Happy Release Day & Review: Paranormalcy

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pub. Date: August 31st, 2010
Pages: 335
Age Level: 14+

Synopsis via GoodReads
Wierd as it is working for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, Evie's always thought of herself as normal. Sure, her best friend is a mermaid, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she’s falling for a shape-shifter, and she’s the only person who can see through paranormals' glamours, but still. Normal.

Only now paranormals are dying, and Evie's dreams are filled with haunting voices and mysterious prophecies. She soon realizes that there may be a link between her abilities and the sudden rash of deaths. Not only that, but she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.

Review
Paranormalcy is an invigorating breath of fresh air amongst the done-to-death stories in the paranormal genre. I soaked up and loved every single moment of this amazingly original story.

In Evie, White created a smart, sassy, lovable, and beautifully developed heroine. She had such a distinguishable voice and I really enjoyed watching her grow as a character throughout the book. I also loved Evie's friendship with Lish, the mermaid. Lish herself was such a unique character; despite being a paranormal, she mostly enjoyed working for IPCA and she was so sweet and funny, a perfect best friend for Evie. Raquel is the one mostly in control at IPCA and sort of acts as a mom for Evie. She could be very strict and occasionally unreasonable but you could tell that she really did care about Evie and see her as a daughter in her own way. Now what you've all been waiting for; I'm going to talk about the two guys fighting over Evie. *swoon* First there is Reth, the faerie; he was unbelieveably dark and dangerously enticing. Part of me wanted him but knew I shouldn't. Then we have the lovely Lend who comes along, forcing Evie to re-evaluate everything she thought she knew about her position with IPCA. He opens up her mind to the things around her that she has been oblivious too. Plus he's a rock awesome paranormal, cute, sweet, attentive, and has a great sense of humor. So while Reth may have borrowed my heart a couple of times, Lend was who ended up walking away with it for keeps.

Paranormalcy is one of those books that grabs you and snatches you into the story from the very first page. It doesn't hesitate when it comes to jumping into the action and getting things rolling. It was so fast-paced, witty, and full of action and suspense; I never wanted it to end. I loved the incorporation of all the various paranormals throughout the story; it really spiced things up. Also, Paranormalcy seemed to have an almost dystopian-like quality, only set in modern time, that I really liked. Not the whole book but everything dealing with IPCA. Maybe it's just me but I got that kind of vibe throughout the story with the way things were playing out and the realizations Evie came to. Not to mention some of the slightly moral questions it made both Evie and I ponder. Anywho. The story overall was just brilliantly plotted!

White's writing was very keenly crafted and you can definitely tell she has a writing style all her own, a writing style that I very much enjoyed and relished every moment of.

The ending didn't have some huge cliffhanger which I'm actually somewhat grateful for; honestly I don't think I could bear all the extra suspense without going whack-o waiting for the next book. *eye twitches* I did love the ending though and it was plenty enough to leave me excited for what's to come.

In the end, Paranormalcy was a continuously engaging work of genius unlike any other book I've ever read; and that is saying a LOT these days. I give two thumbs way, way up to Kiersten White. I recommend this book to everyone and if you ignore my recommendation and don't read Paranormalcy, I'll send IPCA to bag-and-tag your bleep, only releasing you once you've read the book. So as you can see, I'm not exactly giving you a choice. ;P Personally, I already feel like reading this book again and I can't wait for more.

Grade
Characters: A+
Writing: A
Plot: A+
Ending: A-
#1 in Series: A
Enjoyment/Likability: A+
Recommendable: A+

Overall: A+ (Up until now, only ONE book has held this title. Paranormalcy is now the second to receive an A+)

Cover: A-

HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY TO PARANORMALCY BY KIERSTEN WHITE!!!

