Technical Difficulties

My computer is having the holiday blues and doesn't want to perform to the high standards that I usually hold it to. Therefore, with the many crashes and memory spasms preventing extended periods of use, the blog is on hiatus until the actual cause can be determined and fixed. 

Wish us luck!

"Waiting on" Wednesday: Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It lets us all gush about what soon-to-be released books we are barely able to restrain our enthusiasm for.

My pick this week is Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler due out December 27, 2011 by Little, Brown.

Summary from Goodreads:

I'm telling you why we broke up, Ed. I'm writing it in this letter, the whole truth of why it happened.

Min Green and Ed Slaterton are breaking up, so Min is writing Ed a letter and giving him a box. Inside the box is why they broke up. Two bottle caps, a movie ticket, a folded note, a box of matches, a protractor, books, a toy truck, a pair of ugly earrings, a comb from a motel room, and every other item collected over the course of a giddy, intimate, heartbreaking relationship. Item after item is illustrated and accounted for, and then the box, like a girlfriend, will be dumped.

My Thoughts:

I hadn't really thought of putting this on my WoW radar because I had read one of the Series of Unfortunate Events books and was less than impressed. So with that in the forefront of my mind the first time I came across this title I just disregarded it. However, upon one of my library co-workers (who also reviews books professionally) saying that it was a really, really good read and right up my alley I decided to turn my radar back to it and am now anticipating it's release.

So, tell me, what are you waiting on?

Teaser Tuesday (11/15/11)

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! 

My teaser:


"Prospero the Enchanter uses a pocket knife to slit his daughter's fingertips open, one by one, watching wordlessly as she cries until calm enough to heal them, drips of blood slowly creeping backward. 
The skin melds together, swirls of finger print ridges finding one another again, closing solidly once more."


The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, pg. 28 

Are You Listening? Audiobook review: The Knife of Never Letting Go (Chaos Walking #1) by Patrick Ness

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness


The Scoop:


On New World, in the town of Prentisstown, Todd Hewitt is the only boy in a town of men. But Prentisstown isn’t like other towns. Everyone can hear everyone else’s thoughts (including animals) in an overwhelming, constant stream of Noise. Just a month before the birthday that makes Todd a man, he and his faithful dog, Manchee, whose simple, loyal voice he also hears happen upon an area of complete silence. While Todd tries to keep thoughts of the silence out of his Noise he fails. He knows that the silence is part of an even larger secret the powerful men of Prentisstown are trying to hide from him and ends up on the run from them with only Manchee as his companion. Todd and Manchee return to the location where they first heard nothing and the two stumble upon the strange and eerily silent creature: a girl. Who is she? Why wasn't she killed by the germ like all the females on New World? They convince her they mean no harm and encourage her to join their escape. And, so, Todd, Manchee and Viola must try and escape from their pursuers who can hear their every thoughts.

In My Mailbox (7)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme started by The Story Siren where bloggers share what books we have either received or purchased that week.

I got a great haul from the library over the past few weeks (and a couple of excellent new release purchases). Way more than I should have and will probably get through. I think I'm starting to show signs of a library book hoarder--although I do tend to return them if I don't get them read after 2 renewals. 

Purchased:

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater (and autographed, too!)

Crossed (Matched #2) by Ally Condie

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

From the library:

Amplified by Tara Kelly

Entwined by Heather Dixon

Sweet Venom (Medusa Girls #1) by Tera Lynn Childs

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Girls Don't Fly by Kristen Chandler

Between the Sea and Sky by Jaclyn Dolamore

Past Perfect by Leila Sales

Unearthly (Unearthly #1) by Cynthia Hand

The Juliet Spell by Douglas Rees

Pure Red by Danielle Joseph

So, tell me, what's in your mailbox?

Teaser Tuesday (11/8/11)

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! 

I have to double my teasers today because I finished one book that had such a fun tease in it before Tuesday came around. And, then, I also feel obligated to put in a tease for the book I'm actually reading. The rules do say to "grab your current read" and I wouldn't want to be accused of breaking any rules. ;)

Teaser #1:

"I took the trouble to secure Jack's other possessions and those, along with my clothing and jewel case, present a heavy burden. But I am certainly not going to carry anything. He is the man, and I am the princess."

