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 (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!!!!!

In My Mailbox (29)

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!

The last IMM I posted was all the way back in November! Yeah, it is safe to say the holidays definitely got in the way but I am hoping to keep up with the weekly IMMs from now on. Since I missed almost two full months, this IMM is going to be a lot of craziness! Let’s take a look at what I got!!!

For Review:

Unbreakable Love by Angela Carling

Loving Emily by Anne Pfeffer

Dark Days by C.A. Kunz

Trade Secrets by Yvonne Collins & Sandy Rideout (e-book)

The Knife and the Butterfly by Ashley Hope Perez (e-book)

Settling by Shelley Workinger (e-book)

Bought:

Books

Don’t Expect Magic by Kathy McCullough

Winter’s Kiss: The Ex Games by Jennifer Echols and The Twelve Dates of Christmas by Catherine Hapka

Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins

The DUFF by Kody Keplinger

Supernaturally by Kiersten White

Beautiful Chaos by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Queen of the Dead by Stacey Kade

The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May & June by Robin Benway

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

Switched by Amanda Hocking

A Touch Mortal by Leah Clifford

Hush Money by Susan Bischoff (e-book)

Impulse Control by Susan Bischoff (e-book)

Indigo Blues by Danielle Joseph (e-book)

Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey (e-book)

Then Came You by Jennifer Weiner (e-book)

My Thoughts: I got some great deals over some awesome books the past couple months however I am now on a book buying ban! There are just too many things I am saving up for plus I now have enough books to last me a lifetime!

Music

Dashboard Confessional

Anberlin

Thriving Ivory

Ryan Adams

Fitz and the Tantrums

Foster The People

The Summer Set

My Thoughts: Can you tell that I ran into some deals at the CD store? All of their used CDs were super cheap plus if you bought 3, you got the 4th one free!

Gifted/Won:

From Alexa @ AlexaLovesBooks

Moonglass by Jessi Kirby

The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

Chocolates & a card!

My Thoughts: Alexa is one freaking awesome book blogger (and not just because she sent me a super sweet gift!) She never fails to make my days brighter and the day I got this lovely package in the mail was no different. My brother managed to eat both chocolate bars she sent me but I am sure they were delicious! The card was so dang sweet and I cannot wait to read these books!

From Laci @ LovePassionBooks

Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

Fever by Lauren DeStefano

A Taylor Swift card!

My Thoughts: Laci completely surprised me for my birthday! She saw it was my birthday on Twitter and offered to send me two books. I was stunned and so thankful when I got these two in the mail. Plus, she just knows me so well, she got a TAYLOR SWIFT birthday card!!! This made me smile big time :)

From Cyndi @ Dog-Eared and Bookmarked

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Twilight Saga journal set

A Winter Song CD

Water For Elephants Soundtrack

A Christmas Song CD

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Soundtrack

A hand-made scarf & a card!!!

My Thoughts: Cyndi is so full of amazing, I wish I could just hug her! She had been teasing me on Twitter for FOREVER about the gift she was sending me and when it finally got here I cried. Seriously. She was so extremely generous and thoughtful with her gift, it totally made my day!

From Jamie Manning @ Writers Write, Right?

A singed Eternal Starling bookmark from Angela Corbett

My Thoughts: I am not entirely sure how I got this or even why, but hey it is a gorgeous, signed bookmark; I am NOT complaining!

From my Dad and Stepmom:

Books

A New Bookshelf

Babe in Boyland by Jody Gehrman

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

New stationary so I can write letters to all of my blogging friends!

Music

Grace Potter & The Nocturnals

Tenth Avenue North

The Fray

The Cab

My Thoughts: I love my dad and stepmom so much! They spoiled me on my birthday and Christmas and I couldn’t be happier :)

From my Mom:

City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

My Thoughts: It may have taken a while to convince my mom that it was actually okay to buy me books for Christmas but once she finally understood, she made an excellent decision! I can’t wait to continue on with this series.

