Win a Signed ARC and T-Shirt

Suzanne Young is having this totally awesome contest for a signed ARC of The Naughty List and a Naughty List T-Shirt! If you haven't already, go ENTER!

I've been quoted!!

OMG! I'm like so excited right now. After emailing the link to my Mackenzie, Lost and Found review to author Deborah Kerbel, whom I was reviewing it for, she asked if she could quote me on her site. Of course I told her she could and here it is people. Click here.

I was so happy when I saw it! You absolutely rock Deborah! To read my full review of Mackenzie, Lost and Found, just click here. And if you haven't already, I highly suggest you get yourself a copy of this amazing book and read it.

Review: Mackenize, Lost and Found

Mackenzie, Lost and Found by Deborah Kerbel Publisher: Dundurn
Pub. Date: November 17, 2008
Pages: 256
Age Level: YA

Synopsis
Still recovering from the loss of her mother, fifteen-year-old Mackenzie Hill feels like she's drowning in a sea of pain and loneliness.To make matters worse, her eccentric father is forcing her to leave behind the only home she's ever known and move with him to Israel.

Coming of age in the ancient city of Jerusalem, Mackenzie forges a friendship with an American girl who's also suffered a tragic loss. At the same time, she becomes caught up in a forbidden romance with a Palestinian boy and an unwitting involvement in a ring of black-market bandits. Mackenzie has to find a way to solve the mystery of the stolen artefacts without betraying her first love. And along the way, come to terms with the grief that has been slowly eating away at her heart.

Review
Mackenzie, Lost and found is the utterly original, beautifully crafted story of a forbidden love.

I thought Mackenzie and Nasir were such realistically portrayed characters. They were easy to relate to and I have a good feeling they will be very hard to forget. I particularly found Nasir to be an intriguing character. There was just something about him that was just so different from other male love interests in YA books and I don't just mean the fact that he's Muslim, though that probably played some part. Mackenzie and Nasir's relationship was genuine and based on the more important things, like being able to really talk to each other. Though at times it seems their relationship is developing too quickly, I had to remember that this book takes place over nearly a year of time. For this reason, I found myself wishing this book had been much longer so I could have watched their relationship develop and grow more, instead of just getting glimpses.

Mackenzie, Lost and Found is a very unique, and in some ways, possibly controversial story. However, I only loved it all the more for it. I have to give serious kudos to Deborah Kerbel for writing this wonderful book. There are very few authors out there who would dare to write a story about a romance between a Caucasian Canadian girl and a Muslim boy.

Deborah Kerbel's writing style definitely helped me form a closer connection to the story and its characters. I found it was suprisingly easy for me to picture the setting of Jerusalem. Now, everyone knows I love alternating perspectives in a book. After all, don't most people? Furthermore, I thought it was especially important that this book was written with alternating perspectives for numerous reasons. For starters, the insight I got into the Muslim culture. Another is that I got to know Nasir's opinions on his own culture and on others. Plus there is the obvious reason of getting to know both side of the story in general.

The ending, well, lets just say the ending was not my favorite aspect of this book. There were parts about it that I liked and parts I really didn't. What I liked about the ending was that I could really see how Mackenzie had changed throughout the book and, in a way, she finally finds closure on a couple of things. However, this book also left me with a huge, nagging question that I really wish had been answered. I believe anyone who has read this book knows exactly what I'm talking about.

Mackenzie, Lost and Found is an impressive, memorable book that I'll never forget. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend this book to anyone. Of course, there are always going to be those who aren't going to be keen on the idea of this book, but I think Mackenzie, Lost and Found is one that even they should read. I know it is one I'll be re-reading and I'm proud to have it in my personal library.

Grade
Characters: A-
Writing: B+
Plot: A
Ending: C+
Recommendable:A-
Cover: B (Would have been higher but the girl on the cover just didn't seem to really reflect Mackenzie the way I'd have liked. Plus, she is supposed to be a blonde, so what is with the dark brown eyebrows?)

Overall: B+

Review: Sliding on the Edge

Sliding on the Edge by C. Lee McKenzie
Publisher: WestSide Books
Pub. Date: April 23, 2009
Pages: 268
Age Level: 15+/YA & Adult

Synopsis (From dust jacket)
Shawna Stone, sixteen, has learned to handle anything from a Las Vegas hustle to skipping out on the rent. Scarred inside and out, she's survived with a tough, hardened attitude. When her mother abandons her in Vegas, with only a bus ticket and the name and number of a stranger to call, this troubled, desperate teen finds herself on a California horse ranch with Kay Stone, the steely, youngish grandmother she's never known.

