Holiday Readathon

Hey everyone! We have another readathon in our midst, the Holiday readathon, hosted by WhoRuBlog! The Readathon starts today and ends Sunday Dec. 5th.

My Reading Pile for the Readathon:

1. Matched by Ally Condie
2. Glimmerglass by Jenna Black

Only those two! I don't think I'll have much time for anymore reading! I have to babysit all day today and then tomorrow, I'll be doing my heavy load of homework, LOL, so if I finish these two - I'll be super proud of myself, haha! If you want to join in on this holiday readathon head on over to WhoRuBlog to sign up! Happy reading :)

Wish I'd Read That Challenge 2011

This challenge is for all those books you wish you'd read. So many I want to read and the list never stops! I am sure I am not alone , in this case...

These don't have to be books you currently own, you can buy them, borrow them or beg for them. This is a great challenge for getting those TBR piles reduced. So go have a look at what you might read and challenge yourself.

Challenge Guidelines:
*You can join anytime between now and Dec 31st 2011*

1. Anyone can join. You don't need a blog to participate.
--Non-Bloggers: Include your information in the comment section.Non-Bloggers can post their review on sites like Goodreads, Librarything, Shelfari etc

2. There are four levels:
-- Curious – Read 3 books.
-- Fascinated – Read 6 books.
-- Addicted – Read 12 books.
-- Obsessed – Read 20 books.

3. Any book format counts.

4. You can list your books in advance or just put them in a wrap up post. If you list them, feel free to change them as the mood takes you.

5. Challenge begins January 1st thru December, 2011.

6. When you sign up under Mr. Linky, put the direct link to the post about the Wish I'd Read That Challenge. Include the URL so that other participants can find join in and read your reviews and post.

7. All the participants must leave their email in the comments section and mention if you want to be reminded when the linky for reviews is put up.

8. There will be one Linky which will be put for the challenge on January 1st 2011. All the reviews throughout the year must be linked on the linky.

9. Finally, there are prizes! YES! There were will be TWO randomly selected participants who will win a $10 Amazon Gift Certificate. The 1st  winner will be chosen at the end of 6 months , on 1st July and the 2nd winner will be chosen at the end of the year 2011.

SIGN-UP

Right now, I'm probably around fascinated and addicted, but I'm pretty sure as the year rolls out ahead of us, I'll become obsessed :) Also, I'll will be posting the titles of the books I complete from my TBR pile as I get to them! Good luck fellow readers, and always - happy reading ♥

Into The Old World Reading Challenge

About the challenge:

Hosts : Splash of Our Worlds and My Love Affair With Books

Starts: 1st January 2011

Ends: 31st December 2011

Eligible Books: Any books published BEFORE 2009 . All Genres included.

 

The Official Rules :
- Both bloggers and non-bloggers can participate.
- Please SIGN-UP here. (Bloggers have to leave the link to their challenge post. For non-bloggers, just the name and email is enough. But please specify where you will be posting your reviews)
- Non-bloggers can post their reviews on Goodreads, Librarything , Shelfari or even one of the host blogs . Its your choice. Just be sure to specify where you will be posting your reviews.

- Make a blog post with the list of books you are planning to read . It doesn't have to be the final list. You can add/delete as you go.(This only applies to the bloggers)

- Please add the challenge button to your sidebar or your challenge post so that others can find it (This only applies to those with blogs)

- Books chosen must be published before 2009.

- All genres are welcome .

- You can sign up any time between now and 31st December 2011.

- You don't have to follow either of the blogs. Its your choice whether you want to follow.

- On the first of each month , we will be putting up a Linky for your reviews.So keep a check on either of the host blogs for updates.

- Non-bloggers have to link their reviews on Shelfari , goodreads or Librarything to the Linky. Those who want to post their reviews on either of the 2 blogs, will have to email with their reviews beforehand. It is important to link your reviews or post them to one of our blogs, so we can count your books right at the scoreboard.

At the end of each month,we will be checking up on each review to see whether the books reviewed are eligible for the challenge. Moreover each month the scoreboard will be updated with the number of books for each participant.

In the end of the year 2 people will be given a 10 $ Gift Certificate (to Amazon or any other online bookstore). 1 winner will be the one with the highest number of books read and reviewed. The 2nd winner will be chosen randomly regardless of number of books.

You can view the list of participants here.

You can view the Monthly Scoreboard here
Some examples of the eligible books can be viewed here

A few of the books I plan on reading for this challenge are:

1. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffegger
2. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
3. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
4. Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr
5. Speak by Laurie Hale Anderson
6. The Complete Harry Potter Series (#1-7) by J.K.Rowling

All of these are books that I have never read - WOW! I shall see if I complete this :) Good luck everyone! Happy reading!

500 Followers Giveaway!

Misha over at My Love Affair With Books has reached 500 followers! Yay! Congrats! So, in celebration, she is hosting an awesome giveaway, that everyone should enter :)

* THE PRIZES *

ONE Winner gets to choose between:

a $10 Amazon Gift Certificate

OR

a pre-order of ONE of the 3 books:

Falling Under by Gwen Hayes

The Liar Society by Lisa and Laura Roecker

Wake Unto Me by Lisa Cach

* RULES *

-Must be a follower of her blog. This is after all a follower giveaway.

-Answer this question: What do you like/dislike about her blog? Be hones - she won't bite!

-Please mention which prize you want.

Extra Entries (For those who like them)

+2 For every place you spread the word (Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Sidebar, etc.)

+5 each for a separate blog post and/or posting her blog button on your sidebar

+1 Add up your entries

Please don't forget to leave the links to your extra entries.

This is open to everyone, anywhere as long as Amazon.com ships to your country.

