Sunday, October 31, 2010

Book Review- The Immortal Realm

I just finished reading The Immortal Realm (Faerie Path #4) by Frewin Jones.

From Goodreads:

In an instant, a time of joy and celebration turns to one of heartbreak and fear.

Tania has finally found a way to bring her two worlds together, and while enjoying a long-awaited meeting of her Mortal and Faerie families, with her beloved Edric by her side, all seems right for the princess.

But when a Faerie baby suddenly falls ill, followed by more and more Faeries—including her own sister Cordelia—Tania knows that something is terribly wrong.

With no time to lose, Tania joins forces with her sisters to find a cure before this dark plague kills everyone she loves. Yet as the illness spirals out of control, Tania realizes that what they really need is help from the Mortal World. But will bringing another stranger to Faerie only make things worse? With countless lives hanging in the balance and a fast-growing Faerie suspicion of all things Mortal—including Tania herself—Tania makes a desperate move that will either save the land and people she has come to hold dear . . . or destroy their only chance for survival.

It has been awhile, 11 months, since I read the last book in The Faerie Path series.  I didn't really remember much about the plot of the story, just the overall feeling that I really enjoyed them.  And after reading this fourth book, I remember why. 

The story just flows so easily.  And I get so invested in the characters.  I want to know what is going to happen with Tania and Edric.  And what the fate of Connor will be.  And if Tania will be able to find the cure for the plague. 

I am having a hard time reviewing this book without giving anything away, so I will just say this:
The book ended at a place where it left me wanting more.   I don't think it was a cliffhanger exactly, but there were so many questions left unanswered.  I'm glad that I have the next book in the series, The Enchanted Quest, to read right away.

I gave this book a rating of 4/5.

This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2010 100+ Reading Challenge: 146
2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 111

*FTC Disclosure: I traded this book with a friend.

Book Review- All Together Dead

I just finished reading All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris.

From Goodreads:

Betrayed by her longtime vampire love, Louisiana cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse must now not only deal with a possible new man in her life-the oh-so-handsome shapeshifter Quinn-but also contend with a long-planned vampire summit. With her power base weakened by hurricane damage to New Orleans, the local vampire queen is vulnerable to those hungry for a takeover. Soon, Sookie must decide what side she'll stand with. And her choice may mean the difference between survival and all-out catastrophe.

This book seemed very dark to me.  Not that the Sookie Stackhouse books are normally light or anything, but this one just seemed even more sinister.  Maybe because it's easy to make a connection between 9/11 and the catastrophe in this story.  And maybe because it was so easy to see the resemblence, I actually felt for Sookie.  Normally she's just a character to me.  I never really got invested in her.  But in this story I did.  I felt bad for her and I felt her pain.  It seemed a little too real.  I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series, From Dead to Worse.

I gave this book a rating of 3.5/5.

This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
Sookie Stackhouse Reading Challenge: All Together Dead
2010 100+ Reading Challenge: 145

*FTC Disclosure: I traded this book with a friend.

The Sunday Salon- October 31, 2010

The Sunday Salon

This was a busy week at school.  The kids were so excited about the character parade on Thursday.  And they looked so cute in the costumes.  My class went as characters from fairy tales.  I had a Belle (in her blue dress) costume made.  It was a little on the expensive side, but I have been wanting it for 6 years, and you can't find it in the stores so I just went ahead and got it.  And I love it!

Happy Halloween!

I finished and reviewed the following books this week:
Arizona (Beautiful Dead #2) by Eden Maguire
Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting
The Love Goddess' Cooking School by Melissa Senate
Pastworld by Ian Beck


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I fulfilled items in the following challenges this week:
2010 100+ Reading Challenge: 141, 142, 143, 144
2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 108, 109, 110
ARC Reading Challenge 2010: 100, 101

I am currently reading The Immortal Realm (Faerie Path #4) and up next is The Enchanted Quest (Faerie Path #5) both by Frewin Jones.

