Thursday, July 31, 2014

Feature and Follow Friday #212

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 ayou 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.




Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Waiting on Wednesday: Rooms by Lauren Oliver

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine!


Rooms by Lauren Oliver

Publish Date: September 23, 2014
Publisher: Ecco

I've had good and just okay experiences with Lauren Oliver. But I still think she's an incredibly talented author and beautiful writer. I'm excited to check out her first adult novel..

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

Release Date:
1954
Publisher:
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Source: Bought

Summary

Frodo Baggins knew the Ringwraiths were searching for him - and the Ring of Power he bore that would enable Sauron to destroy all that was good in Middle-earth. Now it was up to Frodo and his faithful servant Sam to carry the Ring to where it could be detroyed - in the very center of Sauron's dark kingdom. (courtesy of Goodreads)

Monday, July 28, 2014

Manga Mondays #189: Voice Over! Academy by Maki Minami

Manga Mondays Meme


I've been doing Manga Mondays every week since I started my blog 4 years ago. It started out as a personal feature, but I decided to turn it into a meme last year. 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 is a great way for everyone to publicize their own Manga Mondays and get a little more publicity.

The linky will be below my review.

Voice Over! Academy by Maki Minami


Summary

Kino Hime is a 15 year-old girl who just started her first year in a high school for voice actors (Seiyuu) called Hiiragi Academy. She dreams of becoming the voice of the main character in one of the most popular series in Japan, "Magic Fighter Lovely Blazers". The academy is the number one school which allows students to make their voice acting debuts and also includes other departments such as general education, sports, music, acting, and art.

Of course this Academy is full of celebrities, too. Two of Hime's upperclassmen are none other than the two rising idols of the group "Idol Unit AQUA".

But Hime's dream is hard to fulfill. Her voice is not really suitable for a voice actress and her new classmate Kudou Senri doesn't waste time in pointing that out. Will Hime prove everybody, especially Senri, what she is capable of despite the first appearance? (courtesy of Goodreads)

Review

Thursday, July 24, 2014

Feature and Follow Friday #211

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 ayou 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.




Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Waiting on Wednesdays: Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine!


Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman

Publish Date: March 10, 2015
Publisher: Random House Children's Books

I cannot wait for this sequel to Seraphina. It's one of the best fantasies I've ever read.

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Cress by Marissa Meyer

Cress by Marissa Meyer

Release Date:
February 4, 2014
Publisher:
Feiwel & Friends
Source: Bought (Audio)

Summary

In this third book in the Lunar Chronicles, Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, now with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they’re plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and her army.

Their best hope lies with Cress, a girl imprisoned on a satellite since childhood who's only ever had her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker. Unfortunately, she’s just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice.

When a daring rescue of Cress goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a high price. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing prevent her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only hope the world has. (courtesy of Goodreads)

Thursday, July 17, 2014

Feature and Follow Friday #210

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 ayou 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.




Top Ten 2014 Books So Far

Time for another mid-year check in point! Hard to believe 2014 is more than half over already.

So many good books this year. I've actually read more adult books this year than I have in the past few years. But I will focus on young adult for this list. You can definitely tell that I've been on a contemporary kick. 7 of the 10 books are contemporary. One of the paranormals feels contemporary most of the time.

Top Ten Young Adult Books of 2014 So Far:


https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1338652359l/13595639.jpg

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Waiting on Wednesday: Silver Shadows by Richelle Mead

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine!


Silver Shadows by Richelle Mead

Publish Date: July 29, 2014
Publisher: Razorbill

I know I've featured this one before, but I am so obsessed with this series. I am counting the days until it comes out. Almost here!

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

GIVEAWAY! Blog Tour Review: Breathe, Annie, Breathe by Miranda Kenneally

Check out the entire blog tour!

Breathe, Annie, Breathe by Miranda Kenneally

Release Date:
July 15, 2014
Publisher:
Sourcebooks Fire
Source: BEA

Summary

Annie hates running. No matter how far she jogs, she can’t escape the guilt that if she hadn’t broken up with Kyle, he might still be alive. So to honor his memory, she starts preparing for the marathon he intended to race.

But the training is even more grueling than Annie could have imagined. Despite her coaching, she’s at war with her body, her mind—and her heart. With every mile that athletic Jeremiah cheers her on, she grows more conflicted. She wants to run into his arms…and sprint in the opposite direction. For Annie, opening up to love again may be even more of a challenge than crossing the finish line.(courtesy of Goodreads)

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Feature and Follow Friday #209

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 ayou 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.




