Cover Crush (13)

 Cover Crush is my new meme here at On The Shelf where beautiful and eye-catching covers are spotlighted!  Any cover can be showcased whether it be old or new, read or still sitting in your TBR stack.  Please join in, link up and enjoy some beautiful covers!

My Cover:

A virus that had once been contained has returned, and soon no place will be left untouched by its destruction. But when seventeen-year-old Cheyenne wakes up in Elysian Fields–a subdivision cut off from the world and its monster-creating virus–she is thrilled to have a chance at survival.

   At first, Elysian Fields,with its beautiful houses and manicured lawns, is perfect. Teo Richardson, the older man who stole Cheyenne’s heart, built it so they could be together. But when Teo tells Cheyenne there are tests that she and seven other couples must pass to be worthy of salvation, Cheyenne begins to question the perfection of his world.

   The people they were before are gone. Cheyenne is now “Persephone,” and each couple has been re-named to reflect the most tragic romances ever told. Everyone is fighting to pass the test, to remain in Elysian Fields. Teo dresses them up, tells them when to move and how to act, and in order to pass the test, they must play along.

   If they play it right, then they’ll be safe.

   But if they play it wrong, they’ll die.

Why I’m Crushing:

This cover is totally creepy to me with the detached and broken head with the cracks, just *shiver* ugh, ya know?  Even her eyes are creepy, like a doll who can see into your soul with her fake made up crazy eyes.  This books sounds really good and I can’t wait to read it!  So what is your cover crush?

Best of 2012

I hope everybody had wonderful holidays!  The blog has been quiet this past week since I had Christmas to deal with and family and wrapping and dinners and just so much!  I haven’t even had any time to read this past week.  The only thing I was able to finish was the audiobook I was listening to as I drove.  I was able to meet all my reading challenges this year, though it was kind of tough since I had a huge goal set for myself for my first time doing challenges.  Here is my favorites recap for 2012!

Top Ten Books

Cinder – Marissa Meyer

I can’t even begin to express how much I loved this book!  It’s awesomesauce on pages!  Cyborgs, lunar people, Cinderella, a deadly plague, and Sailor Moon influences.  How could this not turn out awesome?

Forbidden – Tabitha Suzuma

Oh man, this book!  If I hadn’t been in public when I finished it, I would have cried my eyes out.

Incarnate – Jodi Meadows

Best book boyfriend ever and beautiful scenes!

Anna and the French Kiss – Stephanie Perkins

This book is the reason I even read contemporaries it was THAT good.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone – Laini Taylor

This has one of the most incredible worlds ever, plus it is my favorite audiobook so far.

Pushing the Limits – Katie McGarry

An emotional intense contemporary roller coaster and an amazing debut.

Alice in Zombieland – Gena Showalter

I loved this book so much more than I thought I was going to.  Alice is an awesome heroine!

Pandemonium – Lauren Oliver

My anxiety level was so high by the end of this book, and it felt faster than Delirium.

The Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins

I couldn’t put this book down and it really hurt my heart what these kids had to go through.

Just for Fins – Tera Lynn Childs

I love this whole series and this one was definitely fun with lively characters.

Top 3 New to Me Authors
(not including debuts)

Stephanie Perkins

She is the reason I read contemporaries now!

Tabitha Suzuma

She knows how to make a taboo situation beautiful.

Gena Showalter

This lady can write some incredible action scenes.

Top 3 Debuts

Top 3 Covers

Top 3 Titles

Ok, so I think that is it for my Best of 2012!  I hope everybody else had a great reading year for 2012 and may 2013 bring even more awesome books!  Also, don’t forget that tomorrow is the last day to get an extra 10 entries in my giveaway by participating in Cover Crush!  I hope to see a bunch of beautiful covers 🙂

Deja Vu Review (8)

The Deja Vu Review is hosted by Brittany at The Book Addict’s Guide and spotlights books with a mini review that we have read in the past or before we started our blog.

This week’s topic: A Holiday Story

 The Christmas Wedding
James Patterson and Richard Dilallo

 My Rating: 3/5

 I was really hoping for more from this book.  I loved the cover and it really caught my eye and I hadnt’ read any romances from James Patterson in a while since he mostly does his detective series, unfortunately this romance did not live up to his other romances (when he still wrote by himself) like Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas.  It wasn’t what I thought it was going to be, but it was an enjoyable fast read, but don’t be looking for anything amazing because it is lacking.   I wasn’t too involved with the characters and I wasn’t too into the romance either since there really wasn’t much.  All the romance happened in the past and now she is having to choose between three loves.  I had high expectations since I enjoyed his other romances, but this just fell kind of flat for me.  Hope everyone is having great holidays!!

Cover Crush (12)

Cover Crush is my new meme here at On The Shelf where beautiful and eye-catching covers are spotlighted!  Any cover can be showcased whether it be old or new, read or still sitting in your TBR stack.  Please join in, link up and enjoy some beautiful covers!

