Book Blogger Hop & Friday Follow!

Book Blogger Hop is a fun meme hosted by Crazy For Books. Enter your link and go hop around other blogs that are out there, ready to be discovered!

This week it's finally starting to warm up again! I prefer it hot more than cold so I'm glad now I don't have to be cold all day long. I also starting to get in the world of Shakespeare! I'm really liking Romeo & Juliet! =)

Since today is April Fool's Day in the USA, what is the best prank you have ever played on someone OR that someone has played on you?

I don't think I can answer it! I don't really do pranks and I can't remember anyone ever playing one on me.

To join the fun and make now book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

1. Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Host { Parajunkee.com } and any one else you want to follow on the list.
2. Follow our Featured Bloggers
3. Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing.
4. 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
5. Follow Follow Follow as many as you can

 What is the book that you really don't want to admit to loving?? 

I don't think there's one that I don't really admit to loving. I guess it's because I think if you love a book you should always say you love it, no matter what.

If you're visiting, make sure you leave your link and I'll make sure to visit your blog!

Through Her Eyes by Jennifer Archer

Title: Through Her Eyes
Author: Jennifer Archer
Published: April 5 2011
Pages: 240
Rating: 4/5
Summary: The last place Tansy Piper wants to be is stuck in Cedar Canyon, Texas, in the middle of nowhere, with a bunch of small-town kids. But when her mother decides to move to the desolate West Texas town, Tansy has no choice but to go along. Once there, Tansy is immediately drawn to the turret of their rickety old house, a place she soon learns has a disturbing history. But its the strange artifacts she finds in the cellar--a pocket watch, a journal of poetry, and a tiny crystal--that have the most chilling impact on her.

Tansy soon finds that through the lens of her camera, she can become part of a surreal black-and-white world where her life is intertwined with that of mysterious, troubled Henry, who lived in the same house and died decades earlier. It seems their lives are linked by fate and the artifacts she found, but as Tansy begins spending more and more time in the past, her present world starts to fade away. Tansy must untangle herself from Henry's dangerous reality-- before she loses touch with her own life forever.

Review: The story starts off with Tansy meeting the place that will be her new home. All her life she's had to move from town to town because of her mother's work. From the start she feels that this time around it won't be like any of the places she has stayed at before.

Tansy was a character that had to change her ways every time she moved and therefore never really had a place to call home. At the beginning she resents her mother for having moved her from the town that she felt gave her the chance to settle down in. When she arrives at her new house she finds a journey with poems, a pocket watch and a small crystal.

Through the book Tansy realizes that her camera allows her to see to the past and through these images she sees she starts putting a puzzle together that has been there for decades. She gets sucked into these images and soon she must figure out what's real and what are the visions.

The visions she got were made me want to know more about the things that had happened in the past. Every time she had a vision everything felt seemed more real and things starting to make more sense. It followed the last days of Henry and little by little some interesting things from the past are revealed.

This was an amazing book that kept me reading at night and even in class. Jennifer Archer knows how to make the reader feel what Tansy when she's up at night, inside a house that holds many secrets. Even though the ending had it's sad side I also think that it was the best ending that it could have had. It's a book about ghosts that I think everyone would enjoy!

I received this book through a book tour.

Waiting on Wednesday (5)

Waiting on Wednesday WOW is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases that you can't wait for!

Title: Wake Unto Me

Author: Lisa Cach

Release: March 31st 2011

Goodreads Summary: A haunted castle, a handsome young man dead for four hundred years, one heck of a scary portrait of a witch, and a treasure hunt -- not to mention a princess for a roommate! -- all await 15 year old American girl Caitlyn Monahan when she earns a scholarship to a French boarding school.

There are secrets behind the stone walls of Chateau de la Fortune, buried for centuries along with the mystery of who killed Raphael, the charming ghost who visits Caitlyn at night. But as Caitlyn unearths the history of the castle, nothing scares her as badly as the secret she learns about herself, and the reason she was chosen to come to the Fortune School.

And nothing breaks her heart as badly as falling in love with a dead guy.