Author Interview: T.K. Richardson

Hello everyone and welcome. Today I would like to introduce you all to the sweet and lovely T.K. Richardson, author of the YA novel Return the Heart.

~~~~~~~~
TBP: Tell us a little bit about yourself.

TKR: I’m a mom and I love to travel and cook - although I’m not really good at cooking. And I wrote Return the Heart, a young adult novel.

TBP: Give us a brief description of your book.

TKR: Return the Heart was inspired by my children, my love for Russian history and literature, and a desire to create a captivating story that would delight teens. What followed is a story filled with action, secret gifts, a seedy underworld, and more twists and revelations than the reader expects. Toss in a Russian element and Return the Heart is like an action movie about teens and for teens.

TBP: Do you have any other books currently in the works?

TKR: I do have more books in the works. The sequel to Return the Heart is entering the final stages. The title is Shield the Heart. Also, I have a non-fiction book I’m working on, and a few others that are on the back burner.

TBP: What do your initials T.K. stand for?

TKR: You’re the first one to ask me that, and I’m going to have to stay silent on that one! :)

TBP: What inspired you to not only sponsor a Christian based orphanage in India, but to advocate for abused and neglected children in your own area as well?

TKR: For several years my hubby and I were foster parents. Over a five year span we fostered and care for over 100 children who were abused and neglected. It was a privilege and an honor to care for these children, and it opened my eyes to the needs of this silent minority.

The orphanage in India was a special invitation from the people who opened the facility several years ago. They care for, clothe, house, educate, and love the orphans of India and to me caring for children is one of the most important things anyone can do.

TBP: You are a member of a group called 'A Heart for Books and Kids'. Could you tell us a little more about that and your part in it?

TKR: I’d love to tell you about this. This was actually started back in March of 2010 on my blog. I wanted to raise awareness for the plight of children in the foster care system. So the first fundraiser was started. I announced on my blog that I was trying to get book donations for these kids and I asked people to join me and to donate books in their cities. In my own city we collected 422 books! That meant 422 kids would have a book to call their own. It was a huge success. A Heart for Books and Kids was born from this effort. Two writer friends joined with me, and although we’re spread across the country, we have the same drive and heart for kids. We work as a team to collect books and to encourage others to do the same in their communities.

TBP: If you could co-write a book with any other YA author, who would it be and why?

TKR: I really enjoy Melissa Marr’s books and to co-write a book with her would be a dream come true. What I really like about her is the way she interacts with her readers. She comes across as being so down to earth and friendly. And of course, her stories are excellent!

TBP: Who is an author who's book(s) you really enjoy and feel is underrated, deserving of more attention from us readers?

TKR: I really enjoy much of Juliet Marillier’s writing. The first book I read of hers was wonderful. It was titled Wildwood Dancing. She’s a seasoned author and her books are fantastic. I don’t know that she’s underrated at all, but I do feel she’s deserving of everyone’s attention. I think many of you would like her books.

TBP: If you were to create your own 'Bucket List', what would be the first three things on it?

TKR: Ooh, I’ve had a bucket list for awhile now and I’m so glad you asked the question! I’d love to travel all over the world. Also I’d love to ride on the Orient Express (pictures of old black and white movies are what I think of). And the third thing, which is really the most prized thing on my list, would be to travel to Tolstoy’s family estate in Russia. That would be the pinnacle of my bucket list.

TBP: Anything else you'd like to add?

TKR: I would just like to thank you for having me here today and for featuring my YA novel RETURN THE HEART. I know I talked a lot about other topics, but I do hope that you and your readers enjoy reading my book. It’s getting great reviews from people of all ages.

~~~~~~~~

Well I hope all of you enjoyed the interview and will decide to pick up Richardson's YA book, Return the Heart. Maybe this is the first some of you are hearing about it in which case I'm glad to have helped spread the word.

