In My Mailbox: New "Toy" & Books - June 19, 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.

I have been trying to slow down on my book-buying habit until I can get caught up on the pile I already have. That being said, I bought an addition to my family this week and just had to spend a little extra on it...

So, without further ado, here is my new "toy" and my cache for the week:

The Nook, 2nd Generation, "The Simple Touch eReader" - B&N










Oh, how do I love thee, my new companion!

This has to be one of the best gadgets I've bought in a long time! There's a few small quirks with it, but they are so small it does not affect the experience at all and not really worth going into detail. The interactions, responsiveness, and just general feel of this little machine is awesome. I've spent a lot of time just playing with it and not actually reading. LOL I will probably do a full post and review on it after I've used it for little while.

This was supposed to be my birthday gift, but guess who actually got to read the first book on it? If you guess the wonderful hubby that bought it, you would be right! Doesn't it figure? I can't complain much though, I buy him gifts that I want to play with too. ;)

Now, for the books part.























Uglies, Pretties, Specials, and Extras by Scott Westerfeld
- All on clearance from Books-a-Million. Love me some good deals! Got the set for the price of one book!


And, since I got the Nook I just had to get a few new ones on it as well!
(Ya know, just gotta test it out...)


































Switched, Torn, and Ascend by Amanda Hocking

My Blood Approves, Fate, Flutter, and Wisdom also by Amanda Hocking













Remedial Magic and Glimmerglass by Jenna Black

Yep, I thought I did very well, especially cost wise. I got all these for about the price of just two books. Whhhoooohhooo! LOL

So, yeah, I'm gonna be busy for a while and I love it!

Happy reading y'all!

What's Your Status? June 18, 2011

This meme comes from Zakiya at Butterfly Feet Walking On Life. The object is to post what you have finished in the last week, what you are currently reading, what you plan to read in the coming week, and what you want to buy next. You can also post about reviews you've written, challenge statuses, and memes you have done, though these aren't mandatory.


Alrighty, then. This has been a really short week for me as far as reading goes. Having been busy with work, trying to get things straightened up and organized at home after the road trip for the funeral, playing with my new toy that will introduce in a day or two, and, of course, spending a lot of time working on this blog. That last fact has probably taken up more time than the others honestly! LOL I swear this stuff is additive! I love being able to make the page look like I want it to and getting to know other bloggers. There's so many other designs that I'd like to try, but I want to get back to my books soon. I know they miss me! So, I have made a promise to myself that I will only tweak the blog as needed since it is up and running. I've got a few events planned for this week, but I should be able to get back in my groove and get some reading in. :)

What I've read this week:













Firelight by Sophie Jordan - Review
The Twisted Thread by Charlotte Bacon - Review

What I'm digging into now: - I've not got to get really started on either, but they're lying open waiting for me. :) Should be able to hit them hard today!













The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
Halo by Alexandra Adornetto

Next up on my list:













Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

"Note-worthy" Posts: -
Not too many this week since I just started, but look forward to more!

Uncharted Territory...

Memes:

It's Monday! What are you reading?

Waiting on Wednesday

Book Blogger Hop; Follow Friday

Challenge Update:
-I'm looking forward to getting into more of these! I feel like I started late this year and I'm not sure if I should commit to any more or not. Thoughts or advice?

Goodreads - 35 of the 50 I pledged to read. 70% completed.
-I may actually visit the idea of upping this challenge instead of committing to new ones.

Happy reading, friends!

Book Blogger Hop; Follow Friday - June 17, 2011

Book Blogger Hop is a weekly meme hosted by Crazy-for-Books. It is a great way to connect with other book lovers and bloggers! The Hop lasts from Friday till Monday, so there is plenty of time to participate. To join in, post the Hop and weekly question to your blog, add your name to the Linky list, and start HOPPING through it!

Q: How many books are currently in your To-Be-Read (TBR) pile?

General answer? TOOoooooo many....there's not enough hours in the day, week, month, or year to get caught up on all that I want to read. If you want to be literal about it, according to my Goodreads.com account that is fairly updated: 475. NOW, granted, this does include books that I read years and years ago that I want to re-read. I usually take new books over those usually and figure that I'll get back to others (Yeah, right. Reference second sentence of this paragraph. LOL).




Follow Friday is also a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee. It's another 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. Genre Wars! What's your favorite genre and which book in that genre made it your favorite?

Wow, way to make it a toughie! I love so many, it's really hard to decide on a single one. If I had to list a few top choices it would be paranormal, steampunk urban fantasy, or dystopian YA. I used to be really deep into adult romance of all kinds, especially historical. Buuuttttt....then I decided to finish my Bachelor's. For some reason I couldn't wrap my mind around a lot of the books that came out in that. I was griping about that very thing in class one day and a friend recommended I look into YA. She said that maybe all I needed was something different since school had probably "messed with my head." (Yeah, we college students with great vocabularies, right?) She loaned me her copy of Marked by P.C. & Kristin Cast and the rest, as they say, is history. In YA in general, I found that my mind is put at ease when I read them. I now enjoy reading more now, and I honestly did not think that was possible!

