Thursday, August 30, 2012

Feature and Follow Friday #112

Welcome to the Feature & Follow



Gain new followers and make new friends with the Book Blogger Feature & Follow! 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 bloggers also. I follow you, you follow me.

The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of Parajunkee's View and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it'll allow us to show off more new blogs!

How does this work? First you leave your name here on this post, (using the linky tools -- keep scrolling!) then you create a post on your own blog that links back to this post (easiest way is to just grab the code under the #FF picture and put it in your post) and then you visit as many blogs as you can and tell them "hi" in their comments (on the post that has the #FF image). You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you!

What sets this Hop apart from others, is our Feature. Each week we will showcase a Featured Blogger, from all different genres and areas. Who is our Feature today? Find out below. Just remember it is required, if you participate, to follow our Features and you must follow the hosts (Parajunkee & Alison Can Read) as a courtesy. How do you follow someone? Well, if you have a preference, state it in your #FF post. A lot of blogs are transitioning to Wordpress in which they do not have the luxury of GFC, so an RSS subscription is appreciated or if you choose an email subscription. If you don't have GFC please state in your post how you would like to be followed.



How To Become a Featured Blog?

We pick our featured blogs randomly each week from the blogs who participated the week before.

Please be sure to feature your e-mail address clearly on your blog. Either on the main blog, on a Contact page, or on an About Me page. If I can't find your email easily, I will choose a different blog to feature.

Our Feature -Nette's Bookshelf Reviews




1. When did you start blogging?

I started blogging about a year ago, I started with a personal blog about my kids and my crazy life.

2. What is your favorite part of book blogging?

Discovering new authors and books. I rely on other bloggers for recommendations for great reads!

3. What is your favorite book(s)?

This is a tough one, I have many favorites,but today I'll say The Darkest Surrender by Gena Showalter. This book is freaking hilarious! I love the harpies!

4. What has been the best thing that has happened to you because of book blogging?

The best thing that's happened to me since book blogging...I get to expand my reading. The world of books is huge- a lot bigger than Barnes & Noble-and I'm enjoying everything that I'm learning about indie authors, books and the book blogging community. I'm soooo happy I decided to go for it!

Q: Best cover? What is the best cover of a book that you've read and loved?.


First off, I am getting ready to start my cruise in Rome this weekend, so my comments will probably be limited. I'll get back to commenting in late September when I'm done with all my travels.



My question is different than Parajunkee's this week. Not sure why - I think because I put this together 2 weeks early. Her question asks which is the best cover for the WORST book. I'm not going to change my question mostly because I'm editing this on my iPhone in a hotel in Rome on my way to tour the Vatican :-). Sorry for the confusion!





I don't know if this is the best cover, but I've always loved the American Harry Potter covers. In general, I prefer reading the British editions, but I love the detail on the American covers.



Now for the Follow Fun!



With GFC going the way of the dodo bird for many bloggers, there is no better time to start following blogs via RSS feed. If you use a reader, it would be great if you followed my RSS directly.


We have a new button, so update your blogs if you are used to doing this meme!

Gain New Blog Followers


<a href="http://parajunkee.com/category/ff" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4019/4710921228_e3140444bf_o.png" /></a>

RULES

To join the fun and make new book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:
  1. (Required) Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Hosts {Parajunkee & Alison Can Read}
  2. (Required) Follow our Featured Bloggers
  3. Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing. You can also grab the code if you would like to insert it into your posts.
  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 and that they are now following you.
  5. If you are using WordPress or another CMS that doesn't have GFC (Google Friends Connect) state in your posts how you would like to be followed
  6. Follow Follow Follow as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don't just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don't say "HI"
  7. If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers
  8. If you're new to the follow friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!
CAPTCHA:
If you have CAPTCHA word verification enabled on your blog, please take it off. It makes it much more difficult for readers to comment. Please look at my CAPTCHA Eradication Post to learn how to get rid of it.


Happy Follow Friday! Come back at midnight CST for the Facebook & Twitter hop!!

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Guest Post - 3 books About Fighting Fair Maidens

*While I'm in Europe - today will be my second and final full day in Milan! - I've lined up some fabulous guest posters. Please welcome Scarlet from Books Before Bed!