From my Grandma:

Books

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

$25 gift card to Barnes & Noble

My Thoughts: My grandma also did good with the book choice this year! I haven’t read the first of The Infernal Devices but when I do, I now have the second to immediately follow-up with!

Music

Plain White T’s

The All-American Rejects

My Thoughts: Last time I asked for an All-American Rejects CD from my grandma, she got me an Alter Bridge CD. They are COMPLETELY different! I was so happy she could find the right ones this time around!

From my Aunts & Uncles:

Overprotected by Jennifer Laurens

Bookmark pens

The Nook!

My Thoughts: I am thrilled I got an awesome book and bookmarks but I am even more thrilled that I now have my very own Nook! I was very adamant that I would hate an e-reader, but I now love having one! Go figure!

So that’s a ton of great books that I got the past couple of months! Since it is going to take a lot of time to read those, I am officially putting myself under a book buying ban. It should be interesting to say the least. Don’t forget to leave a link to your IMM post in the comment section and I will be sure to check it out!

TGIF (30)

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:

Dear Santa:

Which books made it to your Christmas wish list this year?

I think the easiest thing to ask would be “Which books DIDN’T make it to your Christmas wish list this year?” Every year I try to come up with books I want but fail to formulate a really awesome list. Random times throughout the whole year I think  “Oh my, I really really really want that book,” and by the time Christmas rolls around, I have forgotten which one it was.

However, I tried to be better this year (keyword-TRIED)! At the beginning of the year I put my sticky note app on the computer to good use! Every time I added a book to my TBR list on Goodreads, I thought to myself “Do I want this book or do I REALLY want this book?” If I really wanted it, I put it on the sticky note so I wouldn’t forget about it months later. Of course if I was out sometime shopping and happened to buy one, three, or ten of the books on my list, that was okay because I was constantly adding more, right? Wrong! (Well right about constantly adding more books, wrong about it working out okay)

Imagine my shock when my grandma asked me what I wanted for Christmas last month and I soon realized I had purchased most of the books on my wish list. I went into panic overdrive. Seriously, I was coming up with a complete blank on which books I wanted. After hours, and yes I mean hours, of deliberating, I decided I should do the smart thing and ask for books that would finish out a series for me. I have the first or second books to many series but do not have the whole thing so I asked for books like Cascade and Torrent by Lisa T. Bergren or Beautiful Chaos by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins, Queen of the Dead by Stacey Kade, Perfect Fifths by Megan McCafferty were some more among the list. Keep in mind this was only for my grandma! Then I had my mom, stepmom, three aunts, and friends asking what I wanted!

This is the point where I was about ready to pull my hair out so I got organized. I got on Goodreads, went through all the books I have read. If it was part of the series and I didn’t already own the rest of the books, they went on the list. If I owned parts of the series (and have NOT read them yet) then the rest of that series also went on the list. Then I went through books on my 2011 DAC list to see which ones I missed this past year but still wanted to read. After that, I quickly scrolled through the 1000+ books on my TBR list on Goodreads and came up with some random ones that I wanted! This was quite the production once everything was all said and done. Some random books that made it to my list were:

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

Bad Taste In Boys by Carrie Harris

Overprotected by Jennifer Laurens

The Liar Society by Lisa & Laura Roecker

The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May, & June by Robin Benway

Even though I have all of these awesome titles (and more) on my Christmas wish list this year, the chances that I will receive any of them are slim to none. See, the issue with my family is they think that getting me books is too boring or predictable (or some other wacky excuse). They like to do anything in their power not to buy me books. This whole thing baffles me! Last year my wish list was a lot less complicated but I still had a ton of good choices. How many books do you think I got for Christmas? ONE! I got one whole book for Christmas. So unless the guy in red has a few extra books lying around, I will most likely be buying my own bookish presents this year.

And just to show how insane I really was with the Christmas list this year, I have evidence!

This week on Katelyn’s Blog (12/16-12/23):

TGIF (29): Crazy blog stats and my most popular posts!

Life As Kate (10) Making up for lost time and more craziness!

Bad News…: My good friend Stacey was in a pretty bad car accident. Everyone’s kind words, prayers, and well wishes have made a world of difference. Thank you!

