January Recap

This is my first monthly recap post, but I'll be doing one at the end of each month to link up all the books I've read, choose my favorite, and post other news/upcoming events. By the way, ONE MONTH BLOGOVERSARY YAY! Thanks to all my followers, I never thought anyone would actually care about the things I have to say, but you guys have proved me wrong (and I really appreciate it!) Okay, back to the recap...here goes:

Random News:
I joined Twitter! You can find me here.

Books Read & Reviewed:

1. Fallen by Lauren Kate
2. Lost Voices by Sarah Porter (my review is already up on Goodreads, but I won't post it on the blog until a date closer to the book's July release)
3. Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs
4. Here Lies Bridget by Paige Harbison
5. Remedial Magic by Jenna Black (short story)
6. My Soul to Steal by Rachel Vincent
7. Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler
8. I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore [review coming soon]

Favorite January read: hmmm... I think it's a tie between Blood Bound and I Am Number Four

Upcoming Events:
The first Behind the Blog post will be next Monday
I'll most likely be hosting my first giveaway when I reach 100 followers

Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler

Title: Hunger
Author: Jackie Morse Kessler
Source: Library; paperback 177 pages

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Official Blurb:

"Thou art the Black Rider. 

Go thee out unto the world."

Lisabeth Lewis has a black steed, a set of scales, and a new job: she’s been appointed Famine. How will an anorexic seventeen-year-old girl from the suburbs fare as one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?

     Traveling the world on her steed gives Lisa freedom from her troubles at home—her constant battle with hunger, and her struggle to hide it from the people who care about her. But being Famine forces her to go places where hunger is a painful part of everyday life, and to face the horrifying effects of her phenomenal power. Can Lisa find a way to harness that power—and the courage to fight her own inner demons?

     A wildly original approach to the issue of eating disorders, Hunger is about the struggle to find balance in a world of extremes, and uses fantastic tropes to explore a difficult topic that touches the lives of many teens.

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My Rating: 4 stars ★★★★

My Thoughts:

I loved the concept of this book and thought that it was well executed. It is a great story about self-confidence and acceptance, without being preachy. I really enjoyed the way the author weaved light elements of fantasy together with the heavy issues of world hunger and eating disorders.

In My Mailbox (#5) & What's Your Status?

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren. This week I only got one new book, which I had ordered online a while back and finally came in the mail:  

Matched by Ally Condie

Whats Your Status?

What's your status is a weekly meme hosted by Butterfly Feet Walking On Life, in which we list all our reading accomplishments for the past week.

Read in the past week:

• Linger by Maggie Stiefvater (my review)
• Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler 

Currently Reading:

• I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore (on page 287 of 440)

Up Next: haven't decided yet ! Lol

Other News: According to the poll, it looks like my new feature "Behind the Blog" is most likely going to be running on Mondays. I'm hoping to have the first post next week (February 7th)

Also, I installed a new comment system - I thought this would be more interactive because of its reply feature. Love it? Hate it? Let me know! Have a good weekend & Happy Reading ☺

Follow Friday (#4) & Blog Hop (#3)

Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee's View

Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Crazy-For-Books

Follow Friday Question: What is/was your favorite subject in school?

My Answer: My favorite class in school has always been my foreign language class (closely followed by math and science). In elementary/middle school I loved Spanish. In high school I was skeptical about having to take Russian [the only language offered], but wound up enjoying it as well. Now in college, I'm taking classes in Arabic and Italian - actually I'm majoring in Italian. I'm hoping that eventually I'll be able to speak some of these languages fluently, but sadly I'm not at that level yet.

Blogger Hop Question: "What book are you most looking forward to seeing published in 2011? Why are you anticipating that book?"

My Answer: Way tooo many!! City of Fallen Angels & The Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare, Forever by Maggie Stiefvater, Blood Bound (tentative title) & If I Die & Chicks Kick Butt antho by Rachel Vincent.

