Cover Crush (52)

 Cover Crush is my 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:

 

On Internment, the floating island in the clouds where 16-year-old Morgan Stockhour lives, getting too close to the edge can lead to madness. Even though Morgan’s older brother, Lex, was a Jumper, Morgan vows never to end up like him. She tries her best not to mind that her life is orderly and boring, and if she ever wonders about the ground, and why it is forbidden, she takes solace in best friend Pen and her betrothed, Basil.

Then a murder, the first in a generation, rocks the city. With whispers swirling and fear on the wind, Morgan can no longer stop herself from investigating, especially when she meets Judas. He is the boy being blamed for the murder — betrothed to the victim — but Morgan is convinced of his innocence. Secrets lay at the heart of Internment, but nothing can prepare Morgan for what she will find — or who she will lose.

Why I’m Crushing:

This cover is really nice.  It has these dark colors and then the bright red really makes it stand out.  Like the last cover, this one has a lot of stuff hidden in the complex white branching, wheels, gears, keys, books.  I love it!  I also really like the stars and constellations in the night sky.  The letters are interesting, too, really gives the feel of being somewhere else.  What do you think of this week’s Cover Crush?  Hope everybody had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Cinder Review with Guest Reviewer – My Mom!

 Cinder (Lunar Chronicles #1)

Marissa Meyer

 Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. 

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

So today is a special guest review from my mom!  I am trying to win an advanced copy of Cress and for it I had it to loan somebody and have them do a review.  I loaned it to my mom since we like a lot of the same type of books.  Plus, she doesn’t read as much YA as I do, and I honestly think she really needs to remedy that 🙂  Cinder is definitely an awesome one to make her read since it is one of my absolute favorites and one of the first I recommend to anybody.

I read the back of the book, and when it said cyborgs, I was like cyborgs?  Really? I thought it was going to take me forever to read it since it was science fiction, but once  started, I didn’t want to put it down!

My daughter told me I needed to read this book that it was so good. I read the overview and thought – great a science fiction I will never finish it. Believe me when I tell you when Marissa Meyer combined a modern day Cinderella and a toned down Star Trek influence she produced a Marvelous work of fantasy fiction. I could hardly put it down, it was wonderful! Ms. Meyer was able to write and create this story as if it was completed in one day. The story flows from beginning to end.

The character Cinder has a chip on her shoulder but not for the obvious reason. You fall in love with her in the beginning and at times you wish you could just thump her on the head for making some of the decisions that she makes. She can be a bit sarcastic and at times it can go over your head and make you do a double take. She is used to getting the blame for many things she has no control over and so she blames herself for her sister’s illness, so she risks her life to try to save her.

Prince Kaito is portrayed as most princes are. Great looking and all the girls are in love with him. He seems very humble, yet wants to claim to be a bit spoiled. He is concerned about the evil Lunar Queen Levana, who tries to make the common people see her as a good and caring queen. The Queen is trying to get him to agree to marry her and he is totally against it. He has the weight of his kingdom on his shoulders so he worries the outcome of his decisions that concern the queen and her possibility of retaliation against his people, and I as hoping she would fall off the balcony, she is so evil.

The personal androids add a bit of a different kind of personality, emotion and logic to the science fiction part of the story. You have a companion that has emotions and opinions such as a friend would have. The medical androids have all the logic and very little personality. The role for them is matter of fact and emotion has no part for them and it works.  Except for Iko, who had a lot of personality and was very funny.  She was certainly different than the rest of the androids!

As for the sisters, Pearl is awful to Cinder, but Peony is nice and not like the typical evil step sisters.  And I couldn’t stand Adri, she is such a horrible, wicked stepmother,  I really enjoyed this book and it was not what I expected, but so much better than what I thought it was going to be.  Great book, even for people who aren’t big on science fiction!

I hope everybody enjoyed the guest review from my mom and have a wonderful and Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Top Ten Tuesday (49)

 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 Things I’m Thankful For

Bookish:

1.  Books! – This is a given.  I love books and I am working my way towards my own personal library.  Books are pretty magical and a great escape when you don’t want to be in “real life” and they help you bond with people and bloggers, who are some of the most awesome people out there!

