BOOK BLOGGER HOP

COME JOIN THE FUN!
In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and find new book-related blogs that we may be missing out on! This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs that they may not know existed! So head on over to Crazy For Books and join the party!
A BIG Thank you to Jennifer who hosts this super cool event!
QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
Who is your favorite new-to-you author so far this year?

That is a tough question!

I will have to say Lauren Oliver blew me away with her book-Before You Fall.

And don't forget-I'm giving away 3 ARCs of Another Pan by Daniel and Dina Nayeri-Scroll down for more info!

IT'S GETTING A WEE BIT CROWDED IN HERE!

My book shelves are getting a little too crowded. Normally I donated the books that I win or buy to my public library(because our young adult section is so horribly outdated-Bobbsey Twins & Five Little Peppers anyone, anyone, any....) but can't with these titles. Some of them, because of content will end up in adult section-because our library is ultra- conservative(Twilight is in the adult section, as is The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Series) or because they are paperback and our library prefers hardbacks because of wear and tear issues. So, anywho- I'm proposing a trade.
I'm interested in trading young adult for young adult. So if your looking for some new reads and wanting to get rid of a few yourself, let me know. I'm looking for a fair trade with books in the same condition.
Here's what I have-
*Another Faust by Daniel and Dina Nayeri (hardback-excellent condition)
*Gentlemen by Michael Northrop (hardback-excellent condition)
*Masquerade by Melissa De La Cruz (hardback-excellent condition)
*Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr (hardback-acceptable condition-writing on inside cover)
*Swim the Fly by Don Calame (paperback-excellent condition)
*Seers of Shadows by Avi(paperback-excellent condition)
*Kitty's House of Horrors by Carrie Vaughn (paperback-excellent condition)
*Life of Pi- Yann Martel(paperback-good condition-cover corner has slight bend)
Any takers?

BEFORE I FALL

By Lauren Oliver

2010

470 pages

From Inside Cover:

What if you had only one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?

Samantha Kingston has it all: the world's most crush-worthy boyfriend, three amazing best friends, and first pick of everything at Thomas Jefferson High-from the best table in the cafeteria to the choicest parking spot. Friday, February 12, should be another day in her charmed life.

Instead, it turns out to be her last. Then she gets a second chance. Seven chances, in fact. Reliving her last day during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death-and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing.

My Thoughts:

Where do I start?

This book was amazing. Lauren Oliver takes a girl who really isn't even likable at the start of the book and made me love her. I was really worried that a story being told seven times would get old really fast-IT DOES NOT! Each day is new and different and sometimes left me shocked. This book is an emotional roller coaster. It made me angry, amused, disgusted, joyous and sad.

Wow! What a ride!

It's hard to talk about the plot without giving anything major away. This girl gets seven chances to right a wrong-will she?

I do want to say that this book made me hungry to get anything else that Lauren Oliver has written in my hands ASAP. She's that good people! I'm trying really hard not to gush-but this is me gushing. Seriously, get your hands on a copy.

This book is available at the Salmon Public Library for check out. It does contain language, sexual content and drinking situations.

Book Blogger Hop!

Stretch out and join the fun!

It's all fun and games till someone pulls a hammie!

Get ready to hop!

In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and find new book-related blogs that we may be missing out on! This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs that they may not know existed! So head on over to Crazy For Books and join the party!

A BIG Thank you to Jennifer who hosts this super cool event!

QUESTION OF THE WEEK:

TELL US ABOUT THE BOOK YOU ARE CURRENTLY READING!

I am just finishing up Another Pan by Daniel and Dina Nayeri

It's an interesting take on Peter Pan.

I'll be writing a review on it this weekend. And I'm giving away 3 ARCs of Another Pan-Don't forget to enter!

SUMMER GIVEAWAY!

3 LUCKY WINNERS

Will Be drawn for 3 ARCs

ANOTHER PAN

(ARC)

by Daniel and Dina Nayeri

Release Date October 2010

From the Authors of Another Faust comes....

From Back Cover:

A darkness continues to haunt the Marlowe School, and this time, someone is plotting payback.

Wendy Darling a headstrong junior, and her brother John, a thirteen-year-old genius with a chip on his shoulder, struggle with being from the poorest family at the posh New York Academy, where their father is a professor of ancient civilizations.

Wendy's new boyfriend, socialite golden-boy Connor Wirth, offers a solid step up in popularity, yet ambitious Wendy and John still find themselves longing for something more.

When the Book of Gates, a mysterious tome of fabled origins, appears at Marlowe along with Peter, a dashing new resident adviser with a murky past, the Darlings are swept into a captivating world of "Lost Boys," age-old secrets, and forbidden places.