I go by Scarlett and my blog is Books Before Bed. I've been blogging since late 2010 and love the interaction with other bloggers and feeding my addiction of finding good books to read (and sharing what I think are good books with others!). I mainly stick to fantasy, sci/fi, some paranormal, mostly in the YA/MG bracket, but sometimes adult, with the odd classic thrown in now and again.


I am always impressed, and wish I could be more like, kick-butt heroines. What really impresses me though, is not when a protagonist goes in guns blazing every single time, but when there's subtlety to what they have to do. The following three books are some of my most favorite and I recommend them highly. Here's why:



Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Guest Post - 3 Books Where Love Can Be Deceiving

*While I'm in Europe - today will be my first full day in Milan! - I've lined up some fabulous guest posters. Please welcome Jenna of Fans of Fiction!


Photobucket

Monday, August 27, 2012

Manga Mondays #117: Skip Beat! vol. 18 by Yoshiki Nakamura

*I'm in the middle of my big European trip - today I'm on what I'm hoping will be a gorgeous 8 hour train ride from Munich to Milan - so I won't be able to comment back right now. I'll try to get back to everyone when I'm done with my traveling in mid September!

Manga Mondays Meme!

I've been doing Manga Mondays every week since I started my blog 2 years ago. It's always been a personal feature, but now I'm going to try turning it into a meme. There are quite a few people who do Manga Mondays. I don't claim by any means that I owned or created the idea of Manga Mondays - it's an obvious choice given the alliteration. I think a meme would be a good way for everyone to publicize their own Manga Mondays and get a little more publicity.

The linky will be below my review.

Skip Beat! vol. 18 by Yoshiki Nakamura


Summary

Kyoko Mogami followed her true love Sho to Tokyo to support him while he made it big as an idol. But he's casting her out now that he's famous! Kyoko won't suffer in silence--she's going to get her sweet revenge by beating Sho in show biz!

Kyoko hasn't had a Love Me Section job in a while, and this newest assignment is pushing her limits. She's now the personal assistant to Koo Hizuri, a Japanese actor turned Hollywood star, and everyone knows how assistants are treated in Hollywood. (courtesy of the back cover and Goodreads)

Review

*Warning: Potential spoilers. My manga reviews tend to be more of a summary than a review. I find it hard to review manga in the same way I do regular books.

At the end of the last volume, we were introduced to Koo Hizuri, a famous actor who has returned to Japan from Hollywood. Kyoko is his assistant and slave. He rants and raves and treats Kyoko like dirt. Now we find out why. It's an assignment from the president of Kyoko's talent agency. Hizuri tells the president that he feels sorry for Kyoko, but he has to keep acting horribly towards her. The whole point is to get Kyoko to complain about Hizuri to Ren. We discover why later.

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Feature and Follow Friday #111

Welcome to the Feature & Follow



Gain new followers and make new friends with the Book Blogger Feature & Follow! 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 bloggers also. I follow you, you follow me.

The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of Parajunkee's View and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it'll allow us to show off more new blogs!

How does this work? First you leave your name here on this post, (using the linky tools -- keep scrolling!) then you create a post on your own blog that links back to this post (easiest way is to just grab the code under the #FF picture and put it in your post) and then you visit as many blogs as you can and tell them "hi" in their comments (on the post that has the #FF image). You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you!

What sets this Hop apart from others, is our Feature. Each week we will showcase a Featured Blogger, from all different genres and areas. Who is our Feature today? Find out below. Just remember it is required, if you participate, to follow our Features and you must follow the hosts (Parajunkee & Alison Can Read) as a courtesy. How do you follow someone? Well, if you have a preference, state it in your #FF post. A lot of blogs are transitioning to Wordpress in which they do not have the luxury of GFC, so an RSS subscription is appreciated or if you choose an email subscription. If you don't have GFC please state in your post how you would like to be followed.



How To Become a Featured Blog?

We pick our featured blogs randomly each week from the blogs who participated the week before.

Please be sure to feature your e-mail address clearly on your blog. Either on the main blog, on a Contact page, or on an About Me page. If I can't find your email easily, I will choose a different blog to feature.

