September 30, 2011

My Blog is Rated...

OnePlusYou Quizzes and Widgets

Created by OnePlusYou - Free Dating Sites

Hello guys! Just wanted this quick post to share that my blog is rated.... G! All ages! This was an awesome feature I just found out about!

Shiver

Hello guys! I'm back from my trip, and with a review of Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater.
Summary: For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can’t seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human… until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It’s her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human—or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

I have been wanting to read this book for just about ever. So when I was in Denver at The Tattered Cover I picked up a copy... then when I saw Maggie Stiefvater was coming to Poulsbo (a 45 minute drive from where I live) in mid-October I figured I better start reading... and I loved it!

Grace was super cool. Loads better then Bella from Twilight. Grace wasn't a follower. Or a leader. She's the artistic one who's doing her own thing off in the corner. She's had an "obsession" with the wolves that live in the woods outside her house. But never did she know that the wolves weren't really wolves. Nope, they're humans who change into wolves when it gets to cold.

I loved Maggie Stiefvater's version of werewolves. Who would of thought that they change because it's too cold out? I thought that part was very cool. At the start of each chapter they had the temperature. That was neat.

Besides Sam, I loved the other wolves as well. They were all really cool and interesting. I loved hearing their story before they became wolves as well.

The only flaw I can find in this book is probably that the book didn't getting going fast enough for me, but once it did it was heaven

Shiver is a great novel. I started reading Linger (the second book in this series) a few minutes ago and can't wait to get started with that novel. You must read Shiver. You must!

5/5

Cover Comments: I love the simplicity of this cover. The blue works quite nicely.

Frost (ARC)

Today I have an ARC review of a book that came out a couple weeks ago, feast your eyes on Frost by Marianna Baer.
Summary: Leena Thomas's senior year at boarding school begins with a shock: Frost House, her cozy dorm of close friends, has been assigned an unexpected roommate -- confrontational, eccentric Celeste Lazar. But while Leena's anxiety about a threat to her sanctuary proves valid, it becomes less and less clear whether the threat lies with her new roommate, within Leena's own mind, or within the very nature of Frost House itself. Mysterious happenings in the dorm, an intense triangle between Leena, Celeste, and Celeste's brother, and the reawakening of childhood fears, all push Leena to take increasingly desperate measures to feel safe. FROST is the story of a haunting. As to whether the demons are supernatural or psychological...well, which answer would let you sleep at night?
My review: This book looked interesting. I love the concept of the house being the one that's trying to kill everybody, like that movie Monster House.
This book starts with a set-up that was very intense. Leena had been really affected by her parent's divorce. She went to boarding school in grade 9 and is now a senior. She saw The Frost House the year before which was then a boy's dormitory but Leena really wanted to live there and she had a connection with someone who worked inside the school, who pulled a few strings so she and a couple of her friends could live there.
The day she moves into the Frost house though, she gets a nasty surprise. Celeste, an eccentric student who takes pictures of dead cockroaches dressed up in clothes and collects bird's nests is forced to move into the house with her... after that a few things start happening.
This book dragged on a lot. Their was so much build up and back story that it just got boring. It's at least 300 pages into the novel before it gets exciting.
This novel was written beautifully. Baer's writing style was very poetic. I also really liked the main character, Leena. She was funny, she wasn't stuck up but she had one flaw--- she had to be nice to everybody which makes her friends start to hate her, because they feel neglected.
One of the main highlights of this book was David. He was cool. He was epic. He was good at making jokes. He was a great big brother... and his dad thinks he tried to poison him, what more do you want in a guy?
I actually liked Celeste a lot more then I thought I would. She was very interesting to read about and had a complex character that kept you guessing, well done on both the Lesarte siblings!
This book was a chilling read that had great characters but a plot that drags, not a must read but an enjoyable one none the less.
3.5/5
Cover Comments: This cover is great. It's creepy, just like this book.

Thanks to Around the World ARC Tours for hosting the tour.

September 25, 2011

Contest Craze- Kidnap!


Time for another mini challenge in Princess Bookie's Contest Craze. This one was hosted by A Thousand Little Pages.
Here is the assignment:
You are now one of the fey, delighting in kidnapping the poor humans from their beds and bringing them into the faery realm. If you could kidnap anyone (fictional or otherwise), who would you kidnap, and what would you make them do for/to you?

Sidenote: I would really appreciate it if you could keep your answers PG13. I'm sure you know what I mean by that...
My answer:
This one's easy! I'd kidnap Suzanne Collins, author of The Hunger Games and make her write more in a series. ME WANTS MORE!!!!!!!