Tune In Tuesday (39) Part 1: The bands I would LOVE to see in concert!

25 Days of Jubilation: Tune In Tuesday Part 2 + Giveaway: My top 10 favorite nontraditional holiday songs PLUS an international giveaway!

TGIF (24)

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:

Love-Hate Relationship:

Which characters from a book do you love to hate?

When I first sat down to write this post, I quickly went over the list of books I have read. Out of the books from the past two years, I have been introduced to a TON of characters. Some great, others not so much. When I tried coming up with the ones that I love to hate, only one character truly came to mind.

This character is gorgeous. She has the looks and boys flock to her. She has a sweet tooth, much like myself and LOVES to get her way. She has fun making boys squirm. And let’s not forget how much endless pleasure she takes in causing problems. Have you guessed who I am talking about yet?

I LOVE the character of Ridley in the super amazing Caster Chronicle series by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl! Ridley is a complex character and at the beginning she is so easy to hate. I found myself wanting to shake her and tell her to stop trying to ruin everyone’s lives. But she eventually grew on me and now I don’t think the books would have as much charm if not for her scandals. Ridley causes so much drama in so little time and I love her for that. She has a certain spark about her and although she has turned to the dark side, I am always secretly rooting that she will turn out good (but still have the bad-girl spunk!)

So who is your favorite character that you love to hate? Let me know what you think of Ridley in the comments section and I’ll be sure to check out your TGIF post!

This Week on Katelyn’s Blog (11/4-11/11):

TGIF (23) Gateway Books

Life As Kate (5) Randomness mixed with woodland elves

In My Mailbox (28)

The Pull of Gravity by Gae Polisner

Tune In Tuesday (33) A song dedicated to me…kind of!

My Life Undecided by Jessica Brody

Just Contemporary: Tough Stuff + Guest Post

TGIF (22)

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:

Spooktacular Reads:

Which books do you consider festive Halloween reads? Which stories have chilled you to the bone?

I would like to think that I am a tough person who can handle scary books but in reality I am a big, big baby. However, I have managed to sneak in a few creepy books and by somewhat of a shock, I actually enjoyed them. The first couple are books that just really freaked me out. The rest are ones that have Halloween-ish elements in them (a.k.a. Paranormal books that I find to be totally, freaking awesome!!!)

Lockdown by Alexander Gordon Smith

I just read this one. HOLY FREAKING CREEPY!

The Dead of Summer by Camilla Way

I read this one over a year ago and I STILL think of how twisted that story is!

Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

Of course fighting off demons with swords can be considered a great Halloween read!

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

This is a book about a girl who can sense dead bodies, FREAKY!

Bone Dressing by Michelle Brooks

This book is more of a love story but the main characters do spend quite a bit of time in the cemetary which is ALWAYS good for freaking people out.

Beautiful Creatures + Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Both of these books a million times YES! Everything about them shouts great Halloween read! Plus Ethan and Lena…I <3 those two!

The Childe by C.A. Kunz

This is the PERFECT book for this time of year. It definitely makes me think of one of those cool made for TV movies that ABC Family always has this time of year. It could totally be right up there with Hocus Pocus!

The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade

I love me some Stacey Kade! You can’t have Halloween without a friendly little ghost (or in this case, a spoiled little ghost who wants things to go her way!)

Nevermore by Kelly Creagh

I was so surprised by how much I loved this book that is based so heavily on Edgar Allen Poe. This story is dark, creepy, and twisted, what more could you want?!?

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

I don’t think this one has anything to do with this time of year but I think it is a phenomenal paranormal book!

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Oh yes, definitely a great paranormal book that is perfect for reading this time of year!

Released by Megan Duncan

Demon slaying people on the run? YES please!

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

Oh how I love this book! Another great paranormal book that has NOTHING to do with Halloween but you should read anyway!

So what do you think? Are any of these on your list of books to read during Halloween time?

