In My Mailbox (35)

 

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!

This is going to seem like one EPIC mailbox because well, it has been an EPIC couple of weeks! First I’ll start off with review books, then books I bought, and finally all my BEA books!

Review:

The Waxing Moon by J. Lloyd Morgan

Bought:

Major Crush by Jennifer Echols

Perfect You by Elizabeth Scott

Forever Summer by Alyson Noel

Perfect Fifths by Megan McCafferty

Stealing Heaven by Elizabeth Scott

Between Here And Forever by Elizabeth Scott

Gimme A Call by Sarah Mlynowski

Not That Kind Of Girl by Siobhan Vivian

Tell Me A Secret by Holly Cupala

Love & Leftovers by Sarah Tregay (signed)

Blood Born by Jamie Manning (signed)

My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick (signed)

Secret Society Girl by Diana Peterfreund (signed)

Under The Rose by Diana Peterfreund (signed)

Rites of Spring Break by Diana Peterfreund (signed)

Tap & Gown by Diana Peterfreund

When You Were Mine by Rebecca Serle (signed)

Scarlet by A. C. Gaughen (signed)

Matched by Ally Condie (signed)

Won/Gifted:

Awesome music from Bianca! I have been listening to them on repeat!

Slammed by Colleen Hoover- Thanks Momo @ Books Over Boys & Colleen! I have been so excited for this book.

BEA:

The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer

Shine by Jeri Smith-Ready (signed)

Fathomless by Jackson Pearce (signed)

The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab (signed)

The Lost Code by Kevin Emerson (signed)

Goddess Interrupted by Aimee Carter (signed)

For Darkness Shows The Stars by Diana Peterfreund (signed)

Deity by Jennifer L. Armentrout (signed)

Crewel by Gennifer Albin (signed)

The Dog Lived (And So Will I) by Teresa Rhyne (signed)

Croak by Gina Damico (signed)

Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry (signed)

Time Between Us by Tamara Ireland Stone (signed)

Ashen Winter by Mike Mullin (signed)

Burn For Burn by Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian (signed)

Ferocity Summer by Alissa Grosso (signed)

Indelible by Lani Woodland (signed)

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater (signed)

The Curiosities: A Collection Of Stories by Maggie Stiefvater, Tessa Gratton, and Brenna Yovanoff (signed)

Eternal Starling by Angela Corbett (signed)

Elemental by Emily White (signed)

Keep Holding On by Susane Colasanti (signed)

I’ll Go Home Then, It’s Warm And Has Chairs. The Unpublished E-mails by David Thorne (signed)

Pushing The Limits by Katie McGarry (signed)

Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout (signed)

Gulliver Takes Manhattan by Justin Luke Zirilli

Magisterium by Jeff Hirsch

Throne Of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

There You’ll Find Me by Jenny B. Jones

The Diviners by Libba Bray

The Wrap Up List by Steven Arntson

Undead by Kirsty McKay

Son by Lois Lowry

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

Beta by Rachel Cohn

Then Came You by Jennifer Weiner

Kiss & Make Up by Katie D. Anderson

Skinny by Donna Cooner

Enticed by Jessica Shirvington

The Peculiar by Stefan Bachmann

Speechless by Hannah Harrington

Who I Kissed by Janet Gurtler

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

The Dark Unwinding by Sharon Cameron

Beautiful Lies by Jessica Warman

 The Demon Catchers of Milan by Kat Beyer

Palace of Stone by Shannon Hale

A Mutiny In Time by James Dashner

TGIF (6)

TGIF is a fun little feature hosted at GReads! Every week we re-cap what has happened on the blog plus Ginger asks a question for us to answer. This week’s question is: 

Mr & Mrs:

Who are your favorite book couples?

It is official now, Ginger @ GReads! is trying to stump me with her questions of awesomness! I have read a lot of books. I have read a lot of books that include romance. I have read AND loved a lot of books that include romance and super awesome couples. To narrow down the list is impossible so I say, why not name them all? Here it goes!

