaperbackSwap

Unknown (Outcast #2)- Rachel Caine--PaperbackSwap

Lies (Gone #3)- Michael Grant--review for TeensReadToo

Gifted: Finders Keepers (#4)- Marilyn Kaye--review for TeensReadToo

My Invisible Boyfriend- Susie Day--review for TeensReadToo

The Sunday Salon- April 25, 2010

The Sunday Salon


Kory's brother, sister-in-law, and nephew came down on Friday, so I spent all week cleaning the condo--yuck.  I don't think there is anything I like less than cleaning.  Then his sister and her two daughters decided to come down too, so we had 5 adults and 3 kids in two bedrooms.  It was packed.  We spent all weekend at Disney and I'm exhausted!

I finished and reviewed the following books this week:

My Own Personal Soap Opera by Libby Malin

Everlasting by Angie Frazier









I fulfilled items in the following challenges this week:
2010 100+ Reading Challenge: 49, 50
ARC Reading Challenge 2010: 34, 35
2010 Chick Lit Challenge: 7
2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 36
2010 Debut Author Challenge: 13
 
I am currently reading Tell Me a Secret by Holly Cupala and up next is The Sweet Life of Stella Madison by Lara M. Zeises.

Book Review- Everlasting

I just finished reading Everlasting by Angie Frazier for an Around the World Tour.

From Goodreads:

Sailing aboard her father’s trade ship is all seventeen-year-old Camille Rowen has ever wanted. But as a girl of society in 1855 San Francisco, her future is set: marry a man she doesn’t love, or condemn herself and her father to poverty.

On her final voyage before the wedding, the stormy arms of the Tasman Sea claim her father, and a terrible family secret is revealed. A secret intertwined with a fabled map, the mother Camille has long believed dead, and an ancient stone that wields a dangerous—and alluring—magic.

The only person Camille can depend on is Oscar, a handsome young sailor whom she is undeniably drawn to. Torn between trusting her instincts and keeping her promises to her father, Camille embarks on a perilous quest into the Australian wilderness to find the enchanted stone. As she and Oscar elude murderous bushrangers and unravel Camille’s father’s lies, they come closer to making the ultimate decision of who—and what—matters most.

Beautifully written and feverishly paced, Everlasting is an unforgettable journey of passion, secrecy, and adventure.
 
This was interesting story if you like historical fiction.  But I'm not sure that I do.  I had a hard time really getting into the story.  It didn't keep my interest--not enough to put down, but not enough for me to be wanting to read it instead of doing anything else.
 
I think that the characters just seemed really far off.  Maybe it was because of the era that the book was written in, but I didn't really feel any connection.
 
But that's not to say that the plot wasn't interesting--it was.  Although I think that there were some parts that were too short, and other parts that were too drawn out. 
 
I did like the relationship between Camille and Oscar though.  I think that was my favorite part of the story.
 
If you like historical fiction, then try this story out and maybe it will hold your attention better than it held mine.
 
I gave this book a rating of 3/5.

Everlasting will be released on June 1, 2010.
 
This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2010 100+ Reading Challenge: 50
2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 36
2010 Debut Author Challenge: 13
ARC Reading Challenge 2010: 35

*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free for an honest review as part of the Around the World Tours.

The Friday 56- April 23, 2010

1. Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
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.

"Crumple my letter if it brings you solace.  Whether you come to ease my passage into the next world or not, understand that I must send what I carried with me in shame to Australia, back to San Fransisco, to you."
~From Everlasting by Angie Frazier
 

Friday Fill-In- April 23, 2010

Friday Fill-In

1. Where are my dreams?  What happened to them?
2. If wishes were horses I would want of my own.
3. I'd like to see the Gators win another national championship.
4. When I was a teen, I thought I would be married with kids by now.
5. One of my mother's favorite sayings was you get more flies with honey than with vinegar.
6. I'd have a hard time doing without my friends.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to Kory's family getting here, tomorrow my plans include going to the Disney Parks and Sunday, I want to get to relax at least a little!

Friday Finds- April 23, 2010

Here are my finds for the week:

Don't You Forget About Me- Jancee Dunn

Lillian Curtis, a 30-something New York City television producer, finds her past and present colliding when she moves back in with her parents, where time seems frozen in 1988 – in her room, there’s a Rick Springfield tape on her dresser and Duran Duran posters hanging on the wall. Back in New Jersey after twenty years, she is forced to confront not only her 80’s nostalgia, but also all the people she thought she’d left behind – including her high school boyfriend. (From Jancee Dunn's website)

Beautiful Darkness (The Caster Chronicles #2)- Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Some secrets are life-altering…
others are life-ENDING.

Ethan Wate used to think of Gatlin, the small Southern town he had always called home, as a place where nothing ever changed. Then he met mysterious newcomer Lena Duchannes, who revealed a secret world that had been hidden in plain sight all along. A Gatlin that harbored ancient secrets beneath its moss-covered oaks and cracked sidewalks. A Gatlin where a curse has marked Lena’s family of powerful supernaturals for generations.