Reasons Why: I love Rachel Vincent, so I basically devour every book she writes... If I Die is the next book in her Soul Screamers series and Blood Bound is the first book in her new adult series [I'm super excited!]. Cassandra Clare is also a fantastic author and I love both her series, and totally can't wait for those two installments. And I just recently finished Linger by Stiefvater, and loved it (review here), so I'm dying to see what happens next in Forever. As you may or may not have noticed, I am hooked on series books lol.

Behind the Blog (new feature!)

So I've been blogging for about a month now (tomorrow is my official 1 month blogoversary, I think!), and over the past few weeks, I've stumbled upon a lot of great blogs & met a bunch of awesome bloggers. So, I'm following the trend of blogger-of-the-week type posts by creating a feature that spotlights an awesome blogger every week (day TBA... vote in the poll) so other readers/bloggers can get to know a little bit more about him/her, aside from blogging, as well as get a little more traffic to his/her blog.

If you want to be featured on The Babbling Bookworm's Behind the Blog  
fill out the form HERE

What day should "Behind the Blog" posts run?

Booking Through Thursday #3

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly meme in which we answer a question about books or reading.

This week's question is: What’s the largest, thickest, heaviest book you ever read? Was it because you had to? For pleasure? For school?

My Answer: I think that the largest book I've ever read was Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (which, according to Barnes&Noble is 896 pages -and I had it in hardcover- extra heavy!). It was a for-pleasure read, and was very enjoyable. I love Harry Potter!!

What's the heaviest book you've ever read?

Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: Linger
(Wolves of Mercy Falls Series - Book 2)
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Source: Library; hardcover 360 pages
Interest: series
Challenges: 50 States; Shifters; Blogger Recommendation; TwentyEleven

Official Blurb:

     In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other.  Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past . . . and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack.  And Isabelle, who already lost her brother to the wolves . . . and is nonetheless drawn to Cole. 

     At turns harrowing and euphoric, Linger is a spellbinding love story that explores both sides of love -- the light and the dark, the warm and the cold -- in a way you will never forget.

My Rating: 5 stars (favorite!)  ★★★★★ & ♥

My Thoughts: 

There isn’t a thing I would change about this book; I loved every single aspect of it. 

Waiting on Wednesday #3

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that features books we're anxiously awaiting the release of. My pick for the week is:

Title: City of Fallen Angels
Author: Cassandra Clare
Publication Date: April 5th

I mean, seriously, who isn't waiting for this book?! It's definitely a NOOK pre-order for me! April cannot come fast enough -- The Mortal Instruments is hands down one of my favorite series of all time. City of Glass was absolutely fantastic! If you haven't read this series yet, you simply must. 

The only problem is that I'm 99.764% sure that I will devour this book the day it comes out, and will then sadly be forced to return to my former stage of waiting anxiously for Clare's next release (I thought Clockwork Angel was also fantastic -- can't wait for book #2!!). 

What are you waiting on this week?

more Italian madness.

I  just discovered (&fell in love with the covers for) the Italian editions of Shiver and Linger [which is titled “Deeper” – funny story about that actually, read it HERE] by Maggie Stiefvater. *sigh* These are definitely getting added to the ‘Italian books I would loveeee to get my hands on, but most likely never will because life is cruel and God forbid any bookseller makes these editions accessible to US citizens’ list.

Look at these covers! soooo pretty!!I love the minimalist-ness of them (I'm posting this at a kind-of-very-early-in-the-morning time when I should be sleeping, so I'm not capable of expressing myself in a professional & eloquent manner)

Teaser Tuesday #4

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Be sure to comment with a link to your Tuesday Teaser post (or if you don't have a blog, share your teasers in a comment) so I can see what you're reading =)

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Title: Linger

Author: Maggie Stiefvater

"My instincts prickled relentlessly, urging me to alertness. The darkness pressed against my eyes while the wolf inside of me sang something is not right"

page 100

Tweet, tweet!

I'm jumping on the Twitter train!
Follow me if you'd like HERE.

Note: From now on, I'll most likely be tweeting about giveaways at other blogs instead of making posts (I find so many around the blogoshpere, my blog would become too cluttered if I made a post to let you guys know about each one!)