Ashlyn & Kai from Rising Shadow by Jacquelyn Wheeler

Abby & Max from Released by Megan Duncan

Amy and Roger from Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

Amy and Avi from The Ruined series by Simone Elkeles

Clara and Tucker from Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

Anna and Ettienne St. Clair from Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Calla and REN from Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

Ethan and Lena from The Caster Chronicles series by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Lori and Adam from Endless Summer by Jennifer Echols

Meg and John from Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols

Zoey and Doug from Forget You by Jennifer Echols

Amy and Poe from The Secret Society Girl series by Diana Peterfreund

Janie and Cable from The Dream Catcher series by Lisa McMann

Isobel and Varen from Nevermore by Kelly Creagh

Evie and Lend from Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Luce and Daniel from Fallen by Lauren Kate

Clary and Jace from The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare

Brittany and Alex from Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

Kiara and Carlos from Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles

ALL major relationships from these following Sarah Dessen Books:

Along for the Ride

Lock and Key

This Lullaby

The Truth About Forever

Just Listen

Okay, there are all of my favorite relationships! These relationships stick out the most for me because they have chemistry. The characters aren’t perfect, the situations they face aren’t ideal, yet they still find an understanding with someone and from that, their love grows for each other.

This week on Katelyn’s Blog (6/24-7/1):

Happy Birthday Kati

In My Mailbox (16)

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

Tune-In Tuesday (14)

Book Review: The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

Title: The Summer I Turned Pretty (Summer #1)

Author: Jenny Han

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Pages: 276 paperback

My Rating: 3.5-4/5 stars

Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad. They are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer–they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one summer, one terrible and wonderful summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along. (Summary, courtesy of Goodreads.com)

I have been a nervous wreck trying to write this review! I honestly thought certain blogger people would track down my address, come to my home, and beat me up. This story was good, in fact it was really good but I just wasn’t feeling the love with it. SO many bloggers/readers/book nerds adore this story so I tried so very hard to love it just because I know how much others loved it but it just wasn’t happening for me.

At the beginning of the story I was extremely annoyed with the main character. Belly was whining or crying all the time and when she wasn’t doing that she was obsessing over a guy, Conrad, the oldest of the two brothers whom she shared a beach house with every summer. At first I thought Conrad was a stand-offish jerk who cared about no one but himself. I should also mention that there was a lot of confusion during the first point of the story. At one point the main character, Belly, would be a five year old and then out of nowhere she was thirteen. This last part was cleared up about 100 pages into the story when I finally noticed that the chapter headings told what age she was in that particular chapter. To say the least, the writing at the beginning of the story was a bit awkward and I had a hard time getting through it.

Now before anyone makes a rash decision to come end my life for not liking this book, hear me out. AFTER the first hundred pages or so, my views on the book changed dramatically. Belly became more mature, less whiny, and she really started to view her obsession with Conrad in a whole new light. Conrad, the object of Belly’s obsession, became a lot easier to like. His flirtatious comments and jealousy of Belly’s relationship with a new guy was totally cute. Although I was always rooting for Jeremiah, the younger, sweeter, friendlier of the two brothers, Conrad grew on my quite a bit. While the romance and the relationship between Belly and the two brothers, Conrad and Jeremiah, was a big part of the story, I found myself TOTALLY loving Belly’s relationship with Susannah, the boys’ mother. Belly has a pretty solid relationship with her mom but she is a teenager so she automatically thinks that her mom won’t understand a single thing that is why Belly confides in Susannah. She is understanding, strong-willed, easygoing, and completely lovable. I want someone like Susannah in my life so very badly because she seems to know exactly the right things to say at all the perfect times.

I also really like that this story was very beachy. I live in Michigan, the lake state, so I grew up by the water. I love stories that can depict beach scenes perfectly. Cousins Beach, whether it is a real place or not, sounds like it could quite possibly be the best place for a summer vacation!

Jenny Han did a wonderful job of mixing romance, beach scenes, some sad moments, and quite a few happy moments. While this story wasn’t THE BEST BOOK I’VE EVER READ, it was still pretty enjoyable.

Monthly Wrap-Up (May 2011)

I cannot believe that it is already June! We are half-way through the year but it feels like it has just started. The month of May was a pretty awesome month on the blog. I had the most posts in the month of May than I have ever had so far on the blog! (Woohoo!!!) Even though it was busy on the blog, I still managed to read some pretty awesome books this past month. So here’s what happened for the month of May:

Books I Read In May:

The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen

Dirty Little Secrets by C.J. Omololu

Just Listen by Sarah Dessen

Bone Dressing by Michelle L. Brooks

Sean Griswold’s Head by Lindsey Leavitt

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

*That is a total of 7 books for the month of May. I am 33% done with my goal of 100 books for the year. Een though I read my booty off I am still 8 books behind. I better step it up a notch!*

Books I Reviewed In May:

The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen. All I have to say about this one is that it is my all-time FAVORITE book, so you should probably go read the review. (beware, my review includes lots of gushing!)

