Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Book Review: Untraceable



Untraceable

by S.R.Johannes
Series: The Nature of Grace #1
Release date: 29th November, 2011
Publisher: Coleman & Stott
Pages: 315(received from the author in exchange of an honest review)
Next Book: Unknown

Summary from Goodreads:

16 year old Grace has lived in the Smokies all her life, patrolling with her forest ranger father who taught her about wildlife, tracking, and wilderness survival.

When her dad goes missing on a routine patrol, Grace refuses to believe he’s dead and fights the town authorities, tribal officials, and nature to find him.

One day, while out tracking clues, Grace is rescued from danger by Mo, a hot guy with an intoxicating accent and a secret. As her feelings between him and her ex-boyfriend get muddled, Grace travels deep into the wilderness to escape and find her father.

Along the way, Grace learns terrible secrets that sever relationships and lives. Soon she’s enmeshed in a web of conspiracy, deception, and murder. And it’s going to take a lot more than a compass and a motorcycle (named Lucifer) for this kick-butting heroine to save everything she loves.

Winner of the Lovable Labels Giveaway!



Another winner for another great giveaway, this one thanks to Lovable Labels so kindly offered a "Gift Seals and Address Label Pack" for one lucky reader of my blog :D

With the Christmas so close this pack will be really helpful and, I have to say, very cute and classy.

So, without further ado the winner is...


I just sent an e-mail to Denise and she needs to answer before 48 hours or another winner will be choose.

Thanks to everybody :D

Winner of the Gratitude Giveaways Hop



Sorry for not announcing it yesterday but here I am today to announce the winner:




I just sent an e-mail to Jane and she has 2 days to answer or I'll have to choose another winner.

For those who didn't win: stay tunned, there's another giveaway coming really soon :D (like, in 10 days or so, hehe).

Hugs!

Monday, November 28, 2011

Book Review: Code of Darkness + Giveaway!



Code of Darkness

by Chris Lindberg
Release date: 7th September, 2011
Publisher: Lulu
Pages: 316 (Ebook received for blog tour)

Summary from Goodreads:

During a deadly hostage standoff, Chicago police officer Larry Parker witnesses a heroic act by a mysterious intervener. But when the Samaritan disappears, Larry is left only with unanswered questions. Suddenly vigilante activity begins popping up all over the city. Larry finds evidence pointing to the Samaritan, and discovers his identity – a loner known only by the name Rage. But Rage has also drawn the attention of a covert Black Ops division within the Pentagon itself. Seen as a liability to their secret operation, Larry finds himself in the crosshairs as well, and must find answers while on the run. The deadly chase leads cross-country to a top-secret military facility in Virginia, where Rage and Larry uncover the greatest danger of all -- and only they can stop the unthinkable from happening.

Friday, November 25, 2011

Feature & Follow Friday (19)

Feature & Follow Friday is a weekly meme created by Parajunkee and co-hosted by Alison Can Read where bloggers hop around meeting and following other bloggers.


To join the fun and make new book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

  • (Required) Follow Parajunkee.com  & Alison Can Read (our hosts).
  • (Required) Follow our Featured Bloggers - The Book Addict & Books and Beyond.
  • Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing. 
  • 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
  • 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"
  • If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers
  • If you're new to the follow friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!




  • Q: It’s Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. so we want to know what you are Thankful for – blogging related of course! Who has helped you out along the way? What books are you thankful for reading?

    Where to start? Well, first of all I would like to thank my blogger friends because the more I talked to them and read their posts the more I wanted to do the same and be part of this world.

    To my husband for his patience teaching me to use HTML, for the hours I spent building my blog and the hours he spent correcting things. For enjoying every single post with me, for reading every comment you leave and for being there everyday with me, watching me type and watching me read all night.

    To all the authors who, without knowing me, trusted in me and my blog to promote their books. For all the e-mails I exchanged with them, for their comments in my reviews or the RTs in Twitter.
    To NetGalley who has provided me with a lot of ebooks to read these past months :D

    And, most importantly, to my readers for being there. You have no idea how happy you make me with your comments, with your opinions in the ocasional discussion I post, with your feedback in every post. To know that you really read what I write and comment back it's just amazing. When I began this journey my reviews weren't that good, I needed to learn a lot and still need to improve my skills but I'm getting better at it and you are there, doing this journey with me. If I could I would give everyone of you a bear hug and a thank you with all my heart.

    That's it, I don't want to write more because I'm sure you are all very busy.

