29 Sept 2015

Birthday Book Haul!

29 September 4 Comments
Hi everyone! As you probably saw on Twitter and Instagram, I had a huge book haul with all my gift cards for BookOutlet and Chapters! I ended up spending over what I had in gift cards, but I'm chill with it. I'm going to give all y'all a breakdown of the books I bought and include some snazzy pictures. I also get to cross off some of the books that were on my TTT on September 15th about the books I want for my birthday, which is nice.

I'm going to include the instagram pictures I posted so you can have some visuals. You should know I dropped over $100 in just over two hours. But it was so worth it. I have so many good books now that I cannot wait to start reading.

Purchased from BookOutlet

Dragon Ball, Volume 6 
Author: Akira Toriyama
Publisher: VIZ Media
Publication Date: March 12, 2003
Summary:
In the frozen north, Goku's one-man fight against the Red Ribbon Army continues as he storms the perilous Muscle Tower! Can he defeat General White's squad of ninjas, cyborgs, and worse, and save the peaceful people of Jingle Village from their oppressors? Then, Goku travels to the City of the West to visit his old friend Bulma, who joins him on his quest, bringing her latest inventions. Their quest for the next Dragon Ball takes them around the world to a jungle island in the South Seas...but to get THIS Dragon Ball they'll have to go through General Blue!  

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Release Day Blitz: MINOTAUR by Phillip W. Simpson + #Giveaway

29 September 1 Comments
Minotaur-RDB-Banner
 
Happy Release Day to
Minotaur by Phillip W. Simpson!!
Join us in celebrating this release from Month9Books!
Enter the giveaway found at the end of the post.
Happy Book Birthday, Phillip!
 
Minotaur-Cover
“Where shall I start?” asked Minotaur. Ovid made an expansive gesture with both hands. “Where else but the beginning of course.” Minotaur nodded his huge head. “Yes,” he said. “Yes,” his eyes already glazing over with the weight of thousand year old memories. And then he began. So begins the story of Asterion, later known as Minotaur, the supposed half bull creature of Greek legend. Recorded by the famous Roman poet, Ovid, Asterion tells of his boyhood in Crete under the cruel hand of his stepfather Minos, his adventures with his friend, Theseus, and his growing love for the beautiful Phaedra.And of course what really happened in the labyrinth. This is the true story of the Minotaur.  


add to goodreads
Purchase Links:

Top Ten Tuesday (9): Ten Book Recommendations

29 September 5 Comments
Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because they are particularly fond of lists at The Broke and the Bookish. They'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and LOVE to see other top ten lists!
This week's TTT is all about book recommendations based on something so I decided to do it based on my top ten books of this year (so far). I will tell you what book it resembles and why I think that. It'll look like this:
SUPER POPULAR BOOK --> BOOK I RECOMMEND YOU READ NEXT
So get ready for some awesome book recommendations! And, as always, you can hit me up for more if you have read all these and/or want more!
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1. Kick Ass Heroine Who Takes No Shit But Falls In Love
THRONE OF GLASS by Sarah J. Maas  --> A SCHOOL FOR UNUSUAL GIRLS by Kathleen Baldwin
Throne of Glass is one of those staple books that everyone seems to love. But I think A School For Unusual Girls is going to be something even better. I thought that there were some parts of ASFUG that were tedious and overdone, but it was still such a good read and I cannot wait to see where the series is going to go from here! You can read my full review!

28 Sept 2015

BLOG TOUR: MINOTAUR by Philip W. Simpson + #GIVEAWAY

28 September 0 Comments
MINOTAUR
Author: Phillip W. Simpson
Publication Date:  September 29, 2015
Publisher:  Month9books

Summary:
“Where shall I start?” asked Minotaur.

Ovid made an expansive gesture with both hands. “Where else but the beginning of course.”

Minotaur nodded his huge head. “Yes,” he said. “Yes,” his eyes already glazing over with the weight of thousand year old memories. And then he began.