Friday, October 29, 2010

Friday Fill-In- October 29, 2010

Friday Fill-in

1. While the cat's away I won't have as much cat hair to vacuum up.
2. Getting to sleep in is fabuloso!
3. Children giggling always makes me smile.
4. All I want to do is relax when I get home from work or shopping or what have you.
5. This may seem odd, but I love dipping popcorn in nacho cheese.
6. Kory suggested we go to Hatchoween and that seems like a fine idea to me!
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to dressing up like Dorothy, Kory dressing up like the scarecrow and going to Hatchoween, tomorrow my plans include working at Disney and getting home in time to watch the Gators play football (and hopefully win!) and Sunday, I want to relax!

Friday Finds- October 29, 2010

Here are my finds for the week:

Abandon- Meg Cabot
She knows what it's like to die. Now Death wants her back.

Seventeen-year-old Pierce knows what happens to us when we die.

That's how she met John Hayden, the mysterious stranger who's made returning to normal life—or at least life as Pierce knew it before the accident—next to impossible.

Though she thought she escaped him—starting a new school in a whole new place—it turns out she was wrong. He finds her.

What does John want from her? Pierce thinks she knows... just like she knows he's no guardian angel, and his dark world isn't exactly heaven. But she can't stay away from him, either, especially since he's always there when she least expects it, but exactly when she needs him most.

But if she lets herself fall any further, she might find herself back in the place she fears the most.

And when Pierce discovers the shocking truth, that’s exactly where John sweeps her:

The Underworld. (From Meg Cabot's website)



Forever- Maggie Stiefvater
The thrilling conclusion to #1 bestselling Shiver trilogy from Maggie Stiefvater.

In Maggie Stiefvater's SHIVER, Grace and Sam found each other. In LINGER, they fought to be together. Now, in FOREVER, the stakes are even higher than before. Wolves are being hunted. Lives are being threatened. And love is harder and harder to hold on to as death comes closing in. (From Goodreads)

Book Review- Pastworld

Early this morning I finished reading Pastworld by Ian Beck for a review for TeensReadToo.

From Goodreads:

Pastworld is the greatest theme park ever devised. It's London - the real London - transformed into a living, breathing recreation of the Victorian era.

To Eve, a lifelong resident of Pastworld, horse-drawn carriages and gas lamps are modern technology. Eve doesn't even know she's living in a simulation - until she is forced to flee the only home she's ever known, and to confront the truth about her city and herself.

To Caleb, a tourist visiting Pastworld, the theme park is the perfect antidote to the stifling conformity and regulation of 2048. The gritty wildness of the past is thrilling - until he finds himself at the scene of a murder, holding the knife, and suddenly becomes a fugitive from an antiquated justice system.

And in the midst of it all, in the thick London fog, a dark and deadly figure prowls, claiming victim after victim. He's the Fantom, a creature both of the past and of the future, in whose dark purpose Caleb and Eve will find their destinies combined.
 
This book was definitely...interesting.  Working for Disney, I saw that this was about a "theme park" and was excited.  But I wouldn't exactly call Pastworld a theme park...it's just a city set in the past. 
 
  You could definitely tell this book was written by a guy.  The book was really gory.  I wasn't expecting that, but it didn't turn me off.  And I didn't really care about the characters.  While I wanted to care about Eve, I didn't feel like there was enough about her for me to feel sympathetic about.
 
That being said, it was a good mystery book.  I spent a lot of the book trying to figure out what was going on and I would say that about two-thirds of the way through, I figured it out.  And it was a good twist!  I feel that the ending wrapped up too quickly though.  I would have liked to have read more about what happened at the end scene with the Fantom and Eve.
 
I gave this book a rating of 3/5.
 
This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2010 100+ Reading Challenge: 144
2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 110
ARC Reading Challenge 2010: 101
 
*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free by Jen from TeensReadToo for an honest review.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Book Review- The Love Goddess' Cooking School

I just finished reading The Love Goddess' Cooking School by Melissa Senate for a Gallery Books blog tour.

From Goodreads:

Camilla's Cucinotta:
Italian Cooking Classes
Fresh take-home pastas and sauces daily
Benvenuti (Welcome!)

Holly Maguire's grandmother was the Love Goddess of Blue Crab Island, Maine–a Milanese fortune teller who could predict the right man for you, and whose Italian cooking was rumored to save marriages. Holly has been waiting years for her unlikely fortune: her true love will like sa cordula, an unappetizing old-world delicacy. But Holly can't make a decent marinara sauce, let alone sa cordula. Maybe that's why the man she hopes to marry breaks her heart. So when Holly inherits Camilla's Cucinotta, she's determined to forget about fortunes and love and become an Italian cooking teacher worthy of her grandmother's legacy.

