2013 Reading Challenges

This year I decided to sign up for some reading challenges. I am going to put all of the challenges I am officially signed up for on a page along with a link to the blog or site that is hosting it (see above). Every month I will give an Update post on my progress with all of the challenges. These are the challenges I am participating in this year:

hobbitsies.net

Each participant must come up with a list of at least 12 debut books to read and review in 2013.


auntiespinellireads.com

The goal: To read as many sequels as you can. You set your goal at whatever number works for you.

I am setting my goal at 10 books.

Favorite Books of 2012

So there is almost no way to pick one favorite book that I read this year. I read a ton of books and many of them were fantastic. I just went to my Goodreads shelf and picked all the books I rated 5 stars this year, which are the following:

~ Dash & Lily's Book of Dares -Rachel Cohn
~ Shatter Me -Tahereh Mafi
~ Divergent -Veronica Roth
~ Delirium -Lauren Oliver
~ Pandemonuim -Lauren Oliver
~ The Scorch Trials -James Dashner
~ Prince of Wolves -Quinn Loftis
~ City of Bones/Ashes/Glass -Cassandra Clare
~ The Body Finder -Kimberly Derting
~ Clockwork Angel/ Prince -Cassandra Clare
~ Legend -Marie Lu
~ Starcrossed -Josephine Angelini
~ Dreamless -Josephine Angelini
~ Die For Me -Amy Plum 
~ Until I Die -Amy Plum
~ The Fault in Our Stars -John Green

What are your favorite books you read this year?

Review: Blood Red Road

Blood Red Road
Moira Young
(Summary from Goodreads.com)

Saba has spent her whole life in Silverlake, a dried-up wasteland ravaged by constant sandstorms. The Wrecker civilization has long been destroyed, leaving only landfills for Saba and her family to scavenge from. That's fine by her, as long as her beloved twin brother Lugh is around. But when a monster sandstorm arrives, along with four cloaked horsemen, Saba's world is shattered. Lugh is captured, and Saba embarks on an epic quest to get him back.

Suddenly thrown into the lawless, ugly reality of the world outside of desolate Silverlake, Saba is lost without Lugh to guide her. So perhaps the most surprising thing of all is what Saba learns about herself: she's a fierce fighter, an unbeatable survivor, and a cunning opponent. And she has the power to take down a corrupt society from the inside. Teamed up with a handsome daredevil named Jack and a gang of girl revolutionaries called the Free Hawks, Saba stages a showdown that will change the course of her own civilization.

Blood Red Road has a searing pace, a poetically minimal writing style, violent action, and an epic love story. Moira Young is one of the most promising and startling new voices in teen fiction.

Stacking the Shelves: Secret Assignments, Frostbite, and Silence

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!

Black Water

D. J. MacHale

Frostbite

Richelle Mead

Waiting On Wednesday: Unravel Me

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

Unravel Me
Tahereh Mafi
Shatter Me #2
February 5, 2013
(Summary from Goodreads.com)

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.

Stacking the Shelves: Inventions, Hosts, and Shadows

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!

Dreamless

Josephine Angelini

Quote Unquote: City of Fallen Angels

Quote Unquote is a series of posts of my favorite quotes from certain books. So far my other two "Quote Unquote" posts have been on this series, but it just has so many great quotes!

In no particular order: ~ “It’s a joke, Isabelle. He’s the Count. He likes counting. You know. ‘What did the Count eat today, children? One chocolate chip cookie, two chocolate chip cookies, three chocolate chip cookies . . .’”
There was a rush of cold air as the door of the restaurant opened, letting in another customer. Isabelle shivered and reached for her black silk scarf. “It’s not realistic.”
“What would you prefer? ‘What did the Count eat today, children? One helpless villager, two helpless villagers, three helpless villagers . . .”

Teaser Tuesday #8: Deadly Little Secret

Deadly Little Secret
Laurie Faria Stolarz
(Summary from Goodreads.com)

Until three months ago, everything about sixteen-year-old Camelia's life had been fairly ordinary: decent grades; an okay relationship with her parents; and a pretty cool part-time job at an art studio downtown. But when Ben, the mysterious new guy, starts junior year at her high school, Camelia's life becomes far from ordinary.

