Trailer Thursday: Possess

Possess

Author: Gretchen McNeil

Summary: (from goodreads) Fifteen-year-old Bridget Liu just wants to be left alone: by her mom, by the cute son of a local police sergeant, and by the eerie voices she can suddenly and inexplicably hear. Unfortunately for Bridget, it turns out the voices are demons – and Bridget has the rare ability to banish them back to whatever hell they came from.

Terrified to tell people about her new power, Bridget confides in a local priest who enlists her help in increasingly dangerous cases of demonic possession. But just as she is starting to come to terms with her new power, Bridget receives a startling message from one of the demons. Now Bridget must unlock the secret to the demons' plan before someone close to her winds up dead – or worse, the human vessel of a demon king.

I think its safe to say this is the year of great HarperTeen releases. Im very excited to dive into Possess. When the cover was released, I immediately knew I had to read this book. Possess releases August 23rd.

Book Review: The Unwanteds

The Unwanteds
Author: Lisa McMann
Pages: 390 pgs
Reading Level: MG
Release Date: August 30th 2011
Review Source: Aladdin - Simon & Schuster
Available: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Borders

Summarry: (from goodreads) Every year in Quill, thirteen-year-olds are sorted into categories: the strong, intelligent Wanteds go to university, and the artistic Unwanteds are sent to their deaths.

Thirteen-year-old Alex tries his hardest to be stoic when his fate is announced as Unwanted, even while leaving behind his twin, Aaron, a Wanted. Upon arrival at the destination where he expected to be eliminated, however, Alex discovers a stunning secret—behind the mirage of the "death farm" there is instead a place called Artime.

In Artime, each child is taught to cultivate their creative abilities and learn how to use them magically, weaving spells through paintbrushes and musical instruments. Everything Alex has ever known changes before his eyes, and it's a wondrous transformation.

But it's a rare, unique occurence for twins to be separated between Wanted and Unwanted, and as Alex and Aaron's bond stretches across their separation, a threat arises for the survival of Artime that will pit brother against brother in an ultimate, magical battle.

Harry Potter has set the standard for youth books. Some books like The Percy Jackson Series have made a name for themselves and have found fame in this young adult novel era. The Unwanteds, I find is a nice refreshing novel that drew me in, to a fantastic new world of magic and creativity.

In a colorless world where only the strong survive, we find a young Alex Stowe being torn away from his twin brother Aaron. Being creative and artistic, Alex is sentenced to die by his government, Quill. Along with the other Unwanted, Alex goes to the Death Farm where they are taken to be eliminated. They are surprised however to find a magician named Mr. Today, who turns out to be a savior. The kids and the reader are introduced to a world full of magic and fantasy.

Book Review: Forbidden

Forbidden
Author: Tabitha Suzuma
Pages: 464 pgs
Reading Level: YA
Release Date: June 28th 2011
Review Source: Simon Pulse
Available: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Borders

Summary: (from goodreads) Seventeen-year-old Lochan and sixteen-year-old Maya have always felt more like friends than siblings. Together they have stepped in for their alcoholic, wayward mother to take care of their three younger siblings. As defacto parents to the little ones, Lochan and Maya have had to grow up fast. And the stress of their lives—and the way they understand each other so completely—has also also brought them closer than two siblings would ordinarily be. So close, in fact, that they have fallen in love. Their clandestine romance quickly blooms into deep, desperate love. They know their relationship is wrong and cannot possibly continue. And yet, they cannot stop what feels so incredibly right. As the novel careens toward an explosive and shocking finale, only one thing is certain: a love this devastating has no happy ending.

I have to admit that I was very hesitant on reading this book because of the nature of this story. But I have to say that I am glad I decided to read it. What an incredible book!!! After reading Forbidden, I had to take some time to think about what just happened and how I can put all my emotions on paper for this review. I have NEVER read such an emotional book. It was like riding a rollercoaster. My emotions were everywhere. I was happy one minute and then I was sad and crying. The next minute I was scared and nervous and then angry. This was simply just an AMAZINGLY FANTASTIC book! I cant wait to read more of Tabitha’s work.