But Holly's four students are seeking much more than how to make Camilla's chicken alla Milanese. Simon, a single father, hopes to cook his way back into his daughter's heart. Juliet, Holly's childhood friend, hides a painful secret. Tamara, a serial dater, can't find the love she longs for. And twelve-year-old Mia thinks learning to cook will stop her dad from marrying his phony lasagna-queen girlfriend.

As the class gathers each week, adding Camilla's essential ingredients of wishes and memories into every pot and pan, unexpected friendships and romances are formed–and tested. Especially when Holly falls hard for Liam . . . and learns a thing or two about finding her own recipe for happiness.
 
I've been reading so much YA lately (which I love) that I've forgotten how much I love a really good chick-lit book.  Thanks to Melissa Senate for reminding me.
 
The basic plot was the same as in most chick-lit books.  Girl gets heartbroken but gets over the guy, grows stronger, and finds a new love.  But I loved the characters in this one.  Especially Liam and Mia. 
 
Liam seems like such a great guy.  He's a great dad (which is so hot), is a gentleman, and romantic!  It doesn't seem like there are guys like that out there any more.  And Mia was such a fun twelve year old.  Sometimes tweens can seem annoying but Mia seemed more mature for her age.  A great kid!
 
And I loved all the cooking in the book.  I am not a good cook.  But I wish I was!  I liked the recipes at the end and I copied one down that didn't seem to hard so I could attempt to cook it later.  I look forward to seeing what Melissa Senate writes next!
 
I gave this book a rating of 4/5.
 
This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2010 100+ Reading Challenge: 141
 
*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free by Sarah from Gallery and Pocket Book Blog Tours for an honest review.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Book Review- Desires of the Dead

I just finished reading Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting for an Around the World Tour.

From Goodreads:

The missing dead call to Violet. They want to be found.

When Violet Ambrose's morbid ability to sense the echoes of those who've been murdered leads her to the body of a young boy, she draws the attention of the FBI. She is reluctantly pulled into an investigation that will endanger more than just her secret...but her relationship and possibly her life as well.

I remember when I read the book that came before this one, The Body Finder, that I stayed up all night reading.  I was hooked and couldn't put it down.  So when I saw the sequel, I knew that I had to read it!

And while I think The Body Finder was better, this one still had me intrigued the whole way through.  Unfortunately, I couldn't stay up all night readint it, but I definitely wanted to!

Once again I just loved the characters of Violet and Jay.  Jay is just so sweet and romantic.  The picnic that he planned in the woods...sigh...I want one of those!  And Violet is down to earth.  I love how she does what feels right to her and follows her heart.  And the passion between Jay and Violet--wow!  It's hot!

The plot of the story will definitely have you thinking.  I had an idea who it might be, then I changed my mind, then I changed it again, and I finally guessed it right before Violet figures out who it was.  And I like the new aspect of Violet joining the special group that has talents.  I'm wondering if there might be another book and if we'll get a more in-depth look at that.  I sure hope so!

I gave this book a rating of 4/5.

Desires of the Dead will be released on March 15, 2011.

This book fullfills items for the following challenges:
2010 100+ Reading Challenge: 143
2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 109
ARC Reading Challenge 2010: 100

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

Wednesday Wordle- October 27, 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- October 27, 2010

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

Once in a Full Moon
by Ellen Schreiber
Publication Release Date: December 28, 2010

From Goodreads:

Beware of a kiss under the full moon. It will change your life forever.

Celeste Parker is used to hearing scary stories about werewolves—Legend’s Run is famous for them. But when, after an unnerving visit with a psychic, she encounters a pack of wolves and gorgeous, enigmatic Brandon, she must discover whether his transformation is more than legend or just a trick of the shadows in the moonlight. Brandon may be Celeste’s hero, or he may be the most dangerous creature she could encounter in the woods of Legend’s Run.

