Suzanne Collins tour dates plus fun games

I've been stalking my favorite authors websites lately, and I knew Suzanne Collins was going to be doing signings somwhere near me soon but didn't know when. She's finally posted her tour dates! I was right, there are 3 signings she's going to be doing that are only a 4 hour drive from my house!! Plus they are on a friday and saturday so it's even better! Check to see if she's coming anywhere near you.

Here is the link: Suzanne Collins tour dates!

**Side Note**
That direct link sometimes doesn't work cause Scholastics is weird that way with their urls. So if you get the original link (http://scholastic.com/thehungergames/about-the-author.htm) and put it into Google, you can get to the page that way. It's what I had to do.

I would highly recommend that you play the games that is in that link. There are two of them, Trial by Fire, and Tribute Trials. Both are a lot of fun (even if I keep dying!) I spent wayyyy too much time playing those games.

Book of the week (10)

Book of the Week (10)

BotW is a weekly post I do in order to give more love to a book I think deserves it. This weeks book is...

Once Dead, Twice Shy by Kim Harrison

published by Harper Teen

$8.99 (paperback)

Genre: YA

256 pages

What it's about:

My name is Madison Avery, and I'm here to tell you that there's more out there than you can see, hear, or touch. Because I'm there. Seeing it. Touching it. Living it. Madison's prom was killer-literally. Now, thanks to a mysterious amulet, she's stuck on Earth: dead but not gone. She has no idea why the dark reaper who did her in was after her, but she's not about to just sit around and let fate take its course. With a little skilled light-bending, the help of a light reaper (one of the good guys . . . maybe), her cute crush, and oh yeah, her guardian angel, Madison's ready to take control of her own destiny once and for all, before it takes control of her. Well, if she believed in that stuff.

Why?
I love Kim Harrison. Everything she writes is gold. This series is unique with great characters. It's fun, it's thrilling, it's fantastic. Kim could write a manual on how to watch paint dry and I'd still read it because her writing is just that good.

Review: Deception

Deception by Lee Nichols

published by Bloomsburry

$9.99 (paperback)

Genre: YA

310 pages

FTC: I borrowed this book from the library. I will not be compensated for this review.

What it's about:

When her parents leaver on a mysterious business trip, Emma Vaile has the perfect excuse to rebel--throw some parties, get a tattoo )or maybe just a piercing), and enjoy the first few weeks of junior year. But when the cops crash her party, she finds herself in the hands of a new guardian--her college-age knight in J.Crew armor, Bennett Stern--and on a plane to his museum-like mansion in New England.

After enrolling at Thatcher Academy, Emma settles in by making friends with the popular legacy crowd but can't shake the strange visions that are haunting her. She has memories of Thatcher she can't explain, as if she's returning home to a place she's never been. Emma doesn't trust anyone anymore--except maybe Bennett. And he's explain the visions...and make Emma fear for her life.

My thoughts:

This book has almost everything I look for in a good book, strong characters, drama, action. The only thing it didn't really have was a good love plot. Throughout the book, Emma keeps talking about how crazy in love she is with Bennett, yet I didn't really feel it. Didn't really understand it either. Bennett was sort of boring, rude, gone most of the time, and then he lied a lot on top of that. He did sort of redeem himself towards the end, but hardly.
All the characters in this book are only okay. No one really stands out, no one really gets fully developed. This is just the first book in a series, so there is time for it, but I would have liked to see more in this one.
I really do like the plot line for this book. I think it's interesting and different from the normal ghost stories I read. It just doesn't stand out. I finished this book almost 3 weeks ago and I'm having trouble remembering everything about it. If I really liked it, it would have stuck with me better. It is a book that I found very easy to forget about.

My rating: 7/10
It has potential to be a really good series once it's fully developed and if some of the many unanswered questions get answered.

Blog Hop and Follow

 Follow friday is hosted over at Parajunkee

To join the fun and make now book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Host { Parajunkee.com } and any one else you want to follow on the list

Follow our Featured Bloggers - http://bookge3k.blogspot.com/

Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing.

Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say hi in your comments

Follow Follow Follow as many as you can

If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers

If you want to show the link list, just follow the link below the entries and copy and paste it within your post!

If your new to the follow friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!

Blog hop is hosted over at Crazy for books
Question of the Week: Do you use a rating system for your reviews and if so, what is it and why?

My answer:
Yes I use a rating system. I use whatever/10. I prefer for reviews to have a rating system so I know how much the person really liked the book. I use out of 10 because I didn't want to use 5, and I used to change my theme all the time so I didn't use some sort of symbol.