Rumored to be somehow responsible for his ex-girlfriend's accidental death, Ben is immediately ostracized by everyone on campus. Except for Camelia. She's reluctant to believe he's trouble, even when her friends try to convince her otherwise. Instead she's inexplicably drawn to Ben...and to his touch. But soon, Camelia is receiving eerie phone calls and strange packages with threatening notes. Ben insists she is in danger, and that he can help – but can he be trusted? She knows he's hiding something...but he's not the only one with a secret.

Series Spotlight: Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Rick Riordan

(Summary from Goodreads.com)

Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school... again. And that's the least of his troubles. Lately, mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy's Greek mythology textbook and into his life. And worse, he's angered a few of them. Zeus' master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect.

Now Percy and his friends have just ten days to find and return Zeus' stolen property and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the true thief: he must come to terms with the father who abandoned him; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of betrayal by a friend; and unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves

~I finished this series not to long ago and loved it. Even though this series is aimed towards a middle-grades audience, i'm sure everyone would enjoy reading it. This is a very well know and loved series and author.  

Think Out Loud #1: Free Your Mind

Think Out Loud is a weekly meme created by Thinks Books for bloggers to be able to break out of the blogging bubble and promotes thinking outside of the box. You can use this feature to post things you ordinarily wouldn't. For example, if you usually write book reviews, step outside your comfort zone. Post a funny story, a rant, a cool pic or video, ANYTHING. Consider it a complete free for all.

Hey Guys! I personally love this idea. So for my first think out loud I thought I would share a photo and a story. 

Teaser Tuesday #7: Born at Midnight

Born at Midnight
C. C. Hunter
(Summary from Goodreads.com)

Don’t miss this spectacular new series that will steal your heart and haunt your dreams, Welcome to Shadow Falls camp, nestled deep in the woods of a town called Fallen…

One night Kylie Galen finds herself at the wrong party, with the wrong people, and it changes her life forever. Her mother ships her off to Shadow Falls—a camp for troubled teens, and within hours of arriving, it becomes painfully clear that her fellow campers aren’t just “troubled.” Here at Shadow Falls, vampires, werewolves, shapshifters, witches and fairies train side by side—learning to harness their powers, control their magic and live in the normal world.

Kylie’s never felt normal, but surely she doesn’t belong here with a bunch of paranormal freaks either. Or does she? They insist Kylie is one of them, and that she was brought here for a reason. As if life wasn’t complicated enough, enter Derek and Lucas. Derek’s a half-fae who’s determined to be her boyfriend, and Lucas is a smokin’ hot werewolf with whom Kylie shares a secret past. Both Derek and Lucas couldn’t be more different, but they both have a powerful hold on her heart.

Even though Kylie feels deeply uncertain about everything, one thing is becoming painfully clear—Shadow Falls is exactly where she belongs…

Stacking the Shelves: Facts, Races, and Frenzies

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

Born at Midnight

C. C. Hunter

Review: The Truth About Forever

The Truth About Forever
Sarah Dessen
(Summary from Goodreads.com)

a long, hot summer...

That's what Macy has to look forward to while her boyfriend, Jason, is away at Brain Camp. Days will be spent at a boring job in the library, evenings will be filled with vocabulary drills for the SATs, and spare time will be passed with her mother, the two of them sharing a silent grief at the traumatic loss of Macy's father.

But sometimes unexpected things can happen—things such as the catering job at Wish, with its fun-loving, chaotic crew. Or her sister's project of renovating the neglected beach house, awakening long-buried memories. Things such as meeting Wes, a boy with a past, a taste for Truth-telling, and an amazing artistic talent, the kind of boy who could turn any girl's world upside down. As Macy ventures out of her shell, she begins to wonder, Is it really better to be safe than sorry?

