Tidbit: Ed Sheeran Concert!

Hey guys! Saturday I went to the Ed Sheeran concert in Seattle!!! You may or may not know, but I LOVE Ed Sheeran. He is my absolute favorite singer in the universe, and has been for a while now. I live just outside of Vancouver and because originally the concert there was 19+ (and then they changed it -_-) I had tickets for the Seattle concert! I went with my three best friends, and we met up with two other friends down there as well. My mom drove us, and she officially has the mother of the year award for driving us so far. We had a two hour wait at the border, plus a 2-3 hour drive there, and then we didn't end up getting home until 2:30 am! If you want to read all about the day and concert, here's my 'little' recap of it! P.S. if you read it all, I applaud you...

So, on Saturday my three best friends showed up at my house and we left around 10am. The border line up was insane, and we got delayed for a while, but we finally left the border area around 12 (CRAZY, right!?) and were on our way! We drove for about two hours and stopped at Alderwood Mall for a bit and did some shopping, and then we were on our way! We got to the venue at just before 6pm and met our other friends who were there, so our spot in the line wasn't TOO bad, but not great... We waited until a while after 7 and then we were in! The venue was pretty tiny, and there were tons of people there, so we were in the middle of the crowd.There were some REALLY tall people right in front of us, so I couldn't really see a thing, unless someone shifted for a minute, but at least I could hear! Being short really sucks.

From left to right: Paula, Jenna, Rachel, Danica, ME! and Cassidy.

Selah Sue came on and performed and I LOVED her music! She's so gorgeous and an amazing musician! The only thing about her performance was that there were a lot of people that were pretty disrespectful when she asked for quiet, and I thought that was really sad. But her music was amazing!
Then after a few minutes, Passenger came on, which was exciting! He played a few songs and talked to us. It was really a fun performance, especially his "Things I Hate" song!


Then finally Ed came on! The entire venue went completely wild, obviously. He started immediately with Give Me Love, which I teared up a bit with, because his voice was SO powerful. Here's the full set list from last night:
Give Me Love
Drunk
UNI
Grade 8
Wayfaring Stranger (cover of American folk song)
Small Bump
Wake Me Up
Be My Husband by Nina Simone (cover)
Kiss Me
Heart's On Fire by Passenger (cover) with Passenger and Selah Sue
Lego House
(encore)
You Need Me, I Don't Need You
Guiding Light by Foy Vance (cover)
Parting Glass (cover of traditional Irish song)
A Team

Some of the many highlights of the concert:
Give Me Love was so powerful and such an amazing start to the concert. Then he started playing Drunk and everyone sang along at the top of their lungs. Afterwards he kind of explained 'how this concert was going to work' and said that if you're too cool to sing, this was the wrong show to come to. He began UNI and (I'm proud to say that I know every single word to it) his 'chorus' all sang along. When he played Wayfaring Stranger, the entire room was quiet, and his voice was all you could hear. The lights were all dimmed and blue, which gave this chilly ambiance. It was so amazing. Then same with Small Bump, he asked for silence, and everyone was pretty quiet. Obviously there are going to be some people who feel the need to scream out, but over all Small Bump was so powerful. Then Ed said that he was going to perform a song that he hadn't in a while, and as soon as he mentioned it was the only song he's written under the influence of alcohol, I was SO happy. I've wanted to see him perform Wake Me Up ever since I heard it. We all sang along and laughed and it was such an exhilarating performance. Then he played Be My Husband, and that was beautiful. I mean... Beautiful. I can't describe it. He continued with the story about his godparents, and I am so happy that I was able to hear him explain the story, because it's actually one of my favorite little 'tales'. He sang Kiss Me and I teared up again a little bit. (NO SHAME) Then he invited Passenger and Selah up on stage and Passenger spoke a bit about Ed, which was SO sweet, and then they sang Passenger's song. Their voices are all so amazing, and together it was absolute heaven. Then he explained that this was going to be his last song, which really confused me, because he had so many left.. But then mentioned an encore and then the whole audience erupted. Anyways, after a little funny story about him coming on for an encore and there being only two people left, he played Lego House, and then 'left'. After maybe a minute he came back on and IMMEDIATELY started playing YNMIDNY... OH. MY. GOD. It lasted for probably twenty minutes and was the most powerful performance I have ever witnessed. His version of Parting Glass was so beautiful, and he flowed automatically into A Team, and everyone SCREAMED. Then he left and it was over and... L
After he left the stage we went and met Selah and Passenger and got them both to sign our tickets, and got a picture with Selah, which was so cool! Then we left and waited outside for a bit to see if Ed would come out, but then the security guy said he wasn't and then a while after we heard that he tweeted he couldn't, so I was bummed, but honestly, after his story about meeting Foy Vance after going to so many of his concerts and the whole 'Don't meet your hero' made me think that maybe it's better if I didn't meet him this time. But next time, I REALLY hope we'll have the chance. Then we drove home and fell asleep! So that was my whole day yesterday! If you've actually read all of this, you're amazing! <3 Saturday was one of the best days I've had in forever, and that was the most fantastic concert I have ever been to.  

