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Saturday 29 September 2012

Stacking the Shelves (18)


Stacking the Shelves is a book haul meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews -This is a great way for us to share what books we added to our shelves each week!

No new YA books this week! But I did get a Brothers Grimm collection, which I would show, except my camera isn't working and I can't find a picture of it on the internet!  Sorry guys!

Leave me a link to your haul this week and I'll check it out!
~Kristy

Friday 28 September 2012

Review: Sweet Venom by Terra Lynn Childs

Author: Terra Lynn Childs
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Page Count: 345 pages, Hardcover
Date Published: September 6th 2011
Find it on Goodreads: Sweet Venom
Source:Library
Rating:  4/5

 Grace just moved to San Francisco and is excited to start over at a new school. The change is full of fresh possibilities, but it’s also a tiny bit scary. It gets scarier when a minotaur walks in the door. And even more shocking when a girl who looks just like her shows up to fight the monster.

Gretchen is tired of monsters pulling her out into the wee hours, especially on a school night, but what can she do? Sending the minotaur back to his bleak home is just another notch on her combat belt. She never expected to run into this girl who could be her double, though.

Greer has her life pretty well put together, thank you very much. But that all tilts sideways when two girls who look eerily like her appear on her doorstep and claim they're triplets, supernatural descendants of some hideous creature from Greek myth, destined to spend their lives hunting monsters.

These three teenage descendants of Medusa, the once-beautiful gorgon maligned by myth, must reunite and embrace their fates in this unique paranormal world where monsters lurk in plain sight.


My thoughts: Such a great book! Funny and mysterious.

I love books that deal with Greek mythology.  Anything to do with the Gods and Goddesses, count me in. So automatically I knew I was going to like this book! But I really liked it! It was light and funny, but at the same time had a mysterious edge to it and a darkness. The author did a fantastic job in alternating the point of view of the three sisters. They were all very distinct and different, and I never confused who's POV I was reading from. 

Greek myths fascinate me, and I had never read anything about Medusa until now. It was really interesting! It was obvious the author put a lot of thought into the story and did her research. We don't learn a lot about the Greek myths world in this book, but what we do learn was really interesting. The three sisters were all very different and very interesting. There's Gretchen, who is originally the only one who knows about them being descendants of Medusa, and she's a really tough, monster fighting bad-ass type. I found Gretchen to be really intriguing. We gradually find out about her childhood but there are still many questions I have about her. Then we meet Grace, who is a computer genius, tree hugger, (Go Grace!) good girl. She and Gretchen meet at a club, if I'm not mistaken and learn that they are twins, etc. I loved Grace. I really related to her and found her to be the most likeable of the three sisters. Speaking of, we don't meet Greer until the second half of the book. Now, because we meet her later, we really don't get too much from her, except for the fact that she comes from a really rich family and her parents aren't around a lot. I hope in the next book we learn a lot more about Greer, because she was extremely interesting.

Other than all the action and monster fighting, as well as the learning about being descendants of Medusa and there being something wrong with the portal from the mythological world to our world, there was a bit of romance, but what I liked was the fact that it was mysterious and didn't overshadow the larger story, which was the sisters. I thought Grace's crush on her brother's friend was really cute, and again, totally easy to relate to in some aspects. It was one of those crushes where you dress a bit nicer if you think you might see them, and your heart races whenever their name is mentioned... Something that almost all teenage girls have gone through at least once, right? Then there was Gretchen's little relationship with the guy that I can't remember his name. I found him to be very suspicious, as well as really cute. There were a lot of loose ends with him, and I'm looking forward to seeing where their relationship will go. Then there was Greer and her boyfriend, but there wasn't much to that. 

All in all, I really liked this book! The writing was good and simple, and it was a pretty quick read. I'm looking forward to reading the next book and seeing what happens with the three sisters and the mythological world! 