Thank you, T.K. for letting me interview you and thanks to everyone else for stopping by. Remember, your comments mean a lot to me. :D

A Great Opportunity with CSN

I recently had the pleasure of being offered a wonderful opportunity to review for CSN. For those of you who aren't familiar with them, let me enlighten you. CSN is a website with over 200 stores offering a plethora merchandise. You can buy anything from coffee tables, to pet furniture, to bedding, to, and this is my favorite, bookcases! Yes that's right. And what book blogger can't use an extra bookcase? CSN has so many wonderful products to choose from but in the end I have settled on a bookcase, obviously, as I'm totally out of room for my books. Right now, I'm planning on reviewing this small and simple bookcase as a larger one would be too big for my room.

I'm looking forward to reviewing this product for CSN. If you haven't already, you should check them out. They sell just about everything!

Noteworthy Passages: Hearts at Stake

Hearts at Stake by Alyxandra Harvey
Publisher: Walker
Pub. Date: December 22nd, 2009
Pages: 248
Series: The Drake Chronicles #1
Age Level: 14+

Synopsis via GoodReads
On Solange’s sixteenth birthday, she is going to wake up dead. As if that’s not bad enough, she also has to outwit her seven overprotective older brothers, avoid the politics involved with being the only daughter born to an ancient vampire dynasty, and elude Kieran Black—agent of an anti-vampire league who is searching for his father’s killer and is intent on staking Solange and her entire family.
Luckily she has her own secret weapon—her human best friend Lucy—who is willing to defend Solange’s right to a normal life, whether she’s being smothered by her well-intentioned brothers or abducted by a power-hungry queen. Two unlikely alliances are formed in a race to save Solange’s eternal life—Lucy and Solange’s brother Nicholas, and Solange and Kieran Black—in a dual romance that is guaranteed to jump start any romance-lover’s heart.

Noteworthy Passages

Lucy; pg. 75
"Oh, no you don't," I snapped, smug as a cat with a mouthful of canary feathers. I was going to redeem myself, if I had to punch him ten more times to do it. My knuckles felt bruised, sore. Vindicated.
There was the teeniest, tiniest possibility my mom was right about my temper.

Lucy and Nicholas; pg 104-105
"What got you through?" I whispered. "Do you remember?"
He nodded but wouldn't look at me. When he didn't elaborate, I turned to face him. "What? Is it a secret? Don't I know all the deep dark Drake secrets by now?"
He shifted uncomfortably. "I guess."
"What then?"
"You"
I swallowed, stunned. "Me?"
"Yeah." He stood up and went to the door where he paused for the barest second. "You got me through."

Lucy and Nicholas; pg. 116-117
It was more of a safe really, with a secret-tunnel exit, oxygen, blood, supplies, and weapons. I'd never actually been inside before. I bounced on my heels impatiently. He shook his head.
"You're acting like we have Santa locked in there."
I rubbed my hands together.
"This is better than some old fat guy. Now gimme."

