Cover Reveal: Sacrifice by Cayla Kluver

Anyone else see this? Cayla posted it on her facebook earlier today. I can not wait for this book! I just have to know how it ends :)

Look how pretty the cover is! Does anyone else think the model looks a little like Ashley Greene? Or is that just me? I'm also guessing the guy in the background is Narian? Too bad we don't get to see anything besides his butt. A face view would have been nice.

This is the 3rd and final book in the Legacy series and is being released in the US on October 30th

Top Ten Tuesday--- New blogger tips

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the girls over at The Broke and the Bookish

This weeks TTT is 10 tips for new bloggers. Here are some things I have figured out in the last two years of blogging that I think are handy to know.

1. Make your blog layout stand out:
When I first started blogging, I had found some other bloggers pages and I adored their layouts and it was those blogs I was more likely to remember and visit more often. I picked up different things I liked about their blogs and I added it to mine. I get a lot of compliments on my Harry Potter/Twilight themed blog and have even had people tell me they follow the blog because of that.

I like to use The Cutest Blog on the Block. This site is amazing. It has fantastic layouts, it has lots of "how to" with great instructions as well. This site has saved me loads of time.

2. Don't worry about follower numbers:
Follower numbers really are not a huge deal. I know it feels like that when you first start blogging, but it's just not true. I see lots of blogs that have huge follower numbers but when I view their page and all their posts, they don't really have any comments on any of them. It's better to have smaller follower numbers and actual followers than to just have the higher numbers.

3. If you do worry about follower numbers, host a giveaway during a "hop":
If you just can't get over  the lower numbers and think that having a few more followers will boost your confidence, then find a giveaway hop, and host a giveaway and make sure to say it's a "followers only" giveaway. This will get you lots of followers really fast.

I am a reader, not a writer is a good place to find giveaway hops.

4. Comment, Comment, Comment:
This can not be said enough. Become a really good follower to other people, and they hopefully will become one to you.

5. Find weekly memes and participate:
Finding weekly memes to participate in has gotten me new followers, are really fun, and if they are small enough, they become a sort of community. That's my favorite part honestly.
The two memes I love are this one (TTT) and also My Book Boyfriend hosted by Missie over at The Unread Reader.

6. Make your blog your own:
Don't be afraid to say how you really feel on your blog. Do not think that your reviews always need to be really nice or the other way around. Say how you really feel because the readers will be able to tell when you are lying. Don't be afraid to post about other things every once and a while either.

7. Find a few book friends and have fun:
It can be very easy to get into a big book blogging slump. A good way to avoid this is by getting a few friends that can swap books with you, talk about books with you, go to signings with you. All that. It's loads of fun and will keep you wanting to blog.

8. Make your blog easy to navigate:
Make it as easy as possible for your followers to navigate around your blog. Make a page for your reviews and organize them, make sure to tag all your posts, don't clutter the blog, that sort of thing. The easier your blog is to view, the more likely people will stick around and view it. I know I've stopped going to a few blogs because they were so cluttered I couldn't find anything and I didnt' want to have to spend 30 minutes searching.

9. Create a Goodreads account:
This isn't really a blogging tip, it's just a good booker tip. This site is all kinds of amazing. It keeps you updated with authors, it helps organize your books, gives you recommendations, good place to find an overall rating of a book...ect. This site is a book bloggers dream. Seriously.

10. Use your local library:
You will find that being a book blogger is all kinds of expensive. You will be finding more books you want to read (make sure you keep a list of books you want with you at all times, just fyi) and will probably tell yourself at least once "well, I need this book so I can talk about it on my blog..." and that can add up really fast. This is why I say use your local library. Most likely they carry more books than you think and it will save you lots and lots of money. Do not forget about it!

JK Rowlings new book

Has everyone seen this yet? Here is the synopsis for JK Rowlings new book The Casual Vacancy.

When Barry Fairweather dies unexpectedly in his early forties, the little town of Pagford is left in shock.

Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty façade is a town at war.

Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils…Pagford is not what it first seems.

And the empty seat left by Barry on the town's council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations?

This book sounds like it could be pretty good. It's definitely going to be for adults though. Barnes and Noble now has it for preorder for $21 (and that's after it being 40% off too. Spendy book this is going to be). It is going to be released Sept. 27, 2012.

Here is a link to the preorder: This is gonna be awesome.

Feature and Follow Friday

Feature and Follow is a weekly meme hosted by Alison Can Read and Parajunkee. It is a hop in which is make your own post, answer the question, follow the featured blog, link up to the original post and make sure to visit lots of blogs!

 

Q: Have you ever bought a book BECAUSE of a bad review?

Yes. Well, I'm actually going to be getting the book from the library when it comes out but close enough. I read a review for First Comes Love by Katie Kacvinsky and the reviewer HATED the book. Went on a rant about how much she disliked this book. I had never heard of the book and thought it sounded good minus the bad rant that I had just read so I went onto Goodreads (by far my all time favorite website ever) and looked at the book. It has a high rating. So I added it. I'm curious now.

But I do have to admit, one time I wrote a super bad review for a book. I ranted about it and how awful it was. All the comments I got on the review was "oh, I thought this book sounded really good. I'm still gonna read it" or "I've heard nothing but bad things about this book. I'm still gonna read it though." All I could think in reply to that was "WTF? Seriously?" One bad review isn't going to put me off of a book, but lots of bad reviews and nothing but bad reviews? That means I'm gonna stay away from it. Life is too short for bad books.

If you decide to follow my blog, please leave a comment saying so and a url to your blog so I can make sure to follow back! :)

My Book Boyfriend-- Christian Grey

My book boyfriend is a weekly meme hosted by Missie over at The Unread Reader. Each week you post about a boy from a book that makes you swoon. Tell us everything about him and then link back up at Missie's page.

This week I've been reading the Fifty Shades series by E.L. James and I definitely have mixed feelings about Christian Grey, but you have to admit, he is pretty damn hott. This is why I'm making him my book boyfriend this week.

About Christian
*Is about 27 years old
*Is a very successful business man. He is worth millions, or is it billions?
*Is tall and lean and very fit.
*Has dark sex messed hair and grey eyes to match his last name.
*Has a dark past
*Has very...erotic tastes
*He's a moody, jealous, possessive guy.

Who I picture Christian looking like
I picture him looking a little like Matt Bomer. Because this is normally a mostly YA blog, this is a warning: these quotes do containing swearing and are pretty damn sexual.

“His head turns fractionally toward me, his eyes darkest slate. I bite my lip.

“Oh, fuck the paperwork,” he growls. He lunges at me, pushing me against the wall of the elevator. Before I know it, he’s got both of my hands in one of his in a vice-like grip above my head, and he’s pinning me to the wall using his hips. Holy shit. His other hand grabs my ponytail and yanks down, bringing my face up, and his lips are on mine. It’s only just not painful. I moan into his mouth, giving his tongue an opening. He takes full advantage, his tongue expertly exploring my mouth. I have never been kissed like this.”  

“You’re a sadist?”

“I’m a Dominant.” His eyes are a scorching gray, intense.

“What does that mean?” I whisper.

“It means I want you to willingly surrender yourself to me, in all things.”

I frown at him as I try to assimilate this idea.

“Why would I do that?”

“To please me,” he whispers as he cocks his head to one side, and I see a ghost of a smile.

Please him! He wants me to please him! I think my mouth drops open. Please Christian Grey. And I realize, in that moment, that yes, that’s exactly what I want to do. I want him to be damned delighted with me. It’s a revelation.”   

"Why don't you like to be touched?"
"Because I'm fifty shades of fucked-up, Anastasia”   

This is when I'd like to give a big old shout out to all those fan girls (well actually more like middle aged moms most likely) who love to screen cap Matt Bomer shirtless while watching White Collar. I very much appreciated that.
I'd also like to say that I am super excited for Magic Mike. If you do not know what that is, click that link and then google it. Make yourself aware of this upcoming movie. Haha.