By the way, I have to apologize, again, for not posting this week. I've had about six hours of homework/studying every night and I don't get home until five pm, so I'm up until midnight usually. This weekend I hope to get some posts scheduled and some books read, so that I can be a bit more consistent! I feel terrible for leaving it so long, but there's really not much I can do! *Begs for forgiveness!* Anyway, if you have any tips for balancing work/school and your blog, leave them in the comments! I could use all the help I can get!

Have a great day/night!
~Kristy 

Tuesday 25 September 2012

Top Ten Tuesday: Series I Haven't Finished (24)

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.This week's topic is Series I Haven't Finished Yet!

1. Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare - It took me so long to read City of Bones and I really didn't care for it, so I don't think I will be finishing the series anytime soon. :/

2. Gone by Michael Grant - I read Gone a while ago and loved it, and I have Hunger on my shelf, but haven't had the time to get to it! :(

3. He's So, She's So by Kieran Scott - I've read the first two, and I like them enough, but I'm waiting until the third book comes out in paperback so that I can have the trilogy all matching!

4. Paranormalcy by Kiersten White - I read the first book in the series, but I have not been able to find Supernaturally anywhere! The first book was just okay in my opinion, so I'm not DYING for it, but I would like to finish the series.

5. The Summer Trilogy by Jenny Han - I read The Summer I Turned Pretty and I didn't like it that much, so I'm not sure if I'm going to finish the series.

6. The Uglies Series by Scott Westerfeld - I read the first two books SUCH a long time ago, that I can't remember what happens! I'll have to reread them if I want to finish the series!

7. A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray - I read the first book a while back, and have the second book but I just haven't gotten around to reading it yet. I hope to sometime in the future, though!

8. The Casters Chronicles (Beautiful Creatures) by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl -  I'm still in the middle of the third book.. It's really slow and I'm just not getting into it. But I will finish the series before the movie comes out!!!

9. The Gallagher Girls Series by Ally Carter - I read the first book when I was a bit younger, and I just cannot find the time to read the next books! I'd love to finish the series, but it depends if I can find the time

10. Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck - I disliked the first book and I'm unsure whether or not I will finish the series... Does it get better?

Leave me a link to your TTT of the week in the comments below and I'll check it out!

Happy reading!
~Kristy

Sunday 23 September 2012

Stacking the Shelves (17)


Stacking the Shelves is a book haul meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews -This is a great way for us to share what books we added to our shelves each week!

No new books this week! Leave me a link in the comments to your haul though, I'd love to have a look!

Happy reading!
~Kristy

Saturday 22 September 2012

Review: Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

Author: John Green and David Levithan
Publisher: Speak
Page Count: 336 pages, Paperback
Date Published: April 5th 2011 (first published April 6th 2010)
Find it on Goodreads: Will Grayson, Will Grayson
Source: Purchased.
Rating:  5/5

One cold night, in a most unlikely corner of Chicago, two teens—both named Will Grayson—are about to cross paths. As their worlds collide and intertwine, the Will Graysons find their lives going in new and unexpected directions, building toward romantic turns-of-heart and the epic production of history’s most fabulous high school musical.

Hilarious, poignant, and deeply insightful, John Green and David Levithan’s collaborative novel is brimming with a double helping of the heart and humor that have won both them legions of faithful fans.







My Thoughts: Two of my favorite authors in one book? AMAZING!!! 

This book is one of those books that can't help but make you laugh. It's so hilarious and fresh and had me read it in just over a day. I love both of these authors more than I can describe, so this book was just amazing. Their styles of writing are so similar, and yet different enough that it didn't make it seem repetitive, what with two different Will Graysons. John's Will was written in normal type, and David's in all lowercase letters. I found that really interesting and a nice insight to how their minds worked.