The story is about Lochan and Maya who are madly in love, but it’s a forbidden love because they are brother and sister. Lochan is 17 years old who is handsome and extremely smart and also senior in high school. He doesn’t have friends and while in school, he doesn’t talk to anyone. Maya is 16 and also in high school. She has friends and is very social. While out in public, they try to be as normal as possible, but it’s pretty hard when they have so many responsibilities at home. You see, their mother is a loser, and that’s putting it nicely. She is hardly home and when she is, she is drunk and puking or passed out on the couch. Lochan and Maya have 3 other younger siblings – 2 boys and one girl. When Lochan and Maya were very young, their father left their mother and moved to Australia with his new wife. So Lochan and Maya have become their brother’s and sister’s caretaker. They have to dress then, take them to school, feed them, make sure they do their homework, and tuck them into bed - pretty much everything that a parent would do for their children. One day, Maya and Lochan realize that they are madly in love. They have always been very close and protective of one another, but they didn’t realize that it was a different type of love – a love that is not allowed between a brother and a sister.

I understand that incest is something that our society does not accept and is considered a taboo. But the way Tabitha writes this book, you see and “feel” the love that Lochan and Maya have for each other. It’s like they were soul mates, but soul mates that just so happen to have the same mother and father. I love the way Tabitha writes. Each sentence was like poetry. I am so glad I had the opportunity to read this amazing book. I TOTALLY recommend reading “Forbidden.” I promise you will not be disappointed and once you start it, you will not be able to put it down.

Waiting on Wednesday: Variant

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Yara's Pick:

Variant

Author: Robison Wells

Pages: 356 pgs

Reading Level: YA

Release Date: October 1st 2011

Publisher: HarperTeen

Available: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Borders

Summary: (from goodreads) Benson Fisher thought a scholarship to Maxfield Academy would be the ticket out of his dead-end life.
He was wrong.

Now he’s trapped in a school that’s surrounded by a razor-wire fence. A school where video cameras monitor his every move. Where there are no adults. Where the kids have split into groups in order to survive.

Where breaking the rules equals death.

But when Benson stumbles upon the school’s real secret, he realizes that playing by the rules could spell a fate worse than death, and that escape—his only real hope for survival—may be impossible.

This book sounds like it will keep you flipping the pages while gripping on to your chair. Excited to read this one as well.

Book Review: You Belong to Me

You Belong to Me
Author: Karen Rose
Pages: 504 pgs
Reading Level: Adult
Published: June 7th 2011
Review Source: NAL - Penguin Group
Available: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Borders

Summary: (from goodreads) Years ago, a young girl was beaten and raped while onlookers did nothing. Now those witnesses are becoming victims themselves…

Baltimore city Homicide Detective JD Fitzpatrick has seen a lot of horrific violence, both as a cop and during his deployment in Afghanistan, but nothing like the trail of tortured bodies that are turning up throughout the city. He’s up against a brutal killer with a very personal vendetta. And now JD is beginning to suspect that his medical examiner may be shielding some crucial evidence linked to the case.

Forensic pathologist Dr. Lucy Trask is intrigued by JD’s compassion, but she isn’t about to mix work with pleasure. Not while there’s a ruthless killer on the loose. And definitely not while she’s keeping a dark secret that could connect her to these vicious killings—and put her next on the killer’s hit list…

This is my first book from Karen Rose, and she is now in my must read authors list. A promising thriller beginning to end, full of suspense that keeps you glue to the pages to try to guess what new mystery will unravel and wonder who is not whom they pretend to be.

July Trask is a medical examiner, who had a rough life and keeps a secret life. Bodies and body parts are being left for her to find from someone that seems to have ties to her past and has opened old wounds. J.D. Fitzpatrick is one of the detectives in her case, which shares a difficult past as well, and has an instant attraction for the doctor. She has the feelings as well but tries to avoid them by shutting down her feeling. They both struggle not wanting to open up and needing to feel that they are not alone anymore and can’t seem to be away from each other. Along the way you get peeks into the serial killers mind, expecting and guessing who will be next and what the next move will be. The characters in the story are well described to let you into their personalities and help your understanding of the plot.

