Feature and Follow Friday #116

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.

Black Heart by Holly Black

Black Heart (Curse Workers #3) by Holly Black
Release Date: April 3, 2012
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Source: Library

Summary

In a world where Magic is illegal.

Cassel Sharpe has the most deadly ability of all. With one touch, he can transform any object - including a person - into something else entirely. And that makes him a wanted man. The Feds are willing to forgive all his past crimes if he'll only leave his con artist family behind and go straight. But why does going straight feel so crooked?

For one thing, it means being on the opposite side of the law from Lila, the girl he loves. She's the daughter of a mob boss and getting ready to join the family business herself. Though Cassel is pretty sure she can never love him back, he can't stop obsessing over her. Which would be bad enough, even if her father wasn't keeping Cassel's mother prisoner in a posh apartment and threatening not to let her leave until she returns the priceless diamond she scammed off him years ago. Too bad she can't remember where she put it.

The Feds say they need Cassel to get rid of a powerful man who is spinning dangerously out of control. But if they want Cassel to use his unique talent to hurt people, what separates the good guys from the bad ones? Or is everyone just out to con him?

Time is running out, and all Cassel's magic and cleverness might not be enough to save him. With no easy answers and no one he can trust, love might be the most dangerous gamble of all.(courtesy of Goodreads)

Review

The Curse Workers series is one of the finest young adult fantasy/paranormal series. Black Heart continues the excellent pace of the prior books. It doesn't entirely capture the magic of the first book, White Cat, but hardly any series ever can beat the first book.

How to Read with Distractions?

We've all been there...

Beloved book sits on the table practically shouting "Read me! Read me!" And yet...there's laundry to do, dishes to wash, dinner to make. Children. Schoolwork So your book cries little ink tears of loneliness as it is ignored.

Chores certainly aren't all that keep us away from our books. Like a serpent beguiling us with a shiny red apple, the Internet beckons, TV shows call, texts arrive. Before you know it, all your reading time has dripped, dripped, dripped away.

I'm currently in the throes of distraction-itis. I am about 130 pages into The Diviners by Libba Bray. It's great. I want to read it. But every time I get ready to crack it open, something calls my attention away. Granted, I am busy. I'm still trying to unpack, I have a ton of work-related paperwork to do, I need to clean up the house, etc. But I'm also wiling my time away by checking and rechecking Google Reader, reading my favorite gossip sites incessantly (Lainey Gossip and Gossip Cop), driving around my new town looking at all the cool little shops, watching reruns of Boy Meets World and HGTV, go to the library and check out more books, watch YouTube...the list goes on.

It frustrates me, because I want to read The Diviners. It's not a situation where I can't get into the book and should put it down. No - I just need to force myself to read.

How do you get rid of the distractions? Save tossing my computer out the window (although given that it's frozen about 20 times today, that might actually happen), how can I focus on the book I actually want to read?

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
Release Date: September 27, 2011
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Source: Library

Summary

Mara Dyer doesn’t think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.

It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can’t remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.

There is.

She doesn’t believe that after everything she’s been through, she can fall in love.

She’s wrong.(courtesy of Goodreads)

Review

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is one of those books that sweeps you away. It is not a perfect book, but while you're reading it, you are enveloped in the story and the characters. The book is confusing in the way that you just have to keep reading to figure out what's going on. I suppose "compelling" would be the more complimentary term.

Blog Tour: Velveteen by Daniel Marks - Author Interview

Velveteen by Daniel Marks
Release Date: October 9, 2012
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Summary

Velveteen Monroe is dead. At 16, she was kidnapped and murdered by a madman named Bonesaw. But that’s not the problem.

The problem is she landed in purgatory. And while it’s not a fiery inferno, it’s certainly no heaven. It’s gray, ashen, and crumbling more and more by the day, and everyone has a job to do. Which doesn’t leave Velveteen much time to do anything about what’s really on her mind.

Bonesaw.

Velveteen aches to deliver the bloody punishment her killer deserves. And she’s figured out just how to do it. She’ll haunt him for the rest of his days.

It’ll be brutal... and awesome.

But crossing the divide between the living and the dead has devastating consequences. Velveteen’s obsessive haunting cracks the foundations of purgatory and jeopardizes her very soul. A risk she’s willing to take—except fate has just given her reason to stick around: an unreasonably hot and completely off-limits coworker.

