BECAUSE CURIOUS MINDS WANT TO KNOW

A QUESTION
I've been doing a little housekeeping this weekend and decided to weed through some of the blogs I've been following this year. After much hair pulling and anxiety I stopped following about twenty-the main reason was the lack of posting for the past four or five months. That brings my number to 179-obviously I'm afraid I might miss out on something!
A question for all you bloggers out there.....
How do you decide to become a follower of a blog?
And what are the reasons you stop following a blog?

THE WINNER IS......

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

The winner of OMG ANOTHER CONTEST is:

Tahleen

I will be contacting her for her mailing adddress.

A big thank you to all who entered! Have a happy and safe Halloween!

COOL MOCKINGJAY TRAILER

LAST DAY TO ENTER GIVEAWAY!!

IT'S YOUR LAST DAY TO ENTER....

OMG ANOTHER GIVEAWAY!!
To celebrate one of my favorite holidays-Halloween!

I'm hosting a giveaway for THREE fabulous books:
1. The Seer of Shadows by Avi
2. Gentlemen by Michael Northrop
3. Another Faust by Daniel and Dina Nayeri
All three of these books are a little creepy and a wee bit scary-Reading them will definitely help you get into a Halloween mood...just don't read them alone, at night.
To enter OMG! ANOTHER GIVEAWAY!
just leave your name and email address in comment section so I can contact you if you win.
This contest is for US residents only and you must be 13 years old.
Contest ends TODAY-October 24.

BECAUSE CURIOUS MINDS WANT TO KNOW.....

A QUESTION

I've been doing a little housekeeping this weekend and decided to weed through some of the blogs I've been following this year. After much hair pulling and anxiety I stopped following about twenty-the main reason was the lack of posting for the past four or five months. That brings my number to 179-obviously I'm afraid I might miss out on something!

A question for all you bloggers out there.....

How do you decide to become a follower of a blog?

And what are the reasons you stop following a blog?

ON MY WISH LIST

Here's a few books that just shot to the top of my wish list after reading great reviews this weekend. I'm crossing my fingers that Santa is internet savvy!

HOPPING THE WEEKEND AWAY!

ANOTHER AWESOME BOOK HOP!
A big thanks to Jennifer at Crazy for Books.
She hosts this super fun meme every Friday called the Book Blogger Hop. Through it I've been able to find some super cool Book Blogs to follow.
Here are a few of my favorites:
**Jess Hearts Books
**A Myriad of Books
**proseandkahn
**Do not disturb my books
**Books are a girls best friend
**Buried in Books
**A Tapestry of Words

THE JESSICA AND ELIZABETH DRAMA CONTINUES!

GUESS WHO'S BACK!

JESSICA AND ELIZABETH WAKEFIELD!

I could not get enough of these sisters and their drama when I was in high school-

in fact they made be feel just a little bit better about my own drama during the high school years! Well, I'm happy to say that the girls are back and it seems that the drama still there! Sweet Valley High lives on!

Sweet Valley Confidential: Ten Years Later will explore the lives of twins Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield who are now estranged. What happened to Elizabeth (the mild one) and Jessica (the wild one) after they left the California coast?

Taken from People.com:While Jessica still lives in their hometown, Elizabeth has moved to N.Y.C. – and is looking for revenge toward her sister. What did Jessica do to cause the rift? Do they still wear matching lavaliere necklaces? Whatever happened to Todd Wilkins? And is Winston Egbert still a dork? Find out when the book hits stands March 29.

I can't wait!

OMG! ANOTHER GIVEAWAY!!

ANOTHER GIVEAWAY!!

In an effort to make more room on my bookshelf...for more books(shhhhh-don't tell my husband) and to celebrate one of my favorite holidays-Halloween! I'm hosting a giveaway for THREE fabulous books

1. The Seer of Shadows by Avi

2. Gentlemen by Michael Northrop

3. Another Faust by Daniel and Dina Nayeri

All three of these books are a little creepy and a wee bit scary-Reading them will definitely help you get into a Halloween mood...just don't read them alone, at night.