I LOVED David's Will Grayson. At first, not so much, but after his first chapter he had my heart breaking for him and I just wanted to give him a hug. His lowercase chapters were so moody and confused, but at the same time he was a delight to read about. I wanted to know more about him than we got from the book! At first I really liked John's Will, and then not so much, until I began to love him even more! He was charming and cute but at the same time has this outlook on life that broke my heart. His two (three?) rules that he lived by were so sad and yet they made sense. Sometimes you've just got to shut up and not care, sadly enough... I loved this Will's relationships with his friends and how confused he was about liking Jane. I can imagine myself being friends with him. And I also liked the relationship between the two Wills. They only interacted a bit, but when they did it was both so awkward and comfortable. The fact that meeting each other reminded them that just because they are named Will Grayson, doesn't mean their name defines them, and that there are tons of people with that name out in the world, too, was really cool in my opinion. It reminded me of that episode of The Suite Life of Zach and Cody where they think their parents switched them on accident and then start acting like each other. A name is not what defines who you are. It's what's inside that does. I think that is a really important lesson.

Ok so kind of getting off topic there! I also wanted to mention TINY! I loved him! He was just the perfect addition to this story! He's John's Will's best friend and then he meets David's Will and they have a thing together that really helps David's Will, figuring out who he is. Tiny's play was just fabulous, I would have loved to be able to see it live, instead of just read it! This entire book was so hilarious and heartwarming, as well as being so original. It broke my heart and then put it back together on one page, over and over again! I can't believe I waited so long to read it! *ducks my head in shame* But it is now up there in my favorites and I will be reading it again and again! 

Let me know what you thought of this book if you've read it! I'd love to know your opinions! 
Happy reading!
~Kristy
(P.S. I think I'm back! *yes!*)

Thursday 20 September 2012

Monstrous Beauty Audiobook clip!

Hey guys! I thought I'd share with you this clip from the audiobook of Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama while I try and get through my writer's block... I've tried writing so many things and I just can't! Hopefully soon! Enjoy!
See my review on the book.




What did you think? Will you read the book or get the audiobook? Let me know in the comments what you thought of this!

Wish me luck on the writing and I'm sorry this week is a little slow... I had three exams today! I'm dead as a doorknob right now!

~Kristy

Tuesday 18 September 2012

Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish People I Want to Meet (23)

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.This week's topic is Bookish People I Want to Meet!

Authors that are ALIVE!: 

1. J.K Rowling -  WHO WOULDN'T WANT TO MEET THE QUEEN OF THE MOST AMAZING BOOK SERIES IN THE UNIVERSE? I would be... I would be in tears if I met her. NO. I would probably be unconscious. I'm almost tearing up just thinking about ever getting the honour to meet the woman who wrote the books that have helped shape me as a person! The person who started my whole love for books when I was five.... She's just so important to me.... You know what? This calls for a GIF...
Danisnotonfire anyone? 


2. John Green - JOHN GREEN. JOHN GREEN. How could you not want to meet him!? He's just... He's just..... AWESOME. And that is what this is all about, isn't it? To not forget about being awesome? Decreasing World Suck and increasing World Awesome. Plus, his books... I mean... HIS BOOKS. I would be in such awe if I ever met him!
Oh yeah, another GIF

3. David Levithan - I can't even describe how much I want to meet him!!! His book Every Day kind of changed me, and I just finished Will Grayson, Will Grayson by David and John^ and that also kind of changed me... His writing's so powerful and unique and he's one of my favorite authors!!!


4. Kody Keplinger - I think she would be so much fun to hang out with! Her books are so down to earth and real... I love all of them! Kody seems like the type of person I would want to have a coffee with and chat about... BOOKS!

5. Tahereh Mafi - "But Kristy, you've already met her!" Well, yes, but I was so speechless and in awe that I barely formed a coherent sentence to say 'Hi!' I'd like to meet Tahereh again and actually talk to her instead of just tearing up and getting the book signed while I internally scream!

Bloggers:

6. Ashely from FireStarBooks - I love all of her reviews and she's so hilarious online. I feel like we would get along great.