Velveteen can’t help herself when it comes to breaking rules... or getting revenge. And she just might be angry enough to take everyone down with her.(courtesy of Goodreads)

Meet Daniel

Daniel Marks writes young adult horror and fantasy, spends way too much time glued to the internets and collects books obsessively (occasionally reading them). He’s been a psychotherapist for children and adolescents, and survived earthquakes, volcanoes and typhoons to get where he is today, which is to say, in his messy office surrounded by half empty coffee cups. He lives in the Pacific Northwest with his wife, Caroline, and three furry monsters with no regard for quality carpeting. None.

Author Interview

1. Please describe Velveteen in one or two sentences.

In the midst of a purgatory-shattering uprising, a soul-retriever must juggle her responsibilities to her team, her self, and the future victims of the man who killed her—not to mention a newly deceased (and very hot) boy’s fixation.

​ 2. Who was the most difficult character to write?

Oddly enough, Luisa, one of the twin poltergeists in the book, proved quite difficult. In the story’s first incarnation, an unpublished manuscript called THE TROUBLE WITH THE LIVING, Luisa was actually the protagonist of this world. But when I replaced her, things had to change with the girl’s personality to fit in with Velveteen and her gutsy, irreverent voice. So that was a challenge. I couldn’t have the two be so similar that I’d forget who was in charge.

3. Was Dante's Inferno part of your inspiration for the world in which Velveteen is set?

Actually no. I didn’t take any inspiration from other people’s visions of purgatory. My descriptions were influenced by art, however. In particular, an exhibit of famous pointalist George Seurat’s charcoal sketches at MOMA in NYC back in 2007. Most people know him for Le Grande Jatte, an idyllic scene of a Saturday at a riverside park, but his sketches have a grim grayscale that reminded me of ash. The whole brokedown city of Purgatory blossomed from that one idea. From there are sought out architectural examples of dilapidation and modeled things like the salvage dorms after buildings in Havana. The idea that all the supplies had to be things that wouldn’t be missed brought in the element of paper, as there is still so much waste, even in this day and age of recycling.

4. What are some of your favorite YA books? Either new or older.

Ooh. So many. I love A.S. King’s PLEASE IGNORE VERA DIETZ, so strange and beautiful and really gut-wrenching. Dia Reeve’s BLEEDING VIOLET was a revelation in how weird YA could be and I loved it. There are so many layers in that book, I don’t think people realize. BEAUTY QUEENS by Libba Bray was pretty fantastic and hilarious and had some really interesting things to say about feminism and consumerism. I devoured it.

5. What is one piece of writing advice that you found really useful beyond the typical read a lot and write a lot?

Live a lot. That’s a huge piece that’s often forgotten. I know a lot of writers who spend so much time focused on their work they don’t experience new things, new relationships, the stuff that keeps us grounded to personality is the same mechanism that helps us to understand character and motivation. It’s a necessity. Experiencing life warms the words; it strips away the cold wall between the author and his or her readers.

Manga Mondays #121 - Skip Beat! vol. 22 by Yoshiki Nakamura

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. 22 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!

Is there such a thing as being too good? With Ren's help, Kyoko finally gets into her new character. But when she shows up on set and wows the crew with her new spin on the old bully role, it sends some of her costars over the edge Kyoko's used to dealing with her own demons, but can she stand up to someone else's?(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.

Kyoko is bound and determined to create a better Natsu. She goes to Ren to beg for his advice in how to walk more like a model. I didn't get at first how this helped her become Natsu, but understand better now. Ren didn't help her with the mental part of the role. However, part of Natsu's character is a regal stance. And carrying herself as a noble model makes it easier for Kyoko to pull off the role emotionally as well.

Feature and Follow Friday #115

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.

