Monday, September 9, 2013

Stacking the Shelves(2)

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!
If you want to find out more about Stacking The Shelves, please visit Tynga's Reviews
Oh wow! What a week I've had. Look at my lovlies!
Courtesy of Edelweiss-

I bought:

I borrowed:

My thanks to Harper Teen and Quirk Books.

Book Review-BRUISED


BRUISED
By Sarah Skilton
March 2013
288 Pages
Amulet Publishing

Summary Taken from Goodreads:
Imogen has always believed that her black belt in Tae Kwon Do made her stronger than everyone else--more responsible, more capable. But when she witnesses a holdup in a diner, she freezes. The gunman is shot and killed by the police. And it's all her fault.
Now she's got to rebuild her life without the talent that made her special and the beliefs that made her strong. If only she could prove herself in a fight--a real fight--she might be able to let go of the guilt and shock. She's drawn to Ricky, another witness to the holdup, both romantically and because she believes he might be able to give her the fight she’s been waiting for.
But when it comes down to it, a fight won’t answer Imogen's big questions: What does it really mean to be stronger than other people? Is there such a thing as a fair fight? And can someone who's beaten and bruised fall in love?

My Thoughts:
Wow!
Bruised is emotional, raw and honest.
Author, Sarah Skilton grabs the reader by the throat and doesn't let go from the very beginning. In the first few pages main character Imogen witnesses a horrible crime at a neighborhood restaurant. The event causes Imogen to suffer from PTSD and she doesn't remember the final moments in the diner.
The story unfolds as Imogen struggles to come to terms her sense of failure and her inability to act during the hold up. She's overcome by anger and frustration because she didn't use her Tae Kwon Do and stop the hold up from happening. Could she have stopped the robbery from occurring?
Is the gunman's death her fault?
My heart broke over and over reading Imogen's story. Sarah Skilton doesn't hold back in this amazing debut novel. The reader rides an emotional roller coaster as Imogen spirals into self destructive behavior that causes her to strike out at loved ones and friends as she sinks deeper into depression and sadness.
Imogen's journey is not an easy one as she works through her sense of self worth and puts the pieces of the puzzle together. But it's a journey worth taking. Imogen is unforgettable-she'll be on your mind long after you close Bruised.
My thanks to Amulet Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Friday, September 6, 2013

OFF To OZ Giveaway Hop

I wanted to participate in the Off To Oz Giveaway Hop because it gives me the opportunity to share with you my favorite books about time travel. I can't recommend these three books enough....I LOVED THEM!
A big thank you to I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and Angela's Anxious Life for hosting this fabulous hop.
OUTLANDER
By Diana Gabaldon
The year is 1945. Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon--when she walks through a standing stone in one of the ancient stone circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach--an "outlander"--in a Scotland torn by war and raiding Highland clans in the year of Our Lord...1743.
Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire is catapulted into intrigues and dangers that may threaten her life...and shatter her heart. For here she meets James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, and becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire...and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.
THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE
By Audrey Niffenegger 
A dazzling novel in the most untraditional fashion, this is the remarkable story of Henry DeTamble, a dashing, adventuresome librarian who travels involuntarily through time, and Clare Abshire, an artist whose life takes a natural sequential course. Henry and Clare's passionate love affair endures across a sea of time and captures the two lovers in an impossibly romantic trap. An enchanting debut and a spellbinding tale of fate and belief in the bonds of love.
Before I Fall
By Lauren Oliver
What if you only had 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: looks, popularity, the perfect boyfriend. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life. Instead, it turns out to be her last.
The catch: Samantha still wakes up the next morning. Living the last day of her life seven times 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.
To enter this giveaway you must be a follower of Mug of Moxie. Please put your GFC name, your book choice and a way to contact you in the comment box below. For an extra entry follow me on Bloglovin! Thanks for following and hopping.
Good Luck and have fun!

Contest Winners


I have winners to announce!!
*The Last Hurrah Giveaway-Code Name Verity- Kayla Card
*August New Release Giveaway-Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock-Shooting Stars Mag
*Books To Movies Giveaway-Ender's Game-Erika
Thanks to all who have entered, hopped and participated.
I'll be doing some more hops and giveaways in the next couple of months-
*September is for Sequels Giveaway Hop-September 2 thru September 9
*Off To Oz Giveaway Hop-September 10 thru September 17
*Stuck In A Good Book Giveaway Hop- September 20 thru September 25
*Spooktacular Giveaway Hop-October 15 thru October 31
For more information click on sidebar on the right of web page.

Sunday, September 1, 2013

September is for Sequels Giveaway Hop



Stretch out because it's time to hop!
It's September and we are celebrating sequels.
And I'm giving away some great books in another awesome contest! Yes, more than one! Chose two books from the selection below.
A giant thank you to I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and Lisa Loves Literature who are hosting this giveaway!


Embers and Echoes
By Karsten Knight
Ashline Wilde may have needed school to learn that she is actually a reincarnated goddess, but she’s ready to move beyond books. She leaves her California boarding school behind and makes for Miami, where she meets a new group of deities and desperately seeks her sister Rose, the goddess of war. But she’s also looking for love—because even though her romance with Cole had to be snuffed, Ash is a volcano goddess—and she doesn’t get burned.
This sequel to the edgy and action-packed Wildefire continues a fiery drama on an immortal scale.

Poison
By Molly Cochran
After the riveting—and romantic—events of Legacy, Katy has won Peter’s heart and is now claiming her place in the magical world. Though half the students at her boarding school come from witching lines, the use of magic is expressly forbidden at Ainsworth, so as to keep the witching world hidden from the blue-blooded preppies, aka Muffies, who also walk the halls.
But the Muffies have at least a notion of magic, because Katy catches them staging a made-up ritual—and to her astonishment, the girls collapse at Katy’s feet and fall into comas. When Katy is blamed, she becomes desperate to clear her name and finds herself battling all odds to harness her growing magical powers in order to save the Muffies and dispel the Darkness once more.
Dork Diaries
By Rachel Renee Russell
Nikki Maxwell develops a sudden interest in student journalism that may or may not (okay, definitely does) have to do with the fact that mean girl Mackenzie has started writing a gossip column. And there just might be some juicy info involving Nikki’s crush, Brandon, that Nikki doesn’t want Mackenzie reporting to the world. So Nikki joins the school newspaper staff—and ends up as an advice columnist! It’s fun at first, answering other kids’ letters. But when Miss Know-It-All’s inbox is suddenly overflowing with pleas for guidance, Nikki feels in need of some help herself. Fortunately she has BFFs Chloe and Zoey on her side—and at her keyboard

To enter this giveaway you must be a follower of Mug of Moxie. Please put your GFC name, your book choices and a way to contact you in the comment box below.  Thanks for following and hopping.
Good Luck and have fun!