This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen. As my second favorite Sarah Dessen book, This Lullaby is a story full of love, humor, and a totally goofy lead singer of a band!… (Hate Spinnerbait)

Just Listen by Sarah Dessen. I adore this book. Both the lead character and her love interest are two characters that have totally captured my heart. I guess this one can be tied with This Lullaby as my second favorite Dessen book.

Dream Smashers by Angela Carlie. I love this book to pieces. It is an honest, gripping, heart breaking story but after it breaks your heart it makes sure to fill it with inspiration & hope.

Miscellaneous Things On The Blog In May:

I had quite a few AWESOME IMM’s this past month!

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

I also had some great Tune-In and Teaser Tuesday posts this month!

(Read my Tune-in/Teaser Tuesday posts here, here, here, here, and here)

Were you beginning to wonder what was up with all the Sarah Dessen reads/reviews? Well Sarah Dessen Week took place the month of May!

(Read my Sarah Dessen Week Welcome post here)

On top of all the Sarah Dessen reviews I also made a list of authors with books similar to Sarah Dessen books!

(Read my For Fans of Sarah Dessen post here)

I also participated in another meme called TGIF. It is a lot of fun and I am so glad I joined in!

(Read my TGIF post here)

And to round off the month, I also started a new 7 week feature on the blog titled Warped Tour Weekend. I post a few bands that I will be seeing in concert in July and I ask you to vote for your favorite. It’s been lots of fun!

(Read my Warped Tour Weekend posts here and here)

Alright, there is the month of May all laid out for you. It turned out to be a pretty productive month but I am hoping to get a lot more done in June!

Follow Friday/Book Blogger Hop (1)

*This is inspired by Parajunkee so make sure you head over and join the fun!*

Give us five BOOK RELATED silly facts about you:

1. More times than not, I read the last page of the book before I start it. It is the worst habit ever and it often times ruins the surprise, but I can’t seem to stop.

2. I am an avid re-reader. I re-read books all the time. My favorites like The Truth About Forever or The Secret Society Girl series have been re-read twice, or three, or five times.

3. My bookshelf is organized; to the point where I am quite anal about it. All books are organized by author’s last name, first name, books not in a series, than books in a series IN ORDER. That way I know when sneaky little book thieves come in and try to take my lovelies.

4. I don’t have a library card and do not intend to get one (for at least a couple more years). A few years ago when I was 16, I went to go sign up with a library membership so I could get some fabulous books. They told me you needed to be 18 to get a library card;blasphemy! So now I boycott the library.

5. I won’t start reading a series until I have all published books of that series. For instance I have The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han but I wont start reading it until I have the next two books.

*This is inspired by Crazy for Books so make sure you head over there and join the fun!*

If you could physically put yourself into a book or series…which one would it be and why?

This is a hard question to answer! As far as paranormal books/series that I would love to be a part of, I would have to say Cassandra Clare’s The Mortal Instruments series. I mean come on, I’d love to kick some demon butt! For the realistic-fiction side of things it would for sure be Diana Peterfreund’s Secret Society Girl series. I would love to go to an elite college and then be a part of one of the world’s most secretive clubs.

In My Mailbox (1)

Wow! I can’t believe I am only just now starting In My Mailbox. 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. Since I have been a shopping machine lately, I have a rather big list:

Bookstore:

 Girl v. Boy by Yvonne Collins & Sandy Rideout

Beastly by Alex Flinn

Take Me There by Carolee Dean

 Spells by Aprilynne Pike

Faithful by Janet Fox (Y.A. Historical Fiction Challenge)

Choker by Elizabeth Woods (2011 Debut Author Challenge)

Firelight by Sophie Jordan

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand (2011 Debut Author Challenge)

Vixen by Jillian Larkin (Y.A. Historical Fiction Challenge)

Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick

Torment by Lauren Kate

Fade by Lisa McMann

Gone by Lisa McMann

Heist Society by Ally Carter

It’s Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

For Review:

What Can’t Wait by Ashley Perez (2011 Debut Author Challenge)<—– This book comes out in March so keep your eyes open for it!!!