Contest Craze- Redesign A Cover

Today on Princess Bookie's Contest Craze we have the redesign a cover challenge! This one was hosted by Ashley Suzanne Blog.
The rules:
  • Take a book you are currently reading.
  • Re-create a cover for it.
  • Fill out the rafflecopter and add a link to the post.
  • Create a blog post with the following information:
Here's mine:
I designed for a silly approach!

September 24, 2011

In my Mailbox (19)

Paranormal Wastelands
In my Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.
Books I got this week:
The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch
The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann
Cold Kiss by Amy Garvey
Witch Eyes by Scott Tracey
Dark of the Moon by Tracey Barrett
Burnout by Adrienne Maria Vrettos
After Obsession by Carrie Jones
Frost by Marianna Baer

I Have Been Tagged

I've Been Tagged in a Game of Blogger Tag!
The Rules: list ten facts about yourself, link back to your tagger, and then tag five more people!
I was tagged by Howling Turtle.
Ten Facts About Me:
  1. I Love Soccer
  2. I'm a Vegetarian (animals rock)
  3. I go to a school with 37 kids in grades Preschool to 6th (I'm in 6th)
  4. I live in a hippie infested town
  5. My dad is Canadian
  6. I have a load of Scottish blood in me. Yeah. I'm Braveheart's great, great, great, great, great, grandson
  7. I love pizza
  8. I write, a lot!
  9. The count of books I own is over 1000
  10. I only eat cheese on Pizza and Mexican food

Just Contemporary Reading Challenge

Just Contemporary
Hey guys! I've signed up for another reading challenge, this one the entire month of November. It's about contemporary YA Books. A genre I don't read a lot of so now I am! Yay! I plan to read at least three contemporary books in the month of November. Yippee!

September 23, 2011

Contest Craze- Who Should be a Couple?

Today on Princess Bookie's Contest Craze we have a challenge hosted by our grand host, Princess Bookie about who should be a couple that isn't, sounds fun!
The rules:Write up a blog post telling us who should be a couple but are NOT a couple. This can include tv, movie, music videos, or book couples. In a separate paragraph, tell us why you think they should get together. They can be characters from different shows or the same show. Be creative. Who would go well together? These are fictional characters, not the real actors.

Make sure you tell us which show you are going off of (if it's a show and your behind a season, tell us). If its two different shows, and two different characters, tell us. Details please! If it's a book, make sure you tell us what book it is from in your blog post. This is so people know not to ruin it by telling you spoilers from the next book or season!

Of course since I'm a bookish freak (or so I think) mine's going to be a match-up of a couple from two different YA books I've read recently...

Rhine from Wither by Lauren Destefano

and...

(Not exactly how I pictured him... but okay?)
Gale from The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

My reasoning:
Okay... I had to think about my choice for this challenge for a while. I was all over the map... I was thinking Harry Potter, Twilight, Percy Jackson, and The Mortal Instruments but none of them really worked out. Then my brain had one of those rare ideas and I was like BINGO! We have a winner. Rhine and Gale are both sorta wild and DO NOT like to be tied down. Also (spoiler for those who haven't finished The Hunger Games trilogy yet) he did screw off and run away during the final book... maybe he went to find Rhine, eh?

September 22, 2011

Follow (my Book Blog) Friday!

Follow (my Book Blog) Friday is a weekly meme where each week bloggers share our love of books and interact with each-other.
The rules:
  • (Required) Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Hosts {Parajunkee & Alison Can Read}
  • (Required) Follow our Featured Bloggers - We Fancy Books& The Little Book Blog
  • Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing. You can also grab the code if you would like to insert it into your posts.
  • Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say "hi" in your comments and that they are now following you.
  • Follow Follow Follow as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don't just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don't say "HI"
  • If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers
  • If you're new to the follow friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!
  • Q. Do you have a favorite series that you read over and over again? Tell us a bit about it and why you keep on revisiting it?

    A. I know some people might think I'm a bit weird for my answer, but I don't reread books. At all. Even the ones I love. With all the great new books out there that I haven't read it seems pointless to reread something over. I'd rather read something new and exciting! I do however enjoy listening to books on audio after I've read the print version because the reader brings the world to life and it feels a bit more like you're listening to a movie rather then a book because of the expression the reader puts into the words. Interesting question... it just doesn't apply to me though.


