IMM

Won:

Glow- Amy Kathleen Ryan

Gifted: 

Au Revoir, Crazy Europen Chick- Joe Schreiber (Thanks Lucia! <3 )

Borrowed:

Lola and the Boy Next Door- Stephanie Perkins (Thanks Rachel! <3 )

Arc tours: 

Beauty Queens- Libba Bray 

Wolfsbane- Andrea Cremer 

Bought: 

Sisters Red- Jackson Pearce

The Realm of Possibility- David Levithan

Bad Girls Don't Die- Katie Aleander

Impossible- Nancy Werlin

Anna and the French Kiss- Stephanie Perkins. (Already read- Needed my own copy!)

Supernaturally- Kiersten White

The Dragon Heir & Wizard Heir- Cindy Williams Chima

Frostbite- Richelle Mead

Will Grayson, Will Grayson- John Green and David Levithan

The Ghost and the Goth- Stacey Kade

Something Like Fate & Take Me There- Susan Colasanti 

Angus, thongs, and Full-frontal Snogging- Louise Rennison - (which I just realized was published in 2001. Wow. I'm surprised Borders had it.)

The Lonely Hearts Club- Elizabeth Eulberg

Clockwork Angel- Cassie Clare- (already read, too!) 

(I will miss you, Borders. <3 ) 

Bossypants

Tina Fey

(I really hate this cover. The arm bothers me. A LOT.)

So, I rented this book from the library, not entirely sure what to expect. I knew she was funny, but I wasn't sure if I really knew enough about her to enjoy this book.
And what I realized is that Tina Fey is just SO. FETCH. (Ok, she wrote Mean Girls. You guys have to let that one slide! :) )
Plus, I am REALLY not a fan of non-fiction. I took an entire course on writing non-fiction and didn't enjoy  a single story we covered in the class.
But it's TINA FEY.
And I'm so glad I caved because this book was awesome.
NOTE: I, in general, do not discuss politics on this blog- because well, politics have no place here. BUT if you are political- you probably know about the skit that she did about Sarah Palin- this is discussed in the book. I thought she handed it VERY well and with respect- but if this is something that you are touchy about- probably not a good idea to read it. Just throwing it out there.
Fey handles her life story with a  lot of humor (not surprisingly). She's awkwardly adorable, and by the end of the book, I really just wanted to hug her, and ask her to my bff.
If you like her, you'll like this book. If you don't- well, then I'm not really sure why you'd want to read this book? But her humor is her humor.
And I love it. <3
Note: I read the book, but I heard she does the audiobook- and I would bet it's funny. 

Because I Am Furniture

Thalia Chaltas 

This book was... different. That's all I really can think to say about it.

Anke is ignored- in a house where everyone is abused. 

She is ignored- invisible.

Her brother and sister take the abuse from their dad.

And it's really disturbing.

And it's gritty, and it make my stomach turn.

But I think that was the point.

The book is told in verse, so it is a REALLY quick read, but I don't even know if I suggest reading it all at once. 

I was so frustrated with the characters in this book! ALL of them! I just wanted to scream DO SOMETHING. DO SOMETHING. DO SOMETHING!!

There is a hint of romance, but it is REALLY overshadowed by the rest of the book. I'm not even sure what I thought about it. Maybe they were just distractions.

Sometimes it was hard to tell exactly what she was thinking. 

You can probably tell I have really mixed feelings about this book.

But these things happen, and part of the problem is that they are taboo topics, which makes it hard for people to tell. No one should feel guilty or ashamed of getting out of a bad situation.  So in that way, I feel like it should be a must read, but for the topic more than the writing. 

She kind of lost me too much with the quick change of scenes

I will say that the ending was great. I really loved the ending. 

If you like these kind of books, it's not a bad read, and she definitely keeps true to the character. 

It just didn't tell ENOUGH for me.

IMM

Credit for IMM, as always, goes to Kristi @ The Story Siren <3

(Sorry guys. No links today) - Lazy day!