My Soul to Steal by Rachel Vincent

Title: My Soul to Steal (Soul Screamers #4)
Author: Rachel Vincent
Source: Purchased; e-book
Interest: favorite author; series; 50 States Challenge; TwentyEleven Challenge

Official Blurb:

Trying to work things out with Nash—her maybe boyfriend—is hard enough for Kaylee Cavanaugh. She can't just pretend nothing happened. But "complicated" doesn't even begin to describe their relationship when his ex-girlfriend transfers to their school, determined to take Nash back.

See, Sabine isn't just an ordinary girl. She's a mara, the living personification of a nightmare. She can read people's fears—and craft them into nightmares while her victims sleep. Feeding from human fear is how she survives.

And Sabine isn't above scaring Kaylee and the entire school to death to get whatever—and whoever—she wants.

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My Rating: 3.5 stars ★★★1/2

My Thoughts:  

As expected, My Soul to Steal is excellently written (I love Vincent’s writing style)!! However, the plot was slightly disappointing. There was too much of a whiny high-school-boy-drama feel to it, and I really wanted more Netherworld action, like in the previous Soul Screamers books.

Furthermore, Nash’s character fell flat for me. As both Kaylee and Sabine were fighting over him, I thought to myself, “Why? What’s so special about Nash? He seems pretty bland. They should be fighting over someone better… someone like Tod!” That being said, I loved Tod’s character development in this book, though that may be partially due to Vincent’s fabulous (& also free!) e-book novella, Reaper, which I read recently that made me fall in love with Tod.

Overall, I’d say this book was all right, but not as good as the other books in the series. I still plan to continue on to the next book when it releases in the fall.

Previous in Series: My Soul to Keep
Next in Series: If I Die (fall 2011)

In My Mailbox #4

In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by The Story Siren to showcase books we acquired throughout the week. UPDATE: I reinstalled iMovie, so I was able to upload my vlog after all! So you can choose to watch it or read my commentary next to the book links (they're both basically the same thing)

my love affair with the library.

It's been confirmed.
I am addicted to books.

The evidence:
I was having a pretty crappy past two days, and I had to go to the library to return two books. Obviously, it's impossible for me to step into the library without giving the YA shelves a quick once-over. So as I was walking over to the YA section I noticed it -- all of the shelves were FULLY stocked with barely any empty spaces (actually, I'm lying ...I noticed this by looking into the library window even before I walked in). Suddenly I felt a burst of excitement at the prospect of browsing the numerous books.

Here's a glimpse into the inner-workings of my mind at that moment: "ohh I wonder what books they have!" "I hope they have some that are on my TBR list! *mentally crosses fingers*" and later, while browsing: "okay, Alyssa, you MUST limit yourself. You are not taking out more than two books.....ughhh but there are like seven in my hands right now...okay, I guess I can narrow it down to five books...I hope these all fit in my bag" "I wonder what the book limit is anyway..."

Turns out the answer to my last question is fifty. That's right, FIFTY BOOKS! As much as I love reading, I've never had anywhere close to fifty books out from the library at one time. But I digress....back to confirming my suspected addiction. As I left the library (stuffed purse in tow), I realized I was significantly merrier than I had been in the past 48hrs. It was as if all of my bad energy had been expelled out my mind/body by going to the library. I feel like a binge-drinker or something... except with books instead of alcohol =p

Follow Friday (#3) & Blog Hop (#2)

 

Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee's View

Question: Who do you cheer for?

My Answer: The New York Yankees, obviously! =P ...but as for football, I usually root for the NY Giants, although I don't watch too much football with the exception of the Superbowl (which I totally love! Partially because of the fact that I get to eat a LOT of food, hangout with good family friends, and be entertained by the hilarious commercials)

(P.S. if you visit my IMM#3 post, you'll notice I'm wearing my Yankee shirt from -I think- 1996 haha!)

 

*LET'S GO YANKEES!* *clap clap clap-clap-clap*

Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Crazy-For-Books

Question: Coming Soon!

Booking Through Thursday #2 and awesome giveaway

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly meme in which we answer a bookish question.