This book is for the adult readers, that like hard core thrillers, it has descriptive violence and explicit sexual scenes, and worth reading every single page, can’t wait to see what the next book will bring.

Teaser Tuesday: 6/28/11

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Yara's Teaser:

"I want to be here," Sam says. "This is the coolest thing that's ever happened to me." There is a pause, and then he looks me in the eyes. "Plus you're my best friend, and I've never had a best friend."

"Neither have I." I say

"Just hug already," Six says. Sam and I laugh.

pg 24 of 352

The Power of Six

Release Date: August 23rd 2011

Publisher: HarperTEEN

Ana's Teaser: 

"If I keep going, maybe I will find my way back--back to the person I used to be. I am moving more slowly now. Maybe even floating. I swim through space. The earth has lost its gravity; everything feels liquid around me. I reach another staircase, the treads melting down. The sole of my shoes peel off the landing and I step into nothingness."

pg 221 of 432

Forbidden

Release Date: June 28th 2011 (today)

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Jenny's Teaser:

Before I could explain, the lights flickered, and in a sudden gush, hail clattered on the roof. “Santa Claus”. Johnny’s whispered words made me smile, but no one heard him. All eyes snapped to the tin ceiling rattling under the assault. Behind the pulpit, Reverend Nahum Hardina shrugged and smiled, smoothing his wispy gray hair. “Maybe the Lord wants to deliver his own sermon this morning”.

pg 5 of 289

Firesong

Published: April 5th 2011

Publisher: Twilight Times Books

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Bookish Websites, ect...

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. This meme was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week we will post a new Top Ten list complete with one of our bloggers’ answers. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND post a comment on our post with a link to your Top Ten Tuesday post to share with us and all those who are participating. If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment

Top Ten Bookish Websites/Organizations/Apps, etc. (aside from book blogs -- things like Goodreads, Project Night Night, Paperbackswap, etc.)

Yara's Answers: 

1. Goodreads - this is my main go to site for any bookish thing I might need.
2. PaperBackSwap - A great website for all of us who just have one to many books sitting around that possibly some one else might be dying to read.
3. Book Blogs Ning Site - A great place to meet other bloggers or authors. You can also find book tours or giveaways here. 
4. Book Blog Directory - Great place to look for other blogs
5. DonorsChoose.org - This site you can help classroom obtain books by a donation
6. Goodreads app - great little app to have on your Ipod, Phone or Nook
7. Kindle app - I use this one on my PC or Ipod
8. Barnes & Noble app - I use this one on the phone when Im caught without a book in my hands.
9. IndieBound app - Tons of great things on this app, recommendations and find indie bookstores.
10. Book Crawler app - way to keep a list of what you have read. 

Live Chat on Facebook with Christina Dodd

For all the fans of New York Times Bestselling Author Christina Dodd. Today Christina will be doing a live video chat on Facebook. 

Everyone is invited to chat, all you have to do is LIKE Christina's Facebook page. You can send in questions and join in the discussion. The chat will run from 11:30AM EST - 12:30PM EST. Just click on the link below to attend. 

Livestream Link: Christina Dodd

Book Review: Starstruck

Starstruck
Author: Cyn Balog
Pages: 256 pgs
Reading Level: YA
Release Date: July 12th 2011
Review Source:  Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Available: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Borders

Summary: (from goodreads) Gwendolyn "Dough" X doesn't think she has much going for her—she carries a few extra pounds, her family struggles with their small bakery in a town full of millionaires, and the other kids at her New Jersey high school don't seem to know that she exists. Thank the stars for her longtime boyfriend, Philip P. Wishman—or "Wish." He moved away to California three years ago, when they were 13, but then professed his love for her via e-mail, and he's been her long-distance BF ever since.