This week on Katelyn’s Blog (10/21-10/28):

TGIF (21)

Life As Kate (4)

Past Perfect by Leila Sales

Tune In Tuesday (31)

Destined by P.C. & Kristin Cast Book Trailer + Giveaway!!!

In My Mailbox (24)

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 had a HUGE case of the lazies the past couple weeks so this IMM is actually three weeks in one (are you starting to sense a theme here?). I have got lots of great books so let’s check them out!

For Review:

Changing My Wardrobe by Deb Hanrahan

My Thoughts: This sounds like the perfect experience of every high school student. There are ups and downs and this wonderful book will explore it.

The Hidden Sun by J. Lloyd Morgan

My Thoughts: The time of kings, princesses, love, and lies. This one sounds so great PLUS it will be the first time I have ever participated in a legit blog tour! To say I am excited is a bit of an understatement gov’ner!

Lockdown: Escape From Furnace by Alexander Gordon Smith

My Thoughts: Creepy, creepy, and creepier are the three words I’d use to describe this book. I can’t wait!

The Hero Always Wins by Robert Eaton

My Thoughts: A book about fighting, heroes, and knights, count me in! It sounds interesting!

Gifted/Won:

Want to Go Private? by Sarah Darer Littman

My Thoughts: Thank you, thank you, thank you my darling Ashley @ Books From Bleh To Basically Amazing! This book is one I know I can share with my younger sister to (hopefully) help her make some better choices when she is online!

Beautiful Darkness poster signed by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

My Thoughts: Thanks Once Upon a Twilight for this awesome SIGNED poster! I didn’t even realize I had won it so it was a really pleasant surprise!

Bought:

The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg

My Thoughts: I have already read and adored, loved, obsessed about this book way too much so I just needed to get my own copy. I couldn’t pass up the sales at Borders! Read my review of this AWESOME book right here!

Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty

My Thoughts: I read this. In less than 48 hours. And loved it! My review should be up later this week (possibly tomorrow) so be sure to stop by and check it out!

Fourth Comings by Megan McCafferty

My Thoughts: I am very much aware that I only have the 1st and 4th books of the series BUT Borders only had these two so I got them while they were so cheap. The guy at the checkout had some issues ringing this book up so he just tossed it in the bag without charging me for it. The awesome book-giver-awayers (<<< I am pretty sure that is not a real word but that is the best I could come up with) will be missed dearly.

On the Bright Side, I’m Now the Girlfriend of a Sex God by Louise Rennison

My Thoughts: I have not even picked up the first book in this series yet but come on, I’ve seen the movie and if I enjoyed it way more than any 18-year-old should, then there is no doubt I will love the book series!

Pemberley Ranch by Jack Caldwell

My Thoughts: 1) This was clearly an impulse buy 2) I got it because I thought it would be something I could read with my grandma 3) Does it make me a nerd that I look for books to read with my grandma? 4) Am I the only person who thinks this sounds like Pride and Prejudice meets Gone With The Wind?

Are You Going to Kiss Me Now? by Sloane Tanen

My Thoughts: So I was at Barnes and Noble the other night (sidenote: please be aware that I have a large distaste for Barnes and Noble but must now go there for book buying purposes because of the sudden and heart-breaking closure of Borders) and saw this cover, thought it looked cute, read the back cover, thought it sounded cute, and then proceeded to buy it even though I have placed a very strict, non-discussable book-buying-ban on myself (trying to save up for BEA next year, heck yeah!). Yes, I have major problems.

Not That Kind of Girl by Siobhan Vivian

My Thoughts: I want to read this RIGHT NOW! I am thinking of taking a “review break” for the month of October so I can catch up on some fun, stress-free books. This one will be at the top of my list for ones to get through during  that month!

Okay, that’s all the books I got from the past few weeks! Leave a link in the comments section and I’ll be sure to check out your IMM as well!

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)

In My Mailbox (7)

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. Here is my list of books I got this week. This is IMM number 7 and I was feeling kind of lucky this week! (All summaries are courtesy of Goodreads.com):

Bought:

Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

This debut, the first novel in a trilogy, is achingly romantic, terrifying, and filled with blistering action.