Make sure to check out my giveaway!!!! I'm giving away signed copies of Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead and Jealousy by Lili St.Crow along with some other stuff. Enter to win!

Upcoming reviews:
Deception by Lee Nichols
I Kissed a Zombie and I liked it by Adam Selzer
13 To Life by Shannon Delany
The Frenzy by Francesca Lia Block

Review: Mockingjay

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

published by Scholastic

$17.99 (hardback)

Genre: YA

390 pages

FTC: I bought this book. Will not receive anything for this review.

What it's about:

My Name is Katniss Everdeen. Why am I not dead? I should be dead.

Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss's family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.

It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plans--except Katniss.

The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels' Mockingjay-- no matter what the personal cost.

my thoughts:
You know that feeling you got when you were reading the 7th Harry Potter book and you knew that no matter what Rowling did to the characters, Harry was going to defeat Voldemort and that none of the Big Three were going to die? Cause it was Harry freaking Potter? well, with Mockingjay I didn't ever have that feeling. I was terrified for the Big Three throughout the whole book. Collins is not nice to her characters, lots of them are tortured and killed throughout the series, so what is to say that the big three would still be alive and relatively unharmed by the end?
That being said, I was freaking out during most of the book. It was so intense I had to put it down and take a break for awhile before I went crazy with worry for the characters. While this book didn't have as much action as the others, it does have suspense. Will they save Peeta? Who will Katniss pick (if anyone at all?), who dies? Will they take over the Capital? The list could go on forever.
Honestly, this was my least favorite of the three books. The ending I thought was insanely disappointing as well. Too many unanswered questions and sometimes the writing could be a little confusing just because of the way the sentences were arranged.

My rating: 9/10.
I'm sad I can't give it a 10/10 because I would like to, but I can't.

Spoiler free quote:
"Well, don't expect us to be too impressed. We just saw Finnick Odair in his underwear."--pg 82

Other cool stuff:
Hot Topic is doing this little trivia thing. Answer 4 Hunger Games questions (5 seconds for each question) correctly, win a 13 x19 inch poster. I've already done it and picked up my poster. It's pretty awesome. Here is the link: Win a Hunger Games poster

Review: The Demon's Covenant

The Demon's Covenant by Sarah Rees Brennan

published by Margaret K. McElderry Books

$17.99 (hardback)

Genre: YA

440 pages

FTC: I borrowed this book from the library. I will not be compensated for this review.

What it's about:

Mae always thought she was in control, but in the past few weeks, control has turned into chaos. She's learned that her brother, Jamie, has magical powers, and that Gerald, the new leader of the Obsidian Circle, is trying to persuade Jamie to join the magicians. The same magicians who tried to kill Mae and Jamie last month in London. The magicians who get their power by feeding people to demons.

Mae turns to brothers Nicka nd Alan to help her rescue Jamie, but they are in danger themselves. Every magician in England now knows what Nick really is-and they all want him dead.

Nick's new power has also caused a rift between the brothers. In the weeks they were gone something terrible happened, something that haunts them both. With Nick as unreadable as ever and Alan making secret bargains with a demon, Mae finds herself attracted to both brothers--though she knows she can't trust either of them. The magicians are closing in on one side, and the dangerous, seductive Goblin Market is tempting her on the other, and Mae has to form her own plan to save them all. She's going to find that the price she must pay is more than she ever imagined.

My thoughts:

After finishing the first book, I went and grabbed this book and started reading. I got about 75 pages into it and stopped. I wasn't feeling it anymore because there were other books I wanted to read more at the time.

About a week later I picked this book back up and pretty much read it in one or two sittings until I finished it.

This book was even better than the first. It is through Mae's POV so it was easier to relate to her. She's trying to save everyone and having problems with it.

Once again my favorite characters are Jamie and Nick. Jamie has some of the best lines in the book and reading about those two characters hanging out is great. Both of their characters are growing and learning so much. It's fascinating. The one character I'm not a huge fan of is Alan. I really don't know why because he is pretty amazing. Loyal, smart, sweet, caring, everything, and yet he really annoys me. I do feel bad for him though.

while this book didn't have as much action as the first, I liked it better. It was all about the characters. Even if I didn't like the book, I would still say you should read it just for the character development. I can't wait to read the next book so I can learn more about Nick.

My rating: 9.5/ 10

Quote from the book:

"Make yourself at home. Sorry for being such a shocking host-- I can't offer you any refreshments, and I'm probably about to stab you in the liver. What do you want?" --Nick

Book of the week (9)

Book of the week (9)

BotW is a weekly post I do in order to give more attention to a book/series I think deserves it.