To enter OMG! ANOTHER GIVEAWAY!

just leave your name and email address in comment section so I can contact you if you win.

This contest is for US residents only and you must be 13 years old.

Contest ends October 24.

BOOK BLOGGING GOOD TIMES!!!

IT'S FRIDAY!!

TIME TO HOP!!

This weekly BOOK PARTY is hosted by the fabulous Jennifer at Crazy For Books and 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 to read!

So, grab the logo, post about the Hop on your blog, and start HOPPING through the list of blogs that are posted in the Linky at Jennifer's Blog-Crazy For Books.

This week's question comes from Becky who blogs at Becky's Barmy Book Blog:
"Where is your favorite place to read?

Curled up on the sofa, in bed, in the garden?"

My answer:

Comfy and Cozy in my bed-wrapped in my favorite blanket-pajamas on-lavendar candle lit. Of course none of this happens until the kids are in bed and husband is distracted with TV in living room. But a girl can wish, can't she?

OMG! ANOTHER GIVEAWAY!!

ANOTHER GIVEAWAY!!
In an effort to make more room on my bookshelf...for more books(shhhhh-don't tell my husband) and to celebrate one of my favorite holidays-Halloween! I'm hosting a giveaway for THREE fabulous books
1. The Seer of Shadows by Avi
2. Gentlemen by Michael Northrop
3. Another Faust by Daniel and Dina Nayeri
All three of these books are a little creepy and a wee bit scary-Reading them will definitely help you get into a Halloween mood...just don't read them alone, at night.
To enter OMG! ANOTHER GIVEAWAY!
just leave your name and email address in comment section so I can contact you if you win. This contest is for US residents only and you must be 13 years old.
Contest ends October 22.

A Mooooooving Tale

GOING BOVINE

By Libba Bray

400 ages

2009

From Inside Cover:

Can Cameron find what he's looking for? All 16-year-old Cameron wants is to get through high school and life in general with a minimum of effort. It's not a lot to ask. But that's before he's given some bad news: he's sick and he's going to die. Which totally sucks. Hope arrives in the winged form of Dulcie, a loopy punk angel/possible hallucination with a bad sugar habit. She tells Cam there is a cure if he's willing to go in search of it. With the help of a death-obsessed, video-gaming dwarf and a yard gnome, Cam sets off on the mother of all road trips through a twisted America into the heart of what matters most.

My Thoughts:

What happens when you might be dying before you have ever had the chance to live?

Poor Cameron is just sliding by pretty much not giving a crap about anything. Family irritates him. Friends get on his nerves. School work is a waste of time. Hobbies...please! Then one day he's told that he has a life threatening disease-one which there is no cure for. Suddenly time is running out for Cam before he has even had the chance to live.

Readers, be prepared to take a journey-a road trip with many twist and turns. Cam is determined to live life to the fullest-no matter what. And we are riding shot gun.

Sadly, I did not enjoy the journey. After reading so many positive reviews about this book I had huge expectations. It just couldn't deliver. I did enjoy the humor and Cam's sidekick(whatever happened to him?) But this book left me feeling empty. Like I was the only one in the room that didn't get the joke-hours later I'm still scratching my head....

I recommend this book for readers 15 and up for sexual content, death and language. This book is available at the Salmon Public Library-in the adult section.

Mudo, Soulers and Love Triangles.....Oh My!!!!

THE DEAD-TOSSED WAVES

By Carrie Ryan

404 Pages

2010

From Inside Cover:

Gabry lives a quiet life. As safe a life as is possible in a town trapped between a forest and the ocean, in a world teeming with the dead, who constantly hunger for those still living. She's content on her side of the Barrier, happy to let her friends dream of the Dark City up the coast while she watches from the top of her lighthouse. But there are threats the Barrier cannot hold back. Threats like the secrets Gabry's mother thought she left behind when she escaped from the Sisterhood and the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Like the cult of religious zealots who worship the dead. Like the stranger from the forest who seems to know Gabry. And suddenly, everything is changing. One reckless moment, and half of Gabry's generation is dead, the other half imprisoned. Now Gabry only knows one thing: she must face the forest of her mother's past in order to save herself and the one she loves.

