Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Waiting on Wednesday (#6)

(Brought to you by Breaking the Spine)

Author: Emma Mills
Goodreads Rating: 3.99
Pages: 272
Release Date: October 13th, 2015
 Devon Tennyson wouldn't change a thing. She's happy watching Friday night games from the bleachers, silently crushing on best friend Cas, and blissfully ignoring the future after high school. But the universe has other plans. It delivers Devon's cousin Foster, an unrepentant social outlier with a surprising talent for football, and the obnoxiously superior and maddeningly attractive star running back, Ezra, right where she doesn't want them first into her P.E. class and then into every other aspect of her life.

Pride and Prejudice meets Friday Night Lights in this contemporary novel about falling in love with the unexpected boy, with a new brother, and with yourself.

Friday, September 25, 2015

Blog Tour: Dreamland

Today on the blog we have an extra special feature about the book Dreamland. The author, Robert L. Anderson was willing to tell me the top 10 people that he would dreamwalk. First, find out all about the book below.

 About the book:


23245337Odea Donahue has been able to travel through people’s dreams since she was six years old. Her mother taught her the three rules of walking: Never interfere. Never be seen. Never walk the same person’s dream more than once. Dea has never questioned her mother, not about the rules, not about the clocks or the mirrors, not about moving from place to place to be one step ahead of the unseen monsters that Dea’s mother is certain are right behind them.

Then a mysterious new boy, Connor, comes to town and Dea finally starts to feel normal. As Connor breaks down the walls that she’s had up for so long, he gets closer to learning her secret. For the first time she wonders if that’s so bad. But when Dea breaks the rules, the boundary between worlds begins to deteriorate. How can she know what’s real and what’s not?



About the Author:

Robert L. Anderson grew up in Brooklyn and graduated college in 2004 with a degree in philosophy. Since then, he has lived in five states and twelve countries, and on three continents. Dreamland is his first novel. He is represented by literary agent Stephen Barbara.
Links: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Tumblr 

Top 10 People You Would Want to Dreamwalk



My dreams are actually pretty horrifying that I can’t actually see myself happily walking through someone else’s dreams, but if I had to answer (and I HAVE to answer!) here are my picks:



1) J.K. Rowling. I don’t actually have to elaborate here, right?

2) George RR Martin because maybe he’ll dream about how A Song of Ice and Fire ends and I can see it as HE SEES IT. It’ll be like a movie of his mind. And maybe I can interfere and make sure a certain character doesn’t meet a fateful end.

3) One of my best friends because she’s always telling me about the strangest dreams and I want to see if she’s making them up or not. If she isn’t I’m going to be in for things I will never un-see.

4) My other best friend because he dreams in black and white, which is supposedly very common but he’s the only person I know personally who exactly experiences this.

5) President Obama. That man has access to secrets our country may never learn and has definitely seen things that will never be public. His dreams must be fascinating. 

6) Can I cheat and say a dog? I want to see what dogs dream about.

7) A newborn’s first dream would be quite the experience. Everything is so foreign that I imagine it would be the most disorienting dream ever.  

8) Stephenie Meyer. Twilight came to her in a dream and that worked out for her, I think. I might be able to use something there as the jumping point for my next book (and h
opefully mega-bestseller).

9) Andrew Smith because have you read Grasshopper Jungle? If that’s what he comes up with when he’s awake his dreams will no doubt rival mine.
10) Last but not least, George Lucas. I hope he dreams in Star Wars, too. Don’t disappoint me, George! 


More Stops on the Tour:



Giveaway:

 

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Monday, September 21, 2015

Top 10 Books on my Fall TBR List

(Brought to you by The Broke and the Bookish)

Hey all! Welcome to another great Top 10 Tuesday!! Here, I will be listing my top 10 books on my TBR list that I'm hoping to get around to in Fall, starting with 10 and working my down to the book I cannot WAIT to start!! Hope you enjoy and don't forget to comment with your top TBR books :)

10) Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs
The first book in the Temperance Breannan series has fans of the popular TV show, Bones, drooling. I like good crime novels almost as much as I like good crime TV and can't wait to dive into this goody!

9) Pile of Bones by Bailey Cunningham
I found this book at a book sale and the concept of people going to different worlds always intrigued me, but a land that appears after midnight and gives people the chance for real-life role-playing?? Sign me up! 



8) The Shadows by J.R. Ward
My friend just finished this and called me in a jumble of emotion. She was this crying, angry, but still laughing (kind of that crazy laugh which really frightened me...) saying I HAD to read it! We have been reading the Black Dagger Brotherhood series for years and this one seems to be on par with all the others. Can't wait to read it!

7) Z for Zachariah by Robert C. O'Brien
Speaking of movies... this book to movie adaptation was released on August 28, 2015 with apparently very little publicity since I never heard about it's release, yet knew it was coming out eventually. So now I really need to get a move on to read this book before my friends and I take on the movie.