The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan

published by simon and schuster

$9.99 (paperback)

322 pages

What it's about:

Nick and his brother, Alan, have spent their lives on the run from magic. Their father was murdered, and their mother was driven mad by magicians and the demons who give them power. The magicians are hunting the Ryves family for a charm that Nick's mother stole--a charm that keeps her alive--and they want it badly enough to kill again.

Danger draws even closer when a brother and sister come to the Ryves family for help. The boy wears a demon's mark, a sign of death that almost nothing can erase...and when Alan also gets marked by a demon, Nick is desperate to save him. The only way to do that is to kill one of the magicians they have been hiding from for so l ong.

Ensnared in a deadly game of cat and mouse, Nick starts to suspectt that his brother is telling him lie after lie about their past. As the magicians' Circle closes in on their family, Nick uncovers the secret that could destroy them all.
 
Why?
It was actually the second book in this series that I really fell in love with. This series has characters that are unique and loveable. The story plot is something new and different, and the series is all around awesome!
My review for it can be found here

Blogaversary/ 100+ followers giveaway!!!

I've been excited to do this giveaway for awhile. At the end of September it will be my 1 year blogaversary! I can't believe it's been a year that I've been blogging. And to make it even more exciting, I have hit over 100 followers recently!

This is definitely worth a giveaway. SOOOOOOO
I will be giving away to one lucky winner:
* A signed copy of Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead
*A signed copy of Jealousy by Lili St.Crow
*Signed bookmark from Stacey Kade (Author of Ghost and the Goth)
*Signed bookmark/postcard from Lisa Schroeder
*A Mockingjay bookmark

I will add a second winner that will win a set of all the bookmarks as well.

Because I really dislike filling out forms and adding up all the points, I'm not going to do it this way.

How to enter to win:
Comment on this post with your name (First and last name initial), your email address so I can contact you, and your blog name.
Because this is a 100+ followers giveaway as well, I'm making it a followers only win.

I will give extra entries to people that post about this on their blogs. Just leave the url in a comment on this post and I'll add the extra entries.

I'm going to pick the winner on Sep. 25th because that is the day I started blogging. yay!

I went and did a fake price check to see if I could afford to ship this internationally. The price about made my eyes pop out of my face, so I'm sorry, but this is US only.

I would like to thank Lisa and Stacey for dealing with my awkward emails and giving me the signed swag. I'd also would like to thank Lili and Richelle for signing the books :)

Blog hop and follow friday!

It's friday again, and while this is my favorite blogging day, it really is becoming depressing. Summer is almost gone! At least it's been a great one. Moving on...

Book blogger hop is hosted over at Crazy For Books

This weeks question: How Many Blogs Do You Follow?

My answer: a lot. I have 129 followers right now so I'm following about 129 blogs. I follow all the blogs that comment and say they are following me. I've also found other random blogs that I follow.
If you are following me make sure to leave a comment and let me know! Leave the url for it as well so I can easily get to your blog. I don't like having to spend tons of time trying to find a link to your blog.


Follow my Book Blog Friday is hosted over at Parajunkee

To join the fun and make now book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

1.Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Host { Parajunkee.com } and any one else you want to follow on the list
2.Follow our Featured Bloggers - http://edgyinspirational.blogspot.com/
3.Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing.
4.Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say hi in your comments
5.Follow Follow Follow as many as you can
6.If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers
7.If you want to show the link list, just follow the link below the entries and copy and paste it within your post!
8.If your new to the follow friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!

Movie Review: Vampires Suck

I went and saw Vampires Suck last night!

The very short and awesome review is this: it was AWESOME!

That's right, it rocked. From the very first line to the very last, I was laughing my butt off. Normally I think spoof movies are beyond stupid (Epic Movie is on my top 5 worst movies ever list) but this one is great. I had trouble breathing at a few parts because I was laughing so hard. I even had to get up and pee during the movie cause I couldn't stop laughing. The trailer did not even play the funniest parts of the movie, which I was very glad of.

Just a warning though, there is lots of swearing in it and lots of sex jokes. I had a 9 year old and a 12 year old with who also thought the movie was hilarious. It does have kids jokes in it as well.

I will probably end up watching this movie again. I loved it!

Happy Birthday Percy Jackson!

Happy 17th birthday Percy Jackson!

That's right, it's Percy Jackson's birthday today. My sister texted me earlier to remind me. I think the babysitting kids and me will watch the movie to celebrate :)

Waiting on Wednesday (8)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted over at breaking the spine. 

