The Best of 2012!

2012 was an absolutely AWESOME year of books for me! I had such good look with many of the books I read. This past year I really branched out of my comfort zone as far as my reading taste goes. I slowly started to get more into the mature YA and NA books that were popping up like crazy. After having awesome luck with a few, I read as many as I could fit in. I also began seeing some of my blogging friends dipping their toes into the world of adult books and since I trust their opinions with my bookish life, I decided to give it a try. Some positive reviews led me to purchase a few and falling in love with those few led me to purchasing a whole lot more and boy am I glad that I did! Out of the 85 books I was able to squeeze into 2012, I gave 5 stars to nearly 40 of those books, crazy I know!!!! Below are all the books that I loved & adored with all of my heart in 2012. Clicking the picture will lead you to the Goodreads page of that particular book unless I had the chance to review it on the blog, if so, the picture will lead you to the review!

In no certain order, the best books of 2012:

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

 

Did you get a chance to read any of these titles in 2012? Did you love them as much as I did? Are there any books you would recommend to me for 2013?

Happy Halloween + Giveaway!

Happy Halloween to all of you! This is one of my favorite holidays for a number of reasons all of which make me seem like a legit 5-year old.

-First up is the costumes. I LOVE dressing up so very much! Even though my friends and I are completely lame and do not get invited to any parties (Sidenote: What is up with this? I know we are obnoxious, annoying, and slightly loud sometimes but we attempt to be amusing sometimes…), we still love to dress up in crazy/silly/funny costumes and go trick-or-treating in them (Sidenote: Since we are past the acceptable age of trick-or-treating, we like to hand out the candy now using the following philosophy: one for them, two for me.)

-Second is the candy! I was born with not one but ten sweet teeth. I am a picky eater but sugar is the one food group I eat with practically no complaints.

-Next is the classic Halloween movies like Hocus Pocus, Casper, The Adams Family, and The Goonies. Even though I’ve seen each of these movies more times than I can count, I still get all giddy every time ABC Family plays them on their 13 Nights of Halloween!

-And last but not least, there are the spooky stories! I am a HUGE baby so I make sure the books I read aren’t that freaky but I still manage to come across a few that remind me of Halloween. Over the past couple of years, this blog has led me to a number of great books. There have been books about demons, witches, werewolves, ghosts, vampires, and everything in between!

So in honor of my favorite holiday I am giving away one of my favorite spook-tastic books! Below you will find a list of books that while they may not be super scary, they help put me in the mood for Halloween time!

     

     

   

Giveaway Details:

-This giveaway is open internationally as long as The Book Depository ships to you

-Giveaway ends on 11/7

-Winner will receive their choice of one of the books listed above

Click this link to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway!

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

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!!!!!

Re-Cap: RT Teen Day

YOU GUYS!!!!! Are you ready for a post in which I tell you all about the awesome adventure I went on? You better be because there is a ton of WIN in the following novel-ish re-cap of Teen Day (beware: lots of !!!!!!! and ALL CAPS ahead)!

Teen Day was quite possibly the most fun I have ever had! I got to meet so many bloggers, authors, other random bookish people; it was just pure brilliance! Here’s how the trip went down:

Kati and I left Michigan early Friday morning. After getting lost only about 3 times (all my fault), we arrived in Chicago at around 1:30, checked in at the hotel, then proceeded to get lost in the city (also my fault). We got to see a whole lot of the city but what we really wanted was The Cheesecake Factory. It was hours later when we finally realized that the book signing we were going to that night was in fact an hour away (again, my fault). We somehow found The Cheesecake Factory, Cookie Dough for me and Lemon Raspberry for Kati, and then we were off.

We got lost on our way to the book store (you guessed it, my fault) but we managed to get there with a few minutes to spare. Kati and I took our places managing to cause a little bit of a scene which may or may not have included me tripping over my purse (don’t ask) and then making friends with a guy behind us who I have seen at a previous book signing. Some of my very favorite bloggers were at this event, and since my navigation skills suck hard-core, I was not able to see them before hand. Lynn (Bringing the Epic) and Laci (Blog-O-Rama) were some of the few lovely ladies wondering where the heck I was (never fear, I was only sitting in the back…behind very tall people *insert sad face*). The authors, Veronica Rossi (Under The Never Sky), Tahereh Mafi (Shatter Me), Anna Carey (Eve), and Cynthia Hand (Unearthly, Hallowed ) talked about their books, they were insanely funny and super sweet, then we got in line for the signing. Kati and I made lame jokes to one another the whole time and probably drove everyone else in line completely crazy.