The bestselling Vampire Kisses author, Ellen Schreiber, weaves together psychic predictions, generations-old secrets, a town divided, and the possibility of falling in love with a hot and heroic werewolf—the perfect formula for what happens...once in a full moon.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Teaser Tuesday- October 26, 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:

"Violet knew it was a lie, even if only one of omission.  To her parents, however, a lie was a lie; the distinction wouldn't matter."
~pg 42, Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting (ARC)

Monday, October 25, 2010

Book Review- Arizona

I just finished reading Arizona (Beautiful Dead #2) by Eden Maguire.

From Goodreads:

There's been no sign of the Beautiful Dead for weeks. Darina achingly misses Phoenix all over again. But surely he will return with the rest of the Beautiful Dead as so much still remains unresolved. It's been ten months since Arizona drowned in Hartmann Lake. Suicide, it would seem. But something doesn't add up.

Drowning herself in a hidden - away lake does not sound like strong, confident, Arizona: Ellerton High School's high-maintenance drama queen. Darina needs to help Arizona the way she helped Jonas. But time is running out...
 
Before I started reading this book, I remember thinking that my opinion of the first book in the Beautiful Dead series was mixed.  I remember thinking it was just an okay book and I wasn't sure that I would enjoy this one.  But I did!  I definitely enjoyed it more than Jonas.
 
I feel that we got a much better read on the three main characters in this story.  I liked Darina better although I still don't like how she treats her mother.  I still really liked Phoenix.  And we really got to know Arizona and why she was the way she was.
 
I definitely didn't see the end coming.  I thought I had a couple of different ideas about what happened to Arizona, but none of them were right.  I love when that happens!  The next book in the series is called Summer and I look forward to reading it!
 
I gave this book a rating of 3.5/5.
 
This book fullfills items for the following challenges:
2010 100+ Reading Challenge: 142
2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 108
 
*FTC Disclosure: I received this book from Sourcebooks Teen Fire for an honest review.

Mailbox Monday- October 25, 2010


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


MONDAY
The Love Goddess’ Cooking School- Melissa Senate--review for Galley Books blog tour










SATURDAY
Born to Bite (#13)- Lynsay Sands--PaperbackSwap

Sunday, October 24, 2010

The Sunday Salon- October 24, 2010

The Sunday Salon

So to keep my seasonal status at Disney, I had to do a training update on Saturday, work today and then work next Saturday.  Ugh...13 days in a row of working.  No fun!  If it weren't for playing softball for Disney and wanting to get into the parks whenever I want, I wouldn't keep my status.  It's going to be a long week!

I finished and reviewed the following books this week:
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Her and Me and You by Lauren Strasnick
The Secret Society of the Pink Crystal Ball by Risa Green


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I fulfilled items in the following challenges this week:
2010 100+ Reading Challenge: 138, 139, 140
2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 105, 106, 107 
2010 Debut Author Challenge: 37, 38
ARC Reading Challenge 2010: 98, 99

I am currently reading Beautiful Dead: Arizona by Eden Maguire and up next is Pastworld by Ian Beck.

Friday, October 22, 2010

Friday Fill-In- October 22, 2010

Friday Fill-In

1. One of my strongest beliefs is love is a powerful thing.
2. I would love to have a paycheck that is huge!
3. The sky is cloudy with a threat of rain and wind and cold, so I stayed inside.
4. Curling up with my boyfriend is comforting to me.
5. I always thought I'd be married by now.
6. We ate a warm dinner and then I went outside to look at the full moon.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to relaxing, tomorrow my plans include trying a new Disney restaurant with Kory and Sunday, I want to relax!

Friday Finds- October 22, 2010


Here are my finds for the week:



Outside In-Maria V. Snyder
Me?? A Leader??

