In My Mailbox: July 31, 2011

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren. It is a great way for bloggers to socialize and network their blogs and to share upcoming releases! To join in all the fun, simply:

1. Make your own IMM post! You can post about books you've bought, gotten from the library, received for review... books don't have to arrive via your mailbox.
2. You can post weekly, every other week, or one week out of the month, it’s up to you and it doesn't have to be on Sunday.
3. Once you have your IMM posted, go to The Story Siren on her Sunday post and add your link to the list.
4. Comment on other bloggers IMM posts.

Good day, friends! My list is going to be short and sweet this week. These are books I have already read, but I have been on a mission. I've been slowly collecting books that I would like to have for author events in the next couple of weeks. This may not sound too difficult, but there is actually quite a few that will be within driving distance of me! I've been able to get a few of the ones I need this week, but I think I'm only about half way through my list.

Here's what I bought or bought and finally received this week:


Linger by Maggie Stiefvater (Seeing her in Nashville today!)

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld (No signing here, I was just happy to find a hardcover copy to match my copy of Behemoth. I'm just a little picky about that...Which is why it took me so long to get my own copy.)
















The Iron King, The Iron Daughter, and The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa
I had already planned on buying my own copies of these, because it is one of my favorite series. Then I found out she will be coming through on the Ash to Nash tour and quickly bumped them up on my "have to buy" list.

I can think of at least four, if not five, books that I would love to be able to own before the Ash to Nash tour comes this way. If I can swing it, it would be a dream come true to have them all signed. It's going to be interesting to see if I can figure it out before the day gets here. We're moving this week and that has thrown a wrench in a lot of my book plans. Either way it goes, I'm going to have some fabulous pictures to post in the next couple of weeks!

Happy reading!

Review: Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

Hardcover, 496 pages

Published May 31st 2011 by HarperTeen
Source: Borrowed from friend
Buy the book: Amazon : B&N : Goodreads

From Goodreads:

How do you defy destiny?
Helen Hamilton has spent her entire sixteen years trying to hide how different she is—no easy task on an island as small and sheltered as Nantucket. And it's getting harder. Nightmares of a desperate desert journey have Helen waking parched, only to find her sheets damaged by dirt and dust. At school she's haunted by hallucinations of three women weeping tears of blood . . . and when Helen first crosses paths with Lucas Delos, she has no way of knowing they're destined to play the leading roles in a tragedy the Fates insist on repeating throughout history.
As Helen unlocks the secrets of her ancestry, she realizes that some myths are more than just legend. But even demigod powers might not be enough to defy the forces that are both drawing her and Lucas together—and trying to tear them apart.

The synopsis alone begged me to read this one. I love books that include Greek mythology and that author's take on it. I am a purist by heart, but I love the fresh perspectives that the alternative stories take. Now granted, there have been a few that I have read or did not finish because it just felt...wrong. Fortunately for me, this book was not one of those. Starcrossed brings to life the story of Helen Hamilton and Lucas Delos, a demigod lifestyle with the twists of being a teen.

The book drew me in from page one. Immediately I met the main character and got a great, but not too extensive, view of her life. I could relate in many ways since I come from small town setting as well. Everyone knows everyone's business, half the time before you do yourself. I could tell through her actions and feelings that she has always been different and restraint has always been a constant battle for her in many aspects of her life. And then Lucas Delos walks into the scene. I can't say much due to possibly giving too much away, but this is NOT your typical relationship. If you are expecting the typical teen "he-walks-in-and-we-are-in-love" romance setting, you are going to be disappointed. It is for this reason I love their relationship. Demigod issues aside, it feels like a real relationship and not one girls just dream of. Combined with a story line that flows well and has the right amount and balance of drama and twists, it will leave you intrigued until you put it down. I really liked the perspective Angelini takes on Greek mythology and how she incorporated it in their lives. It was very entertaining and thought inducing. There are some of their powers that I honestly wish I could have. With Angelini's writing, it felt like I could actually be part of that world because it really did exist.

The characters in this book are very genuine, what you see is what you get with them. Helen goes through many typical teen issues about feeling accepted personally and academically. Add in the demigod problems and it is a very overwhelming mixture for her. However, she takes this in bounds and leaps and trudges through the challenges with determination. Lucas shakes this quite considerably in many ways. The path they ride is explosive, but it fuels the reader into wanting more. I could even say this book supports family and friend values. Their supporting family and friends play intricate rolls in their lives, and like family it can be either good or bad. This is a little unusual for me, but I like it. I am used to seeing a few main supporting characters, but I have not seen this amount in a while. Each has a different part to play for Helen and Lucas and they affect the storyline just as much as the main characters.