My Thoughts:

Dark and terrifying-the perfect read for the month of October!

The Dead-Tossed Waves is the much anticipated sequel to The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan. The story picks up with Gabrielle the daughter of Mary from the first book. They live in a seaside village of Vista and the unconsecrated-now called Mudo are still a very real threat. Gabry is content with her life inside the protected walls of her village. Her mother is keeper of the lighthouse and deals with any Mudo that happen to wash up on the beach.

One night Gabry's boyfriend Catcher and best friend, Cira talk her into exploring an area outside the fence. In one reckless moment Gabry's life changes forever. Everything she has ever known is gone-her mother, the boy she loves and her best friend. She isn't sure who she can trust or where she can go.

The Dead-Tossed Waves is a fast paced, action packed thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. I anxiously await the next installment- The Dark and Hollow Places available March 2011. If you are looking for a scary read for this month, check this one out. You won't be disappointed.

100+ Reading Challenge

So it's the beginning of October and time to take stock. I decided to challenge myself in 2010 and join the 100+ Book Challenge hosted by Home Girl's Book Blog. I read all the time(it's my kind of therapy)so I really didn't thing that reading 100 books in one year would be too tough...Yeah right! Unfortunately life doesn't slow down because I want(need) to read! So far I have read 53 books since January and posted reviews on each and everyone. My pat on the back is turning into a panic attack about right now. I only have less than three months to go! I'm running out of time people! I'm not gonna lie....I'm half tempted to pick up some Junie B. Jones and Goose Bumps. If it's a book that size I may reach my goal....notice the "may" in that statement.

CHILDREN ABUSING CHILDREN

LESSONS FROM A DEAD GIRL

By Jo Knowles

2007

215 pages

From Back Cover:

Leah Greene is dead and Laine McCarthy wished for it. She hated Leah that much. Hated her for all the times in the closet, when Leah made her do those things. They were just practicing for when they were older and had boyfriends, Leah said. But Laine knew that other girls don't do those things. Why did Leah choose her? Was she special? Or just easy to control? In the aftermath of Leah's death, Laine is left to unravel what happened all those years ago and to find meaning-and perhaps forgiveness-in the devastating lessons she learned.

My Thoughts:

Leah is the popular one. She is smart, beautiful and out going. Everyone loves her. Everyone wants to be her friend. Laine is the quiet one. The girl that blends easily and isn't noticed. Their friendship develops in the fifth grade. That's also when Leah starts to abuse Laine.

Leah and Laine's friendship is about power, guilt, secrets and shame. Leah is the abuser and Laine is the victim. But as the story unfolds we learn that it's much more complicated than that. This is a book that is painful to read....but has such an important message. A message that I think the author did a good job of telling.

I recommend this book to readers 15 and up. Be warned that there is major sexual content-the book is about sexual abuse. I would highly encourage both teens and parents to read it and then talk about it.

This book was borrowed through my local library's Inter Library Loan System.

A CREEPY LITTLE TALE

THE KILLER'S COUSIN

By Nancy Werlin

240 Pages

2009

From Inside Cover:

After seventeen-year-old David is forced to stand trial for his girlfriend’s death, he is sent to live with his aunt and uncle and their young daughter, Lily, to avoid the media frenzy. But all is not well at his relatives’ house. His aunt and uncle are not speaking to each other, and Lily seems dead set on making David’s life a torment. And then there’s the issue of their older daughter, Kathy, who died under mysterious circumstances a number of years back. As things with his family grow more and more tense, David starts to wonder: Is he the only one who’s hiding something?

My Thoughts:

Plan to read this book when you have a night to do nothing else because you will not want to put it down. This captivating mystery keeps the reader guessing until the very end. David is a complex character whose life has gotten very messy due to a crime he committed. Certain details are withheld until the very end that makes this story a page turner. Author, Nancy Werlin knows how to keep readers on a tight leash as she leads them through a maze of emotions-fear, guilt, and anger. I look forward to reading other books by her.

I recommend this book for readers 14 and up. It contains violence and language.

I borrowed this book through the Inter-Library System available at the Salmon Public Library.