So begins the story of Asterion, later known as Minotaur, the supposed half bull creature of Greek legend. Recorded by the famous Roman poet, Ovid, Asterion tells of his boyhood in Crete under the cruel hand of his stepfather Minos, his adventures with his friend, Theseus, and his growing love for the beautiful Phaedra.And of course what really happened in the labyrinth.


This is the true story of the Minotaur.


Purchase:
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27 Sept 2015

BLOG TOUR: WILD SKY by Suzanne and Melanie Brockmann: Excerpt + #Giveaway

27 September 0 Comments
Title: Wild Sky

Authors: Suzanne and Melanie Brockmann

Release Date: October 6, 2015

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Genre: Young Adult (Paranormal)



Summary:

Skylar is a girl with extraordinary power. A girl with a mission to use her Greater-Than gifts to stop the makers of Destiny from getting people hooked on their deadly drug. But Sky is still mastering her new abilities, and her first mission to destroy a Destiny lab leaves her best friend addicted to the drug. For a few days Cal will be able to walk again – until it kills him. Time is running out for Sky to save the world without sacrificing her friends, to become truly Greater-Than...



Buy Links


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Message From The Authors Suzanne and Melanie Brockmann



MelWild Sky is a paranormal story, set in Florida, approximately fifty years in the future. In this world, a small percentage of people, mostly girls and young women, are born with a chemical in their blood that gives them superpowers like telekinesis or extraordinary strength.



Suz: Nicknamed “Greater-Thans” or “G-Ts,” these girls have been targeted for kidnapping by bad guys who harvest their blood and use it to manufacture a drug called “Destiny.” Destiny is extremely expensive, highly addictive, and ultimately fatal, but before the user dies from it, the drug reverses the aging process, heals illness and injury, and gives the addict super powers, too.

26 Sept 2015

Week in Review (4)

26 September 0 Comments
Here's another edition of my weekly recap so you can see all of my posts from the previous week in one spot. You can see my previous Week in Review to catch up as well!
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Reviews:
Lumberjanes: Beware the Kitten Holy by Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, Brooke A. Allen
Smoke (Burned #2) by Ellen Hopkins

Memes:
Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books on my Fall TBR
Waiting on Wednesday: October 2015 Releases

Blog Tours:
None this week! Don't worry, I have some next week ;)

25 Sept 2015

M9B Friday Reveal: Author Spotlight – Vanessa Barger with Giveaway #M9BFridayReveals

25 September 0 Comments
M9B-Friday-Reveal-Bannernew
 
Welcome to this week’s M9B Friday Reveal!
This week, we are spotlighting
Vanessa Barger
author of
Super Freak
a Middle Grade title from Tantrum Books, coming October 2015!
Be sure to enter the giveaway found at the end of the post!
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Twitter or Facebook?
Can I say both? I like Twitter for instant gratification, but I like Facebook for posting fun things too!

Favorite Superhero?
This is hard. I'm not a huge superhero person. But if I had to pick? Wonder Woman. I dressed up as Wonder Woman one year when I was little. Somewhere, I still have my golden lasso of truth!
 
Favorite TV show?
Okay, most TV shows I actually like get cancelled, but I have three. I love the first 3-4 seasons of Supernatural, I LOVE the Vicar of Dibley, and the Two Fat Ladies. If I'm having a stressful day, I pop the Two Fat Ladies in to relax. I'm weird, I know.
 
Sweet or Salty?
Sweet. But not too sweet. :)

22 Sept 2015

Top Ten Tuesday (8): Top Ten Books On My Fall TBR

22 September 7 Comments
Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because they are particularly fond of lists at The Broke and the Bookish. They'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and LOVE to see other top ten lists!
Okay so this is actually a Top Twelve Tuesday because I could NOT DECIDE. I was going to do 2 in September and 2 in December but SO MANY GOOD BOOKS. So here are 12 books because I can't decide. I hope y'all enjoy this! I think Fall 2015 has some of the best books coming out.