 
At the beginning of her junior year, though, Wish e-mails that he's moving back to Jersey. Great, right? Well, except that Dough has gained about 70 pounds since the last time Wish saw her, while Wish—according to his Facebook photos—has morphed into a blonde god. Convinced that she'll be headed for Dumpsville the minute Wish lays eyes on her, Dough delays their meeting as long as she possibly can.

But when she sees Wish at school, something amazing happens. He looks at Dough like she's just as gorgeous as he is. But Wish is acting a little weird, obsessed with the sun and freaked out by rain. And the creepy new guy working at the bakery, Christian, is convinced that there's more to Wish's good looks than just healthy eating and lots of sun. He tells Dough that a mark on Wish's neck marks him as a member of the Luminati—an ancient cult of astrologers who can manipulate the stars to improve their lives. Is Wish and Dough's love meant to be—or are they star-crossed?

Starstruck by Cyn Balog brings you something new in the paranormal world. Just when you thought everything has been written Cyn discovers one more element to write about. Now don't think you will find Vampires or Werewolves in these pages. Now hoping from paranormal over to contemporary, Starstruck is also a enlivening contemporary. Starstruck has real issues that young teenagers face everyday of their lives. You read about how the characters deal with their looks, weight gain and popularity issues. The 2 combinations make a pretty good read. 

Gwendolyn "Dough" is your average full figured teenage girl. She has a boyfriend/best friend names "Wish". When they were younger Wish moved away with his family. While they were apart they kept up their friendship via all the long distance means. Then finally one day Wish ask Dough to become a couple via email. Of course Dough accepts and viola they are a couple. Then next thing you know Wish is moving back to town. Dough starts to get worried because since Wish last saw her she has gain around 70 pounds. She fears what will happen when Wish moves back and notice she isn't the same Dough he left. Well what do you know the blond movie star looking Wish says nothing about how Dough looks, he looks at her like she is still the love of his life. Fine and dandy right? well not necessarily. Dough starts to notice things about Wish that just are not normal. So Dough finds out from the new guy in town that Wish has a certain mark that signify what he has become. Will Dough and Wish survive all these new discoveries? 

I feel that you wont be disappointed in this book, Cyn Balog is definitely on my list of authors to follow now. 

It's Monday! What are you Reading?

It's Monday! What are you reading is hosted by One Persons Journey through a world of Books. Each week we spotlight the books we are reading, planning on reading or just finished reading.

Finished: 

• Spellbound by Cara Lynn Shultz - Yara 
• Starstruck by Cyn Balog - Yara 
• Revenge Served Cold by Jackie Fullerton - Ana
• Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma - Ana
• Werewolf Descent by Elizabeth J. Kolodziej -Jenny
• Frostfire by Lenn Viehl - Trudy
• Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness - Tammy

Currently Reading:

• The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore - Yara 
• Dayling by Gabriel Madison - Ana
• Extras by Scott Westerfeld (Audio)- Tammy
• Flawless by Lara Chapman - Tammy
• Fire Song by Aaron Paul Lazar - Jenny

Next in Line: 

• Fury by Elizabeth Miles - Yara
• Habanera by Teresa Dovalpage - Jenny
• Original Sin by Lisa Desrochers - Trudy
• Chaos Unleashed by Barry Hoffman - Ana

In My Mailbox: 6/26/11

In my mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren

Our Latest Goodies:

Review:

• Original Sin by Lisa Desrochers
• Goodie One Shoes by Roz Siegel
• New York to Dallas by J.D. Robb

Gifted:

• Passion by Lauren Kate (personalized) - Yara (Thanks to Yani from The Secret Life of a Avid Reader)

Cover Revealed: The First Time

The First Time

2009 Debs eBook anthology

Contributors: Cyn Balog, Lauren Bjorkman, Leigh Brescia, Jennifer Brown, Kirstin Cronn-Mills, Janet Gurtler, Teri Hall, Cheryl Renee Herbsman, Stacey Jay, Heidi R. Kling, C. Lee McKenzie, Saundra Mitchell, Jenny Moss, Jackson Pearce, Shani Petroff, Carrie Ryan, Sydney Salter, Kurtis Scaletta, Jon Skovron, Kristina Springer, Rhonda Stapleton, Charity Tahmaseb, Jessica Verday, J.A. Yang, and Lara Zielin.

