In My Mailbox (34)

IMM is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren. It is a way for book bloggers to post what they have received for review, borrowed from a friend, bought at the bookstore, or picked up at the library!

It has been far too long since my last IMM post and people, SO MUCH has happened since then!!! I went to the RT Convention, bought a few new books, and pretty much just accumulated quite a large list for this IMM post! Take a look, add onto Goodreads, let me know what you think, and of course link up so I can see what lovely books you got in your mailbox!

RT Convention:

The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong- Won

Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout- Previously owned but now signed

Enclave by Ann Aguirre- Won & signed

The International Kissing Club by Ivy Adams- Bought & signed (by 2/3 of the co-authors)

Tattoo by Jennifer Lynn Barnes- Previously owned but now signed

Chime by Franny Billingsley- Previously owned but now signed

Sirenz by Natalie Zaman and Charlotte Bennardo- Previously owned but now signed

Swag from Jennifer L. Armentrout, Ivy Adams, Natalie Zaman, Charlotte Bennardo, Jeanette Battista

Eve by Anna Carey- Bought & signed

Heist Society by Ally Carter- Previously owned but now signed

Out of Sight, Out of Time by Ally Carter- Won & signed

The Summerland by Elizabeth Cheryl- Won & signed

Oh. My Gods. by Tera Lynn Childs- Previously owned but now signed

Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore- Bought & signed

Haven by Kristi Cook- Bought & signed

The Guardian by Carey Corp- Bought & signed

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting- Bought & signed

Swag from Anna Carey, Elizabeth Cheryl, Tera Lynn Childs, Rosemary Clement-Moore, Carey Corp, Kimberly Derting, Bree Despain, Kiera Cass, Rachel Caine, Ally Condie

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl- Previously owned but now signed

Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl- Previously owned but now signed

Beautiful Chaos by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl- Previously owned but now signed

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand- Previously owned but now signed

Hallowed by Cynthia Hand- Bought & signed

Hearts At Stake by Alyxandra Harvey- Won

Darker Still by Leanna Renee Hieber

Wicked: Witch & Curse by Nancy Holder- Previously owned but now signed

Wicked: Resurrection by Nancy Holder- Previously owned but now signed

Swag from Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl, Cynthia Hand, Nancy Holder, Jennifer Estep, Colleen Houck

Firelight by Sophie Jordan- Previously owned but now signed

Hidden by Sophie Jordan- Won

The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade- Previously owned but now signed

Queen of the Dead by Stacey Kade- Previously owned but now signed

Body and Soul by Stacey Kade- Previously owned but now signed

Phantom Universe by Laura Kreitzer- Bought & signed

Forsaken Harbor by Laura Kreitzer- Bought & signed

I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone by Stephanie Kuehnert- Bought & signed

Ballads of Suburbia by Stephanie Kuehnert- Bought & signed

Saving Zoe by Alyson Noel- Previously owned but now signed

Torn by Erica O’Rourke- Bought & signed

Swag from Sophie Jordan, Stacey Kade, Stephanie Kuehnert, Alyson Noel, Erica O’Rourke, Emily McKay, Michele Jaffe, S.R. Johannes, Saundra Mitchell, Mari Mancusi

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins- Previously owned but now signed

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins- Previously owned but now signed

Die For Me by Amy Plum- Bought & signed

Under The Never Sky by Veronica Rossi- Bought & signed

Coffeehouse Angel by Suzanne Selfors- Previously owned but now signed

Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready- Previously owned but now signed

Shift by Jeri Smith-Ready- Previously owned but now signed

Soul Screamers: Vol. 1 by Rachel Vincent- Won

Swag from Stephanie Perkins, Amy Plum, Veronica Rossi, Suzanne Selfors, Jeri Smith-Ready, Sarah Rees Brennan, E.J. Stevens, Beth Revis

Review:

Promise by Kristie Cook (e-book)

My Thoughts: I got this book for a blog tour I am participating in later this month! I can’t wait to read!

Silver Knight by Caron Rider (e-book)

My Thoughts: I am fascinated by reincarnation so I am excited to see how this one is done.

Casey Barnes Eponymous by E.A. Rigg (e-book)

My Thoughts: I love, love, love books that have a music influence!

Shift by Kim Curran

My Thoughts: Thanks to Strange Chemistry, a snazzy new publisher for sending out this ARC! I can’t wait to get started on it!

Shackled by Angela Carling

My Thoughts: I read a more “light-hearted” book by Angela last year so I am very interested to see how her more “serious” writing turns out!