GIVEAWAY! Blog Tour: Iron Legends by Julie Kagawa - Summer Court





I am thrilled to be a part of Kismet Book Tours' Iron Legends Tours today. It features books by the incredible author Julie Kagawa!!!!

As part of the promotion for Julie upcoming book combining her Iron Fey novellas, Iron Legends, my fellow tour members and I are hosting a great contest. It's up to you to choose which court is the best: Summer, Winter, or Iron. And you also have a change to win a great prize.


The Summer Court has my vote for most awesome fey court. Why you may ask? Partly because Meghan Chase, the heroine of the Never Never is the daughter of King Oberon of the Summer Court. I break down my primary reasons for favoring the Summer Court into two categories: Beauty and Strength.

Beauty beyond belief summarizes the Summer Court well. Colors you've never even imagined. Harmonies, melodies, bells that bring shivers of pleasure up your spine. Scents so incredible that even chocolate chip cookies smell like tar in comparison. The Summer Court is rich and abundant. There's a feeling of fullness. Summer contains every pleasurable sensation and desire. Your heart will be so full that you can practically float with happiness. It is the place of blissful dreams.

Don't let the beauty deceive you into thinking that the Summer Court is weak. As Meghan Chase discovered, abundance can be intimidating and overwhelming, at least at first. Emotions can go haywire - such as feeling compelled to dance for eternity. Colors can be so rich as to be nearly black, plunging you into darkness. The fey of the Summer Court are more than happy, prancing fairies. They are every bit as strong, cunning, manipulative, and violent as the fey of the Winter Court.

The Summer Court provides it all. You can bathe in pleasant warmth and beautiful sensations, but you can also feel assured (or frightened, depending on who you side with) that Summer will use its own vitality against its enemies. Summer has my vote. I hope it has yours too!


Each stop on the Iron Legends tour features a different book or novella of the Iron Fey series. I'm presenting Iron Daughter, the second book in the Iron Fey series.


Half Summer faery princess, half human, Meghan has never fit 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.

GIVEAWAY!



And of course what epic book tour is complete without an incredible giveaway? Enter at the link below to have a chance to win a signed copy of Iron Legends and a gorgeous Summer Court bracelet.





Iron Legends Tour

Stop by Wastepaper Prose tomorrow for the next stop on the Iron Legends tour. And check out the Iron Legends tour site for all the stops.

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Guest Post - 3 Books Told From Multiple First-Person Perspectives

*While I'm making my way from the hot California sun to Montana big skies, I've lined up some fabulous guest posters. Please welcome Nam of Nam Writes!


About Me: I am an aspiring young adult fiction writer suffering from delusions of grandeur. The novel I am writing contains multiple first person perspectives so I thought it'd be a good theme to explore. I just just started blogging two weeks ago and still have idea what I'm doing. But I love YA fiction, and that should count for something!

My blog: Nam Writes (and does other mildly interesting things) at www.NamWrites.com

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Pushing the Limits Read Along Week 5

*I'm making my way from the hot California sun to Montana big skies right now so please forgive me if I don't comment back for a few weeks.



1. At a certain moment, Echo tells Noah that she feels safe with him. Echo thinks that because of this comforting feeling, she may be able to finally have a full night of peaceful sleep. Why do you think it is important for Echo to feel Safe? and why no one else but Noah has been able to provide this to Echo?

Monday, August 20, 2012

Manga Mondays #116: Skip Beat! vol. 17 by Yoshiki Nakamura

*I'm still making my move from California to Montana, so I won't be able to comment back right now. I'll try to get back to everyone when I'm done with my traveling in mid September!

Manga Mondays Meme!

I've been doing Manga Mondays every week since I started my blog 2 years ago. It's always been a personal feature, but now I'm going to try turning it into a meme. There are quite a few people who do Manga Mondays. I don't claim by any means that I owned or created the idea of Manga Mondays - it's an obvious choice given the alliteration. I think a meme would be a good way for everyone to publicize their own Manga Mondays and get a little more publicity.

The linky will be below my review.