My Cover:

Until now, he’s existed only in her dreams –
but fate is about to bring them together.

I shove through the crowd, knocking into girls and bouncing off boys, until one in particular catches me, steadies me.
I feel so secure, so at home in his arms.
I melt against his chest-lift my gaze to meet his. Gasping when I stare into a pair of icy blue eyes banded by brilliant flecks of gold that shine like kaleidoscopes, reflecting my image thousands of times.
The boy from my dream.
The one who died in my arms.

Why I’m Crushing:

I think this cover is so beautiful!  I love the Native American elements of it, and since I love dream catchers, I want her earrings!  I really like how the background is a bit faded and given some texture and the color scheme is great, even if pink is my least favorite color!  For those of you linking up, don’t forget to link your post into my giveaway so you can get an extra 10 entries!

Any Writers Out There Want This?

I got a renewal slip for my subscription to Poets & Writers magazine and they also have an offer on it that I can send a free 1 yr subscription to someone else, too.  I am not sure who to send it to since none of my friends and family like writing magazines like I do, so if any writers are interested in getting a FREE subscription, please let me know.  I am going to throw everybody’s name in a randomizer (random.org) to choose who gets it.  Please comment with your email so I can get in touch with you if I pull your name!  Hope I can share this great writer’s magazine with somebody 🙂

Top Ten Tuesday (32)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted at The Broke and The Bookish.  Each week a new top ten list is posted, and to participate all you have to do is fill in YOUR top ten for the list.

This week the topic is:

Top Ten Book I Read in 2012

1. Cinder:  This book was so wow.  I’ve been jonesing majorly for the sequel since I closed the book.  Cyborgs, Sailor Moon, Dystopia, Cinderella and awesomeness all wrapped up between two covers!

2. Forbidden:  This was such an emotional, beautiful, taboo, amazing story and I’m glad I didn’t let my comfort zone get in the way of reading it.

3. The Hunger Games: This was the best dystopian I’ve read so far and such an intersting and action packed concept.  I just couldn’t put it down.

4. Anna and the French Kiss: This was probably the funniest book I’ve read and it did a wonderful job making me feel the warm and fuzzies of first time love.

5. Daughter of Smoke and Bone: The best audiobook ever!  The world and characters of this story were amazing.

6. Incarnate:  This story has my favorite book boyfriend 🙂  Plus, the scenes are magical and gorgeous!

7. Pushing the Limits: Another incredibly contemporary that was a crazy roller coaster ride of emotions.

8. Starters: I thought this had great action and good twists, plus the idea of people being able to rent and control your body is insanely creepy.

9. Florence: I loved the writing and the beautiful, colorful world of Niemela.

10. Alice in Zombieland: I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would and Alice was an awesoem heroine that can seriously whip some zombie booty!

So what were your top reads for this year?

Deja Vu Review (7)

The Deja Vu Review is hosted by Brittany at The Book Addict’s Guide and spotlights books with a mini review that we have read in the past or before we started our blog.

This week’s topic: A Classic

 The Phantom of The Opera
Gaston Leroux

 My Rating: 5/5

 I love everything Phantom!  I own the musical DVD, both original and movie soundtracks, the book, a bad attempt at a sequel by another author, and I’ve seen the play on stage in London.  This story is a very dark and twisted romance/horror and even though I know the phantom is bad, I just can’t help feeling bad for him, too.  The book was a different kind of read because of the way they spoke back then, which I hadn’t read this kind of writing style before this book, but I still loved it, and I found out there is a whole character that was cut from the book in the musical!  The phantom is still as mysterious as ever and I really love this story.

Cover Crush (11)

Cover Crush is my new meme here at On The Shelf where beautiful and eye-catching covers are spotlighted!  Any cover can be showcased whether it be old or new, read or still sitting in your TBR stack.  Please join in, link up and enjoy some beautiful covers!

My Cover:

Fans of Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments series and Libba Bray’s Gemma Doyle trilogy will devour The Beautiful and the Cursed, a wholly original interpretation of gargoyle lore. 
It was bizarre and inexplicable, but after it happened no one spoke of it and Ingrid Waverly was forced to leave her life in London behind. She had to trade a world full of fancy dresses and society events for Paris with her mother and younger sister, Gabby.
In Paris there are no grand balls or glittering parties, and, disturbingly, the house her twin brother Grayson found for them isn’t a house at all. It’s an abbey. A creepy, old abbey with a roof lined in stone gargoyles that one could almost mistake for living, breathing creatures.
And Grayson is missing. 
Yet no one seems to be concerned about Grayson’s whereabouts save for Luc, a devastatingly handsome servant who has some secrets of his own. 
There’s one secret about the city that he can’t keep hidden, though. There’s a murderer on the loose. And every day Grayson is missing means that there’s less of a chance he’s alive.
Ingrid is sure her twin isn’t dead–she can feel it deep in her soul–but she knows he’s in grave danger, and that it’s up to her and Gabby to find him before all hope is lost. 
Only the path to him is more than she could ever imagine.

