Book Haul (14)

Book Haul is a weekly feature here that showcases all the awesome goodies I got this week!

    So I had the best book week this week! Seriously, I haven't got so many books in a long long while! It consisted of Sarah from Sarah's Random Musings raided the local indie bookstore, Liberty Bay Books' YA ARC pile, which was pretty fun. I also spent all of my birthday money there! So anyway, here's what I got this week:

My hamster, Bubbles, inspects this week's haul

For Review:

Possession by Elena Johnson

I'm on a blog tour for this book on November 26th and I can't wait to host that!

The Torn Wing by Kiki Hamilton

I freaking loved the first book in this series, The Fairy Ring and I cannot wait to read the second! Victorian London with FEY? <3

Swapped: 

The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

I died when I got this book! The first book in the series, The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer was my favorite book of 2011!

Bought:

Forgotten by Cat Patrick

Cat is a local author and I've been meaning to read her book for a long time! I've heard they're amazing!

Beautiful Creatures by Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia 

One of those books I've been meaning to read for ages! I need to read it before the movie comes out next February!

Bloodrose by Andrea Cremer

I already have the first two books in this series but I haven't read them, but I bought this one just to complete my set!

Supernaturally by Kiersten White

I listened to the first book in the series, Paranormalacy on audio, and I really liked it, so I can't wait to read this one!

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

The character I was representing, Simon, in the YA Crush Tourney got beat by the crush in this book, Patch, so I promised myself I would read it if only to laugh at him. Mwhahaha!

Insignia by S.J. Kincaid

I like that this one has a guy main character and the premise sounds amazing!

The Dark Unwinding by Sharon Cameron

Man, this book looks awesome! Steampunk and dystopian? Sign me up! I've read rave reviews too!

Gifted:

Slated by Terri Terry

This one looks really dark and has an awesome cover!

Mystic City by Theo Lawrence

This is from the back-cover! "For fans of Matched, The Hunger Games, X-Men, and Blade Runner", so umm, you can sign me up now lol!

Vampire Academy: The Ultimate Guide by Richelle Mead

I haven't read any of the Vamp Academy books but I have some friends who do so I'll probably pass this along to them!

The Cadet of Todor by Alex Lidell

This is supposed to be a cross of Tamora Pierce and George R.R. Martin, holy crap doesn't it sound amazing?

Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff

Oh my god, this sounds so scary and freaky! Me and Sarah (see above) got in a fight over it. In the end I got it because I gave her Prodigy by Marie Lu (fair trade!).

Fathomless by Jackson Pierce

I haven't read any of Pierce's books but I have all of the fairy tale retelling books, so yay because I have them all now!

The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There by Catherine M. Valentin

I already have an ARC of this, so I'll give this away! :)

What books did you get this week? Let me know in the comments!

BBAW Day Five: BBAW Highlights

For more information on Book Blogger Appreciation Week see here!

Today's Topic: 

Book Blogger Appreciation Week Highlights

  So another Book Blogger Appreciation Week has come to past *plays Green Day's Wake Me Up, When September Ends*, and it's been fun as heck! I've been introduced to a lot of awesome bloggers and books, and I've got to know some bloggers I've known for a while even better, which is always fun. But here are my highlights from the week!

   First things first: I got to know two bloggers I've been following and interacting with for a while a whole lot better! The two bloggers I'm talking about are the lovely Angela from Reading Angel and Jamie from Two Chicks on Books! Both I got to chat with a bit too this week, so those two were a complete blast!

   I was also introduced to my interview swap partner, Sheila from Book's Journey! Sheila has been blogger for 3+ years and it's always nice to get to know the more "veteran" book bloggers!
   And this wasn't really a highlight, but more of an observation, I realized this: I am not very good at scheduling posts to go up at the right time. Though I've never messed up on that before, I messed up twice with scheduling this week! On day one I accidentally posted the day two post instead of the day one post, and on day four I accidentally scheduled my post to go up at 12:00 pm instead of 12:00 am! So what I learned this week is I really need to be more careful when it comes to scheduling!
   As for books I was introduced to, I'm not even going to name a few. I got introduced to so many new books from so many different bloggers, it was insanity! But the bottom line is: my TBR pile just got a whole lot bigger (like it wasn't already huge?).

