Monthly Recap: April 2013

So this month I realized I put wayyy to much on my plate. Way. So next month I am going to try to chill it with obsessing over posting. And I sign up for too many blog tours. I still have a few to get through, but I will definitely be more selective with that. SO without further ado here is my April wrap up! Oh and don't forget to follow this blog on Bloglovin'! The link is in the sidebar.

Books Read:

1. Confessions of a Serial Kisser- Wendelin Van Draanen
2. Keeping the Moon- Sarah Dessen
3. Me, Penelope- Lisa Jahn Clough
4. Perfect You- Elizabeth Scott
5. Clockwork Princess- Cassandra Clare
6. The Ask and the Answer- Patrick Ness
7. Hourglass- Myra McEntire
8. Lola and the Boy Next Door- Stephanie Perkins
9. Mythology- Helen Boswell
10. Wither- Lauren DeStefano
11. Ten- Gretchen McNeil
12. Monsters of Men- Patrick Ness

It's My Birthday!

And I wanted to celebrate with you! ^-^

*Hands you a piece of virtual cake*

So you may be wondering what I am doing for my birthday

This?

Nope, just this

or maybe this...

Lol, actually I have school. 

Sucks right? Wrong! Even school can't dampen my birthday spirit!

So, that's about it...Have a great day!

P.S. (If you saw this before, I was scheduling this post and accidentally posted it) 

Stages of Grace: Author Interview & Giveaway

Tour Schedule

Stages of Grace
Carey Heywood

Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance...

When facing death a mourning period is to be expected. But what if it's
not a person but a relationship that dies? Grace and her boyfriend Jon have
been together for three years. They live together and have shared many
beautiful memories. Those memories are what keep Grace from admitting Jon
has changed and is no longer the man she fell in love with.

Afraid of being alone and holding on to something that no longer exists
Grace is a shadow of her former self. Her daily objective is to hide her
pain from the world. Then, an unexpected letter sets off a whirlwind of
potential life changes. In life sometimes the hardest thing to do is let go.

Author Interview

1. Hey there! Can you start by telling us a bit about yourself?
I'm a goofball, I tend to approach difficult situations with humor and try not to ever take myself too seriously. I'm married to another goofball and we have three silly kids and a dog. I suck at home improvement and am not allowed to watch HGTV anymore. I've washed my flash drive in my laundry more times than I can count, but it still works!

2. Besides writing, what do you like to do in your free time?
I read a lot, Amazon one click is my BFF. I have hermit like tendencies so I try to leave my house and hang out with friends as well. I also LOVE to kayak.

Review: Anna and the French Kiss

Anna and the French Kiss
Stephanie Perkins

Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris--until she meets Étienne St. Clair. Smart, charming,beautiful, Étienne has it all...including a serious girlfriend.

But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss?

Innovera Yakov: Author Interview & Giveaway

Tour Schedule

Innovera Yakov: The Journey of a Thousand Eyes
Kia Garriques
 Innovera Yakov – The Journey of A Thousand Eyes takes you into a world of excitement and danger where thoughts and feelings are overheard and minds can travel to other worlds. Be prepared to immerse yourself in a world where falling in love could cost you your life and nothing is as it seems. Innovera Yakov – The Journey of A Thousand Eyes is the first book in an action-packed fantasy drama series where characters with powers of healing and destruction live, love, compete and disappear without a trace while they are being prepared for the Journey.

Read the First Chapter

Innovera Yakov - Chapter 1

Interview with Kia Garriques

1:Hello! Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
My name is Kia Garriques and I am author of Innover Yakov- The Journey of a thousand eyes. Innovera Yakov: The Journey of A Thousand Eyes is the first installment in an action-packed fantasy drama where characters with powers of healing and destruction live, love, compete and disappear without a trace while they are being prepared for ‘The Journey’. Innovera Yakov is a faraway planet in a faraway universe: under five moons and two brilliant suns that never set. At the very edges of Innovera Yakov there is always the terrifying watery darkness of Verheer. We meet Ayana, the outsider, forever searching for herself and the truth of their world; Vinton, her protector. Gamma and Blu Tara are beautiful, fiery twins who can kill with one look. Innovera Yakov: The Journey of a Thousand Eyes explores the desire for acceptance, the need to belong, the importance of self-belief, the danger of secrets, the pain of betrayal and the power of love.

2.What three things do you never leave home without?
I never leave home without my phone and when I do I really panic, my hair brush and my bag!

Waiting on Wednesday: The Program

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

The Program
Suzanne Young
Program #1
April 30, 2013

In Sloane’s world, true feelings are forbidden, teen suicide is an epidemic, and the only solution is The Program.

Sloane knows better than to cry in front of anyone. With suicide now an international epidemic, one outburst could land her in The Program, the only proven course of treatment. Sloane’s parents have already lost one child; Sloane knows they’ll do anything to keep her alive. She also knows that everyone who’s been through The Program returns as a blank slate. Because their depression is gone—but so are their memories.