Elements: The Beginning by Kate Fuentes (e-book)

My Thoughts: Kate is awesome! I can’t wait to read this one for the blog tour I am participating in later this month!

 Any Love But Mine by Debbie Davies (e-book)

My Thoughts: Nothing is better than a forbidden love story!

Bought:

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

My Thoughts: I FINALLY HAVE THIS BOOK IN MY POSSESSION!!!!

Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson

My Thoughts: Do yourself a favor and go buy this book right now!

Blood Born by Jamie Manning

My Thoughts: Jamie is seriously the bees knees! I won this book from Mandie (see below) but decided I needed an actual copy for when Jamie goes on an awesome 10-state tour sometime in the future.

Gifted/Won:

Blood Born by Jamie Manning (e-book)

My Thoughts: Thank you so much to Mandie for this awesome book! I cannot wait to read it!!!!!

The Best of Twenty-Eleven

The year has come and gone so quickly that I can hardly believe it! It seems like just yesterday I was starting my winter semester as a college Freshman and I was trying to squeeze in every ounce of fun that I could. A ton of memories were created this past year, some bad but mostly all good, and I like to think it has been one of the best years yet. In keeping with the same format that I used last year, here are some of the best moments of 2011!

Sidenote: Almost all of these are a tie between two or more things. Sorry about that, I tried my best to narrow it down but it just wasn’t happening!

1. Best Vacation– This is definitely a tie between the Myrtle Beach vacation I took with Kati and the Myrtle Beach Vacation I took with my family a month later. The weather was gorgeous both times and I got to experience a ton of different things with each trip. I was so lucky to be able to go on two vacations back to back like that!

2. Best Concert– This one also has a tie! It is between Warped Tour 2011 and the acoustic performance by We The Kings! Warped Tour is a day filled with music awesomeness! I saw so many bands perform, got a ton of stuff signed, and I even got to talk to a few of the performers. The We The Kings acoustic performance was brilliant for so many reasons: It was acoustic, it was small, it was free, it featured my future husband, I got to put my arms around my future husband, and I even got to take a picture with my future husband. IT WAS AMAZING!

3. Best CD– This is also going to have to be a tie! We The Kings dropped their latest album this year entitled Sunshine State of Mind. The title of the album couldn’t be more perfect because I get in a sunshiney state of mind EVERY TIME I listen to their CD. So what could be the competition to such an epic CD? All the mixed CD’s I got this past year! I had a lot of friends make me CD’s and all of them were filled with awesome songs that brings a smile to my face!

4. Best New Activity– I can’t explain too many details because I have yet to send out Christmas presents to some pretty freaking lovely bloggers but I do enjoy jewelry making. It takes time and is far more expensive than I could have imagined but it is so much fun to create!

5. Best Birthday Present– Last year I got a whole new bedroom so I was wondering how anything could ever live up to something like that. The answer came in the form of a brand-new bookshelf! I was making just the one work but I was desperately in need of one and my parents luckily noticed it! I love it so freaking much!

6. Best Movies– Well I do love me some movies…and popcorn! Some of my favorites were: Breaking Dawn: Part 1, Bridesmaids, Crazy Stupid Love, The Help, Harry Potter & The Deathly Hollows: Part 2, and Footloose.

7. Best Books– Oh gosh! It was my original goal to read 100 books in 2011 but Goodreads just wouldn’t stop telling me how sucky I was at completing that goal so I changed it to 80 and I still didn’t accomplish it! However, I did squeeze in 76 books. The best ones (some 4’s and all 5 stars) are:

Sidenote: Some of the titles will be linked to my reviews and other will be linked to Goodreads since I have not yet reviewed them!

Sophie & Carter by Chelsea Fine

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

A Girl Named Willow Krimble by Giuseppe Bianco

Rising Shadow by Jacquelyn Wheeler

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway

Released by Megan Duncan

Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

Sean Griswold’s Head by Lindsey Leavitt

The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

Faithful by Janet Fox

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty

Second Helpings by Megan McCafferty

What Can’t Wait by Ashley Hope Perez

Other Words for Love by Lorraine Zago Rosenthal

Fall For Anything by Courtney Summers

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

Matched by Ally Condie

What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen

Endless Summer by Jennifer Echols

Re-reads of both Sarah Dessen and Jennifer Echols books

Fade by Lisa McMann

The Childe by C.A. Kunz

Between by Cyndi Tefft

Love, Inc. by Yvonne Collins & Sandy Rideout

Girl v Boy by Yvonne Collins & Sandy Rideout

Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John

The Pull of Gravity by Gae Polisner

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

8. Best Blogging Moment– How does one even choose something like this? In the past year I have met more authors, connected with more bloggers, reviewed more books, joined more weekly features, and had the most fun than I have EVER had! This whole experience has been one joyous event after another and I have all of YOU to thank for that. I have found some of the greatest friends and most influential people (and let’s not forget they all also kick butt when it come to writing reviews!) than I could have ever imagined. I would not trade this past year for anything!