And now that Ethan’s eyes have been opened to the darker side of Gatlin, there’s no going back. (From the Beautiful Creatures website)

Book Contest- I Has A Hotdog

Thanks to Hachette Book Group, I am giving away 3 copies of I Has A Hotdog by Professor Happy Cat.

I HAS A BWAIN!!!!

An you thawt we dint! Now Professor Happycat tells you what's in it and, from I HAS A HOTDOG.com and beyond, lets over 200 LOLdogs loose on the world, all barking the truth about kibble, toys, and bad kitties. This collection of favorites and never-before-seen photos will have you barking for more!

This book is so cute!  I love all of the pictures and sayings.  I have been going to the website for a while now and I am always laughing out loud at the pictures!
 
Check out IHasaHotdog.com
Become a Fan on Facebook
Follow @LOLDogs on Twitter
 
To enter to win one of 3 copies, fill out the form here.  The contest ends on Friday, April 30 at 11:59 pm. Only residents of US and Canada, and no P.O. boxes please.

Wednesday Wordle- April 21, 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- April 21, 2010

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Kiss of Death (The Morganville Vampires #8)
by Rachel Caine
Publication Release Date:  April 27, 2010

From Goodreads:

Vampire musician Michael Glass has attracted the attention of a big- time producer who wants to cut a demo and play some gigs-which means Michael will have to enter the human world. For this, he's been assigned escorts that include both a dangerous immortal as well as Michael's all-too-human friends. And with that mix of personalities, this is going to be a road trip from hell...

Teaser Tuesday- April 20, 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:

"Camille had been sailing with her father since she'd learned how to put one foot in front of the other, and knew the value of packing lightly.  With an easy tug, she pulled the trunk down the hall to the lip of the stairwell--the last trunk she would ever pack for a sea voyage with him."
~pg 1, Everlasting by Angie Frazier

Book Review- My Own Personal Soap Opera

I just finished reading My Own Personal Soap Opera by Libby Malin.

From Goodreads:

Frankie McNally doesn't just write for a soap opera, her life resembles one. Head writer for the soap opera, Lust for Life, Frankie is being courted by both Victor Pendergrast, a dashing older man sent in to save the show's sagging ratings, and Luke Blades, the soap's totally hot leading man. Just when she thinks life can't get more complicated, a jewel thief starts copying the show's storyline—a development that could send the show's ratings soaring if it doesn't get Frankie and Victor arrested first. Can Frankie write her way out of this one? And can she put make-believe aside long enough to discover the truth of her own heart?

Ugh...I so hate writing not-so-positive reviews.  But this book just did not do it for me.  In fact, I put it down for a while and read some other books in between.  Which I never do.

It's just the main character, Frankie, annoyed me.  I thought she was whiny and way too into this "I'm the boss" thing.  I don't care that you have books in your queue online about how to manage people (and she said this sooo many times).  Anytime something happened, Frankie kept reverting back to "but I'm the boss so it's my way" mentality and it just got old.

The whole love triangle between Frankie and the older Victor and same age Luke was interesting.  For a while there, I couldn't decide who I liked more but I liked the end choice.

I've read other positive reviews of this book, so maybe it's just me, but this wasn't my cup of tea.

I gave this book a rating of 2.5/5.

This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2010 100+ Reading Challenge: 49
ARC Reading Challenge 2010: 34
2010 Chick Lit Challenge: 7

*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free by Danielle from Sourcebooks for an honest review.

Mailbox Monday- April 19, 2010

Mailbox Monday: Here's what came in my mailbox this week

MONDAY

The Tension of Opposites- Kristina McBride-- for an Around the World Tour

The 39 Clues: The Emperor’s Code (#8)- Gordon Knorman-- surprise book from publisher








THURSDAY

Willow- Julia Hoban--bought









FRIDAY

Chick With a Charm (Babes on Brooms #2)- Vicki Lewis Thompson—PaperbackSwap








SATURDAY

We Hear the Dead- Dianne Salerni-- for review

Getting Revenge on Lauren Wood- Eileen Cook--contest win from Princess Bookie

The Sunday Salon- April 18, 2010

The Sunday Salon

So not too much happened this week really.  I was still getting over whatever sickness I had last weekend so I slept a lot!

I finished and reviewed the following books this week:

Siren by Tricia Rayburn

Alexandra, Gone by Anna McPartlin

The Tension of Opposites by Kristina McBride


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I fulfilled items in the following challenges this week:
2010 100+ Reading Challenge: 46, 47, 48
2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 34, 35
2010 Debut Author Challenge: 12
ARC Reading Challenge 2010: 32, 33
A to Z Challenge: R
 
I am going back to finish reading My Own Personal Soap Opera by Libby Malin and up next is The Sweet Life of Stella Madison by Lara M. Zeises.