Skip Beat! vol. 17 by Yoshiki Nakamura


Summary

Kyoko Mogami followed her true love Sho to Tokyo to support him while he made it big as an idol. But he's casting her out now that he's famous! Kyoko won't suffer in silence--she's going to get her sweet revenge by beating Sho in show biz!

Sho decides to take the high road rather than confront Vie Ghoul about their theft of his song. But VG frontman Reino doesn't take kindly to being ignored and devises a devious plan to get Sho's attention he's going after Kyoko! Normally, Kyoko's not the type of girl that needs rescuing. But for some reason, Reino's presence petrifies her. Will Reino's evil scheme work better than anyone imagined? (courtesy of the back cover and Goodreads)

Review

*Warning: Potential spoilers. My manga reviews tend to be more of a summary than a review. I find it hard to review manga in the same way I do regular books.

Volume 16 finished off with a syrupy sweet moment where Kyoko holds Ren's head in her lap while he tries to rest. Ren is in lover-boy heaven while Kyoko is totally clueless - thinks she's doing Ren a favor to help him sleep - although I think her subconscious clearly is attracted to him too. Volume 17 starts off with a funny scene where Mr. Yashiro (Ren's manager) is giving him relationship advice. Ren needs to be a man and go after her. Ren responds, "She'd kill me on the spot."

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Guest Post - 3 Books That Make Me Want to Travel

*While I'm making my way from the hot California sun to Montana big skies, I've lined up some fabulous guest posters. Please welcome Sandra of Scribing Shadows!


I live on an island that is 22 miles long and 7 miles wide, it takes about two hours to travel from the east end to the west side and the only way to get off this island is by air or sea. Thanks to my lovely parents I have been travelling away from home long before I can remember and I love to do it. Honduras, Miami, New York, Jamaica and The Bahamas, I have been to all of these places and a few others but it’s not enough. I have a long list of places I want to see and every few months I get the travel bug, grab my passport and hit the airport. Here are three YA books that not only take my mind around the world but make my body want to travel there too.

Anna and the French KissAnna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins – Anna Oliphant has been sent to spend her senior year of high school at an American school in Paris, and although Anna is initially against the idea of spending her last year of school away from all of her friends and family, in a foreign country where she doesn’t even speak the language she eventually comes to appreciate and fall in love with the City of Lights. A city that is much more than delicious pastries and an iconic tower. Anna learns to see the city through the eyes of the locals and enjoy all that Paris has to offer. Before reading Anna and the French Kiss I mainly wanted to see Paris for the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre but now I also wish to see it’s multitude of movie theatres (apparently you can find them in clusters around the city), it’s delicious coffee which makes the stuff us westerners drink taste like sludge, and just really bask in the normally overcast romantic atmosphere.

InfinityInfinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon –In Infinity Nick’s already hard life seems to go from bad to worse when he is attacked by his friends for stopping a mugging. Lucky for Nick before his "friends" can finish him off, he is rescued by Kyrian, a mysterious, ultra-rich bachelor with odd sleeping patterns. To pay him back Nick becomes Kyrian's assistant but this arrangement is the least unusual thing to occur in Nick's life. People are turning into zombies, werewolves are on the football team and Nick's new friends are not all entirely human, oh and he's destined to destroy the world. You think with a plot brimming with this much fun and chaos the setting would take a back seat but really New Orleans was a character all in itself the way Sherrilyn Kenyon features it in her books. I would love to stop by all the streets and venues mentioned in this series, eat a beignet and tour one of New Orleans' grand cemeteries.

LeviathanLeviathan by Scott Westerfeld – Told from two main points of view, Leviathan is a steampunk novel set during an alternate World War I. Alek is an Austrian prince on the run seeking neutral territory so he can avoid being captured by those responsible for his parent's murder. Deryn is a girl disguised as a boy on board a British royal air ship escorting a scientist to the east. Both characters start off in two different parts of Europe and both characters journeys lead them across the continent towards each other. However, before that happens remember there is a war going on and with war comes danger and adventure. This novel took place in three different countries and each country in Europe is as distinctive as their languages. In this series Scott Westerfeld not only did a great job with the story and characters but with describing and showcasing all the different cultures of the countries the story visits. Before, when I thought of a trip to Europe, it was the home of the romance languages that always came to my mind but after Leviathan it would be a crime to not add Austria and Switzerland to my list.

