Thursday, July 31, 2014

*Spotlight* Double Negative by C. Lee McKenzie

Displaying Double Negative tour banner.jpg

Double Negative 
by C. Lee McKenzie
Contemporary Teen w/Romantic Elements

Synopsis 


Sixteen-year-old Hutchinson McQueen is a big time loser. Trapped between an abusive mother and an absentee father, his one thought is escape, but everything he does to get away lands him in trouble. 

Shackled by poor reading skills, he squeaks through classes with his talent for eavesdropping and memorizing what he hears. When he shoplifts and lands in juvenile detention, the court sentences him to a county youth program. There he meets the priest and Maggie, a retired teacher. They’re determined to set Hutch on a path leading away from trouble. Hutch is determined not to cooperate.

It isn’t until he’s facing serious charges that he confronts the truth—his own bad choices are trapping him. When he's offered the freedom he craves, all he has to do is take it.


Buy LinksEvernight Teen | Amazon | All Romance  | BookStrand  
Add to your Goodreads shelf!


Excerpt:

Kranski’s office might as well be home. I spend more time with him than I do with Dee Dee, and for good reason: the principal’s friendlier than my mom.

I ease into the familiar hot seat across from him and face the shiny nameplate on his desk.

“See this?” he says, holding up the plate in front of my face. “It says, ‘Principal Noah Kranski.’ That means you’re supposed to follow my rules as long as you’re in this school.”

I roll my eyes.

“Dump the attitude, Hutch.”

I shrug.

He shakes his head and slams a thick file down in front of him. “This makes seven times this year you’ve cut Mr. Diakos’s class, and it’s only September.” He writes something at the bottom of a page. When he finishes, he looks up. “Did I miss any?”

“I’m not counting.” That ain’t true. I count every day I can escape that stupid class, just like I count every day I wake up in Larkston. But I’m not going to be trapped here much longer.

Kranski jabs his pen into a “World’s Best Dad” cup, and leans back with his hands behind his head. This is what he always does before he sentences me. “You get to think about changing your ways for the rest of the week. When you come back, you’re still responsible for all the class work and the tests, just like always.”

“Just like always.” I repeat the words so I got something to say that don’t sound like I’m a smart mouth. Last time I left saying, “Thanks,” and Kranski told me to cut the sarcasm. Who gives a rat’s ass about what Kranski says? I’m free, for four days.

I’m almost at the door when the secretary pops her head inside. “Sorry, Mr. Kranski, but there’s an emergency in the gym. They need you right away.”

He’s out before me, a gimpy old guy running on bad feet.

I plug into my iPod, pull up The Rockets’ newest hit, and strike out across campus. Blaze’ll be at the Smoking Tree. I follow the hard-packed foot trail that leads from the back of the school, around the curve of the hillside and up the slope. The tree’s just far enough away to keep under Kranski’s radar, yet near enough to drop in for a few tokes when I need them to get through Deek the Greek’s English class, or face going back to Palm Street and Dee Dee.

Blaze is there, talking on his cell and dealing with some kid with slicked-back hair. Blaze jerks around, pockets the phone, and then relaxes when he sees me. “Yo, thought you was the cops for a minute. You get suspended again?” 

“Rest of the week.” I take my ear bud out, drop my backpack and plop onto the shady ground. “I need a joint.”

“Where’d you get that?” He points to my iPod.

“Can’t remember. It sort of appeared.”

“Right.” He smirks and tosses me a joint along with a lighter.

The kid with the greased hair ducks under a limb, and walks in the direction of the school. “Hope you got cash, man. I’m outta credit here,” Blaze says.

I dig into my pocket and pull out a ten. 

He laughs. “With what you already owe me, for that ten,” he coughs, “you get a few”––another cough––“hits, man.” He holds out a roach clip with a smoking joint. “Give me that one back.”

I hand him the joint, settle against the tree trunk and roll my lips over the small brown tube. Closing my eyes, I suck the warm fog into my lungs and hold my breath. The weed winds its way through my blood and into my brain. Kranski turns into a cartoon of a cup with World’s Best Dad wrapped around his middle. Dee Dee stretches into a giant beer bottle and rolls across the kitchen linoleum. The sky turns soft and blue, with the Smoking Tree splashing crazy shapes over my jeans.

“So, how are you breaking the news to Dee Dee this time?” Blaze reaches out and grabs his joint. “She said she was bouncing your butt the next time Kranski suspended you.”

My mom don’t care what I do, but Kranski makes her life hell when he calls her in to see him. These trips to his office take away from her social life and shake her out of bed before noon. I laugh. “Guess I’ll have to move in with you, dude.”