Kay overwhelms Shawna with rules and daily barn chores, and Shawna baffles Kay with her foul-mouthed anger and shrugging indifference to everything--except the maltreated horse on the ranch next door. But it's worse than Kay even suspects: Shawna's driven to cut herself by Monster, that strange voice inside her head. Kay struggles to keep the ranch going and fears that unless she helps this girl, she could lose her last living family member. As this unlikely pair struggles to co-exist, will they overcome their inner suffering and transcend the past?

Review
Sliding on the Edge is the emotional, powerful debut novel of author C. Lee McKenzie.

To say that Shawna is troubled would be a serious understatement. She is haunted and struggles daily with the demons inside her caused from a disastrous home life. To make matters worse, there is Monster. The voice inside her head cutting her down, reminding her of all the bad things in her life, and in turn, making Shawna turn to a razor blade for comfort. Shawna is a very genuine and believable character. Despite her hard and bitter exterior, I could really feel her grief and pain, and found myself desperately hoping she'd have a happy ending.

Kay, Shawna's grandmother, has demons of her own to battle, having been through some hard times of her own. She is so lonely, that is, until Shawna comes along. Kay is somewhat cold and stern but she has definitely met her match in Shawna. She is thrust out of her comfort zone and it doesn't take her long to realize that she is in over her head. I thought Kay was very realistic and well developed. She was exactly how I would have expected a woman in her situation to be.

Kenny is Kay's right-hand man and is there to help her when she needs him. Then there is Casey, the Sunday boy who has taken an interest in Shawna but is having a very hard time getting her to open up. I really liked Casey and sure wish he had been in the book more.

C. Lee McKenzie tackles some very difficult topics, such as abandonment, suicide, cutting, and depression, that a lot of authors wouldn't dare write about. I think she did a wonderful job writing Sliding on the Edge and everything was very well portrayed. I loved the alternating perspectives and how Shawna's was told in first person and Kay's, in third person. This made me feel an even closer bond to Shawna but I still got to hear Kay's side of the story. I was so glad this book had the ending it did and everything seemed very well tied up. I must say, I can easily see this being made into a movie, particularly from Hallmark or Lifetime.

Sliding on the Edge is a gripping and genuine novel that will touch your heart. I would highly recommend this to not only young adults, but to adults as well. I'm really glad to have this book in my personal library.

Grade
Characters: B+
Writing: B
Plot: B+
Ending: B
Recommendable: B+
Cover: B-

Overall: B+

(Please forgive any typos. I typed this very early this morning and will re-read over it again later once my mind has had some rest.)

Awesometastic Birthday Giveaway! (Closed!!!!!!)

In celebration of my upcoming 17th birthday, I have decided to throw a huge giveaway! This will be the first one I've ever held where there will be more than one winner.

~Prizes~

There is a lot for the winners to choose from and more books may be added later:

• Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick (HC) (UK edition!)
• Signed! Sliding on the Edge by C. Lee McKenzie (HC) (Donated by C. Lee McKenzie)
• Confessions of a Not it Girl by Melissa Kantor (PB Very gently used.)
• Ballad by Maggie Stiefvater (PB)
• Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead (PB)
• Graceling by Kristin Cashore (PB)
• Signed! Bewitching Season by Marissa Doyle (PB)(Donated by Marissa. Thanks!)
• ARC of Betraying Season by Marissa Doyle
• ARC of Give Up the Ghost by Megan Crewe
• ARC of Candor by Pam Bachorz
• ARC of Hold Still by Nina LaCour
• ARC of Lockdown by Alexander Gordon Smith
• ARC of Secret Society by Tom Dolby
• ARC of Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
• ARC of The Naughty List by Suzanne Young

So far, that is 15 books and like I said above, more will likely be added.

~4 Winners (More may be added)~
1st Prize:
Choice of 5 books
A copy of Vampires by Joules Taylor
A copy of Werewolves by Jon Izzard
A Hush, Hush Poster
Random Sawg

2nd Prize:
Choice of 4 books
A copy of Vampires by Joules Taylor
A copy of Werewolves by Jon Izzard
Random Swag

3rd Prize:
Choice of 3 books
A copy of Vampires by Joules Taylor
A copy of Werewolves by Jon Izzard
Random Swag

Time of Birth Prize Winner
First person to accurately guess my time of birth will receive their choice of 1 book and receive some random swag. If no one guesses correctly, then the closest guess will get the prize.