 

It has a haunted castle and a ghost and a witch! How awesome is that?! It sounds very interesting! I really want to read more books that have a ghost in them and I think this one would be good. =)

In My Mailbox (40)

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren. This week was pretty awesome!! =)

Bought:
A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
Linger by Maggie Stiefvater
Delirium by Lauren Oliver
I've read A Great and Terrible Beauty but I got it from the library. I had the last 2 and I wanted to have them all so I got it! I have Shiver and I wanted to read Linger before Forever comes out. I've heard really good things about Delirium Si I knew I had to get it!

For Review:
Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion
As hard as it's to believe this will be my first zombie book!

What did you get this week?

Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick

Title: Crescendo
Author: Becca Fitzpatrick
Published: October 2010
Pages: 427
Rating: 4.5/5
Synopsis: Nora Grey's life is still far from perfect. Surviving an attempt on her life wasn't pleasant, but atleast she got a guardian angel out of it: a mysterious, magnetic, gorgeous guardian angel. But, despite his role in her life, Patch has been acting anything but angelic. He's more elusive than ever and even worse, he's started spending time with Nora's arch-enemy, Marcie Millar.

Nora would have hardly noticed Scott Parnell, an old family friend who has moved back to town, if Path hadn't been acting so distant. Even with Scott's totally infuriating attitude Nora finds herself drawn to him - despite her lingering feeling that he's hiding something.

Haunted by images of her murdered father, and questioning whether her nephilim bloodline has anything to do with his death, Nora puts herself increasingly in dangerous situations as she desperately searches for answers. But maybe some things are better left buried, because the truth could destroy everything - and everyone - she trusts.
 
Review: At the beginning it seems like Nora has all the things her life needs at the moment. All of this is shattered in a matter of hours. Patch seems to have gotten over Nora and moved on to Marcie. Nora finds out there is more to the truth than she's been told and the truth may be something that she doesn't want to know.

I didn't enjoy reading from Nora's point of view as much as I did in Hush Hush. I liked how she didn't always cry about what happened and did something about it even if it wasn't the best thing.For me her jealousy seemed reasonable considerring that it was Marcie the one that Patch seemed to spend a lot of time with. She did things that seemed unlike her but I think it all fits on how she was feeling at the time.

I didn't enjoy not having the Patch that was in Hush Hush. I was glad that at the end everything was explained for his actions. I honestly though something must be wrong with him. His actions didn't seem to match with the things that he said. I didn't think that it was nice how he tried to help Nora in the ways that he could.

I didn't really expect for the book to end the way it did. There were so many things that were revealed, some that I was kind of expecting and others that I wasn't. They seemed to explain so much! I can't wait to see how everything turns out!

I'm not giving it 5 stars because I didn't like it as much as I did with Hush Hush but I still thought it was really good. If you've read Hush Hush and still haven't read Crescendo then you really must.

Book Blogger Hop & Follow Friday!

Book Blogger Hop is a fun meme hosted by Crazy For Books. Enter your link and go hop around other blogs that are out there, ready to be discovered!

This week was less stressful compared to last week. This also means I got to read a bit more! I feel like homework is taking over my reading time which isn't good. I've sort of gotten into a routine. Now I just have to follow it.

If you could physically put yourself into a book or series…which one would it be and why?

I don't even have to think too hard about this one! I have to say that I've always loved the world of Harry Potter so I'll say Harry Potter. I love the books and the world. Even though it might be kind of dangerous it's something that I would enjoy. I mean come on, who doesn't like wizards or magic? =)

To join the fun and make now book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

1. Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Host { Parajunkee.com } and any one else you want to follow on the list.
2. Follow our Featured Bloggers
3. Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing.
4. 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
5. Follow Follow Follow as many as you can

Inspired by the inane twitter trend of #100factsaboutme, give us five BOOK RELATED silly facts about you.

So I don't know if they will be silly but here are 5 book related facts.

1. My mom has actually hidden some of my books so I stopped reading and did something else. It doesn't work since I always find my books.
2. I don't need bookmarks to remember where I left on a book. People have tried to make me forget my page by closing the book without me noticing. Again it doesn't work.
3. I rarely reread books. I usually remember my favorite parts of the book and read those parts. Most of the time it's the majority of the book.
4. If there's ever an earthquake (I live in a seismic zone) I think I would worry more about my books damaging than getting to a safe place. I don't think it's something you should be thinking about.
5. I hate having books that don't match. Like some being paperback and the others being hardcover or the covers not matching or the size of the books.