    As always, remember to enter in my giveaways (there's three right now), you can find them at the top of the side-bar. Good luck! :D

    And, it would mean the world to me if you could check the "Emotional Experiment" game - press the name to play-.


    My post about it it's HERE and, seriously, it's really good and it has something to do with a meme I'm creating that will see the light next week.
    Spread the word about it too if you can, it's really really important to me.
    Thanks :)

    Thursday, November 24, 2011

    Interview: Kiera Cass, author of The Selection



    Interview with Kiera Cass
     Author of: The Selection

    Alaiel: First of all, thank you for accepting the interview, Kiera. I know you must be busy.

    Questions about yourself.-

    Alaiel: Tell us a little bit about yourself.
    Kiera: Hi, I’m Kiera. I’m 30 years old, married to a spectacular nerd, and have the most entertaining toddler on the planet. I write books, hang out on Twitter, and make videos on youtube. Also, I like cake.

    Alaiel: What is your favorite book? Why?
    Kiera: It might be The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. It’s just plain old beautiful.

    Alaiel: When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?
    Kiera: I didn’t! I kind of stumbled into it. Writing just happened to be something I needed at one point in my life, and I decided that it might be fun to share my stories. And… here we are!

    Alaiel: Where is your favorite place to write?
    Kiera: I don’t really have one right now! I sort of have to work wherever, and so long as my son isn’t around to bang on the keyboard, I’ll take it!

    Alaiel: Is there some kind of ritual that you need to do to write? Like listening a special playlist or have your favorite drink with you.
    Kiera: I do have playlists that I use when I’m writing in public, just to help block things out. I can’t really share any of the songs right now, but I will once The Selection is out!

    Product Review: Lovable Labels


    It's going to be the first time that I have the pleasure of reviewing a product, specially since right now I'm not living in the US but Lovable Labels contacted me and I just couldn't say no.
    Why? Because after checking their website, the products they have and what they were offering me to review I could only think: "OMG! Thank you, thank you! The product is great and the timing is just perfect". And believe me, the timing is perfect ;)

    So, here I am, presenting you what I gor from them and what, one lucky winner, can get too:

    This is the pack I chose

    These are the ones YOU can choose from

    I chose the second one, the one with the render and the golden background, isn't it pretty? I know my friends will smile when they receive their Christmas cards :D

    The "Gift Seals and Address Label Pack" comes with:
    - 60 Gift Seals (with the greetings of your choice).
    - 90 Address Labels.

    Now that Christmas is coming this is the time when, everyone of us needs to send cards and presents to our beloved ones and what an original and cute way to do it by using this labels and seals?! I mean, just look at them: The colors match the Christmas spirit in a wonderful way, you can be cute, posh, sweet and tender at the same time.

    And I can assure you, Lovable Labels take care of every detail. The package I received came perfectly safe inside a cute file with the product perfectly sealed and a summary of all the others things we can get with them like:
    - Shoe Labels
    - Contact Cards
    - Mine-Metal Tags
    - File Labels
    - Zipit! Tags
    And many many others...

    Giveaway:
    And here is how you can win this great package: Fill the Rafflecopter form and good luck!

    (This giveaway is open to Canadian and US residents only)



    **DISCLOSURE** The product(s) in this review was provided to me free of cost for the purpose of conducting this review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and are not influenced by monetary compensation.

    Wednesday, November 23, 2011

    Words Experiment... New Game!

    Ok everyone, here I am to introduce you to a brand new world...
    ...
    Vale, vale, maybe I'm exaggerating a little bit but keep reading and you will know why.
    Most of you, being followers and some of you good friends, know already that I read a lot, just like you. And books have words, and words have a meaning, right?

    Depending on the words we read and the overall composition the writer make us feel something. Which is why we love - or hate - their books.

    I'm preparing something new, hopefully a meme that you will like a LOT that is related with this game but for now I'm only giving you a teaser. You all will be the first ones participating... more less xD Well, someone had to use it and test it, right? ;)


    Compite with friends and share the love, please. It would mean the world to me.

    The game comes with instructions but just in case:
    1.- There's a word in the middle of the box, think about that word and give it 0-4 points in each emotion you think relates. It's very important that you really think about it ;)
    2.- Press the Submit Feeling button. If you don't understand, know or feel anything then press Skip Word.
    3.- When you get tired of playing submit your score, write your name and see other's people score.
    4.- Keep coming back, you never know how many new words you can discover in one day (and I'm serious, there are words I've never heard about!).