Deadly Little Games by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Release date: Dec 28, 2010

What it's about:

Camelia and Ben have discovered a powerful bond: They both possess the power of psychometry, the ability to sense things through touch. For Ben, the g ...more Camelia and Ben have discovered a powerful bond: They both possess the power of psychometry, the ability to sense things through touch. For Ben, the gift is a frightening liability. When he senses a strong threat or betrayal, he risks losing control and hurting people. Camelia's gift is more mysterious. When she works with clay, her hands sculpt messages her mind doesn't yet comprehend.

Before either teen has a chance to fully grasp these abilities, an unresolved family tragedy resurfaces in Camelia's life, irrevocably changing everything she cares about...

Why?
I love this series! The first two books in the series were fantastic (even though they were a lot the same) but this one I have hopes for it going in a little different direction and to answer some questions that have been nagging at me for two books!

Cover and synopsis were both found on Goodreads.com

Review: You Wish

You Wish by Mandy Hubbard

published by Razorbill

$8.99 (paperback)

Genre: YA

284 pages

FTC: I bought this book. I will not be compensated for reviewing this book.

What it's about:

1 wish

2 girls who love the same boy

14 days to stop the madness!

Kayla McHanry is having the worst sweet sixteenth birthday ever! And it's not just because she's cynical. It's hard to have a good time when you're secretly in love with your best friend's boyfriend.

Just before Kayla blows out her candles, she thinks: I wish all my birthday wishes actually came true. Because they never freakin' do.

The next morning, Kayla wakes up and sees a life-sized, bright pink My Little Pony outside her window. The following day, a year's supply of gumballs arrives. Then, an oddly plastic-looking boy named Ken shows up in a convertible and starts following her around everywhere!

Each day, another wish from her childhood comes true. But... they MUST STOP.

Because when she was 15? Kayla wished Ben Mackenzie would kiss her. And Ben is her best friend's boyfriend.

My thoughts:

I LOVED THIS BOOK!
The voice of Kayla in this story is great. I loved the way she talked, thought, and acted. I now plan on going and reading everything Mandy Hubbard wrote because I loved the writing so much.
The plot was also great. Having all your wishes come true sounds like a horrible thing and a great life quote. I know I've heard quotes like that "the worst thing that could happen to you is having everything you wish for come true." I don't know who said it but it's completely true. I couldn't wait to see what wish was going to happen to Kayla next. It got better and better with each one. I know it had me thinking about what I wished for and knowing that I shared some of the same things as Kayla (who didn't want to be Barbie at one point in time?)
To sum up, this book is amazing! It's going in my must read section.

my rating: 10/10

Book of the Week (8)-- You Wish

Book of the Week (8)
BotW is a weekly post I do in order to give more attention to a book I think deserves it.

You Wish by Mandi Hubbard

published by razorbill

$8.99 (paperback)

Genre: YA

284 pages

What it's about:

1 wish

2 girls who love the same boy
14 days to stop the madness!

Kayla McHanry is having the worst sweet sixteenth birthday ever! And it's not just because she's cynical. It's hard to have a good time when you're secretly in love with your best friend's boyfriend.

Just before Kayla blows out her candles, she thinks: I wish all my birthdya wishes actually came true. Because they never freakin' do.

The next morning, Kayla wakes up and sees a life-sized, bright pink My LIttle Pony outside her window. The following day, a year's supply of gumballs arrives. Then, an oddly plastic-looking boy named Ken shows up in a convertible and starts following her around everywhere!

Each day, another wish from her childhood comes true. But... they MUST STOP.
Because when she was 15? Kayla wished Ben Mackenzie would kiss her. And Ben is her best friend's boyfriend.

Why?
I absolutely loved this book. The plot, the characters, the writing style. The whole book was completely fantastic! I'll be posting my review for this book tomorrow (hopefully).

Review: The Demons Lexicon

The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan

published by Simon and Schuster

$17.99 (hardback)

Genre: YA

322 pages

FTC: I borrowed this book from the library. I will not be compensated for this review.

What it's about:
Nick and his brother, Alan, have spent their lives on the run from magic. Their father was murdered, and their mother was driven mad by magicians and the demons who give them power. The magicians are hunting the Ryves family for a charm that Nick's mother stole--a charm that keeps her alive--and they want it badly enough to kill again.
Danger draws even closer when a brother and sister come to the Ryves family for help. The boy wears a demon's mark, a sign of death that almost nothing can erase...and when Alan also gets marked by a demon, Nick is desperate to save him. The only way to do that is to kill one of the magicians they have been hiding from for so l ong.
Ensnared in a deadly game of cat and mouse, Nick starts to suspectt that his brother is telling him lie after lie about their past. As the magicians' Circle closes in on their family, Nick uncovers the secret that could destroy them all.