6) The Bourbon Kings by J.R. Ward
With this little beauty coming to the small screen soon, I need to get on this! I ADORE J.R. Ward (obviously since two of her books have graced my list), I'm so happy that one of the Warden's creations is coming to life! I heard so many good things about this book, but I mean... I didn't need much convincing... Bourbon? Sexy, rich men? J.R. Ward??? Hooked :)

5) Mechanica by Betsy Cornwell
This has made many peoples' WoW's and though I don't own a copy (yet) I'm seeking to remedy that situation post haste! I love some good fairy tale retellings

4) Welcome to the Dark House by Laurie Faria Stolarz
It wouldn't be a fall book without some kind of scary book :) I will probably read this around Halloween, in between watching scary movies. I also heard a lot about this and lent the book out to a friend to read (since I'm so backed up) and she loved it!

3) Winter by Marissa Meyer
I.... can't..... WAIT!!!! These top 3 books are all tied for books I need to read ASAP! The final book of the Lunar Chronicles and still so many questions!!! I can't wait to read what happens!!!! I adore Marissa Meyer and I know this book will live up (and surpass) all my hype (and really hope another series is in the works too!)

2) Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas
After just having my emotions mutilated and having so many feels that I fear I will never feel those feelings again... This is another must read, and a must read that I.... well.... must read soon or I feel I will die of anticipation!

1) Dumplin' by Julie Murphy
We are finally past swimsuit season but this book definitely goes in the "Must Read ASAP" pile. I saw this book on many peoples' WoW's and have been so excited to read it!! Now that the kind people at OwlCrate have placed the book in my lap, there's just no saying no!

So Tell Us.... What books top you Fall TBR list???

Friday, September 18, 2015

Review: Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass #3)

Author: Sarah J. Maas
Goodreads Rating: 4.60
Pages: 562
She was the heir of ash and fire, and she would bow to no one.

Celaena Sardothien has survived deadly contests and shattering heartbreak—but at an unspeakable cost. Now she must travel to a new land to confront her darkest truth...a truth about her heritage that could change her life—and her future—forever.

Meanwhile, brutal and monstrous forces are gathering on the horizon, intent on enslaving her world. To defeat them, Celaena must find the strength to not only fight her inner demons but to battle the evil that is about to be unleashed.

The king's assassin takes on an even greater destiny and burns brighter than ever before in this follow-up to the New York Times bestselling Crown of Midnight.

Monday, September 14, 2015

One: Blog Tour Post

Author: Sarah Crossan
Goodreads Rating: 4.39 Stars
Pages: 400
Publisher: Greenwillow Books (an imprint of Harper Collins)
Format: ARC provided by publisher


Tippi and Grace share everything—clothes, friends . . . even their body. Writing in free verse, Sarah Crossan tells the sensitive and moving story of conjoined twin sisters, which will find fans in readers of Gayle Forman, Jodi Picoult, and Jandy Nelson.
Tippi and Grace. Grace and Tippi. For them, it’s normal to step into the same skirt. To hook their arms around each other for balance. To fall asleep listening to the other breathing. To share. And to keep some things private. The two sixteen-year-old girls have two heads, two hearts, and each has two arms, but at the belly, they join. And they are happy, never wanting to risk the dangerous separation surgery.
But the girls’ body is beginning to fight against them. And soon they will have to face the impossible choice they have avoided for their entire lives.


Review: Fairest (Lunar Chronicles #3.5)

Author: Marissa Meyer
Goodreads Rating: 4.04
Pages: 220
In this stunning bridge book between Cress and Winter in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles, Queen Levana’s story is finally told.

Mirror, mirror on the wall,
Who is the fairest of them all?


Fans of the Lunar Chronicles know Queen Levana as a ruler who uses her “glamour” to gain power. But long before she crossed paths with Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress, Levana lived a very different story – a story that has never been told . . . until now.

Marissa Meyer spins yet another unforgettable tale about love and war, deceit and death. This extraordinary book includes full-color art and an excerpt from Winter, the next book in the Lunar Chronicles series.

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Blog Tour: Lock and Mori by Heather W. Petty

Good morning, all! Today I'm so excited to welcome Heather W. Petty to the blog. I'm so excited to share her guest post from Heather--- and not only because I agree with almost her answers --- but because she's the author of an amazing adaptation that I think should be on everyone's TBR lists!

Since this book is a pastiche of my favorite sleuth, I couldn't help but ask Heather to write a little bit about her top five twisted adaptations. 

~*~

Heather W. Petty's Top Twisted Retellings: 

House M.D. (television show)
I couldn't help but include at least one Sherlock adaptation, and I think this is the most clever of them all. For those who haven't seen the show, it's the story of a genius diagnostician Dr. Gregory House, who solves medical mysteries with a group of diagnostic students at Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. His only friend (and Watson) is Dr. Wilson, who runs the Oncology department. It's a very cool, fast-paced, emotionally complex medical drama. 

