Reading Teen

Second Hand Saturday 1/29/12

2012-01-28T00:18:00.001-05:00

Welcome to Second Hand Saturday!

In an attempt to clear our bookshelves, and pass on great used books to our ~~stalkers~~ followers, Amy, Kit, Abigaile, Austin and I have decided to hold weekly giveaways of some of the books on our bookshelves! Every Saturday, we will post the books available, and the following Saturday, we will announce the winner and our next challenge. The winner will get to choose a book from the list and we will ship it to that lucky person! Each week we will have a different challenge to complete.

This Week's Question:

If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would it be?

And this week's winner is...

Lieder Madchen

Email me at Readingteen1(at)gmail.com with your book choice. Please put "winner" in the subject line. You have one week to claim your prize!

Books Available:

Middle Grade

Eragon paperback
Eldest paperback
Darke, Septimus Heap #6 by Angie Sage*
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone paperback*
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban paperback*
How to Rock Braces and Glasses by Meg Haston*
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
Inkspell by Cornelia Funke
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (hardback no jacket)*
Mattimeo by Brian Jacques
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle
A Wind in the Door by Madeleine L'Engle
Summer Ball by Mike Lupica*
Half Moon Investigations by Eoin Colfer
Nothing But The Truth: A Documentary Novel by AVI
Triss by Brian Jacques (Readwall, book 15)
Clovermead by David Randall
The O'Reilly Factor For Kids by Bill O'Reilly
Nerds by Michael Buckley
Zan Gah by Allan Richard Shickman
The Carnival of Lost Souls by Laura Quimby
Star Power book 1 Supernova by Catherine Hapka
High School Musical: The Junior Novel Disney
High School Musical: Stories from East High #6 Disney
Animal Ark Pets books #12 - #16
25 (very small thin) books fromThe Babysitters Club (paperback)
Madison Finn #1 Only the Lonely Boy, #2 Boy, OH Boy! #3 Play it Again ( whole set)
Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
The Top Ten Ways to Ruin the First Day of School by Ken Derby
The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic ARC by Jennifer Trafton

YA books + (ARC=Advanced Reading Copy)