Okay, I did prove that there's more to Inside than we knew. That a whole world exists beyond this cube we live in. And finding that led to a major rebellion-between worker scrubs like me and the snobby uppers who rule our world. Make that ruled. Because of me, we're free. I thought that meant I was off the hook, and could go off on my own again-while still touching base with Riley, of course. He's the one upper I think I can trust. But then we learned that there's outside and then there is Outside. And something from Outside wants In.  (From Maria V. Snyder's website)



A Blue So Dark- Holly Schindler
Fifteen-year-old Aura Ambrose has been hiding a secret. Her mother, a talented artist and art teacher, is slowly being consumed by schizophrenia, and Aura has been her sole caretaker ever since Aura’s dad left them. Convinced that “creative” equals crazy, Aura shuns her own artistic talent. But as her mother sinks deeper into the darkness of mental illness, the hunger for a creative outlet draws Aura toward the depths of her imagination. Just as desperation threatens to swallow her whole, Aura discovers that art, love, and family are profoundly linked—and together may offer an escape from her fears. (From Holly Schindler's website)

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Book Review- The Secret Society of the Pink Crystal Ball

I just finished reading The Secret Society of the Pink Crystal Ball by Risa Green for Sourcebook's Teen Fire.

From Goodreads:

In a world where nothing is certain, a little magic couldn't hurt...right?

When Erin Channing's favorite aunt dies, Erin is bequeathed a pink crystal ball and a set of weird instructions. Granted, Aunt Kiki (aka Aunt Kooky) always lived "outside the box." But now Erin and her two best friends are convinced that the pink crystal ball holds the key to their future-or at least the key to getting dates...

Consider Your Fate to Be Sealed . . .
  • Absolute knowledge is not unlimited; let the planets be your guide to the number.
  • There are sixteen ways to die, but four of them you will never see.
  • The future belongs to you alone. Other voices will be disappointed.
  • One rotation is as far as you can see. Only uncertainty lies beyond.
This was a cute book.  It was pretty bubble-gummy, but I liked it.  I would say that it would almost be a good tween book, but there is some mention of sex.  But anyways, while sometimes if a book is too cutesy, it will annoy me, but this book definitely didn't.  In fact there were some times that I giggled.  It took me back to tenth grade and made me remember how my friends and I used to be.

The characters are all great.  I love how Erin was the boring, normal girl.  (This is who I was in my group of friends).  And there's always one girl who's prettier than everyone else (Samantha) and one who is always so nice to everyone (Lindsay).  And I really liked Jesse.  Who he was and what he believed in.  I would have like to know more about how he knew so many people in places and go the hookups there.

There were a lot of great pop culture references too.  Those always make books fun.  And the way the book ended, it could possibly be a cliff hanger.  If not, it would be okay because the ending fits.  But if there is another book, I can't wait to read it!

I gave this book a rating of 4/5.

This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2010 100+ Reading Challenge: 140
2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 107
2010 Debut Author Challenge: 38

*FTC Disclosure: I received this book from Sourcebooks Teen Fire for free for an honest review.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Wednesday Wordle- October 20, 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- October 20, 2010

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

Tangled Threads (Elemental Assassin Book 4)
by Jennifer Estep
Publication Release Date: April 26, 2011

From Jennifer Estep's website:

I’d rather face a dozen lethal assas­sins any night than deal with some­thing as tricky, con­vo­luted, and frag­ile as my feel­ings. But here I am. Gin Blanco, the semi-retired assas­sin known as the Spi­der. Hov­er­ing out­side sexy busi­ness­man Owen Grayson’s front door like a ner­vous teenage girl. One thing I like about Owen: he doesn’t shy away from my past—or my present. And right now I have a bull’s-eye on my fore­head. Cold-blooded Fire ele­men­tal Mab Mon­roe has hired one of the smartest assas­sins in the busi­ness to trap me. Elek­tra LaFleur is skilled and effi­cient, with deadly elec­tri­cal ele­men­tal magic as potent as my own Ice and Stone pow­ers. Which means there’s a fifty-fifty chance one of us won’t sur­vive this bat­tle. I intend to kill LaFleur—or die trying—because Mab wants the assas­sin to take out my baby sis­ter, Detec­tive Bria Coolidge, too. The only prob­lem is, Bria has no idea I’m her long-lost sib­ling … or that I’m the mur­derer she’s been chas­ing through Ash­land for weeks. And what Bria doesn’t know just might get us both dead …

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Book Review- Her and Me and You

I just down and read Her and Me and You by Lauren Strasnick all in one sitting for an Around the World ARC Tour.

From Goodreads:

First love, broken friendships, and heartache all play a part in this evocative, voice-driven novel about Alex, a girl whose world is ripped apart when her father’s affair splits her family in two.