    And here you have the link: Emotional Experiment

    Have fun and enjoy! Next week the meme will be ready, yay! :D

    Book Review: Shatter Me



    Shatter Me

    by Tahereh Mafi
    Series: Shatter Me #1
    Release date: 15th November, 2011
    Publisher: HarperCollins
    Pages: 346 (Hardcover bought by me)
    Next Book: Unknown

    Summary from Goodreads:

    Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

    The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

    The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war-- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.

    Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

    In this electrifying debut, Tahereh Mafi presents a world as riveting as The Hunger Games and a superhero story as thrilling as The X-Men. Full of pulse-pounding romance, intoxicating villainy, and high-stakes choices, Shatter Me is a fresh and original dystopian novel—with a paranormal twist—that will leave readers anxiously awaiting its sequel.

    Waiting on Wednesday (9)


    - "Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted in Breaking the Spine. This meme spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.
    - If you want to participate add your "Waiting On Wednesday" to the linky list in her post!



    This week my WoW is featuring one book that I discovered a couple of weeks ago. If you haven't heard of it just look at the cover, read the summary and tell me what you think of it:


    Name: The Selection
    Author: Kiera Cass
    Release Date: 24th April, 2012

    Official blurb:
    For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in the palace and compete for the heart of the gorgeous Prince Maxon.

    But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

    Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself- and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

    And now, the AWESOME news? Kiera Cass agreed to do an interview here, woohoo!!! Can you tell I'm really excited about it? Because I am :D

    So, interview? I'll post it first thing tomorrow morning. Let's show her our support for her new book. How? Comment, share, scream it out loud, tell strangers about the interview, I don't know, be creative ;)

    Oh, giveaways! I'll have two right now so don't forget to participate. They are on top of the side-bar.

    Hugs!

    Tuesday, November 22, 2011

    Book Review: Abandon



    Abandon

    by Meg Cabot
    Series: Abandon Trilogy #1
    Release date: 26th April, 2011
    Publisher: Point
    Pages: 304(Hardcover bought by me)
    Next Book: Underworld (Abandon Trilogy #2)

    Summary from Goodreads:

    Though she tries returning to the life she knew before the accident, Pierce can't help but feel at once a part of this world, and apart from it. Yet she's never alone . . . because someone is always watching her. Escape from the realm of the dead is impossible when someone there wants you back.

    But now she's moved to a new town. Maybe at her new school, she can start fresh. Maybe she can stop feeling so afraid.

    Only she can't. Because even here, he finds her. That's how desperately he wants her back. She knows he's no guardian angel, and his dark world isn't exactly heaven, yet she can't stay away... especially since he always appears when she least expects it, but exactly when she needs him most.

    But if she lets herself fall any further, she may just find herself back in the one place she most fears: the Underworld.

    Monday, November 21, 2011

    Book Review: Click, an Online Love Story



    Click: An Online Love Story

    by Lisa Becker
    Release date: 29th March, 2011
    Publisher: CreateSpace
    Pages: 284 (Ebook given by the author in exchange of an honest review)

    Summary from Goodreads:

    Fast approaching her 30th birthday and finding herself not married, not dating, and without even a prospect or a house full of cats, Renee Greene, the heroine of Click: An Online Love Story, reluctantly joins her best guy pal on a journey to find love online in Los Angeles. The story unfolds through a series of emails between Renee and her best friends (anal-compulsive Mark, the overly-judgmental Ashley and the over-sexed Shelley) as well as the gentlemen suitors she meets online. From the guy who starts every story with "My buddies and I were out drinking one night," to the egotistical “B” celebrity looking for someone to stroke his ego, Renee endures her share of hilarious and heinous cyber dates. Fraught with BCC's, FWD's and inadvertent Reply to All's, readers will root for Renee to "click" with the right man.

    Sunday, November 20, 2011

    Book Review: Haunting Violet



    Haunting Violet

    by Alyxandra Harvey
    Release date: 21st June, 2011
    Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
    Pages: 338 (Paperback bought by me)

    Summary from Goodreads:

    Violet Willoughby doesn't believe in ghosts. But they believe in her. After spending years participating in her mother's elaborate ruse as a fraudulent medium, Violet is about as skeptical as they come in all matters supernatural. Now that she is being visited by a very persistent ghost, one who suffered a violent death, Violet can no longer ignore her unique ability. She must figure out what this ghost is trying to communicate, and quickly because the killer is still on the loose.