Bitter End ARC by Jennifer Brown*
Between by ARC Jessica Warman*
After Obsession ARC by Carrie Jones and Steven E Wedel*
Circle Nine ARC by Ann Heltzel*
Kiss Me Deadly ARC by various authors*
Clockwork Angel ARC (signed to Andye, some crinkled pages) by Cassandra Clare*
A Need So Beautiful ARC by Suzanne Young*
Fat Vampire ARC by Adam Rex*
The Fox Inheritance ARC (signed to Andye) by Mary E. Pearson
Undercurrent ARC (signed to Andye) by Tricia Rayburn
The Julian Game ARC (signed to Andye) by Adele Griffin*
The Lucky Kind ARC byAlyssa B. Sheinmel*
Flash Burnout (hardcover) by L.K. Madigan*
Dark Goddess ARC by Sarwat Chadda*
Immortal Beloved ARC by Cate Tiernan*
Blue Moon by Alyson Noel*
Shadowland (hardcover) by Alyson Noel*
Adversary by Kate Kaynak*
Catching Fire (hardcover, no jacket) by Suzanne Collins*
As Easy as Falling off the Face of the Earth (hardcover) by Lynne Rae Perkins*
The Prisoner of Azkaban Audio CD (Library Copy)*
I Am Legend Audio CD (Library Copy)*
SLEEPLESS ARC by Cyn Balog*
WHEN I WAS JOE by Keren David*
HOLD ME CLOSER NECROMANCER ARC by Lish McBride*
HUSH ARC by Eishes Chayil*
END OF DAYS ARC (A Nightrunner Novel) by Max Turner*
YOU KILLED WESLEY PAYNE ARC by Sean Beaudoin
THE PAINTED BOY ARC by Charles de Lint*
THE 10 P.M. QUESTION ARC by Kate de Goldi*
BRIGHID'S QUEST by P.C. Cast*
ELPHAME'S CHOICE by P.C. Cast*
THE ETERNAL ONES ARC by Kirsten Miller
SCARS by Cheryl Rainfeld (hardcover signed to Andye) (review)*
I am J ARC by Cris Beam*
Girl, 15, Charming But Insane by Sue Limb
*AUDIOBOOK Will Grayson, Will Grayson by Devid Levithan and John Green*
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (hardcover) by Ann Brashares*
The Second Summer of the Sisterhood (Traveling Pants 2) (hardcover) by Ann Brashares*
Girls in Pants (Traveling Pants 3) (hardcover w/out jacketflap) by Ann Brashares*
Forever in Blue (Traveling Pants 4) (harcover) by Ann Brashares*
The Gossip Girl Prequel (hardback) by Cecily Von Ziegesar*
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer*
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein*
The Lost Girls by Laurie Fox
The Riddle by Alison Croggon*
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Pride and Predjudice (Paperback) by Jane Austen
Lord of the Flies (paperback) by William Golding
Life, The Universe and Everything: Hitchhickers Trilogy book 3 (hardback) by Douglas Adams
So Long, And Thanks For All The Fish: Hitchhickers Trilogy book 4 (hardback) by Douglas Adams
The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
The World According to Narnia by Jonathan Rogers
Monster Blood Tattoo Book One: Foundling by D.M.Cornish (hardback)
Shadows of Doom Book Two: Iron Tower Trilogy by Dennis L. McKiernan
Me, The Missing, and the Dead by Jenny Valentine (hardback)
*Signed Copy Rebel King Book One: Hammer of the Scots by Charles Randolph Bruce and Carolyn Hale Bruce
Tantalize by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Shapeshifter by Holly Bennett
She Thief ARC by Daniel Finn
Logic of Demons by H.A.Goodman (hardback)
SteelTrapp 2 ARC by Ridley Pearson
*Signed with bookmark A Girl Named Mister ARC by Nikki Grimes*
The Tavernier Stones by Stephen Parrish
Death at the Alma Mater by G.M.Malliet
Livvie Owen Lived Here ARC by Sarah Dooley*
Choppy Socky Blues by Ed Briant
Indigo Blues by Danielle Joseph
Smudges Mark ARC by Claudia Osmond
Exley ARC by Brock ClarkADULT *18 and over
Echo Park by Michael Connelly (hardback)
The Third Angel by Alice Hoffman (hardback)
Timeline by Michael Crichton (hardback)
The Last Juror by John Grisham (hardback)
It Only Takes a Moment by Mary Jane Clark (hardback)
Foreign Body by Robin Cook (hardback)
Green Rider by Kristen Britain (fantasy) (hardback)
The DA Vinci Code by Dan Brown (hardback)
The English American by Alison Larkin (hardback)
Her Fearful Symmentry by Audrey Niffenegger (hardback)
Rainbow Six by Tom Clancy (hardback)
The Shack by William P. Young*
Last Chance Saloon by Marian Keyes*
Wicked by Gregory Macguire*
Jane and the Damned ARC by Janet Mullany
The Dutchess by Amanda Foreman
Belinda by Anne Rice writing as Anne Rampling
All Madden by John Madden with Dave Anderson
The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlums (hardback)
Robert Ludlums The Bourne Betrayal by Eric Van Lustbader
Clear and Present Danger by Tom Clancy
Age of Misrule: Worlds End by Mark Chadbourne Book1
Age of Misrule: Darkest Hour by Mark Chadbourne Book2
Age of Misrule: Always Forever by Mark Chadbourne Book3

Review: Specials by Scott Westerfeld

2012-01-27T12:30:00.000-05:00

Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Author's Website: http://scottwesterfeld.com/ Series or Stand Alone: Series (Uglies #3)
Buy the Book: Amazon

"Special Circumstances":The words have sent chills down Tally's spine since her days as a repellent, rebellious ugly. Back then Specials were a sinister rumor -- frighteningly beautiful, dangerously strong, breathtakingly fast. Ordinary pretties might live their whole lives without meeting a Special. But Tally's never been ordinary.And now she's been turned into one of them: a superamped fighting machine, engineered to keep the uglies down and the pretties stupid.The strength, the speed, and the clarity and focus of her thinking feel better than anything Tally can remember. Most of the time. One tiny corner of her heart still remembers something more.Still, it's easy to tune that out -- until Tally's offered a chance to stamp out the rebels of the New Smoke permanently. It all comes down to one last choice: listen to that tiny, faint heartbeat, or carry out the mission she's programmed to complete. Either way, Tally's world will never be the same.