Stacking the Shelves: Vampires, Witches, and a New Soul

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

Along for the Ride

Sarah Dessen

Teaser Tuesday #6: Starcrossed

Starcrossed
Josephine Angelini
(Summary from Goodreads.com)

Helen Hamilton has spent her entire sixteen years trying to hide how different she is—no easy task on an island as small and sheltered as Nantucket. And it's getting harder. Nightmares of a desperate desert journey have Helen waking parched, only to find her sheets damaged by dirt and dust. At school she's haunted by hallucinations of three women weeping tears of blood . . . and when Helen first crosses paths with Lucas Delos, she has no way of knowing they're destined to play the leading roles in a tragedy the Fates insist on repeating throughout history.

As Helen unlocks the secrets of her ancestry, she realizes that some myths are more than just legend. But even demigod powers might not be enough to defy the forces that are both drawing her and Lucas together—and trying to tear them apart.

Picture This #3: Books and Photography

"This meme was originally called Daily Doseand it was hosted by Good Golly Miss Holly, but she stopped doing it. Picture This is a meme where I feature Lovely Pictures I find Between here and there :)" Hosted by Jude over at In Between 

City of Bones Movie Trailer

Hey! so the movie trailer for The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones came out on Thursday.  And may I say "WOW"! I cant wait! You can watch it here!!

Waiting on Wednesday: Clockwork Princess

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

Clockwork Princess

Cassandra Clare 

Infernal Devices #3

March 19, 2013

(Summary from Goodreads.com)

If the only way to save the world was to destroy what you loved most, would you do it?

The clock is ticking. Everyone must choose.

Passion. Power. Secrets. Enchantment.

Danger closes in around the Shadowhunters in the final installment of the bestselling Infernal Devices trilogy.

Reached Released Tomorrow

I'm very excited to say that Reached, the third book in the Matched trilogy is coming out tomorrow! I have already read Matched and Crossed and have been waiting for this book since the summer. In fact, I pre-ordered it this summer so I should be getting it in the mail soon. Are you as excited as I am or is this a party of one?

After leaving Society and desperately searching for the Rising—and each other—Cassia and Ky have found what they were looking for, but at the cost of losing each other yet again: Cassia has been assigned to work for the Rising from within Society, while Ky has been stationed outside its borders. But nothing is as predicted, and all too soon the veil lifts and things shift once again.

Review: Clockwork Angel

Clockwork Angel
Cassandra Clare
(Summary from Goodreads.com)

Magic is dangerous—but love is more dangerous still.

When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.

Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What’s more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own.

Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by—and torn between—two best friends: James, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone in his life at arm's length . . . everyone, that is, but Tessa. As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world. . . . and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.

Cover Characteristics: Hearts

This is a new meme hosted by Sugar & Snark. Each week they will post a characteristic and we'll choose 5 of our favorite cover’s with that characteristic.

5

4

3

2

Quote Unquote: City of Glass

Quote Unquote is a series of posts of my favorite quotes from certain books. I know my first "Quote Unquote" post was on The City of Bones, (If you didn't see that one just click here.) but this series has many great quotes, so I had to make another post.

In no particular order:

~ “Have you tried talking to her?"

 "No. We've been punching her in the face repeatedly. What? You don't think that will work?”

Stacking the Shelves: Angels, Kings, and Legends

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

Blood Red Road- Moira Young

The Iron King- Julie Kagawa

Hush, Hush- Becca Fitzpatrick

Ready Player One- Ernest Cline

Clockwork Angel- Cassandra Clare 

Hex Hall- Rachel Hawkins

Series Spotlight: Delirium Trilogy

Delirium Trilogy 

Lauren Oliver

Delirium                 Pandemonium              Requiem

(Summary from Goodreads.com)

Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn’t understand that once love -- the deliria -- blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the government demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holoway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy.

But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love.

~ I absolutely love this series! The third book will be released next year and I am so excited. These are great books I would recommend to everyone!

Update: Sorry!

Okay guys, first I would seriously like to apologize for not posting in forever. School kind of sneaked up behind me and took me by surprise. I got behind on work and I my grades were falling a bit. Thankfully, I have every thing back under control (for now). Also, I had hit a wall with books. I had a week where every book I picked up just didn't do it for me, even some of my favorites. Gladly, that phase didn't last long and I have just finished a book that was amazing.