   This book blogger appreciation week was so much fun. Though there were a few drama queens/kings throughout, it was mostly a drama free week! The only thing better then this would be if all of us book bloggers took a week long retreat in  person. Now that would be awesome!

Hope you all had a AWESOME Book Blogger Appreciation Week!

BBAW Day Four: A Book I Think Everyone Should Read

For information on Book Blogger Appreciation Week 2012 see here.

Today's Topic:

One Book I Think Everyone Needs To Read

Though I could give you a list of books I that I think deserve more recognition, but I decided to pick the one that I think deserves it the most:

Envy by Gregg Olsen

Murder is such a dirty word…

New York Times bestselling adult true crime author Gregg Olsen makes his YA debut with Empty Coffin, a gripping new fiction series for teens based on ripped-from-the-headlines stories…with a paranormal touch.

Crime lives--and dies--in the deceptively picture-perfect town of Port Gamble (aka “Empty Coffin”), Washington. Evil lurks and strange things happen--and 15-year-olds Hayley and Taylor Ryan secretly use their wits and their telepathic “twin-sense” to uncover the truth about the town's victims and culprits.

Envy, the series debut, involves the mysterious death of the twins' old friend, Katelyn. Was it murder? Suicide? An accident? Hayley and Taylor are determined to find out--and as they investigate, they stumble upon a dark truth that is far more disturbing than they ever could have imagined.

Based on the shocking true crime about cyber-bullying, Envy will take you to the edge--and push you right over.

   Gregg Olsen is just an amazing author! From beginning to end he amazed me! This is so different then the usual YA fare... it's written in the style of true crime and it's so suspenseful throughout!  I loved it!
Read my review!

Waiting on Wednesday: Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine

Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi

Release Date ~ 2/5/13

Publisher ~ Harper Teen

Add it on Goodreads

tick, tick, tick, tick, tick
it's almost
time for war.
Juliette has escaped to Omega Point. It is a place for people like her—people with gifts—and it is also the headquarters of the rebel resistance.
She's finally free from The Reestablishment, free from their plan to use her as a weapon, and free to love Adam. But Juliette will never be free from her lethal touch.
Or from Warner, who wants Juliette more than she ever thought possible.
In this exhilarating sequel to Shatter Me, Juliette has to make life-changing decisions between what she wants and what she thinks is right. Decisions that might involve choosing between her heart—and Adam's life.

 So I have a question: was it just me or was reading the first book, Shatter Me an awesome, life-changing experience that you will never forget? Because I for one fell head-over-heals for it. If you can fall head-over-heals for a book that is. The characters, the dialog, the writing style, the setting, it was all so unique and different then the average dystopian fare! I need this book. I'll die without it.

BBAW Day Three: What Blogging Means To Me

For information on Book Blogger Appreciation Week 2012 see here.

What Blogging Means to Me

   I'm going to set the scene for you: it's January 2011, the middle of winter. School's gotten far enough from the start to be boring but not close enough to the end of school for that fever to kick in. In the house of a local middle grade author, house of a writing group for youth, sits 11 year old Benji Kenworthy, still recovering from his last feeble attempt at blogging. That one a blog about my favorite soccer club. I felt like I had to start posting opinions again soon or else I'd die of boredom. And so "Readings of Benji" was born. By April I was hooked. By July I had changed the blog's name to "The Non Reluctant Reader", something I thought better suited to the style of blog I hoped to run.

   Now that you have the back story, I'm going to give you the full scoop of what exactly book blogging means for me. 