    Afraid of ruining her chance to escape her mother's scheming through an advantageous marriage, Violet must keep her ability secret. The only person who can help her is Colin, a friend she's known since childhood, and whom she has grown to love. He understands the true Violet, but helping her on this path means they might never be together. Can Violet find a way to help this ghost without ruining her own chance at a future free of lies?

    In My Mailbox (10)


    In My Mailbox is a meme created by Kristi at The Story Siren that features books I've received/purchased/won during the current week.



    Another incredible week full of new books. Ahhh... since I got my iPad I'm enjoying a lot more the e-books I receive :D

    Books that I bought:
    - Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
    - The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
    - Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs
    - Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel
    - Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi




    Books for review:
    - Untraceable by S.R. Johannes
    - Grace by Susan Bennett
    - Demon Lover by Juliet Dark
    - Mystic Embrace by Charlotte Blackwell
    - The Scarlet Dagger by Krystle Jones
    - The Conduit by Stacey Rourke




    Books that I won:
    - The Pledge by Kymberly Derting (thanks to Rachel @ Fiktshun!)



    So, yeah, this was a really good good good week, hehe ^^ Besides this don't forget to enter in my INTERNATIONAL giveaways (you can find them in top of my side-bar) and good luck! :D

    Friday, November 18, 2011

    Book Review: The Name of the Star



    The Name of the Star

    by Maureen Johnson
    Series: Shades of London #1
    Release date: 29th September, 2011
    Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
    Pages: 372 (Hardcover bought by me)
    Next Book: The Madness Underneath (Shades of London #2)

    Summary from Goodreads:

    The day Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux arrives in London marks a memorable occasion. For Rory, it's the start of a new life at a London boarding school. But for many, this will be remembered as the day a series of brutal murders broke out across the city, gruesome crimes mimicking the horrific Jack the Ripper events of more than a century ago.

    Soon "Rippermania" takes hold of modern-day London, and the police are left with few leads and no witnesses. Except one. Rory spotted the man police believe to be the prime suspect. But she is the only one who saw him. Even her roommate, who was walking with her at the time, didn't notice the mysterious man. So why can only Rory see him? And more urgently, why has Rory become his next target? In this edge-of-your-seat thriller, full of suspense, humor, and romance, Rory will learn the truth about the secret ghost police of London and discover her own shocking abilities.

    Feature & Follow Friday (18)

    Feature & Follow Friday is a weekly meme created by Parajunkee and co-hosted by Alison Can Read where bloggers hop around meeting and following other bloggers.


    To join the fun and make new book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

  • (Required) Follow Parajunkee.com  & Alison Can Read (our hosts).
  • (Required) Follow our Featured Bloggers - Lauren's Book Bag & Books & Barks.
  • Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing. 
  • 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
  • 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"
  • If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers
  • If you're new to the follow friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!



  • Q: Letter to Santa: Tell Santa what books you want for Christmas!

    I'm sure it would be faster to say what books I don't want for Christmas, specially since I lost my whole collection a couple of months ago...
    Besides, the end of every year is my best time ever! You know why?! Because since my mom is from Peru and my Dad from Spain we celebrate A LOT! Let me tell you how:
    - The 21st of December is my B-day :D
    - The night of the 24th we always give presents (since this only happens with my mom's side of the family I assume is like this in every South-American country?)
    - The night of the 31st? More presents!
    - The 5th of January? We celebrate "Kings" which is very common in Spain but not at all known in Peru.

    But since I got married last year and live far away from my parents I guess this year I'm going to have less presents... Hum... I should think about introducing these celebrations to my husband, what do you think?

    Anywho, a small part of my list would be:
    - Hourglass
    - Blood Magic
    - Winter's Shadow
    - A Game of Thrones series
    - Stealing Phoenix
    - Mercy
    - A Touch Mortal
    - Pandemonium (not out yet but I can dream, right?)
    - The Space Between
    - The Hollow

    And you guys? Let me know what books you want so I can add them to my list xD

    Oh, remember to enter in my giveaways! They are international as long as The Book Depository ships to your country. You can find them at the top of my side-bar. Good luck ;)
    Hugs

    Thursday, November 17, 2011

    Book Review: Ninemia



    Ninemia

    by Marilena Mexi
    Series: Antara #2
    Release date: 26th June, 2011
    Publisher: Lulu
    Pages: 347 (ebook sent by the author in exchange for an honest review)

    Summary from Goodreads:

    The ‘Antara’ had disappeared... or at least that’s how it seemed, until one night a terrible nightmare will overshadow Asteria’s dreams forever. Some lust for revenge, others hide vital secrets, demonic souls want to corrupt the Aster Island and the merfolk. Where the present unites with the past, where dreams pause to exist, the fight for survival begins. Is love strong enough to face the enemies? The infinite blue of the sea, a sweet song and an angelic soul will be their only hopes to keep their beloved ones alive. After the illustrated novel ‘Antara’, the second and final part of the story follows. A sequel which is going to move you and travel you to heavenly worlds.