Belles by Jen Calonita

Belles by Jen Calonita
Release Date: April 10, 2012
Publisher: Poppy
Source: Library

Summary

Fifteen-year-old Isabelle Scott loves her life by the boardwalk on the supposed wrong side of the tracks in North Carolina. But when tragedy strikes, a social worker sends her to live with a long-lost uncle and his preppy privileged family. Isabelle is taken away from everything she's ever known, and, unfortunately, inserting her into the glamorous lifestyle of Emerald Cove doesn't go so well. Her cousin Mirabelle Monroe isn't thrilled to share her life with an outsider, and, in addition to dealing with all the rumors and backstabbing that lurk beneath their classmates' Southern charm, a secret is unfolding that will change both girls' lives forever. (courtesy of Goodreads)

Review

Jen Calonita is a master of light contemporary girl-centered novels. I fell in love with her Secrets of My Hollywood Life series and have since read every single one of her books. What do I mean by girl centered? Her stories feature girls in various - often unusual - life situations, who are dealing with the same problems as every teenage girl. Family drama, peer pressure, friends, forming a self-identity, boys. Romance is present in each book, but the heart of the stories is always the girls themselves. Jen's books are always fun to read and I finish them feeling satisfied.

My European Vacation

I just returned from a 3 week trip to Europe. It was fabulous! We started off in Munich, then went to Milan then Rome. After a few days in Rome, we took a week long cruise that stopped in Genoa, Cannes/Monaco, Barcelona, Mallorca, and Valencia. We were in Rome for a few more days after the cruise ended and finally spent a couple of days in Barcelona.

Here are a few outtakes from the trip:

Munich 

As wonderful as seeing Germany is, the real reason I wanted to go to Munich was to visit Danny of Bewitched Bookworms. Danny and I (and our husbands) spent the weekend together. They were such great hosts!

We loved Munich. It was so interesting and also felt really livable. It was our favorite place that we visited in Europe.

Danny and Me

We saw all the highlights of Munich, including the city center cuckoo clock tower, lots of churches, the Hofbrahaus, the Viktualienmarket, the spot where Octoberfest is held, Nymphemburg Palace, and much more. On Sunday, we drove out to Chiemsee, a beautiful lake with one of King Ludwig II's palaces.

Milan

Our next several days were spent in Milan, where my husband attended a conference. There's not a huge amount to do in Milan other than shopping. I enjoyed walking around the main shopping areas and loved looking at the Duomo - the big Cathedral. 

Rome

We took the train to Rome on Thursday. We had a day and a half before our cruise and then another two and a half days in Rome after our cruise. We filled our time with lots of site-seeing and great food. We saw the Colosseum, the Vatican, the Trevi Fountain, and much more.

The Colosseum

The Trevi Fountain

Vatican Square

 Genoa

Our first cruise stop was a little underwhelming. Actually, I think Genoa would be a very cool place, but not on Sunday, when everything is closed. Still, we got to see some nice Cathedrals and Christopher Columbus's house.

Cathedral of San Lorenzo

Christopher Columbus's house

 Cannes/Monaco

We did a cruise excursion to Monaco when we were docked in Cannes. Unfortunately, it was raining torrentially so we didn't get to see as much. I wish we'd docked in Nice, so we would have had time to look around there.

Monaco/Monte Carlo

Princess Grace's grave

 Mallorca

The Spanish island is a popular vacation spot. There's not that much to see in the town, but just enough. I wish we'd had time to go to the beach too.

Palma de Mallorca Cathedral

Old Mallorca castle

 Valencia

The third largest city in Spain isn't exactly a tourist mecca. We did see a nice cathedral, a great market, and a really cool silk market. But what I'll remember of Valencia is our lunch. We went to Carosel and got a 3 course meal for about the equivalent of $20 each. The best part was the paella, a dish that originated in Valencia.

Gazpacho, fried fish, something with pumpkin in it, squid salad, and bread with tomato

Paella with fish and garbanzo beans

 Barcelona

The last few days of our trip were in Barcelona. It was quite an adventure getting there. We took the train from Rome to the airport. When the train stopped at the airport, I fell back and hit my tailbone really hard on the armrest. The shock of the pain from that caused me to faint! I got to ride in an authentic Italian ambulance. It was very exciting, other than the extreme tailbone pain and nausea. Luckily, I was fine and we actually still made our plane.

We loved Barcelona. It was a close second or maybe a tie with Munich for our favorite place. There's so much to see. We loved La Sagrada Familia (Gaudi's unfinished cathedral), all the Gaudi architecture, the Barri Gotic and more. The food was great too.

La Sagrada Familia

The interior of La Sagrada Familia

The Catalan flag - September 11 is their independence day and more than a million people were on the streets demonstrating for independence.