This week's question is: What magazines/journals do you read?

 My Answer: I'm totally addicted to Cosmopolitan magazine. I especially love reading the 'embarrassing moments' section! I used to spend approx. 5 bucks every month at the newsstand but I've finally subscribed, and along with the deal, I also got a subscription of Marie Claire magazine, which I don't love as much but its fun to read nonetheless. Also, every now and then I'll pick up one of my moms tabloids (People, Us Weekly, Star... and more, she's addicted!) to look at the Best/Worst dressed section. I love looking at pretty dresses (and making fun of hideous ones, obviously!).

How 'bout you guys? 

Leave your answer in a comment or link to your BTT post =)

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In other news: Jessica at Confessions of a Bookaholic is holding a giveaway. What's the prize, you ask? The ENTIRE collection (14 books!) of The Clique series by Lisi Harrison. How awesome is that?! So go on, hop on over and enter! [click HERE to go to her post] For those of you who aren't yet acquainted with books in The Clique series -- they're very similar to the Gossip Girl series by Cecily von Ziegesar, so if you like Gossip Girl, you'll probably enjoy The Clique as well.

Remedial Magic by Jenna Black (short story)

Title: Remedial Magic
Author: Jenna Black
Source: Free e-book; BN // amazon
[also includes Prologue & Chapter 1 of Glimmerglass]

Official Blurb:

Delve deeper into the world of the fae with a Faeriewalker bonus story.

Having a prodigy for an older brother is not so fun…especially one who is magic wiz-kid. But Kimber has a plan to finally step out of his shadow.

My Thoughts: 
I thought the short story was fun and humorous, though the author's writing style left something to be desired.

I haven't read Glimmerglass yet, but I've been seeing it all over the blogosphere, so I was excited that the prologue and first chapter were included in the e-book along with the short story. I think I might have to purchase Glimmerglass on my Nook now, because I can't wait to read the rest of it -- those sneak peak chapters really drew me in!

See other e-books that I downloaded for free on my Show Me the Free Challenge page

Here Lies Bridget by Paige Harbison

Title: Here Lies Bridget
Author: Paige Harbison
Source: ARC via NetGalley; 219 pages
Publication Date: February 1st
Publisher: Harlequin

Official Blurb:

Bridget Duke is the uncontested ruler of her school. The meanest girl with the biggest secret insecurities. And when new girl Anna Judge arrives, things start to fall apart for Bridget: friends don't worship as attentively, teachers don't fall for her wide-eyed "who me?" look, expulsion looms ahead and the one boy she's always loved—Liam Ward—can barely even look at her anymore.

When a desperate Bridget drives too fast and crashes her car, she ends up in limbo, facing everyone she's wronged and walking a few uncomfortable miles in their shoes. Now she has only one chance to make a last impression. Though she might end up dead, she has one last shot at redemption and the chance to right the wrongs she's inflicted on the people who mean the most to her.

And Bridget's about to learn that, sometimes, saying you're sorry just isn't enough…

My Rating: 3 stars ★★★

My Thoughts: 

In short terms, I would describe Here Lies Bridget as a cross between Mean Girls and A Christmas Carol (both movies; I haven’t read A Christmas Carol yet -- but it's sitting on my nook!).

Right off the bat, the concept of this book hooked me and I loved the cover. I especially enjoyed when Bridget was forced to step into the shoes of others (literally!). I just wish that Harbison had spent slightly less time getting to the point of Bridget being in limbo, and more time making her deal with the consequences of her actions / fixing her mistakes. I felt that the first half of the book, up until Bridget’s death, was significantly slower than the parts after it. Basically, Harbison spends a lot of time (about half the book) trying to make the reader hate Bridget – but it only took me approximately 20 pages.