7. Raeleen from padfootandprongs07 (Youtube) - This is kind of odd, because I have actually met Ashlyen, the 'Prongs' of the duo because she's one of my close friend's sister! And believe it or not but I go to school with Raeleen's brother! So hopefully one day I'll get to meet her, because she's so hilarious and I love all of her videos!

8. Eileen from ***Singing and Reading in the Rain*** - I LOVE all of Eileen's reviews and she's such a talented musician! Her posts are always a delight to read and I love seeing all of them!

Dead Authors:

9. William Shakespeare - ... Y-yes... WHO WOULDN'T WANT TO MEET HIM!?!?! (Woah, flashback from #1) It's SHAKESPEARE! If I could go back in time and meet him it would be the most amazing thing in the universe.  And yes, I know he writes plays and poems, but he is still a Bookish Person in my books! And I think everyone else's in the world!

10. Edgar Allen Poe - I love all of Poe's works, so it would be really neat to meet the mastermind behind the madness. I don't know how to describe what it would be like to meet him...


OK! Well that was an exciting post! Sorry about all the GIFs, but the thought of meeting all these bookish people....
I mean, this list can go on forever! I would love to be able to meet Harper Lee, J.D. Salinger, Lois Lowry, Suzanne Collins, Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters, CHARLES DICKENS!!! So many! Leave me a link in the comments to your TTT about who you'd like to meet if you got the chance! I'd love to know!

Happy Tuesday!
~Kristy

Sunday 16 September 2012

Stacking the Shelves (17)


Stacking the Shelves is a book haul meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews -This is a great way for us to share what books we added to our shelves each week!

Library:  





This is why I don't go to the library very often! I take out way too many books! That's all I got this week, but leave me a link to your haul in the comments and I'll check it out!

Happy Sunday!
~Kristy

Thursday 13 September 2012

Interview + Giveaway: Laura A. Hansen

Hey everyone! I'm thrilled to be hosting Laura A. Hansen today on the blog with an interview and giveaway!

Laura A. Hansen was born in a suburb outside of St. Louis, Missouri and has spent most of her life in the Midwest. In her day job she is a cancer biologist, professor, and educator, with several advanced degrees including a Ph.D. in Toxicology. Her cancer research has earned international recognition and taken her around the world, including a recent stay in Copenhagen, Denmark. Dr. Hansen has been a professional writer her whole adult life, although primarily as a scientific and technical writer. Cruise of the Undead, published in 2012, was her first young adult novel and will be followed by other books in the Zombies in Paradise series.
Dr. Hansen is the mother of two boys, who provided the inspiration for Cruise of the Undead. She started writing fiction when she wanted to capture the spirit of her crazy kids in that brief and turbulent time between childhood and adulthood – their tween and teen years. The main characters in Cruise of the Undead draw heavily from the personalities of her sons, and various plot elements were inspired by experiences on happy, but zombie-free, family cruises.
Dr. Hansen lives in the Omaha metro area with her husband, children, dog and cat.




 

Where did you get the idea for Cruise of the Undead?
 

I’ve been a writer my whole life, although a science writer rather than a fiction writer. After my father passed away in 2011, I needed to escape from my grief. The idea for Cruise of the Undead came from a brainstorming session with my family. I wanted to write for my kids and I asked them what they wanted to read. One son was dead-set on hamsters, the other would only consider zombies, and the third (OK, he’s really my husband) wanted something set on a cruise ship. I couldn’t quite envision the hamsters, but zombies on a cruise ship proved to be an idea with legs. I’m going to have to work some zombie hamsters into the sequel.
 

Did any of your inspiration for this book come from real life experiences?
 

After the initial brainstorming, I thought the four of us could work together on the book. That collaboration lasted only one night. By the next evening, my boys stomped off in different directions and my husband turned back to his office work with a shrug. I dashed off a paragraph about moody teenaged Charlie, my oldest. To my surprise, I captured something of Charlie’s essence on the page. When I read it aloud the next evening, the kids were entranced. I stayed up half the night writing another page. I wrote the book in my spare time, mostly between 9 p.m. and 3 a.m. Six weeks later, I had a 70,000 page draft of a teenaged adventure onboard a cruise ship of the damned. My kids loved it, although there are certainly parts of it that are so real that they can’t help but cringe. My husband now refers to scenes I invented for the story as if they really happened. Reality has become a little blurred at our house.
 