9. Best Friend(s)– It is no secret that Kati has and always will be my best friend. I talk about her awesomeness all the time. But because of recent events, I feel like I must give a shout-out to my dear friend Stacey. Her and I were running buddies in high school. You could never find two girls who hated cross-country with such a deep passion like the two of us (even though we secretly loved it!) She has been there for both Kati and I through so many things and now it’s our turn to be there for Stacey. These two girls make my days so much better and I love them for that!

10. Best Family– Well of course this goes out to my family once again but not without some complaints! Zack and Zeke aka The Brat Pack drove me absolutely INSANE this past year. Those two boys are the epitome of annoying little brothers. I love them to death but jeez louise they sure are crazy! In all honesty, I am lucky to have my family always there for me. They support me through everything and even though they make fun of me every once in a while, they always know how to make me smile!

So that’s it for my 2011! I hope you all had a great year and an even better 2012!

Monthly Wrap-Up (February 2011)

It’s that time again! Monthly Wrap-Up is a feature on my blog that I just started this year. At the end of each month I will post exactly what happened on my crazy little blog for that previous month. February is a short month; that is the excuse I am using to cover up my lack of reading/blogging this past month.

Books I Read In February

Rhymes With Cupid By Anna Humphrey

Vixen by Jillian Larkin

Gone by Lisa McMann

Timeless by Alexandra Monir

The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg

Across The Universe by Beth Revis

*That is a total of 6 books read for the month of February. I am now 14% done with my goal of reading 100 books this year*

Books I Reviewed In February

Other Words For Love by Lorraine Zago Rosenthal. (Read my review here.) This is a fantastic 2011 Debut Novel that needs to be read by teenage girls everywhere. Love, heartbreak, and redemption are all included in this wonderful book!

 

Vixen by Jillian Larkin. (Read my review here.) This is a must read for anyone participating in Y.A. Bliss’ Historical Fiction Challenge. Revenge, love, drama, murder, lies, deceit, fashion; basically the norm for the Roaring 20’s.

 

Timeless by Alexandra Monir. (Read my review here.) Another fantastic 2011 Debut Novel! This one takes us all throughout history as the main character races through time to save the boy she loves.

 

The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg. (Read my review here.) Not a debut novel but an absolute must-read! This feel-good novel is about getting over heart-break, learning to love yourself, and not to mention, it features the wonderful Beatles!

*I feel that I should also mention that this book may or may not have been written about my best friend Kati and I*

 

Rhymes With Cupid by Anna Humphrey. (Read my review here.) This super cute, easy-loving novel is the perfect little book for Valentines Day, or really just for a time when you just need a love story to get you by.

 

Across The Universe by Beth Revis. (Read my review here.) 2011 Debut Authors must have been conspiring together to all write fantastic novels. Across The Universe is a book that will satisfy all readers regardless of what their favorite genre is. It is sci-fi, romance, thriller, mystery, just everything great rolled into one.

Miscellaneous Things On The Blog In February

I continued to participate in the weekly meme featured by The Story Siren, In My Mailbox. I got so many fantastic items this past month, I really couldn’t believe it!

(Read my IMM posts here, here, and here.)

I also joined a new meme this month hosted by Miz B of Should Be Reading, called Teaser Tuesday. You pick a random page of a book you are currently reading, reveal 2 sentences, and tease all your readers. It is fun and I got a great response to it!

(Read my Teaser Tuesday post here.)

On one particular day, I was feeling generous and bored so I decided to post a few videos staring, made, and produced by my brother and neighbor. The creative little dudes love coming up with videos and also love the comments, so if you are feeling generous and bored as well, click the link below and drop them off a comment!

(To view my brother’s and neighbor’s videos click here.)

In other news, Leah Clifford’s book, A Touch Mortal came out this month! To enter her giveaway (which sadly, I did not win) I had to make a post regarding the craziest thing I have ever done. It features my spontaneous personality, clumsiness, and all-around bad luck.

(To view “The Craziest Thing I Have Ever Done” click here.)

Wrap Up

That is it for this month, I know it is sad and pathetic. I am not getting too much closer to my goal of books read in 2011, but I have a feeling March is going to be more productive! However, Kati and I will be taking a spring break trip to Myrtle Beach, so if I am somehow swallowed up by the ocean (it’s happened once or twice before, who knows if it’ll happen again), you all will have to deal. Now back to the point, if you are interested in doing a monthly wrap-up, please do so! Post a link in the comments section, and I will check it out. I hope February was a great, love-filled month for everyone!