Haven't read Uglies? Then DON'T read this review! Read this one.

My Review:

Overall I thought this was a fantastic semi-end to a fantastic series. It was action-pacted and had me wondering how everything was going to work out until the very end. But there was one major turn-off for me, I felt like Tally spent the whole book unhappy. I kept waiting, waiting for the moment where she could be content and live her life again, and it just never came. As much as I would agree that perfect endings are sort-of cliché, I invested too much into these books, this story, and these people to be satisfied with this ending. Not to mention, there just wasn't enough Zane. Oh how I wish there was more Zane..

So, as you can see, I definitely had mixed feelings about this book. It was completely dizzy-making. I am happy with it, for the most part, but I just wanted a little bit more from it. Maybe I'll find that in Extras!

So go. Read this book. Because, let's face it, if you've read the other two, you'll never be satisfied if you don't finish them off;)

Guest Post: Larry Peterson, Author of The Priest and the Peaches

2012-01-27T09:00:00.011-05:00

Larry Peterson

Book:

The Priest and the Peaches

Blog | Facebook | Twitter |

Larry Peterson was born and raised in the Bronx, New York. A former Metal Lather/Reinforcing Iron-worker, he left that business after coming down with MS. He, his wife and three kids moved to Florida 30 years ago. Larry began doing freelance newspaper commentary after graduating from Tampa College in 1984.

His first children's picture book, Slippery Willie's Stupid, Ugly Shoes was published in 2011. In 2012, his full length novel, The Priest and the Peaches was released and he is presently working on the sequel.

He also has a blog (http://www.ThePriestandthePeaches.com) where he posts weekly commentary. He lives in Pinellas Park, Florida and his kids and six grandchildren all live within three miles of each other.

Researching for The Priest and The Peaches

by Larry Peterson

My new YA book, "The Priest and The Peaches," officially launched January 1st and it has been categorized as "historical fiction" because it takes place in the mid-1960s. Now, one might ask, what was it like doing research for the book? Well, first of all, it was not the 1860s, it was the mid-1960s. So, the answer is, it was quite easy to do. Why? Because I grew up in the 1950s and 60s and the majority of the information I needed was right inside my head. The downside to having so much information readily available was that it made me blurt out, "Oh my God, that makes you a historical figure!" Talk about suddenly feeling your age. Not to worry, since I am resilient it only took me a couple of hours to get over that.

Honestly though, the streets, the stores, the behaviors, and things like that are vivid memories for me even today. Of course, there were things that I did have to research; For example, the Tridentine Mass (the Latin Mass of the catholic church) was replaced by the Novus Ordo (new order) Mass by the Second Vatican Council that took place during the 1960's. The Novus Ordo Mass put things in the "vernacular" meaning, for us here, English. For other areas of the world the local languages were to be used; Spanish, French, German, etc. But that was not implemented until 1969 so I did have to research to make sure the small amount of Latin I used in parts of the book's dialogue was correct. Also, the clothing and hairdos of the period are still quite vivid to me but I could not remember what they were called. That had to be researched and that is how "Bee-hive's" and "Bottom Flips" and "Shaggy Cuts" were found and also the old "Empire " dresses and "Dollie" dresses to name a few.

One thing is for sure. With the world-wide web and its gaggle of Google, information on most any topic known to humankind is available with the click of a mouse. I guess I am lucky. Since I am a historical person I have over 60 years of "stuff" inside my own true PC, my brain. The problem is, sometimes I have trouble downloading the information I need and have to use my mouse to fetch it.

eBook
Pages: 285
Release: January 1, 2012

Historical fiction novel set in the Bronx in the mid-1960s

Take a seven day journey with the five, newly orphaned Peach kids, as they begin their struggle to remain a family while planning their dad's funeral.

They find an ally in the local parish priest, Father Tim Sullivan, who tries his best to guide them through the strange, unchartered and turbulent waters of "grown-up world." A story that is sad, funny, and inspiring as it shows how the power of family love and faith can overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

Buy the Book:
Kindle | Nook | iBookstore | Smashwords | PDF

Tribute Books website:
http://www.tribute-books.com

Tribute Books Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Archbald-PA/Tribute-Books/171628704176

Tribute Books Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/TributeBooks

Young Adult Giveaway Hop: Win Bitterblue, Article 5, Monstrous Beauty, & How to Save a Life

2012-01-26T18:55:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the Young Adult Giveaway Hop.

