Rabu, 31 Maret 2010

**Book Added To The Ridiculous Contest**

Ive reached 900 followers *gasp* which in itself is a celebration really (thank you people, I loves ya!)but my first celebration is still going on, so, you'll have to wait for this one to end ;)

Anyways, you asked for more, I am giving you more.


Betrayed by P. C. Cast
Bro Jitsu by Daniel H. Wilson
Haters by Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez
The Line by Teri Hall

AND!

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

Which is...


Most of the people asked for it, so I contacted the author. Thank goodness she has such a kind heart and wanted to join the party. I will also be having a interview with her so you will want to be here for when that happens.

So, what do you think? The second most wanted is Fallen by Lauren Kate... That one may make an appereance too, who knows.

Let me know if nay or yay.

Selasa, 30 Maret 2010

Please, Please Help Me Out!

A friend of mine did a design, and I need your help with the voting. This is really important so please, it will take less than a minute I swear.

I know it has absolutely nothing to do with books, but it involves me and my life sorta, so, please, Vote Vote Vote!


Burned (House of Night) Chapter Revealed!

House of Night's #100 book, Burned, chapter one has been revealed!

I don't know the level of excitement this plays in you, but in some people it's a big thing. So don't rain on their parade; and by people I mean other people, not me.

(Click on book for the first chapter)

"Kalona lifted his hands. He didn't hesitate. There was no doubt whatsoever in his mind about what he had to do."

Also..

Free Melissa Marr E-Book! Melissa Marr is the author from The Wicked Lovely series. And Melissa's much-anticipated original short story Stopping Time is now available as a free E-Book.


I think this is connected to the original series Wicked Lovely, so I will have to download it.

Review: Hourglass by Claudia Gray



Title: Hourglass
Series: Evernight Series
Author: Claudia Gray
Pages: 339
Publisher: HarperTeen
Reading Level: Young Adult
Spotlight: Characters
Rating:.7

"Neither Here nor There, Neither Alive nor Dead."

After escaping from Evernight Academy, the vampire boarding school where they met, Bianca and Lucas seek refuge with Black Cross, an elite group of vampire hunters. Bianca must hide her supernatural heritage or risk certain death at their hands. But when Black Cross captures her friend--the vampire Balthazar--all her secrets threaten to come out.

Soon, Bianca and Lucas have orchestrated Balthazar's escape and are on the run, pursued not only by Black Cross, but by the powerful leaders of Evernight. Yet no matter how far they run, Bianca can't escape her destiny.

Bianca has always believed their love could survive anything--but can it survive what's to come?

Taschima's POV:

I don't know what I was expecting, but I definitely wasn't expecting this.

Bianca is on the run from everything important in her old life, on the run from her parents, on the run from her heritage, on the run from her past. She doesn't want to become a vampire and that's final. But really, what's the second option?

She doesn't know, and she doesn't care. She knows that as long as she has Lucas beside her everything will be all right... Or will it?

If you are the kind of person who likes character development then you are on the right corner. The characters grow so much through out the series, and in this book we get to see the magic. And although I don't agree with some of Bianca's decisions, because I don't know if I would ever choose what she chose, I like how those decisions shape the story and gives it an original flare.

In the romance department, well, In the last books I thought the romance was kind of unhealthy, I don't know, but on this book you get to see how the boulders that were put on their paths brought this characters even closer together, and when they are finally able to have a life of their own all I can say is that is so... beautiful. I think I'm starting to like Lucas a lot. Bianca is a likable character, but Lucas wasn't one at the beginning. See? Character development.

What else can I say... Oh! The ending of course.

It was a cliff hanger, a very bloody and exciting and OMG cliff hanger. It makes sure you buy the fourth book. A book I will start tagging and looking for information on. I just didn't like one thing about the ending, and it's well an ending. I don't like how Bianca's future turned out, and I wish she would have chosen a different path. Those of you who read the book understand me, those of you who don't, well, READ THE BOOK.

Oh, I forgot to say one more thing... This book may not be for everyone out there. There are sex scenes in this book. *gasp!* Yeap, but the author doesn't show the action, she just starts it off and then a big black cloud surrounds the rest. I just thought you should know. In my opinion it didn't dirty up the book, it just made it more real.