Churros y xocolata

Guell Parc - designed by Gaudi

 We had such a good time in Europe. Three weeks was a little bit long for my taste, but I can't wait to get back to the continent again!

Have you been to Europe? Or do you live in Europe? What's your favorite place to visit?

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
Release Date: September 18, 2012
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Source: BEA

Summary

“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”

It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore. (courtesy of Goodreads)

Review

At the end of every Maggie Stiefvater book, I think “she can’t possibly better than that.” And with each new book, I am proven wrong. The Raven Boys is one of the best written young adult novels I’ve ever read. Although it’s entirely different, it stands on equal literary footing to books like The Fault in Our Stars and Jellicoe Road. The quality of the writing, the complexity of the plot, and the detailed character development set it apart from most novels.

Manga Mondays #120: Skip Beat vol. 21 by Yoshiki Nakamura

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. 21 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 is basking in the glow of working a Christmas miracle and getting some birthday booty of her own. But she's so unused to this kind of joy that she ends up late to the script reading for her new drama. Now her whole day is a mess and Ren is mad at her! Can Kyoko balance revenge, a career and her own happiness? (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.

We finally see Kyoko screwing something up. She oversleeps and shows up late to work. The girl is human after all! She feels terribly guilty. And being Kyoko, she is not so much afraid of being scolded. Instead, she's upset that she wasn't scolded enough and that she didn't have time to properly apologize to her co-stars.

Feature and Follow Friday #114

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.

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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 -Escapism From Reality

1. When did you start blogging?

I started blogging on and off last year, but have been doing so seriously since that last 6 months.  

2. What is your favorite part of book blogging?

I love expressing my views and thoughts about my passion in life. I can be myself and and my blog is my own little corner where I can gush and fan girl as much as I want. I also get to meet so many bloggers who have been great and supportive throughout.

3. What is your favorite book(s)?

This is going to become such a long list that I will only mention the type of books I read which is mainly Fantasy, Dystopia, PNR, Urban Fantasy, Historical Romance and YA.

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

I recently received a paper ARC from a publisher which was the first time I ever received one. I was really pleased as it meant that someone read and liked my reviews to think me worthy enough for a paper ARC.

Q: What hyped up book do you think was not worth all the talk?

I wasn't a huge fan of the Hush Hush series or the Fallen series. For something more recent, I liked but didn't drool over Pushing the Limits as much as most other readers. I also wasn't a huge fan of Shatter Me.

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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!

<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!!

Guest Post - 3 Books Till I Walk the Plank!

*While I'm in Europe - It's the end of my trip! I fly home today :-( - I've lined up some fabulous guest posters. Please welcome Becky from Becky's Barmy Book Blog!

I'm Becky from 'Becky's Barmy Book Blog', I have been running my blog for almost 2 years. I mainly focus on YA fiction with the odd bit of Children's and Adult thrown in. I post regularly and love my blog and all it's become, never imagined it would grow so much. I have more followers than I ever thought I would have. I like to keep my blog simple but honest. And I try to do a variety of posts.

Guest Post - 3 Books About Love Triangles

*While I'm in Europe - It's my last full day in Europe! I'm in Barcelona - I've lined up some fabulous guest posters. Please welcome Nereyda from Mostly Book Obsessed!

I’m just another person that is obsessed with books. Seriously, liked obsessed! I’m 26 years old, I have WAY too many favorite books to name but some of my favorite authors include Richelle Mead, Rachel Gibson, Becca Fitzpatrick, Cassandra Claire, Chloe Neill, Jennifer L. Armentrout and Jana Oliver. My favorite colors are black and pink and I love anything sparkly. I LOVE using caps locks and exclamation points! I LOVE to read and listen to music and I am addicted to Amazon. I would LOVE to have a library like in Beauty and the Beast!

When I first really got into reading 3-4 years ago, I HATED love triangles. Like with a passion! I always knew who I wanted the main character to end up with and I hated the other character. But, I’ve noticed that recently the love triangles are really starting to get to me. Some books have both love interest so damn good that I am completely torn up inside who I want the main character to end up with and will most likely change from chapter to chapter or book to book.

The first book that really made me think about love triangles was Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead. Of course I wanted Rose to end up with Dimitri (duh!), but each time Adrian showed up, he stole another little piece of me. I love the outcome of Last Sacrifice and I am excited to get to read more about Adrian in the new Bloodlines series.