~Rules and Details~

• To enter, comment saying you'd like to be entered and leave your email address. If you don't feel comfortable leaving your email then email it to me. (No email equals no entry!)
• You MUST be a follower to enter.
• Contest is only open to residents of the US, Canada, PR, and US Military bases around the world. (This costs the same as shipping domestically). I wish I could open this to everyone but I just don't have that kind of money. However, if you have a friend who would be willing to ship the books to you, go right on ahead and enter.
• Contest will end at 11:59 PM EST on November 16th, my birthday! Winner will be announced on or around the 17th.
• Winners will have 48hrs to respond and will get their choice of books based on the order in which they responded.

~Extra Entries~

+2 followers (Please specify new or old)
+2 Add to sidebar (No link, no entry)
+2 Tweeting(No link, no entry)
+5 Posting about it (Must be actual post. No link, no entry)
+5 Add my button to your sidebar(No link, no entry)
+5 Will go to my Top 5 Chatter Boxes at end of contest

+10 To the first person to guess the exact time I was born. (Hours and minutes. Mom and I don't even know the seconds. :P) Must specify AM or PM!
+20 Buy something from my Photography Website. Remember Christmas isn't too far off. (Must provide some form of proof of purchase)
+1-3 Twitter Trivia: I'll randomly ask questions on twitter and first person to respond with correct answer will receive 1-3 extra entries. No limit to how many time you can gain these. (Number of available extra entries will be posted with question.)
+2 Secret Criteria

Happy entering!

Edit 1: A signed copy of Sliding on the Edge has been added.

Edit 2: Time of Birth Prize Winner has been added.

Edit 3: ARC of The Naughty List has been added.

Edit 4: Anyone who buys something from my website will now receive +20 entries instead of +10

Edit 5: Confessions of a Not It Girl has been added.

Review: Hush, Hush

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Pub. Date: October 13, 2009
Pages: 400
Age Level: 15-16+/YA

Synopsis
For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch came along.

With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment.

But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure who to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.

For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life.

Review
Let me warn you, this is going to be a very long review. It took me a few days just to decide on what I was going to write. There is no short way to express my full opinion of Hush, Hush.

I really enjoyed the characters. I thought Nora was a very believable and well developed heroine. I also thought she was a fairly strong character. If the stuff that was happening to her happened to me, I'd go nuts. Then we have Nora's best buddy Vee who is just down right hilarious. I would love to have her as a best friend. There were numerous occassions where she had me laughing out loud and saying, "Hey mom, I gotta read you this part." Last, but certainly not least, we have Patch. Mr. tall, dark, and handsome, the ultimate bad boy. I can now see why some girls are borderline obsessed with him. He is definitely one to draw you in.

The relationship between Nora and Patch definitely includes that danger factor but I wouldn't necessarily classify their relationship as destructive. Ok, so it started out destructive but as the book drew to an end, it became less so. However, I still wouldn't recommend this book to anyone under 15 or 16 because of it. (Then I'd still question the maturity and impressionability of the teen in question. A judgement call I feel should be left to the parents.)

The premise of this book was excellent. And for the most part, it didn't disappoint. I felt compelled to keep turning the pages, consumed by suspense. I don't think a book has every grabbed and held my attention the way Hush, Hush did, and for that I love it. However, I feel that more of the back story should have been incorporated in because a part of me kept feeling like something was missing. Also, the synopsis lead me to believe there was going to be more of an actual battle than there really was. Yet somehow, I don't really mind this.

There is no denying that Becca Fitzpatrick is a great writer. Everything was written in such a way that I really felt connected to the story and characters. However I felt there were some things that could have been better phrased or explained.

I thought the ending could have been better. It definitely wasn't what I expected and I admit I was hoping for more of a cliffhanger. Thankfully the rest of the book was enough to leave me in eager anticipation of the next book, Crescendo.

All in all, I loved Hush, Hush. I may have had a couple of issues with it here and there but that doesn't change the fact that Hush, Hush was one of the most intriguing, suspenseful, and enjoyable books I've read. This is one I will re-read again and again and I recommend it to any young adult and even to some adults.

Grade
Characters: A
Writing: B
Plot: B
Ending: C+
Series: B
Recommendable: B+
Cover: A+

Overall: B
Overall Enjoyment: A

Cover Alert!

Lisa Schroeder recently tweeted about the paperback cover for her book Far From You. I have to say that I'm absolutely in LOVE with it! It is so beautiful! The white and silvery color scheme works perfect and I love the font and color choice for the title. Everything about this cover screams, "PICK ME UP!" I already have the hardcover but am so totally pre-ordering the paperback which will be released January 5, 2010.

Synopsis

Lost and alone ... down the rabbit hole.
Alice thought she knew
what solitude was:
Her mother—gone
Her father—remarried with a newborn
daughter.
Now ...
trapped
in the icy embrace
of a deadly snowstorm
Alice faces the true meaning of loneliness.
But hope
may not be as far away
as she thinks ... .