September 2015

The Weight of Feathers
Author: Anna-Marie McLemore

Publisher: Griffin Teen
Publication Date: September 15, 2015
Summary:
For twenty years, the Palomas and the Corbeaus have been rivals and enemies, locked in an escalating feud for over a generation. Both families make their living as traveling performers in competing shows—the Palomas swimming in mermaid exhibitions, the Corbeaus, former tightrope walkers, performing in the tallest trees they can find.

Lace Paloma may be new to her family’s show, but she knows as well as anyone that the Corbeaus are pure magia negra, black magic from the devil himself. Simply touching one could mean death, and she's been taught from birth to keep away. But when disaster strikes the small town where both families are performing, it’s a Corbeau boy, Cluck, who saves Lace’s life. And his touch immerses her in the world of the Corbeaus, where falling for him could turn his own family against him, and one misstep can be just as dangerous on the ground as it is in the trees.

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Why I'm Excited For It: This book was perfect in every sense of the word. It was lyrical and magical and had everything that you wanted and more. But I am going to reread the shit out of it because I cannot get enough.
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Six of Crows
Author: Leigh Bardugo

Series: Six of Crows #1
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
Publication Date: September 29, 2015
Summary:
Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can't pull it off alone...

A convict with a thirst for revenge.

A sharpshooter who can't walk away from a wager.

A runaway with a privileged past.

A spy known as the Wraith.

A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums.

A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes.

Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz's crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don't kill each other first.

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Why I'm Excited For It: Leigh Bardugo is a fucking queen so I can only imagine how fantastic this book is. I have a preorder of it and everyone has said such wonderful things about it that I cannot wait to get my hands on it.
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21 Sept 2015

Lumberjanes: Beware The Kitten Holy by Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, Brooke A. Allen

21 September 0 Comments
Title: LUMBERJANES: BEWARE THE KITTEN HOLY
Author: Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, Brooke A. Allen
Series: Lumberjanes
Source
: Owned (Purhcased from Big B Comics)
Publisher
:BOOM! Box
Publication Date
: April 7, 2015

Summary:
FRIENDSHIP TO THE MAX!

At Miss Qiunzilla Thiskwin Penniquiqul Thistle Crumpet's camp for hard-core lady-types, things are not what they seem. Three-eyed foxes. Secret caves. Anagrams. Luckily, Jo, April, Mal, Molly, and Ripley are five rad, butt-kicking best pals determined to have an awesome summer together... And they're not gonna let a magical quest or an array of supernatural critters get in their way! The mystery keeps getting bigger, and it all begins here. 

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20 Sept 2015

Week in Review (3)

20 September 0 Comments

Hey guys, I thought I'd start this weekly recap so that you can see all of my posts from the previous week in one spot. That way you can stay on top of things (and I can figure out what is what for the previous week and what is upcoming). You can see my previous Week in Review to catch up as well!
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Reviews:
We All Looked Up by Tommy Wallach

Memes:

Middle Grade Mondays: Strange Country Day by Charles Curtis
Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I Want For My Birthday
Waiting on Wednesday: Consider by Kristy Acevedo

18 Sept 2015

BLOG TOUR: HAPPINESS, NEXT EXIT by Anthony Mathenia

18 September 0 Comments



Happiness, Next Exit 
Anthony Mathenia


Genre: contemporary-romance
Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press
Date of Release: August 24, 2015
Cover Artist: Alexandria Thompson
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Description:
Is staying with one guy worth being separated from family and friends forever?  That’s the decision Rose Gluck has to make.
Raised in a strict Jehovah’s Witness congregation in rural Missouri where romance is a four-letter word and life is charted from childhood, Rose’s prospects as the future wife of Clinton Greer, the boorish son of the authoritarian congregation overseer, do not seem especially bright.
However, when Wyatt True joins their congregation, a possibility of a new relationship emerges, along with new trials. Through their growing friendship, Rose begins to understand the deeper truths of love. Meanwhile, Rose’s grandmother worries that she is being led down the same road that caused Rose’s mother to be lost.
But are true love and happiness worth exiting what she always considered true religion? After all, her choice has eternal consequences—in the most final sense of the word.
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M9B Friday Reveal: Chapter Reveal - Super Freak by Vanessa Barger with Giveaway #M9BFridayReveals

18 September 0 Comments
M9B-Friday-Reveal Banner
 
Welcome to this week’s M9B Friday Reveal!
This week, we are revealing CHAPTER ONE of
Super Freak by Vanessa Barger
an MG title presented by Tantrum Books!
Be sure to enter the giveaway found at the end of the post!
 