Gifts:

Beautiful Creatures
Pretty Bad Things
Variant
Linger
Forever
THE FUTURE OF US <3 <3 <3
Why We Broke Up
Daughter of Smoke and Bone
Shade
With No Remorse

Bought:
Fall For Anything
10 Things We Did
Beautiful Creatures (watch vlog for story!)
Harry Potter and the Sourcer's Stone
Ship Breaker
Red Glove
Great and Terrible Beauty

Follow Friday! :)

Q: Name 3 authors you'd love to sit down and spend an hour/meal talking about their books or get advice on writing from?
A: OMG. That is such a hard question. There are so many amazing authors that I love! But I also feel like twitter has made communication with them so much easier! so I'm going to stick with 3 authors that I don't talk to on twitter!- 1) SARAH DESSEN. I love her. SO. SO. MUCH! <32) John Grisham- what can I say- he's the reason I fell in love with reading. <33) Rachel Hawkins- I know she's on twitter- but i just super adore her- and i've never really talked to her. So she still counts. <3 

Sass and Serendipity

Jennifer Ziegler

(Thanks to Jen @ I Read Banned Books for allowing me to read this book for the tour!)

This is a modern retelling of Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen. I should probably note now that I have not read Sense and Sensibility.  So, I don't know how that affects how someone feels about this story.
This story is about two sisters- who could not be ANY more different. Daphne and Gabby are EXTREMELY flawed characters. And while I get this is realistic, it felt like too much at times. Although none of the things they did were out of character, they were just so utterly maddening that I wanted to SCREAM. Whether this is a plus or minus for this book, I'm not sure. But that is definitely one thing that should be noted, if you are easily annoyed by characters, beware.
Now, once you get past these flaws, the book is actually a pretty good read. Gabby was definitely my favorite of the sister- mostly because I am probably more like her- realistic, responsible, and grounded. Daphne was a dreamer that lived in the clouds- this drove me nuts (much the way it drove Gabby nuts). 

I both liked and disliked this book- which seems to be happening a lot lately- (and NEVER happened before I started this blog- so I'm not sure why.)
So things I liked:
- While their relationship was strained, it always felt realistic. I grew up with a brother and we fought like cats and dogs. I can only imagine.
- I liked that they faced a realistic problem - it wasn't JUST about romance.
-There was actual character development in this book- and it was believable. Because they had to learn the hard way.
- LOVED the Mom!

Things I didn't like
- the ending (kind of. Because I kind of liked it too. It's iffy)
-the boys- they just did not win me over. They had potential- but no.

Overall: It wasn't a bad read, but it wasn't a particularly great one either. 

GIVEAWAY of Sing You Home

SING YOU HOME

JODI PICOULT

Rules:

• Winner must be 13 years old (Laws and such)
• Must live in the US.  (Sorry!)
• Contest ends July 30th, 11:59 PM
• Winner has 48 hours (2 days!) to respond to notification, or I will choose another winner! 
• I am not responsible for SPAM filters or incorrect email addresses given 
• Winner will be chosen by random.org
• To enter contest, you MUST fill out the form!

Dirty Blood

Heather Hildenbrand

This book was.. awesome.

I just really enjoyed it, and I hate that I waited so long to read it.  I'm sure Heather wanted to pull her hair out waiting. (Sorry love.) 

But I finally have- and I can finally say- it is awesome.

She has a great sense of humor that really comes through in this book. She pokes fun/spoofs her genre without being offensive. (There's a Twilight spoof that had me cracking up. I loved it.- You will just have to read to know what it was. ) I like that she pokes fun because it tells me that she KNOWS her genre. She knows her audience- and it kind of set me at ease very early on- and carried me through the book. 

Heather created SUCH SUCH WONDERFUL CHARACTERS. 

Tara is just a normal girl with normal teenage problems- until one night she not only sees a girl transform into a werewolf, but she's attacked- and somehow- she survives. 

Enters Wes- who wants to help her- mostly because for some reason he can't understand- she was able to beat a werewolf. It shouldn't have happened- but it did. 

And so the story begins.