Readers normally pick up a book to not only enjoy themselves, but to escape the real world for a couple of hours. However, there are also novels out there, like the three above, despite their genre that can also inspire a reader to take a closer look at the real world and explore what it has to offer.

Scribing ShadowsSandy is a junior technical analyst by day and a book junkie by night, when she is not working or obsessing about books you can catch her watching her favourite characters on TV or sitting in a dark room catching the latest movie release. Scribing Shadows is a blog that features speculative fiction for lovers of middle grade, YA, adult books, and graphic novels.

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Guest Post - My Three Books: Re-imagining "Jane Eyre"

*While I'm making my way from the hot California sun to Montana big skies, I've lined up some fabulous guest posters. Please welcome Charlene of Bookish Whimsey!


Bookish Whimsy


With the current trend towards "greying" up the classics, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë has been in the news lately as a more spicy retelling is due to come out. The original novel of course is beautifully full of understated sexual tension, but the story is more than that. Jane has a harsh unforgiving childhood, and many trials and tribulations to undergo before she emerges triumphant with independence and love on her own terms. The story has a strong, conscientious heroine and plenty of mystery and dark secrets to go along with the passionate romance. And many other authors have found a way to reimagine Jane Eyre without making Miss Eyre blush.

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Pushing the Limits Read Along Week 3

*I'm making my way from the hot California sun to Montana big skies right now so please forgive me if I don't comment back for a few weeks.



1. In the beginning of this section Noah decides to ignore Echo because he's angry and hurt. What did you think of this? Have you ever experienced a friendship that went awry and they started ignoring you?

Monday, August 13, 2012

Manga Mondays (115): Skip Beat! vol. 16 by Yoshiki Nakamura

New Manga Mondays Meme!

I've been doing Manga Mondays every week since I started my blog 2 years ago. It's always been a personal feature, but now I'm going to try turning it into a meme. There are quite a few people who do Manga Mondays. I don't claim by any means that I owned or created the idea of Manga Mondays - it's an obvious choice given the alliteration. I think a meme would be a good way for everyone to publicize their own Manga Mondays and get a little more publicity.

The linky will be below my review.

Skip Beat! vol. 16 by Yoshiki Nakamura


Summary

Kyoko Mogami followed her true love Sho to Tokyo to support him while he made it big as an idol. But he's casting her out now that he's famous! Kyoko won't suffer in silence--she's going to get her sweet revenge by beating Sho in show biz!

Saving Kyoko from Reino's attack has finally knocked some sense into Sho's head, and he realizes how much he cares for her. But before he can declare his devotion, Ren shows up to ruin the moment. Both men realize that Kyoko has no idea of their true feelings for her and begin a secret battle for her affections! (courtesy of the back cover and Goodreads)

Review

*Warning: Potential spoilers. My manga reviews tend to be more of a summary than a review. I find it hard to review manga in the same way I do regular books.

It's Kyoko and Ren versus Kyoko and Sho!

Ren shows up after Kyoko was attacked by Reino and subsequently saved by Sho. He has no idea what happened, although realizes that something is up. Kyoko is far too embarrassed to tell him. Of course, he finds out. And he flips. He's upset that Kyoko was threatened by seems just as upset that it was Sho who showed up to save her. Nothing like fear and jealousy combined.

Sho is as arrogant as they come, but even he is astute enough to realize that Ren's anger is not simply the emotion of a close colleague, but of someone who is personally interested in Kyoko. Sho isn't going to let anyone other than him have Kyoko. I don't think that Sho is all that attracted to Kyoko, at least not consciously. He wants her because he realizes what he's missing and because she's like his property. That and having a rival interested in her makes her more appealing.

I'm interested to see how the rivalry between Ren and Sho develops. I'm definitely a fan of Kyoko and Ren - who wouldn't be? But there's something to the chemistry between Sho and Kyoko. If this were an adult romance, they would alternate between screaming at each other and tearing their clothes off and going at it. Theirs is a raw, physical attraction that I don't think they realize. In contrast, Kyoko and Ren are a sweet couple who would hold hands while walking down the street and cuddle while watching movies. As much as I prefer sweet, simply romance, my stomach does do butterflies at the hotness of Kyoko and Sho.