So, in apology for my absence I have decided I will publish a post on EVERY even numbered day in November. That's 15 posts! That might not seem like a ton but to me it is. Especially compared to the sad amount of posts in October, 7, barely, considering weren't really posts. So,  I will be doing a lot of posting this month, and again sorry for being gone!

Alright, that is it for now! I will talk to you guys soon!

What do you think?

Hey guys! So recently I added the little book and team banners to the side bar of my blog. I just wanted to get your opinion. Do you like how it looks or does it just make it look junky? Tell me what you think please.~

Teaser Tuesday #5: The Last Olympian

The Last Olympian
Rick Riordan
(Summary from Goodreads.com)

All year the half-bloods have been preparing for battle against the Titans, knowing the odds of a victory are grim. Kronos’s army is stronger than ever, and with every god and half-blood he recruits, the evil Titan’s power only grows.

While the Olympians struggle to contain the rampaging monster Typhon, Kronos begins his advance on New York City, where Mount Olympus stands virtually unguarded. Now it’s up to Percy Jackson and an army of young demigods to stop the Lord of Time.

In this momentous final book in the New York Times best-selling series, the long-awaited prophecy surrounding Percy’s sixteenth birthday unfolds. And as the battle for Western civilization rages on the streets of Manhattan, Percy faces a terrifying suspicion that he may be fighting against his own fate.

What's up next?

So I have had a pile of books sitting on my shelf for at least a month or two now. Most of them are books I borrowed from various people or just books that lost my interest. Every time I get a new book I tell myself I won't read it until I finish one of the books in the neglected pile but I never do. Hence the name "the neglected pile". I have decided I will try to tackle that stupid pile before I start on any new books I have gotten.

Up Next:

~The Thief Lord - Cornelia Funke : My brother lent me this book to read when I was low on books, but I never took interest.

~The Red Pyramid - Rick Riordan : This book was very recommended, and lent to me by, one of my friends, but it discusses Egyptian mythology and my knowledge of mythology is limited to a bit of Greek and even less Roman.

Stacking the Shelves: Secrets, Curses, and Reality

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 from a used book store:

A Corner of the Universe

Ann M. Martin

Review: The Body Finder

The Body Finder
Kimberly Derting
(Summary from Goodreads.com)

Violet Ambrose is grappling with two major issues: Jay Heaton and her morbid secret ability. While the sixteen-year-old is confused by her new feelings for her best friend since childhood, she is more disturbed by her "power" to sense dead bodies—or at least those that have been murdered. Since she was a little girl, she has felt the echoes that the dead leave behind in the world... and the imprints that attach to their killers.

Violet has never considered her strange talent to be a gift; it mostly just led her to find the dead birds her cat had tired of playing with. But now that a serial killer has begun terrorizing her small town, and the echoes of the local girls he's claimed haunt her daily, she realizes she might be the only person who can stop him.

Despite his fierce protectiveness over her, Jay reluctantly agrees to help Violet on her quest to find the murderer—and Violet is unnerved to find herself hoping that Jay's intentions are much more than friendly. But even as she's falling intensely in love, Violet is getting closer and closer to discovering a killer... and becoming his prey herself.

Books That Missed The Bar

Hey Guys! So this post will be about books that I had high hopes for, whether because of other reviews or just how interesting it sounded, but then ended up disappointing me. Now, I know a lot of people might of loved these books, but these just didn't do it for me.

The Summer I Turned Pretty
Jenny Han
I was hearing a lot about this book a year or two ago. People were saying it was just an easy beach read. So, when I was getting a few books from my vacation and saw it I thought I should go ahead and pick it up. Once I started reading it I quickly became quite annoyed by Belly, the main character. Also, the whole love-triangle between brothers kinda bothered me.

Series Spotlight: Matched Trilogy

Matched Trilogy

Ally Condie

     Matched                     Crossed                       Reached

(Summary from Goodreads.com)

Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate... until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.

~ Reached is released in November and I'm very excited for it!

Teaser Tuesday #4: City of Ashes

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB of Should be Reading.