The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

Release Date:
July 8, 2014
Publisher:
Harper
Source: BEA

Summary

On her nineteenth birthday, Princess Kelsea Raleigh Glynn, raised in exile, sets out on a perilous journey back to the castle of her birth to ascend her rightful throne. Plain and serious, a girl who loves books and learning, Kelsea bears little resemblance to her mother, the vain and frivolous Queen Elyssa. But though she may be inexperienced and sheltered, Kelsea is not defenseless: Around her neck hangs the Tearling sapphire, a jewel of immense magical power; and accompanying her is the Queen’s Guard, a cadre of brave knights led by the enigmatic and dedicated Lazarus. Kelsea will need them all to survive a cabal of enemies who will use every weapon—from crimson-caped assassins to the darkest blood magic—to prevent her from wearing the crown.

Despite her royal blood, Kelsea feels like nothing so much as an insecure girl, a child called upon to lead a people and a kingdom about which she knows almost nothing. But what she discovers in the capital will change everything, confronting her with horrors she never imagined. An act of singular daring will throw Kelsea’s kingdom into tumult, unleashing the vengeance of the tyrannical ruler of neighboring Mortmesne: the Red Queen, a sorceress possessed of the darkest magic. Now Kelsea will begin to discover whom among the servants, aristocracy, and her own guard she can trust.

But the quest to save her kingdom and meet her destiny has only just begun—a wondrous journey of self-discovery and a trial by fire that will make her a legend…if she can survive.(courtesy of Goodreads)

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Waiting on Wednesday: No Place to Fall by Jaye Robin Brown

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine!


No Place to Fall by Jaye Robin Brown

Publish Date: December 9, 2014
Publisher: Harper Teen

I'm all about contemporaries lately. This one sounds really interesting!

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson

Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson

Release Date:
May 6, 2014
Publisher:
Simon & Schuster
Source: BEA

Summary

The Pre-Sloane Emily didn't go to parties, she barely talked to guys, she didn't do anything crazy. Enter Sloane, social tornado and the best kind of best friend—the one who yanks you out of your shell.But right before what should have been an epic summer, Sloane just... disappears. No note. No calls. No texts. No Sloane. There’s just a random to-do list. On it, thirteen Sloane-selected-definitely-bizarre-tasks that Emily would never try... unless they could lead back to her best friend. Apple Picking at Night? Ok, easy enough.Dance until Dawn? Sure. Why not? Kiss a Stranger? Wait... what?

Getting through Sloane’s list would mean a lot of firsts. But Emily has this whole unexpected summer ahead of her, and the help of Frank Porter (totally unexpected) to check things off. Who knows what she’ll find?

Go Skinny Dipping? Um...(courtesy of Goodreads)

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Feature and Follow Friday #208

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 ayou 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.




Drama by Raina Telgemeier

Drama by Raina Telgemeier

Release Date:
September 1, 2012
Publisher:
GRAPHIX
Source: Borrowed

Summary

PLACES, EVERYONE!

Callie loves theater. And while she would totally try out for her middle school's production of Moon Over Mississippi, she can't really sing. Instead she's the set designer for the drama department stage crew, and this year she's determined to create a set worthy of Broadway on a middle-school budget. But how can she, when she doesn't know much about carpentry, ticket sales are down, and the crew members are having trouble working together? Not to mention the onstage AND offstage drama that occurs once the actors are chosen. And when two cute brothers enter the picture, things get even crazier!(courtesy of Goodreads)

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Waiting on Wednesday: The Bridge from Me to You by Lisa Schroeder

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine!


The Bridge from Me to You by Lisa Schroeder

Publish Date: July 29, 2014
Publisher: Point

Always love a good contemporary. I haven't read anything by Lisa Schroeder. I've always meant to.

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Stupid Blogger

Blogger is stupid.

Am I referring to Blogger the blog host or me, the blogger? A little of both, but I think the fault is mine.

I had a review scheduled to post at midnight earlier today. I was wondering why I didn't get any comments on it. I pulled up my blog a minute ago and realized it hadn't posted. I scheduled it to post tomorrow.

*Slams forehead against wall*

I'm not going to post it today since it's so late and I'll have my WoW post up in a few hours. And I wasn't planning a post for 4th of July other than Follow Friday. So I guess I have my review ready to go for next Tuesday...

How many times have technical difficulties screwed you up?