Sign up for the Manga Mondays Meme!


Saturday, August 11, 2012

Bookish Recap

I'm joining Tynga's Reviews' meme Stacking the Shelves and The Story Siren's In My Mailbox meme today. Thanks for hosting Tynga and Kristi!

*I'm getting ready to move from California to Montana this weekend, so my comments will probably be low to non-existent. Let's just hope the movers don't pack my laptop!

On the Blog This Week


Manga Mondays:


Reviews:


Contest Finalists!


Pushing the Limits Read-Along


Books I Read This Week




Endlessly by Kiersten White


A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness



Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Books Received This Week


Library Stash


A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness



Endlessly by Kiersten White

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Feature and Follow Friday #109

Welcome to the Feature & Follow



Gain new followers and make new friends with the Book Blogger Feature & Follow! 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 bloggers also. I follow you, you follow me.

The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of Parajunkee's View and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it'll allow us to show off more new blogs!

How does this work? First you leave your name here on this post, (using the linky tools -- keep scrolling!) then you create a post on your own blog that links back to this post (easiest way is to just grab the code under the #FF picture and put it in your post) and then you visit as many blogs as you can and tell them "hi" in their comments (on the post that has the #FF image). You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you!

What sets this Hop apart from others, is our Feature. Each week we will showcase a Featured Blogger, from all different genres and areas. Who is our Feature today? Find out below. Just remember it is required, if you participate, to follow our Features and you must follow the hosts (Parajunkee & Alison Can Read) as a courtesy. How do you follow someone? Well, if you have a preference, state it in your #FF post. A lot of blogs are transitioning to Wordpress in which they do not have the luxury of GFC, so an RSS subscription is appreciated or if you choose an email subscription. If you don't have GFC please state in your post how you would like to be followed.



How To Become a Featured Blog?

We pick our featured blogs randomly each week from the blogs who participated the week before.

Please be sure to feature your e-mail address clearly on your blog. Either on the main blog, on a Contact page, or on an About Me page. If I can't find your email easily, I will choose a different blog to feature.

Pushing the Limits Read Along Week 2



1. Noah and Echo create a plan to read their files. What do you think of this plan? Would you read your friends file first knowing you might not have time to read your own? Would you want to read your own file?

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Contest Finalists: Top Reasons I'm Addicted to Books

A few weeks ago, I posted a contest seeking readers' top reason that they're addicted to books. The response was amazing! Thank you!

I've decided to narrow the field down to the Top Ten. Then we'll have another vote to choose the Best Reason.

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

The List by Siobhan Vivian

The List by Siobhan Vivian
Release Date:
April 1, 2012
Publisher: Push
Source: Library

Summary

An intense look at the rules of high school attraction -- and the price that's paid for them.

It happens every year. A list is posted, and one girl from each grade is chosen as the prettiest, and another is chosen as the ugliest. Nobody knows who makes the list. It almost doesn't matter. The damage is done the minute it goes up.

This is the story of eight girls, freshman to senior, "pretty" and "ugly." And it's also the story of how we see ourselves, and how other people see us, and the tangled connection of the two. (courtesy of Goodreads)

Review

The List is a breath of fresh air. I love contemporary YA novels, but they are often are so similar that the plots and titles become indistinguishable. Siobhan Vivian's The List stands out from the crowd. It's a hard hitting book showing how the effects of being lifted up onto a pedestal or stomped into oblivion can be devastating or empowering or both.

Monday, August 6, 2012

Skip Beat! vol. 15 by Yoshiki Nakamura

New Manga Mondays Meme!

I've been doing Manga Mondays every week since I started my blog 2 years ago. It's always been a personal feature, but now I'm going to try turning it into a meme. There are quite a few people who do Manga Mondays. I don't claim by any means that I owned or created the idea of Manga Mondays - it's an obvious choice given the alliteration. I think a meme would be a good way for everyone to publicize their own Manga Mondays and get a little more publicity.