2.  The Library – I have been pretty broke this year, having just bought a house and having to do some repairs can really put a tight squeeze on your wallet, so the library really helps out when I can’t actually buy the books I want to.  Plus, if I didn’t like the book, I didn’t have to waste money on a book I didn’t enjoy.

3. The Blogger Community – These people are super awesome and I trust and enjoy their opinions.  Its great getting to know them and reading their posts and discussing books we all enjoy.  I have never met a rude blogger yet and even though I may never get to meet them in real life I consider them friends 🙂

4. Authors – These people are super amazing!  The stories they create are incredible and they really know how to touch your heart, make you cry, make you want to scream, hug books and just all kinds of other emotions.

5.  Events – Because with things like this we are able to meet some of these awesome authors and get them to sign their awesome books and tell them how much we obsess over their stories and characters.

6.  Followers! – I am very thankful for the people that read my blog and share their opinions with me.  I made this blog to share this interest with others and I am glad for every single one of them 🙂

Non Book Related:

7.  My family – This includes my best friends and fiance and his family along with my blood family.  They are really incredible and I love them all.  They  are supportive and helpful and we are really close.  I couldn’t have asked for a better family.   We even have a couple new additions which is very exciting!

8.  My job – It might not be my dream job, but it pays the bills and I can afford everything I need (maybe not all my wants) and it isn’t the worst job either.  I have been here 9 years, so I can’t complain.  Many people don’t have jobs at all, so I am lucky I am in a job that I know has job security.

9.  My house – There might be a few issues and repairs with it, but I have my own home and it has plenty of room, so I will never have to worry about where I’m staying or moving in a year or renting a room and not being able to trust roommates or asking permission to make changes.  The house is mine and I get to do whatever I want.

10.  Writing – Because this is what I love to do.  I have loads of journals, poetry, stories, notebooks, even letters that I have written to help me cope with tough stuff.  I love to write so much that I even have traditional snail mail penpals.  If I am writing, by hand or by typing, I am happy.  Writing is not just fun for me, it is also therapy, even a gift for some people  like when I framed a poem a previous boss lady of mine loved because of how it touched her.

There is so much more I am thankful for as well.  There is so much people take for granted and they should be thankful for everyday.  I love everybody in my life and am thankful for every single step that I have made through all my years that has gotten me where I am today!

Cover Crush (51)

 Cover Crush is my 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:

London. 1880. In the slums of Spitalfields apprentice blacksmith Luke is facing initiation into the Malleus Maleficorum, the fearsome brotherhood dedicated to hunting and killing witches.

Luke’s final test is to pick a name at random from the Book of Witches, a name he must track down and kill within a month, or face death himself. Luke knows that tonight will change his life forever. But when he picks out sixteen-year-old Rosa Greenwood, Luke has no idea that his task will be harder than he could ever imagine.

Why I’m Crushing:

I think this cover is all kinds of gorgeous.  The background is a nice blue, and the girl really stands out with the white/cream colored dress and red hair.  Plus, look at all the stuff that is going on in the edges!  Theres a ring, a snake, a chandelier, different flowers, even a needle and thread.  There is a lot on here!  But it isn’t too much to where it is too cramped.  I also like the font and birds that are flying about.  What do you think of this cover?

Waiting on Wednesday (52)

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

This week I am waiting on:

 Vitro
Jessica Khoury

Release 1-14-14

 A death-defying tropical adventure delivers a frightening message about dabbling with creation from the talented author of Origin.

On a remote island in the Pacific, Corpus scientists have taken test tube embryos and given them life. These beings—the Vitros—have knowledge and abilities most humans can only dream of. But they also have one enormous flaw.

Sophie Crue is determined to get to Skin Island and find her mother, a scientist who left Sophie behind years ago. She enlists hunky charter pilot Jim Julien to take her there. But once on the island, Sophie and Jim encounter more than they bargained for, including a charming, brilliant Vitro named Nicholas and an innocent, newly awoken one named Lux.

In a race for their lives, Sophie and Jim are about to discover what happens when science stretches too far beyond its reach.