A Kiss in Time by Alex Flinn, pg. 102

Teaser #2:

"Though I was sure the Red Cross would show up soon, I still couldn't help wondering which of us would get eaten first if it actually came down to that. I decided quickly on Chaz, as he was both meaty and dispensable. Then I realized that with those criteria, I'd be dinner the following night."

Are You Going to Kiss Me Now? by Sloane Tanen, pg. 123

"Waiting on" Wednesday: The Queen of Kentucky by Alecia Whitaker

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It lets us all gush about what soon-to-be released books we are barely able to restrain our enthusiasm for.

My pick this week is The Queen of Kentucky by Alecia Whataker due out January 2, 2012 by Poppy.

Summary from Goodreads:

Fourteen-year-old Kentucky girl Ricki Jo Winstead, who would preferred to be called Ericka, thank you very much, is eager to shed her farmer's daughter roots and become part of the popular crowd at her small town high school. She trades her Bible for Seventeen magazine, buys new "sophisticated" clothes and somehow manages to secure a tenuous spot at the cool kids table. She's on top of the world, even though her best friend and the boy next door Luke says he misses "plain old Ricki Jo."


Caught between being a country girl and wannabe country club girl, Ricki Jo begins to forget who she truly is: someone who doesn't care what people think and who wouldn't let a good-looking guy walk all over her. It takes a serious incident out on Luke's farm for Ricki Jo to realize that being a true friend is more important than being popular.

My thoughts:

Just like my anticipation for Miranda Kenneally's Catching Jordan, I think my desire to read this book stems from my completion and absolute love for Catherine Gilbert Murdock's Dairy Queen series with its milkmaid/football-and-basketball phenom, DJ Schwenk. However, opposite to DJ and her story, I think this book will take the down-home, naive and humble aspects of Ricki Jo's persona, wratchet them up to the point where Ricki Jo becomes possibly unlikable and then bring her back down to earth to where she is ultimately supposed to find her place in the world (I'm thinking not of a book comparison here but of movies like Mean Girls and Clueless--which I loved--and other books and movies of that ilk). Those are the books that always make me feel good after finishing them. The ones that show the main character the (possibly negative) potentiality of what they are striving for all the while teaching them the lesson that maybe what they had wasn't so bad after all. Ah, good old-fashioned teen cliches. Gotta love 'em!

Teaser Tuesday (11/1/11)

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! 

Well, it's been a long and busy week (Halloween parties take a lot of planning and prep--let me tell you) with little time left for reading so I'm STILL plugging away (quite happily, though) on the final book in Catherine Gilbert Murdock's Dairy Queen series.


My teaser:
"By the time we finished it was already time for afternoon milking, which Aaron quote-unquote helped with, which meant making Bill and me laugh our guts out while we did the actual work. The cows just flicked their ears like they'd heard all his jokes before. Once I couldn't help myself and squirted Aaron with milk, and Mark Donohue kicked me to teach me a lesson about fooling around with her own personal mammary glands."


Front and Center (Dairy Queen #3) by Catherine Gilbert Murdock, pg 138. 

What's New in YA--November 2011

Happy Turkey month, everybody! It's a brand new month and the start of the holiday season that brings us to the end of the year. That means there are brand new books to look forward to! Well, ok, there's brand new books to look forward to all the time but I'm one for the big picture and what's bigger than a month (I know, I know, a year, a decade, a millenium but I can only handle so much)? So, on a small scale, I love being prepared (no, was never a boy scout) and this lets me compile a list of what I can look forward to in the exciting world of YA literature for the coming month. And I'm here to share my preparedness with you. Each title is linked to goodreads.com.


01
Crossed (Matched #2) by Ally Condie
Playground by Fifty Cent
Dark Eden by Patrick Carman
Last Breath (Morganville Vampires #11) by Rachel Caine
Reckoning (Strange Angels #5) by Lili St. Crow
The Outcasts (Brotherband Chronicles #1) by John Flanagan
Tiger's Voyage (Tiger Saga #3) by Colleen Houck
Darker Still (Magic Most Foul #1) by Leanna Renee Heiber
Cinder and Ella by Melissa Lemon
Liar's Moon (Thief Errant #2) by Elizabeth C. Bunce


07
The Daughters Join the Party (Daughters #4) by Joanna Philbin



08
Inheritance (Inheritance #4) by Christopher Paolini
Faking Faith by Josie Bloss
Little Women and Me by Lauren Baratz-Logsted
Prized (Birthmarked #2) by Caragh M. O'Brien
The Sharp Time by Mary O'Connell