Reading Level: YA

Release Date: October 2011

Available: eBook format only

Summary: (from Jessica Verday's post) With 25 different authors contributing, there's sure to be something here for everyone! From first kiss to first love, there’s no time like the first time. This will be an eBook only(available via Amazon, B&N, and Smashwords) and the tentative release date is October 2011.

Book Review: Spellbound

Spellbound
Author: Cara Lynn Shultz
Pages: 384 pgs
Reading Level: YA
Release Date: June 28th 2011
Review Source: Harlequin Teen
Available: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Borders

Summary: (from goodreads) What's a girl to do when meeting The One means she's cursed to die a horrible death?

Life hasn't been easy on sixteen-year-old Emma Conner, so a new start in New York may be just the change she needs. But the posh Upper East Side prep school she has to attend? Not so much. Friendly faces are few and far between, except for one that she's irresistibly drawn to—Brendan Salinger, the guy with the rock-star good looks and the richest kid in school, who might just be her very own white knight.

But even when Brendan inexplicably turns cold, Emma can't stop staring. Ever since she laid eyes on him, strange things have been happening. Streetlamps go out wherever she walks, and Emma's been having the oddest dreams: visions of herself in past lives—visions that warn her to stay away from Brendan. Or else.

Where to begin with Spellbound. The cover since its the first thing you see when you pick up the book. At first my thought were it was a simple cover. Tons of black and a partial bridge gave its a mysterious feel to it. Then you read the book and stare at the cover and go "It's Perfect!" The designer couldn't have gotten it any more exact. The glass shards and the lamp post, while Emma is running. Sometimes its takes starting the book to see the whole picture. 

Spellbound is actually the perfect word to use to describe the book itself. Debut Author Cara Lynn Shultz writes in such a detailed manner, I always felt very connected to the story and its surroundings. You get drawn in from the beginning with the tale of this poor girl that has been thru so much and then finally after something else almost tragic happening to her she moves to New York with her aunt. You can identify with Emma the main character, she has those quirky habits most of us have or had at some point in our lives. Now that being said she is not a push over and will speak up when its called for. She will defend her family, even if its with the biggest bully of them all. She does though have insecurities like any normal teenage girl at that age. She questions how Brendan might be interested in her. I will quote how Cara describes Brendan when Emma sees him dressed for a dance "He looked incredibly, ridiculously, smack-yourself-in-the-face-he-can't-be-real hot." So you see why Emma questions if she seriously has a chance with him. 

Of course Spellbound is not just about teenage love, there is actually a very old curse that lurks in its pages. Emma wears this unique necklace that her deceased twin brother gave her. Emma has always thought that this was a very common piece of jeweler you can buy any where.Then she finds a picture of the same item she is wearing in Brendan's locker. She wonders why he would have a picture in his locker. Then of course you have exploding lamppost while she takes her jogs, this all put together gets Emma curious. She ask her best friend regarding the necklace. Well lets just say a very old legend or curse is discovered and everything starts to unrattle for Emma. Will Emma accept everything she has figured out? Will her relationship with Brendan survive, Will she pass Latin? 

Well you know my style of review, I don't give the story away. I give you hopefully enough to want to go out and buy the book the day its released. So have I ever steered you wrong? Great book full of romance and mystery with your hint of magic. 

Mini-Book Review: Lola and the Boy Next Door

Lola and the Boy Next Door (ARC)

Author: Stephanie Perkins

Pages: 384 pgs

Reading Level: YA

Release Date: September 29th 2011

Review Source: ReadingTeen.net

Available: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Borders

Summary: (from goodreads) In this companion novel to Anna and the French Kiss, two teens discover that true love may be closer than they think

For budding costume designer Lola Nolan, the more outrageous, the outfit - more sparkly, more fun, more wild - the better. But even though Lola's style is outrageous, she's a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins move back into the house next door.