This will be a book that I keep on my shelves and re-read later, it is that good. I occasionally do this, but it usually takes a really outstanding book. I cannot wait to see where this story goes and what the outcome for our heroes will be!

Follow Friday - July 29, 2011

Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. It's a way to connect with fellow bloggers! First, blog about Follow Friday and weekly question, then leave your name on the Linky list, and visit as many blogs as you can on the list and tell them "Hi!" in their comments on their FF post. You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you!

Q. Let's step away from books for a second and get personal. What T-Shirt slogan best describes you?

I'll stay polite and professional as much as I can with this one. Having worked in law enforcement for almost 10 years, I would definitely say that this profession describes a lot about me and who I am as a person. Sadly, most phrases related to this field are not appropriate for fans of all ages. (Vulgarity: a side-effect of working in this field? LOL) So here's one of my all time favorites:
There's also inside jokes to go along with this, but I would have to do a completely separate post to explain it all. LOL So we'll leave it at this for now..... :)

Maggie Stiefvater signing!

My friend, Marla from Starting the Next Chapter, and I have been enduring the painful wait for this weekend for a little while now. We've worked at aligning all the stars and universe so that with whatever challenge arises we will still be able to pull it off. Trust me, on a college student budget that's not always possible! Somehow, we have thus far pulled it off. (Hopefully that didn't just jinx us.)

On Sunday, we are headed to the Nashville Public Library as Maggie Stiefvater stops by on her FOREVER book tour. Yes, we can finally say it out loud and make it real! This will be my first actual author signing and I believe this one was a wise decision. Marla and I have waited to buy our copies of Forever for this event, because she will sign multiple books if you buy from the hosting location. So yes, we've had our copies of Shiver and Linger laid out and ready to go for a day or two now in anticipation.

Between the "author talk" and signing I know I will be giddy and nervous for the most part, but it will be worth it! I would love to happen across Loki, Maggie's '73 Camaro. As a fellow lover of cars, this would be my most sought after picture, besides the one with her of course. I have no idea how possible this will be, but it will be something I am going to shoot for. There will definitely be follow-up posts by both Marla and me with plenty of pictures...and maybe some video depending on how it goes!

Waiting On Wednesday: July 27, 2011

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme from Jill at Breaking the Spine. To join in, share the book or books that you are currently drooling over as you await their release and report back to Breaking the Spine with the link to your post. The gorgeous badge above is brought to us by Lindsay at The Violet Hour!

My pick this week stems from a series that I just recently discovered. After friends recommending and then reminding me that I need to read them, I finally broke in and pulled them out of the TBR pile. After I read the first two books I realized what all the fuss was about. These are genuinely good books. The characters are likeable and so easily related to it feels like you are a part of the story. I literally did a giggly dance the other day when the third and final book's cover was released. Sadly, this will probably wrap up the tales with Sophie Mercer and the gang. However, if this book holds up to the quality of the previous two, I can guarantee that it will be some ending!

Spell Bound by Rachel Hawkins
Expected Publication Date: March 13, 2012 by Hyperion Book CH

Hailed as “impossible to put down,” the Hex Hall series has both critics and teens cheering. With a winning combination of romance, action, magic and humor, this third volume will leave readers enchanted.

Just as Sophie Mercer has come to accept her extraordinary magical powers as a demon, the Prodigium Council strips them away. Now Sophie is defenseless, alone, and at the mercy of her sworn enemies—the Brannicks, a family of warrior women who hunt down the Prodigium. Or at least that’s what Sophie thinks, until she makes a surprising discovery. The Brannicks know an epic war is coming, and they believe Sophie is the only one powerful enough to stop the world from ending. But without her magic, Sophie isn’t as confident.

Sophie’s bound for one hell of a ride—can she get her powers back before it’s too late?

Review: Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

Hardcover, 386 pages

Published July 12th 2011 by Scholastic, Inc.
Source: ARC, borrowed from friend
Buy the book: Amazon : B&N : Goodreads

From Goodreads:

The thrilling conclusion to #1 bestselling Shiver trilogy from Maggie Stievater
In Maggie Stiefvater's SHIVER, Grace and Sam found each other. In LINGER, they fought to be together. Now, in FOREVER, the stakes are even higher than before. Wolves are being hunted. Lives are being threatened. And love is harder and harder to hold on to as death comes closing in.