    Contest Craze- Timeless

    Today on Princess Bookie's Contest Craze we have another mini- challenge, this one is hosted by Black Fingernail Reviews. Today we have a question on our hands...
    If you could go back to any time period which would you go back to and why?
    My answer:
    I'd go back to the Shakespearean era. I'd love to be in any time period where throwing tomatoes at bad actors was considered acceptable. I'd love to have that chance! It would be epic! Splat goes the tomato!

    Glow- New Winner!

    Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan
    Well... guess what guys? One of the winners for Glow gave me a email address that doesn't work... which means, we have a new winner...
    Vivian M
    I apologize to the original winner (Jay) but if I don't have a real email I can't give it to him... so once again... sorry to him (for Jay: if you read this post and would like to email me at benjikenworthy@gmail.com I'll be probably be able to get you a copy). The new winner will get an email from me shortly.

    Giveaway Winners...

    Hi guys... today we have the winners from two different giveaways!
    The winners for three ARCs of Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan are...
    Munnaza
    and
    Jay Paulino
    and...
    Mickey from I'm A Book Shark
    The winner for one signed finished copy (with a quote from me on the back cover) of Far Fom the War by Jeffrey David Payne is...

    Eliot Ripley

    Congrats to all our awesome winners, expect an email from me shortly... if a winner does not reply within 24 hours a new winner may be chosen. And to all you guys that didn't win, I'll hosting some (more) giveaways very shortly.

    September 21, 2011

    I Will Be Offline... (just for 4 days, so don't start a panic)

    \
    Hey guys... just to let you know... next week I will be away on a school trip for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday... so that means so reviews, no memes, no nothing for the entire time I'm gone... hate to tell ya that but I'm exited for that trip!!! :-) but just figured you wonderful people should know! I continue to post for the rest off the week though.

    Waiting on Wednesday 9/21

    “Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Break the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases I'm eagerly anticipating.
    Cover to be released
    Title: Jack Blank Adventure, #3 Title TBA
    Author: Matt Myklusch (pictured above)
    My thoughts: Me loves this series. Matt is super nice and he has already guaranteed me an ARC! Booyah!

    Paranormal Book Reading Challenge


    October Paranormal Reading Challenge
    Hello, wonderful readers! I've signed up for a challenge, yes a very awesome challenge! It looks like one I'll like seeing how I'm a paranormal freak! The limit is 3 books, I plan to read at least six! Click on the button to sign up, sign ups close October 7th. I will be using this page to keep track of the books I read for this challenge.
    1. Linger by Maggie Stiefvater (review)
    2. Forever by Maggie Stiefvater (review)
    3. Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout (review)

    September 20, 2011

    Teaser Tuesday 9/20

    Paranormal Wastelands
    Teaser Tuesday is weekly meme hosted by Mizb at Should be Reading
    • Grab your current read
    • Open to a random page
    • Share two (2) “teaser” lines from somewhere on that page
    • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!
    Make sure what you share doesn't give too much away, you don't want to spoil the book for others!
    This week's teaser is from:
    After Obsession (ARC) by Carries Jones and Seteven E. Wedal
    *This is not a finished copy and all quotes are subject to change
    And the teasers are:
    1. "It's not a pen! Because it's a tampon! I'm waving a tampon in Justin Willis's face!"
    2. Potatoes smell so earthy, and normally I like that smell, but this time it just makes me shudder.
    What are your teasers?

    Contest Craze- Scariest Word!

    Today it's my turn to host one of Princess Bookie's Contest Crazes! Here's how mine work's:
    • Grab a book you're currently reading (and hopefully loving)
    • Go to the 13th Chapter (if the book doesn't have 13 chapters, go to the closest to it)
    • Scan the chapter for the scariest word
    • Using Google/Yahoo images randomly pick on picture that comes up when you search the word
    • Write a blog post that has the book's cover, title, your word and your image
    • Link below
    My contest craze will start today (the 20th of September) and runs to the 2nd of October
    Here's a example I made:
    Deadly Cool by Gemma Halliday

    MY WORD: MURDERER
    MY IMAGE:
    So original, eh?
    Now... here's the fun part! Once you link up you're automatically entered in a giveaway for a 10 dollar gift card to The Book Depository, which has the best prices of books around. This contest is open to anyone where the book depository ships to you!
    The linky:
    +1 Bonus entry if you follow via GFC

    Deadly Cool (ARC)

    Hello. I'm here with an ARC review from the wonderful ARC tour site Around the World Tours. It looks like we have a mystery on our hands-- Deadly Cool by Gemma Halliday!
    Summary: First I find out that my boyfriend is cheating on me. Then he’s pegged as the #1 suspect in a murder. And now he’s depending on me to clear his name. Seriously?