My Book Boyfriend #1

My Book Boyfriend is a new Wednesday meme hosted by The Unread Reader, in which we drool over fictional characters who make us swoon. I thought this would be really fun (except that I hate trying to find already-existing real people to try and match the pictures of the characters in my mind... oh well, I shall try my hardest to accurately depict my visions haha) and I figured that on Wednesdays I'd alternate between this and Waiting on Wednesday (hosted by Breaking the Spine) So here goes! My first Book Boyfriend post:

Alex Pettyfer as Jace

Jace Wayland

• Books he's in: City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Glass, City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare
• Nicknames/Aliases: posting them here would spoil the story for those who haven't read it yet ;)
• Species: Nephilim
• Age: 17
• Lives in: NYC
• Hometown: Idris
• Hair: Blond
• Eye Color: Gold

Why I love him: ummm... is "because he's just awesome!" enough of an explanation?! Yea, I didn't think so either, so I'll elaborate a bit.

Teaser Tuesday #3

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Be sure to comment with a link to your Tuesday Teaser post (or if you don't have a blog, share your teasers in a comment) so I can see what you're reading =)

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Title: Here Lies Bridget

Author: Paige Harbison

"It was like there was something in the air. Something that made me some kind of leper. I walked through the hallways, feeling like a character in a movie where everyone is talking about you and pointing."

Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs

Title: Blood Bound 

(Mercy Thompson Series #2)

Author: Patricia Briggs

Source: Library; Paperback 292 pages

Interest: series; Vampire Challenge; 50 States Challenge; Shifters Challenge

Official Blurb:

Mechanic Mercy Thompson has friends in low places-and in dark ones. And now she owes one of them a favor. Since she can shapeshift at will, she agrees to act as some extra muscle when her vampire friend Stefan goes to deliver a message to another of his kind. But this new vampire is hardly ordinary-and neither is the demon inside of him.

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My Rating: 5 stars ★★★★★

My Thoughts: 

I’ll admit that after reading Moon Called, I was a little bit skeptical about the series. I thought it was good, but not as great as everyone made it seem. Though I was nervous that the series had been over-hyped, I decided not to make the rash decision to dismiss the series completely - & I’m so happy that I gave Blood Bound a go; it was pretty awesome!

This book brings meaning to the words action-packed: the major conflict arises right in first chapter, and doesn’t get resolved until the last few pages. I also enjoyed the element of mystery that played a huge part in the book; I love books that make me try and figure out things along with the protagonist, but I hate when it’s too predictable. Luckily, this book wasn’t predictable at all, and kept me guessing the whole time! I can’t wait to read the next one.

      

Also, on a side note: if there were “teams” for this series, I’d totally be Team Adam! I hope his and Mercy’s relationship evolves more in the next book *crosses fingers*

 

Previous in Series: Moon Called

Next in Series: Iron Kissed

Books Like This: Rachel Vincent's Shifters Series

The Dystopia Challenge

Yet another challenge I've signed up for ... I think this will be the last one, seeing as I have so many!! This one is called The Dystopia Challenge and is hosted by Bookish Ardour. The goal here is pretty self-explanatory -- read dystopian books! My goal is to read 5 books (Level 1 - Contagion)

View My Progress!

In My Mailbox #3

In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by The Story Siren. I decided to do my mailbox in vlog format this time, but I felt super-awkward recording it. Hopefully it's not as awkward for you to watch as it was for me to make haha. (YouTube was not cooperating with me AT ALL, and about halfway through, the audio becomes approx 5 seconds slower than the the video*facepalm* Sorry, but this was the millionth time recording/uploading this, so I just gave up.... probably going back to regular old pictures next time! LOL)

Books Mentioned:

• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K Rowling
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K Rowling
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K Rowling
• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by J.K. Rowling
• Marked by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast (Spanish // English e-book: kindle / nook)

Vampires and Shifters - Reading Challenges

I decided to join two more challenges, both of which are hosted by Parajunkee's View. The first is the Vampire Challenge and the second is the Shifters Challenge. The reading goal for each is 20 books and the rule is that the MAIN character (whether it be protagonist or antagonist) is a vampire or shifter, respective to each challenge. I love books about shifters... and vampires, but not as much... let's see if I can read 20 books for each!

View my Progress!

Follow Friday (#2) & Blog Hop (#1)

Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee's View.

Question: What makes up your non-human family??