“Anytime. I told you, man.” Blaze inhales, coughs, and then inhales again to replace the gray smoke he’s wasted in the air.

I plug back into some tunes and hang with Blaze under the Smoking Tree through three more sales. He rewards me with a few hits for acting as lookout, something I can do while I get a story together for why I’m bounced for four days. The weed and the Rockets take the edge off what’s going down later. I’m in for ‘Destruction by Dee Dee’ no matter what I say. I roll over on my right side and trace the white line from my wrist to my elbow—one of her nicer moves with a broken glass. 

Stretching out on the lawn, I stare up through the tree branches. How’d it be to fly straight into those clouds, poke my head inside and stay until I wind up on the other side of the world? Goodbye, Larkston. Goodbye, Dee Dee. 
I must doze off because when I open my eyes the shadows from the tree have shifted from my right side to my left. I squint at my watch. Its after three. My ride! Hope Eddie didnt take off without me. I hate that walk, halfway across town to Palm Street. I grab my books. “Im out of here.”




About the Author

Displaying Lee20.JPGC. Lee McKenzie is a native Californian who grew up in a lot of different places; then landed in the Santa Cruz Mountains where she lives with her family and miscellaneous pets. She writes most of the time, gardens and hikes and does yoga a lot, and then travels whenever she can. 

She takes on modern issues that today's teens face in their daily lives. Her first young adult novel, Sliding on the Edge, which dealt with cutting and suicide was published in 2009. Her second, titled The Princess of Las Pulgas, dealing with a family who loses everything and must rebuild their lives came out in 2010. Her short story,Premeditated Cat, appears in the anthology, The First Time, and her Into the Sea of Dew is part of a collection, Two and Twenty Dark Tales. In 2012, her first middle grade novel, Alligators Overhead, came out.Double Negative is her third young adult novel.



Giveaway
(4) $10 Amazon gift cards
(10) Double Negative ebook copies


Wednesday, July 30, 2014

[Review] Fan Girl by Rainbow Rowell

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell 
Publisher: Random House (audio published by Listening Library)
Publishing Date: Sept, 2013
Format: library audio CD
10 CDs
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N


Synopsis 

In Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl, Cath is a Simon Snow fan. Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan, but for Cath, being a fan is her life—and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.

Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this? Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories? Open her heart to someone? Or will she just go on living inside somebody else’s fiction?

My Review

There's been so much hype about this book, and Rainbow Rowell for that matter, that I was a little nervous to read/listen to this! I was hoping that the hype wouldn't ruin it for me and I could still enjoy it. Thankfully, I really loved this book and hype didn't ruin anything! I was also a little worried that listening to the audio version would take away from this story - it's actually always a concern of mine since I definitely prefer reading the book to listening. But nothing was taken away from the story by listening, and I'll continue to listen to audio books whenever I travel! 

I really liked Cath as a main character. I thought she was incredibly unique, quirky, and fun. Although I don't obsess over a series or create fan-fiction like she does, I could really relate to her! When I was a freshman, I was definitely holed up in my dorm for the first couple weeks because I knew no one, but after a while, I branched out and met a bunch of really great people. But at the same time, I love being alone and reading my books; definitely the introvert part of me (: The love interest in this story was really great too. It took an unexpected turn and that's what I loved about it! Cath and guy (not naming for spoilers!) make a really great couple and I loved reading about their interactions. 

Throughout the story, we get to watch Cath grow and become more open. In the beginning, she's reserved, quit, doesn't like to meet new people or do new things. But as the story progresses, she really opens up and becomes more confident in herself. As much as I didn't care for Wren in the beginning, I liked her towards the end.  I think she's one of the reasons Cath was able to grow so much more and become more independent. In the beginning, I couldn't stand Wren because she completely pushed Cath away and seemed to want to get rid of her. But  not having Wren at her side for everything helped Cath in the long run. 

One thing that I didn't really like were the Simon Snow excerpts. I just felt like the story would have been just as great without them, plus I had a hard time following along with what was happening in that story since we only had small excerpts. Don't get me wrong, I loved having the Simon Snow obsession and fan-fiction in the story, I just don't feel the excerpts were completely necessary. Overall, though, I really loved this book and can't wait to read more by Rowell! 

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Top Ten Tuesday! 7.29.14


Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the The Broke and the Bookish. Every week she posts an idea for a 'Top Ten' list relating to books, and encourages other book bloggers to respond and participate. All the details are listed on her site.

This week's question: Top ten authors of which we own the most books

These aren't in any particular order, and since I'm not home, I can't actually count how many of each author I have. These are just educated guesses (: Plus it makes me realize that other than these authors, I don't own a ton by the same person! 