Read my review HERE!

You can pre-order your copy at these websites:

Barnes and Noble

Amazon

Book Depository

Borders

In My Mailbox (20)

In My Mailbox

I think I did pretty good this week.

From Taschima

~Ice by Sarah Beth Durst

~Some totally awesome bookmarks!

From Razorbill

~Possessions by Nancy Holder

~The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove by Lauren Kate

From BookMooch

~The Mercury Visions of Louis Daguerre by Dominic Smith

~The Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezvani

~Calligraphy of a Witch by Alicia Gaspar De Alba

From Contests

~Signed! The Killing Way by Tony Hays (Passages to the Past)

~Ballad by Maggie Stiefvater and bookmark (Book Reviews by Jess)

~The Devil's Queen by Jeanne Kalogridis (Literaturely Speaking)

~The Smart One and the Pretty One by Claire LaZebnik (Peeking Between the Pages)

Win a 4 ARC Bundle from Princess Bookie

Princess Bookie is giving away an awesome bundle of four terrific ARCs. Personally, I feel the #1 reason I must have these is because each book has the whole package! A great title, premise, and cover! Plus I'm interviewing one of the authors. :D

Some Totally Awesome Contests!

Surprise Surprise but Princess Bookie is having some awesome contests over at her blog to celebrate the Readathon. So what are you waing for? Go enter.

Writing Great YA Fiction

No query? No pitch? No problem!

Serendipity Literary Agency, in collaboration with Sourcebooks and Gotham Writers' Workshop, is hosting its first Young Adult Novel Discovery Competition for a chance to win a one-on-one consultation with one of New York's leading YA literary agents!

If you've written a novel for young adults—or have an idea for one that you would like to write—we invite you to enter our contest. Simply submit only an enticing title along with the first 250 words from the opening of your original YA novel using the form below. There's no entry fee or purchase requirement.

GREAT PRIZES

The Grand Prize Winner will have the opportunity to submit an entire manuscript to YA literary agent Regina Brooks and receive a free, 10-week writing course, courtesy of Gotham Writers' Workshop.

The Top Five Entrants (including the Grand Prize winner) will receive a 15-minute, one-on-one pitch session with Regina Brooks, one of New York’s premier literary agents for young adult books. They will also receive commentary on their submissions by editors at HarperCollins, Penguin, Harlequin, Random House, and Sourcebooks and receive a one-year subscription to The Writer magazine.

The Top 20 Entrants will receive autographed copies of Writing Great Books for Young Adults by Regina Brooks.

Click HERE for more details!

Author Interview: Marissa Doyle

I recently had the great pleasure of getting to interview a wonderful author, Marissa Doyle. She is the author of the historical/fantasy series Leland Sisters which so far includes the title Bewitching Season and Betraying Season.

The Book Pixie: Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Marissa Doyle: Mom of three, history geek, full-time writer, quilter, loves bunnies, collecting books and antiques, sailing and swimming and gardening; not fond of loud noises, shoes with too-high heels, or liquorice-flavored jelly beans.

TBP: What do you love most about writing?

MD: Creating worlds and the people in them. I have a need to make things, which is why I also like to sew and quilt and knit and make painted furniture...but creating with words gives me the deepest satisfaction.

Oh yes--and not having to wear panty hose to work.

TBP: Aside from being a writer, what is another career you believe you'd enjoy?

MD: Probably going back and making use of the museum administration program I studied in and going to work for a history museum of some kind...or being an antiques appraiser...or working as a contract archaeologist. Those are the people who get called in to do a fast excavation/study of an area that's about to be turned into a supermarket or state highway. It isn't perfect academic work, but it's preserving at least some record and rudimentary study of sites that might otherwise just have been destroyed.

TBP: As most may know, Bewitching Season mainly follows Persy while Betraying Season follows Pen. Which of the twins is your favorite? Who is your favorite of the other characters?

MD: I think I identify most with Persy--I was a very shy teen as well--but I like both girls equally. I love Charles and hope to be able to write a story for him some day, and I'm loving writing about the twin's mother, Lady Parthenope, when she was a teen.

TBP: Has anything really interesting or funny ever occurred while you were researching for your books?

MD: I guess what strikes me the most as I do research is how little human beings have changed, even in strange little things. For example, I have a collection of magazines from the 1810s and 1820s, and recently ran across a small article in one of them that more or less poked fun at lawyers. Yes, lawyer jokes in 1825. I love running across tidbits like that.

TBP: Can we expect to here more from the Leland girls? Is there something else you are currently working on?