15
Also Known as Rowan Pohi by Ralph Fletcher
Shatter Me (Shatter Me #1) by Tahereh Mafil
Wherever You Go by Heather Davis
The Space Between by Brenna Yovanoff
The Pledge (The Pledge #1) by Kimberly Derting
Lightbringer by K. D. McEntire
Death Watch (The Undertaken #1) by Ari Berk


21
The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler


29
Legend (Legend #1) by Marie Hu
Kiss of Frost (Mythos Academy #2) by Jennifer Estep

Review: The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

The Scoop:

It's 1996 and Emma and Josh have been neighbors their whole life and best friends almost as long. Their friendship changed when Josh wanted something more and Emma didn't. Emma's father buys her a computer and when Josh's family gets a free AOL CD in the mail he brings it over for her to install. However, she doesn't only install AOL. When Emma logs in to her AOL account she is automatically directed and logged in to her Facebook page. A Facebook page from fifteen years in the future. After figuring out exactly what Facebook is, Emma and Josh realize that they can see the immediate effect of anything they do in the present on their future. What they have to figure out is if they really want to know what happens or if they want to wait and see what the future holds for them.

Teaser Tuesday (10/25/11)

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! 
• Share the title & author.

My teaser:

"We'd beaten Whoopsville, yeah, but only because the rest of the team stood around while I hogged all the baskets. Whatever leadership is, I'd demonstrated just the opposite."


Front and Center (Dairy Queen #3) by Catherine Gilbert Murdock, pg 55 

Review: Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn't Have) by Sarah Mlynowski

Ten Things We Did by Sarah Mlynowski


The Scoop:


April, a high school junior, gets what probably many teenage kids want from their parents. Complete freedom which comes from living on her own in a different city and different state (or country, even, in the case of her mom). Plus $1000 in a bank account every month with little or no checking up on what that money was used for. So, using a variety of stealthy, teenager-y techniques known worldwide to fool the 'rents, April and her good friend, Vi, set up a couple of fake e-mail (or pmail) address for their respective parents so they are able to moderate the situation. April's dad agrees, after talking to Vi impersonating her mother on the phone and a series of e-mail's sent to Vi's mom's fake pmail address, to allow her to stay in Connecticut while he and the new wife move to Cleveland. Then April and Vi, since Vi's mom is on tour as Mary Poppins and not actually staying in the house with them, proceed to do ten things they probably shouldn't have.

"Waiting on" Wednesday: Katana by Cole Gibsen

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It lets us all gush about what soon-to-be released books we are barely able to restrain our enthusiasm for.

My pick this week is Katana by Cole Gibsen due out March 8, 2012 by Flux.

Summary from Goodreads:

Kill Bill meets Buffy in this supernatural samurai tale.

Rileigh Martin would love to believe that adrenaline gave her the uncanny courage and strength to fend off three muggers. But it doesn’t explain her dreams of fifteenth century Japan, the incredible fighting skills she suddenly possesses, or the strange voice giving her battle tips and danger warnings. While worrying that she’s going crazy (always a reputation ruiner), Rileigh gets a visit from Kim, a handsome martial arts instructor, who tells Rileigh she’s harboring the spirit of a five-hundred-year-old samurai warrior.

Relentlessly attacked by ninjas, Rileigh has no choice but to master the katana--a deadly Japanese sword that’s also the key to her past. As the spirit grows stronger and her feelings for Kim intensify, Rileigh is torn between continuing as the girl she’s always been and embracing the warrior inside her.

My Thoughts:

A teenage ninja? Awesome. Hopefully the Buffy reference isn't just something to hook the readers (when I think Buffy I think kick-ass and snarky which is always way good in my book). And besides, my two years of taking Japanese in high school (many years ago) has left me with a lifelong residual interest in their culture and histories.  

Teaser Tuesday (10/18/11)

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! 
• Share the title & author.

My teaser:

""I'll show you, Dad," Dennis said, "but first, answer me one question: what sort of poison was it that killed the King?""
The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King (from e-book, page number unknown)

"Waiting on" Wednesday: Catching Jordan by Miranda Kinneally

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It lets us all gush about what soon-to-be released books we are barely able to restrain our enthusiasm for.