The linky will be below my review.

Skip Beat! vol. 15 by Yoshiki Nakamura


Summary

Kyoko Mogami followed her true love Sho to Tokyo to support him while he made it big as an idol. But he's casting her out now that he's famous! Kyoko won't suffer in silence--she's going to get her sweet revenge by beating Sho in show biz!

Sho decides to take the high road rather than confront Vie Ghoul about their theft of his song. But VG frontman Reino doesn't take kindly to being ignored and devises a devious plan to get Sho's attention--he's going after Kyoko! Normally, Kyoko's not the type of girl that needs rescuing. But for some reason, Reino's presence petrifies her. Will Reino's evil scheme work better than anyone imagined? (courtesy of the back cover and Goodreads)

Review

*Warning: Potential spoilers. My manga reviews tend to be more of a summary than a review. I find it hard to review manga in the same way I do regular books.

Volume 15 stars a brief story arc that I don't like that much. Reino, the lead singer for Reino stalks Kyoko and attacks her. He gets to the point where he's unzipping the back of Kyoko's dress while she just stands there terrified. He would have gone further, but the two of them start arguing and then Sho arrives. The scene manages to be both disturbing and ridiculous. I realize that Skip Beat is silly to begin with, but this goes a little too far for me.

Saturday, August 4, 2012

Bookish Recap

I'm joining Tynga's Reviews' meme Stacking the Shelves and The Story Siren's In My Mailbox meme today. Thanks for hosting Tynga and Kristi!

On the Blog This Week


Manga Mondays:


Reviews:


Body & Soul by Stacey Kade

CONTEST!!!!


Pushing the Limits Read-Along


Books I Read This Week


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Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed

-Ugh. This is painful. I have to read it for book club, but I really am not enjoying it. If Oprah likes it, that usually means I don't.


Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Books Received This Week



Library Stash


Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle by The Countess of Carnarvon

-I may not have time to read this before I move. But I'd like to.


Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Feature and Follow Friday #108

Welcome to the Feature & Follow



Gain new followers and make new friends with the Book Blogger Feature & Follow! 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 bloggers also. I follow you, you follow me.

The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of Parajunkee's View and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it'll allow us to show off more new blogs!

How does this work? First you leave your name here on this post, (using the linky tools -- keep scrolling!) then you create a post on your own blog that links back to this post (easiest way is to just grab the code under the #FF picture and put it in your post) and then you visit as many blogs as you can and tell them "hi" in their comments (on the post that has the #FF image). You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you!

What sets this Hop apart from others, is our Feature. Each week we will showcase a Featured Blogger, from all different genres and areas. Who is our Feature today? Find out below. Just remember it is required, if you participate, to follow our Features and you must follow the hosts (Parajunkee & Alison Can Read) as a courtesy. How do you follow someone? Well, if you have a preference, state it in your #FF post. A lot of blogs are transitioning to Wordpress in which they do not have the luxury of GFC, so an RSS subscription is appreciated or if you choose an email subscription. If you don't have GFC please state in your post how you would like to be followed.



How To Become a Featured Blog?

We pick our featured blogs randomly each week from the blogs who participated the week before.

Please be sure to feature your e-mail address clearly on your blog. Either on the main blog, on a Contact page, or on an About Me page. If I can't find your email easily, I will choose a different blog to feature.

Body & Soul by Stacey Kade

Body & Soul (The Ghost and the Goth #3) by Stacey Kade
Release Date:
May 1, 2012
Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children
Source: Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Summary

The final book in The Ghost and the Goth Trilogy!

The Ghost
I’ve been trapped in the body of Lily “Ally” Turner for a month now. Talk about a fashion crisis on an epic scale. What worries me more, though, is sometimes I catch Will looking at me like he thinks I’m Lily...or that he wishes I were. Without the good looks of my former self, I don’t know who I am, or if who that is is good enough. I need out of this mess. Now.

Will and I have been looking for a solution, one that would separate me from Lily without killing her. But it’s not going well. Then, when it seems like things couldn’t get any worse, we run into Misty, my former best friend and boyfriend-stealer extraordinaire, who claims she’s being haunted...by me. Seriously?