1. Jodi Picoult 
One of my absolute favorite authors! I own all of her books and can't wait for her next to come out! 

2. Sandra Brown 
When I was younger, she's pretty much all I read (: 

3. James Patterson 
I'm addicted to his work! I have probably half of them, but if you know him, that's still so many books! I probably have over 20 

4. JK Rowling 
I own all the HP books, as well as Fantastic Beasts and Quidditch Through the Ages

5. Anita Shreve 
I've read a few, but have so many more to go! 

6. Joanna Campbell
I own 7 of the first Thoroughbred series! I was obsessed as a kid! 

7. Nora Roberts 
Again, when I was younger, I mostly read her and Sandra Brown 

8. Jane Austen 
Sad that I haven't actually read any of hers, but I own them all!  

9. Lisa Gardner
I own about 5 of hers and really enjoy them! I still need to read a few of them, but I'm working on it!

10. Nicholas Sparks
I LOVE his books and I think I own them all! 

Monday, July 28, 2014

[Review] Hawthorne by Sarah Ballance

Hawthorne by Sarah Ballance 
Publisher: Sarah Ballance
Publishing Date: February 2014
Format: free ebook
40 Pages
Links: Amazon | Goodreads


Synopsis 

After a terrifying encounter with the unexplained, it takes ten years and the news of her grandmother’s passing for Emma Grace Hawthorne to return to her childhood home. She seeks peace in saying a proper goodbye, but what she finds is an old love, a sordid family history, and a wrong only she can right. 

Living in the shadow of Hawthorne Manor, Noah Garrett has never forgotten about Emma Grace. In a house full of secrets, his search for missing documents reveals a truth that can cost him everything. What he finds gave Emma the freedom to walk away from the mansion, her heart free and clear, but at what price to Noah?

My Review 

I found this short story on Amazon when the Kindle edition was free, so I just downloaded it on a whim. I finally read it today on my Kindle - it's a quick read, so it didn't take too much time from my other books. This is a short story about ghosts, old mansions and romance. I can't say I've ever really read a ghost story before, but I liked this one! This book didn't suck me in immediately, but once I was about halfway through, I was hooked. And the ending?! All I can say is "wow." I wasn't expecting that at all. It really makes me want to go back and reread the story since I'm sure I'll pick up on a few other things now! It also really makes me want to visit (or live in!) an old house like the one described so beautifully in this book. 

Saturday, July 26, 2014

Mysteries: Do You Know Whodunit?

The other day I was reading Love You More by Lisa Gardner (review here) and I was thinking about what could have possibly happened in the story, who might have been the killer, who abducted the little girl, etc. It made me think about how some people claim that mysteries are too predictable, that they can always figure out "whodunit" before the story is over. I haven't found this to be true in most of the stories I've read. 

Am I the only one that rarely knows "whodunit" before the ending? 

As I read these stories, I don't always try to dissect every sentence about each character to figure out who the killer/kidnapper/etc. might be. Sometimes there are clues, and I think I know, and I'm right. Other times, I think I know and I'm completely wrong. But that's what I enjoy about these stories! I want to be wrong about who I think committed the crime! It shows that the author did a really good job of creating the mystery and throwing in twists and turns that I didn't expect! I read these type of books for entertainment, not to hone in my detective skills. Like I said, I'm often surprised by the ending and didn't see it coming. I love the twists and turns; I love not knowing until the very end what happened or who the suspect was. That's what's the most entertaining for me. I find that if I constantly try to pick things apart and figure out who it is, then I lose the story a bit and don't enjoy it as much. I'm not entirely sure why this is; maybe because I'm not paying attention to how the character is handling it and I'm more focused on my thoughts and ideas. Regardless, I like not being able to figure it out. 

I'm curious to find out if other readers are genuinely surprised by a lot of endings, or if everyone figures out "whodunit" before the end of the book and I'm in the minority.  

Thursday, July 24, 2014

[Review] 7th Heaven by James Patterson

7th Heaven by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro 
Publisher: Grand Central
Publishing Date: Dec. 1, 2009
Format: paperback, purchased
400 Pages
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N



Synopsis 

A terrible fire in a wealthy suburban home leaves a married couple dead and Detective Lindsay Boxer and her partner Rich Conklin searching for clues. And after California's golden boy, Michael Campion has been missing for a month, there finally seems to be a lead in his case--a very devastating lead.

As fire after fire consume couples in wealthy, comfortable homes, Lindsay and the Murder Club must race to find the arsonists responsible and get to the bottom of Michael Campion's disappearance. But suddenly the fires are raging too close to home.