After getting everything signed, I was FINALLY able to talk with everyone! The bloggers that were at this event were: Laci (Blog-O-Rama), Jamie (The Broke and the Bookish/The Perpetual Page-Turner), Heidi (YA Bibliophile), Kristi (The Story Siren), Anna (Anna Reads), Lynn (Bringing The Epic), Jasmine (The Reading Housewives of Indiana), Jacinda (The Reading Housewives of Indiana), Jen (Makeshift Bookmark), Tara (Fiction Folio). I will be honest, I was totally freaking the eff out! They might not have known who I was at the time but I knew of them (not literally of course, but from their SUPER AWESOME blogs) and I was finally seeing them in person! It is so crazy to finally meet someone you talk to on a regular basis, or see someone who writes a blog you read all the time, in actual person! Seriously you guys, I was basically in awe by how lovely, funny, and sweet these bloggers all were. (I’ll stop sounding creepy right about…now)

After we took a group shot, Laci, Jacinda, Jasmine, Kati, and I all went out to eat. I am pretty sure that at this point we were all so hungry we may have considered gnawing on the super cool recycled straws at the table. During dinner we talked about Jasmine’s SUPER tiny town (seriously, one cop!?!? And come on, how does this ONE COP manage to get his squad car stolen?),Jacinda’s (and my grandma’s) inability to pay attention when being talked to, Salt ‘n’ Pepa, and probably a whole lot more randomness. They were so funny and we all had a genuinely brilliant time, but mostly I was still super excited that I finally got to meet them. And then, what’s dinner without the desert (so what if I had cheesecake just hours before!)? We went to this tiny gelato place and it was so good! After that we went back to our hotels to get some rest before our next crazy day!

Saturday was the actual event. Kati and I got up and ready, I decided to rebel against dry floors by soaking our bathroom while showering (this made Kati…upset), we ate delicious waffles made by yours truly, and then we were off again. We got lost again (yes, my fault but I also blame the city’s super sucky “Parking Ramp This Way” signs). We managed to find a parking spot a whole half mile from the event, got my bags of books and headed in. So of course we arrived pretty early but an hour late in bookish people timing. We got redirected a million and one times, Kati asked Kimberly Derting if we were in the right line to check in (we were not, it was the Starbucks line), but we finally made it. And after waiting for forever, they finally let us in.

Holy AMAZEBALLS! I have never seen so many people in love with books in one place before. It was amazing for lack of a better term. We got to the Teen Author section and this is where everything is a bit of a blur. I met SO MANY people that I could hardly keep my head on straight. Stacey Kade, Kimberly Derting, Kristi Cook, Rosemary Clement-Moore, Nancy Holder, Charlotte Bennardo, Natalie Zaman, Jennifer Armentrout, Ally Carter, Kiera Cass, Elizabeth Cheryl, Tera Lynn Childs, Sophie Jordan, Stephanie Kuehnert, Alyson Noel, Erica O’Rourke, Jeri Smith-Ready, Stephanie Perkins, just to name a few (yes I do consider that list a “few”). The list goes on and on and on… I wish I could tell you all about every super awesome person I got to meet but we’d be here for forever, seriously! But I will say this, I got to meet nearly every YA author there, and I was truly blown away by how generous, sweet, and all-around awesome they were. Every time Kati and I went up to a table, the author was so quick to start a conversation with us regardless of how socially awkward we both are. I still can’t get over how great this part of the day was.

After checking out of the book signing and paying for the crap-load of books I bought, we finally took the stuff back to the car (which, if you remembered, was a half-mile away. FUN!). I regained some feeling in my arms at this point and we headed back into the convention. There were then three sessions of panels and author events you could choose to go to. We first went to the Author Speed Dating session. This was so much fun! There were about 20 tables set up and you sat at one of them for the whole time. The authors rotated between all the tables every three minutes. Many of the authors remembered Kati and I from the book signing (what can I say, we are incredibly lame and hard to forget) and then we were able to make friends with the new ones we hadn’t met yet. After this we attended two sessions of Author Speed Reading. Each author had a short amount of time to read a section from one of their books. It was great to hear a little bit of each of their stories but the authors teased us so much!

Finally it was time for the Teen Party!!! We got in line again (they really liked lines at this place!) but it wasn’t for too long. Teens at this event got an awesome bag filled with books (heck yes for being a teenager!!!). There was food set up, a psychic in one corner, a face painter in another, and then there were authors crawling all over the place! It was the perfect time to chow down on cupcakes and take pictures with some of your favorite authors. Kati and I got to take pictures with Stacey Kade, Stephanie Perkins, Franny Billingsley, and Kimberly Derting, and then we even got a few more of our new books signed! After making our rounds around the room 20+ times and stalking just about every author there was to stalk, it was time to head out. *sad face*

The whole day, as you can clearly see was SO FANTASTIC! It was the first big bookish thing I have ever been to and it honestly couldn’t have been a better first experience. I will definitely be going to it again in the future.