  Before I started this blog my friends were super annoyed about me always talking to all the new books coming out. Most of my friends are big readers, but they're not too into following the latest book releases, so there was really no one to talk to about what I was reading. When I found about the book blogging community, paticularily the YA I was beyond excited. I couldn't believe there were THIS many YA book bloggers, and more importantly, this many people to discuss YA books with! It was sort of like heaven combined with the biggest bookstore on earth, which is of course heaven.

  So in short what blogging is for me is an outlet for me to gush, rant, and ramble about books. It's a place for me to share my opinions and receive others. It's a place for me to be enthusiastic about every kind of written word, for the YA audience of course.

BBAW Day Two: Interview Swap

For more information on Book Blogger Appreciation Week 2012 click here

Day One: Interview Swap

Hey guys! So it's day one of Book Blogger Appreciation Week and what better way to get to know one another then reading interviews with them! So the person I was fortunate enough to interview is...

Sheila from Book Journey

When you started blogging, what were your expectations for it?

When I started blogging I really didnt know I was book blogging. I started the blog as an online record for myself. When received my first comment I was kind of freaked out - how did they find me??? Well... once you get into discussing books with others on line... I wanted more! That was when I tried to learn how to book blog and do it well. I just wanted it to be the best I could do.

How do you keep blogging from becoming a "chore"?

I enjoy chatting books so that is always fun. Sure, I have my days where I just can not write a review... I may be tired, or busy... but I seem to always find my way back because I love the community. I also write posts on other topics, like life, working out, etc...

What are some blogs you follow daily?

That's a hard one! I have a sidebar of blogs I like to keep an eye on what they are doing because I enjoy their posts, but it is not an exclusive list, their are others I like to read as well... too many to mention :)

What is the best book you've read in 2012?

  The Fault In Our Stars by John Green, I actually did not read it, I listened to it on audio and WOW! I highly recommend it.

What do you like to do besides blogging and reading?

I am so glad you asked! I love to stay active and I have a group of friends who I do bike rides with all over Minnesota, my big accomplishment this year was my first century, which is 100 miles in one day. That was a two day ride, between the two days I road 174 miles. I also do mud runs, love to camp and hang out with friends. I am active with our local linrary and a book club I started in 2011 that now has 18 members.

What's your favorite genre?

That's tough! It depends on my mood. I love literature and historical fiction, but I also love a good mystery, dystopian, memoir.... gah.... today I think the answer is dystopian.

If you had to pitch your blog in one sentence, what would it be?

Crazy antics of a book loving, bike riding, mud running, coffee drinking, lover of hanging out, adventure seeker .;)

What one book has influenced you greatly?

To KIll A Mockingbird really moved me and I was mad at myself for taking so long to read it. I recommend it to everyone. Have you read it? You should.

Where do you hope to see your blog by the end of the year?

I have lots of ideas for Book Journey but lack the time to always implement them.... This year I just want to continue for Book Journey to be a place where readers can find honest reviews in a variety of genres as well as a little humor along the way. I plan to continue implementing read-a-longs with books I want to read as well as creating events that bring us as book bloggers more in community together.

Thanks for reading and I hope you've gotten a chance to meet Sheila well enough! Continue to check back each day for more of the Book Blogger Appreciation Week daily topics! :) 

Books to Me Giveaway Hop: Win a Box Set of A Song of Ice and Fire (Books #1-4)

Welcome to my stop on the Books to Movies Giveaway Hop hosted by Sweeping the USA and I Am A Reader, Not A Writer

What's Up For Grabs:

Mass Market Paperback Set of  A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin (Books One through Four)

You guys! These are the best high fantasy books and HBO makes the best series adaptation of them! So here's your chance to catch up before season three starts next year! 

The Deets:

Ends 12:01 am, September 18. 

Open to the US Only

Must be 13+ to enter or have parent's permission.

Once the winner is notified they will have 48 hours to reply to the email or a new winner will be chosen!

Entries in the comments will not be counted, so please leave no personal information there.

If you do not follow all of these rules your entry(s) will be deleted and you be be barred from entering any further giveaways here on The Non Reluctant Reader. Savvy?

Enter after the page break!