If you're visiting, make sure you leave your link and I'll make sure to visit your blog!

In My Mailbox (39)

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren! I only got 1 book but I was really excited!

Gift:
Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow
It's been ages that I've been wanting to read it and I'm so happy that I can now read it!!
A bookmark of The Eternal Ones.

Thanks to Jennifer @ Extreme Reader Book Reviews!

Winner!!

Annette @ Annette's Book Spot!

You're the winner of Heart with Joy by Steve Cushman! I will be sending you an email soon! Please respond within 48 hours.

Book Blogger Hop & Follow Friday!

Book Blogger Hop is a fun meme hosted by Crazy For Books. Enter your link and go hop around other blogs that are out there, ready to be discovered!

I guess this week was boring and I just wanted to it to be Friday so I'm happy that it finally got here! Plus homework and school have kept me from reading as much as I want to. =(

Do you read only one book at a time, or do you have several going at once?

Before I was required to read books for school I only read one book at a time. I didn't like to start a new book without finding out how the one I was reading ended. It's not that I can't keep each story seperate from each other, I just don't like to. Now I usually read 2 books for school and a book of my choice. =)

To join the fun and make now book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

1. Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Host { Parajunkee.com } and any one else you want to follow on the list.
2. Follow our Featured Bloggers
3. Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing.
4. 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
5. Follow Follow Follow as many as you can

How did you come up with your blog name?

Ever since I started reading books I noticed that book covers played a big part on what books people decided to read. I didn't like to think that people picked books to read by their covers and not by their books. So there you have it, we should read books because of their story and not their cover.

If you're visiting, make sure you leave your link and I'll make sure to visit your blog!

The Exiled Queen by Cinda Williams Chima

Title: The Exiled Queen
Author: Cinda Williams Chima
Published: September 2010
Pages: 586
Rating: 5/5
Synopsis: You can't always run from danger...

Haunted by the loss of his mother and sister, Han Alister journeys south to begin his schooling at Mystwerk House in Oden’s Ford. But leaving the Fells doesn’t mean danger isn’t far behind. Han is hunted every step of the way by the Bayars, a powerful wizarding family set on reclaiming the amulet Han stole from them. And Mystwerk House has dangers of its own. There, Han meets Crow, a mysterious wizard who agrees to tutor Han in the darker parts of sorcery—but the bargain they make is one Han may regret.

Meanwhile, Princess Raisa ana’Marianna runs from a forced marriage in the Fells, accompanied by her friend Amon and his triple of cadets. Now, the safest place for Raisa is Wein House, the military academy at Oden's Ford. If Raisa can pass as a regular student, Wein House will offer both sanctuary and the education Raisa needs to succeed as the next Gray Wolf queen.

The Exiled Queen is an epic tale of uncertain friendships, cut-throat politics, and the irresistible power of attraction.

Review: Han Alister has to go to Oden's Ford to begin learning everything he needs to survive. Along with is Dancer who is also required to go. As they move through kingdoms at war they must be careful to not get tangled in the mess and not reach their destination. Meanwhile Raisa is also traveling to Oden's Ford but for different reasons and like Alister she must be careful while traveling there and while being there.

Han has had to go through many hard things to get to the place where he is. He wants to make those that caused him to suffer to pay for what they did and to be able to do that he must learn to use the magic he has. Alister was always trying to learn new things from school and from those outside school. I was glad to see him in an environment different from the one he was used to but that he still managed to stay true to his beliefs.

Raisa had to learn that living a life of a princess is much different from the one she has to live now. She always had to be careful about not being recognized by those that knew her. Like Alister she was in a different environment and had to learn how to adjust to it. She learned how others saw the Fells and especially how they truly see the queen and the princess.

Once Alister and Raisa met each other in Oden's Ford I always looked forward to see them together. In the first book we only got a little tease but in the second book Cinda takes way farther. They are both learning from each other and entering worlds that they don't really know.