Under constant surveillance at home and at school, Sloane puts on a brave face and keeps her feelings buried as deep as she can. The only person Sloane can be herself with is James. He’s promised to keep them both safe and out of treatment, and Sloane knows their love is strong enough to withstand anything. But despite the promises they made to each other, it’s getting harder to hide the truth. They are both growing weaker. Depression is setting in. And The Program is coming for them.

Why I can't wait: This just sounds like such a cool idea....I mean its a horrible thing, suicide and depression, but with so many books out about it, this one seems very original.

Mythology: Review & Blog Tour

 Tour Schedule

Mythology

Helen Boswell

Hope Gentry doesn’t believe in Fate. Born with an unusual power to see the dark memories of those around her, Hope just wants to be a normal teenager. But on the first day of her senior year of high school, she finds herself irresistibly drawn to a transfer student named Micah Condie. At first glance, Micah seems like a boy that most girls would dream about. But when Hope's powers allow her to discover Micah's darkest secret, she quickly becomes entangled in the lives of mythical entities she never dreamed existed. Was this her destiny all along? And will her powers help her survive the evil of the Demon Impiorum?
Mythology isn’t just for English class anymore.

Blood and Snow: Excerpt & Giveaway

Tour Schedule

Blood and Snow: The Complete Set RaShelle Workman
YA Paranormal

Every thousand years the Vampire Queen selects a new body, always the fairest in the land, and this time she's chosen Snow White.

Snow isn't an ordinary girl. She doesn't know that yet. 

When Snow gets bitten by a Hunter, her life is thrown into a whirlwind of change where instead of worrying about what to eat, she has to fight not to drink the blood of fellow high school students. She becomes a revenant - not quite human, not quite vampire. 

With the help of an eccentric old Professor, his seven adoptive sons, and her best friend, Snow learns to control her blood craving. Sort of.  She drinks a bloodlust tea, but she'd rather drink from her Hunter. 

Or, a human. 

She also discovers a whole other realm, one filled with fairies, dragons, and magic. And not only does the Vampire Queen want her, but there's a pendant called the Seal of Gabriel created for Snow by the Vampire Queen's twin sister. And Snow's supposed to use it to restore balance to all magical creatures. Including vampires. 

Excerpt

“Welcome to my secret fortress, Silindra,” Titan said.

I grunted my response, walking past him to the doorway in the mountain, its entry bursting with light. The surface my feet touched was smooth and hard, like polished rock. But it wasn’t rock. It was some kind of iron. It swayed slightly, and I grabbed hold of the rails.

This is incredible, Snow White said.

I agreed wholeheartedly. Metal catwalks crisscrossed each other, reminding me of a spider’s web. Tall beams rose to the ceiling where millions of lights shone. It was as though Titan harnessed a portion of the sun, and somehow held its ray’s captive within.

In the center of the mountain, and vertical, reaching the top and I guessed touching the bottom, was a thick grated tube. Inside the tube were two sets of stairs. One used to walk up, and the other for down. A steady flow of occupants used them; exiting through archways onto walkways like the one I was on. The walkways led to large, cylinder-shaped holes carved into the mountain.

Random Reads #2: April 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. I ran across this 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. 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 collecting dust.

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.

#20 on the list is Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr!

Waiting on Wednesday: School Spirits

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

School Spirits
Rachel Hawkins
School Spirits #1
May 14, 2013

Fifteen-year-old Izzy Brannick was trained to fight monsters. For centuries, her family has hunted magical creatures. But when Izzy’s older sister vanishes without a trace while on a job, Izzy's mom decides they need to take a break.

Izzy and her mom move to a new town, but they soon discover it’s not as normal as it appears. A series of hauntings has been plaguing the local high school, and Izzy is determined to prove her worth and investigate. But assuming the guise of an average teenager is easier said than done. For a tough girl who's always been on her own, it’s strange to suddenly make friends and maybe even have a crush.

Can Izzy trust her new friends to help find the secret behind the hauntings before more people get hurt?

Why I can't wait: I loved Rachel Hawkins's Hex Hall series, which this series is a squeal of.

Teaser Tuesday #14: Shadow Kiss

Shadow Kiss
Vampire Academy #3
Richelle Mead

“He stepped back and threw his arms out.
"I'm always crazy around you Rose. Here, I'm going to write an impromptu poem for you."
He tipped his head back and shouted to the sky:
"Rose is in red
But never in blue
Sharp as a thorn
Fights like one too."”

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB of Should be Reading.
Anyone can participate in Teaser Tuesdays. Just do the following:
• Grab your read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• Be careful not to include spoilers! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Iron Traitor Cover

Guys.... GUISE! Have you seen this cover yet? IT KIERRAN! OHMYGOSH! FANGIRL!!! Aaaaaaaaaaand for those of you who haven't read The Iron Fey series or The Lost Prince yet, you can enjoy this nice cover while you head down to your local library and get The Iron King now!

Stacking the Shelves: Espionage, Mythology, and Princesses

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! 