Thanks to Amber from Down the Rabbit Hole and Kathy from I Am a Reader, Not a Writer for co-hosting.

Dates for this hop are January 27th to 31st. Over 200 blogs are each hosting a giveaway for a young adult book.

UPDATE!! I've had people ask, so if you are INTERNATIONAL and want to pay shipping, you may enter! (If you win and only want one of the books, to keep shipping down, that's fine too) :D

Because we are freaking awesome (or because we have an unhealthy desire to buy your love), we're giving away FOUR books, one of which may actually make you scream.....feel free to thank us (or beg) in the comment! :P

Giveaway:
US only-ish

ARC of Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

Eight years after Graceling, Bitterblue is now queen of Monsea. But the influence of her father, a violent psychopath with mind-altering abilities, lives on. Her advisors, who have run things since Leck died, believe in a forward-thinking plan: Pardon all who committed terrible acts under Leck’s reign, and forget anything bad ever happened. But when Bitterblue begins sneaking outside the castle—disguised and alone—to walk the streets of her own city, she starts realizing that the kingdom has been under the thirty-five-year spell of a madman, and the only way to move forward is to revisit the past. Two thieves, who only steal what has already been stolen, change her life forever. They hold a key to the truth of Leck’s reign. And one of them, with an extreme skill called a Grace that he hasn’t yet identified, holds a key to her heart.

ARC of Article 5 by Kristen Simmons

New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., have been abandoned.

The Bill of Rights has been revoked, and replaced with the Moral Statutes.

There are no more police—instead, there are soldiers. There are no more fines for bad behavior—instead, there are arrests, trials, and maybe worse. People who get arrested usually don't come back.

Seventeen-year-old Ember Miller is old enough to remember that things weren’t always this way. Living with her rebellious single mother, it’s hard for her to forget that people weren’t always arrested for reading the wrong books or staying out after dark. It’s hard to forget that life in the United States used to be different.

ARC of Mostrous Beauty

Fierce, seductive mermaid Syrenka falls in love with Ezra, a young naturalist. When she abandons her life underwater for a chance at happiness on land, she is unaware that this decision comes with horrific and deadly consequences. Almost one hundred forty years later, seventeen-year-old Hester meets a mysterious stranger named Ezra and feels overwhelmingly, inexplicably drawn to him. For generations, love has resulted in death for the women in her family. Is it an undiagnosed genetic defect . . . or a curse? With Ezra’s help, Hester investigates her family’s strange, sad history. The answers she seeks are waiting in the graveyard, the crypt, and at the bottom of the ocean—but powerful forces will do anything to keep her from uncovering her connection to Syrenka and to the tragedy of so long ago.

Finished Copy of How to Save a Live by Sarah Zarr

Jill MacSweeny just wishes everything could go back to normal. But ever since her dad died, she's been isolating herself from her boyfriend, her best friends--everyone who wants to support her. And when her mom decides to adopt a baby, it feels like she's somehow trying to replace a lost family member with a new one.

Mandy Kalinowski understands what it's like to grow up unwanted--to be raised by a mother who never intended to have a child. So when Mandy becomes pregnant, one thing she's sure of is that she wants a better life for her baby. It's harder to be sure of herself. Will she ever find someone to care for her, too?

As their worlds change around them, Jill and Mandy must learn to both let go and hold on, and that nothing is as easy--or as difficult--as it seems.