The Tower at Stony Wood by Patricia A. McKillip
Patricia McKillip is one of my favorite writers of all time. She has this amazing ability to create fantasy worlds that read like timeless stories. It's almost like she's creating new fairytales using all of the folklore elements that we expect to see, but in new ways. In this book, a knight discovers that the King is marrying an imposter, and the real Queen is locked in a tower in a magical land. A prince of that land is looking for a tower filled with gold to help rebuild his father's army. And a third female character, goes up to a tower near Stony Wood to watch a woman imprisoned in a tower and embroider her story. The novel is a subtle nod to Rapunzel, but so much more complex and amazing as the three characters' lives and quests weave together.

A Werewolf Boy (Korean movie)
I'm not sure if this technically counts as an adaptation, but this is kind of Tarzan meets werewolf lore. It's the story of a family who moves out into a remote countryside and find a wild boy who is living in the woods around their house. The mother feels bad for him and brings him into the house and the teenaged daughter trains the boy to fit into society a little. The movie is amazing, sometimes hilarious, and completely heart-wrenching, and also one of my absolute favorite movies of all time. 

Joss Whedon’s 2012 adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing
I love Shakespeare and I love Joss Whedon, and they basically got together and made a beautiful
baby starring most all of my favorite actors of the Whedonverse with a modern backdrop and a super cool soundtrack. I loved this movie so much. And while Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson will probably always be my one true Beatrice and Benedick, Amy Acker and Alexis Denisof were so brilliant in the parts I couldn't help but fall in love with them.  

Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis
This book is a retelling of the Psyche and Cupid myth told from the perspective of Psyche's older, ugly sister. I love it so much. I think it's one of those books that leaves you reeling for days after, where you find yourself marking pages to read again and writing down quotes to ponder. This is one of the very few books that I've reread more than once. Definitely my favorite of all of Lewis' books.

~*~

More about Lock and Mori:


In modern-day London, two brilliant high school students—one Sherlock Holmes and a Miss James “Mori” Moriarty—meet. A murder will bring them together. The truth very well might drive them apart.

Before they were mortal enemies, they were much more…

FACT: Someone has been murdered in London’s Regent’s Park. The police have no leads.

FACT: Miss James “Mori” Moriarty and Sherlock “Lock” Holmes should be hitting the books on a school night. Instead, they are out crashing a crime scene.

FACT: Lock has challenged Mori to solve the case before he does. Challenge accepted.

FACT: Despite agreeing to Lock’s one rule—they must share every clue with each other—Mori is keeping secrets.

OBSERVATION: Sometimes you can’t trust the people closest to you with matters of the heart. And after this case, Mori may never trust Lock again.


More about Heather W. Petty: 



Heather has been obsessed with mysteries since she was twelve, which is when she decided that stories about murders in London drawing rooms and English seaside villages were far superior to all other stories. Lock & Mori is her first novel. She lives in Reno, Nevada with her husband, daughter, and four hopelessly devious cats. You can learn more about Heather and her books at heatherwpetty.com.

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Waiting on Wednesday #5

(Waiting on Wednesday brought to you by our friends at Breaking the Spine)

Author: Erin Bow
Goodreads Rating: 3.63
Pages: 384
Expected Publication: September 22, 2015
A world battered by climate shift and war turns to an ancient method of keeping peace: the exchange of hostages. The Children of Peace - sons and daughters of kings and presidents and generals - are raised together in small, isolated schools called Preceptures. There, they learn history and political theory, and are taught to gracefully accept what may well be their fate: to die if their countries declare war.

Greta Gustafsen Stuart, Duchess of Halifax and Crown Princess of the Pan-Polar Confederation, is the pride of the North American Precepture. Learned and disciplined, Greta is proud of her role in keeping the global peace, even though, with her country controlling two-thirds of the world’s most war-worthy resource — water — she has little chance of reaching adulthood alive.

Enter Elián Palnik, the Precepture’s newest hostage and biggest problem. Greta’s world begins to tilt the moment she sees Elián dragged into the school in chains. The Precepture’s insidious surveillance, its small punishments and rewards, can make no dent in Elián, who is not interested in dignity and tradition, and doesn’t even accept the right of the UN to keep hostages.

What will happen to Elián and Greta as their two nations inch closer to war?
Such a cool idea for a dystopian!!! Want the countries to stop waging war? Well hold all the leaders' children hostage with the threat that if a country goes to war, their children die! I reeeeeally love this idea if you can't tell :)

I'm hoping that it focuses on that plot line and doesn't have a huge focus on the possible romance between Greta and Elián. That's not to say I hope there isn't something there. I just want this to be more of kick-ass dystopian where you think you know what's coming but then all of a sudden....
 and all you can do is say...
 And it possibly haunts you for days...

Well if my excessive use of gifs doesn't tell you how much anticipation I have for this book, I don't know what will. I can't wait to get my hands on this to see if it lives up to my expectations ;)


What are you waiting for? Leave your link or comment below!!!

 

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