When the family returns and Cricket - a gifted inventor and engineer - steps out from his twin sister's shadow and back into Lola's life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

Look for my full review on Friday September 23rd. Now I will just tease you all with a few lines from my review. Enjoy! 

It beyond a breath of fresh-air. Her books are the perfect ones to pick up when you need to feel overjoyed, they will change whatever mood your in and covert it to pure joy.

The characters are so complete that you mesh well with them. Stephanie writes them very realistic. It's the story that can happen to you or anyone you know.

Cue in Cricket, yes I said Cricket. Cricket Bell is the boy next door. How close you might wonder, well Cricket and Lola's windows are facing each other and within reach by a pole.

I hope that was enough to hold you off till September. Pre-Order Lola and the Boy Next Door today, you dont have to wait until September. Mark my works this is the Top contemporary of 2011.

Book Tour: Teenage Garage Sale with Author Dawn Metcalf

Teenage Garage Sale

Today as part of the Luminous blog tour Author Dawn Metcalf shares with us what she would have at a garage sale in her teenage years. Dawn's debut novel is called Luminous. 

Dawn Metcalf Links: Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

Oh my gosh, where did you find this stuff?!?

Yes, I know, there's a whole box of LPs. Records. Vinyl. *sigh* Nevermind. Let's see, we've got David Bowie and Cyndi Lauper, The Bangles and The Police, ZZ Top and Art of Noise, Arabic bellydancing and Charlie Parker and Tricia Alexander, The Blues Brothers, Monty Python, Bill Cosby...evidently, I always had eclectic tastes. Hmm. Here's a big stack of old paperbacks, they've got that old book smell: mostly Xanth novels and Gibson cyberpunk (the Nancy Drew and Judy Blumes must've gone out on the tween sale). Why aren't there more? My dear, you wound me. I still have them up in my library back home! Now who is really going to want these VCR tapes? That's an entire collection of random OnTv movies and old cult classics: Rock n Rule, Buckaroo Bonzai, Dunderklumpen, Jim Henson's Storyteller...makes me want to run a MST3K evening. Wow! I think this is the entire season of Beauty and the Beast, lovingly recorded three episodes at a time. No. Not Disney. Linda Hamilton and Ron Perlman. You've never...?! Right. We're keeping these. I think this entire bin of dress-up clothes says something, doesn't it? Ren Faire, Purim, and Halloween parties, complete with a working miniature crossbow and a set of pan pipes...it's probably a good thing I never learned to really use either one! And look at this blast from the past--this huge box of wide, perforated feed paper is what I printed my first few books on using that boxy thing under the table: a Commodore 64, which I upgraded to a Mac II when I went off to college. Gah! It weighs a flippin' ton. What, those? They are feathered Mardi Gras and leather Carnival masks. I used to collect those from New Orleans as well as decorative ones to hang on my wall. I liked to have things from places I'd traveled; small vases from France and Israel, a pinata from Mexico, a rainbow mobile from Hawaii...where are my Naot? Those were the best summer shoes ever. There are a couple of trophies: one from Forensics (when it used to be about theater and not blood samples), one from soccer or was it basketball?, and one from my first and only road rally with the guys. Yeah, you won't see the gaming stuff, the photos, or the letters from boys...I still have them. Okay, let's go pop some popcorn and begin your flashback education!

Yara's Vacation Reads!

So some of you might know that I will be starting a 2 week long vacation to Florida. We leave Saturday evening after I come back from the NKOTB concert. I'm very excited for this trip, if you don't know now you will. I do live in Houston, TX but I was born and raised in Miami, FL. So my family and most of my friends are in FL somewhere. I'm going to finally be able to meet my newest niece, that I haven't met yet since she was born. We will be headed while in FL to the Florida Keys with our boat for about a week. We use to go to the Keys several times a year when I live in FL, I haven't been there in years. So this trip is like coming home to me. I also get to hang while in FL with 2 of OUaT reviewers, Jenny and Ana. I'm sure will think of some bookish things to do. 