Lucy and Nicholas (Again!); pg. 230
He shook out the doublet, complete with lace froth at the cuffs. "Logan would love this." He smirked at me. "No tights." He dropped everything. "I'm still not wearing this crap."
"They seemed rather adamant."
"She can kiss my--hey." He scowled at Kieran. "There's only one costume. How come you don't have to dress up like some eigtheenth century jackass?"

~~~~~~~~~

Ok, I know, I know. All of these were from Lucy or Lucy and Nicholas. Sorry Solange and Kieran; I like ya'll too but Lucy and Nicholas just seemed to get some of the best parts.

Anyway, I hope these great passages from Hearts at Stake combined with my Review are enough to make you all want to read this book. I really enjoyed it and know that there are probably a good many of you out there who would like it just as much, maybe more, as I did.

I'd love to hear your thoughts so feel free to leave them in the comments and thanks for stopping by. :D










PLEASE NOTE: This is a feature hosted here at my blog in which I present you with selected passages or quotes that I deem Noteworthy from a book I've just reviewed. My hopes are of course, that these passages will make you want to pick the book up and read it. This feature was started and created by me in January in hopes of making my blog more unique. That being said, I would like to kindly request that you do not use this feature as it was intended to be for my blog only and is not a meme. If you see some one else using it, please know it is without my permission. Thank you.

In My Mailbox (50)

In My Mailbox
IMM is a weekly meme hosted and created by Kristie at The Story Siren and was inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie.

BookMooch
~The Princess and the Hound by Mette Ivie Harrison
~The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Won from Only Sexy Books Allowed
~ARC of Sapphique by Catherine Fisher
~e-Book of Ascendant by Diana Peterfeund
~e-Book of The Ivy by Rina Onue and Lauren Kunze
~Tons of swag
~Witch and Wizard candle

Won from WORD for Teens
~Glow-in-the-dark Mockingjay sticker

Won from Fire & Ice
~Recycled scrabble tile wolf pendant necklace (Enlarge photo for better image. It's gorgeous!)

Received from Denise Jaden
~26 Losing Faith bookmarks (signed and unsigned)
~Losing Faith stickers
~Other tenner swag

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Well, that's what I got in my mailbox this week. I may possibly giveaway the e-Books because I can't usually read something as long as a book on a computer with out getting a migrane. XD I hope all of you got some great stuff this week and are enjoying your weekend.

Oh, in case you didn't notice, I recently made my first EVER fan art cover remake. I'd love to hear what you think. If you want, you can see it here: http://thebookpixie.blogspot.com/2010/08/my-first-ever-fan-art-cover-remake.html

My First EVER Fan Art Cover Remake!

Ok everyone! Brace yourselves! I have created my first ever Fan Art book cover. I happened to be looking through the photos I had taken of my cousins (yes, the book cover I made features one of MY original photos) when I realized that one of them looked like it'd be great to use to recreate the cover for Somebody Everybody Listens To by Suzanne Supplee. Granted mine is nothing compared to the original but I do hope that you'll be honest and please don't laugh.

Here's the original:

Now.....here's mine......

*looks about nervously* Well...um...what do you think?

Review: Hearts at Stake

Hearts at Stake by Alyxandra Harvey
Publisher: Walker
Pub. Date: December 22nd, 2009
Pages: 248
Series: The Drake Chronicles #1
Age Level: 14+

Synopsis via GoodReads
On Solange’s sixteenth birthday, she is going to wake up dead. As if that’s not bad enough, she also has to outwit her seven overprotective older brothers, avoid the politics involved with being the only daughter born to an ancient vampire dynasty, and elude Kieran Black—agent of an anti-vampire league who is searching for his father’s killer and is intent on staking Solange and her entire family.
Luckily she has her own secret weapon—her human best friend Lucy—who is willing to defend Solange’s right to a normal life, whether she’s being smothered by her well-intentioned brothers or abducted by a power-hungry queen. Two unlikely alliances are formed in a race to save Solange’s eternal life—Lucy and Solange’s brother Nicholas, and Solange and Kieran Black—in a dual romance that is guaranteed to jump start any romance-lover’s heart.

Review
Hearts at Stake is an action-packed, sharp-witted, suspenseful, and romantic page-turner of a story; a truly delightful and captivating read.