MD: Yes! The third Leland Sisters book (due out from Henry Holt in 2010 or 2011) is actually a prequel to Bewitching Season and Betraying Season. It features their mother, Lady Parthenope, as one of the main characters when she was making her debut in society, and of course there's magic and romance and a mystery to solve. The title is still undecided--it was The Waterloo Plot, but that will definitely change.

TBP: Describe your ideal place to write.

MD: I have it...it used to be the spare bedroom, but I have fiendishly taken it over. Half is my sewing and quilting space, and half is for writing with my desk and bookcases containing part of my collection of research books (there are too many of those to fit in one place). The bed is still in there, but it's piled with the research materials for whatever book I'm currently working on. I have a window in front of my desk because I like to see the birds in the crabapple tree outside it and the clouds and sky. It's kind of messy, with piles of fabric and cut pieces for my latest quilt on one side, and papers and books on the other, but it's very, very cozy.

TBP: Ok, I'm just dying to hear about your 'bossy pet rabbit'. Could you please tell us about him/her?

MD: We were very sad to lose our beloved bossy bun, Maple, this past summer after a long illness. But he definitely was bossy...when he wanted petting or a snack or just to be paid attention to and acknowledged, you knew it. He had my husband very well trained--he knew that if he nibbled on his shoes, Daddy would give him a clump of parsley to distract him. We had our morning routine of our "C" words--carrot for Maple, and coffee for me--and our morning snack and combing/petting/snuggling session.

Just this past weekend, we adopted two young buns because living without a bunny in the house was no fun. It took two bunnies to fill Maple's place. :) They're very cute, but need socializing (just as Maple did when we first adopted him), so we're working on that. They're brother and sister, and we've christened them Saffron (the boy) and Asuka (the girl--the name of a character in one of my son's favorite anime series).

(TBP: So sorry about Maple. Wish you the best with your new bunnies.)

TBP: You have awoken to the police banging on your front door. What is the first thought to pop into your mind?

MD: My first thought is, "Oh my god something's happened to one of my kids". My second thought is, "Oh no! Someone's figured out I'm not a real author after all--I'm just faking it and got lucky with the books I've published so far and they're coming to take me away because they finally figured it out too." Writers are a weird, insecure lot.

TBP: If you were to make a bucket list, (list of things to do before you 'kick the bucket') what would be the first three things on it?

MD: Hmm. I don't have any unfulfilled urges to do anything like skydive (NO, thank you) or climb Mt. Everest...but I would like to travel more and see several places, like Iceland and the Canadian Rockies and Morocco and Tahiti and Italy and Japan and New Zealand and the south of France, and go back to places I've loved, like Bath and York in England, and Granada/the Alhambra in Spain. I'd love to earn enough money from writing to establish a scholarship fund for young writers. And I'd like to live long enough to someday see my eventual grandchildren graduate from college. I'm sorry I'm so very boring...unless it means that I'm fairly content with my life, which is okay.

TBP: Anything else you'd like to add before you go?

MD: Just that I love visitors to my website (www.marissadoyle.com) and blog (http://nineteenteen.blogspot.com), which I co-host with author and fellow history geek Regina Scott and where we talk about 19th century history from a teen point of view. Please stop by!

I'd like to thank you all for stopping by to read the interview and I'd like to thank Marissa for agreeing to do one. :D I also have reviews up on both Bewitching Season and Betraying Season in case you are interested.

Review: Betraying Season

Betraying Season by Marissa Doyle
Publisher: Henry Holt
Pub. Date: September 29, 2009
Pages: 336
Age Level: YA
Series: Leland Sisters #2

Synopsis
Penelope (Pen) Leland has come to Ireland to study magic and prove to herself that she is as good a witch as her twin sister, Persy. But when the dashing Niall Keating begins to pay her court, she can’t help being distracted from her studies.

Little does Pen know, Niall is acting upon orders from his sorceress mother. And although it starts as a sham, Niall actually falls deeply in love with Pen, and she with him. But even if he halts his mother’s evil plan, will Pen be able to forgive him for trying to seduce her into a plot? And what of Pen’s magic, which seems to be increasingly powerful?

Review
Marissa Doyle will continue to impress readers with Betraying Season. Though second in the Leland Sisters series, you do not have to read the first book to understand and follow everything happening in Betraying Season. However, it does help in some aspects and I would recommend you reading Bewitching Season.

The characters in Betraying Season are just as wonderfully written as those in Bewitching Season. I loved getting to know Pen, who was a well developed and likable character. I thought Niall made a very suitable love interest. In a way, he was a bit of a bad boy, but also had a soft and intellectual side about him. I admit, I really missed Pen's little brother Charles but found that Corkwobble filled the shoes of the humorous character in this story.