City of Ashes

Cassandra Clare

(Summary from Goodreads.com)

Clary Fray just wishes that her life would go back to normal. But what's normal when you're a demon-slaying Shadowhunter, your mother is in a magically induced coma, and you can suddenly see Downworlders like werewolves, vampires, and faeries? If Clary left the world of the Shadowhunters behind, it would mean more time with her best friend, Simon, who's becoming more than a friend. But the Shadowhunting world isn't ready to let her go — especially her handsome, infuriating, newfound brother, Jace. And Clary's only chance to help her mother is to track down rogue Shadowhunter Valentine, who is probably insane, certainly evil — and also her father.

To complicate matters, someone in New York City is murdering Downworlder children. Is Valentine behind the killings — and if he is, what is he trying to do? When the second of the Mortal Instruments, the Soul-Sword, is stolen, the terrifying Inquisitor arrives to investigate and zooms right in on Jace. How can Clary stop Valentine if Jace is willing to betray everything he believes in to help their father?

In this breathtaking sequel to City of Bones, Cassandra Clare lures her readers back into the dark grip of New York City's Downworld, where love is never safe and power becomes the deadliest temptation.

Waiting on Wednesday: Destroy Me

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

Destroy Me
Tahereh Mafi
October 16, 2012
(Summary from Goodreads.com)

Perfect for the fans of Shatter Me who are desperately awaiting the release of Unravel Me, this novella-length digital original will bridge the gap between these two novels from the perspective of the villain we all love to hate, Warner, the ruthless leader of Sector 45.

In Tahereh Mafi’s Shatter Me, Juliette escaped from The Reestablishment by seducing Warner—and then putting a bullet in his shoulder. But as she’ll learn in Destroy Me, Warner is not that easy to get rid of. . .

Back at the base and recovering from his near-fatal wound, Warner must do everything in his power to keep his soldiers in check and suppress any mention of a rebellion in the sector. Still as obsessed with Juliette as ever, his first priority is to find her, bring her back, and dispose of Adam and Kenji, the two traitors who helped her escape. But when Warner’s father, The Supreme Commander of The Reestablishment, arrives to correct his son’s mistakes, it’s clear that he has much different plans for Juliette. Plans Warner simply cannot allow.

Set after Shatter Me and before its forthcoming sequel, Unravel Me, Destroy Me is a novella told from the perspective of Warner, the ruthless leader of Sector 45.

Stacking the Shelves: Uglies, Celia, and the McGowans

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 from a used book store:

Feeling Sorry For Celia

Jaclyn Moriarty

Quote Unquote: City of Bones

So, I thought I would do a new series with my favorite quotes from books. I will try not to include spoilers. To start off with I'm doing City of Bones, and I might end up doing this whole series because these books definitely have some funny and lovable moments. So without further ado; my favorite quotes from City of Bones, by Cassandra Clare:

In no particular order:

~ “Don't." Clary raised a warning hand. "I'm not really in the mood right now."
"That's got to be the first time a girl's ever said that to me," Jace mused.”

Review: Unearthly

Unearthly 
Cynthia Hand
(Summary form Goodreads.com)

In the beginning, there's a boy standing in the trees . . . .

Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what that is, though, isn't easy.

Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place and out of place at the same time. Because there's another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side.

As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?

Unearthly is a moving tale of love and fate, and the struggle between following the rules and following your heart.

Beautiful Blogger Award!

Hey! I've received the Beautiful Blogger Award from the wonderful Grace Ma. Her posts are always interesting, very well written, and just fun to read. Make sure to check her out: The Humble Watermelon

Picture This #2: Cuteness

"This meme was originally called Daily Doseand it was hosted by Good Golly Miss Holly, but she stopped doing it. Picture This is a meme where I feature Lovely Pictures I find Between here and there :)" Hosted by Jude over at In Between

Ok, so recently I have been close to obsessed with looking at pictures that reek of cuteness. These are some of my favorite photos so far that just make me  say "awwwwww". 

Series Spotlight: The Mortal Instruments

The Mortal Instruments 
Cassandra Clare

City of Bones          , City of Ashes,            City of Glass
City of Fallen Angels,  City of Lost Souls,  City of Heavenly Fire

(Summary from Goodreads.com)

When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder -- much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing -- not even a smear of blood -- to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know. . . . 