I really enjoyed both Lucy and Solange's characters but I have to say that Lucy was definitely my favorite. Despite her sometimes impulsive and reckless nature, she was a very fiery, loyal, and kick-ass kinda gal. Sure she had her faults but she also recognized and owned up to them; I really appreciated that quality about her. Solange was just a bit more of a subtle and level-headed character compared to Lucy but that still didn't stop her from expressing her opinion on what everyone was expecting of her. Both characters had very distinct personalities and they complimented each other well. Now when it comes to Nicholas and Kieran, the two romantic interests, I'm not really sure who I prefer. Nicholas was more of a protective, sweet, and sometimes snarky good guy while Kieran was the surprising, dangerous, bad guy gone good. I really liked them both but I'm not sure who I'd pick. The actual romance had it's great moments but it had it's awkward ones as well. In a way I guess this made it a bit more authentic but I also feel it could have been much better developed, especially had the book been longer.

Hearts at Stake had this enticing, darkly gothic, and royal ambiance about it from the secret underground tunnels, to the interior architecture, to even some of the clothing; not to mention the ancient vampire prophecy and family dynasties. The political intrigue of the vampire world was well crafted though I thought some of the fight scenes were somewhat lacking; things always seemed to be a bit to quick and easy for the Drakes when they fought other vampires. I thought the technique of ending most all the chapters with cliffhangers was both clever and unwise. On the one hand, it kept me turning the pages, excited to find out what would happen next. On the other hand, it occasionally left things feeling a bit disjointed. However, I think in the end I saw it as more of a benefit than disadvantage. The writing was over all well done though and I enjoyed it.

The ending was satisfying and tied most everything up well but I admit I wanted more, especially from Kieran and Solange. Of course, the ending also left me very excited for Blood Fued and I can't wait to see how everything with the Drake family continues.

All in all, Hearts at Stake was a fun, fast-paced read that was well worthwhile, and though it had a few slight flaws, I felt that they somehow did not take away from how much I truly enjoyed this book. I highly recommend this to anyone who is a fan of the paranormal genre. Part of me is already aching to re-read it and that is always a very good sign. Can't wait to get my hands on Blood Feud.

Grade
Characters: B+
Writing: B-
Plot: B
Ending: B-
#1 in Series: B
Enjoyment/Likability: A-
Recommendable: B+

Overall: B

Cover: B-

Noteworthy Passages: The Magnificent Twelve: The Call

The Magnificent Twelve: The Call (ARC) by Michael Grant
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Release Date: August 24th, 2010
Pages: 256
Age Level: 10+

Disclaimer: Please note that this is an ARC and passages and quotes below are subject to change in the final copy.

Synopsis from GoodReads
Twelve-year-old Mack MacAvoy suffers from a serious case of mediumness. Medium looks. Medium grades. Medium parents who barely notice him. With a list of phobias that could make anyone crazy, Mack never would have guessed that he is destined for a more-than-medium life.

And then, one day, something incredibly strange happens to Mack. A three-thousand-year-old man named Grimluk appears in the boys' bathroom to deliver some startling news: Mack is one of the Magnificent Twelve, called the Magnifica in ancient times, whatever that means. An evil force is on its way, and it's up to Mack to track down eleven other twelve-year-olds in order to stop it. He must travel across the world to battle the wicked Pale Queen's dangerous daughter, Ereskigal—also known as Risky. But Risky sounds a little scary, and Mack doesn't want to be a hero. Will he answer the call?

A laugh-out-loud story filled with excitement and magic, The Magnificent Twelve: The Call is the first book in bestselling author Michael Grant's hilarious new fantasy adventure series.

Noteworthy Passages

Narrator; pg. 10-11
This was the point where Mack should have started begging, pleading, whining, and bribing. But the weird thing about Mack was that even though he was afraid of puppets, sharks, the ocean, shots, spiders, dentists, fire, Shetland ponies, hair dryers, asteroids, hot air balloons, blue cheese, tornadoes, mosquitos, electrical outlets, bats (the kind that fly and suck your blood), beards, babies, fear itself, and especially being buried alive, he was not afraid of real, actual trouble.

Rose & Stefan; pg. 94
"Don't lose this," she said. "Or this." She handed each of them an iPhone.
"Is your number on here?" Stefan asked with a leer.
"I'm a little old for you," Rose said witheringly.
Stefan grinned. "I don't mind."