In a sentence, this book was better than I ever thought it could be. It surprised me, and I love this kind of surprises. I bet the next book will be even better; there are still questions to be answered, and spooky things that need to be undone!

PS; The title of the book couldn't be more perfect, because everyone and everything was running out of time, like turning the Hourglass.

Quote from the book:

"I keep remembering something my mother said to me once. The night after I bit you for the first time, actually."

"What did she say?"

"She said that, once I'd first tasted human blood, I'd turned over the hourglass. That I couldn't keep going forever as what I was- part human and part vampire. She said the vampire in me would grow stronger and that eventually, I'd have to complete the transaction."


Other Books In the Series:








Fourth book's title is:
Afterlife

Sabtu, 27 Maret 2010

******Super Cover Alert******

Hardcover: 256 pages
Publisher: Hyperion Books
Publish Date: 5 Oct 2010

O...M...GOD!!!!! Isn't it lovely? Wonderful? Wow? Beautiful? Delicate? Amazing?

Here is a fun sneak-peek from the book! (from Melissa's Website)

There were seven of us at the inception of the order. A conclave was called to address the growing threat posed by the Paths of the Dead. Along with myself, present at the gathering were the Emperor’s cousin Gemellus, a weakling; Octilla and Halcyon from the vestal virgins; the head of the Imperial Army, General Alexandrus; Pantaelum, a trusted senator and Onbasius, a healer.

In my prodigious research, I have determined that Halcyon was most likely the keeper of the Gate of Promise, the third known Gate of Hell. I have come to the conclusion that this gate is instrumental in uncovering the truth behind the continued existence of our supposedly vanquished enemies. This is the gate we must focus on, the most important one in the lot.

-From the personal journal of Lawrence Van Alen

Great sneak-peek, and I LOVE THIS COVER!!!!!!!!!!!!! They just keep getting better and better don't they? Let's see if this is true...

Rating: By Hearts of course ;]


Caption: Too pale, but nice beginning. Love the city on the bottom.



Caption: Love the mask, and the eyes are gorgeous.



Caption: Ugh the tattoo looks like it was just put on the cover instead of the girl's neck.



Caption: Love at first sight. God this cover is just gorgeous. The model, the pose, the city on the bottom, the perfect red lips... Yeah.



Caption: What I like about this cover is the mystery it portrays. This book is about looking at the inside of the novel so to speak, the details and stuff, and this cover is portraying just that, us looking in. Also love the eye, reminds me of the Masquerade cover eyes.


Anyways, had you guys seen the new cover already? Am I that behind? Or not? Let me know!

PS; Last, but not least, let me give you a fun sneak-peek from the book Keys to the Repository.

From Schuyler’s story:

Three stolen kisses—what did it matter, really? Jack was never going to be her boyfriend, she thought, as she turned right onto 96th street. He was never going to sling his arm around her as they walked down the hall, never take her to Winter Ball, never declare his love over the PA system by mangling the lyrics to “Come on Eileen” as Jamie Kip did so charmingly last week when he serenaded Ally Elly before the Head Girl had cut him off. But Schuyler didn’t want any of that—did she? She had never yearned for popularity. It struck her as absurd anyway, to want popularity. Popularity was fickle and elusive, like trying to catch fireflies in a jar. You were either born with it or relegated to wallflower status according to the mysterious and unknowable workings of the universe.

PPS; LOOOVE THE COVER!!!!!

US VS UK, Round Eleven

Today is a fabolous day. I got my laptop back, and I am going around Disney taking pictures with all the characters we can find. My sister even bought my mom The Hat. The one that the Mad Hatter wears in the new Alice in Wonderland movie. Let me just tell you that she is a very happy girl.

Does anybody like history? I had the greatest time learning about Walt Disney's history and how everything happened. I don't know, I guess I'm just amazed at how people can evolve over time. It's pretty interesting and exhilarating. It gives me an idea for a novel...

Well, anyways, this post is not about Disney, it's about the thing that most of the time makes us buy books, the thing that leave us in awe, the covers.

There are always two version's to a cover, but in this post we are putting the US and the UK head to head to see who comes with the best cover.
Our contestants are...

Round One...