Do any of you like Ed's music? If you haven't heard of him, I sincerely recommend checking him out! I've yet to meet someone who hasn't found one song of his that they didn't enjoy! (That being said, I like, love, ADORE all of them!) Or, if any of you went to one of his concerts, how was it?! Did you enjoy it? (Of course you did, it was probably amazing!)

Happy reading!
~Kristy

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!

For Review:

Thanks so much, Hal!

I'm SO sorry that this week has been so slow guys! I've yet to read another book! Hopefully reviews will be coming soon, but I'm not sure when, because I have SO much school work to do. It's so crazy! Leave me a link to your haul this week and I'll check it out!

Happy reading!

~Kristy

Awaken by Kristen Day RELEASE DAY BLITZ

Today is the release day of the second installment of the Daughters of the Sea series, Awaken by author Kristen Day!

Title: Awaken (Daughters of the Sea 2)

Author: Kristen Day

Publisher: Self Published

Release Date: October 2, 2012

Blurb:

The sacrifices we make have the power to shift the very fabric of who we are, and ultimately who we are meant to be…

After learning of her true destiny as the intended Leader of the Tydes, Anastasia Whitman must now embark on a perilous quest to the Underworld before the age of eighteen in order to plant the seed of immortality and complete her essence to become a true Sea Goddess. But before she can make her legendary journey, an unexpected new student transfers to Lorelei; initiating a sequence of events that will unravel Stasia’s new life, and test the boundaries of her relationship with the mysterious, dark, and sexy Finn Morrison. The line between the Underworld and the Living begins to blur as gruesome ghosts, morbid reveries, and pure evil haunt her waking hours as well as her sanity. Once the details of Finn’s own startling destiny are revealed, the dangerous secrets he’s been hiding will threaten the very love Stasia believed to be indestructible. As time begins to run out, she will be forced to choose between the one she loves and the destiny she cannot escape.



Prologue

The familiar call of seagulls diving for fish amongst the crashing waves pulled him from his restless slumber. His tired, bloodshot eyes opened and gazed upon that same weathered stone ceiling looming above. As they roamed down the sloped wall where he kept count, he pushed back the agonizing hopelessness encasing his heart. Another long night behind him simply meant another long day before him. He swung his legs over the side of his cot and gently placed his worn feet on the stone floor. It was always bitterly cold in the morning. He shivered as he glanced down at his too-skinny legs and the dirt that clung to his calloused feet. His ragged, cotton shorts now hung low around his emaciated waist and his faded blue shirt had been discarded long ago; traded for a sunken-in, bare chest. He smoothed down his gray hair and thick beard; wondering if today would be the day.

Sighing, he stood and collected the conch shell he kept hidden within a crack in his counting wall. He found the last mark and bent down to add yet another. He never counted days; only nights. The darkness always brought out his worst nightmares and he was continually amazed he had made it through so many. Thousands of marks littered the wall before him; a diary of solitude and sheer will captured forever in stone.

As he did every morning, he padded over to the window and looked out over the rolling sea. The lone window of his small room faced east, allowing him one pleasure amidst the hell that had become his life. Sunrise. At first each sunrise brought only tears to his eyes while the slow ache in his chest grew, threatening to rack his body with a sadness no man should bear. What those brilliant colors dancing across the sky stood for only served as a reminder to his unending loss. Another night bereft of her loving arms. Another day without her magical presence. Over the years the pain had receded, but her memory never faded. Neither did the seed of hope she had planted so long ago. It grew every day, branching out and becoming the only thing that kept him alive. Many nights he had peered out of his window at the white sand far below. He thought of how easy it would be to end this torture and return to her. But he knew he had a bigger purpose and he would not let her down. He would endure and wait until his heart beat no more.