Why I’m Waiting:

I really enjoyed her first book Origin, so I am really looking forward to this one.  It sounds really interesting, and kind of creepy, really with the making humans and all.  There is so much to look forward to in this book, like how the Vitros act when they are awoken and what is the enormous flaw??  I loved the imagery in Origin and I know it will be great for a tropical island, too.  Going to be great!  So what are you Waiting for?

 

Cover Crush (50)

 Cover Crush is my 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:

Samantha is a stranger in her own life. Until the night she disappeared with her best friend, Cassie, everyone said Sam had it all-popularity, wealth, and a dream boyfriend. 

Sam has resurfaced, but she has no recollection of who she was or what happened to her that night. As she tries to piece together her life from before, she realizes it’s one she no longer wants any part of. The old Sam took “mean girl” to a whole new level, and it’s clear she and Cassie were more like best enemies. Sam is pretty sure that losing her memories is like winning the lottery. She’s getting a second chance at being a better daughter, sister, and friend, and she’s falling hard for Carson Ortiz, a boy who has always looked out for her-even if the old Sam treated him like trash. 

But Cassie is still missing, and the facts about what happened to her that night isn’t just buried deep inside of Sam’s memory-someone else knows, someone who wants to make sure Sam stays quiet. All Sam wants is the truth, and if she can unlock her clouded memories of that fateful night, she can finally move on. But what if not remembering is the only thing keeping Sam alive?

Why I’m Crushing:

This is only the second animated cover I have seen and I think they are so cool.  This cover alone is already kind of creepy, but then they had to go and animate it, and it is super creepy, especially the way her head bends when the mirror breaks.   I also really like how the ballerina and her reflection are in two different positions.  The book sounds thrilling and the animated cover gives it a nice chill factor.  I really enjoy finding animated covers!  What do you guys think of it?

Truth or Dare (5)

 

Truth or Dare is a fun new meme hosted by Jenna over at Jenna Does Books that is a bookish challenge based on the game of the same name.  Chose truth for a discussion type question or prompt, or if you are feeling a bit more adventurous, chose dare!  You can even choose both tasks if you like.  So…Truth or Dare?

For this week’s ToD I picked:

Truth!

What are the top 3 worst things about being a blogger?

I wasn’t about to sing on camera!  I only sing in the shower or in the car when I’m by myself.  There is a reason I was in band and not chorus in school.  This one is probably going to be kind of hard.

1. Lack of Time:  It is hard to do a lot of other things when all I really do is work and blog.  I hardly watch any TV and I read in the rest of the time I have.  I get a little family time, but really there isn’t time to do much else.  When I take time off for things, I tend to get behind.  I have hardly done any blogging this month since I am working on NaNoWriMo, and it sucks that I am getting so behind.  This year has been pretty busy since my boyfriend moved in with me and we have his son every other week, so I am not going to be making some of my book challenges since I haven’t had as much time to read and do my reviews.  I love my blog, so I keep going, it just becomes hard sometimes.

2. The Burnout:  Sometimes when everything tends to become hard, you get a bit burned out.  Especially when you have a full time job already on top of it.  The people who can work full time, have kids and still blog so often really amaze me.  Sometimes I do just want to take some me time and disappear.  If you’re a really serious blogger, it is like having another job and takes up a ton of time, especially if you’re one of the ones that visits so many other blogs and such often.

3. Turning Requests Down:  I hate having to do it, I really do, but I have been so busy, that I am not even open to accepting requests right now, but some people still send them anyway, and I really hate having to tell people no.  I want other writers to be successful and get their books out in to the world.  I’m hoping one day I will be asking some of you to read my books and I understand not everybody is going to say yes, but I really hate having to be one of them that says no.

So yeah, these are things that I think are the worst about being a blogger, though the good things definitely outweigh the bad!

Waiting on Wednesday (51)

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

This week I am waiting on:

 Enders (Starters #2)
Lissa Price

Release 1-7-14

With the Prime Destinations body bank destroyed, Callie no longer has to rent herself out to creepy Enders. But Enders can still get inside her mind and make her do things she doesn’t want to do. Like hurt someone she loves. Having the chip removed could save Callie’s life – but it could also silence the voice in her head that might belong to her father. Callie has flashes of her ex-renter Helena’s memories, too …and the Old Man is back, filling her with fear. Who is real and who is masquerading in a teen body? This is the thrilling sequel to “Starters.”