    As much as I wouldn’t mind watching him squirm, I know that he’s innocent. So I’m brushing off my previously untapped detective skills and getting down to business. But I keep tripping over dead bodies and I’m still no closer to figuring out who did it. And what’s worse: all signs seem to point to me as the killer’s next victim.

    I really need to pick a better boyfriend next time.

    My review: This book looked really interesting. I love the Sherlock Holmes stories and one of the first books I read when I was learning to read was The Boxcar Children and I'm naturally attracted to mystery novels, I would love to be prowling the streets of London, or in this case, a suburban California town.


    The book begins with Hartley and her best friend Sam breaking into Hartley's boyfriend's (pardon me, Hartley, ex-boyfriend) locker... Let's just say they don't like what they find. So they head over to his place to confront him... instead they find a dead body. Yikes! I was surprised by how easy Hartley handled it. She was like "Okay, man. There's a dead body in the closet... someone call the police." if I found a dead body I'd be like "Holy BEEP, what the BEEP is happening?! What the BEEP is going on?! Run away super BEEPing fast!"... so I wasn't sure if I should have been impressed or horrified by her lack of panic.

    I really liked Hartley, she was had such a funny voice! The book had me rolling on the floor at some points because she is so freakin' hilarious. She's very sure of herself. I also loved her description of other people... she has a knack for being spot-on and laugh out loud at the same time.
    The one thing I didn't enjoy about this book was the predictability. By page 75 I had narrowed down the suspect to two people... by page 150 I knew for sure... and (of course) I was right! I like not knowing what's going to happen.... but this one was a little too easy... but that doesn't take too much away from the fun plot-line.
    I enjoyed the action in this book... though I liked how Halliday made a perfect blend of action and pure plot development. This book had just enough action, just enough dialog and a perfect amount of back story, which is something I complain about a lot!
    Overall, this book is a fun, thrilling, novel that will leave readers wanting to know what happens to Hartley after the murderer is caught... I need too know at least.
    4/5
    Cover Comments: Freaky girl in cat pose, not a win! Blue eyes are cool though. I liked how the earbuds form the "Cool"... those earbuds are very important later...

    As always, thanks to Around the World ARC Tours for the ARC.
    Deadly Cool is out October 11th, preorder it on Amazon.

    September 19, 2011

    It's Monday! What are you Reading? 9/19

    It’s Monday! What Are You Reading This Week? This is a weekly event to list the books completed last week, the books currently being reading, and the books to be finish this week. It was created by J.Kaye’s Book Blog, but is now being hosted by Sheila from One Person’s Journey Through a World of Books so stop by and join in!
    Books I read last week:
    Deadly Cool by Gemma Halliday
    Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan
    Books I'm Currently Reading:
    After Obsession by Carie Jones and Steven E. Wedal
    Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
    Juliet Immortal by Stacey Jay
    Books I want to read this week:
    City of Glass by Cassandra Clare

    Contest Craze- One True Pair

    Today on Princess Bookie's Contest Craze! This one is hosted at My Cute Bookshelf, it looks like something interesting, come up with you'r favorite pair from a YA novel.
    Rules from her blog:
    • 1.You should create a blog post with your OTP (One True Pairing), meaning your favorite couple from young adult books. Explain why they’re your favorite YA couple. If you don't have a blog, you can share your answer in the comments section.
    • 2.To make it fun, add pictures of who you think can portray the characters.
    • 3.Add the link to your blog or comment to the linky tool at the bottom of this post to participate.
    • Here's mine:
    • Clary and Simon from The Mortal Instruments
    • I love these two, and how their relationship complicates throughout the novel... even though a lot of people think Jace and Clary should be together, I think Simon is a great dude and I love this outgoing, awesome personality. And of course his hilarious band names!
    • Who I think should play Simon:
    • Jesse Eisnberg, the star of The Social Network (which for those of you who don't know, it's about the creation of Facebook) he has a great attitude that would fit Simon swell... and though I know he's probably not going to play him in the real movie, it doesn't hurt to dream, right?
    • Who I think should play Clary:
    • Nikki Reed, who played Rosalie, one of the good vampire chicks in The Twilight Saga. I know this isn't I obvious choice, but I think she would fit the role quite well... if she died her hair red she might look exactly like Clary.

      So... those are my pics... tomorrow I will be the one hosting the contest craze challenge, make sure you stop by and check it out.
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