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Dark Days Tour: Wings of the Wicked Review by Courtney Allison Moulton

2012-01-26T00:00:00.002-05:00

Reading level: Ages 14 and up

Hardcover: 384 pages

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books (February 14, 2012)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0062002368

ISBN-13: 978-0062002365

Buy the book: Amazon

Visit the site: Courtney's Blog

Life as the Preliator is harder than Ellie ever imagined. Balancing real life with the responsibility of being Heaven's warrior is a challenge for Ellie. Her relationship with Will has become all business, though they both long for each other. And now that the secret of who she really is has come out, so have Hell's strongest reapers. Grown bold and more vicious, the demonic threaten her in the light of day and stalk her in the night. She's been warned. Cadan, a demonic reaper, comes to her with information of Bastian's new plan to destroy Ellie's soul and use an ancient relic to wake all the souls of the damned and unleash them upon humanity. As she fights to stay ahead of them, the revelations of those closest to her awaken a dark power within Ellie that threatens to destroy everything - including herself. She'll be betrayed. Treachery comes even from those whom she loves, and Ellie is broken by the deaths of those who stood beside her in this Heavenly war. Still, she must find a way to save the world, herself, and her love for Will. If she fails, there will be Hell to pay.

I would first like to say that I loved Angelfire. Wings of the Wicked is better than Angelfire! It has more action, romance, and just all around intense storyline. It is really gonna be hard for me to write this review without any spoilers, but I'll give it a shot!

I love C. Moulton's writing style. She does a fantastic job with each and every character. Moulton knows what she is doing when she writes a book. The reader feels a very personal attachment to each and every character. You can tell she had so much fun writing this book, it just has you (the reader) feeling every emotion possible. I usually get frustrated with sequels.I feel like the author is usually buying time, being slow with the storyline, so that there is material for the next book. That is so NOT the case with this book. It's better than Angelfire (like I said previously) and it leaves you wanting more, much, much more!

I will start with Ellie's character first. She is one of my favorite heroines. Ellie is so strong, but in Wings of the Wicked she encounters so much. My heart really went out to her in this book, I wasn't sure if she was going to make it. She is tough, yes, in front of Will and her friends. She doesn't want anyone to worry about her. She of course, comes across demons, and has to constantly train and go demon hunting while still trying to graduate from high school. I got physically tired just reading about what was required of her. Moulton of course adds her love interest Will into the mix a lot, which I am not going to complain about. She is tried and tested over and over, when it comes to Will. I love her dedication and determination. Ellie is powerful, Yes. However, she is also just a teenage girl with the weight of the world on her shoulders, and you will really get to know what I'm talking about when you read this book.

Will. Oh, I love Will. I love Will so much, I called my husband Will for the entire week, while I was reading this book. He ignored it at first, but after the third day he started to think I was seriously loosing my mind. Haha. Will is the heart and soul of this series, I kid you not. He is so kind, protective, sexy, and all around one of the best male characters there is. I think the reason I like him so much is that he is mysterious and he is head-over-heels in love with Ellie. His job as her protector though keeps him from really showing Ellie how much he loves her, and in Wings of the Wicked you will see how/why/when/what he chooses to do about that! Will melted my heart... his brute strength and fighting isn't bad to read about either.

This book was amazing. If you haven't started the series, I cannot stress enough to start. It is a non-stop, romantic, action roller coaster ride.