Why I’m Waiting:

I feel like I have been waiting on this book forever!  I really enjoyed Starters more than I thought I was going to and I really gotta know how everything ends!  I’m so happy this book is less than 2 months away.  And by then, NaNo will be over and I’ll actually be able to read again!  I haven’t read anything yet this month, aside from listening to The 5th Wave on audio as I drive.  As much as I love writing, I can’t wait for NaNo to be over!  Hope you guys that are participating are having fun, too.

Cover Crush (49)

 Cover Crush is my 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:

Every Fairy-Tale Ending Has a Price. . . .

Orphaned as a child in the crumbling village of Tulan, Elara is determined to learn her true identity, even if it means wielding a dagger. Meanwhile, in Galandria’s royal capital, Princess Wilha stands out as someone to either worship or fear. Though no one knows why the king has always made her conceal her face–including Wilha herself.

When an assassination attempt threatens the peace of neighboring kingdoms, Elara and Wilha are brought face to face . . . with a chance at claiming new identities. However, with dark revelations now surfacing, both girls will need to decide if brighter futures are worth the binding risks.

Why I’m Crushing:

So, I’m going to make this short and sweet because it is 130 am and my eyes are crossing and my contacts are barely letting me see anything at the moment and I just spend the past 2.5 hours making sure I reach my word count for the day for my NaNoWriMo project.  I know it has been really quiet, but I am really trying hard to reach 50k this year!  I had this past week off from work to focus on it, but on Monday. it’s back to work, and a lot less time for my novel 😦

Anyway, so on to the cover.  This is definitely one of those that really draw you in and scream at you while you walk by the book shelf.  The colors are nice and it looks like a watercolor painting.  I love the mask because it makes me think of masquerades (which I have always wanted to go to) and the swirling font gives it a nice fancy touch.  I just think it is all over beautiful!  What do you think of my choice this week?  Feel free to share your Crushes, too 🙂

Top Ten Tuesday (48)

 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 Sequels I Can’t Wait To Get My Hands On

1. Cress (Lunar Chronicles #3) by Marissa Meyer – I am DYING to a hold of this one! I LOVE the Lunar Chronicles so much and I want this book NOW.  I got to read the first chapter of it as a preview, but it just wasn’t enough.

2. Dreams of Gods and Monsters (Daughter of Smoke and Bones #3) by Laini Taylor – OMG I need this NOW.  Everything is so good about these books and it’s killing me with how it left off in the second one.  And I have to wait until APRIL to read the next one.

3. Infinite (Newsoul #3) by Jodi Meadows – I love these books and I hate having to wait so long until I get to know what happens in the final installment of this trilogy.

4. Angel Fever (Angel #3) by L.A. Weatherly – I feel like I have been waiting FOREVER for this book.  I am so anxious so see how everything ends and how they handle the angels.

5. Dare You To (Pushing the Limits #2) by Katie McGarry – Pushing the Limits was so, so good and I can’t wait to read Beth’s story!

6. Revelations (The Elysium Chronicles #2) by J.A. Souders – I just gotta know what happens now that Evie is on the surface!!

7. A Darkness Strange and Lovely (Something Strange and Deadly #2) by Susan Dennard – This one has been out since July, but I haven’t had a chance to pick it up yet.  The first book was pretty good and definitely not what I expected in a zombie novel (in a good way!).

8. Rain (Paper Gods #2) by Amanda Sun – The first book was so incredibly well written and visual, and the story was so interesting and different.  I just gotta have the next one.

9. Game (Jasper Dent #2) by Barry Lyga – I was questioning the first book, but I decided to give it a shot anyway because I had heard it was good, and it definitely was!  I’m certainly glad I did read it, and I can’t wait to read the next one.

10 Through the Zombie Glass (White Rabbit Chronicles #2) by Gena Showalter – I loved the first book so much more than I had expected to and I have to know more and I have to have more Cole!