My pick this week is Catching Jordan by Miranda Kinneally due out December 1, 2011 by Sourcebooks Fire.

From goodreads.com:

What girl doesn't want to be surrounded by gorgeous jocks day in and day out? Jordan Woods isn't just surrounded by hot guys, though-she leads them as the captain and quarterback of her high school football team. They all see her as one of the guys, and that's just fine. As long as she gets her athletic scholarship to a powerhouse university. But now there's a new guy in town who threatens her starting position... suddenly she's hoping he'll see her as more than just a teammate.

My Thoughts:

Maybe it has something to do with me reading through the Dairy Queen series but the description of this book just sounded like a fun read. And all that green on the cover--so bright and cheery compared to a lot of covers I've seen lately. (So, I guess I gave away what side I'm on of the age-old "don't judge a book by it's cover" debate.) Although, the headless bodies are a little off-putting (and that answers that question).

 

What are you waiting on?

Teaser Tuesday (10/11/11)

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! 
• Share the title & author.

My Teaser:

"I couldn't help busting Brian a bit as we drove off. "I bet that's what you tell your friends. 'She intercepted me and scored too.'""
The Off Season (Dairy Queen #2) by Catherine Gilbert Murdock, pg. 34 

In My Mailbox (6)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme started by The Story Siren where bloggers share what books we have either received or purchased that week.

I've still got all my backlog from library check-outs and sale purchases at Barnes & Noble and Borders so I've barely had any books trickling in lately. But here's an update for the past few weeks.

For Review:

Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez

Everything You Need to Survive the Apocalypse by Lucas Klauss

Geek Girl by Cindy C. Bennett

Dragonswood by Janet Lee Carey

Thanks to Simon & Schuster GalleyGrab, Sweetwater Books and NetGalley, and Penguin Books and LibraryThing for the galleys.

From the library:

Blood Red Road (Dustlands #1) by Moira Young

Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George

After reading two books that take from this polar bear prince fairy tale I want to get a third opinion. It's such an awesome story and so far the two that I've read, Ice and East, have had different components of the same base story.

Brutal by Michael Harmon

A suggestion from goodreads' new recommendation feature and I thought I'd give it a try.

Dream Factory by Brad Barkley and Heather Hepler

I loved their collaboration on Scrambled Eggs at Midnight so I'm willing to take a stab at this book. Besides, who wouldn't want a (fictional) behind-the-scenes peek at a summer working as a character in Disney World?

So, tell me, what do you have in your mailbox?

Review: The Eternal Sea (Everlasting #2) by Angie Frazier

The Eternal Sea by Angie Frazier


The Scoop:


When we left Camille, Oscar, Ira and Cassie's newly discovered brother Samuel they had found the mysterious stone of Umandu, brought Oscar back to life using it and killed off their nemesis in the search who also happened to be Samuel's father. What Camille and her co-horts didn't know is that Umandu is part of a set of stones that needed to be united (reunited?) to work properly in their magic of bringing somebody back to life. Not having the two stones meant that Oscar's soul was never returned to his body and therefore he wasn't yet, technically, alive. Camille is determined to travel to the bowels of the neverworld to get the stone and complete Oscar's reanimation. Along the way she must sort out her feelings for him and her "former" fiance Randall, determine where her brother's loyalties lay and try to locate loyal Ira who was abducted by the supernatural creatures trying to stop her in her quest.

Teaser Tuesday (10/4/11)

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! 
• Share the title & author.

My Teaser:
"Om shanti shanti shanti, I mumbled. Then I slapped myself in the face. No, no, no! Not freaky om shanti! I am big. I am huge. I am an athlete."


Stupid Fast by Geoff Herbach, pg. 85 

What's New in YA--October 2011

Happy Fall, everybody! It's a brand new month and a brand new season (a nice chilly one perfect for getting cozy by the fire with a nice, new book). That means there are brand new books to look forward to! Well, ok, there's brand new books to look forward to all the time but I'm one for the big picture and what's bigger than a month (I know, I know, a year, a decade, a millenium but I can only handle so much)? So, on a small scale, I love being prepared (no, was never a boy scout) and this lets me compile a list of what I can look forward to in the exciting world of YA literature for the coming month. And I'm here to share my preparedness with you. Each title is linked to goodreads.com.