My thoughts:
Oh, this is going to be a hard one to explain.
This book caught my attention from the very beginning. I was interested in both Alan's character and Nick's. They were both so different and it was interesting to see how they were going to react to everything.
What I liked and disliked about the book was it being through Nick's POV. His character was really hard to understand. He doesn't feel much, doesn't understand much about other people. Made it hard to be in his head, yet I really love his character. Nick and Jamie are probably my favorite characters out of this series. They are so completely different that it's hysterical to see them interact with each other.
Then there was also the plot. I guessed what was going to happen at the end at the very beginning of the book, yet somehow I was still shocked when I got to the end. The writing was amazing just for that reason. The fact that I could guess what was going to happen, and yet when it does I was still like "Oh.My.Goodness!"
I finished this book and I immediately grabbed the second book, The Demon's Covenant, and started reading.
So in other words, I liked this book. It was different from everything else I've been reading in lots of different ways. The writing style, the plot, and the characters themselves.

As a side note, this book is now in paperback with a different cover. I still picked this one to use because well, it's my favorite one. I think that model is insanely hott.

My rating: 9/10

Quote from book: "I'm not all that accustomed to the walking dead. Is it all right if I cry with terror?" -- Jamie

Hop and Follow Friday!

It's friday already. Holy crap! So that means it's hop and follow friday!
 

To join the fun and make now book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Host { Parajunkee.com } and any one else you want to follow on the list

Follow our Featured Bloggers - http://nymfaux.blogspot.com/

Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing.

Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say hi in your comments

Follow Follow Follow as many as you can

If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers

If you want to show the link list, just follow the link below the entries and copy and paste it within your post!

If your new to the follow friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!

Blog Hop friday is hosted over at Crazy For Books.

This weeks question: How many books do you have on your 'to be read shelf’?

My Answer: Wayyyy too many. I counted a while ago and I have about 70 unread books in my room right now. This does not include about 60 Agatha Christie books I own and haven't read yet either

Make sure that if you are following me to leave your blog address in the comment so I can make sure to follow you back!

Waiting on Wednesday (7)

Waiting on Wednesday (7)
WoW is a weekly meme hosted over at Breaking the Spine

Ripple by Mandy Hubbard

publisher: Razorbill

Release date: summer 2011

What it's about:
Eighteen year old Lexi Wentworth is cursed. For as long as she can remember, she’s spent every night swimming. If she doesn’t, she’ll regret it—simply walking will be agony, as if she’s stepping on shattered glass. Her body craves the water, demands the water, until she can’t say no.
But it's not the swimming that troubles Lexi. It’s the singing that goes with it.When she turned sixteen, her siren song killed the only boy she's ever loved. Now, she avoids the popular shores of the Pacific in favor of a long forgotten lake up in the mountains, where she can swim and sing in peace, far from the population of her oceanside home.

Until, that is, Troy Mills discovers her lake. He’s new to Lincoln City High, and he doesn’t know about Lexi’s reputation as an ice queen—a reputation she’s carefully cultivated to keep everyone around her safe. He pushes her, talks to her, forces her to dream of what life could be like if she weren’t a siren.

Lexi can’t stop herself from warming to him, from falling for him. Soon, he’s demanding answers, following her to the lake, unknowingly risking his life. How can she keep him safe when the one thing she wants most--to hold him close-- will endanger his life?

Why?
I literally just finished reading You Wish by Mandy Hubbard about 30 minutes ago. I absolutely loved it. Really loved it. Now I plan on going and reading everything Mandy writes. I think this book sounds amazing!

When I'm not reading- I'm painting!

When I'm not reading is hosted over at The Unread Reader.

I am a huge art nerd. I love going to art museums, art fairs, anything art. I pretty much do all forms of art (besides pottery, never cared for that one). My main thing is painting, but I also knit, scrapbook, and I've recently learned how to quilt :)

A lot of my art work is inspired by the books I'm reading.

My HP US covers painting. There is something from every one of the US covers in this painting. Took me forever to paint it. I pretty much locked myself in my room, listened to 3 HP audiobooks, and painted this. Lol my mom stole it from me and it now hangs behind the tv in the livingroom.

Twilight covers painting. I've done this one 3 times now. Even changed the colors up a bit for one of them. That one is done in purples. I ended up selling this one to a friend.

This was a school project. I had to repaint a painting so I did my sister's favorite painting, "The Singing Butler" by Jack Vetriano.