This story is equally heavy on the romance as well as the action. Tara is dragged into a world she never knew existed, and finds that maybe, it's where she belongs. Even if she doesn't understand it. Even if no one seems to want her there all that much.  She's strong-willed, and she stands up for herself- even when maybe she shouldn't.

Wes was just ... lovely. I fell for him almost as fast Tara did. Because who can blame her?! 

I don't want to say too much- don't want to spoil anything- but seriously guys.

This was a wonderful story.

AND I CAN NOT WAIT FOR THE SEQUEL- COLD BLOOD! <3 

IMM

Bought:

Because I am Furniture- Thalia Chaltas

Paper Towns -John Green

Guyaholic- Carolyn Mackler

White Cat- Holly Black

The Sky Is Everywhere- Jandy Nelson

Kiss Me Deadly- (Edited by Trisha Telep)

Graceling- Kristin Cashore

The Secret Life of Prince Charming- Deb Caletti

The Almost Moon- Alice Sebold

Falling Under- Gwen Hayes

The Demon Trapper's Daughter- Jana Oliver

Prom Nights from Hell- (multiple authors )

Shadowland- Alyson Noel
The Warrior Heir- Cinda Williams Chima
Original Sin- Lisa Desrochers
Blood Promise- Richelle Mead

won:
Second Hand Heart -Catherine Ryan Hyde (ebook) 

Blog Hops!

Q: What do I do when I'm not reading? A: I work. I go to school.  Try to sleep occasionally. I have a few shows that I try to watch- but I'm VERY FAR behind on almost all of them! Glee, Bones, and Vamp Diares are love though! And spend (way) too much time SHOPPING for books! <3

Q: How/Where do you get your books? Do you buy them or go to the library? Is there a certain website you use like paperbackswap?

A: I buy A LOT of books! Usually from Amazon (because I really love free 2 day shipping. But lately I've been going to bookstores too (Books-a-Million & B&N!) But in general, books are cheaper online- and I'm a poor college kid. So, there you go. 

Also, I try to  go to the library. I have SEVERAL books checked out from there- BUT they tend not to get high priority. (Which seems strange I know.) 

I don't use any kind of paperback swap. Maybe I should with how much money I spend on them! 

Putting Makeup on Dead People

So. This book was... different than my normal read. And I've spent the last couple of days trying to figure out how I felt about it, and really what I've come up with is that it was an okay read.

It really was not my cup of tea- and I wouldn't suggest it for the mainstream reader. 

The writing was good- the plot/tone was different. I don't think when I picked out this galley that I actually thought the title was literal. It is, though. Donna is a senior in high school who decides that she wants to be a mortician. So, a majority of this book is focused on death, which I found depressing. Even though the book is about learning to live after loss, it never overcame the sense of loss that's littered through the book.

Again, the writing was good, though. It kept me reading even when I could never decide my feelings on it. 

The book has a great cast of supporting characters, even if Donna is at odds with most of them for a majority of the book. She meets Liz, who becomes her best friend, but as with most of the relationships in this book, the actual friendship is very understated- it's more of a - wow, i can't believe we are friends- vibe! Which annoyed me. Donna had people that loved her- and she couldn't even see it. 

As I said, the relationships in this book are VERY UNDERSTATED- even though I kind of knew from the beginning how the book would end- it didn't  QUITE work for me. I needed more progression. It was too abrupt for me.

I finally ended up giving this book a 3 out of 5 stars on goodreads. Which probably seems surprising after this review- but the writing kept me in there. :)

OUreadathon review vlog

I finished:

Because I am Furniture- Thalia Chaltas

Far From You- Lisa Schroeder

The Near Witch- Victoria Schwab

and started:

Crush Control- Jennifer Jabaley

what about you guys?!

leave me links!

Hourglass

(Looking for updates on my OUreadathon? go HERE! )
Myra McEntire

This book was just... amazing.. and wonderful.. and epic.. and all sorts of perfection. I've tried to write this review like 3x, but for some reason, blogger never saves it. And so now, it's been like over a week since I've read it. Which makes giving it a review it deserves kind of difficult. 