When seventeen-year-old Ellie starts seeing reapers – monstrous creatures who devour humans and send their souls to Hell – she finds herself on the front lines of a supernatural war between archangels and the Fallen and faced with the possible destruction of her soul.

A mysterious boy named Will reveals she is the reincarnation of an ancient warrior, the only one capable of wielding swords of angelfire to fight the reapers, and he is an immortal sworn to protect her in battle. Now that Ellie’s powers have been awakened, a powerful reaper called Bastian has come forward to challenge her. He has employed a fierce assassin to eliminate her – an assassin who has already killed her once.

While balancing her dwindling social life and reaper-hunting duties, she and Will discover Bastian is searching for a dormant creature believed to be a true soul reaper. Bastian plans to use this weapon to ignite the End of Days and to destroy Ellie’s soul, ending her rebirth cycle forever. Now, she must face an army of Bastian’s most frightening reapers, prevent the soul reaper from consuming her soul, and uncover the secrets of her past lives – including truths that may be too frightening to remember.

My Thoughts: Well first off, congrats to Courtney for the awesome book launch. I am so extremely happy that I was able to attend that event! Courtney was able to sign & personalize the book (eek!!!) and she also read an excerpt from her book! If the summary isn’t enough to just completely draw you in, then I don’t know what is! It just sounds like a kick-butt book!

Generation Dead  by Daniel Waters

Phoebe Kendall is just your typical Goth girl with a crush. He’s strong and silent…and dead.

All over the country, a strange phenomenon is occurring. Some teenagers who die aren’t staying dead. But when they come back to life, they are no longer the same. Feared and misunderstood, they are doing their best to blend into a society that doesn’t want them.
The administration at Oakvale High attempts to be more welcoming of the “differently biotic.” But the students don’t want to take classes or eat in the cafeteria next to someone who isn’t breathing. And there are no laws that exist to protect the “living impaired” from the people who want them to disappear—for good.

When Phoebe falls for Tommy Williams, the leader of the dead kids, no one can believe it; not her best friend, Margi, and especially not her neighbor, Adam, the star of the football team. Adam has feelings for Phoebe that run much deeper than just friendship; he would do anything for her. But what if protecting Tommy is the one thing that would make her happy?

My Thoughts: I chose this book for the A-Z challenge. A zombie love story is most definitely something I have NOT read yet so I am pretty darn excited to actually have my own copy!

Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John

The Challenge: Piper has one month to get the rock band Dumb a paying gig.

The Deal: If she does it, Piper will become the band’s manager and get her share of the profits.

The Catch: How can Piper possibly manage one egomaniacal pretty boy, one talentless piece of eye candy, one crush, one silent rocker, and one angry girl? And how can she do it when she’s deaf?

Piper can’t hear Dumb’s music, but with growing self-confidence, a budding romance, and a new understanding of the decision her family made to buy a cochlear implant for her deaf baby sister, she discovers her own inner rock star and what it truly means to be a flavor of Dumb.

My Thoughts: This is perhaps the most unique sounding book I have picked up in a long time! I mean come on… a deaf girl managing a band!?! This book just screams awesomeness at me.

So Shelly by Ty Roth

Until now, high school junior, John Keats, has only tiptoed near the edges of the vortex that is schoolmate and literary prodigy, Gordon Byron. That is, until their mutual friend, Shelly, drowns in a sailing accident.

After stealing Shelly’s ashes from her wake at Trinity Catholic High School, the boys set a course for the small Lake Erie island where Shelly’s body had washed ashore and to where she wished to be returned. It would be one last “so Shelly” romantic quest. At least that’s what they think. As they navigate around the obstacles and resist temptations during their odyssey, Keats and Gordon glue together the shattered pieces of Shelly’s and their own pasts while attempting to make sense of her tragic and premature end.

My Thoughts: Well this book wasn’t on my original 2011 Debut Author Challenge list (I must have been on something to not add this book to the list!) It sounds fantastic. Maybe a little love story? A story of self-discovery? Am I sensing a tad bit of mystery? Well I will find out soon enough, it sounds great!