-Congrats to Parajunkee on the 50th FF post!

Review: The Twisted Thread by Charlotte Bacon

By Charlotte Bacon
Paperback, 352 pages

Published: June 14th 2011 by Voice
Source: Borrowed from friend, ARC
Buy the book: Amazon : B&N : Goodreads

From Goodreads:

When beautiful but aloof Claire Harkness is found dead in her dorm room one spring morning, prestigious Armitage Academy is shaken to its core. Everyone connected to school, and to Claire, finds their lives upended, from the local police detective who has a personal history with the academy, to the various faculty and staff whose lives are immersed in the daily rituals associated with it.
Everyone wants to know how Claire died, at whose hands, and more importantly, where the baby that she recently gave birth to is a baby that almost no one, except her small innermost circle, knew she was carrying.
At the center of the investigation is Madeline Christopher, an intern in the English department who is forced to examine the nature of the relationship between the school s students and the adults meant to guide them. As the case unravels, the dark intricacies of adolescent privilege at a powerful institution are exposed, and both teachers and students emerge as suspects as the novel rushes to its thrilling conclusion.
With The Twisted Thread, Charlotte Bacon has crafted a gripping and suspenseful story in the tradition of Donna Tartt's The Secret History, one that pulls back the curtain on the lives of the young and privileged.

I borrowed this ARC from a friend because the synopsis sounded like the type of book I used to read a lot of. A good murder mystery used to be on top of every list I had, but I've gravitated away from that in recent years. This one particularly intrigued me because of the exclusivity of the wealthy school and people involved. You know there's going to be a lot of good "behind-the-scene" information from that alone. Though it promised so much, in the end it just couldn't give what it advertised.

-Minor Spoiler Alert-
There were characters a plenty in this novel. On top of that, each one had a very detailed back story. Now, don't get me wrong, a good back story can really enhance a book. However, back stories that do not necessarily relate to the concept or plot of the book can really hurt one. That is all that I seemed to read in this novel. There was almost a pattern: one chapter one be solely about a character and its back story, the next chapter would do the same to another character, and so on. This literally begins in Chapter 1. It made the book difficult to follow and gave me the feeling that most of the info was there to add pages to the book and nothing else. There was an attempt to put real chemistry between a few of characters, but I simply did not feel it. At the end of the book when they finally agree on agree on a date and such, it felt like "Eh, so?" There was just too much "bloat" to make these good characters and plot completely enjoyable.

The plot and sequence of events saved this book for me. The death of a student, the shock that she'd given birth, the police investigation, and the book's resolution kept the pace throughout the book. I love that it touched on hot topics with teens: bulimia, peer pressure, bullying, etc. Kudos for that definitely. Also, the secret society, The Reign of Terror, added a great twist into the mix. I'm a big fan of societies like these and the traditions that they keep. Sadly though, due to the "bloat" previously listed, it was difficult to follow at times. I had to re-read a couple of spots to pull out the plot threads to continue on. On the other hand, it did help with setting the scene. There was not a part in this book that I could not imagine in detail due to the author's clear descriptions.

Overall, this book was just okay to me. It had some great concepts and characters, but it just couldn't seem to flow well at all. I think that if the characters back stories were lessened slightly and the story was told from fewer view points the book would have been better off. Combine that with an ending that still left me wanting for a little more action, I give it 2 stickies.





Sticky note: This ARC was issued by the publisher free of charge in return for a fair and unbiased review.

Waiting On Wednesday: June 15, 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!




by P.C. Cast, Kristin Cast
Expected publication: October 25th 2011 by St. Martin's Griffin
Hardcover, 336 pages
Pre-order the book: Amazon : B&N : Goodreads

From Goodreads:

In Destined, the forces of Light and Dark collide as their epic struggle focuses on Tulsa's House of Night. Zoey is home where she belongs, safe with her Guardian Warrior, Stark, by her side and preparing to face off against Neferet. Kalona has released his hold on Rephaim, and, through Nyx's gift of a human form, he and Stevie Rae are finally able to be together if Rephaim can truly walk the path of the Goddess and stay free of his father's shadow.

But is Zoey really safe? Does she truly know those who are closest to her? And will love win when it is tested by the very soul of Darkness? Find out what s destined in the next thrilling chapter of the House of Night series.

This series has had its hooks in me for a few years now. It started off really well and then a couple of books were really slow for me. I got re-energized with the series in the last book, Awakened. The twists on the relationships and the direction they are going is going to be very interesting. I can't wait to see how Rephaim fits into the well established "click" of HoN characters now that he is human. I'm sure there will be some doubts and battles on his part, but surely he'll find his path.