03
Bleeding Hearts (The Drake Chronicles #4) by Alyxandra Harvey
Everybody Sees the Ants by A.S. King
Palace of the Damned (The Saga of Larten Crepsley #3) by Darren Shan
Gossip Girl, Psycho Killer (Gossip Girl #13) by Cecily von Ziegesar



04
The Lost Stories (Ranger's Apprentice #11) by John Flanagan
The Mark of the Golden Dragon: Being an Account of the Further Adventures of Jacky Faber, Jewel of the East, Vexation of the West, and Pearl of the South China Sea (Bloody Jack Adventures #9) by Louis A. Meyer
Eve (Eve Trilogy #1) by Anna Carey
Variant by Robison Wells
Silence (Hush, Hush #3) by Becca Fitzpatrick
Carrier of the Mark (Carrier Trilogy #1) by Leigh Fallon
The Son of Neptune (Heroes of Olympus #2) by Rick Riordan
Past Perfect by Leila Sales
Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver
A Beautiful Friendship (Stephanie Harrington #1) by David Weber

08
Mercy Lily by Lisa Albert


10
Bunheads by Sophie Flack

11
The Goblin War (Goblin Wood #3) by Hilari Bell
David by Mary Hoffman
Frost (Stork #2) by Wendy Delsol
Life: An Exploded Diagram by Mal Peet
Devoted (Elixir #2) by Hilary Duff
The Watch That Ends the Night: Voices from the Titanic by Allan Wolf
Deadly Cool by Gemma Halliday
Stick by Andrew Smith
Tris and Izzie by Mette Ivie Harrison
The Death Cure (Maze Runner #3) by James Dashner
Awake at Dawn (Shadow Falls #2) by C.C. Hunter
Unforsaken (Banished #2) by Sophie Littlefield
Without Tess by Marcella Pixley
Just Your Average Princess by Kristina Springer
The Survival Kit by Donna Freitas


13
Girls Don't Fly by Kristen Chandler
Audition by Stasia Ward Kehoe

18
Swear (Swoon #2) by Nina Malkin
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez
Seizure (Virals #2) by Kathy Reichs and Brendan Reichs
How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr
Beautiful Chaos (Beautiful Creatures #3) by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Half-Blood (Covenant #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Dearly, Departed (Dearly #1) by Lia Habel



19
On The Fringe by Courtney King Walker


25
Between the Sea and Sky by Jaclyn Dolamore
Straw House, Wood House, Brick House, Blow: Four Novellas by Daniel Nayeri
Battle Fatigue by Mark Kurlansky
Mastiff (Legend of Beka Cooper #3) by Tamora Pierce
Nightshade (The Poison Diaires #2) by Maryrose Wood and The Duchess of Northumberland
Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick by Joe Schreiber
Caleb's Wars by David L. Dudley
Crave by Melissa Darnell
Phantom (The Vampire Diaries: The Hunters #1) by L. J. Smith
Destined (House of Night #9) by P. C. Cast and Kristin Cast
The Iron Knight (Iron Fey #4) by Julie Kagawa
Amplified by Tara Kelly
Desert Angel by Charlie Price
Scored by Lauren McLaughlin
You Are My Only by Beth Kephart

Review: Drink, Slay, Love by Sarah Beth Durst

Drink, Slay, Love by Sarah Beth Durst


The Scoop:


Pearl is part of The Family. Of vampires, that is. She's living her undead life, visiting the local ice cream shop and persuading the guy manning the counter to eat a specific flavor of ice cream so when she drinks his blood she gets a little extra flavor. One night when she leaves she is startled and then stabbed in her heart by a unicorn. Yes, a unicorn, a mystical being that even her family of vampires doesn't believe exist. The result of the unicorn attack is that Pearl


loses her "allergy" to sunlight, can start to see her reflection and, horror upon horrors, she starts to feel sympathy for humans (it's really hard to see somebody as your meal when you have sympathetic feeligns toward them). Amidst this change in Pearl's personal being The Family has been asked to host the Vampire King's Fealty Ceremony for the new crop of vampires. And a feast requires something to feast on, right? Well, enter Pearl and her new "talent" and the ability to attend high school and make friends that can fill that certain role in the feast. Will Pearl be able to overcome her new sympathetic feelings towards humans in order to follow the orders of her Family and appease the requirements of the Vampire King? Or will whatever happened when she was stabbed by the unicorn continue to change her and her focus in life? And, will she ever find that freakin' unicorn again?