Once a week he was allowed to stroll along the beach and speak to the others. But it was only a brief illusion of freedom. They could feel the eyes that watched their every move. The others had become his only companions. For years there had only been seven. But a couple of months ago, a newcomer had arrived. He could hear her anguished cries at night and her deep despair was evident in the scratches along her arms; the victims of her own fingernails. She too finally succumbed to the seclusion and hopelessness; becoming void of emotion and as hollow as the rest of them. His thoughts moved back to the present and the brilliant ball of light inching its way above the horizon. This is when he felt closest to her. He closed his eyes and called upon the memory of her ever gentle, loving eyes.

“My love, I have lived to see yet another dawn cast its light upon this retched spit of land. Thankfully, this dawn brings new hope for my weary soul. You appeared to me in my dreams once again last night, but for the first time I heard the sweet melody of your voice. You spoke to me and breathed life back into my withered heart. You told me to be patient; to remain steadfast. You assured me the hour is growing near and I know the words you speak are true. Indeed, it is almost time.”

About Kristen Day

Kristen Day is a southern belle at heart with a crazy streak that desperately tries to escape at every opportunity. She loves all things nostalgic, rustic, and quirky. She’s been told she sees the world through rose-colored glasses, but she prefers to think of them as kaleidoscope glasses - swirling and morphing reality into something she can digest (who hasn't pretended those pasty lima beans were really kiwi strawberry jelly beans?).

She is the author of the DAUGHTERS OF THE SEA trilogy, which includes FORSAKEN, AWAKEN (Oct 2012), and CHOSEN (Winter 2012). She loves all books, but really enjoys writing young adult, paranormal romances. She’s loved to write for as long as she can remember. Her first published work was her poem RED in second grade (you guessed it - it was a poem about the color red - life altering, right?) that won her 5 gold stars and a spot in her elementary school's poetry book. That's when her addiction to the written word officially began. She was the only kid in fifth grade that actually enjoyed diagramming sentences. Go ahead and laugh - its okay.

When she’s not writing she’s making jewelry, painting, feeding her addiction to sweet tea, watching the Discovery Channel, or going on random adventures in the mountains of North Carolina with her amazing husband. She was born in Boone, NC and graduated from Appalachian State University with a degree in Marketing in 2001.

Author’s Links

Goodreads
Blog
Twitter
Facebook
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Top Ten Tuesday: Older Books No One Should Forget (25)

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.This week's topic is 'Older' Books I Can't Forget!

1. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
2. The Wave by Todd Strasser
3. Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
4. The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
5. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
6. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
7.The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
8. Tom Sawyer + Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
9.  Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
10. The Babysitter Club series by Anne M. Martin

Sorry the list isn't more elaborate guys, but I'm really sick right now and had to do it quick! Leave me a link to your TTT and I'll check it out!

Happy reading!
~Kristy

Cover Reveal: Purgatory Reign by LM Preston + GIVEAWAY

Hey guys! I'm thrilled today to be a part of the cover reveal for a new YA book to be released in 2013!

 

Purgatory Reign by L.M. Preston

Peter Saint's life stinks. But things are about to get much worst. First, his parents are murdered in front of him. Then another victim dies in his arms. Visions plague Peter with warnings that something wants him for a sinister cause. It desires the one thing that Peter refuses to give—his blood. Peter carries within him the one gift or curse that could unlock a secret to destroy the human race. On the run with Angel, a scruffy kid, Peter starts to unravel the mystery. It's the one treasure the heavens sought to hide from the world. Unfortunately, when Peter finds the answer that he hopes will save the girl he loves, he opens the door to a great evil that happens to be salivating to meet him.

RaffleCopter Prize Pack: Paperback ARC of Purgatory Reign, $20 Amazon Gift Card, T-shirt, LM Preston ebooks Flutter Of Luv and The Pack

a Rafflecopter giveaway



Pre-Order:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Purgatory-Reign-Series/dp/0985025131/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1344012202&sr=8-1&keywords=purgatory+reign+by+lm+preston

LM Preston,YA SciFi Author: www.lmpreston.com
Blog: http://lmpreston.blogspot.com/
Tweet Me: http://twitter.com/LM_Preston
Facebook:http://tinyurl.com/2fev6qc

My Books
Explorer X - Alpha, The Pack, BANDITS
Read Excerpts: The Pack, Bandits, The Pack-Retribution, Explorer X-Beta, Flutter Of Luv 

What do you guys think about the cover? I'm really excited to read this if I get the chance!
~Kristy