The Agency by Y. S. Lee

US-UK-Italian

I just LOOOVE the us cover don't you? It's sooo pweetty! (yeah, Pwetty). I also like the Italian cover, I think it adds that mystery the novel certainly has. But I like seeing the face of the model, so it's a tough choice. Like the face of the novel, but also like the background of the Italian one. Oh not to mention the colors of the US. And the US model looks like she is hiding something; like she has an ulterior motive no one should know. Now the UK one, well, it's nice and all, but, kind of plain don't you think? If I were going pass an aisle and see these 3 covers I, most likely, would pick up the US one, would look at the Italian one, and completely ignore the UK one.

So my list is...

-US-
-Italian-
-UK-

Whats yours?

Kamis, 25 Maret 2010

Numbers Giveaway Winners!!!

I'm sorry for not posting this earlier but with the whole laptop problem I couldn't take the time to actually do this...
Align Centre

Anyways, the giveaway winners are...




Congrats! I emailed you guys so I am waiting for a response.

Next giveaway will be very soon!

Rabu, 24 Maret 2010

Lost and Found (1)

So as I was going through my walk around the blog spehere I came across this cover at Pure Imagination which looked strangely familiar...

It may be just me, but doesn't it ring a bell in your brain?

...
..
.

No? What about... The Mortal Instruments bell? Ding Ding Ding! You know that series by Cassandra Clare that ended so awesomely and now its going to have a pre series called The Infernal Devices? Yeah, well the first time I saw the cover I thought Cassandra was writing another book (or perhaps she changed the name of the 4th book in The Mortal Instruments series) but no, this one is by Jackie Morse Kessler, an author I had never known about but that has made a very good, though strange, impression in my brain. She has picked a side in my memory and is here to stay.

Maybe they both have the same cover artist, because not only is the cover awesome but it definitely has a resemblance with Cassandra's series. I think I found The Mortal Instruments cousin. Cover wise I mean.

Anyways, yeah it may be only me, but I definitely see a resemblance. Here is a summary of this book so you get a little bit more familiar with it.

“Thou art the Black Rider. Go thee out unto the world.”

Lisabeth Lewis has a black steed, a set of scales, and a new job: she’s been appointed Famine. How will an anorexic seventeen-year-old girl from the suburbs fare as one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?


Traveling the world on her steed gives Lisa freedom from her troubles at home: her constant battle with hunger, and her struggle to hide it from the people who care about her. But being Famine forces her to go places where hunger is a painful part of everyday life, and to face the horrifying effects of her phenomenal power. Can Lisa find a way to harness that power — and the courage to battle her own inner demons? "

Hmm interesting enough. But to tell you the truth I would have read the book even without the summary... because of the cover. YES I judge a book by its cover, I know it's not right, but damn it that's the way it is with moi.

Selasa, 23 Maret 2010

New Goodies

**+5 if comment**

Well, it sucks not having a laptop. Now I depend on my mother's laptop... which is not good. Not the laptop, the laptop is fine. But the dependance... not so much.

Ladies, Gents, take care of your laptops, love them, because you so need them. "You never know what you have till it's gone." Couldn't agree more with that.

I got some stuff, but, they are scattered aroung the house.... I will put here what I can see from where I am.


(Art Not Final)

Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publish Date: May 4, 2010

Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888) is the author of the beloved Little Women, which was based on her own experiences growing up in New England with her parents and three sisters. More than a century after her death, Louisa May Alcott's stories continue to delight readers of all ages.

•-♥-•


Reading Level: Adult
Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Harper Paperback
Publish Date (Reprint Edition): January 5, 2010

Meet the Roncalli and Angelini families, a vibrant cast of colorful characters who navigate tricky family dynamics with hilarity and brio, from magical Manhattan to the picturesque hills of bella Italia. Very Valentine is the first novel in a trilogy and is sure to be the new favorite of Trigiani's millions of fans around the world.

In this luscious, contemporary family saga, the Angelini Shoe Company, makers of exquisite wedding shoes since 1903, is one of the last family-owned businesses in Greenwich Village. The company is on the verge of financial collapse. It falls to thirty-three-year-old Valentine Roncalli, the talented and determined apprentice to her grandmother, the master artisan Teodora Angelini, to bring the family's old-world craftsmanship into the twenty-first century and save the company from ruin.