~~~~~~~~~

Well that's it everyone. I hope these passages along with my review will make you want to pick this book up. You can read my review HERE.

PLEASE NOTE: This is a feature hosted here at my blog in which I present you with selected passages or quotes that I deem Noteworthy from a book I've just reviewed. My hopes are of course, that these passages will make you want to pick the book up and read it. This feature was started and created by me in January in hopes of making my blog more unique. That being said, I would like to kindly request that you do not use this feature as it was intended to be for my blog only and is not a meme. If you see some one else using it, please know it is without my permission. Thank you.

Review & Happy Release Day: The Magnificent Twelve

The Magnificent Twelve: The Call (ARC) by Michael Grant
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Release Date: August 24th, 2010
Pages: 256
Series: The Magnificent Twelve #1
Age Level: 10+

Synopsis from GoodReads
Twelve-year-old Mack MacAvoy suffers from a serious case of mediumness. Medium looks. Medium grades. Medium parents who barely notice him. With a list of phobias that could make anyone crazy, Mack never would have guessed that he is destined for a more-than-medium life.

And then, one day, something incredibly strange happens to Mack. A three-thousand-year-old man named Grimluk appears in the boys' bathroom to deliver some startling news: Mack is one of the Magnificent Twelve, called the Magnifica in ancient times, whatever that means. An evil force is on its way, and it's up to Mack to track down eleven other twelve-year-olds in order to stop it. He must travel across the world to battle the wicked Pale Queen's dangerous daughter, Ereskigal—also known as Risky. But Risky sounds a little scary, and Mack doesn't want to be a hero. Will he answer the call?

A laugh-out-loud story filled with excitement and magic, The Magnificent Twelve: The Call is the first book in bestselling author Michael Grant's hilarious new fantasy adventure series.

Review
In a time where originality is almost a lost art, The Magnificent Twelve: The Call really managed to hold it's own. It was a unique and humorous story in every aspect; a truly refreshing read unlike anything I've ever read before.

Mack was a very witty and lovable character in all his dorky glory. I found his various phobias to be very interesting, and even ironic, considering his crazy willingness to take on bullies. This was just one of the things that made Mack a complex character. Throughout the book, Mack is constantly forced to face some of his fears and I feel he came out on the other side a stronger character because of it and with humor still intact. Stefan never really said much and turned out to be a surprising character that I also liked. Then there was Jarrah whom I didn't get to know quite as well but from what I can tell, she's pretty sassy and potentially kick-ass. Oh, and how could I forget the Golem; he is absolutely hilarious.

I think The Magnificent Twelve: The Call is possibly the first book I've read where the bad guys were actual monsters, or at least since I was kid. The monsters were really part of what made this book so original; they were at once both comical and frightening, a great accomplishment by Grant. Nothing about this book gave me that frequent feeling of, 'Been there, done that.' like a lot of books seem to do these days. The story and characters had me laughing frequently, almost constantly, plus it was fast-paced, magical, and slammed full of action!

I really enjoyed the simple, light-hearted writing style. Even though it's told in third-person, The Magnificent Twelve: The Call turned out to be one of the few books where I really didn't mind. This book alternates between present and past perspectives. I definitely preferred the present chapters since the ones set during, 'A really, really long time ago...' could sometimes stray from funny to absurd and I often found myself wanting to speed through those but they are very necessary to the story.

The ending was just as it should be. It left everything set up perfectly and has me looking forward to the next installment in this exciting series.

The Magnificent Twelve: The Call was a quick, adventurous, and fun breath of fresh air. I can easily see myself recommending this book to kids, teens, and even adults. Plus I love that it appeals to both genders. I will definitely be re-reading this book in the future and I'm looking forward to the second book.

Grade
Characters: B
Writing: B-
Plot: B
Ending: B
#1 in Series: B
Enjoyment/Likability: B-
Recommendable: B

Overall: B

Cover: B+

HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY TO 'THE MAGNIFICENT TWELVE: THE CALL' BY MICHAEL GRANT!!!!