Exotic and gritty, exhilarating and utterly gripping, Cassandra Clare's ferociously entertaining fantasy takes readers on a wild ride that they will never want to end. 

I  loved this series!

The sixth and final book, City of Heavenly Fire, comes out in 2014. (Which is way too long to wait if you ask me.) That is why there is a filler in the place of the sixth book on the image.

I only included the summary for the first book because the summaries for the other books contain spoilers.~

Waiting on Wednesday: Requiem

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

Requiem

Lauren Oliver

March 5, 2013

(Summary from Goodreads.com)

Now an active member of the resistance, Lena has been transformed. The nascent rebellion that was under way in Pandemonium has ignited into an all-out revolution in Requiem, and Lena is at the center of the fight. Of Pandemonium, ALA Booklist noted that “like all successful second volumes, this expands the world and ups the stakes, setting us up for the big finale.”

After rescuing Julian from a death sentence, Lena and her friends fled to the Wilds. But the Wilds are no longer a safe haven—pockets of rebellion have opened throughout the country, and the government cannot deny the existence of Invalids. Regulators now infiltrate the borderlands to stamp out the rebels, and as Lena navigates the increasingly dangerous terrain, her best friend, Hana, lives a safe, loveless life in Portland as the fiancée of the young mayor. Requiem is told from both Lena’s and Hana’s points of view. The two girls live side by side in a world that divides them until, at last, their stories converge.

~Requiem is the third and final book in the 'Delirium' trilogy.

Stacking the Shelves: Shadowhunters, Angles, and Epic Detours

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!

I recently ordered some books off of Amazon.com and thought I would share with you what I got:

Amy & Rogers Epic Detour 

Morgan Matson

Picture This #1: Sparkles

"This meme was originally called Daily Doseand it was hosted by Good Golly Miss Holly, but she stopped doing it. Picture This is a meme where I feature Lovely Pictures I find Between here and there :)" Hosted by Jude over at In Between

My mood this week has been very weird. I couldn't find a way to describe it. So, my friend helped me out a bit.

 My mood this week: Sparkly *-*

So, here are some of my favorite pictures that sparkle:

Review: Leviathan

Leviathan
Scott Westerfeld

(Summary from Goodreads.com)

Prince Aleksander, would-be heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, is on the run. His own people have turned on him. His title is worthless. All he has is a battletorn war machine and a loyal crew of men.

Deryn Sharp is a commoner, disguised as a boy in the British Air Service. She's a brilliant airman. But her secret is in constant danger of being discovered.

With World War I brewing, Alek and Deryn's paths cross in the most unexpected way…taking them on a fantastical, around-the-world adventure that will change both their lives forever.

The Kill Order Released

The Kill Order
James Dashner
(Summary from Goodreads.com)

The prequel to the New York Times bestselling Maze Runner series.

Before WICKED was formed, before the Glade was built, before Thomas entered the Maze, sun flares hit the earth and mankind fell to disease.

Mark and Trina were there when it happened, and they survived. But surviving the sun flares was easy compared to what came next. Now a disease of rage and lunacy races across the eastern United States, and there’s something suspicious about its origin. Worse yet, it’s mutating, and all evidence suggests that it will bring humanity to its knees.

Mark and Trina are convinced there’s a way to save those left living from descending into madness. And they’re determined to find it—if they can stay alive. Because in this new, devastated world, every life has a price. And to some, you’re worth more dead than alive.

Book I Read For School

So for me school is fast approaching and I am just not ready to go back. I know a lot of schools don't start until September, but where I live school starts in August. So, while thinking of posts I thought I should do something school related. I decided to do this because it interests me what books people have to read for school. Luckily, not all the books I had to read were super boring, but I did get a fair share of those.

Books Almost Everyone Reads:

The Giver
Lois Lowry

This is a classic book, though I didn't particularly like it, that the majority of people had to read for school, or at least had a teacher recommend it.

Bud, Not Buddy
Christopher Paul Curtis

Okay, so this one I'm not sure if everyone reads this but I had two different teachers make me read this so I would think it is a popular book for teachers.