Frightened for her life and torn between two men, Lindsay must find a way to solve the most daunting dilemmas she's ever faced--at work and at home.

My Review

I really love this series and it keeps getting better with each one! In my mind, James Patterson can rarely go wrong in his storytelling. There's always something new going on in his work and twists and turns that I never expected. I especially love following the lives of Lindsay Boxer and her friends, Yuki, Claire, and Cindy. They all bring so much to the story and their characters are really well developed. 

7th Heaven is a fast paced story that sucked me in from the first page. California's golden boy has gone missing and the police don't have any leads... until an anonymous tip comes it. It sets off a whirlwind investigation and trial that keeps you on the edge of your seat. On top of all that, there's mysterious fires that are killing innocent families. What I loved about this book was that every couple chapters we read from Pidge and Hawk's point of view - and they're the ones setting the fires! It's not easy to figure out who they are or if they have any connection to the Michael Campion disappearance, but its sure interesting to try to find out! I highly recommend not only this book, but this entire series as well! 

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Tell Me Something Tuesday 7.22.14


Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Heidi @ Rainy Day Ramblings. Each week a new question is presented. Check out Heidi's blog for all the details :)

This week's question: What are some of your favorite reading spots?


I don't have any pictures of them, but my favorite spot is the couch in my living room. I usually read out there while my fiance plays video games. Its a nice way to be with each other while still doing our own thing. Plus, its right next to the fireplace, so during the winter, its so warm and cozy! We also have a lazy boy chair in the living room that's pretty comfy! So when I need to change up my spot, I just switch to that chair!

My other favorite spot to read is in bed. I jump in there with my two cats and can read the night away. Its perfect in the winter because its so warm, and in the summer, it's nice and cool. 

The last place I've been reading a lot lately is the car! I should clarify - I've been listening to a lot of audiobooks in the car (: I travel weekly for work, so having a book to listen to really makes the time go by much faster and its not such a burden to drive long distances anymore! (: 


What are your favorite places? 

Monday, July 21, 2014

[Review] Love You More by Lisa Gardner

Love You More by Lisa Gardner
Series: Detective D.D. Warren, #5
Publisher: Bantam
Publishing Date: Feb. 28, 2012
Format: paperback, purchased
412 Pages
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

Synopsis 

WHO DO YOU LOVE?

Brian Darby lies dead on the kitchen floor. His wife, state police trooper Tessa Leoni, claims to have shot him in self-defense, and bears the bruises to back up her tale. For veteran detective D. D. Warren it should be an open-and-shut case. But where is their six-year-old daughter? 

AND HOW FAR WOULD YOU GO . . .

As the homicide investigation ratchets into a frantic statewide search for a missing child, D. D. Warren must partner with former lover Bobby Dodge to break through the blue wall of police brotherhood, seeking to understand the inner workings of a trooper's mind while also unearthing family secrets. Would a trained police officer truly shoot her own husband? And would a mother harm her own child? 

. . . TO SAVE HER?

For Tessa Leoni, the worst has not yet happened. She is walking a tightrope, with nowhere to turn and no one to trust. She has one goal in sight, and she will use every ounce of her training to do what must be done. No sacrifice is too great, no action unthinkable. A mother knows who she loves. And all others will be made to pay.

My Review

Lisa Gardner is an amazing storyteller and I love reading her books. I didn't realize that this book was part of a series, and I don't believe I've read them in order, but it doesn't seem to matter too much. It reminds me of James Patterson's Women's Murder Club books - yes, they're a series, and it helps to read them in order, but its not completely necessary and things aren't hard to figure out as you're reading it. 

This was a very fast-paced book that I had a hard time putting down. I constantly wanted to figure out what happened to Sophie and Brian. Was Tessa involved with Sophie's disappearance? Did she kill her family? Was it in self defense? So many questions that needed to be answered! It kept me hooked right up to the end! I also found out that this book, while the 5th in the DD Warren series, its the first in the Tessa Leoni series! I can't wait to find more of her other books and finish both of these! 

I love how this story alternated between Tessa's point of view, being told in first person, and DD's point of view, in third person. It added so much to the story and I really enjoyed getting to know the characters so much more. DD is a really good detective and I like reading the little things about her personal life. And Tessa appears to be a loving mother who will do anything she can to protect her child. These characters compliment each other well and they both learn from each other. If you haven't read anything by Gardner, do it now! She's so very talented! 

Friday, July 18, 2014

Feature and Follow Friday! 7.18.14


Feature and Follow is a blog hop hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. The purpose is to meet new people and gain more followers in the book blogging community. If this is your first time here, welcome! You are about to make some new friends and gain new followers. But you have to know, the point of this hop is to follow other blogs also. I follow you, you follow me. 