Why do you think zombies are such a fascinating subject?
 

Why is my sometimes charming and always mercurial 15-year-old obsessed with zombies? For Charlie, and for the rest of us too, I suspect, zombies offer the opportunity for a frontier-like survivalism, including the shotguns and axes we don’t typically need in the Omaha suburbs. He’s also deeply afraid of them. I know, because I’ve spotted the hammer under his pillow. (We had a talk about this. He’s promised me he will not accidentally pound any of us.) His fear is understandable. Shambling,
rotting, blood-thirsty corpses ought to be scary. But why the attraction? My theory, developed after delving deep into his psyche to write our family’s saga of life on a cruise ship infested with the undead, is that they offer the chance to cast off adult restrictions. By doing away with all the infected adults surrounding him he symbolically and safely rebels against adult authority, and is free to make his own world.
 

What traits do you share with your main character?
 
The main characters are my two sons. It’s my older son’s voice, his personality and his teenage identity crisis that drive the story. The mom I wrote into the book, which I suppose you could say is really me, spends much of the book locked in her cabin with the dad. She does get to have some fun fighting zombies eventually. But truly, if I had to face a zombie outbreak onboard a cruise ship, being locked in a cabin with my husband would be my preference.



Do you see yourself in any of your characters? 
Charlie, the hero of the book, is a techie at heart, very much like me. By day, I’m a scientist who does cancer research, but I almost went into engineering. It’s natural for Charlie to troubleshoot whatever situation he finds himself in and come up with creative solutions. That’s a big part of my day job as scientist. Nothing ever works as planned, so figuring out why and what to do next is a daily task. Charlie is much more of a MacGyver type than I am, though. His creativity in figuring out how to survive and succeed is one of my favorite parts of the book, and was very fun to write.
What made you decide to self-publish?
 
My original thought was to write a book for my kids, not necessarily for a wider audience, so self-publishing was always the plan. When I recruited a professional editor to work with me on it, though, he loved the manuscript and pushed me to find a broader audience.


Are there any authors whose writing styles or subject matter inspired your book?

 
I’ve always loved Elmore Leonard and the way the dialog carries his stories along. There’s more than a bit of this, and a teenage version of his characters’ attitude, in the Cruise of the Undead.


Do you have another project in the works?

 
Yes, I’ve got a couple of things underway. I’m working on the next two books in the Zombies in Paradise series. The third one is actually coming along faster than the first. In the back of my mind, I’m also incubating a thriller set in Denmark, where I spend much of the last summer.



Favorite all-time authors?
There are so many. Too many. I grew up on Edgar Allan Poe, Jack London, the Brontes, John Steinbeck, William Faulkner, and Steven King. My parents had many volumes of Edgar Allan Poe stories, and other volumes of stories he collected. I spent so much time with them that they must have warped my character in ways I can't even guess at. For true shivery page-turning compulsion, they can't be beat. More recently, I can’t seem to resist starting a Dean Koontz novel. Tom Rob Smith’s books are really good. Among current young adult authors, I’ve enjoyed Mira Grant, Angie Sage, Janet Rowling and Suzanne Collins (of course!). I’m going to stop there or else I never will.
What's your favorite thing to get from Starbucks?
Skinny grande mocha, and I always want the whip cream but usually resist.
When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A librarian. I remember sitting with my third grade class in the library as the librarian read us “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell. It’s the story of a big-game hunter stranded on an island with its aristocratic owner, also a hunter, who has become bored with hunting animals. The aristocrat decides to hunt down the castaway after arming him with only a knife. It’s a terrifying story for seven-year-olds, but I was completely enthralled. I thought the librarian had the coolest job ever!
TV or Movies?
Uh, I’d have to say movies on TV.
Facebook or Twitter?
Facebook. One hundred forty characters is too few. 