While juggling a budding romance with dashing chef Roman Falconi, her duty to her family, and a design challenge presented by a prestigious department store, Valentine returns to Italy with her grandmother to learn new techniques and seek one-of-a-kind materials for building a pair of glorious shoes to beat their rivals. There, in Tuscany, Naples, and on the Isle of Capri, a family secret is revealed as Valentine discovers her artistic voice and much more, turning her life and the family business upside down in ways she never expected. Very Valentine is a sumptuous treat, a journey of dreams fulfilled, a celebration of love and loss filled with Trigiani's trademark heart and humor.

•-♥-•



Reading Level: Adult
Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Harper
Publish Date: February 9, 2010

**SPOILERS**

Valentine Roncalli, shoe designer for the family-owned, New York-based Angelini Shoe Company, is entering a rough patch. Her grandmother has found true love, uprooted herself, and moved to Italy, leaving the specialty shoe business to Valentine and her contentious financial whiz of a brother, Alfred. Along with the care and handling of their large, loud Italian family. When a business venture brings Valentine to Buenos Aires to meet a distant cousin who also owns a shoe factory, she’s in for a surprise: her cousin is black. Valentine’s great-grandfather had split with his brother, and nobody knew why until now. The discovery of this long-buried secret stuns the entire family, who must now try to heal the breach. Family is family, after all. Trigiani’s exciting sequel to Very Valentine (2009), and the second book in a trilogy about Valentine and her family, is a vibrant, warm story about family ties, duty, and love.

•-♥-•



Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publish Date: December 29, 2009

Jena, Dakota, Skye, and Owen are all at Paradise—the resort in the Caribbean, that is—for different reasons, but in Paradise their lives become tangled together in ways none of them can predict. Over the course of four months, through four voices and four stories, what happened in Paradise will change them all.

In this extraordinary novel, the Printz Honor–winning author brings us her most accomplished work yet. Tangled is a story of the secrets we keep, the risks we take, and the things we do for love.

•-♥-•



Reading Level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 535 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Chicken House
1st Us Edition edition (2003)

Meggie's father Mo has an interesting talent: when he reads aloud, things, and sometimes people, come out of their stories and into the real world! But now the evil Capricorn wants to use Mo's talents to bring himself great wealth and power. Then Meggie discovers that maybe Mo isn't the only one who can read things to life. This is an enchanting story full of adventure, suspense, and magic. The characters are vivid and delightful. Unlike many books for younger readers there is a distinct emphasis on the importance of family as seen in the close relationship between Meggie and her father. Unfortunately the author does include several instances of mild profanity which seems totally unnecessary in a children's book and is perhaps the biggest detractor from the story. Lightly magical, humorous, and fun, Inkheart will appeal to those who like adventure and fantasy, and to anyone who ever wished a story could come to life.

•-♥-•



Reading level: Ages 9-12
Paperback: 160 pages
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's Books
Publish Date: April 13, 2010

Grade 6–9—It may be a universal constant that siblings find ways to torment one another, and Wilson offers techniques for honing the rivalry to an art. From traditional moves such as "two for flinching" noogies, and pinching or tripping to more sophisticated techniques, like making "chocolate milk" from dog poo and inflicting other gross-outs on unsuspecting sibs, Wilson has all the moves covered. Unfortunately, while his humor is usually in the right place, many of his techniques could be truly dangerous: the "seat belt sling" advises swinging the buckle like a mace, and while a caution is offered ("Don't sling the belt unless you are ready to chip your brother's tooth and go live with Grandma for a few weeks"), readers may not take it seriously. Other techniques involve sitting on younger or smaller siblings to subdue them, or causing humiliation in front of their friends, which could lead to actual physical or psychological harm in the long run. Overall, the hurtful spirit of much of the book and the real potential for damage in some "techniques" make it hard to find an audience that is both young enough to appreciate the humor but old enough to know where to draw the line. School libraries in particular will want to stick with Wilson's How to Survive a Robot Uprising (2005).

So yeah, pretty good batch this week if I may say. I love the cover of Tangled, and I can't wait to read the Valentine books. I started Inkheart a long time ago but stopped because I just couldn't get into the story. But then again, it was a long time ago, and I was not as good a reader as I am now...

Hope you guys get a review this week, and just so you know next week is spring break so Ill have a LOT of time for the blog!