This is a painting I did of my Little Dude. He died last year so I did a painting of my favorite picture of him :(

I'm currently in the middle of lots of different art projects.

I'm knitting this scarf because I want to be as cool as that kid. haha.

I've also been commissioned to paint a couple different paintings for my friend's kids.

This is why I'm going to try and keep up with my blog but I might be slacking. I've read a bunch and wrote a bunch of reviews so I hope I won't fall behind. But I really need to start working my butt off on the commissioned paintings.

Book Signings, babies, oh my!

This week has been amazingly awesome!!

Last night, Richelle Mead was in Portland doing a signing!!!!!!!!!! I can't believe how many people showed up for that. I don't even think that many people showed up for Kim Harrison, and I thought there was a ton there. There was at least 150 people. She talked about her books, answered questions, read from Spirit Bound, and signed books. Authors Lisa Schroeder and Suzanne Young showed up as well. (Thanks again Lisa for the bookmarks!)

This is Richelle and Me. I was in the middle of talking while the picture was taken. haha.

She told me she's heard of my blog and I swear I went all fan girly on her. Giggles and everything. Kinda embarrasing when I think about it.

So that was exciting. I love going to book signings.

Other exciting news, my best friend of 16 years had her baby on the 7th!!! Ava Mae is the most beautiful baby ever and she's already stolen my heart :)

I just can't get enough of this tiny baby girl.

Review: Jealousy

Jealousy by Lili St. Crow

Published by Razorbill

$9.99 (paperback)

Genre: YA

316 pages

FTC: I bought this book and will not be compensated for this review.

What it's about:
The Real World is a frightening place.


Just ask sixteen-year-old orphan Dru Anderson, a tough girl who has taken on her fair share of bad guys. She's armed, dangerous, and not going down without a fight. So it's gonna take her a while to figure out who she can trust...

Just when Dru thought she was safe, everything exploded in her face. Her mom and dad are long gone, her protectors Graves and Christophe kinda want to rip each other's throats out, and a four-hundred-year-old nosferat named Sergej won't stop hunting her until his bloodthirsty army of suckers has torn her to shreds.

Dru's finally made it to the Schola Prima-the Real Deal djamphir training facility and home of the Order-and life is about to get even more Real World. There's a brand new svetocha in town-a readheaded vixen named Anna who's got the Order wrapped around her pretty little finger, and who'd rather kill Dru than share the spotlight. Turns out Dru's got something Anna wants. And his name just happens to be Christophe Reynard...

How can Dru trust the Order to protect her, when its leader wants her gone?

My thoughts:
I absolutely love this series. By about the end of the first chapter of Strange Angels, I was hooked and I've stayed hooked through 3 books so far.
 
I love the characters in these books. Dru is one of the best leading ladies in a series. She's tough, strong, a fighter, and yet she's still a girl with insecurities. She's a well rounded character. Then there's Graves. I love Graves. He's the best best friend a girl could want. I love all the were wolves in this series.
 
The writing in this book got even better as well. If you've read the other books, you might have realized that some of the things St. Crow wrote could come off sounding a little racist (even though you can tell that wasn't her intent) and the action scenes could be a little confusing. That was pretty much fixed in this book. There was only one small part where I was like "wait, what?" and had to go and reread it.
 
While this book didn't have as much action as the others, it was still great. It was a set up book for the next big plot. Now I can't wait for the next book!

Side note: If anyone was wondering, that is supposed to be Christophe on the cover. My friend asked Lili about it a few months ago when we were at one of her signings. I think the guy looks more like Graves though...
 
My rating: 9.5/10
 
Attention all people around the Portland OR Area:
Lili St. Crow will be doing a reading/signing for Jealousy at the Powells in Beaverton on the 19th at 7pm. Her signings are lots of fun, so try and come if you can!

Here is the cover for the next book in the Strange Angels series, Defiance. AHHH!!!! The Synopsis is also available, but it completely gives away what happens at the end of Jealousy, so I will not post it :)

Book of the Week (7)

Book of the Week (7)

Every Sunday, I post a book I think deserves a little more attention.

Jealousy by Lili St. Crow
$9.99 (paperback)

What it's about:
The Real World is a frightening place.
Just ask sixteen-year-old orphan Dru Anderson, a tough girl who has taken on her fair share of bad guys. She's armed, dangerous, and not going down without a fight. So it's gonna take her a while to figure out who she can trust...
Just when Dru thought she was safe, everything exploded in her face. Her mom and dad are long gone, her protectors Graves and Christophe kinda want to rip each other's throats out, and a four-hundred-year-old nosferat named Sergej won't stop hunting her until his bloodthirsty army of suckers has torn her to shreds.
Dru's finally made it to the Schola Prima-the Real Deal djamphir training facility and home of the Order-and life is about to get even more Real World. There's a brand new svetocha in town-a readheaded vixen named Anna who's got the Order wrapped around her pretty little finger, and who'd rather kill Dru than share the spotlight. Turns out Dru's got something Anna wants. And his name just happens to be Christophe Reynard...
How can Dru trust the Order to protect her, when its leader wants her gone?