One down…about a million more to go!

 If you’ve read the previous blog you would know that yesterday I slept a full 12 hours! That is pure insanity for me but I guess I really needed the rest. This is not very good, however, when you are trying to go to sleep the next night. I was up all of last night for a few reasons: 

1) My youngest brother Zeke is a monster. The child is so adorable but he can be a major pain in my butt. It was my turn to put him down for bed last night; let me just say that it was no easy task! As soon as I would put him in his crib and go back into my room, he would be out of his crib again. So to make this long, boring story short; it took me about 10 tries to actually get the kid to sleep. By this time it was around 12:30 

  2) After getting him to sleep I played my nightly game of bejeweled blitz. I just wasn’t feeling it last night so I moved to number three on my list… 

 3) I have a growing stack of books to read! It is getting to the point that I don’t even know where to put them anymore! Anyways, I am slowly but surely making my way through the mess of books I have left to read. I decided not to finish Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen since I have already read it (Yes, I will admit that I am an avid re-reader. It is just a habit I can’t seem to shake). I also put the Pretty Little Liars series on hold (see previous blog for the embarrassing details on that whole fiasco). So that left me with finishing up Something Like Fate by Susane Colasanti.

  –It is a very sweet book about a girl named Lani, whose only mission is to think of others’ feelings before her own. She is always putting her best friend, Erin, before herself, even when it comes down to Lani meeting her soul mate, Jason (he just happens to be Erin’s boyfriend. Uh-oh, someone got herself into a situation!) Like I said, it is a very sweet love story that shows just what it means to be a friend. 

3 continued) After I finished Something Like Fate, I was able to move on to one of my new purchases from Borders. I didn’t chose The Hunger Games or The Summer I Turned Pretty (even though I’m dying to read both) , because both books are parts of series and I don’t want to start them, get all excited, and then not have the next book. Since I couldn’t read those I started to read Seventeenth Summer by Maureen Daly. I am slightly confused by it. Does it take place in a different country or a different time period? Or both? I just don’t know anyone that has a crew-cut or says fellow. So it is safe to say that it is a strange book. I am staying optimistic about it though. Every time I search Young Adult books that one pops up (that must be a good sign…right?). So I am keeping my fingers crossed that tonight I can get more into that book!!   

Once I get that one read, I can start purchasing books from my Borders Wish List! I finally went through that today and started adding books to it. I only added books I have heard of before that I want to read and I am already in the forties. Just imagine all of the books that are out there that I haven’t even stumbled across yet! If I keep this habit up, I just might have to get a second job.

My name is Katelyn and I am addicted to…cheddar cheese bagels, Borders, and Bejewled Blitz

So today started of like a normal day in the Torrey household. I was woken up to my youngest brother Zeke walking around the house shouting Mom. Well since mom wasn’t home I was the second best option. After getting some breakfast ( Cheddar Cheese Bagel from Tim Hortons. It is literally the best thing I’ve ever tasted) I went to pick my sister up from practice. Once we got home I spent a majority of my afternoon playing Bejeweled Blitz on Facebook. This wouldn’t sound as pathetic if I was actually good at it. The truth is, is that I suck. I am lucky to get in the 100,000’s. After playing that game for about 2 hours straight I ran my sister out to Flint to drop her off with my dad. While out there my plan was to stop in Target to get school supplies…because sadly enough I’m buying them all myself this year (and if one more person says ‘welcome to the real world’ to me I will punch them. I’m not lying). I go through the whole entire store. I was not only depressed because I have to buy my own supplies, I was also sad because shopping by yourself is the most lonely thing someone could do. It was terrible. So after staring at the school supplies for about a half hour, I decide that my money will be better spent at Borders. What a joke. I go into Borders and my whole day just got better. I was able to look through nearly every book in the New Paperback and YA sections. Plus borders was having some good sales. I was able to pick up Seventeenth Summer by Maureen Daly, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, and The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han (<<< It was recommended by Sarah Dessen. It was obviously a no-brainer). Anyways, I got all three books for about 25 smacks. Not too bad in my opinion. However, as I am writing this I am noticing a few things:

1) I really need to control my addictions

2) I spent $25 none of which went towards school

3) I yet again cannot stay on track with what I have planned for the day

Clearly I have some issues that I need to solve!