Forever was one of my most anticipated books for this year. The first book in the series, Shiver, was a random buy for me last year and it hooked its claws into me. The storyline was different and Stiefvater's writing style was unique. My hopes for the series fell a little when the second book, Linger, left me feeling a little empty at its conclusion. I liked where the storyline was going, but was not so sure about the way it was unfolding exactly. In many ways, I looked to Forever to be the redeemer for me and I think it lived up to my expectations.

The plot picks up where Linger left off, throwing right back into the story. A lot of background information is given throughout the first part of the book. This helps explain a lot of decisions in previous book, but does slow it down some. There were a couple of spots I just glanced through and plugged on. After that though, the story kept me interested every step of the way. The action in this book is breathtaking. As I was reading I could feel the events happening as if I was there. However, then it just drops out of that and straight into a cool status. And that is it. The book ends on this odd cool note. After re-reading the ending again, I think I can see why it ended like it did. It leaves room for the reader's imagination to take over. Do I like this? No, not really. I like more conclusive endings that leave little open for discussion and this is not one of them. Could there be a spin off from this series? In my opinion, definitely. Will there be one? One day we may see, but Stiefvater has said this is it for Mercy Falls.

I learned a lot about the characters in this book. Some of their new information helped sway me in one direction or another on actually liking them. Grace and Sam have always been likeable to me. They have a slightly odd relationship, but it definitely works for them. Cole and Isabel though, I've always teetered back and forth on them. This book helped define their fate with me. They both absolutely shine in this book. By the end I wanted to shake their hands, they were that impressive. There were others that did not shine though. I had always liked Beck because what he had done for Sam over the years. Unfortunately, some of his decisions come to life and I really second guessed a lot about him after that.

Overall the book was an excellent read. It did not have the "Wow." factor that I had anticipated, but it truly did liven up the series as needed. It makes you understand the characters more and gives you the action that binds you to the story. The slightly slow start and abrupt ending are the two main things that make me refrain from going higher with this book.

It's Monday! What are you reading? July 25, 2011

It's Monday! What are you reading? is a weekly meme that is hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. To be a part of it, just post what you finished in the past week and what you plan to read this week. After writing your post, go to Sheila's blog and leave you post's link on the link entry form at the bottom of the What are you reading? post.


I've finally got started back in motion this week. I feel so much better now that I'm able to get back into my TBR pile. I was originally trying to go through some books that I owned, but I felt it would be better for me to read the ones that I borrowed so I could get those back to my friend.

Here's what I finished this last week and a half:
Hex Hall (review) and Demonglass (review) by Rachel Hawkins

Loved this series, I am so glad I took the recommendations from friends. Spell Bound's cover was released the other day and I literally giggled with happiness.




The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa
Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

The Iron Knight is my first NetGalley and Forever is also the ARC version loaned to me by a friend. Both books wrapped up two of my favorite series that I had been following for a couple of years. It is sad they came to an end, but what endings they were!



What I am diggin' into right now:
Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini - Cracking this one open today!
Fallen by Lauren Kate - A little ways in and really liking it so far.







Next up on the list:












Hereafter by Tara Hudson
Entwined by Heather Dixon
Torment by Lauren Kate

Once I get these read I will be about where I want to be on my TBR list for now. Classes start back soon and that's going to make it more difficult to "read for me" again unfortunately.

I should have the review for Forever up in the next day or two because I have a related post on Thursday. I can't wait to share that news with you! As for The Iron Knight, well, you'll have to wait a little while longer on that review. Trust me, it's worth it!

Nook (Simple Touch) Issues...

I've had my Nook for a little over a month and problems have already arisen. It started off with simple things popping up. Every now and then I would have to completely reset and restart it because it would show odd characters on the screen. This happened at least a couple of times a week. Then it escalated into issues with the touch screen itself. It would either not respond or wildly start clicking everything on that particular page. After a couple weeks of this the Nook started completely locking up. Unfortunately, this lead to more resetting and restarting on top of everything else. Last week I used it until the battery was almost gone. I plugged it in overnight and tried to unlock the next day. It would not respond to anything. I tried everything they had online and what the customer service reps said to do. It would still not unlock, it would only show the author pictures of the screen saver.