Once again Marissa Doyle manages to maintain a feel of historical authenticity throughout the story thanks to her terrific writing skills. I was glad to see that she wrote Betraying Season in alternating perspectives. It was very entertaining to hear both sides and helped me form a closer bond to the characters. I also felt the ending fit perfectly.

Betraying Season is a riveting story of magic, love and betrayal. I thoroughly enjoyed it and can't wait for the next addition to the Leland Sisters series which will tell the story of Pen and Persy's mother.

Grade
Characters: B+
Writing: B+
Plot: A-
Ending: A
Cover: A+
Recommendable: A
Series: A

Overall: A-

Read my review on Bewitching Season!

New Poll (You're Gonna Want to Vote in This One!)

Ok everyone, I've got a very important poll up in the left sidebar that I would like as many of you as possible to vote on. Please check it out and leave your votes.

In My Mailbox (19) aka Holy Cow!

In My Mailbox!

So I got 37 books this week. Only 10 were bought. Plus the mail didn't run Monday and I didn't get anything today. So I basically got 27 books in four days, 16 of which came on the same day!

From Becca Fitzpatrick and her publisher

~Signed Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick and 3 posters (Thanks so very much. Hush, Hush is awesometastic!)

For Review

~A Golden Web by Barbara Quick (From publisher)

~Rumor and Qix by Kathleen Wilson (From publisher)

BookMooch

~Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezvani

Bought

~The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (Leather-bound only paid $10)

Library Sale (Total of $4.50 spent)

~The Way We Lived - Reader's Digest

~Our Magnifecent Wildlife - Reader's Digest

~Siamese Cats

~Constantine by Frank G. Slaughter

~John Adams by David McCullough

~The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell

~The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers

~Gentle Harvest (Poems)

~Hair: 100 Styling Secrets (Not pictured cause I forgot)

Received to giveaway (Not pictured)

~3 copies of Vampires

~3 copies of Werewolves

Won in Contests
~Maximum Ride Prize Pack by James Patterson (From B.A.M. Book Reviews )

~Benny and Shrimp by Katarina Mazetti (From Bloody Bad)

~The Devil's Queen by Jeanne Kalogridis (From A Reader's Respite)

~Going Away Shoes by Jill McCorkle (From Bookin' with Bingo)

~Ferris Beach by Jill McCorkle (Same contest from Bookin' with Bingo)

~Ever by Gail Carson Levine (From Alexandra Bracken)

~The Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine (same contest from AB)

~Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine (ditto)

~Writing Magic by Gail Carson Levine (ditto)

~The Fairy's Return by Gail Carson Levine (ditto)

I Sold My First Photo!!!!

I just recently sold my very first photo through Redbubble. The buyer was RKCharron (Thank you so much!) and she bought a matted 8.5x12.9 print for $45.00.

Of course, thanks to Redbubble, I'm only going to see $11.88 of it and have to wait until I have atleast $20 to transfer but hey, I'm not complaining. I sold a photo! I am just so happy right now. I keep hoping maybe I'll be able to sell some more soon. In case you were wondering, this is the photo.

Wish to follow RKCharron's good example and buy a piece of my work? Then click HERE to view my gallery. They'd make the perfect gifts, for Christmas or any occasion, to give to a lover and appreciator of art. :D

Winner Announcment and a Great Contest

Sorry I'm so late posting this. It is time to announce the winner of my Banned Book Week Giveaway for a copy of The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things.

And the winner is............

Jenny N.

Jenny, you have been emailed and have 48hrs to respond or another winner will be chosen.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Also, there is a great contest going on at That Chick That Reads for a copy of After by Amy Efaw. It ends October 16th so hurry and enter HERE.

In My Mailbox (18)

In My Mailbox

So I got some pretty good stuff this week.

Contests

~Signed! Cleopatra's Daughter by Michelle Moran (From My Reading Room)

~Legacy by Cayla Kluver (From My Blog 2.0)

~Signed! The Kindling of Greenfyr by Mark Freeman (From Mark Freeman)

~Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins, a pin & T-Shirt (From Pop Culture Junkie)

Bought

~The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan (Paid only $8.15!)

Two Awesome Giveaways!

Books Obsession is having two great contests! One for a copy of Just One Wish (Ends 10/20) and one for a copy of Zombie Queen of Newbury High (Ends 10/31). To enter them, click HERE and HERE.

Great Contest at Princess Bookie

So there is this totally awesome contest over at Princess Bookie. There will be a total of four winners! So if you haven't already, go check it out and enter.

Yet Another Random Post

So yeah I've still been looking around at computers even though I know I can't get a new one. Dell has some really cool laptops. Not only do they have Dell coupon codes so you can save, but they also have all of these awesome different designs you can choose from.