The general rules are: 
- Follow the Feature and Follow Hosts (Parajunkee and Alison Can Read)
- Follow the Featured Bloggers
- Put your Blog name and URL in the Linky thing. You can also grab the code if you would like to insert it into your posts. 
- Grab the button up there and place it in a post. This post is for people to say hi and that they are now following you in your comments. 
- Follow, Follow, Follow as many as you can. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Don't just follow, comment and say hi in the post! Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don't say 'hi'
- If someone comments and says they are following you, please follow back! 

This weeks question: Share a funny YouTube video!

I don't go on YouTube much, but I found this cute video a while ago, so I thought I'd share it (: Hope you enjoy! 


Monday, July 14, 2014

[Review] Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick

Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Publishing Date: Aug 13, 2013
Format: audio book, downloaded
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N


Synopsis

How would you spend your birthday if you knew it would be your last?

Eighteen-year-old Leonard Peacock knows exactly what he'll do. He'll say goodbye.

Not to his mum - who he calls Linda because it annoys her - who's moved out and left him to fend for himself. Nor to his former best friend, whose torments have driven him to consider committing the unthinkable. But to his four friends: a Humphrey-Bogart-obsessed neighbour, a teenage violin virtuoso, a pastor's daughter and a teacher.

Most of the time, Leonard believes he's weird and sad but these friends have made him think that maybe he's not. He wants to thank them, and say goodbye. 

My Review

I downloaded this book through Sync Audio files for free. They have a really great program that runs during the summer for people to download 2 books per week. One is generally a classic, and the other is something more recent. You have to sign up, and those titles are only available for download for one week, but its really great! I was able to listen to this book on my phone while I was crocheting (: It was a pretty relaxing weekend to say the least!

I really enjoyed this book. The writing was great, it was easy to follow, and there was so much depth to Leonard Peacock. I felt like throughout the story I really got to know him as a character and why he planned to commit suicide. It's a sad book because you can see how little things can really mean so much to people, and how sometimes one event, or a series of events, can change your life forever.

I couldn't stop listening to find out what was going to happen. Leonard plans out his 18th birthday to say goodbye to 4 people that have greatly affected him. While he's doing this, there are flashbacks to events that happened that ultimately led him to his decision. I couldn't wait to find out what actually happened; did Leonard kill Asher Beal? Did he commit suicide? What happens?!

Overall, it was a great book and I highly recommend reading/listening to it! Most people will thoroughly enjoy this book, even if it is a little sad. I laughed at times... felt like crying at others... It was truly well-written and worth my time. 

Sunday, July 13, 2014

Recently DNF'd Books

I really don't like to DNF books, but I was looking at my shelves the last couple of days, and there were a few books that I've tried reading multiple times and just couldn't get involved. I decided to sell those books at my local used book store and get other books that I'm more interested in. Below are the few books that I recently did not finish.

The Last Winter of Dani Lancing 
Unfortunately, I did not finish this book. When I first received a review copy, I was very excited and thought it had a lot of promise. However, after I started reading it, I realized it just wasn't a book for me. The story jumped around so much that I had trouble remembering what time it was taking place. I was constantly flipping back to the first page of the chapter to try to remember when it was, whether Dani was alive at this time or already dead. I think some people will really love this book, and I hope they do! It just wasn't a book that I enjoyed, and therefore, I didn't finish it.
We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver 
I don't know what it was about this book. It sounds so intriguing, but I just couldn't get into it. I would pick it up, read a little, and then find something else to do. It just wasn't worth my time trying to get into the book when it clearly wasn't working for me.

Dangerous by Caleb Bislow
Again, this just wasn't for me. I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but I didn't enjoy it as I was reading, so I decided not to force myself to finish.

Gracianna by Trini Amador
I had really high hopes for this book, but I tried reading it and just couldn't keep going. It didn't have anything to do with the writing or the concept of the story, which I thought sounded really good. But I was just getting bored and never wanted to pick it up to read it again.

Saturday, July 12, 2014

[Review] Words of Silk by Sandra Brown

Words of Silk by Sandra Brown
Date Started: 7/11/14
Date Finished: 7/12/14
Publisher: Warner Books
Publishing Date: 1984
Format: paperback, purchased
210 Pages


Synopsis 

Laney McLeod's life changes the minute she gets stuck in an elevator in Manhattan-and relies on handsome stranger Deke Sargent to help her fight her claustrophobia. When the power comes back on, Deke and Laney find themselves in a passionate embrace that leads to a night of love. Shocked at her indiscretion, Laney disappears the next morning. Months later, she receives an even greater shock: Deke shows up in her life with an astounding announcement. Unable to forget the chemistry between them, but afraid that she's just another notch on this wealthy playboy's bedpost, Laney is about to discover an even deeper fear...one that she must face or forever lose the one man she can't resist.