Guest Post: Jacquelyn Wheeler

Hello everyone and welcome! I was recently able to talk the lovely author, Jacquelyn Wheeler, into doing a guest post here at my blog. She is the author of the YA book series The Soterians; the first two books, Rising Shadow and Merger, are already out and available. Now if you will, give a warm round of applause for Jacquelyn as I have found it very hard to find authors who will do a guest post and cause she rocks. :P


~~~~~~~~


The Changing Face of Publishing
by Jacquelyn Wheeler

There’s a revolution going on.

You might have noticed it when you walk into your local mega bookstore and wonder why it’s half empty. Or you might have gotten a hint of it when you read a really good book and realized it wasn’t from one of the major publishing houses. And you can definitely see signs of it with the proliferation of book bloggers who are gaining hundreds of followers and shaping the direction of the books we buy and read.

The revolution is in publishing, and it’s a fascinating time. On the one hand, you have the slow demise of many bookstores, both independent and chain, which truly breaks my heart. But on the other hand, the old gatekeepers—agents and publishers—are slowly being replaced by bloggers and self-publishing services, which means that it’s now easier than ever to write a novel and actually get it into the hands of people who want to read it. True, you’re much less likely to strike it rich as an author when you go with a smaller press or self-publish, but most authors with the huge traditional publishers don’t make enough money to call it a living, either.

What this means is that more people can publish books, so we’ll have a much greater variety of authors to choose from. Even better, we’ll have a wider variety of books to choose from, because gone are the days when we only see what an agent and publisher thought was marketable. Yes, we’re still going to see a lot of copycats (another vampire book, anyone?), but we’re also going to see some really fresh ideas that maybe felt too fringe-y to an agent but is just what we’re dying to read.

Of course, some people are concerned that without gatekeepers, there will be an endless sea of garbage out there. How will we ever find good books to read amidst all the crap? You, savvy blog follower, already know the answer to that: book bloggers are the new gatekeepers. Bloggers love reading so much that they consume tons of books a year—some great, some garbage—to find the gems. Instead of complaining about how many awful manuscripts they have to review every day and endless slush piles, bloggers joyfully read everything they can get their hands on and write up their reviews—all in their spare time, and for free. We simply follow the blogs of people whose taste matches ours, and bingo! We have a steady stream of recommended books to add to our TBR piles.

So although there’s a lot of change happening in the publishing industry, I think it’s a wonderful time for authors and readers alike. After all, in my humble opinion, the main point of writing a book is to share a good story with readers, regardless of whether it’s got potential to be a best seller or just have a small following.

What a revolutionary idea.

~~~~~~~~

Well I don't know about ya'll but I just loved that guest post; Jacquelyn really made some good points and put things in perspective. I personally think that this is probably the best guest post I've had on my blog.

Well, what'd you think? Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments section. Jacquelyn and I would love to hear...er...read what you have to say. :D

The Soterians Series

In My Mailbox 49 (Past 2 Weeks) & An Update

In My Mailbox
IMM is a weekly meme hosted and created by Kristie at The Story Siren and was inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie.

For Review from HarperCollins
~Paranormalcy by Kiersten White (OMG! Finished copy!)
~Loco Motive by Mary Daheim (Don't have first 24 books. XD)

For Review from Media
~Passing Strange by Daniel Waters

For Review from Author
~Bloodmaiden by Christine E. Schulze

Won from Imagination in Focus
~ARC The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller

Won from Lori's Reading Corner
~Relatively Famous by Jessica Park
~Amazon GC (Obviously not pictured)

Won from Pop Culture Junkie
~Need by Carrie Jones
~Captivate by Carrie Jones

Won from Literaturely Speaking
~Infinity (Chronicles of Nick, #1) by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Bought for $0.39 each at the Salvation Army
~Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz
~House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III
~The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus

Bought with Amazon giftcards from contest and Swagbucks (aka No cost to me.)
~Immortal by Gillian Shields (My review)
~The Stolen One by Suzanne Crowley
~Nothing Like You by Lauren Strasnick
~Uglies, The Collector's Set: Uglies, Pretties, Specials, Extras by Scott Westerfeld
~Betrayals by Lili St. Crow
~Hearts at Stake by Alyxandra Harvey (So far it rocks!)
~Bite Me! by Melissa Francis
~My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent
~Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr
~The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan

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So I hadn't originally planned to post IMM this week but when I realized how many books I had I knew I couldn't wait again until next week. I did not get all of these books this week. This IMM is for this week AND the week before. I bought a bunch of books last week but thankfully only the ones from the Salvation Army actually cost me anything. I had a bunch of giftcards saved up from Swagbucks and then I won one so I went book buying ballistic.