After the event, we had food (…again! Obviously we like to eat.) and went back to the hotel to pass the out. We woke up, packed up, and then headed into the city for our very last time. We got to spend a few hours exploring Chicago and seeing all sorts of cool things. This was Kati’s first “real” time in the city so I just HAD to show her all the great things in Millennium Park. All too soon, we had to head home. It was a long drive but we finally made it. Visiting Chicago and attending the RT Convention was one of the greatest trips I have ever been on. I was so excited to go to a fun place with Kati, I learned that I was one crap-tastic navigator, I was able to meet so many AMAZING bloggers and authors, and I got a whole slew of new books and swag; what could be better?

And now, a slideshow of the whole thing!!!!

p.s. This song’s for you Ginger! (I sooo wish you could have been there! One day, we’ll meet and it’ll be epic)

TGIF (33)

There once was an awesome blogger named Ginger and she decided to create a super fun feature where fellow bloggers would answer fabulous questions via blog posts every Friday. TGIF was born and we all have Miss Ginger at GReads! to thank for that! This week’s question is:

2012 Must Reads:

Which books are at the top of your list to be read this year (new or old releases)?

If I were to answer this question fully, you guys would be here for days reading over the titles I am most looking forward to! There are a ton of books, lots of new ones and even more old ones, that I want to read hopefully this year. I wish I could move every book to the top of my TBR list but I have not figured out where to obtain those super human powers yet!

I guess first and foremost, the top books on my TBR list this year are my review books! Right now I still have a huge pile of books (hard-copies and e-books) that need to be read for reviews. I will be the very first to admit that I sucked it up near the end of 2011. I am working my butt off trying to catch up on all my review books and so far it is kind of working! (Key-phrasing in that last sentence of course being “kind of”) Some of these titles that needed to be read like yesterday are:

Dark Days by C.A. Kunz

All These Things I’ve Done by Gabrielle Zevin

Trade Secrets by Yvonne Collins and Sandy Rideout

The Knife and the Butterfly by Ashley Hope Perez

Now there is the list of books that I own but have really not been read yet. I am officially (as of a few days ago) on a book buying ban. I really, really, really want to get through a few titles before I buy more books. The goal is that for every five “older” books that I read, I am allowed to purchase ONE book. I may have to remind myself of this rule a few thousand times but I hope it works because I now have 162 titles to work through! Some of the books at home that I want to read super bad are:

Sirenz by Natalie Zaman and Charlotte Bennardo

Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready

Queen of the Dead by Stacey Kade

A Touch Mortal by Leah Clifford

Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn’t Have) by Sarah Mlynowski

Last on the list are the books I have for my challenges this coming up year! I have already mentioned several times how excited I am to actually complete all the challenges I signed up for so naturally I am pumped to read all of the books! You can check out the full list of books I hope to read on my 2012 Challenges tab but a few of the titles I can’t wait for are:

Forgiven by Janet Fox

Welcome, Caller, This Is Chloe by Shelley Coriell

Of Poseidon by Anna Banks

The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison

This week on Kate’s Tales of Books and Bands (1/6-1/13):

TGIF (32) All of my reading and blogging goals for the year!

Life As Kate (13) An actual good week! This is odd for me!

My New Name!!! My blog gets a new name and it’s all thanks to you guys!

Loving Emily by Anne Pfeffer + Author Interview <<< I LOVED this book!

Tune In Tuesday (42) This week features The Cab, one of my favorite bands!

A Touch Awesome Blog Tour + Sign Ups – If you guys have read A Touch Mortal by Leah Clifford (or can read it within the next week like me!!!) I would LOVE it if you signed up. It’s the first ever tour I have hosted!

In My Mailbox (23)

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. I have been 1) extremely lazy….err, I mean BUSY and 2) my mailbox has been overflowing with awesomeness so this week’s IMM is actually 3 weeks in one which means LOTS OF BOOKS! Also, I am kind of changing the way I do my IMM posts to make them a bit easier to read. I hope it helps!

Won:

The amazing girls over at Mint Tea and A Good Book (an AWESOME blog to go check out if you haven’t already) had a sister themed giveaway and I was so psyched to find out that I won! Thank you ladies for allowing me to add these wonderful books to my home library! For the giveaway I won:

Ten Rules for Living with my Sister by Ann M. Martin

My Thoughts: This book sounds absolutely delightful! My older sister was out of the house when I was growing up so I am used to being the one in charge. I am so excited to read about a younger sibling!

Peace, Love, and Baby Ducks by Lauren Myracle

My Thoughts: I am so thrilled this was one of the books that I won! I can already to relate to the main character and I haven’t even begun reading the actual story yet!