Why?
Because I freaking love this series!! Team Graves all the way!

My review will be posted soon. Just as soon as I stop feeling lazy and write it :)

Top 10 favorite boys in books

One time last year, a friend and me went to the beach. We ended up writing all the names of the boys in books that we love. That list was over 30 names long. Since then, I could add at least another 30 names. So I've decided to narrow it down and talk about my favorite 10 boys in books. I don't think this will be in any order. Just the ones that came to my head first.

1. Jace Wayland from the Mortal Instruments:
Jace is so full of himself that you really can't help but to love him. He's beautiful, he's deadly, and he lives for the girl he loves. He's so in love with his girl that he was willing to hurt everyone around him to be with her. Talk about crazy. How can you not love him? Oh, and he rides a motorcycle. That's just hott!

2. Pierce from The Hollows series:
Rachel's character tends to go for bad boys in this series. Kisten, Nick, and so on. Then there is Pierce. Yes he's a bad boy who uses way too much dark magic, but it's always for good. He has a funny accent, uses dark magic, and came back from the dead to be with Rachel. He takes a lot of crap from her and never gives up. Love it. I think I will cry if Kim kills him off or gets rid of him.

3. Peeta from the Hunger Games:
This one might be a little confusing cause I have a little button thingy saying I'm team Gale. It's true, I'm team Gale when it comes for people for Katniss. For me, I'd pick Peeta. He's a painter like I am, and I also love to bake. This makes him the perfect boy for me. haha.

4. Graves from the Strange Angels series:
This is a guy who's not embarrased to walk around in whitey tighties in front of a girl he's just met. Granted, he didn't have much of a choice but for some reason it made me love his character. Plus everyone knows you don't mess with his girl. Awww

5. Ash from the Iron Fey series:
You may notice there is a similar trend to the boys I like. Tall, skinny, mysterious, dark haired boys. Yup, I have a thing for that and Ash fits all of those. The main reason I love him is something that happens in Iron Daughter so I won't post it so I won't be the ass hat who gives it away.

6. Jay from Body Finder:
He's the best best friend a girl could ask for. He's always there, knows you inside and out, and probably better than you know yourself. He's the perfect boy next door as well.

7. Shane from Morganville Vampires:
Shane cracks me up. He's always so quick to want to fight, can only cook a few things (and cooks them all the time), he brings in all the comedy to the books, and that kiss the hand thing he does in book 8? That about made me melt.

8. Quince from Forgive My Fins:
This guy is willing to go live underwater, sit in a bathroom stall with you and let you cry all over him, and then go through stupid tests just to prove he loves you. Oh plus once again he rides a motorcycle and has the bad boy look but has the boy next door attitude. Apparently I also have a thing for motorcycles.

9.Alexander from The Bronze Horseman series:
This guy constantly risks his life to save Tatianna. He survives German POW camps, being in the front line of many wars, walks all the way across Russia, and all of it just to see his girl one last time. Whoa. He puts up with a lot of crap cause he's not willing to give up.

10. Percy Jackson from the PJ series:
I had to think about this one. I had so many boys left to pick but Percy won. He's powerful, hott, sweet, caring, and yeah. Just plain awesome. His whole "kiss before going to battle" comment in The Last Olympian cracks me up. He can make giant air bubbles underwater so you can make-out and not get wet all while underwater. That just sounds like fun. haha.

Runner ups:
Jacob from Twilight
Dimitri from Vampire Academy 
Harry Potter
Will from Ghost and the Goth
Malcolm from Coffeehouse Angel
Cabel from Wake/Fade/Gone
Sam from Shiver

Mortal Instruments Mega Giveaway

I don't normally post about giveaways on here, but this one I decided to post about. I'm a huge MI fan (like super fan) and can't seem to get enough MI. I had my sister buy the paperback of COG so I could read the extra chapters at the end (I own the hardback book already). I'm now having my mother listen to the audiobooks (she's a mundie mom now, she just won't admit it).

So when I saw this giveaway, I freaked. Signed MI books AND MI jewelry?? Way too cool.

This amazing giveaway is over at Paperback Dolls. The link to the page can be found HERE

Go check it out!