My Answer: Three dogs: Honey, Bella, and Zoe. Here's a picture of all three of them crowding around me trying to steal my food!

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 Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Crazy-For-Books.

Question: "Why do you read the genre that you do? What draws you to it?"

My Answer: I love reading paranormal/ fantasy/ sci-fi books because they provide me with a total (& also much-needed, at times) escape from reality, and a chance to become a part of exciting new worlds.

Teaser Tuesday!

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Be sure to comment with a link to your Tuesday Teaser post (or if you don't have a blog, share your teasers in a comment) so I can see what you're reading =)

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Title: Blood Bound 

(Mercy Thompson Series #2)

Author: Patricia Briggs

"He snarled at me, his fangs showing, and I snarled back. I don't remember seeing him move, just the momentary feeling of his hands on my sides, a brief moment while I was hurled through the air and then nothing."

Musing Monday & My First Blog Award!

To start off this post, I'll be answering the Musing Monday question (a weekly meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading). This week's question is: Where is your favorite place to find new books to read?

My Answer: Well, I think the most obvious answer would be around the blogosphere! I'm constantly checking other bloggers' reviews for new books. Similarly, if a book keeps popping up on everyone's blog, it makes me much more likely to check it out. Aside from blogs, I love stalking browsing other members shelves on Shelfari. If the person has a lot of books in common with me, odds are pretty high that they'll have read other books I'd be interested in. Sometimes I also just like browsing the shelves of the library for things that catch my eye.

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Now, on to other fun news! Today I received the Stylish Blogger Award from Laura at All of Everything and Chloe at YA Booklover Blog - my first blog award ever! Thanks guys!

Here are the rules if you get awarded:

1. Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this award
2. Share 7 things about yourself
3. Award 15 recently discovered great bloggers
4. Contact these bloggers and tell them about the award!

Show Me The Free Challenge!

This challenge is absolutely perfect for me! It's called Show Me the Free Challenge and is hosted by Missie at The Unread Reader. The goal is to read a minimum of 12 free e-books (not the kind illegally downloaded or received from NetGalley.... the kind of e-books that are offered for free on sites like Amazon and Barnes and Noble). So why is this challenge perfect for me? Because I am NOTORIOUS for downloading piles (imaginary piles, that is) of free e-books [because who can resist?!] but then never getting around to reading them. This challenge will motivate me to get these books off my TBR pile!

Check my Progress:

My Progress: 2011 Blogger Recommendation Challenge

I'll keep updating this  post as I go along. 

The link to this post can be found on the 2011 Challenges page.

Once I finish a book & review it, I'll change it to boldface and link the title to my review

 2011 Blogger Recommendation Challenge

My Progress: Twenty-Eleven Challenge

I'll keep updating this  post as I go along. 

The link to this post can be found on the 2011 Challenges page.

Once I finish a book & review it, I'll change it to boldface and link the title to my review

The TwentyEleven Challenge

My Progress: DAC 2011

I'll keep updating this post as I go along.
The link to this post can be found on the 2011 Challenges Pages

2011 Debut Author Challenge

1. Across the Universe by Beth Revis 
2. Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton 
3. Born at Midnight by C.C. Hunter
4. The Demon Trapper's Daughter by Jana Oliver
5. The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter
6. Here Lies Bridget by Paige Harbison 
7. Lost Voices by Sarah Porter 
8. Other Words for Love by Lorraine Zago Rosenthal
9. Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini
10. Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs
11. Unearthly by Cynthia Hand
    
12. Wither by Lauren DeStefano

50 States Reading Challenge 2011

I just signed up for a new challenge that looked super-cool. It's called the 50 States Reading Challenge and is hosted by Tasha at Book Obsessed. The goal is simple - to read at least one book set in each state of the US. I thought this was a really interesting / creative challenge! Hopefully I'll be able to complete it.


 Check my Progress:

immense frustration.

As the title of this post implies, I am frustrated.

You may or may not have noticed that I am a huge fan of Rachel Vincent's work, especially her Shifters series. I am also an Italian major at my college... so imagine my excitement at hearing that Rachel Vincent's Shifters series was being published in Italian!