As a last resort, I drove an hour and half to the closest Barnes and Noble store to see if they could fix it. When I get to the customer service desk, I reach into my purse to get my Nook out. The customer service rep looked up at me and said,"Man, another one?" I thought that this was a bad sign and I was right. Apparently there had been many others in for similar issues just that morning alone. He worked with it and tried the same things that I had tried many times. After a few minutes he called B&N and they came to the agreement that I should be given a new Nook in exchange for the faulty one. After that everything went smoothly with the account transfers and I left with a new Nook.

I've researched the issues I've had and now wonder if I should have waited to purchase one. There appears to be a lot of consistency in the problems that Simple Touch Nook owners are having. I do understand that every item's first run is not perfect. However, these are things that should not be an issue. They are aspects of the Nook that B&N prided it for being able to do. I really like this Nook and its concept, but it may have needed some tweaking before being release. For now, I'm going to hold out a little while longer and see if this one gives me similar incidents. Hopefully it will be an improvement over the last Nook and B&N will assist in fixing the issues with them.

In My Mailbox: July 24, 2011

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren. It is a great way for bloggers to socialize and network their blogs and to share upcoming releases! To join in all the fun, simply:

1. Make your own IMM post! You can post about books you've bought, gotten from the library, received for review... books don't have to arrive via your mailbox.
2. You can post weekly, every other week, or one week out of the month, it’s up to you and it doesn't have to be on Sunday.
3. Once you have your IMM posted, go to The Story Siren on her Sunday post and add your link to the list.
4. Comment on other bloggers IMM posts.

Well, since it has been a couple of weeks between my IMM posts it's going to look like I hit the jackpot. LOL I've been slowly adding to my TBR as the house ordeal winds down. To top all of this off, I got a great surprise yesterday that I will elaborate on!

Here's my two week collections:

Things I've bought:

























A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry
Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann
Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready


So many that I've heard good things about! I did pretty good price wise on these as well. I've probably only spent $18 on all four books.

Things that were recommended and lent to me:















Tithe, Valiant, and Ironside by Holly Black
I'm interested to see how these books go for me. I have heard so many mixed reviews that it seems likely that I will either extremely love or hate it. There seems to not be a middle ground with these books.


















Entwined by Heather Dixon
Hereafter by Tara Hudson

Both of these are very intriguing to me! I'm glad to finally have my turn with them.

And now, my pride and joy! :)













The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa

I am so excited about this one for a couple of reasons:
#1: It's the fourth book in a series that I have adored from the beginning. When I found out it also just so happened to be about my favorite character, Ash, my teeth began grinding in anticipation. You honestly cannot imagine the disbelief, and horrible-but-hilarious dancing, that ensued after getting approval for this.
#2 It is my first NetGalley book! I feel like this is a good milestone for me and the blog.
I usually have an order in which I read my books. When I saw this one in my inbox.....yeah, that went out the window. I started and finished it while at work...it really was that intense!

I can't wait to see everyone else's new acquisitions! Happy reading friends!

Follow Friday - July 22, 2011

Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. It's a way to connect with fellow bloggers! First, blog about Follow Friday and weekly question, then leave your name on the Linky list, and visit as many blogs as you can on the list and tell them "Hi!" in their comments on their FF post. You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you!

Q. Name 3 authors that you would love to sit down and spend an hour or a meal with just talking about either their books or get advice on writing from?

I wouldn't want to have a meal probably, it would definitely be wasted. There is no way in the world that I could sit with one of my favorite authors and be able to stuff my face. (I am a huge foodie, so that is saying a lot for me.) Nora Roberts has always been one of my favorite authors. I have one large and loaded bookshelf full of her books. I would love to just see where all the characters come from and how she can flip from the super romances right into the awesome paranormals she write. Another that will probably a favorite for this is, of course, J.K. Rowling. Not only is she the birthplace of a world I know I am meant to live in, but she also is quite an amazing person. I've heard her say she's still afraid of being broke and going hungry to this day. I don't know what she's actually like, but I get the most amazing feeling of humbleness when I see her. A third author is actually really hard to choose. There's so many after my top two that it's a very difficult decision. So for the sake of this meme, I'll go with Cassandra Clare. This woman actually cracks me up in her books, blog, and on Twitter. I literally laugh out loud with the quirks she puts in her books, but it's seeing her interact with us and other fans that wins me over. I love when there's an author that loves to be as involved with their fans as much as they are their writing. :)

Waiting On Wednesday: July 20, 2011

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme from Jill at Breaking the Spine. To join in, share the book or books that you are currently drooling over as you await their release and report back to Breaking the Spine with the link to your post. The gorgeous badge above is brought to us by Lindsay at The Violet Hour!