Aren't some of those just totally awesome! If I do finally get the money for a laptop, I'm pretty sure I know where I'm getting it from.

ARC of Catching Fire for Trade!

Ok, so today I received my t-shirt, pin and copy of Catching Fire that I won. So that means that I have an ARC of Catching Fire available for trade. Now I'm a little tight for cash so the trade is going to have to really be worth it for me to accept. Here is what I'm really looking for:

One or more of the following in HC or one HC and a paperback from the selection below this one:
The Stolen One
The Splendor Falls
Fire
After
The Summoning
The King's Rose
Once a Witch
The Princess and the Hound
Radiant Darkness
Nobody's Princess
Jumping Off Swings
A Sweet Disorder
The Red Queen's Daughter
Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow
Sphinx's Princess
The Swan Kingdom
I am Rembrandt's Daughter
Ophelia
Magic Study
Tricks
Gone
Blue Bloods
Vampire Academy
Impulse

2 or more of the following paperbacks:
Cracked Up to Be
My Soul to Take
To Catch a Pirate
The Dust of 100 Dogs
Break
Prada and Prejudice
Blue Bloods
Vampire Academy
Night Runner
I Heart You, You Haunt Me
Stolen

I'm not looking for more ARCs so if you have a finished copy or two (Note: I prefer HC) that is on my wishlist but not on this list, I may be willing to accept it. Please EMAIL me your offers. (email can be found in the right sidebar)

Totally Random Post

Not that I could ever afford it but I happened across this wickedly awesome laptop. It is mainly intended for gaming but I think it would just make a really cool laptop to have. I've never had a laptop and always wanted one.
Now there are Alienware coupons but I'd have to do some serious saving. lol. Oh well, it was still really neat to look at it.

Review: What My Mother Doesn't Know

What My Mother Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones

Publisher: Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing
Pub. Date: February 1, 2003
Pages: 259
Age Level: 14+

Synopsis
My name is Sophie.
This book is about me.
It tells
the heart-stoppingly riveting story
of my first love.
And also of my second.
And, okay, my third love, too.
It's not that I'm boy crazy.
It's just that even though
I'm almost fifteen
I've been having sort of a hard time
trying to figure out the difference
between love and lust.
It's like
my mind
and my body
and my heart
just don't seem to be able to agree
on anything.


Review
With a voice that rings true and familiar, Sophie tells her honest and humorous story of finding love and losing love. Then finding it again. She is a lovable character who is instantly recognizable by teenage girls.

What My Mother Doesn't Know was a fast-paced and fluidly written story. Sonya Sones did a marvelous job writing this book and I loved the fact that it was in verse.

I believe this is a book that any teenage girl could enjoy. I definitely recommend it and plan to re-read it in the future. I'm so glad that I own this book and look forward to reading more of her work in the future.

Grade
Characters: B
Writing: B+
Plot: B
Ending: A-
Cover: B-
Recommendable: B

Overall: B

Waiting on Wednesday

Harmonic Feedback by Tara Kelly
Publisher: Henry Holt
Release Date: May 25th, 2010
Pages: 278
Age Level: YA

Synopsis
Doctors have pinned 16-year-old Drea with everything from ADHD to Asperger’s Syndrome. She has an obsession with sound design, a tendency to blurt out whatever she’s thinking, and a problem making friends, but likes to think of this as following her own rhythm in a confusing world.

Drea is hesitant to befriend purple-haired Naomi, her teenage neighbor with a kamikaze personality. But Naomi is the first person to treat her like she isn’t a world class dork. Then there’s Justin, the sexy and persistent boy in her film class. If she’s learned anything from her mom, it’s that boys are trouble.

When Drea discovers Naomi’s love for drums and Justin’s piano prodigy status, the three form a trip-hop band and a friendship that will challenge everything Drea thought she knew about herself and the world around her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I have wanted to read this book ever since I first read about it. It sounds like such an amazing unique read and I can't wait to get my hands on it. Oh, and did I mention I love the cover. lol.

OMG, I Was Interviewed!

Hey peeps! Guess what? I was interviewed by Kate over at The Neverending Shelf. So if your interested in learning a little more about boring ole me, then head on over there and check it out. :P Oh, and please forgive the typos. lol.

In My Mailbox (17)

In My Mailbox

Ok so I did pretty darn good this week if I do say so myself. And I do.

Bought

~Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Contests

~The Day the Falls Stood Still by Cathy Marie Buchanan (From Peeking Between the Pages)

~Ghost Huntress by Marley Gibson (From Red House Books)

~What the Dickens by Gregory Maguire (From Red House Books)

~Monopoly City and T-Shirt (From Trying to Stay Calm. Took only two days to get this!)