Also, I'm probably going to start getting some posts up soon (Tuesday?). The way I see it I've already had as much of a break as I need. I feel like if I don't get back to blogging soon, I'll go insane. Furthermore, I got some great stuff lined up for ya'll including reviews, Noteworthy Passages, guest posts, interviews, and more. So stay tuned. :D

Hope you all got some terrific books this week and are enjoying your weekend. :D

Some Bad News & An Unavoidable Hiatus

So I got a new computer mouse and I thought everything was going to get back to normal blogging wise; well, I was wrong. On Tuesday night, my Grandmother was driving back from working at the elections when she had a massive heart attack. It was severe enough that it killed her instantly. What made everything worse was that when it killed her, it made her hand jerk the wheel to the left. The vehicle flipped 2 and a half times, ending up in the woods. My uncle, her son, and uncle-in-law went looking for her when they realized she hadn't gotten back home yet. It was 4AM Wednesday morning when they finally found her. They kept expecting to find the vehicle on what would have been her right and with the Explorer being hunter green, it wasn't until they'd gotten a spotlight out that they finally found her despite having the police looking for her too.

Her cellphone was open so they could see where she put in a call to my uncle at 10:07PM Tuesday night and since the call never went through, we know that's about exactly when she had the heart attack. Our only relief was knowing that she hadn't suffered.

On Friday, my uncle, the one who found her, was put into ICU at the hospital. Not only was this the day before the funeral but it was his birthday as well.

So as you can imagine, things have been really hard for me and my family. I had been hoping to get back to blogging regularly but it is probably going to be a while before things get back to normal. Most of the worst of everything is over but I need some time. I will be trying to get at least a couple posts up here and there but I can't make any promises or guarantees. I just wanted you all to know why I've not been posting much and why I probably won't be for a little while. I'm also way behind on emails so if you are waiting for a reply, please be patient with me.

I hope you'll keep my family and myself in your prayers; we sure could use them right about now.

In My Mailbox (48) & Yet Another Explanation

In My Mailbox
IMM is a weekly meme hosted and created by Kristie at The Story Siren and was inspired by Alea Pop Culture Junkie.

For Review from Author
~Heart with Joy by Steve Cushman

From BookMooch
~A Company of Swans by Eva Ibbotson

Won from Libby's Library News
~Admission by Jean Hanff Korelitz

Won from Lori's Reading Corner
~Silent Scream by Lynda La Plante

Won from Katie's Book Blog
~Sea Change by Aimee Friedman
~South Beach by Aimee Friedman
~Hollywood Hills by Aimee Friedman
~French Kiss by Aimee Friedman
~The Year My Sister Got Lucky by Aimee Friedman

So I got a pretty good stack of books this week. I would like to apologize for not having blog and book links this time. My computer mouse barely works and highlighting certain parts to link is near impossible. Also this is why you haven't seen hardly any posts from me. I have ordered a new mouse and once it get's here things should go back to normal.

Hope you all got some terrific books this week and are enjoying your weekend. :D

Official Facebook Page for My Photography

Hello everyone! I hope your week is off to a wonderful start so far! Last night I decided that it was about time I created an official Facebook page for Briana McNair Photography. As some of you probably already know, reading is not my only passion. About three years ago I fell absolutely in love with photography. About a year ago I created a website where my work is available for sell which you can view HERE. (Feel free to buy something. :P)

I've really been wanting to get the word out more about my work and I figured a Facebook page would be the perfect way to do that. Like I said, I just created it last night so not all the pictures I plan to add are up yet but there is a decent amount posted. Feel free to take a look and if you enjoy my work, I'd love it if you 'liked' it and would suggest it to other Facebook friends who may be interested. Each photo has a link to where it can be purchased as well as what it is available for sale in (laminated print, framed print, greeting cards, etc).