All the other characters played a part. Alister had to have those that would always be there for him in this journey while Raisa needed to have Amon as her guardian. Even if Alister wasn't around much he need to talk to someone else who knew what he felt.

I love how The Exiled Queen took place in another place but was just as awesome as the first one. The reader gets to see the characters, especially Han and Raisa in a different environment and how they react to different things. I absolutely loved it! I can't wait to read the third book!

Author Interview: Steve Cushman + Giveaway

We have Steve Cushman, author of Heart with Joy stopping by the blog today! If you haven't read his book you need to do it now! I highly recommend it! You can read my review of it here!

Describe yourself in one sentence.

I may not always succeed, but I’m always trying.

What are five things most people don’t know about you?

I don’t have a middle name.
I once owned a Ferret named Molly.
I never went to my high school prom.
I have acted in a couple student films.
I have a street named after me in a trailer park my grandfather used to own.

What is your favorite memory while growing up?

Growing up in Florida, I always loved to visit my grandparents’ house in Massachusetts. They had all sorts of cool toys—old Army jeeps and mopeds—and all the junk food any chunky kid could ever want.

What are some of the books that have influenced you?

Raymond Carver’s short stories
Larry Brown “Father & Son”
Anne Tyler “Accidental Tourist”
Richard Russo “Nobody’s Fool”
Amy Tan “Joy Luck Club”

Did you always know you wanted to write a book?

Nope. I didn’t start reading seriously until I was in the my early twenties and didn’t start writing until my mid-twenties. Before that, I wanted to be a baseball player, then a musician, then a rock band roadie, and then somehow through music, and working in a record store, I discovered books.

How would you describe your book in one sentence?

Heart With Joy is a novel about following your heart and trusting that it will take where you need to go.

How does it feel to know that there are people reading your book?

It’s wonderful to hear what people have to say. This is my third book but still I’m amazed that people want to read what I’ve dreamed up. Very cool indeed.

What do you think is the easiest and hardest thing about writing a book?

The easiest thing about writing about a book is coming up with ideas. The hardest part is sitting your butt in that chair for the three or four years it takes to finish.

Anything else you would like to say?

Thanks again for taking the time to read my work.
 

Goodreads Summary: In Heart With Joy, fifteen-year-old Julian Hale’s life is turned upside down when his mother suddenly moves from North Carolina to Venice, Florida under the pretense of running her parents’ motel and finishing the novel she has been working on for years. While Julian has always been closer to his mother and wants to go with her, she tells him he has to stay with his father until the end of the school year.
 
Six weeks after his mother leaves, Julian’s father decides to run a marathon. This surprises Julian because he has never seen his father exercise, but once he agrees to help him train the two develop the sort of close relationship they’ve never had before. Also, with the help of an elderly neighbor, Julian learns that the most important thing in life is to follow your heart. And Julian’s heart leads him to a passion for cooking and a young cashier at the local grocery store. By the end of the novel, Julian is forced to choose between staying with his father and going to live with his mother.

Heart With Joy is an uplifting coming of age novel about cooking and bird watching, about writing and pottery, and about falling in love and the sacrifices we all make. But ultimately, it’s about the importance of following your heart and trusting that it will take you where you need to go.

The Details

-There will be 1 lucky winner.

-This giveaway is international.

-You don't have to be a follower but it would be nice if you were! =)

-Deadline is Friday 18th at 11:59pm Pacific time.

-Winner will be announced on the 19th and will have 48 hours to respond to my email.

Just fill out the form!

Waiting on Wednesday (4)

Waiting on Wednesday WOW is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases that you can't wait for!

Release: March 22nd 2011

Goodreads Summary: What if you knew exactly when you would die?

Thanks to modern science, every human being has become a ticking genetic time bomb—males only live to age twenty-five, and females only live to age twenty. In this bleak landscape, young girls are kidnapped and forced into polygamous marriages to keep the population from dying out.

When sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery is taken by the Gatherers to become a bride, she enters a world of wealth and privilege. Despite her husband Linden's genuine love for her, and a tenuous trust among her sister wives, Rhine has one purpose: to escape—to find her twin brother and go home.