Dark Days Blog Tour Schedule

1/4 Tahereh Mafi at Reading Vacation

1/5 Ellen Schreiber at I Read Banned Books

1/6 Veronica Rossi at Supernatural Snark

1/9 Tahereh Mafi at Reading Vacation

1/10 Ellen Schreiber at I Read Banned Books

1/11 Veronica Rossi at Supernatural Snark

Tour 2

1/16 Cynthia Hand at The Story Siren

1/19 Jodi Meadows at The YA Sisterhood

1/24 Brodi Ashton at The Readiacs

1/26 Courtney Allison Moulton at Reading Teen

1/31 Cynthia Hand at The Story Siren

2/2 Jodi Meadows at The YA Sisterhood

2/7 Brodi Ashton at The Readiacs

2/9 Courtney Allison Moulton at Reading Teen

2/21 Lauren Oliver at All Things Urban Fantasy

2/22 Claudia Gray at A Life Bound By Books

2/23 Alex Flinn at Mundie Moms

2/28 Dan Wells at Bookalicious

3/1 Lauren Oliver at All Things Urban Fantasy

3/6 Claudia Gray at A Life Bound By Books

3/7 Alex Flinn at Mundie Moms
3/8 Dan Wells at Bookalicious

Dark Days Tour Schedule

Thursday, January 12th SAN FRANCISCO, CA

Books, Inc. Opera Plaza, NYMBC event at 7pm

Follow: @storiesweeties

Friday, January 13th SAN DIEGO, CA

Mysterious Galaxy, 7pm

Follow: @girlsinthestack

Saturday, January 14th PHOENIX, AZ

Changing Hands, 4pm

Livestream! http://ow.ly/8kqbz

Follow: @IBBookBlogging

Thursday, February 16th

DALLAS, TX

B&N Southlake, 5pm

Follow: @flamingo1325

Friday, February 17th AUSTIN, TX

B&N Austin, 7pm

Follow: @MundieMoms

Saturday, February 18th HOUSTON, TX

Blue Willow Book Shop, 4pm

Follow: @TwilightsDance

Friday, March 9th CORAL GABLES, FL

Books & Books, 6:30 pm

Saturday, March 10th, ALPHARETTA, GA

Barnes & Noble, 2pm

Sunday, March 11th, LOS ANGELES, CA

Vroman's, 4pm

Livestream! http://ow.ly/8kqbz

Incarnate by Jodi Meadows: Book Review

2012-01-25T00:00:00.000-05:00

Incarnate
Author: Jodi Meadows
Reading level: Ages 13 and up
Series: Book 1
Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books (January 31, 2012)

NEWSOUL
Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.

NOSOUL

Even Ana's own mother thinks she's a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she'll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are suspicious and afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?

HEART

Sam believes Ana's new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana's enemies--human and creature alike--let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else's life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all?
Jodi Meadows expertly weaves soul-deep romance, fantasy, and danger into an extraordinary tale of new life.

At a glance:

I really wanted to love Incarnate, but while the storyline was fascinating and original, I couldn't connect with the characters, and had a hard time staying engaged in the story.

Review:

I was really excited to get Incarnate! As soon as it came in the mail, I snatched it up and started reading. I found the idea completely fascinating. It really had so many things in it that the fantasy lover in me craves, dragons, sylphs, and other mysterious creatures, and a whole alternate universe and utopian society where people are reincarnated over and over.

Ana is a Newsoul in a world of people who have lived hundreds of different lives. When she was born, people expected her to be Ciana, who had died five years earlier. When they found that Ana was not Ciana, her father abandoned her and her mother left the city with her in shame. She spent the next 18 years abusing Ana, making her believe she is a Nosoul who has no real feelings, and no right to life. So when Ana finally leaves home, she goes on a quest to find out why she was born, and what her purpose is. Ana meets Sam, who has lived for thousands of years, but is only 18 in this life, and together they try to find Ana's place in the world.

Like I said before, I loved the premise, and the idea of the world that was created, but for me I just felt so much was lacking. I never fully got a grasp on the world, what it was like, if these were the only people in it, what time period it was supposed to be etc. The people, who have lived for thousands of years, seemed so simple-minded. The mythical creatures and their actions were unexplained. Although I liked the intent, something was lost in translation for me.

I didn't connect with Ana at all. She was so angry, suspicious, and paranoid about everything. She constantly whined and no matter how much Sam helped her, she never trusted him. I understand that was cause by her abusive mother, but I think what bothered me so much was, what did Sam see in her? She was awful to him, and I didn't see anything fun, happy, or attractive about her. Maybe he just is the type that wants to rescue someone? The romance was also strange because Ana seemed like a 12-year-old child while Sam seemed like a 40 year-old-man. It just didn't work for me.

I also didn't feel like enough was resolved. Sam had so many strange behaviors that Ana never confronted him about. The ending was just sudden and strange. Then we're left with a complete cliffhanger, and there was definitely a serious case of Series Syndrome going on.

I guess if I was going to wrap this book up with one word, it would be awkward. The people were awkward, the romance was awkward, and the ending was seriously awkward. Although this book didn't work for me, make sure you check out lots of other reviews, it may be something that's perfect for you!

Want a Second Opinion?

Check out Mundie Moms 4.5 star review
or an awesome picture review by HD here!!

Book Doppelgangers:

The Pledge by Kimberly Derting, Cinder by Merissa Meyer

Content:

Profanity: None
Sexual Content: Mild/Moderate
Violence: Moderate

For more details, check out Incarnate on ParentalBookReviews.com

Fun Times at ALA Midwinter 2012

2012-01-24T20:58:00.000-05:00

Amy and I were fortunate enough to be able to attend the American Library Association Midwinter Meeting in Dallas Texas this year. Amy's parents live in the area, so we flew in and stayed with them. We got in at 11:30 pm on Wednesday night and Amy's mom had made us fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy! YUM! That was the beginning of my Texas eating frenzy! We at at SO many good restaurants. One day we even had two lunches.....don't judge!