Friday Follow and Hop!

I can't believe it's friday already! Here goes another round of Friday book blog hop and follow!



 

Book hop is hosted over at Crazy for Books.

This weeks question is: Do you listen to music when you read? If so, what are your favorite reading tunes?

 

My Answer: No. I actually can't read if there is any noise around me at all. No talking, no tv, no music. This is why I tend to stay up till 4am or so reading because everyone in my house is sleeping and it's completely quiet.

  


Follow my Book Blog is hosted over at Parajunkee 

To join the fun and make now book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Host { Parajunkee.com } and any one else you want to follow on the list

Follow our Featured Bloggers - not this week..

Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing.

Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say hi in your comments

Follow Follow Follow as many as you can

If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers

If you want to show the link list, just follow the link below the entries and copy and paste it within your post!

Review: Iron Daughter

The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

published by Harlequin Teen

$9.99 (paperback)

Genre: YA

359 pages

FTC: I bought this book and will not be compensated for reviewing it.

What it's about:
Half Summer faery princess, half human. Meghan has never fi in anywhere. Deserted by the Winter prince she thought loved her, she is prisoner to the Winter faery queen. As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real danger comes from the Iron fey--ironbound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen. But no one believes her.
Worse, Meghan's own fey powers have been cut off. She's stuck in Faery with only her wits for help. Trusting anyone would be foolish. Trusting a seeming traitor could be deadly. But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can't help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart.

My thoughts:
Sorry this isn't going to be much of a review. It's mostly going to be me GUSHING over how much I LOVED this book!!!!!

Everything about these books I love. I love how Kagawa added in faeries you don't hear much about, like Red Caps. I learned about them last year in Scotland and they became a big inside joke between my sister and me, so seeing them in these books always makes me giggle. Then you have other wonderful characters such as Grim. I love Grim.
And then you have Ash. I'm team Ash all the way. Beautiful, dark, mysterious, everything I love in a love interest.
This book brings even more action than the first, more danger, more love. More of everything good in a book. The end will have you begging for Feb 2011 to come fast!

My rating: 10/10!

And here is the cover for the next book in the series, The Iron Queen, which will be released sometime in Feb 2011. Isn't the cover gorgeous??? I love the pink!

My Mortal Instruments cast

I was stalking Cassandra Clare's website earlier and was going through her FAQ section. Her answers have changed since the last time I was on there (a little over a year ago) and City of Bones is being turned into a movie! This is a series I've been dying for them to turn into a movie. And because I LOVE making my own cast lists, I'm doing one for this movie :)

Alexz Johnson as Clary
I have personally never seen anything Alexz has been in, but she has the right look, especially in this picture. Small, red curly hair, and a pissed off, I'm going to do what I want look on her face.

Alex Pettyfer as Jace
Alex is so Jace. The attitude, the looks, everything. He is Jace. No one else will do.

Michael Cera as Simon
I always pictured Simon looking a lot like Michael. The only problem is Michael now has a type cast and it doesn't really fit Simon's character plus the movie would turn into the Simon show. I think the look is right though.

OR

Kristopher Turner  as Simon
I do not really know who this guy is, but he was in Cassandra Clare's cast list (that the fans picked for her). I agree with this guy as well. He seems to have the right look.






Michael Weatherly as Luke
I always pictured Luke looking like Michael did back in his Dark Angel days. Kinda scruffy, glasses, hott nerdy look.

Ewin Mcgregor as Hodge

This one has no real reason behind it. I just think he'd be a cool Hodge.

Gaspard Ulliel as Alec
I think this guy is gorgeous and would be a great Alec. I seemed to pick the one picture where his hair is not dark brown/blackish but it normally is. Most of the pictures of him this guy has an attitude that shows. He's perfect.

Emily Browning as Isabelle
I think Isabelle will be the hardest person for the casting director to pick. I have a clear vision of how Izzy looks in my head and no one fits it perfectly. Emily Browning comes sort of close, just dye her hair black.

Adam Lambert as Magnus
This is not a real cast pick! Obviously Adam is not an actor, he's a singer, but this is how I imagine Magnus. Tall, skinny, crazy hair, with lots of eye make up, glitter, and outrageous clothes. Sums up Magnus pretty well. I know he's not part Asian but I never pictured Magnus asian.



**EDIT**

Jason Isaac as Valentine:
I was talking to my mom about cast picks, and she had a great one. Jason Isaac as Valentine. I think that would really work. I had also been thinking maybe Simon Baker

Simon Baker as Valentine:
Maybe? Can he play a bad guy though?


Who does everyone else think should be in the movie?