My "Waiting on..." pick this week is a book that will be a deciding factor for what I think about the entire series. In Hush, Hush I fell in love with the characters and story, but in Crescendo I felt a little like I'd been slapped. Crescendo had the "Second Book Syndrome" that I've been seeing more of lately. Meaning, the first book was great, but the second just came up short in so many ways. I understand that sometimes this happens, but I don't like seeing as much as I have of it. I do try to hold out and read the next book in the series, usually I loved the first book enough to hold on to hope. It will interesting to see how Fitzpatrick wraps up the series and if my faith shall once more be restored!

Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick

Hardcover, 400 pages

Expected publication: October 4th 2011 by Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing

From Goodreads:

The noise between Patch and Nora is gone. They've overcome the secrets riddled in Patch's dark past...bridged two irreconcilable worlds...faced heart-wrenching tests of betrayal, loyalty and trust...and all for a love that will transcend the boundary between heaven and earth. Armed with nothing but their absolute faith in one another, Patch and Nora enter a desperate fight to stop a villain who holds the power to shatter everything they've worked for—and their love—forever.

Review: 5/5 for Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins

Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins

Hardcover, 359 pages

Published March 1st 2011 by Hyperion Books CH
Source: eBook, purchased
Buy the Book: Amazon : B&N : Goodreads

From Goodreads:

That was the whole reason she was sent to Hex Hall, a reform school for delinquent Prodigium (aka witches, shapeshifters, and fairies). But that was before she discovered the family secret, and that her hot crush, Archer Cross, is an agent for The Eye, a group bent on wiping Prodigium off the face of the earth.

Turns out, Sophie’s a demon, one of only two in the world—the other being her father. What’s worse, she has powers that threaten the lives of everyone she loves. Which is precisely why Sophie decides she must go to London for the Removal, a dangerous procedure that will destroy her powers.

But once Sophie arrives she makes a shocking discovery. Her new friends? They’re demons too. Meaning someone is raising them in secret with creepy plans to use their powers, and probably not for good. Meanwhile, The Eye is set on hunting Sophie down, and they’re using Archer to do it. But it’s not like she has feelings for him anymore. Does she?

Sophie's journey continues as she comes into her own, but not as a witch and instead a demon. The book centers around her trials and tribulations during this phase of her life. I see the similarities between an actual teen learning to grow and mature like I did in Hex Hall. However, it was taken to another, and much higher, level this time around. Not only does Sophie go through this process, I guess I could call it "professional growth" in a way, but also some that tax her personal growth limits. In the first book she has typical issues of a teen. In this one, however, Hawkins adds in supernatural elements and individuals to really give Sophie a ride.

Sophie deals with some of the same issues with her powers as in the first book, but everything seems to just be..different with her. Her father tries to explain the many reasons why she shouldn't go through the Removal and wants her to understand herself better. Unfortunately, it takes Sophie going through some harrowing events to understand just this. She learns of other demons that ultimately become her friends and this does help her father's case to a point. However, it is events with Archer that basically slaps Sophie back to reality and out of the tunnel vision. All of these incidents fly back to back of each other and leads the reader deeper and deeper into the story and book. There is definitely no lack of action in this one! There are the great "run-for-your-life" and "ok-I-have-to-stop-and-think-about-that-twist" events galore, which makes me very happy. About that ending though... Ha. Yeah. It got me and did a really good job of it. *evil grin* I kept clicking on my Nook to go to the next page...and it wouldn't turn. I honestly thought it had locked up. Then I realized that it was actually the last page of the book! This is the true definition of a cliffhanger. It felt like I had just had the ground pulled out from under me. It was magnificent!

Sophie grows a lot during this short amount of time. I could almost literally see her mature after some of these things happen to her. She comes into her own and I can accept her now as the "leader of the pack" that she was born to be. Before now, I thought she was still very "young" mind-wise, but she becomes worldly for her age. Our dear Jenna shines more in this book and I am so tickled to see more of her. She is a great and lovable character and truly throws her own spin on things in both her and Sophie's life. And Archer, as hot as ever. I won't give too much away, but big decisions come into play with both him and Sophie and it can affect pretty much everything in their lives.