Just when you thought it was safe to sleep again, comes a fresh new page-turner to keep you up all night. Cruise of the Undead will satisfy the zombie hunger that’s taken over the country.
With horror, humor and romance, Laura A. Hansen offers an engaging romp through the zombie-infested South Pacific. In a fast-paced adventure onboard a cruise ship of the damned, a seriously scary comedy of clashing personalities occurs when intense Charlie and his hip hop, extroverted younger brother Jack forge an alliance to defeat a zombie menace. What makes this book different from any other is its fully-fleshed characters and intelligent writing in a family-friendly package, a rare combination in zombie literature. The work is appealing to adults, yet still appropriate for twelve to sixteen year-olds.




www.cruiseoftheundead.com

Rules:
This is an author sponsored giveaway.
This is a US only giveaway! Sorry international folks!
NO CHEATING. All entries will be checked and cheaters will be disqualified.
Must be 13+ to enter or have parent/guardian permission!
Good luck!


a Rafflecopter giveaway


~Kristy

Wednesday 12 September 2012

Guest Review: The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein



Hey guys! Today I'm welcoming one of my very good friends, Turner, to the blog for a guest review! He's been raving about this book and I haven't had the chance to read it yet, and don't know if I will, so I told him he should review it and put it on goodreads or something, and then I figured, why not on here? Just a bit of background: Turner has been my friend since we were five years old and we sit together on the bus everyday to and from school! But enough of me talking... Here's the review!

Author: Garth Stein
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Page Count: 324, paper back
Date Published: January 1st, 2008



Enzo knows he’s different from other dogs: a philosopher with a nearly human soul (and an obsession with opposable thumbs), he has educated himself by watching television and listening carefully to the words of his master, Denny Swift, an up-and-coming race car driver. Now in his twilight years, Enzo finds himself thinking back on his life with the Swift family, reflecting on all he has learned about the human condition and how life, like racing, is about so much more than simply going fast.








What I Thought: Absolutely awesome!

Before anything else, I’m warning you, I may be a bit biased when it comes to this book, because I enjoy almost anything motor related, even lawn mowers, and my friends told me about this book, which she had listened to in an audio book, and I couldn’t resist. I bought the book, and read it on my trip back from Mexico. Four hours later, sure enough, half the book was done, and I had a new favourite novel in my hands.

You may be wondering the reason why I, Kristy’s friend Turner, am writing this review. After telling her bits and pieces of the book, she insisted I should write the review instead, as some parts of the book hit too close to home for her, and I was so amazed by this book.

To start, as you may have guessed, Mr. Stein wrote this book through the eyes of a dog. I believe that’s one of the best parts of the book, because most of the books I read are in the person of the main character, who more often than not isn’t a dog.

I really couldn’t put the book down while on the flight, and it just got harder and harder to stop reading as the night progressed. Eventually, it got too dark in the car to read it all the way home, but I was right back at it that night.

 The book is focused on Enzo re living his life as he, like all of us will unfortunately experience one day, lays on his deathbed in a quaint little house in a Suburb of Seattle, Washington. Most of the story followed a steady pace; some things were maybe a bit too descriptive and unnecessary, but besides that, it was a very compelling story about the life and times of Denny Swift and his wife and child. 

Some parts are quite sad, and during the last chapter, I will be open about this, I shed a tear, because I was going through the same thing Denny was, with my own dog Sheena, may she rest in peace, and it hit home quite hard. But all in all, it was a great book! I’d like to thank Kristy for letting me do a guest entry, and look forward to doing another one soon! 


