Monthly Recap: March 2013

And there goes March. This was a rocky month for me. I got in a reading slump and only wrote one review all month! *gasp* I know, its sad. I even took a break for a week with no posting... So yeah bad month. BUT I am back on track and ready for an awesome, productive, bookish April! Pssst...plus my birthday is this month, so it has to be awesome. Also, Google is rumored to be getting rid of GFC so just to be safe you can follow me via Bloglovin' or email. Once I figure out how to get a Google+ button I will get that too.

Books Read:

1. Anna and the French Kiss- Stephanie Perkins
2. Spirit Bound- Richelle Mead
3. Requiem- Lauren Oliver
4. Hunger- Samantha Chang
5. The Dashwood Sister's Secrets of Love- Rosie Rushton
6. The Lost Prince- Julie Kagawa
7. Last Sacrifice- Richelle Mead
8. Evermore- Alyson Noel
9. The Knife of Never Letting Go- Patrick Ness
10. Let It Snow- John Green, Maureen Johnson, Lauren Myracle

Random Reads #1: March 2013

Random Reads is a monthly meme hosted by I’m Loving Books. This is a meme where you randomly select a book off of your TBR shelf and read it within the month. It’s a fun idea to get you reading things that have been lying around for a while.

So,  I recently ran across the meme and thought is was a great idea. I have a lot of books on my TBR pile and often have a heard time deciding what to read next, and a lot of the time books get forgotten about. The meme is supposed to be a book you read that month but since I am doing this at the end of the month it will  just be the next book I read. Lastly, I am using my "books-i-own-and-have-not-read-yet" shelf instead of my whole TBR list, so that I can get through some of the books that have been sitting on my shelf collectiong dust.

So, I used random.org to generate a number and then I choose the book that corresponded to that number on my good reads TBR list.

#17 is Let It Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle

I got this book on Christmas from my brother so I am very excited to read this!

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Waiting on Wednesday: Siege and Storm

Waiting on Wednesday's is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Siege and Storm
Leigh Bardugo
The Grisha #2
June 4, 2012

Darkness never dies.

Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land, all while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. But she can't outrun her past or her destiny for long.

The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling's game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her--or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.

(Summary from Goodreads)

Review: Lockdown

Lockdown
Alexander Gordon Smith
Escape From Furnace #1

Furnace Penitentiary: the world’s most secure prison for young offenders, buried a mile beneath the earth’s surface. Convicted of a murder he didn’t commit, sentenced to life without parole, “new fish” Alex Sawyer knows he has two choices: find a way out, or resign himself to a death behind bars, in the darkness at the bottom of the world. Except in Furnace, death is the least of his worries. Soon Alex discovers that the prison is a place of pure evil, where inhuman creatures in gas masks stalk the corridors at night, where giants in black suits drag screaming inmates into the shadows, where deformed beasts can be heard howling from the blood-drenched tunnels below. And behind everything is the mysterious, all-powerful warden, a man as cruel and dangerous as the devil himself, whose unthinkable acts have consequences that stretch far beyond the walls of the prison.

Together with a bunch of inmates—some innocent kids who have been framed, others cold-blooded killers—Alex plans an escape. But as he starts to uncover the truth about Furnace’s deeper, darker purpose, Alex’s actions grow ever more dangerous, and he must risk everything to expose this nightmare that’s hidden from the eyes of the world.

Stacking the Shelves: Perfects, Secrets, and Thiefs

Stacking The Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews. It's a great way to show other people the books that you've bought or received for the past week! 

Bought:

Perfect You 

Elizabeth Scott

The Year of Secret Assignments

Jaclyn Moriarty

(See my review here)

The Book Thief

Markus Zusak

Have you read any of these books? What did you think?

Popular Books I Haven't Read Yet

This is just a list of popular books that I see a ton of, that I want to read at some point. I usually try not to hop on the bandwagon with books, because a lot of the time they are super hyped up but end up disappointing me. But none the less there are some books that people swear by, so I thought I would give them a try.