Then imagine my disappointment at not being able to find a single site that where I can order these books. Eeeeeeeeek!! I'm dying here! (not literally, of course). I've checked lots of sites, including  amazon, book depository, and eBay. If anyone knows of a site where I can order these books & get them shipped to the US pleaseee let me know. Thanks!

& Here are the lovely books I'm ranting about:

In My Mailbox #2

 In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren in order to show off new books we've gotten recently.

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Nothing literally in my mailbox this week, but I still got LOTS of books!

From the Library:

• Need and Captivate by Carrie Jones
• Linger by Maggie Stiefvater
• Blood Bound and Iron Kissed  by Patricia Briggs

Borrowed from my sister:

• Coraline by Neil Gaiman
• The Compound by S.A. Bodeen

Fallen by Lauren Kate

Title: Fallen
Author: Lauren Kate
Source: Library ; Hardcover: 452 pages
Interest: 2011 Blogger Recommendation Challenge

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Official Blurb:

There's something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.

Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price's attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He's the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.

Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce--and goes out of his way to make that very clear--she can't let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her.

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My Rating: 4 stars ★★★★

My Thoughts:

 "What if the person you were meant to be with could never be yours?"

Those were the words I read on the back of the cover when I picked this up off the library shelf. so intriguing. Fallen is filled with mystery, and not all of it as predictable as you might expect - the second half of the book was a real page-turner for me. The ending left many unanswered questions but it wasn't too much of a cliffhanger. Also, the characters all seemed so real, and I quickly got attached to them. Great book, I can't wait to read the next one. On a side note... isn't the cover beautiful?! I totally love it!

Next in Series: Torment
Books like this: Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

Follow Friday!

This is my first time participating in Follow Friday, a meme hosted by Parajunkie's View in which a new blog is featured each Friday, and everybody hops through the blogs and follows some / gets new followers.

Click the picture to see the full list and add your blog! 

Question: What books have you discovered from someone's blog?

Hmmm a lot, but heres a few:

• Firelight by Sophie Jordan from Elodie at Once Upon a Quote
• White Cat by Holly Black from Chloe at YA Booklover Blog
• Wither by Lauren DeStefano from...everyone! I've been seeing this book everywhere.

Booking Through Thursday - Reading Resolutions for 2011

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by Booking Through Thursday

Question: Any New Year's reading resolutions?
My Answer: Yep! I've already made a list of a few, and I'm sure I'll come up with more later on in the year =P

• My main goal is to read the handful of books that have been collecting dust on my bookshelf for months ever since I bought them.
• Don't buy any more books until goal #1 is met (I'm not too confident that this is a goal I'll be able to follow lol)
• Re-read the Harry Potter series at some point
• Read more classics (luckily, I got about 45 as free e-books from B&N... now time to read them!)
• More reading, less facebook -- facebook is the ultimate time sucking vortex... and I don't feel like it's well-spent procrastination time. If I'm going to procrastinate (and I will, obviously lol), at least let it be something relaxing and educational instead of a complete waste of time 
• Try to step out of my YA fantasy comfort zone and read more genres (mostly, I'd like to read more non-fiction... I've already got The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot on my TBR list... a step in the right direction!)

Do you have any reading resolutions for 2011? 

Share them here! (or link to your post) 

"Waiting On" Wednesday

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that features books we're anxiously awaiting the release of. My pick for the week is:

Title: Across the Universe
Author: Beth Revis
Publication Date: January 11th

Official Blurb:

A love out of time. A spaceship built of secrets and murder.

Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.

Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone-one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship-tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.

Now Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.

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Note: I'll be reading this book for The Story Siren's 2011 Debut Author Challenge!

What are you waiting on this Wednesday?

Teaser Tuesday!

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Be sure to comment with a link to your Tuesday Teaser post (or if you don't have a blog, share your teasers in a comment) so I can see what you're reading =)

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Title: Fallen

Author: Lauren Kate

"Just before she ducked into her first class, she dared to glance back. His face was blank, but there was no mistaking it -- he was watching her go."

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