    Gratitude Giveaways Hop


    As many of the giveaways I participate this one is hosted by I Am a Reader not a Writer & All-Consuming Books. There's more 300 blogs participating so don't miss any of them!

    This is for you all, it's a small way to give thanks for my amazing followers for making me smile whenever I read a comment or tweet with one of you. So, the important part about this giveaway: Since I'm already hosting another giveaway here (where you can win $20 from TBD) this one is going to be easier:

    The Prize:
    - A pre-order of Incarnate by Jodi Meadows from The Book Depository.
    Why this book? Because I LOVED it so much that I want to share it with somebody else!
    My review of the book is HERE.

    How to win:
    - You only need to follow me via GFC and fill the Rafflecopter form.

    Yep, it's that easy. You know why? Because this giveaway is to say thanks and not to complicate things too much :D


    Tuesday, November 15, 2011

    Book Review: Incarnate



    Incarnate

    by Jodi Meadows
    Series: Newsoul #1
    Release date: 31st January, 2012
    Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Book
    Pages: 384 (ebook from NetGalley)
    Next book: Untitled (2013)

    Summary from Goodreads:

    NEWSOUL
    Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.

    NOSOUL
    Even Ana’s own mother thinks she’s a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she’ll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are suspicious and afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?

    HEART
    Sam believes Ana’s new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana’s enemies—human and creature alike—let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else’s life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all?

    Jodi Meadows expertly weaves soul-deep romance, fantasy, and danger into an extraordinary tale of new life.

    Monday, November 14, 2011

    Book Review: Winter's Passage



    Winter's Passage

    by Julie Kagawa
    Release date: 1st June. 2010
    Publisher: Harlequin
    Pages: 59 (free ebook)
    Next Book: The Iron Daughter

    Summary from Goodreads:

    Meghan Chase used to be an ordinary girl...until she discovered that she is really a faery princess. After escaping from the clutches of the deadly Iron fey, Meghan must follow through on her promise to return to the equally dangerous Winter Court with her forbidden love, Prince Ash. But first, Meghan has one request: that they visit Puck--Meghan's best friend and servant of her father, King Oberon--who was gravely injured defending Meghan from the Iron Fey.

    Yet Meghan and Ash's detour does not go unnoticed. They have caught the attention of an ancient, powerful hunter--a foe that even Ash may not be able to defeat....

    Book Review: Die for Me



    Die for Me

    by Amy Plum
    Release date: 9th August, 2011
    Publisher: HarperTeen
    Pages: 341 (Hardcover bought by me)
    Next Book: Until I Die (8th May, 2012)

    Summary from Goodreads:

    My life had always been blissfully, wonderfully normal. But it only took one moment to change everything.

    Suddenly, my sister, Georgia, and I were orphans. We put our lives into storage and moved to Paris to live with my grandparents. And I knew my shattered heart, my shattered life, would never feel normal again. Then I met Vincent.

    Mysterious, sexy, and unnervingly charming, Vincent Delacroix appeared out of nowhere and swept me off my feet. Just like that, I was in danger of losing my heart all over again. But I was ready to let it happen.

    Of course, nothing is ever that easy. Because Vincent is no normal human. He has a terrifying destiny, one that puts his life at risk every day. He also has enemies . . . immortal, murderous enemies who are determined to destroy him and all of his kind.

    While I'm fighting to piece together the remnants of my life, can I risk putting my heart—as well as my life and my family's—in jeopardy for a chance at love?

    2012 TBR Pile Reading Challenge


    Evie from Bookish and 9 other bloggers are hosting a great challenge for 2012: The 2012 TBR Pile Reading Challenge! (if you want to read the original post click HERE).

    Of course I'm joining this challenge because it's going to help me read all the books that I've been buying but didn't get a chance to read. Which, let me tell you, are a LOT. I'm seriously considering the idea of going up to Heaven and make a former complain to God because we need longer days to be able to read all the books that we like. Sigh...