Let me start by saying that Myra is a WONDERFUL writer. She pulls you into this world, and never lets go until the very end. She takes a subject (time travel) that could be mind-boggling and makes it easy to understand. Even if there is a bit of physics thrown in that I try to ignore. :) 

I loved all of the characters in this book. Emerson was a kick-ass character. She body-slammed someone! it was EPIC. I knew I was going to love her when I saw that.

(this pretty much goes with my feelings towards the entire book- but ESPECIALLY THE BODYSLAM!)

Emerson sees things that aren't there. Ripples of time. She has a very hard time distinguishing the difference between reality and these ripples, which has led to some serious problems for her. 

Then, she meets Michael from the Hourglass organization, and he wants to help her. But he also wants help. And then, of course, there's the whole thing about them having INSANE CHEMISTRY. It's just freaking electrifying- and neither can deny it. 

Yes, oh yes it is. THE VERY BEST KIND. 

Because if Michael isn't enough, then she meets Kaleb- Michael's best friend in the world who is ALL SORTS OF HOT AND STEAMY.

NO LIE, PEOPLE. NO FREAKING LIE.

X 10. With lots of tattoos, and and.. I just really loved him. Don't judge me. 

I know a lot of people feel like triangles are bad. But I actually think they are often necessary. Life is about options and choices, and when it's only one person available- it's not a choice. There isn't only one person in the world. It's not always good vs bad. Sometimes it's just a matter of who you can't manage to live without. And I feel like this struggle is far from over. The romance in this book was just perfection. I loved it SO SO SO much! 

And then there's Em's best friend. Who I adored, but she also seemed to be the one that was left out the most. I really hope she is the next books more, because I feel like Em needs her. (Vice versa.) I'm really excited to see where Myra takes that in the sequel! 

The book is pretty fast paced, and I loved meeting all of the supporting characters- like Em's brother who was possibly one of the best big brothers ever. And his wife- who you could just tell- really wanted the best for Em. Even if that meant going against Thomas's wishes sometimes.

Ok, that's enough ranting. I think I made my point. READ THIS BOOK.

IT IS WONDERFUL! <3 <3 <3 <3

OU Readathon!

Hi darlings!So this is my very first read-a-thon! I am SO excited! I have pretty high expectations of what I'm going to get read! Either way! It's definitely going to be a good few days!While I plan on updating THIS post as I finish books, if you want more frequent updates - like thoughts and progress- check out my twitter feed - magnet4taken- I'm a twitter fanatic, so there will no doubt be endless updates there! 
Want to know EXACTLY what I'm planning on reading, eh? Fine, that is a fair question! (in no PARTICULAR ORDER!)

(Because I Am Furniture-  Thalia Chaltas) - Complete as of 1:51 AM 7/11/11

(The Near Witch- Victoria Schwab) (Completed 2 AM 7/13/11) <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

(Far From You- Lisa Schroeder) Completed as of 12:50 PM 7/11/11
And 

Crush Control- Jennifer Jabaley! 
SLEIGHT- JENNIFER SOMMERSBY!!!!! <3

( I Heart You, You Haunt Me- Lisa Schroeder) 
GOOD LUCK TO ALL THE PARTICIPANTS! <3

IN MY MAILBOX

Arc Tours:

Sass & Serendipity- Jennifer Ziegler

THE NEAR WITCH- VICTORIA SCHWAB! <3 <3

Bought:

After- Amy Efaw

Devil's Kiss- Sarwat Chadda

Hearts at Stake & Blood Feud- Alyxandra Harvey

Looking for Alaska- John Green

Paranormalcy- Kiersten White

Girl, Stolen- April Henry

Follow Friday

Q. Let's step away from besties...What is the worst book that you've ever read and actually finished?

Hm, that's a really hard question. I don't think I've ever had a book I hated that I finished! I wasn't too crazy about the 1st PRETTY LITTLE LIARS book. I have the first 4- but I doubt I will read the others.
(LOVE LOVE LOVE the show though!)

Divergent

Veronica Roth

So, any book that gets compared to the HUNGER GAMES immediately kind of gets catapulted to a very high pedestal in my mind. Because THG was just THAT epic of a series for me.