Here is a list of the top 3 love triangles that have me so conflicted:

Guest Post - 3 Books That Make You Do 3 Things

*While I'm in Europe - today I leave Rome and fly to Barcelona - I've lined up some fabulous guest posters. Please welcome Roxy from Keeping Up With Roxy's Books!

Hey everyone! My name is Roxy and I run Keeping Up With Roxy’s Books. If I could describe myself in three words they would fun,outgoing, and a total Bunhead. I love books more than I love cupcakes, which has become quite a serious problem.

Since Alison is away dealing with her schedule, I thought I could help her out by writing a guest post for her so she could have a less stressful life. As you have probably been told already, the theme for these guest posts is 3 Books. My topic is 3 Books That Make You Do 3 Things, those three things being cry, scream, and gulp down a tub of ice cream because the book was just freakishly amazing! Of course, the three emotions that you experience whilst reading these books are positive. Nevertheless, here are the three books I chose:

Manga Mondays #119: Skip Beat! vol. 20 by Yoshiki Nakamura

*I'm in the middle of my big European trip - our cruise is now over! We're spending a few more days in Rome - 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. 20 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!

It's the season of giving in Tokyo, but Lory's granddaughter Maria is in no mood to celebrate. Kyoko, never one to sit out a challenge, finally gets Maria to admit what has her so soured on the holidays. It turns out December 24th is Maria's birthday--and the anniversary of her mother's death! Can Kyoko work a Christmas miracle and give this little girl a happy birthday? (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 20 is a break from the melodrama of the past several volumes. Not that there isn't drama galore in this volume as well, but it's a lighter one. Kyoko throws a party for the president's granddaughter Maria. The little girl's birthday is on December 24, but she hates both her birthday and Christmas. So Kyoko styles it as a "Thank You" party - to thank everyone for being involved in her life.

Feature and Follow Friday #113

Welcome to the Feature & Follow

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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.

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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 -Books with Bite

1. When did you start blogging?

I started blogging in June two years ago.

2. What is your favorite part of book blogging?

Meeting new bloggers :))

3. What is your favorite book(s)?

My fave all time is The Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs.

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

Just overall meeting new people and becoming new friends.

Q: What are you reading right now? How do you like it?.

First off, I am finishing up my European vacation 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.

And I drafted most of this post from my iphone so sorry for any mistakes or brevity.

I just finished The Goddess Legacy and From What I Remember. I really enjoyed both. Right now I'm finishing up Discovery of Witches, which is good, and just starting The City's Son.

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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!

<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!! div>

Guest Post - 3 Books That I Can't Stop Rereading the Kissing Scenes In

*While I'm in Europe - I'm on a cruise right now - we're docked in Mallorca in Spain today! - I've lined up some fabulous guest posters. Please welcome Jessica from Thoughts at One in the Morning!

My name is Jessica. I am 27 years old. Aside from reading, I enjoy writing, collecting vintage toys, and having TV on DVD marathons (especially of Castle). I also love lemurs.

My blog, Thoughts At One In The Morning, was started in March 2011. I wanted a way to connect with other people who loved books like me and share my thoughts on books I've read. Needless to say, it has developed into so much more than that. I have discussions on books, writing, reading, blogging, and other non-bookish obsessions. I have made a lot of wonderful friends and learned about some amazing books I probably never would have discovered otherwise.

Guest Post - 3 Books About (Literally) Epic Fantasy Worlds

*While I'm in Europe - I'm on a cruise right now - we're docked in Barcelona today! - I've lined up some fabulous guest posters. Please welcome Danielle from The Inky Melody!

Manga Mondays #118: Skip Beat! vol. 19 by Yoshiki Nakamura

*I'm in the middle of my big European trip - today I'm on the second day of my cruise, Genoa, I think - 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. 19 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!

Koo and Lory can't stop meddling in Kyoko's and Ren's lives. Because while Koo is impressed with Kyoko's talent, he knows that she will never be a great actress unless she can overcome her biggest weakness. (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.

We get a big revelation in Volume 19. Ren confronts Hizuri about how he required Kyoko to impersonate his son Kuon. Ren is furious that Hizuri would use Kyoko in such a way. Understandably. It is a little creepy.