I’m determined to get to the bottom of who’s pretending to be the spirit of Alona Dare (while I’m pretending to be someone else) and then get the heck out of this body. Or die trying...

The Goth
I’ll admit it. It’s really weird to look at Alona but see Lily. I do know the difference, though, contrary to what Alona might be saying. And Alona is more than a pretty face to me, not that she would believe that.

Our one lead for some help in this messed up situation might be a page torn from the yellow pages-—the “Psychics” section-—I found in my dad’s stuff. One of the “fakes” seems a bit more real-—and odd-—than the others. Before I can investigate further, though, Alona is off and chasing a ghost that’s probably nothing more than a figment of Misty’s guilty imagination. Now Lily’s family is freaking out because she didn’t come home, my mom is ordering me to stay out of it, and something is definitely wrong with the person formerly known as Lily “Ally” Turner... (courtesy of Goodreads)

Review

One of the saddest things in life is to see a good book series end (perhaps I'm exaggerating a bit, but you know what I mean.) I fell in love with Will and Alona in The Ghost and The Goth and have enjoyed seeing their adventures continue. Body and Soul brings the series to a satisfying end.

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Pushing the Limits Read-A-Long Week 1



1. The story starts out with Echo’s thoughts on how she wants to answer her therapist’s questions (snarky and caustically truthful) which are quickly juxtaposed to how she does (milque-toasty and banal). Who do you think she hides the truth for more, her parents or herself?

If you asked her (and if she was willing to answer), I think she'd say her parents. And that's true to an extent. She doesn't trust them, which you'd expect given how much they've betrayed her. But subconsciously, she hides the truth from herself. Getting real answers will bring up horrible pain and her mind is afraid of exposing itself.

2. We see Mrs. Collins, the school therapist, interact with both Echo and Noah in the first few chapters. From those interactions, what do you think of her? Is she a prototypical caricature of state care? Or do you think she’s there to make an honest difference in the lives of those she’s there to help?

I immediately liked and trusted Mrs. Collins. There was no reason to do so at the start of the book, but something about her felt right. I think she's a very smart woman. She knows the system and how to find all the loopholes needed to get the best help for her students.

3. Noah has two friends, Beth and Isaiah, who have his back no matter what–through thick and thin–and he has theirs. Consequently, his life is a little easier because he has two people who know about his situation. Echo only has one close friend, and Lila will barely speak to her in school. Do you think Echo would have had an easier time coping and moving on if she had friends like Noah does?

Noah has had a very painful few years since his parents died, but in many ways his life has always been better than Echo. Noah's only enemies are Social Services and some of his foster parents. Echo's "enemies" are those closest to her - her parents and stepmother, and her best friends.

4 . Echo fixates on a colorful ribbon that sits on the school counselor’s desk during their one-on-one sessions. Do you think this is a case of “Oh, look at the pretty ribbon. Let me zone out while staring at it” , or could it have a deeper significance!

Well, after reading the book, I know that it has extra significant. But it's probably also something to focus on. It's all the subconscious mind versus the conscious mind.

5 .) Noah and the jacket… Already when Noah and Echo meet for the first time, Noah got angry when Echo forgot her Jacket (pg 34). Then on Echo’s Birthday party Noah gave Echo his jacket when he saw that she forgot hers (pg 54). There is a significance behind his anger when Echo has no coat and it tells already so much about Noah!

a) Why do you think is Noah so focused on Echo and her Jacket and what does that tell you about Noah’s character?

It shows that Noah's edginess is just a front. He focuses more on other people's needs than his own.

b) Show us your favorite jacket! Either with you having it on or alone!

Anthropologie Duple Leather jacket
6. Echo wears gloves all the time to hide her scars. Not only for her sake, but obviously also for the others. When Noah sees Echo’s scars for the first time he’s shocked.


a) Do you think this was the moment he began to see Echo in a different light?

Probably. I'm not sure if he had a strong opinion about her before seeing her without her gloves, but her scars definitely shows that Echo has faced just as extreme difficulties as Noah.

b) Show us your favorite pair of gloves!
Bella Mittens!