    Anyway, going back to the challenge.

    Rules:
    - This challenge will run from Jan 1, 2012 - Dec 31, 2012.
    - As we would like to see quality reviews linked up to our monthly wrap-ups, only bloggers can enter. Sorry about that!
    -Any genre, length or format of book counts, as long as it is a book that's been sitting on your shelf for some time now. Only books released in 2011 and earlier! NO ARCs and 2012 fresh-off-the-press releases allowed!
    You can list your books in advance or just put them in a wrap-up post. If you list them, feel free to change them as the mood takes you.
    - When you sign up in the linky, put the direct link to your post about joining the 2012 TBR PILE Reading Challenge (You need to include the info + host list + challenge button. You can also grab the button code and add it to your sidebar!)
    - You can move up levels, but no moving down.
    - Sign-ups will be open until Dec 15, 2012, so feel free to join at any time throughout the year.
    At the end of each month one of the hosts will post a wrap-up. Every wrap-up will have it's unique theme, a mini-challenge, a giveaway and place for you to link up your reviews from this monthFor each review you link up, you will get one entry in a drawing of one book of choice from Book Depository. It's open to INTERNATIONALS. For participating in the mini-challengeyou will get +1 entry.
    - If you miss a wrap-up post + giveaway, you can link up your reviews next month. Do not, however, try to link up one review twice - we will be checking ;)
    December is a wrap-up for the whole year. All the book reviews you linked up January-November + the ones you'll link up in December will be entered into a HUGE giveaway - 12 books, 12 winners, INTERNATIONAL.
    - You don't have to follow all the hosts to join the challenge, but you do have to follow all of us to be entered in giveaways!

    1-10 - A Firm Handshake
    11-20 - A Friendly Hug
    21-30 - A Sweet Kiss
    31-40 - Love At First Sight (This is the level I'm signing up for now)
    41-50 - Married With Children

    And this is my list of books right now: (in no particular order)

    1. The Night Circus
    2. Uglies
    3. Pretties
    4. Specials
    5. Extras
    6. Tempest Rising (done in February)
    7. Divergent (done in March)
    8. Blood Bound
    9. Eyes Like Stars (done)
    10. Perchance to Dream(done)
    11. So Silver Bright(done)
    12. Candor
    13. Across the Universe
    14. Inside Out
    15. Outside In
    16. Stray
    17. Rogue
    18. Pride
    19. Prey
    20. Shift
    21. Alpha
    22. Spellbound (done)
    23. Legacy (done)
    24. My Soul to Lose (done)
    25. My Soul to Take (done in February)
    26. My Soul to Save (done in March)
    27. My Soul to Keep (done in April)
    28. Reaper (done in April)
    29. My Soul to Steal (done in May)
    30. If I Die(done in May)
    31. Dearly, Departed
    32. Matched
    33. The Girl in the Steel Corset (done in May)
    34. Blood Red Road
    35. Angelfire
    36. Personal Demons
    37. Prom and Prejudice
    38. Tiger's Curse
    39. Tiger's Quest
    40. Tiger's Voyage

    And, it's done, this is my declaration :D

    Sunday, November 13, 2011

    Book Review: Juliet Immortal



    Juliet Immortal

    by Stacey Jay
    Release date: 9th August, 2011
    Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
    Pages: 304 (Hardcover bought by me)
    Next Book: Romeo Redeemed (2012)

    Summary from Goodreads:

    "These violent delights have violent ends
    And in their triumph die, like fire and powder,
    Which as they kiss consume."
    —Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

    The most tragic love story in history...

    Juliet Capulet didn't take her own life. She was murdered by the person she trusted most, her new husband, Romeo Montague, a sacrifice made to ensure his own immortality. But what Romeo didn't anticipate was that Juliet would be granted eternity, as well, and would become an agent for the Ambassadors of Light. For 700 years, she's fought Romeo for the souls of true lovers, struggling to preserve romantic love and the lives of the innocent. Until the day she meets someone she's forbidden to love, and Romeo, oh Romeo, will do everything in his power to destroy that love.

    Book Review: Five Flavors of Dumb



    Five Flavors of Dumb

    by Antony John
    Release date: 11th November, 2010
    Publisher: Dial
    Pages: 338 (Hardcover bought by me)

    Summary from Goodreads:

    The Challenge: Piper has one month to get the rock band Dumb a paying gig.

    The Deal: If she does it, Piper will become the band's manager and get her share of the profits.