Library:

~The Ask and the Answer-Patrick Ness: This is the second book to The Knife of Never Letting Go, I can't wait!

~Monsters of Men-Patrick Ness: The third and final Chaos Walking book. I didn't want to have to wait for this book once I finished The Ask and the Answer

~Bloodlines-Richelle Mead: I want to find out what happens with Adrian. 

Cover Differences: Nightshade

A lot of the times a book will have different covers in different countries or just different editions. In this post I am going to feature the different covers for Nightshade by Andrea Cremer.

1st Edition

Blog Tour: Lichgates

Tour Schedule

Lichgates

Kara Magari is about to discover a beautiful world full of terrifying things--Ourea.

Kara, a college student still reeling from her mother's recent death, has no idea the hidden world of Ourea even exists until a freak storm traps her in a sunken library. With no way out, she opens an ancient book of magic called the Grimoire and unwittingly becomes its master, which means Kara now wields the cursed book's untamed power. Discovered by Ourea's royalty, she becomes an unwilling pawn in a generations-old conflict--a war intensified by her arrival. In this world of chilling creatures and betrayal, Kara shouldn't trust anyone... but she's being hunted and can't survive on her own. She drops her guard when Braeden, a native soldier with a dark secret, vows to keep her safe. And though she doesn't know it, her growing attraction to him may just be her undoing.

For twelve years, Braeden Drakonin has lived a lie. The Grimoire is his one chance at redemption, and it lands in his lap when Kara Magari comes into his life. Though he begins to care for this human girl, there is something he wants more. He wants the Grimoire.

Welcome to Ourea, where only the cunning survive.

Lichgates is FREE

Download your copy now!

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Smashwords

Top Ten Things I'm Probably Doing If I'm Not Writing

Hey guys! I’m S. M. Boyce (call me Boyce)—fantasy author of the young adult Grimoire Saga. I spend most of my life writing novels, but I’ve been invited over to chat about the top ten things I’m probably doing if I’m not writing. It took a while, but I think I’ve compiled a pretty accurate snapshot of my limited downtime. Let me know how many match up with your top ten!

#10—Picking up after my dog

I swear he watches me put up his toys and waits until I leave the room so that he can “put them back where they belong.” Namely: anywhere underfoot where I might trip on them.

#9—Wire wrapping pendants

This hobby of mine has evolved from a neat idea into something I do to relax. Whenever I watch TV, I’ll wire wrap a pendant. I’m getting pretty good, too… well, for an amateur. I can now work exclusively in sterling silver, and I find only the best stones to wrap. If you would like to see the pendants I’ve made, you can check them out at my store.

Waiting on Wednesday: The Eternity Cure

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

The Eternity Cure
Julie Kagawa
Blood of Eden #2
April 30, 2013

Allison Sekemoto has vowed to rescue her creator, Kanin, who is being held hostage and tortured by the psychotic vampire Sarren. The call of blood leads her back to the beginning—New Covington and the Fringe, and a vampire prince who wants her dead yet may become her wary ally.

Even as Allie faces shocking revelations and heartbreak like she’s never known, a new strain of the Red Lung virus that decimated humanity is rising to threaten human and vampire alike.

I love the first book in this series, The Immortal Rules, so I am very excited for this one.

Review: The Knife of Never Letting Go

The Knife of Never Letting Go
Patrick Ness
Chaos Walking #1

Todd Hewitt is the only boy in a town of men. Ever since the settlers were infected with the Noise germ, Todd can hear everything the men think, and they hear everything he thinks. Todd is just a month away from becoming a man, but in the midst of the cacophony, he knows that the town is hiding something from him -- something so awful Todd is forced to flee with only his dog, whose simple, loyal voice he hears too. With hostile men from the town in pursuit, the two stumble upon a strange and eerily silent creature: a girl. Who is she? Why wasn't she killed by the germ like all the females on New World? Propelled by Todd's gritty narration, readers are in for a white-knuckle journey in which a boy on the cusp of manhood must unlearn everything he knows in order to figure out who he truly is.

Teaser Tuesday #13: An Abundance of Katherines

An Abundance of Katherines
John Green

Katherine V thought boys were gross
Katherine X just wanted to be friends
Katherine XVIII dumped him in an e-mail
K-19 broke his heart
When it comes to relationships, Colin Singleton's type happens to be girls named Katherine. And when it comes to girls named Katherine, Colin is always getting dumped. Nineteen times, to be exact.

On a road trip miles from home, this anagram-happy, washed-up child prodigy has ten thousand dollars in his pocket, a bloodthirsty feral hog on his trail, and an overweight, Judge Judy-loving best friend riding shotgun--but no Katherines. Colin is on a mission to prove The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability, which he hopes will predict the future of any relationship, avenge Dumpees everywhere, and finally win him the girl. Love, friendship, and a dead Austro-Hungarian archduke add up to surprising and heart-changing conclusions in this ingeniously layered comic novel about reinventing oneself.