But Rhine has more to contend with than losing her freedom. Linden's eccentric father is bent on finding an antidote to the genetic virus that is getting closer to taking his son, even if it means collecting corpses in order to test his experiments. With the help of Gabriel, a servant Rhine is growing dangerously attracted to, Rhine attempts to break free, in the limited time she has left.

 
The summary sounds so interesting! Imagine knowing when you were going to die? I think I would be creeped out by that. I can't wait to read it! Plus the cover only makes me want it even more!

In My Mailbox (38)

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren! So this week I got lucky and got some books! =)

Bought:
The Lost Saint by Bree Despain

For Review:
Two Moon Princess by Carmen Ferreiro-Esteban

I can't wait to read these 2 books! Especially The Lost Saint!

Thanks to The Teen Book Scene!

What did you get this week?

Heart With Joy by Steve Cushman

Title: Heart with Joy
Author: Steve Cushman
Published: 2010
Pages: 182
Rating: 5/5
Synopsis: In Heart With Joy, fifteen-year-old Julian Hale’s life is turned upside down when his mother suddenly moves from North Carolina to Venice, Florida under the pretense of running her parents’ motel and finishing the novel she has been working on for years. While Julian has always been closer to his mother and wants to go with her, she tells him he has to stay with his father until the end of the school year.

Six weeks after his mother leaves, Julian’s father decides to run a marathon. This surprises Julian because he has never seen his father exercise, but once he agrees to help him train the two develop the sort of close relationship they’ve never had before. Also, with the help of an elderly neighbor, Julian learns that the most important thing in life is to follow your heart. And Julian’s heart leads him to a passion for cooking and a young cashier at the local grocery store. By the end of the novel, Julian is forced to choose between staying with his father and going to live with his mother.

Heart With Joy is an uplifting coming of age novel about cooking and bird watching, about writing and pottery, and about falling in love and the sacrifices we all make. But ultimately, it’s about the importance of following your heart and trusting that it will take you where you need to go.

Review: This book doesn't need any paranormal stuff to be amazing and that's something that I don't find often!

Julian is trying to cope with his mother leaving to Florida. His mother refused to take him and said she had to help with the motel her family owned and to finish her fifth unpublished novel. Julian knows there's more to it than his mother tells him and when he asks her he finally gets his answer that he may not like. Throughout the book Julian makes a connection with his father that he never thought possible and also finds what he wants to do with his life.

I loved how Julian changed and matured through the whole book as he met people that help him figure out who he is. To me he seemed to be like many fifteen year old kids would be while at the same time being someone who was trying to figure things out in his life. Another thing that I loved was that he can cook! That's one thing that many male characters aren't able to do.

I liked how his relationship with his father changed so much. At first they didn't really talk and seemed to be two people who had to live together while not knowing who the other was. At the end Julian had to take a tough decision and the time he spent with his father greatly influenced him. I loved Mrs. Peters! She was a great character that loved birds but that also helped Julian deal with his life.

This is such a short read that holds many things. It shows that we need to do the things that make us happy and not try to something that will make us unhappy. This is one of those books that I think everyone should read just because it's something different to what's out there but that is just as good!

I received the book for an honest review.

Waiting on Wednesday (3)

Waiting on Wednesday WOW is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases that you can't wait for!

Release: March 7th 2011

Goodreads Description: It’s the summer of 1889, and Amelia van den Broek is new to Baltimore and eager to take in all the pleasures the city has to offer. But her gaiety is interrupted by disturbing, dreamlike visions she has only at sunset—visions that offer glimpses of the future. Soon, friends and strangers alike call on Amelia to hear her prophecies. However, a forbidden romance with Nathaniel, an artist, threatens the new life Amelia is building in Baltimore. This enigmatic young man is keeping secrets of his own—still, Amelia finds herself irrepressibly drawn to him.

When one of her darkest visions comes to pass, Amelia’s world is thrown into chaos. And those around her begin to wonder if she’s not the seer of dark portents, but the cause.

Doesn't it sound awesome! And it takes place in 1889! And I love how the girl on cover seems to be running from something. I can't wait to read it!