My Review

I was really in the mood to read a quick, short romance novel, so I turned to Sandra Brown! I really enjoy her stories and she definitely knows how to write romance. Perusing my shelves, I found Words of Silk, so I picked it up and started reading right away. This is an older book of hers, but I still really enjoyed it. There wasn't as much substance in it as I would have liked, but that happens in a shorter story. It definitely isn't Brown's best work, and I like her newer novels much better, but at the same time, it was just what I was looking for last night: a really quick, light read. 

Friday, July 11, 2014

Feature and Follow Friday! 7.11.14


Feature and Follow is a blog hop hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. The purpose is to meet new people and gain more followers in the book blogging community. If this is your first time here, welcome! You are about to make some new friends and gain new followers. But you have to know, the point of this hop is to follow other blogs also. I follow you, you follow me. 

The general rules are: 
- Follow the Feature and Follow Hosts (Parajunkee and Alison Can Read)
- Follow the Featured Bloggers
- Put your Blog name and URL in the Linky thing. You can also grab the code if you would like to insert it into your posts. 
- Grab the button up there and place it in a post. This post is for people to say hi and that they are now following you in your comments. 
- Follow, Follow, Follow as many as you can. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Don't just follow, comment and say hi in the post! Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don't say 'hi'
- If someone comments and says they are following you, please follow back! 

This weeks question: If you had a time machine, where would you go?

I really think I'd like to go back to the past, but not a distant past. Just 15 years or so. My cousin died when I was 10, and my grandma died about 6 years ago, so I'd really love to go back and spend more time with them. They both mean so much to me and spending just a few more days with them would be worth it! (:

I definitely don't think I want to go to the future. Why? I don't want to know how life is going to turn out; I like just living in the moment!


Thursday, July 10, 2014

[Review] More Than This by Patrick Ness

More Than This by Patrick Ness
Date Started: 6/25/14
Date Finished: 7/9/14
Publisher: Candlewick on Brilliance Audio
Publishing Date: Nov. 26, 2013
Format: audio, library
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N


Synopsis 

From two-time Carnegie Medal winner Patrick Ness comes an enthralling and provocative new novel chronicling the life - or perhaps afterlife - of a teen trapped in a crumbling, abandoned world. A boy named Seth drowns, desperate and alone in his final moments, losing his life as the pounding sea claims him. But then he wakes. He is naked, thirsty, starving. But alive. How is that possible? He remembers dying, his bones breaking, his skull dashed upon the rocks. So how is he here? And where is this place? It looks like the suburban English town where he lived as a child, before an unthinkable tragedy happened and his family moved to America. But the neighborhood around his old house is overgrown, covered in dust, and completely abandoned. What's going on? And why is it that whenever he closes his eyes, he falls prey to vivid, agonizing memories that seem more real than the world around him? Seth begins a search for answers, hoping that he might not be alone, that this might not be the hell he fears it to be, that there might be more than just this....

My Review

I picked up the audio version of this book because I've heard good things about Patrick Ness and about this book as well. This is the first story by Ness that I've read, though I do have The Knife of Never Letting Go on my shelves at home. I was excited to start listening to this book! They usually take me a while to get through because I generally only listen to them while driving, and though I travel often for work, its still not a lot of time to get through it. But I finally finished yesterday!

On to the book itself... I'm sad to say that I really didn't enjoy this story. I actually thought about stopping it after the first disc, but as I didn't have another audio book at the time, and I would be traveling about 6 hours the next week, I decided to push through. I couldn't connect with the characters and couldn't get into the story. I found it to be kind of boring and I really only looked forward to hearing about Seth's life before he died. To me, that was much more interesting than what happened after he died. 

I know many people really like this story; you can tell just be looking at the Goodreads rating and the reviews. I was really hoping to like it as well, but it just wasn't for me. I'm still planning to read The Knife of Never Letter Go by Ness, so I hope to like that one better. 

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Top Ten Tuesday! 7.8.14


Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the The Broke and the Bookish. Every week she posts an idea for a 'Top Ten' list relating to books, and encourages other book bloggers to respond and participate. All the details are listed on her site.

This week's question: Top Ten Eight blogging confessions

1. I am a book hoarder! I love buying books and have SO many on my shelves that I haven't even opened. But I see a book for a good deal, and I have to buy it. I love seeing them all on my shelves, but when I move, the packing/unpacking process is awful! Good thing we'll be at our current place for a while yet! 