Also, Fifty Shades of Grey is becoming a movie! Think of it like Twilight, but with less vampires and more chains and whips.

Top Ten Tuesday-- Ten books to read in a day

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the girls over at The Broke and the Bookish

This weeks topic is Ten books to read in a day. I'm going to clarify that and say to read each of these books in one day.

These are actually a list of the books I've recently read in one sitting. I was hoping to get some new titles on a TTT list because it always seems that the same 20 or so books are always on the list.

1. Clarity/Perception by Kim Harrington:
I adore these books and really hope that there will be a third because I can think of the perfect story line for it. These books are a lot of fun mixed in with suspense and a little paranormal.

2. The Queen's Lady by Eve Edwards:
Both The Other Countess and The Queen's Lady  were really fast reads for me. I love reading books that take place in the Tudor time period. These two did not disappoint at all.

3. Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson:
Ah! I can not even say how much I adore this book. So freaking good.

4. Incarnate by Jodi Meadows:
This is by far my favorite reincarnation story. It was beautiful and interesting.

5. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith:
It's about an American girl who meets a very cute British boy while on an airplane. What's not to love about that?

6. Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire:
This is a book I'm going to be rereading sometime soon because I forgot to write a review for it before. Plus I loved it and want to reread it.

7. The Fault In Our Stars by John Green:
I don't think it's possible to put this book down once you pick it up. You have to read until the end. And then you'll be crying really hard and will have that happy sad feeling for a while.

8. Unwind by Neal Shusterman:
Another book that will be impossible to put down once you start. You just have to know what happens next.

9. Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake:
This book was just that good. But you really need to have the right setting for it. Read it in the dark on a rainy night. I also read it while we were having a major storm. It was perfect!

10. Enclave by Ann Aguirre:
This was just a cool book.

Review: Haven

Haven by Kristi Cook

Published by Simon Pulse

Genre: YA

$9.99 (US paperback)

320 pages

What it's about (from the author's site):

Violet McKenna isn’t a normal girl with normal teenage issues; she has more to contend with than most people could handle. Violet thought she was just crazy when she had a vivid vision of her dad’s murder. Her life started falling apart when her premonition came true. She’s had flashes of other events too–the problem was nobody believed her until she found a new school: Winterhaven.

At Winterhaven, Violet finally feels like she belongs. She quickly finds a close group friends and discovers that they too have psychic ‘gifts’—as do all the students at Winterhaven. But as soon as she feels settled she discovers the most intriguing and alluring boy she has ever met, and things quickly go awry. As the attraction between them grows, intense visions of the boy’s death start to haunt her. In her premonitions, the secret he is unwilling to share begins to reveal itself.

And to Violet’s horror, she learns that their destinies are intertwined in a critical–and deadly–way.

My thoughts:
I read this book about a year ago and never wrote a review for it so I decided to reread it and post my thoughts on it. I really wish I had the time to reread all my books because I found that rereading them really is the best way to decide how I really feel about a book.

The first time I read it, I loved it. I remembered there was a boarding school, a group of girls who were friends, and of course a dream worthy guy at the center, and some form of mystery surrounding him. That was kinda all I remembered about it. Apparently it did not stick with me very well. And really, that pretty much sums up the book anyways. 5 girls, 1 hott guy, and a boarding school.

This book is a little cliche. I think that needs to be said. There is the typical boarding school cop out so that parents are not involved in the book, and the school and its students are special in their own ways. In a lot of ways, this book reminds me of Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins.

The one and only complaint I have about this book is there is not enough detail! The ending just sort of happens. The big finale is only about 4 pages long and nothing is really explained and it just goes so fast. Four pages. Four freaking pages for the thing the whole book leads up to. This needed to be drawn out some more, have more fighting and details. It had such potential to be really fantastic.

And that really is the only complaint I have. I really enjoyed the characters and everything else about this book while reading it both times. It's a super fast read and all around fun.

My rating: 8/10