So while I pre-ordered this book before it came out, and totally squealed when I finally got it, I kept putting off reading it. Because it never felt fair to hold it up to expectations. A book is a book. I don't like starting a book with an expectation of another book. (This book was only released in May. It feels like it was AGES ago!) 

Although, I will say, now after having read DIVERGENT, I understand why it gets compared to THG. They have somewhat similar worlds. NOT PLOT LINES. Of course, they are dystopian, so perhaps this is not surprising to anyone else. 

So, I picked this book because I was expecting it to be action packed. And I didn't want a book with heavy romance, because I just finished reading HOURGLASS, where romance plays a large role in the book- and it was so epic, I was afraid to read another romance, because sometimes- it's not fair to compare apples and oranges.  While both may be good, they are very very DIFFERENT. Although I hate oranges, so it's a bad metaphor. BUT I DIGRESS. 

Going into this book, I wasn't expecting an epic romance. And I definitely wasn't expecting a romance that could hold a flame to H, but I was wrong on both accounts.

Because yes, while there are many many other things going on in this book, the romance is perfection. The boy, Four, is PERFECTION. I, you know, I just, I love Four. A lot. I think maybe that's all I should say about that for now.

So, Tris finds herself with a decision to make that will drastically alter or cement her life forever. She can stay with the family she's always known in the fraction she's always known, or she can change fractions.

And her decision starts a roller coaster you will never want to get off of. I don't want to give too much away, but I just want to say that Tris was so very brave. And kick-ass. And she didn't give herself nearly enough credit- which really bothered me sometimes, but not enough to ever let the book out of my grasp- even for a second.

Mostly because that's a very human reaction. She's a girl. She's small- and people constantly underestimate her.

BUT they are so very wrong. Because Tris is amazing. And strong-willed. And she loves. And most of all, she is oh so very brave! <3 She is definitely one of my favorite heroines in a long time. <3

Now, I get to discuss Four. AND HOW I LOVE HIM SO SO SO MUCH! Four was definitely the strong-silent type. And he was ALWAYS looking out for Tris. Always. From the very beginning, and I loved him for that. And then there was the fact that he didn't let himself get intimidated- but somehow she always got under his skin. That maybe he didn't have a lot of weaknesses, but she was one of them. Of course, he had his own story, but I won't say more. Just know that he is freaking amazing. He is reason enough to read this book.

It was all very fast-paced, never lagging. In fact, sometimes, I wished there would have been more. But I should probably note that I'd probably say that if the book was twice as long as it is now, anyway. So that is not a critique of the book, more of a desperate plea for the second one.
Roth makes no apologies for the cruel world the characters are in, and in such a world, lives are lost, and sometimes, they aren't grieved for. A life is measured differently to every person, and sometimes people surprise you. And sometimes the people you want to trust- aren't trustworthy. All of this is wrapped up in this wonderful wonderful novel that I can't stop thinking about.

I have no complaints for this book. Not even little ones.

I want my own Four. Is that too much to ask for?

I mean, really.

I love him. <3

Yes, I love you Divergent. Even after you hurt me/break my heart so. <3 It is all worth it in the end. <3

Cursed

Cursed is a novel written by Jennifer Armentrout.

To be released September 2012

Dying sucks--and high school senior Ember McWilliams knows firsthand. After a fatal car accident, her gifted little sister brought her back. Now anything Ember touches dies. And that, well, really blows.

 

Ember operates on a no-touch policy with all living things--including boys. When Hayden Cromwell shows up, quoting Oscar Wilde and claiming her curse is a gift, she thinks he’s a crazed cutie. But when he tells her he can help control it, she’s more than interested. There’s just one catch: Ember has to trust Hayden's adopted father, a man she's sure has sinister reasons for collecting children whose abilities even weird her out. However, she’s willing to do anything to hold her sister's hand again. And hell, she'd also like to be able to kiss Hayden. Who wouldn't?

 

But when Ember learns the accident that turned her into a freak may not've been an accident at all, she’s not sure who to trust. Someone wanted her dead, and the closer she gets to the truth, the closer she is to losing not only her heart, but her life. For real this time.