The book opens the door to a hidden labyrinthine underworld where Egyptian myths long thought impossible become frighteningly real. Suddenly Peter, Wendy and John find themselves captive in the lair of an age-old darkness, trying to escape the clutches of an ancient and beautiful child-thief who refuses to let go.

Candlewick Press has graciously donated 3 ARCs of Another Pan for me to giveaway to 3 lucky people.

To enter these giveaway-

1. Leave your email address in the comment section-so I can get a hold of you if your name is drawn.

2. You must be 13 years or older

3. This contest open to U.S. residents only

4. Contest Ends AUGUST 15th

Good Luck!!

ITS THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT....

LIFE AS WE KNEW IT

by Susan Beth Pfeffer

2006

337 page

From Inside Cover:

When Miranda first hears the warnings that a meteor is headed on a collision path with the moon, they just sound like an excuse for extra homework assignments. But her disbelief turns to fear in a split second as the entire world witnesses a lunar impact that knocks the moon closer in orbit, catastrophically altering the earth's climate.Everything else in Miranda's life fades away as supermarkets run out of food, gas goes up to more than ten dollars a gallon, and school is closed indefinitely.But what Miranda and her family don't realize is that the worst is yet to come.

My Thoughts:

WOW!

The story is told through sixteen year old Miranda's journal entries. It's starts in in May just as the world is getting ready for an asteroid to hit the moon-for some reason it's not considered a big deal? Which sort of puzzled me-Surely there was some Jeff Goldblum character out in the world scratching his head muttering to himself and anyone who would listen that this whole impact thing would have a CATASTROPHIC EFFECT??

Nope. In fact people are celebrating and having BBQs and block parties-WTF? Haven't any of these people seen Independence Day??

So the asteroid hits the moon and pushed the moon closer to the earth producing CATASTROPHIC RESULTS-tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions. It's bad people-very, very bad.

What I love about this story is that we see all this happening through the eyes of a sixteen year old. She and her family are trying to survive this horrible earth changing event but she still has the thoughts and actions of a teenager who wants to go to the prom and have a boyfriend. Miranda was a very real character with real feelings and emotions.

I have to admit that when I finished the book I was tempted to run out to the nearest grocery store and stock up on water, canned corn and Cheetos.

If you read the story and loved it as much as I did you need to check out the Life As We Knew It Book Club Discussion over at Forever Young Adult. Thought provoking and Laugh out loud funny. Go check it out.

I also bought the second book in the series: The Dead and the Gone which I'm going to try to hold off on reading until our family vacation coming up in a few weeks.

I bought this book used on Amazon and will be donating it to my Public Library.

I recommend this book for ages 10 and up.

WINNER OF SUMMERTIME GIVEAWAY

WE HAVE A WINNER!!!

BETH @ MAYBE TOMORROW

Has won my Summer Time Giveaway

PRETTY LITTLE LIARS

By Sara Shepard

I'll be sending your book out this week.

A BIG thank you to everyone who entered.

(Winner was drawn by way of -names, bowl, and teenage son-we are high tech here in Idaho!)

HELP!!!

I need to find me some funny!

I have been reading a lot of dark books lately. The World As We Knew It, Beautiful Creatures, Before I Fall, Crank etc. Don't get me wrong...they have been great books. But I'm feeling the need to lighten up just a bit. What I'm asking you for-because you are the experts in my humble opinion are some suggestions and recommendations for some laugh-out-loud books. So come on people-Help me find some funny!

BEAUTIFUL CREATURES

BEAUTIFUL CREATURES

By Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

2009

Pages 563

From Inside Cover:

Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps, and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.In a town with no surprises, on secret could change everything.

My Thoughts:

This story is set in a small town in South Carolina where main character Ethan longs to be anywhere else besides Gatlin where things are the same day in and day out.

That all changes the day Lena shows up. Lena is as different as it gets. She dresses different, she drives a hearse, she lives out on a creepy old haunted plantation, and oh yeah- she's a witch.Ethan's life is about to change forever. Because no matter how hard he tries to stay away from Lena is is completely drawn to her.I loved that the story was told from Ethan's point of view-given that the story was about Lena and her family. AND it's a romance. It gave it an interesting, fresh twist.

This book is very southern-from the language to relationships. It's filled with history on the south and the civil war. It was so descriptive and full of details that at times I could literally picture myself in the dark, dank swamp or a smokey body riddled battlefield.

I found the story a great blend of mystery, magic and history.One of the issues I had with this book was the size-it's HUGE. It felt as though it could have been edited a little better and maybe split into two books rather than one gigantic book. At times certain conversations and situations felt repetitive. Again maybe a little better editing could have done the trick.