Book Review: Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Title: Across the Universe (Across The Universe #1)

Author: Beth Revis

Publisher: Razorbill

Pages: 398 hardcover

My Rating: 4/5 stars

A love out of time. A spaceship built of secrets and murder.

Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.

Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone-one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship-tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn’t do something soon, her parents will be next.

Now Amy must race to unlock Godspeed’s hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there’s only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.

Wow, wow, wow! That is all I could think of after I put down Across The Universe. First I should start off by saying this is not just your typical Y.A. science fiction novel, it is so much more! There was drama, romance, mystery, suspense, basically everything great about Young Adult Literature all rolled into one book.

On top of this book being filled with every great genre of literature, it was also extremely different! The ideas that Beth Revis came up with regarding space travel was new and interesting. From the space ship to the cryo chambers even to the emotion-reducing water are all such unique ideas. I commend Beth for coming up with something so fantastic!

The characters were also very special. Even though I have never been frozen for 300+ years and woken up 50+ years before everyone else, I could still relate to Amy. She felt alone, ostracized, scared, frustrated, confused, whatever she was feeling, I could completely understand! Her determination to change all of the wrongs taking place on the ship while also trying to make sure all the frozens were safe was so admirable. She is a super hero in my opinion! Elder was an exceptional character as well. When you are on a ship where everyone is so blah and boring, it is really odd to be out of the ordinary. Elder had personality, opinions, and even a bit of an attitude but his differences only made me like him even more. Other side characters such as Eldest, Doc and Harley add more to the book as well. Eldest is a father figure to Elder but his strict rules and cruel personality become a huge issue during the middle of the book. Doc’s personality is a tad bit flat throughout most of the book but a lot of the information he leaks is vital to the mysteries in the book. As far as Harley goes, I loved this character. He is classified as a crazy according to the members of the ship but his personality was friendly and vibrant. He befriended Amy without a question.

It wouldn’t be a great book without a little love, right? Well okay it still would be pretty kick-butt book without the love aspect, but come on, a little love makes everyone happy! Elder, the soon to be Eldest, was mesmerized by Amy from the moment he laid eyes on her. Everyone on his ship was exactly the same and Amy was exactly the opposite! At first I feel that his reasons for liking her were merely superficial. He was intrigued by how different she was. BUT as time went on, he fell in love with her personality. Her determination and strength really drew Elder in. The same may go for Amy. At first Elder was a guy who was just there for her. He was the same age so it was easier for Amy to relate to him. However, as time passed, Eldest’s unique personality and drive to be a great leader attracted her to him even more.

The blogosphere has been a-buzz with nothing but great words over this book. I was worried it wouldn’t live up to the hype, but I now realize there is nothing to worry about! This super awesome sci-fi novel is in a class all its own; Across The Universe is scientific-love-thriller-mystery story that will leave you wanting more. I highly recommend this 2011 debut novel!

In My Mailbox (2)

IMM is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren and it is a way for book bloggers to post what they have received for review, borrowed from a friend, bought at the bookstore, or picked up at the library. Here is a list of the books I have gotten this week (really someone should hide my debit card from me):

Bookstore:

XVI by Julia Karr (2011 Debut Author Challenge)

Timeless by Alexandra Monir (2011 Debut Author Challenge)

Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging: Confessions of Georgia Nicolson by Louise Rennison

Across the Universe by Beth Revis (2011 Debut Author Challenge)

Other Words for Love by Lorraine Zago Rosenthal (2011 Debut Author Challenge)

Fall For Anything by Courtney Summers

Well I hope you enjoyed this week’s In My Mailbox. Be sure to check in next week to see what new books I have to read!

My 2011 Debut Author’s List!

Below is the ever-growing list of my “Need To Read” books. All of these books are part of the 2011 Debut Authors Challenge that is hosted by The Story Siren. I am excited to say that a majority of the books on the list, I have already put on my to read list on my Goodreads account! The challenge asks you to pick 12 books (preferably one new author per month) but of course knowing me, I couldn’t stop there. I really wouldn’t be extremely surprised if I end up adding all of the books to my list =]

*Updated on 1/5/11

January:

1/4/2011 Cynthia Hand’s book titled Unearthly.

1/4/2011 Elizabeth Woods’ book titled Choker.

1/6/2011 Julia Karr’s book titled XVI

1/11/2011 Lorraine Zago Rosenthal’s book Other Words For Love.