From Trades

~The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart (From Willow Raven)

BookMooch

~The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler (Already had a copy and mooched this one for a giveaway which you can enter here.)

~Evermore by Alyson Noel

Library Sale!

So mom and I went to the library today to see what all books they had in their sale. This is what we found before the money we'd taken for the purpose ran out. None of them are ex-library and they are all in great to like new condition. Over half are hardcovers. We got a totaly of 27 for only $21. Some are more for her while others are more for me. We plan to go back. :P

1. The Prisoner of Zenda & Rupert of Hentzau by Anthony Hope (Have no idea what it is about but it looked good so I figured I'd grab it and find out when I got home.)

2. The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien
3. Capote in Kansas by Kim Powers (This sounds really good)
4. The Adventures of Robin Hood by Paul Creswick (So glad I found this. It is a gorgeous copy too.)
5. The Afghan Campaign by Steven Pressfield
6. Very Valentine by Adriana Trigiani (I confess to mainly picking this up because she wrote Viola in Reel Life.)
7. Josephine by Carolly Erickson
8. Chicken Soup for the College Soul by Jack Canfield (Figured I'd get this since I'll be off to college in a couple years. Thought it'd be nice to have.)
9. Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier (I've heard a bunch about this one!)
10. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon (Another book I've heard tons of great things about.)
11. Quotable Women: A Collection of Shared Thoughts (I saw this and was like, "Aw it is so little and cute. I want it!" It is about the size of my palm but has some great and powerful quotes from very influential women in it. Just goes to show size doesn't matter. And I should know. I'm the shortest in my family. :P)
12. Language of Flowers by Kate Greenaway (Another little book. It has the different meanings of all the different flowers and some gorgeous illustrations.)
13. The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls
14. American Gods by Neil Gaiman
15. A Redbird Christmas by Fannie Flagg
16. In My Father's House by Bodie Thoene
17. Hanna's Daughter by Marianne Fredriksson
18. Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson
19. All He Ever Wanted by Anita Shreve
20. The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig
21. If Love Were Oil, I'd be About a Quart Low by Lewis Grizzard
22. Diana: Her True Story by Andrew Morton (I really wanna read this)
23. Everything to Gain by Barbara Taylor Bradford
24. The Memory of Running by Ron McLarty
25. Remember by Barbara Taylor Bradford

26. Mad Dash by Patricia Gaffney

27. The Secret Between Us by Barbara Delinsky (Another I'm really looking forward to reading.)

And that is it. Hope you got some great books too. Have a lovely weekend. :D

Banned Book Week Giveaway!

In honor of Banned Book Week, a celebration used to promote banned books and talk about how ridiculous banning books is, I am giving away a gently used paperback copy of The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler. This book was on the ALA's Top Ten Frequently Challenged Books of 2006.

The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler
Publisher: Candlewick
Pub. Date: June 14, 2005 (paperback)
Pages: 256
Age Level: YA

Synopsis
Fifteen-year-old Virginia Shreves has a larger-than-average body and a plus-size inferiority complex. She lives on the Web, snarfs junk food, and follows the "Fat Girl Code of Conduct." Her stuttering best friend has just moved to Walla Walla (of all places). Her new companion, Froggy Welsh the Fourth (real name), has just succeeded in getting his hand up her shirt, and she lives in fear that he’ll look underneath. Then there are the other Shreves: Mom, the successful psychologist and exercise fiend; Dad, a top executive who ogles thin women on TV; and older siblings Anaïs and rugby god Byron, both of them slim and brilliant. Delete Virginia, and the Shreves would be a picture-perfect family. Or so she’s convinced. And then a shocking phone call changes everything.

With irreverent humor, insight, and surprising gravity, Carolyn Mackler creates an endearingly blunt heroine whose story will speak to every teen who struggles with family expectations - and serve as a welcome reminder that the most impressive achievement is to be true to yourself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How to enter:
I'm going to make this contest very simple. All you need to do to enter is:

1. Comment with name and email.
2. Be a follower

This contest will end in one week at 11:59 PM EST on October 10th. This contest is open to U.S., Canada, and PR only unless you have a friend who is willing to ship the book to you.

We Have a Winner!

My 200 followers contest for a copy of Dreaming Anastasia and signed poster has come to an end and a winner has been randomly chosen by random.org.

And the winner is.............

Charity Lynn

Congratulations Charity! I will be emailing you soon and you will have 48hrs to respond with your snail mail, which will be forwarded to the publisher. If you fail to respond within the given amount of time, another winner will be chosen.