But overall it was a great story. The sequel Beautiful Darkness will pick up where this one left off. I'm anxious to see where Ethan and Lena's story goes.

This book is available for check out at the Salmon Public Library. I recommend it for reader 12 and up.

NEW BOOKS AND CARTWHEELS

This is the joy I feel when I go to the mail box and see two packages...and in those packages are books that I have anxiously been awating this week!

*The Dead and The Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer

*My Invisible Boyfriend by Susie Day(This book was signed and mailed by the author herself-I swear to God I almost wet myself!)

Happy Day!!!!!!!

WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STARRRRRRRR

On My Wishlist

is a fun weekly event hosted by Book Chick City and runs every Saturday.

It's where we list all the bookswe desperately want but haven't actually bought yet.

They can be old, new or forthcoming.

It's also an event that you can join in with too.

If you want to know more click here.

My books that I want are old.

*After by Amy Efaw

*The Killer Cousin by Nancy Werlin

My library doesn't have them so I'm going to attempt to get them through Inter Library Loan System in the next few weeks.

SUMMERTIME GIVEAWAY!!

YOU'RE NOT DREAMING!

I really am giving away a beautiful hard back copy of Pretty Little Liars!

For three reasons:

1. It's an awesome summer time read to get lost in.

2. It's a new series on ABC Family

3. Read it and be a part of the 2010 challenge my friend Trisha is hosting over at Trishas Book Blog
To enter please leave email address with comment so I can contact you if I draw your name. This contest is open to every one including international peps. Drawing will be held on July18th.

Good luck!

TGIF....BOOK BLOGGER HOP!!!

ARE YOU KIDDIN ME???

It's Friday!!

Where did the week go?

It's time to hop!

A HUGE thank you to Jennifer for hosting this awesome event that seems to grow every week.

In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and find new book-related blogs that we may be missing out on! This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs that they may not know existed! So head on over to Crazy For Books and join the party!

QUESTION OF THE WEEK:

RIGHT THIS INSTANT, WHAT BOOK ARE YOU DYING TO GET YOUR HANDS ON (PAST, PRESENT, OR FUTURE)?

The Dead and the Gone by Susan Pfeffer(The second book in Life As We Knew It series)

I just bought it and it's on it's way!!! Crossing my fingers that it arrives today!

A TRAGIC TALE

CRANK

By Ellen Hopkins
2004
537 Pages

From the Back Cover:
Kristina is the perfect daughter: gifted high school junior, quiet, never any trouble. Then she meets the monster: crank. And what begins as a wild ride turns into a struggle for her mind, her soul-her life.

My Thoughts:
Intense, Dark and Disturbing.

This is the story of a girl(based on the author's daughter) that once had everything in the world going for her. She was smart, talented and beautiful. During a summer visit to her dad she tries crank-which is referred to as the monster-what a fitting title. The monster takes over her life. Kristina develops an alter ego named Bree who justifies all the wrongs Kristina starts to do in her need to feed the monster.
Excerpt from page 381
She forgot to mention
a couple of
rather important things:
Like how, if you exercised
(riding my bike for instance),
your lungs fought to hold air.
I huffed and puffed
all the way home.
Like how, when you came down
(I had to eventually),
your head screamed with pain
and your body broke out
in panicky sweat.
Like how your little brother's teasing
(irritating at the best of time),
would set you way off,
make you jump
off the deep end.
What we witness page after page is Kristina's decent into addiction. We watch her descent into hell. This is the first book that I have read by Ellen Hopkins. It is written in prose which was so perfect for Kristina's story. It's raw honesty grabbed me from the start and wouldn't let go.
It won't be the last Ellen Hopkins book that I read.
I borrowed this book for my public library's Inter Library Loan system. I hope that our library will consider purchasing a copy in the future. It's an important tale that teens and adults should read. I would recommend this book for readers 14 and up for language, violence and sex.

IN MY MAILBOX.......

This meme is the brain child of The Story Siren

and gives everyone a chance to peek in on what our blogging buddies are receiving and reading.

I myself have been trying so hard to use my local library and the inter library loan system-but alas I just can't resist buying a few "used" titles from Amazon.

This week I opened my mailbox and found these lovely books:

*The World As We Knew It

By Susan Beth Pfeffer

*A Match Made In High School

By Kristin Walker

*Whisper

By Phoebe Kitanidis

Honestly, is there anything sweeter in the world than seeing a package in your mailbox and knowing it's a book? I think not!

Chick Jamming Out At The Library