    The Catch: How can Piper possibly manage one egomaniacal pretty boy, one talentless piece of eye candy, one crush, one silent rocker, and one angry girl? And how can she do it when she's deaf?

    Piper can't hear Dumb's music, but with growing self-confidence, a budding romance, and a new understanding of the decision her family made to buy a cochlear implant for her deaf baby sister, she discovers her own inner rock star and what it truly means to be a flavor of Dumb.

    Friday, November 11, 2011

    Feature & Follow Friday (17)

    Feature & Follow Friday is a weekly meme created by Parajunkee and co-hosted by Alison Can Read where bloggers hop around meeting and following other bloggers.


    To join the fun and make new book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

  • (Required) Follow Parajunkee.com  & Alison Can Read (our hosts).
  • (Required) Follow our Featured Bloggers - Mother Lode & The Book Nympho.
  • Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing. 
  • 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
  • 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"
  • If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers
  • If you're new to the follow friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!



  • Q: In light of 11.11.11 and Veteran’s Day tell us about your favorite soldier and how he or she is 
    saving the world. Fictional or real life.


    I don't know any soldier personally and don't really have any fictional favorite soldier either so my answer would be: none.
    Still, I believe, all of them, it doesn't matter from which country, are special and brave, very brave. If I could I would take a bow and give a hug to each soldier in the whole world because I believe they don't get the recognition they should and I honestly think they are amazing for putting their lives at risk to protect the lives of people they love and people they don't even know.

    Besides this, don't forget to enter in my Almost There Giveaway to win $20 from The Book Depository and my Veteran's Day Giveaway to win an amazing ebook. Good luck to everybody and happy weekend!

    Veteran's Day Giveaway Hop + Giveaway

    A Salute to Our Veteran’s – Veteran’s Day Blog Hop


    In honor of Veteran’s Day and their awesome service for our country we’d like to celebrate with Jessica Scott, active duty army captain, full time mom and author, and her husband, first sergeant deployed with the army on his final tour; with promoting Jessica’s new book, "Because of You", the first in her Coming Home Series.



    The Bio
    of Jessica Scott
    Find her in: Twitter / Goodreads / Facebook

    Author. Soldier:

    The Soldier
    I'm a career soldier, with 16 years in the Army and I love everything about Army life. I joined right out of high school and was promptly shipped off to Germany where I met my husband. I went from Sergeant First Class (E7) to Second Lieutenant (01E) in 2007.
    Now, I'm a company commander in charge of 130 soldiers, a mom with two young kids who never sit still, and an Army wife, whose husband is back in Iraq.
    The Author
    Until a few years ago, I had no idea hard writing really was. I'd always written and started several projects over the years, burning out after a few dozen pages. After the War was the first novel I ever finished and it will always hold a special place in my heart because of that, even if it now remains under my bed. Blogging from Iraq landed me a spot on PBS Point of View, tackling tough issues involving women and war. Its an experience I'll never forget.
    After the War was followed by multiple novels, all pulled from my experiences as an soldier who has lived through both being deployed and being the spouse left at home with the kids. Most of those books will never see daylight.

    Jessica Scott is a career army officer, mother of two daughters, three cats and three dogs, wife to a career NCO and wrangler of all things stuffed and fluffy. She is a terrible cook and even worse housekeeper, but she's a pretty good shot with her assigned weapon and someone liked some of the stuff she wrote. Somehow, her children are pretty well adjusted and her husband still loves her, despite burned water and a messy house.

    About the book:


    Keeping his men alive is all that matters to Sergeant First Class Shane Garrison. But meeting Jen St. James the night before his latest deployment makes Shane wonder if there’s more to life than war. He leaves for Iraq remembering a single kiss with a woman he’ll never see again—until a near fatal attack lands him back at home and in her care.

    Jen has survived her own brush with death and endured its scars. And yet there’s a fire in Shane that makes Jen forget all about her past. He may be her patient, but when this warrior looks her in the eyes, she feels—for the first time in a long time—like a woman. Shane is too proud to ask for help, but for Jen, caring for him is more than a duty—it’s a need. And as Jen guides Shane through the fires of healing, she finds something she never expected—her deepest desire.

    To win one ebook copy of her book Because of You leave a comment in this post with your name and e-mail and the winner will be chosen the 14th of November. There's going to be 25 winners and, if you want to increase your chances visit as many blogs in this linky list as you can!