Sass & Serendipity by Jennifer Ziegler (signed)

My Thoughts: This sounds like the cutest book ever! Watching two sisters deal with their emotions regarding two different guys is going to be awesome!

Next is a HUGE, AWESOME, EXTRAORDINARY pile of books that I won from Bailey at IB Book Blogging! She had this awesome blogoversary giveaway that puts all other blogoversary giveaways (including my own!) to shame! She sent over 10 ARC’s and some awesome swag! Thank you so much Bailey!

The Jewel and the Key by Louise Spiegler

My Thoughts: If you know me at all, you know that I love a good book about time travel. I am really interested in seeing what this book has to offer!

Dark Eden by Patrick Carman

My Thoughts: Oh my goodness! This one sounds freaky, mysterious, and haunting! I can’t wait to see what it is all about!

Reel Life Starring Us by Lisa Greenwald

My Thoughts: I could not think of a more perfect story for YA/MG girls! It sounds like a touching book about friends, popularity, understanding, etc. I am sure this will be one that I share with my younger sister!

Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick by Joe Schreiber

My Thoughts: This seems like it could be a funny, unique, action-packed story plus I am loving that the MC is a guy!

You Are My Only by Beth Kephart

My Thoughts: This one sounds like it is going to be a tear-jerker for sure! I can’t wait to read it!

Perfect by Ellen Hopkins

My Thoughts: In all honesty, I am a  bit nervous to start this book! I have heard wonderful things about Ellen’s books but I also know they are like big, winding, twisty emotional roller coasters.

Shut Out by Kody Keplinger

My Thoughts: I know I already have this book once but hey, I am excited about this still! A war against high school guys and girls sounds amazing!

Family by Micol Ostow

My Thoughts: My gosh this book sounds amazing! I don’t usually go for books that are dark and creepy like this but I am SO EXCITED to read it!

Reasons to Be Happy by Katrina Kittle

My Thoughts: This sounds like the greatest mix of sad and happy. The summary shows how this book covers tougher issues but then on the back of the book there is a quirky little list of “Reasons to Be Happy” and you can tell it is going to have it’s lighter moments too!

Going Underground by Susan Vaught

My Thoughts: I am POSITIVE that this is the best giveaway I have ever won. This book sounds amazing too! I love that it deals with texting explicit pictures. That is such a big issue in society today so I can’t wait to see how it is portrayed in this book!

Bought:

The first three books I got when the Borders sale went from 25% to 30%. I cried when I walked into Borders that day. Seriously, I can’t believe Borders will soon be gone for good!

Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder

My Thoughts: Can I just say that I am SO PUMPED to read my first verse novel?!?! Everyone raves about Lisa Schroeder all of the time so I think she is a good first choice!

Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready

My Thoughts: Ok, I am convinced that this book will soon be a favorite for me. Just last week I couldn’t log onto Twitter without seeing a million tweets about this book!

Wildefire by Karsten Knight

My Thoughts: Karsten is one of my favorite authors and I haven’t even read anything by him yet! His vlogs are the funniest things ever created. This sounds like a new, unique, refreshing paranormal book!

The rest of these “bought” books were from my latest trip to Borders (yesterday). I got a ton of books at 50% off. While I still am extremely sad my favorite store will be closing, I loved all the good sales!

How to Ditch Your Fairy by Justine Larbalestier

My Thoughts: This was CHEAP and it sounds pretty cute. I am sure it will be a while before I actually get to read it but I just couldn’t pass it up!

The Education of Hailey Kendrick by Eileen Cook

My Thoughts: This one sounds like a book I’d love! I good girl getting caught in a bad act, that is something a lot of us go through!

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

My Thoughts: A few people who I know were a bit apprehensive about reading this book but then ended up loving it. The whole premise sounds SO GOOD!

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

My Thoughts: This sounds like the most hilarious book ever. It is like Miss USA meets Survivor. I cannot wait to read it!!!

Coffeehouse Angel by Suzanne Selfors

My Thoughts: This book was another one that was super cheap and sounded cute. It sounds like a light, fun read PLUS I love me some coffee :)

Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler

My Thoughts: Books that deal with mother and daughter relationships are usually somewhat hard for me to read however I truly believe that I will love this one!

Take A Vacation! by The Young Veins

My Thoughts: This isn’t a book but it is music (my other love) so I just had to include it! Have any of you heard of The Young Veins before? Well I sure as heck haven’t so I am anxious to hear them!

Borrowed:

Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

My Thoughts: Kati, my best friend is so kindly allowing me to read her copy of this book. She said it is one of her favorite books! Does that mean I am anxious to read it? Well, heck yes it sure does!

That’s it for the past couple weeks! Thanks for stopping by. Let me know what you think of the book that I got and don’t forget to leave a link to your IMM post!