1/11/2011 Alexandra Monir’s book titled Timeless.

1/11/2011 Maurissa Guibord’s book titled Warped.

1/11/2011 Beth Revis’s book titled Across the Universe.

1/25/2011 Eilis O’Neal’s book titled The False Princess.

February:

2/1/2011 Paige Harbison’s book Here Lies Bridget.

2/8/2011 Gwendolyn Heasley’s book Where I Belong.

2/8/2011 Karen Mahoney’s book The Iron Witch.

2/15/2011 Courtney Allison Moulton’s book titled Anglefire.

2/15/2011 Sara Bennett Wealer’s book titled Rival.

2/22/2011 Leah Clifford’s book titled A Touch Mortal.

2/22/2011 Kristi Cook’s book titled Haven.

2/22/2011 Kelly Keaton’s book titled Darkness Becomes Her.

March:

3/1/2011 Kim Harrington’s book titled Clarity.

3/1/2011 Bettina Restrepo’s book titled Illegal

3/1/2011 Gwen Hayes’ book titled Falling Under.

3/22/2011 Frances O’Roark Dowell’s book titled Ten Miles Past Normal.

3/22/2011 Ruta Sepetys’ book titled Between Shades of Gray.

3/22/2011 Lauren DeStefano’s book titled Wither.

3/28/2011 Ashley Hope Perez’s book titled What Can’t Wait.

3/29/2011 Heather Dixon’s book titled Entwined.

3/29/2011 C.C. Hunter’s book titled Born At Midnight.

April:

4/4/2011 Amy Holder’s book titled The Lipstick Laws.

4/12/2011 Ann Aguirre’s book titled Enclave.

4/14/2011 Angela Cerrito’s book titled End Of The Line.

4/26/2011 Tessa Gratton’s book titled Blood Magic.

4/26/2011 K. Ryer Breese’s book titled Future Imperfect.

May:

5/3/2011 Holly Goldberg Sloan’s book titled I’ll Be There.

5/3/2011 Jessi Kirby’s book titled Moonglass.

5/3/2011 Veronica Roth’s book titled Divergent.

5/10/2011 Christina Mandelski’s book titled The Sweetest Thing.

5/10/2011 Lara Chapman’s book titled Flawless.

5/10/2011 Amy Plum’s book titled Die For Me.

5/10/2011 Tracy Deebs’ book titled Tempest Rising.

5/10/2011 Gae Polisner’s book titled The Pull of Gravity.

5/23/2011 Katie Kacvinsky’s book titled Awaken.

5/24/2011 Myra McEntire’s book titled Hourglass.

June:

6/1/2011 Jo Treggiari’s book titled Ashes,Ashes.

6/7/2011 Tara Hudson’s book titled Hereafter.

6/7/2011 Cat Patrick’s book titled Forgotten.

6/7/2011 Elana Johnson’s book titled Possession.

6/8/2011 Charlotte Bennardo & Natalie Zaman’s book titled Sirenz.

6/14/2011 Sonia Gensler’s book titled The Revenant.

July:

7/1/2011 Randy Russell’s book titled Dead Rules.

7/1/2011 Melanie Welsh’s book titled The Mistress of the Storm.

7/5/2011 Michelle Ray’s book titled Falling For Hamlet.

7/26/2011 Karsten Knight’s book titled Wildefire.

August:

8/2/2011 Victoria Schwab’s book titled The Near Witch.

8/3/2011 Sara Grant’s book titled Dark Parties.

September:

9/15/2011 Jennifer Armentrout’s book titled Half-Blood.

9/27/2011 Michelle Hodkin’s book titled The Unbecoming Of Mara Dyer.

9/??/2011 Kendare Blake’s book titled Anna Dressed In Blood.

9/??/2011 Scott Tracey’s book titled Witch Eyes.

October:

10/??/2011 Kiki Hamilton’s book titled The Faerie Ring.

November:

December:

12/19/2011 Helen Landalf’s book titled Broken Wings.

2011 In General:

Megan Bostic’s book titled Never Eighteen.

Jeyn Roberts’ book titled The Dark Inside.

Jessica Martinez’s book titled Virtuosity.

Lia Habel’s book titled Dearly, Departed.

Rae Carson’s book titled The Girl Of Fire And Thorns.

Jocelyn Davies’ book titled A Beautiful Dark.

Sarah Maas’ book titled Queen Of Glass.*

Kathleen Peacock’s book titled Hemlock.*

* According to Goodreads this book isn’t expected to be published until 2012. If that reins true then this book will be taken off of my 2011 DAC list and added to the 2012.