Thanks Turner!
Let me know in the comments what you guys think about more guest reviews and I'll ask some of my friends if they'd be interested. Or if you're interested in doing a guest review for the blog, shoot me an email!
Happy reading!
~Kristy

Tuesday 11 September 2012

Top Ten Tuesday: Books That Make You Think (22)

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.This week's topic is Books that make you think (About the world, people, anything)

1. Every Day by David Levithan - This book made me think more than any other book has in a really long time about what it is to be a human, and have all the things that define us as people.

2. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky - This is one of my favorite books in the universe, because it's so raw and real and it really promotes Carpe Diem and to take every opportunity life throws you.
3. The Wave by Todd Strasser - This is such a powerful book that reflects on how human beings can be led so easily by just one man, and it's even more powerful, because it is a true story of how on teacher almost recreated one of the most terrible things in history.
4. Delirium by Lauren Oliver - What would the world be without love? Without any real, strong emotion? It would be fake.
5. It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini - This is a very powerful book about depression and mental illness, that shows a boy who is staying at a mental hospital for a few days. It is so raw and filled with integrity.
6. Hate List by Jennifer Brown - This is a book that really frightened me. But it showed how much your choices you make now can affect people in the future, and sometimes affect them so much that they die. This is a very strong book.
7. The Giver by Lois Lowry -  I read this in grade 8 English class and I was one of the only people in my class to actually enjoy it. But I think this is one of the most amazing books out there. It really makes the reader think about what it would be like to live in a community like that and learn what it is like out here.
8. Looking for Alaska by John Green - It's hard to read this book without thinking... But this book really just is hard to explain how it made me feel...
9. The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling - You knew this was coming, didn't ya? These books promote everything important, like love and loyalty, friendship, bravery, good vs. evil.
10. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green - Reading this book really reminded me to love with every ounce of your being because sometimes, the people you love will be gone in a heartbeat.

I could add so many more books to this list, but I suppose I should keep it at 10. I love books like these. They're all incredible and some of my favorites. Leave me a link to your TTT for this week.. I would love to find some more 'thinking books'! I'm in the mood for one right now.

Don't forget to always remember <3
~Kristy

Sunday 9 September 2012

Review: Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama

Author: Elizabeth Fama
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Page Count: 304 pages, Hardcover (I read the ARC)
Date Published: September 4th 2012
Find it on Goodreads:Monstrous Beauty
Source: An ARC was sent to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Rating:  4/5

 Fierce, seductive mermaid Syrenka falls in love with Ezra, a young naturalist. When she abandons her life underwater for a chance at happiness on land, she is unaware that this decision comes with horrific and deadly consequences.

Almost one hundred forty years later, seventeen-year-old Hester meets a mysterious stranger named Ezra and feels overwhelmingly, inexplicably drawn to him. For generations, love has resulted in death for the women in her family. Is it an undiagnosed genetic defect . . . or a curse? With Ezra’s help, Hester investigates her family’s strange, sad history. The answers she seeks are waiting in the graveyard, the crypt, and at the bottom of the ocean—but powerful forces will do anything to keep her from uncovering her connection to Syrenka and to the tragedy of so long ago.






 My Thoughts: Dark and exciting!

When you hear 'mermaid book' what do you think of? Probably a light, fluffy story that's kind of cheesy, right? Think again. Monstrous Beauty has turned that expectation upside down with this moody, beautiful, dark, tale. This is definitely not a book for the fainthearted, nor those who enjoy more of a lighter read. It involves a lot of things that are scarcely touched in YA and it is definitely not your typical Little Mermaid tale. 

The book had my heart racing and it was difficult to put down half the time.The prose was haunting and there was something about the book that had me on edge at times. There were moments where it was slow, especially during the chapters in present day with Hester, but that's probably because Syrenka's story was just so captivating. Hester paled a bit next to the deadly siren, as most of the things she studied, we find out or can predict from reading Syrenka's chapters. The alternating between the chapters set in the 1870's and present day was so well done, impressive really. Both narratives were similar, but we learned so many different things from each

I thought this book was fabulous. It kept me reading late at night and I loved how different it was compared to other 'mermaid' stories in the YA genre. There was so much history and mystery involved, and that made it fun and interesting. There were only rare dull moments, with fantastic characters and an incredible story. There were plenty of plot twists and unexpected turns that keep the reader guessing and it was complex and unique and a total delight. 