Super Freak
 
Thirteen-year-old Caroline is a freak. Her parents have uprooted her to a town full of Supernaturals. You'd think she'd be thrilled. But, with someone without a magical bone in her body, this daughter of tree sprites feels like even more of an outcast than she has ever before.
To make matters worse, her new home is cursed. But when Caroline takes to investigating the mysterious and strange happenings of Harridan House, her BFF goes missing. Seems someone doesn't want Caroline sticking her non-magical nose where it most certainly does not belong. Determined to prove herself, Caroline uncovers a plot to destroy her new hometown.
Undeterred, Caroline can't give up. But what's a human without magical powers to do? Caroline better figure it out fast, before she loses everything she has ever loved and the whispers she's heard all her life prove true: Caroline is a useless superfreak.
add to goodreads
Super Freak by Vanessa Barger 
Publication Date: October 13, 2015 
Publisher: Tantrum Books 
Genre: MG, Fantasy

17 Sept 2015

BIRTHDAY GIVEAWAY: Announcement of Winners!

17 September 1 Comments
I finished up my birthday giveaways yesterday and announced the winners on my Twitter account, but I am posting them here for everyone to see! Thanks to everyone who participated and made the lead up to my birthday so much fun! I can't wait to celebrate Christmas with y'all ;)
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Giveaway #1: $15 to spend at TBD was won by Cordelia. She chose SHARDS AND ASHES as her prize (which I own and love and highly recommend)
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Giveaway #2: A couple books and some swag was won by Lindsey! I'm sending out her prize tomorrow and I'm really excited for her!
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Giveaway #3: A preorder of an #FAC16 book was won by Wren! As of right now, Wren hasn't gotten back to me about which book she wants but I will update you once I know!
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Giveaway #4: BookOutlet gift certificate and a coupon for $5 off next purchase was won by Katherine! What a lucky Canadian!
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Until next time folks, go say congratulations to everyone on their winnings! Lots of love and happy reading!

15 Sept 2015

Top Ten Tuesday (7): Top Ten Books I Want For My Birthday!

15 September 4 Comments
Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because they are particularly fond of lists at The Broke and the Bookish. They'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and LOVE to see other top ten lists!
It's a freebie week and since it is my birthday on Thursday, I went with the TOP TEN BOOKS I WANT FOR MY BIRTHDAY. Which is actually pretty selfish of me. Remember, TOMORROW my birthday giveaways end so make sure you enter all four of them (or three if you don't live in Canada). And now, onward to the books I want.

1. Ice Kissed and Crystal Kingdom by Amanda Hocking.
SummaryIn the majestic halls of a crystal palace lies a secret that could destroy an entire kingdom…

Bryn Aven refuses to give up on her dream of serving the kingdom she loves. It’s a dream that brings her to a whole new realm…and the glittering palace of the Skojare.

The Skojare people need protection from the same brutal enemy that’s been threatening the Kanin, and Bryn is there to help. Being half Skojare herself, it’s also a chance for her to learn more about her lost heritage. Her boss, Ridley Dresden, is overseeing her mission, but as their undeniable attraction heats up, their relationship is about to reach a whole new level—one neither of them is prepared for.

As they delve deeper into the Skojare world, they begin to unravel a long-hidden secret. The dark truth about her own beloved Kanin kingdom is about to come to light, and it will change her place in it forever…and threaten everyone she loves.
 
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2. Tokyo Ghoul Volume 1 & Volume 2 by Sui Ishida.