2. I'm really bad at reading ARCs soon enough. I request some or agree to read them for authors, and then they just sit on my shelves.... and I feel guilty every time I walk past them... Sometimes I start reading the book and I just don't get into it, so I put it down planning to pick it up later - but I don't... Something I need to work on. But I've been cutting back on the number of books I request and agree to review so that helps!

3. I'm not good at DNF-ing books. Especially ARCs. I feel like I have an obligation to finish them, and when I don't, I feel terrible (see above). I still haven't DNF-ed many books, but I'm working on it (: Plus I've decided to get rid of a few that are on my shelf, that way I won't see them when I look for other books, and I won't feel as guilty for putting them down!

4. I have to write my review within a day of finishing the book. If I don't, then I forget all the things I wanted to say about it! Sometimes I'll keep little notes in a draft, but I don't do that often enough, so if I don't write soon, I forget... 

5. I have a love/hate relationship with lending out my books. So, I really, really love talking about books with people, and because I have so many, I always lend them out! It's a good feeling and I always hope they love it as much as I do. But at the same time, I hate it because I never know what condition my book will come back in... 99% of the time, its in the same condition as I lent it, but other times, there's creasing, dog-eared pages, bent covers... I'm just much more careful about who can borrow them now! 

6. I have a spreadsheet for my books. It's sorted by author and all of this info on it: 
Author
Title
Series Title 
Series Number 
Whose currently borrowing it
Date borrowed 
Whether I've read it
Whether it's an ARC
Whether I won it 
A little OCD, but it makes me feel better and I always know who has my books and for how long they've had them! Seriously makes things so much easier, especially since I've moved apartments a lot the last couple years because of school!

7. I don't post as much original content as I prefer. I post a lot of reviews, but I also post so many memes. I just find that I'm so busy and things are constantly happening in life that I often overlook thinking of new posts for my blog. Which is why I resort to reviews and memes. Now, understandably, I only started this blog to post reviews, but it would be nice to create more original content! 

8. My favorite book store is Half Price Books. Seriously. I walk to the back of the store to the clearance section and don't leave. All those books are $3 or less, so now I have a hard time buying anything over that price, and an even harder time passing up those books! 


Monday, July 7, 2014

[Review] Daddy's Little Girl by Mary Higgins Clark

Daddy's Little Girl by Mary Higgins Clark 
Publisher: Pocket Books
Publishing Date: April 1, 2003
Format: paperback, purchased
384 Pages
Goodreads  |  Amazon  |  B&N


Synopsis 

Ellie Cavanaugh was only seven years old when her fifteen-year-old sister, Andrea, was murdered near their home in Oldham-on-the-Hudson, a rural village in New York's Westchester County. There were three suspects: Rob Westerfield, nineteen-year-old scion of a wealthy, prominent family, whom Andrea has been secretly dating; Paul Stroebel, a sixteen-year-old schoolmate, who had a crush on Andrea; and Will Nebels, a local handyman in his forties.

It was Ellie who had led her parents to a hideout in which Andrea's body was found -- a secret hideaway in which she met her friends. And it was Ellie who was blamed by her parents for her sister's death for not telling them about this place the night Andrea was missing. It was also Ellie's testimony that led to the conviction of the man she was firmly convinced was the killer. Steadfastly denying his guilt, he spent the next twenty-two years in prison.

When he comes up for parole, Ellie, now an investigative reporter for an Atlanta newspaper, protests his release. Nonetheless, the convicted killer is set free and returns to Oldham. Determined to thwart his attempts to whitewash his reputation, Ellie also returns to Oldham, intent on creating a Website and writing a book that will conclusively prove his guilt. As she delves deeper into her research, however, she uncovers horrifying and heretofore unknown facts that shed new light on her sister's murder. With each discovery, she comes closer to a confrontation with a desperate killer.

Gripping and relentlessly compelling, Daddy's Little Girl, a portrayal of a family shattered by crime, reflects Mary Higgins Clark's uncanny insight into the twisted mind of a killer and is further evidence of why she is America's favorite author of suspense. 

My Review

This is the first Mary Higgins Clark book I've read. My mom had this book years ago, and I tried reading it, but just couldn't get into it. I don't think it had anything to do with the book or writing, I just wasn't that interested in reading mysteries at that time. Now, however, I love mysteries/suspense/thrillers! I saw this at a garage sale and knew that I wanted to read it since I tried to so many years ago. 