Miscellaneous:

While at Courtney Allison Moulton’s book launch at the fabulous Schuler Book Store in Lansing (literally the best store I have EVER been to) I had some sticky fingers and picked up a few bookmarks, a sticker, and a pin….ok more than a few ;). They include:

Beautiful Creatures and Beautiful Darkness bookmarks (Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl)

A Touch Mortal bookmark…signed!!! (Leah Clifford)

Angelfire bookmark and sticker (Courtney Allison Moulton)

Iron Queen bookmark and pin (Julie Kagawa)

The Dark Days Supernatural Tour bookmark (multiple authors)

Also in the miscellaneous category is a lovely little troll from Gae Polisner (Author of The Pull of Gravity)… oh wait, that’s right, there is a troll caper somewhere between Gae’s mailbox and mine. After the first attempt failed (the mail was actually opened & the troll was gone!) I contacted Gae and she sent me another one. This time she included a super cute little poem but yet again, the troll was missing. Even though we have had some troll-napping issues I am very thankful to Gae for the sweet letter and the awesome (signed!!) 2k11 bookmarks and sticker!

Well that is it for my awesome little mailbox this week; what did you get in your mailbox?

The Best of Twenty-Ten

Wow! I can’t believe this year is coming to an end. So many exciting, terrible, magnificent, and strange things have happened this year. Influenced by my friends Caroline and Mrs. Andersen (It is still strange to call a former teacher by her first name. It is Sarah by the way), I compiled a list of all of my favorites of the past year. Enjoy!:

1. Best vacation: Spring Break with my best friend, Kati. We went all the way to California. It exceeded all of my expectations on what I thought would be the perfect spring break.

Kati and I posing on a beach in Cali!!

2. Best concert: This is a tie between Warped Tour and The Travelin Show. Both of which featured some amazing bands (We The Kings, The Summer Set, Artist Vs. Poet, etc.) The Travelin Show even featured the man I will one day marry. Ok I am joking but hey, a girl can dream can’t she? (Just look at his dimples; they get me every time!)

Artist vs. Poet threw that monster can at me! I was so excited.

Ohh goodness! He doesn’t realize it yet, but this guy is going to be my husband one day. Just look at those dimples!

3. Best CD: This was an easy decision since Taylor Swift’s third CD, Speak Now, is still on constant replay. It is full of awesomeness.

4. Best new activity: Joining book club has been awesome. It has only added more fuel to the fire. I just can’t seem to stop reading…ever! Ohh, and making this blog has also been pretty fantastic; I am addicted!

5. Best birthday present: My new bedroom of course! Here are the pictures that I promised a few weeks ago:

6. Best movies: There really has been some great movies this past year. The ones that stuck with me the most were Eclipse, Harry Potter, Due Date, Life As We Know It, and The Other Guys.

7. Best books: I can’t choose just a few! Here are all of my favorite 2010 books. (Note: Not all were released this year, just read by me in 2010)

Beautiful Creatures By Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Beautiful Darkness By Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

 

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

City if Ashes by Cassandra Clare

 City of Glass by Cassandra Clare

Fallen by Lauren Kate

Forget You by Jennifer Echols

Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols

Freefall by Mindi Scott

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

It’s Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

Leaving Paradise by Simone Elkeles

Return to Paradise by Simone Elkeles

Nevermore by Kelly Creagh

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles

Ruined (How to Ruin 1-3) by Simone Elkeles

The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade

Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler

Wake by Lisa McMann

8. Best shinning moment: Hmm… this is a tough one. There was graduation, honors night, or placing at states for BPA (Business Professionals of America, it’s really cool, you should be jealous!). Ohh, what the heck, I guess they all win.

9. Best friend: Of course this award goes to Kati. Even though we are going to separate schools now and both have extremely busy schedules, we still find time to be there for each other. I don’t know what I’d do without her!

10. Best family: Well mine of course! They are loud, annoying, and extremely obnoxious but I wouldn’t have it any other way!