Why I am Crushing:

This was also my WoW choice, but it deserves to be spotlighted twice in the same week.  I mean, not only does it sounds really great, but look at that cover!  I love the way the colors were done and it looks like it could have been made with watercolors.  I also like the font and how curvy it is.  Don’t forget that if you participate this week and link up, then you get an extra 10 entries in my current Giveaway! Just enter your blog link in the Rafflecopter option, and if you don’t have a blog and still want to get the extra entries just leave the name under which you left a comment on this post.

*Review* Rapture – Lauren Kate

 Rapture (Fallen #4)

Lauren Kate

432 pages

ISBN: 9780385739184

Read 12-2-12

Format: Audiobook

Source: Library

Add it on Goodreads!

The sky is dark with wings . . . .

Like sand in an hourglass, time is running out for Luce and Daniel. To stop Lucifer from erasing the past they must find the place where the angels fell to earth. Dark forces are after them, and Daniel doesn’t know if he can do this—live only to lose Luce again and again.

Yet together they will face an epic battle that will end with lifeless bodies . . . and angel dust. Great sacrifices are made. Hearts are destroyed. And suddenly Luce knows what must happen.

For she was meant to be with someone other than Daniel. The curse they’ve borne has always and only been about her—and the love she cast aside. The choice she makes now will be the only one that truly matters.

In the fight for Luce, who will win?

The astonishing conclusion to the FALLEN series. Heaven can’t wait any longer.

I was pleasantly surprised with the final Fallen novel, and the second two books were definitely better than the first two.  I feel like Lauren’s writing was more ramped up and the descriptions were better, the characters were better and the story was better.   Knowing what I know now about this series, it is a beautiful love story; the first half of it was just a bit aggravating.  I hate having to go through so many books wanting to know what is being hidden from the character for sooooo long (kind of like when someone tells you they need to tell you something, but they wait a few days while you go crazy).

By the end of it, I did like Daniel and I was rather attached to a lot of the characters.  I really liked the way the story ended and thought it was perfect for their story.  There was just one thing I was confused about by the ending, not anything that happened, but it was something that didn’t quite add up right.  See spoiler below if you want to know if you already read it or don’t care about spoilers.

***SPOILER ALERT***SPOILER ALERT***SPOILER ALERT****

When their lives start over, it comes back to them 17 years later and Luce is in college.  The part that didn’t add up for me was that Daniel was 2 years older than her.  I can see Luce being 17 and in college, but if it was 17 years later, how could Daniel be 19?  So yeah, that’s my quirk with it.

***END OF SPOILER***END OF SPOILER***END OF SPOILER***

I really wish the first two books were done a little differently and I really would have loved the series!  The audiobook reader stayed the same and she did a really great job.  I wasn’t surprised by the stuff that happened in this final book, except for maybe one thing.  If you don’t mind working through two okay books to get to two good books, then you can try this series out, and this is just my opinion as there are plenty of others who loved the first two books as well, so I am not trying to hinder anybody from reading it!

Better writing, great descriptions, perfect ending, this series gets better with each book.

Let’s Talk (5): Books

Originally hosted by Melissa from i swim for oceans, Smash & Kt took her original inspiration, and made it their own, expanding it to more than just books. Let’s get personal (but respectfully so) and learn more about one another!  Each week, a different question will be posted along with a place to link up your posts and visit other people’s responses. This meme is definitely meant to bring out conversation and meet new people. So, Let’s Talk!

Today’s Question:

How many books do you own (keepers) and how many are in your to-be-read pile?
Feel free to include pictures!

I own over 600 books!  I tell people I have a book buying sickness and I buy faster than I can read them.  Plus, I borrow from the library, too, so it seems my at home TBR shelves don’t go down near as fast as they should.  I still have all my childhood books like Goosebumps and Animorphs, too.  Since I just recently bought my own house, I am still trying to get my office/library area set up.  I am also bad about buying books that I see for good prices that I eventually want to read, so I buy them, even if it may be 10 years before I finally do read it.  I can’t even begin to tell you how many books are in my TBR stack!  Even some of my must-have-right-now books are still unread (bad me).  And once I do read them, even if I hated them, I just can’t bring myself to get rid of them, unless I am doing a giveaway.  I do giveaway all of my ARCs after I read them pretty much, but the books I have already had for a while I can’t.  I would really love to have my own personal library one day and I’d say 600+ books is a pretty good start!

Here are a couple of pics of the mess that currently is my office area.  There are also at least 3 more boxes of books that you can’t see in the corner.  All these books and only 1 lonely bookshelf.  After Christmas I will definitely be getting more (I want the walls lined with shelves).

So what does everybody else’s piles of books look like?