Alex moves with her mess of a mother to a new town, where she is befriended by hot, enigmatic Fred—and alternately flirted with and cold-shouldered by Fred’s twin sister, Adina. Others warn Alex to steer clear of the twins, whose sibling relationship is considered abnormal at best, but there’s just something about Fred—and something about Adina—that draws Alex to them and makes her want to be part of their crazy world…no matter the consequences.
 
Umm...yeah.  I don't really know what to say about this book.  It only took me about an hour to read.  Thank goodness.  I think if it took longer I would have been upset at wasting my time.
 
This book was just so flat for me.  Alex is a complete pushover.  Her best friend from back home, Evie, isn't very nice to her.  Adina is just plain awful and Fred sticks up for Adina's behavior.  And Alex knows that her behavior isn't right but hangs around anyways.  Pitiful.  (And for some reason, the way she kept calling her mom "Mommy" at her age was just weird for me.)
 
And I kept waiting for there to be something more.  Some big climax or reasoning as to why Adina was the way she was.  But there was nothing.  It was like the book just ended. 
 
I love books about twins and was looking forward to reading this one, but unfortunately it let me down.
 
I gave this book a rating of 2.5/5.
 
This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2010 100+ Reading Challenge: 139
2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 106
ARC Reading Challenge 2010: 99
 
*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free for an honest review as part of the Around the World Tours.

Book Review- Anna and the French Kiss

I just finished reading Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins for an Around the World Tour.

From Goodreads:

Anna was looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. So she's less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris — until she meets Étienne St. Clair. Smart, charming, beautiful, Étienne has it all . . . including a serious girlfriend.

But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss? Stephanie Perkins keeps the romantic tension crackling and the attraction high in a debut guaranteed to make toes tingle and hearts melt.
 
This was such a sweet book.  Such a light, cute young adult love story.  And I loved it! 
 
First off, I love the idea of a boarding school in Paris.  Who wouldn't want to go there!  It sounds like it would have been so much fun.
 
I really liked all of the characters.  They were fun and they seemed like real teens.  They were all normal.  Not in the popular group, and not out of it.  Not awesome students but not bad either.  Just regular teenagers.   And St. Clair makes me want a boy born in the US but raised in England who can speak French!
 
The only complaint I have about this book is that I would have liked it to go on!  It's already a bigger book, but I would have loved to know what happened at the end of the school year, over the summer, and even into the freshman year of college!
 
I gave this book a rating of 4/5.
 
Anna and the French Kiss will be released on December 2, 2010.
 
This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2010 100+ Reading Challenge: 138
2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 105
2010 Debut Author Challenge: 37
ARC Reading Challenge 2010: 98
 
*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free for an honest review as part of the Around the World Tours.

Teaser Tuesday- October 19, 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:

" 'NO,' I tell St. Clair, who opens his mouth to say something else.  He shuts it, surprised."
~pg 299, Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins (ARC)

Monday, October 18, 2010

Mailbox Monday- October 18, 2010


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


TUESDAY
Across the Universe- Beth Revis--just showed up review copy from publisher











THURSDAY
Warrior Princess-Frewin Jones--PaperbackSwap










FRIDAY
Anna and the French Kiss-Stephanie Perkins--review for an Around the World Tour
Her and Me and You-Lauren Strasnick--review for an Around the World Tour











SATURDAY
The Ivy- Lauren Kunze with Rina Onur--review for TeensReadToo


Sunday, October 17, 2010

The Sunday Salon- October 17, 2010

The Sunday Salon


So I think I'm bad luck for the Gators.  I went to up to Gainesville to watch the Gators play Mississippi State.  It should have been an easy win.  Yet we lost.  Again.  For the third week in a row.  Argh!  Today I went with a bunch of friends to Food and Wine at Epcot and I wore a Gators shirt.  A lot of people commented about the loss, but I told them that I am not a fair-weather fan and that "In all kinds of weather, we'll all stick together".  Hopefully we can win a couple more of our games!

I finished and reviewed the following books this week:
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Cloaked by Alex Flinn












I fulfilled items in the following challenges this week:
2010 100+ Reading Challenge: 135, 136, 137
2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 102, 103, 104
ARC Reading Challenge 2010: 97

I am currently reading Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins and up next is Her and Me and You by Lauren Strasnick.