Happy reading!
~Kristy 


Listen to a clip from the audio book!









Saturday 8 September 2012

Stacking the Shelves (16)


Stacking the Shelves is a book haul meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews -This is a great way for us to share what books we added to our shelves each week!

Purchased:

 For Review:
That's what I got this week! I found Cinder for 6$ at Coles, so I am SO happy about that!!! And I'm thrilled to read Confessions, too! Let me know what you got this week, by leaving me a link to your haul!

~Kristy

Giveaway Winners

Hey everyone! I recently announced the winners of the two giveaways I've had going on and am still awaiting the responses from the winners from the emails I sent them. Please check if it's you and email me back ASAP!


a Rafflecopter giveaway


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congratulations to the both of you!
~Kristy

Tidbit: CRAZY Semester!

Hey guys! I just wanted to let you all know that this year I have an extremely hard course load for school.. Especially this semester. That being said, I'm already loaded with homework and its the fourth day in, so I'm probably going to be a little bit slower on the reviews and such for a while as I begin to get back into the swing of things and get some stuff scheduled.Reviews might be a bit shorter for a little while, too.

 Anyway, I hope everyone's back to school time has gone well! I'm loving my English Honours class so much so far and the other classes are great too, but Science Honours is difficult, as is Francais Langue! But Maths is really easy this year, thank goodness!

If you went back to school recently, let me know how your classes are! I'd love to know!
~Kristy




Thursday 6 September 2012

Cover Collection (4)

Happy Thursday guys! Here's some of the new covers I found this week!





Do you have a favorite? Any book you're really looking forward to?
Let me know!
~Kristy

Tuesday 4 September 2012

Cover Reveal: The Unnaturals by Jessica Meigs

Hey guys! I'm thrilled to be a part of the cover reveal for a book that sounds absolutely fantastic! Thanks to BB Tours!



The Unnaturals by Jessica Meigs
Expected pub: October 1st 2012

Riley Walker is one of the world's best covert operatives, employed by a top-secret sector of the U.S. government known only as the Agency. Highly skilled and lethal in a fight, Riley is fiercely independent and adamant that she work alone after the mysterious death of her partner in an assignment gone wrong.
All that changes when she's thrust onto a new assignment investigating the deaths of twenty-seven Agency operatives. Forced to work with twelve-year Agency veteran Scott Hunter--a stickler for following orders and a loner by nature--Riley doesn’t get a chance to protest before she and her new partner are passed to a sector of the Agency that they never knew existed. As they investigate the murders, Riley and Scott learn that there’s more to the Agency than they ever suspected.
They discover the existence of monsters right out of their wildest dreams.

Goodreads Link:
Jessica Meigs is the author of The Becoming, a post-apocalyptic thriller series that follows a group of people trying to survive a massive viral outbreak in the southeastern United States. After gaining notoriety for having written the series on a variety of BlackBerry devices, she self-published two novellas that now make up the first book of the series. In April 2011, she accepted a three-book deal with Permuted Press to publish a trilogy of novels. The first of the trilogy, entitled The Becoming, was released in November 2011 on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Audible in paperback, eBook, and audiobook formats. It was also named one of Barnes & Noble's Best Zombie Fiction Releases of 2011 and Best Apocalyptic Fiction Releases of 2011 by reviewer Paul Goat Allen. In March 2012, she released a related novella entitled The Becoming: Brothers in Arms. The second novel in the series, The Becoming: Ground Zero, is coming in July 2012 from Permuted Press, with a third novel, The Becoming: Revelations, to follow. A fourth and fifth book are currently in the process of being written. 

Author Links:


 What do you think of the cover? Let me know!
~Kristy
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