Summary
Shy Ken Kaneki is thrilled to go on a date with the beautiful Rize. But it turns out that she’s only interested in his body—eating it, that is. When a morally questionable rescue transforms him into the first half-human half-Ghoul hybrid, Ken is drawn into the dark and violent world of Ghouls, which exists alongside our own.
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14 Sept 2015

BLOG TOUR: EM AND EM by Linda Budzinski + #GIVEAWAY

14 September 0 Comments

EM AND EM

Author: Linda Budzinski
Publication Date:  September 15, 2015
Publisher:  Swoon Romance
Genre:  YA, Contemporary
Summary
The last thing sixteen-year-old Emily Slovkowski wants is to move away from her home at the Jersey shore, gorgeous surfer boyfriend Zach, and her entire identity. But that’s kind of how Witness Protection works, and Em must prepare herself for an epic do-over as she starts a new life in the Midwest.

Even as she pines for sandy beaches and the night life of the shore, the newly-named Ember O’Malley finds herself making new friends, taking photos for the high school newspaper, and thinking an awful lot about the paper’s editor, an oddly cute cowboy named Charles.

When Em stumbles upon a shady beneath-the-bleachers exchange between one of the school’s football coaches and a student, she refuses to get involved. The last thing she needs is to be witness to another crime or call attention to herself. Besides, she finally has some real friends – well, real except for the fact that they don’t know a single thing about her – and she prefers to keep it that way until the trial.

But as her day in court approaches, Em begins piecing together what she saw that day beneath the bleachers. And, as her own past secrets start to catch up with her, Em needs to figure out who she really is – Em or Em.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24980193-em-and-em
Purchase:
This book was really well written and I found myself really enjoying the reading process. I liked Emily/Ember and I loved seeing her really transition into being herself.

The plot was extremely coherent and well done. I found myself immersed in the story and I liked the little asides that told us Emily/Ember's past and caught us up to the future. I think Emily/Ember is a good role model and someone that I actually look up to because she was so raw and real. She had crappy things -- and crappy people -- happen to her but she was still brave and stood up for her convictions.

I loved that both stories -- because Emily and Ember both have similar but different stories -- that paralleled one another. I thought that she was such a strong character and so well written. I just loved everything about her. She had problems standing up for herself but would defend anyone else and I thought that was beautiful.

Oh and Charles *heart eyes*

Overall: 4.5/5 stars for this one! I really enjoyed it and highly recommend it.
Linda Acorn Budzinski decided in the second grade that she wanted to be a “Paperback Writer,” just like in the Beatles song. She majored in journalism in college and now works in marketing and communications. She spent 18 years at a trade association in the funeral service industry, where she discovered that funeral directors are some of the bravest and most compassionate people on earth. Linda lives in Northern Virginia with her husband, Joe, and their chihuahua, Demitria. She has two step-daughters, Eris and Sarah. THE FUNERAL SINGER is her debut novel. She is represented by Andrea Somberg of Harvey Klinger Inc.

THE FUNERAL SINGER is Linda Budzinski's first novel.

Connect with the Author:   
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

12 Sept 2015

Week in Review (2)

12 September 0 Comments
Hey guys, I thought I'd start this weekly recap so that you can see all of my posts from the previous week in one spot. That way you can stay on top of things (and I can figure out what is what for the previous week and what is upcoming). Don't forget that my birthday giveaways end on the 16th! You can see my previous Week in Review to catch up as well!
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Reviews:
Saga Volume 1 by Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples
Ruin and Rising (The Grisha #3) by Leigh Bardugo
Nobody's Goddess (Never Veil #1) by Amy McNuity

Memes:
Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Series I Have Yet To Finish Reading

11 Sept 2015

Saga Volume 1 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples

11 September 1 Comments
Title: SAGA, Volume 1
Author: Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
Series
: Saga Collected Issues Graphic Novels
Source
: Owned (Purhcased from Big B Comics)
Publisher
: Image Comics
Publication Date
: October 10, 2012

Summary:
When two soldiers from opposite sides of a never-ending galactic war fall in love, they risk everything to bring a fragile new life into a dangerous old universe.

From bestselling writer Brian K. Vaughan, Saga is the sweeping tale of one young family fighting to find their place in the worlds. Fantasy and science fiction are wed like never before in this sexy, subversive drama for adults. 

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