While I enjoyed this story, it wasn't the best I've ever read. I think Mary Higgins Clark is a very talented author, and the story line was intriguing. But it didn't captivate me like I wished it would have. I though Ellie was an interesting character, and I can definitely see why she wanted to learn the truth about what happened. I wouldn't say this story was predictable, but at the same time, it wasn't full of twists and turns either, and while I wasn't bored with the story, I found myself watching a lot more TV over the weekend than reading. 

This won't be my first and only book by this author. She interested me enough to continue reading her work, and I believe I have another garage sale pick by her at home. But overall, it was a decent book that I'm glad to have read. However, it won't be a reread for me. 

Thursday, July 3, 2014

*Spotlight* Sexy & Sweet and Steamy & Sizzling Boxed Sets!




InkHeart
Authors
presents two boxed sets
for your summer reading pleasure!

Make sure to download both the Sexy and Sweet AND
the Steamy and Sizzling Set - 21 books for $5.98!


Displaying Sexy&Sweet_Box.png
Sexy and Sweet Summer Reads 

Available for only $2.99 at:

Amazon | B&N  | Kobo and iBooks coming soon!
                                               
Falling Into Forever by Elena Aitken



Secrets cause Kari to run, Rhys is determined to catch her, can she find the courage to trust again?



A Daughter’s Place by CJ Carmichael

For the sake of her child, a single mother must face the father who
disowned her, the ex-boyfriend who hurt her and the neighbor she's always loved in...

Tempt Me Cowboy by Megan Crane

Chelsea Collier is a good girl schoolteacher who’s never done a bad thing in her life, but bad boy newcomer Jasper Flint is definitely a bad thing worth doing…

His for the Weekend by Janelle Denison

After nine years apart, one forbidden kiss between past lovers leads to one hot weekend, but when their time together is over, will Rachel walk away from Luke again, or can he convince her to stay and be his forever?

Unspoken by Lauren Hawkeye

Once, Ellie Kendrick was the only thing that Dominic Gabriel wanted... now she’s back and her version of what happened between them so long ago makes him question everything he knows about himself as a man...

Weekend with the Tycoon by Kaira Rouda

When wealthy tycoon Blake Putnam invites employee Samantha Jones to a family wedding on Indigo island with no strings attached he knows it’s risky business, but neither of them expects what happens next.

Sweet Reunion by Melanie Shawn

Sometimes first love deserves a second chance.

The Start of Something Good by Renee Vincent writing as Gracie Lee Rose

Who knew Mr. Right lived right next door?

Where Their Hearts Collide by Zoe York

When the girl next door meets the man of her dreams...at exactly the wrong time. 






Displaying Steamy&Sizzling_Box.pngSteamy and Sizzling Summer Reads

Available for only $2.99 at:

Amazon | B&N  |  Kobo and iBooks coming soon!



The CEO's Fantasy by RG Alexander 

Dean and Sara agree to a month of indulging their most forbidden fantasies--but when reality is better than his wildest dreams, will the CEO break his own rules to keep her?

Wicked All The Way by Shayla Black



When a gruff military man with a desire to control seduces a skittish divorcee bent on finding her independence, will she give in to more than their sizzling chemistry?



The Dom Who Loved Me by Lexi Blake

Sent to steal her secrets, he soon craved her submission.

The Male Stripper by Opal Carew

Her ultimate sexual fantasy brought to life....not one, but two sexy male strippers for one night of torrid passion she'll never forget.

Elemental Pleasure by Mari Carr and Lila Dubois

There is passion and power in three.

Grif by Bianca D’Arc

Grif is far from home when he meets a sexy, magical woman in desperate need of his help.

Web of Desire by Cathryn Fox

When the captive suddenly becomes the captor, Ally finds herself tangled in a web of desire—of her own making.

Allure by Nina Lane

In Book Two of the sexy Spiral of Bliss trilogy, Liv and Dean West's passionate romance is put to the test as they struggle with an unexpected family crisis.

One Hot Fall Term by Sharon Page

College freshman Mia fights to make a long distance relationship work with her gorgeous hometown boyfriend Ryan--but billionaire's son Jonathon plans to seduce her away.

Dare to Love by Carly Phillips

When a man who requires dominance falls for a woman who needs independence, can they survive the fallout?

The Great Escape by Suzanne Rock

Gianni loves dominating Sienna during her sessions at the Ecstasy Spa, but when his ex-lover returns and wants in on the action, all three of them uncover a bond that forces them change their views about love.

Through My Window by Jayne Rylon

What happens when a sex worker fall in love with a client but doesn't plan to quit her job?

Rocked by Cari Quinn and Taryn Elliott

Love definitely wasn't on the setlist.



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