Teaser Tuesday #12: Amy & Roger's Epic Detour

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour
Morgan Matson

Amy Curry thinks her life sucks. Her mom decides to move from California to Connecticut to start anew--just in time for Amy's senior year. Her dad recently died in a car accident. So Amy embarks on a road trip to escape from it all, driving cross-country from the home she's always known toward her new life. Joining Amy on the road trip is Roger, the son of Amy's mother's old friend. Amy hasn’t seen him in years, and she is less than thrilled to be driving across the country with a guy she barely knows. So she's surprised to find that she is developing a crush on him. At the same time, she’s coming to terms with her father’s death and how to put her own life back together after the accident. Told in traditional narrative as well as scraps from the road--diner napkins, motel receipts, postcards--this is the story of one girl's journey to find herself.(Summary from Goodreads)

Stacking the Shelves: Angels, Assassins, and Anna

Stacking The Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews. It's a great way to show other people the books that you've bought or received for the past week! 

Bought:

Quote Unquote: City of Lost Souls

Quote Unquote is a series of posts of my favorite quotes from certain books. Okay, so it seems like all but one of these posts are using the Mortal Instrument Series, but I just can't help it! Here are some more great quotes written by Miss Casandra Clare:

~“I don't care," Clary said. "He'd do it for me. Tell me he wouldn't. If I were missing-" 

"He'd burn the whole world down till he could dig you out of the ashes. I know," Alec said.” 

~“You may have the worst timing since Napoleon decided the dead of winter was the right moment to invade Russia.” 

Waiting on Wednesday: Goddess

Waiting on Wednesday's is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Goddess
Josephine Angelini
Starcrossed #3
May 28, 2013

After accidentally unleashing the gods from their captivity on Olympus, Helen must find a way to re-imprison them without starting a devastating war. But the gods are angry, and their thirst for blood already has a body count.

To make matters worse, the Oracle reveals that a diabolical Tyrant is lurking among them, which drives a wedge between the once-solid group of friends. As the gods use the Scions against one another, Lucas’s life hangs in the balance. Still unsure whether she loves him or Orion, Helen is forced to make a terrifying decision, for war is coming to her shores.

In Josephine Angelini’s compelling conclusion to the masterfully woven Starcrossed trilogy, a goddess must rise above it all to change a destiny that’s been written in the stars. With worlds built just as fast as they crumble, love and war collide in an all-out battle that will leave no question unanswered and no heart untouched

(Summary from Goodreads)

I am so very excited for this book. This is a great series! 

Blog Tour: Aura

Tour Schedule

Aura

"I half-turned to her and shrugged, still processing what I'd seen, or at least what I thought I'd seen, in Ms. Neal's eyes—like they weren't hers. Obviously, they were her eyes, but it looked like she'd plucked them from someone else's head. A dead someone else's head."

In the fight between good and evil, Light is your only weapon.

Crystal Scott finally feels like a normal teenager. She has a lead in the high school play, a best friend, and a gorgeous boyfriend. With prom only a few days away, Crystal’s ordinary life seems perfect.

Endowed with great Light because of her virtuous choices and her inherent gifts, Crystal’s aura has become visible to those with the ability to see auras. Unfortunately, her power has also attracted the attention of demons intent on destroying all Light.

When Vincent Crandall, the human host for a powerful demon, discovers that Crystal’s Light is strong enough to disrupt the connection between demons and their hosts, he realizes she may be able to sever the connection altogether. Determined to stop her from interfering with his plans to rule the world, he sends operatives to neutralize her Light.

After the operatives fail to disable Crystal, Vincent decides he must harness her power for himself. He kidnaps her parents, and Crystal is thrust into battle against a demon army she didn’t even know existed. With the help of a mysterious young man and his mother, Crystal must learn to use the power within her before Vincent kills her parents and exploits her Light.

Goodreads * Amazon

Author Interview
1.Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
I grew up in Santa Barbara, CA. I now live in rural CO with a dog, cats, and a herd of goats. I've been happily married for almost 28 years and my husband and I are the parents of ten amazing children. I love to write, eat chocolate, watch The X-Files, and swim in the ocean when I have a chance. I also love Hawaii and my new favorite TV show is Once Upon a Time.