So I've been pondering what books I will be taking on my trip. I will be taking 4 ARCs and my Nook, which should be enough to hold me off until I get back. So here is my list:

• Fury by Elizabeth Miles: Releases August 30th 2011 from Simon Pulse
• Vanish by Sophie Jordan: Releases September 6th 2011 from HarperTEEN
• The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore: Releases August 23rd 2011 from HarperTEEN
• Witch Eyes by Scott Tracey: Releases September 8th 2011 from Flux

Im very excited to read all four of these books. Do you have a vacation or summer reads list? 

Book Tour: Want To Go Private - Top Tens List

Top Tens List

The next stop for the Want To GO Private blog tour is here. Sarah Darer Littman provided us with a fun Top Tens List.  Want To Go Private is one of many titles Sarah has written. Check out one of her links to read more about Sarah and her books. 

Sarah Darer Littman Links: Website / Blog / Facebook / Twitter

Ten Songs I like to blast in the car and sing very loudly when no one is listening*:


10. Whole Lotta Love – Led Zeppelin
9. Don’t Look Back in Anger – Oasis
8 Burn Rubber The Gap Band
7 Bohemian Like You – Dandy Warhols
6 Fly Away – Lenny Kravitz (aka: Cinna from the Hunger Games Movie!)
5. Lithium – Nirvana
4.Don’t Stop Me Now – Queen
3.Thunder Road – Bruce Springsteen

2. Pride (In the Name of Love) – U2
And the Mother of All Blast and Sings, which I promised in writing in the Life, After acknowledgement to never sing in front my kids’ friends
1. Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen


*This could pose a problem when I finally can get my dream car convertible.

Book Review: Revenge Served Cold

Revenge Served Cold
Anne Marshall Mystery #2
Author: Jackie Fullerton
Pages: 287 pgs
Reading Level: Adult
Published: May 1st 2010
Review Source: The Cadence Group
eBook Available: Amazon

Summary: (from goodreads) Kathy Spence awakens in the middle of the night and finds herself in a living nightmare. Her husband has been run down and she is the primary suspect. With an eyewitness to the crime and proof that her car was the murder weapon, it appears to be an open and shut case. Terrified for her future, Kathy turns to amateur sleuth Anne Marshall for help. Believing in Kathy's innocence, Anne launches her own investigation, uncovering proof of a conspiracy that reaches from Kathy's past and threatens her own life. In a race against time, Anne must count on her close friends and even the ghost of her father to help her bring a killer to justice before it's too late

Revenge Served Cold is a simple murder novel. I know it's supposed to be a murder "mystery" novel, but it was very predictable. With that said, it was still a really good book. Murder mysteries are one of my favorite book genres because I love trying to figure out who the murderer is in the story, but sadly I realized very early on who it was. Anne is a funny and spunky girl who loves to get to the bottom of things and doesn’t take “no” for an answer. I really liked how Anne and her father, even after his death, were still connected in such a strong way. I also enjoyed reading about the crazy, yet hilarious cases that Anne was working on in the court house. I’m sure judges have to hear some of those crazy cases every once in a while.

Elliott Spencer, A law school professor has been run down in the middle of the night and his wife, Kathy Spencer, is being charged for his murder. Anne Marshall, a court reporter by day, law student by night and a part-time self-hired murder investigator is asked by a friend to help uncover who really killed the professor. Anne, who in the beginning was hesitant to get involved, is being driven by her father, a ghost, to seek justice for Kathy. Anne will uncover many secrets, but will she be able to solve the mystery before it’s too late? I guess you will just have to read it and find out!

Giveaway Winners!

Time to name two winners for Flowerbed of State by Dorothy St. James that were provided by Penguin.

And now the winners are...

Ricky (MO) 

and

Cynthia (NY)

Thank to Penguin and Dorothy St. James and for everyone that participated.

Be on the look out soon, we are almost at 2000 followers and this is what we have planned: 2000 Follower giveaway