Keep a look out for it guys! <3

Size 12 is Not Fat

Meg Cabot

So. I read this book like 3 weeks ago. And I hate waiting that long to write reviews, because the details get so FUZZY.

But first and foremost, I adored this book. REALLY ADORED THIS BOOK.

That's right. I totally pulled a Jesse/Slate happy moment. 

 I spent about the next 6 days after finishing this book trying to get my hands on the sequel without buying it. I begged on Twitter. I checked (even non-local) libraries. (I read this one from my library.) All to no avail. My library has the first and 3rd one- but not the second one. WHAT IS THAT, LIBRARY? WHAT IS THAT?

(I still feel compelled to hug her whenever I see this.)

Finally I gave in and bought it on my kindle. That way, I won't feel compelled to buy entire series (as I would if it was on my shelf.)  Haven't read it yet- but I will soon(ish). My definition of soon wavers quite a bit. Anyways, point being- is that I adored this story so much that I couldn't let go to read another one quickly.

Heather Wells is an ex-pop star who now works in a dorm (resident hall!)  in NY. She's really more known for being engaged (and famously dumped) to another boy pop star, who isn't quite able to let her go. It doesn't help that she is living with his brother, Cooper. Who is a private investigator.

Heather is size 12- you know the average size of an American woman (as she so repeatedly points out.) 

When there are deaths in the dorms, Heather finds it suspicious, and decides to take it on herself to solve the case(s), and becomes her own little version of a PI. With Cooper's help- who you know, she's kind of in love with. 

I KNOW. OH THE SCANDAL. :)

Sigh. I loved Cooper in all his glory. He has the confidence, the cool job, the hair, the leather jacket. He is just the epitome of hot. And poor Heather is just so clumsy and and... it is all very hilarious.

This is my first book by Meg. (I know, I know it's blasphemy.) I own Abandon, but haven't read it yet. I don't know what happened. I was so excited about that one, too.)

Heather was awesome. 

Cooper was amazing. (Sah-woon!)

The story was hilarious. Meg has such a way with humor. I totally get why she is so successful now. Her characters are so easy to relate to. They are sincere, vulnerable, and oh-so-easily lovable. 

And the best part? THERE ARE TWO MORE BOOKS. (and then 2 more to be published.) PREEEEETTY EXCITING.) 

Guys. Seriously. If you are looking for a fun book for a laugh (but still with a bit of mystery/suspense/romance) THIS IS THE BOOK.

I loved it.

Read it.

<3 

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox <3

Jennifer Jabaley- Crush Control & Lipstick Apology (signed <3 )

Melissa de la Cruz-Witches of East End

Ally Carter- Heist Society & Uncommon Criminals - (signed <3)

Borrowed:
White Oleander- Janet Finch
The Pact- Jodi Piccoult
Paper Hearts- Debrah Williamson

For Review:

Ann Brashares- SISTERHOOD EVERLASTING! <3 Thank you SO much Random House!

Swag: A BIG thanks for Lucia, Holly Schindler, Jennifer Laurens, Stefne Miller, and Nova Ren Suma for the awesome swag/gifts. I love you all! <3

Heist Society

GIVEAWAY! :)

Hi darlings! It's that time again for a GIVEAWAY!!!!! :) Yesterday, I was able to go meet Ally Carter, and although I wasn't originally planning to do a giveaway, I figured that the best way to say thank you to all of you who support me is to give something in return!
Ally's book, UNCOMMON CRIMINALS (Heist Society 2) was recently released, and because it sounds so fun- I am going to be giving away HEIST SOCIETY! SIGNED! (paperback) 

Rules:

• Winner must be 13 years old (Laws and such)
• Must live in the US.  (Sorry!)
• Winner has 48 hours (2 days!) to respond to notification, or I will choose another winner! 
• I am not responsible for SPAM filters or incorrect email addresses given 
• Winner will be chosen by random.org
• To enter contest, you MUST fill out the form!

Contest ends on July 15th, 11:59 PM (EST)! Good luck!