See ya,


Sabtu, 20 Maret 2010

**Drop Jaw Here; Another Must Not Miss**

First off is Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl.
(click image & go to main page)

I gotta say, other than the cover I can't find anything else on the book. But as soon as I can I will post. In concerns to the cover well, I say it's pretty, kind of dreamy. BUT the first one is still my fav. One thing is you can see the relationship between the two books so great!

Other books in the series:
(Click for my review)



•-♥-•

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 496 pages
Publish Date: August 31, 2010

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: James, 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.

Eeeeks! I love the cover. Even though it's a different series, you know it has some relation to The Mortal Instruments series. I can't stop staring at it...

Ok, now I got more info for you. This is something I found at Cassandra's site:

"As promised earlier, the cover for Clockwork Angel is now up over at Entertainment Weekly’s Shelf Life! The article also contains an awesome interview with my editor about what you can expect from Clockwork Angel, some teasers about the story, and a link to a sweepstakes contest to win an ARC."

So, what are you waiting for? CLICK HERE and read it all! Also if you would like a sneak peek click here and read an excerpt from Chapter 8.

•-♥-•

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 336 pages
Publish Date: April 27, 2010

"Things have turned black at the House of Night. Zoey Redbird’s soul has shattered. With everything she’s ever stood for falling apart, and a broken heart making her want to stay in the Otherworld forever, Zoey’s fading fast. It’s seeming more and more doubtful that she will be able pull herself back together in time to rejoin her friends and set the world to rights. As the only living person who can reach her, Stark must find a way to get to her. But how? He will have to die to do so, the Vampire High Council stipulates. And then Zoey will give up for sure. There are only 7 days left…
Enter BFF Stevie Rae. She wants to help Z but she has massive problems of her own. The rogue Red Fledglings are acting up, and this time not even Stevie Rae can protect them from the consequences. Her kinda boyfriend, Dallas, is sweet but too nosy for his own good. The truth is, Stevie Rae’s hiding a secret that might be the key to getting Zoey home but also threatens to explode her whole world.
In the middle of the whole mess is Aphrodite: ex-Fledgling, trust-fund baby, total hag from Hell (and proud of it). She’s always been blessed (if you could call it that) with visions that can reveal the future, but now it seems Nyx has decided to speak through her with the goddess’s own voice, whether she wants it or not. Aphrodite’s loyalty can swing a lot of different ways, but right now Zoey’s fate hangs in the balance.
Three girls… playing with fire… if they don’t watch out, everyone will get Burned."

I know this is not new here. BUT the next thing I am going to post IS new.

New Never-Before-Seen Lines from the book Burned!!!!

"No, Zoey." Heath sounded pissed. "It's not okay here. Not for you." "Well, maybe that's 'cause I'm not dead. Yet."

--~--

Stevie Rae looked from vampyre to vampyre. "Here's a newsflash... Zoey isn't dead. And believe me, I know dead. I've been there, done that, and for the frickin' tee-shirt."

Just so you know the two lines are not related, they are probably from different chapters. Hope this got you super excited for the next book. I have a feeling this one may not suck. Yay!!! At least I like the first line, it let's you know Heath is in this book. Eeeks! I love Heath... =[

Kamis, 18 Maret 2010

Care to Take a Peep?

I thought about it and decided that you guys needed some serious eye candy for the contest.

So I took some pictures of the fabulous prizes. Here we go...


And then I remembered... I forgot to mention something of my contest...

On the swag department we have...
  • Beautiful Creatures Stickers.
  • Secret Society's letter of rules and Tattoos.
  • The Hollow fabulous swag which include cards and tattoos + one of the cards is signed.
  • The Iron King book marks that are signed in the back by the author Julie Kagawa.
  • 20 Boy Summer book marks with 20 reasons to read 20 Boy Summer.
  • The Dark Divine swag which includes book mark, sticker and a CD for the novel made by the author.
  • The Prophecy of the Sisters playlist (CD).
  • Blue Hair in honor of Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev
  • And a few extra things...
I also added a book. Which one? Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris.

With this exact cover.

I will be adding more books to the contest... Maybe The Iron King will make an appearance...

If you talk about the contest, post about it, put it on your sidebar, whatever, try to use this images! They pretty much summarize the awesomeness don't you think?

PS; Whats with me and posting this late every day?