    Thursday, November 10, 2011

    Book Review: Envy



    Envy

    by Gregg Olsen
    Series: Empty Coffin #1
    Release date: 6th September, 2011
    Publisher: Splinter
    Pages: 285 (Hardcover bought by me)

    Summary from Goodreads:

    New York Times bestselling adult true crime author Gregg Olsen makes his YA debut with EMPTY COFFIN, a gripping new fiction series for teens based on ripped-from-the-headlines stories…with a paranormal touch.

    Crime lives--and dies--in the deceptively picture-perfect town of Port Gamble (aka “Empty Coffin”), Washington. Evil lurks and strange things happen--and 15-year-olds Hayley and Taylor Ryan secretly use their wits and their telepathic “twin-sense” to uncover the truth about the town's victims and culprits.

    Envy, the series debut, involves the mysterious death of the twins' old friend, Katelyn. Was it murder? Suicide? An accident? Hayley and Taylor are determined to find out--and as they investigate, they stumble upon a dark truth that is far more disturbing than they ever could have imagined.

    Based on the shocking true crime about cyber-bullying, Envy will take you to the edge--and push you right over.

    Wednesday, November 9, 2011

    Thankful for... The Time Master Trilogy

    Some of you may know that one of my favorite series out there is "The Time Master Trilogy" by Louise Cooper. I have the feeling that a lot of you don't know this series and, okay, it's kind of old, the first book was published in 1985 (the year I was born!) but I want to share more information about it. Why you ask? Because it deserves it... it's amazing, it's magical and it's inspirational.

    I didn't buy the books, one friend gave them to me when I was 12 as a B-day present, why those books? She said she didn't like the covers and that she didn't want to have them in her room anymore (it sounds as bad as it sounded back there, believe me...) and since she knew I read a lot she thought it was a good way of get rid of them and gave me a present (and she just kept digging...).

    But her loss was my win. Sadly it was a win that I acknowledged a year later, hahaha. I always had other books to read with "better" covers and it was after almost a year that one day I realized I had nothing to read and no money to buy more books, and that's when I saw them almost cover with dust and thought: "Oh, why not?! They can't be that bad, right?" so I grabbed the first one and sat in my bed.

    For hours. I only stopped when I had finished it and only to grab the second book. In the middle of that one my mom called me, it was time to eat and I'm sure I didn't chew my food, I swallowed it. Even my mom remembers that day, she says it was the first time she realized I really loved books.

    And that night I didn't sleep at all, I needed to read the third book. And when I finished it I read the second book again and then the third one again passing pages, re-reading quotes, smiling and hyperventilating with Tarod and Cyllan's love. I could only think that Louise Cooper's work was utterly amazing, she made my realized that things are not always how they look like and that sometimes evil can be good.

    Three of the first reviews I wrote for my blog were about these books. By the time I wrote about the second book, "The Outcast", I found out that Louise Cooper was dead. And I cried because for me she was an not only one of my favorite authors but an inspiration and the mother of my best friends back there.

    My reviews are here:

    - The Initiate
    - The Outcast
    - The Master

    This post is my main entry for a giveaway going on right now in Beth Revis' blog (author of Across the Universe). If you want to participate click on her name to get a chance of winning 19 books!



    Book Review: The Master



    The Master

    by Louise Cooper
    Series: The Time Master Trilogy #3
    Release date: 15th May, 1987 (first edition)
    Publisher: Tor Books
    Pages: 302 (Hardcover)

    Introduction from Goodreads:

    Chaos stalks the Realm of Order. The fate of a world hangs on one woman's life. In Conclave grave the Lords of Light will summon their God to battle. Adept of Chaos, sworn to the Law, the Master rides to confront his terrible destiny. This is the tale of his decision. This is Book III in the Master trilogy.

    Tuesday, November 8, 2011

    Teaser Tuesday (9)


    The rules are simple!
    • 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, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


    It's been a while since my last participation in this meme but... I'm back! :D

    This is my teaser for today:

    The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

    Where the neck was supposed to be, there was a space

    There was something strangely familiar about the man, something I couldn't
    quite place. It was something about his eyes, his bald head, his outfit.
    And he was creepy. Maybe it was just because he was some middle-aged man standing around 
    school grounds, talking to underage girls. That would do it. That's the technical 
    definition of creepy.

    So far so good. The book is actually very interesting :)

    Don't forget to enter in my "Almost There Giveaway" to win $20 to buy books from TBD!  Open to all the countries TBD ships to, good luck!