2.Have you always wanted to be an author and what or who inspired you to become a writer?
I have always wanted to be a writer. A close family friend encouraged me to pursue writing when I was a teenager. I went on to college and graduated, I got married and started having babies so I put writing on the back burner for years. I kept having babies and finally decided that if I wanted to pursue writing, I'd have to figure out how to fit it in with all of my kids.

3.Where is your favorite place to read?
I love to read in my living room next to a roaring fire while it snows outside. And if I have a cup of hot cocoa, I'm in heaven.

4.Do you have any advice for writers out there who want to become authors?
Never give up. Keep honing your craft and keep writing. Never surrender to the little voice that tells you that you can't do it. You can!

5.What is your favorite fairy tale?
Beauty and the Beast.

6. Tea or Coffee?
Peppermint Herbal Tea

7. Summer or Winter?
Definitely summer.

8. Harry Potter or Twilight?
Harry Potter

9. Dogs or Cats?
Cats

10. Early Bird or Night Owl?
Early Bird now

Twitter * Facebook * Website * Blog * Aura Blog

Blog Tour Giveaway
$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
Ends 3.21.13
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Top Ten: Series I'd Like To Start But Haven't Yet

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and Bookish.

These are all series that I have heard a ton about but I haven't gotten a chance to read yet. I'm not really going to go into detail with each one because they all have the same basic thing: I either couldn't find them at my library and/or bookstore, I have it and just haven't gotten around to reading them, etc. So here is my list of top ten series I want to read:

Razorland - Ann Aguirre

Books: Enclave; Outpost; Horde

Covenant - Jennifer L. Armentrout

Books: Half-Blood; Pure; Deity; Apollyon; Sentinel

The Demon Trappers - Jana Oliver

Books: Forsaken; Forbidden; Forgiven; Foretold

Paramormalcy - Kiersten White

Books: Paranormalcy; Supernaturally; Endlessly

Medusa Girls - Tera Lynn Childs

Books: Sweet Venom; Sweet Shadows; Sweet Legacy

Maximum Ride - James Patterson

Books: The Angel Experiment; School's Out-Forever; Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports; The Final Warning; Max; Fang; Angel; Nevermore

Darkness Rising- Kelley Armstrong

Books: The Gathering; The Calling; The Rising

The Chemical Garden - Lauren DeStafano

Books: Wither; Fever; Sever

Under the Never Sky - Veronica Rossi

Books: Under the Never Sky; Through the Ever Night; Into the Still Blue

Fallen - Lauren Kate

Books: Fallen; Torment; Passion; Rapture

 Have you read any of these books? What did you think?

Series Spotlight: Dream Catcher

Dream Catcher Series

Lisa McMann

For seventeen-year-old Janie, getting sucked into other people's dreams is getting old. Especially the falling dreams, the naked-but-nobody-notices dreams, and the sex-crazed dreams. Janie's seen enough fantasy booty to last her a lifetime.

She can't tell anybody about what she does they'd never believe her, or worse, they'd think she's a freak. So Janie lives on the fringe, cursed with an ability she doesn't want and can’t control.

Then she falls into a gruesome nightmare, one that chills her to the bone. For the first time, Janie is more than a witness to someone else's twisted psyche. She is a participant.

Monthly Recap: February 2013

Goodbye February, Hello March! Wow, February seemed really short... I guess that is what happens when it is only 28 days. But anyways, February is over so is is time for a monthly recap.


Books Read:

1. The Immortal Rules- Julie Kagawa
2. Shadow Kiss- Richelle Mead
3. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight- Jennifer E. Smith
4. Unravel Me- Tahereh Mafi
5. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer- Michelle Hodkin
6. Blood Promise- Richelle Mead
7. Wolfsbane- Andrea Cremer
8. The Iron Queen- Julie Kagawa
9. Beautiful Disaster- Jamie McGuire
10. Prodigal- Rektok Ross
11. This Lullaby- Sarah Dessen
12. Bloodrose- Andrea Cremer
13. The Iron Knight- Julie Kagawa

Books Reviewed:

1. Unwind- Neal Shusterman
2. "Crash" and "Clash"- Nicole Williams
3. White Cat- Holly Black
4. Beautiful Disaster- Jamie McGuire
5. Prodigal- Rektok Ross
6. Wolfsbane- Andrea Cremer