ALA opened Friday afternoon, and we were there when the ~~gun blasted~~ doors opened!

My first look at Dallas!

At ALA! (We take a pic of our parking spot so we don't get lost) It only took us 10-11 tries to line up the sign while remembering to actually look at the camera.

I'm official!

At a Book Blogger dinner with tons of different Bloggers and Authors. This is Katie from Mundie Moms, Amy, Andye, Yara from Once Upon a Twilight, and Nancy from Girls in the Stacks. We may or may not have been acting like 12-year-olds before this very proper picture. :P Thanks to Jen Bigheart for putting this together!

Also at the Blogger dinner, we finally met HD from Reading Writing Breathing! He was super, super sweet, even if he did cut in front of me and has crazy-strange taste in books!! (I'll never let you live it down!!! mwahaha!!)

After our first night at ALA, here's what we came home with. This was just day one! Lots of Young Adult books and Middle Grade books (for Reading Tween).

I made a new friend! YAY me! This is Sabrina from YA Bliss. We hung out and talked about audiobooks a lot!! I learned NEVER to hand her a Paranormal Romance and she hates spicy food! :P Also, she's a total sweetheart!

We went out to this great Tavern for lunch with Sabrina, Trini (A Book-Lovers' Review), and Yara. Had a great time getting to know them better, plus it was nice to get out of the convention center for awhile!

My girls! Yara, Gabrielle from Mod Podge, Sabrina, Me and Melina from Reading Vacation! Love these girls!

John Green (The Fault in Our Stars) was there and spoke and signed books. I didn't get a picture with him, but I did even better. I got one with his awesome van! haha

Saturday night we stopped by (Girls in the Stacks) Stacy's house, who lives very close to Amy's parents, and hung out with Stacy & Nancy (GITS), Jen (A Book and a Latte), Kelsey (Reading or Breathing), and Katie (Mundie Moms). Katie's the only one who would take a picture. :P

This was BY FAR my most anticipated book of the conference. Apparently it was everyone else's too because the giveaway started at 3:00pm and people started lining up at 10:30am! I'm so excited for this book, I've been waiting for YEARS!! (With Gabrielle, Sabrina, me and Kelsey)

This was the last day at ALA. All the booths are packing up and giving/selling all their stuff. This was us (Andye, Katie, Uh...awkward...don't remember, HD) waiting at the S&S booth. They were AWESOME, so friendly and organized!! They gave away all their books, finished and ARCs. We got to just stroll through and pick out whatever looked awesome! I got finished copies of Blood Red Road, This Dark Endeavor, Moonglass, Stay, and a bunch more!

We had SO MUCH FUN! I'm sad I didn't get pictures with everyone, including Hafsah (Icey Books) and her amazing sister, Asma, and Trinity Faegan (The Mephisto Covenant), who is the sweetest person ever, and Sophie Jordan (Firelight), who may tie for the sweetest person, and also Alex Bracken (Brightly Woven)....so that's a three-way tie! They were all so nice! Thanks to all the amazing publishers who were so gracious, and to all the blogger who were so friendly. We were so thrilled to meet new people, see those we've been chatting with for so long, and reconnect with our old friends. We can't wait to do it again! If you'd like to see more ALA pics, you can check them out here!

Mario Skills

2012-01-24T00:00:00.000-05:00

Help for Yara from Once Upon a Twilight

2012-01-23T21:53:00.001-05:00

Hey all! As many of you have heard, our very good friend (and Jan. book club host), Yara, from Once Upon a Twilight had a horrible house fire this weekend. Thankfully, she and her family are unharmed, but all of her things have been destroyed or damaged. One of the things that Yara is most devastated about, is all the books that she and her children lost in the fire. I'm sure you can imagine how that would feel! Many of you have asked how you can help, so a group of bloggers have decided to host Yara's Birthday Book Drive.

From Mundie Moms:

Our goal is to help replace as many books as possible, but not just for her, but for her two boys who have nothing (they're ages 5 & 10) and her husband. The focus of this drive to get YA, MG and Children's books for Yara and her family. These can be new and gently used. Because it's Yara's birthday next month, we want to present to her as many BOOKS as we can on 2/25! You can even send in book store gift cards as well.

The Birthday Book Drive will run from 1/23-2/23. That leaves us a day to get everything together to present to Yara on the Feb. 25th, her birthday.

ALL Donations can be sent to Lisa (who's helping Yara and her point of contact). PLEASE note on the box, Yara's Birthday so she knows what they are. Please send books to:

Yara Santos c/o Lisa Ciaccio

2914 Julie Ann Drive

Pearland, TX 77584

If you send anything, please list your book/books here or please feel free to email me at adminmundiemoms AT gmail.com and I'll be happy to update the list for you. That way everyone can see what's being donated. I'll also have this same link up on the facebook page when that page is up.

I know a lot of friends are concerned about her Twilight books, and I can confirm that The Twilight Saga book ARE TAKEN CARE OF.

If you can't donate, please just keep Yara and her family in your thoughts and prayers! If you have any questions, please let myself or Lisa know.

There's also a link set up on Twilight Moms to donate $ and other goods they're in need of. Please go HERE to read more about it or to donate. They have some great links to other drives, and donation relief efforts for Yara and her family.

Thanks so much Katie, Lisa, and all those that have helped to organize this! We love you Yara, and our thoughts and prayers are with you.

Cover Reveal: Renegade by J.A. Souders (Plus Giveaway Info)

2012-01-23T10:00:00.000-05:00

Reading Teen is very excited to be taking part in the cover reveal of this gorgeous new book.

By: Jessica Souders
Published by: Tor Teen
To Be Released on: Fall 2012

Since the age of three, sixteen-year-old Evelyn Winters has trained to be Daughter of the People in the underwater utopia known as Elysium. Slected from hundreds of children for her ideal genes, all her life she's believed that everything is perfect. Her world. Her people. The law.

But when Gavin Hunter, a Surface Dweller, accidentally stumbles into Elysium's secluded little world, Evelyn comes to a startling realization: Everything she knows is a lie.

Her memories have been altered.

Her mind and body aren't under her own control. And the person she knows as Mother is a monster.

Together with Gavin she plans her escape, only to learn that her own mind is a ticking time bomb...and Mother has one last secret that will destroy them all.

Add to Goodreads

Giveaway Info:

Jessica (J.A.) Souders author of Renegade, is giving away an ARC of RENEGADE (when available).
but to tide you over in the meantime, she's also giving away a copy of any 1 YA book available at the book depository. Since she'll be buying it at the book depository, the contest is international, as long as book depository delivers to your country.

To enter you'll have to have visited the six blogs who posted the puzzle pieces the Friday before, because each blog also posted a word.You 'll have to collect those six words to enter the contest, but if you unscramble them in the right order, you'll get an extra entry.

The form on this site is the same form at the other four revealing the cover today. So you can only enter ONCE, no matter what blog you enter through.

Jessica will answer any comments you leave but no entries will be accepted through the comments, you need to enter through the form.

The contest will start today, Jan. 23 and ends Monday, Jan. 30. The correct tagline will be announced with the contest winner on Jessica's blog (jasouders.blogspot.com) that Monday.

You can also get extra entries (for a grand total of 5 entries) for spreading the word: tweeting using the #renegade hashtag, blogging, facebooking, etc.

Puzzle Piece blogs:

Woven Strands (WovenMyst.com)
Writer's Ally (http://writersally.blogspot.com/)
The Oasis (http://oasisforya.blogspot.com/)
Fire and Ice (http://fireandicephoto.blogspot.com/)
Confessions of a Bookaholic (http://www.totalbookaholic.com/)
Jessie Harrell-The Daily Harrell (http://jessie-harrell.blogspot.com/)

The other blogs participating in the full cover reveal:

Reading Teen (http://www.readingteen.net/)
Boo ks Complete Me (http://www.bookscompleteme.com/)
Mundie Moms (http://mundiemoms.blogspot.com/)
Simple Love of Reading (http://simpleloveofreading.blogspot.com/)
Stuck in Books (http://www.stuckinbooks.com/)

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