Contest Ends January 1st 2011.

Christmas and New Year Giveaway

Over at Splash of our Worlds they are hosting this giveaway where you will get the chance to win one of the previously review books in their blog. Til the end of the contest, as reviews come in, more books will be added to the list as well. But no worries, you will get to change your choice if you want a newly added book.

* RULES: *
-You MUST be a follower (old or new).
-Deadline: January 15th, 2011
-Open International (where Book Depository delivers)
-Extra entries available in the form
-1 Winner will get to choose from the list down. As more books will be added later, the winner will have the chance to change the first choice if he/she wants.
-Winner will be picked by random.org

List of books:
-The Sugar Queen REVIEW
-City Of Bones REVIEW
-City Of Ashes REVIEW
-City of  Glass REVIEW
-Clockwork Angel REVIEW
-Artemis Fowl: Atlantis Complex  REVIEW
-Old Magic REVIEW
-The Named REVIEW
-The Key REVIEW
-The Dark REVIEW
-Personal Demons REVIEW
-Hush Hush REVIEW
-Ranger's Apprentice I REVIEW
-Ranger's Apprentice II REVIEW
-A Kiss In Time REVIEW
-Eon: Rise of The Dragoneye REVIEW
-Gentlemen And Players REVIEW
-Succubus Blues REVIEW
-Succubus On Top REVIEW
-Vampire Diaries: The Awakening & The Struggle REVIEW
-Vampirates I REVIEW
-Vampirates II REVIEW
-Vampirates III REVIEW
-Vampirates IV REVIEW
-Vampirates V REVIEW
-Shiver REVIEW
-The Way of Shadows REVIEW
More to be added....

*The links link back to Splash Of Our Worlds' reviews of the book.



Doesn't this giveaway sound incredibly awesome? If you're interested, follow the yellow brick road, LOL, I'm kidding, follow this LINK and it will take you to the direct post :)

Branded by Keary Taylor GIVEAWAY

Synopsis taken from Goodreads:

Jessica’s had the nightmares for as long as she can remember. Nightmares of being judged for people who have died, of being branded by the angels. Her friends and family think she’s a crazy because of it all. Yet she carries the mark of the condemned, seared into the back of her neck, and hides it and herself away from the world.

But when two men she can’t ignore enter her life everything changes, including the nightmares. The two of them couldn’t be more different. She will do anything to be with one of them. Even tell him the truth about angels, why she never sleeps, and the scar on the back of her neck. But one of the two has set events into motion what will puller her toward her own judgment and turn her into the object of her greatest fear.

Keary Taylor is hosting a giveaway for this book and I know, I'm probably a little late because the giveaway ends today; hopefully I'm not too late because she didn't post a time, so I don't know when the giveaway ends, exactly. Head on over to her post and ENTER :) All you have to do, is leave a comment. Extra entries are available! The winner will be posted tomorrow!

* Rules *
-You must be a follower of her blog.
-The giveaway is open to the US only.
-Giveaway ends today.
-Emails must be mentioned in the comments.

Good luck to you all!

Book Review: The Iron King

Title: The Iron King

Author: Julie Kagawa

Publisher: Harlequin Teen (February 1st 2010)

Genre: Young Adult

Series: Iron Fey #1

Pages: 363

Synopsis: Meghan Chase has a secret destiny—one she could never have imagined…
Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school…or at home.
When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.
But she could never have guessed the truth—that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face…and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.

My $0.02

Julie Kagawa is amazing! The Iron King is beautifully written with rich imagination! At first when I was reading it, I kept thinking, "Omg! This is like Alice in Wonderland!" The world that Kagawa created is nothing like I've ever read before! When I read this book, I saw the Nevernever with color everywhere in contrast to Meghan's hometown where it seemed dreary and wet and gloomy. The moment that Meghan steps foot into the Nevernever, I had the lurking dread that danger was right around the corner *cue the Jaws music* In everything that Puck and Meghan did when they first arrived to the climax at the end with Meghan and Ash, danger was creeping and crawling around the pages of the book ready to pounce out at me! I guess it must have been the way how Kagawa intricately weaved danger into a world of enchantment that had me on my toes!

On to the guys - wow! Now, there's always the oh-so-famous love triangle in any sort of book you read and in this one it's pretty obvious, except to Meghan. She doesn't realize that Puck a.k.a Robbie Goodfellow is in love with her. When they arrive in the Nevernever, she meets and dances (one of my most favorite scenes) with Ash a.k.a. the Winter Prince and the love triangle is formed! If you've noticed on my sidebar, I'm Team Ash all the way! I find that there's always the carefree guy then there's the tormented guy, and once in a blue moon there's the bad boy, but that doesn't apply to The Iron King. Anyway back to what I was saying, to me, Puck stood out to me as the carefree, "I'll always be there for you" love interest and Ash seemed to be the tormented, "I have to do what I'm told" love interest. Seeing that I'm Team Ash, I guess that type appeals to me more. Not to say that I don't like Puck, of course I do, but I stand on the Ash sideline :)

I'm a stickler about the way I read, I always have to find one or two perfect songs for that book and I don't like to read the book over a long period, preferably in a few days or even just one day. Anyway, I read The Iron King within a couple of days and during that duration, I listened to Taylor Swift's songs Enchanted and Sparks Fly! Wow, they were perfect; constantly on repeat! They set the mood for everything in The Iron King, cause like I said, the world of the Nevernever is very enchanting. When I was reading, I felt like Meghan had a timeline, and I was racing beside her as we raced to go save Ethan. I felt like we started out running in a straight line, only to find twists and turns that delayed us from our main mission - saving Ethan.

Julie Kagawa's Iron Fey series is a MUST READ! I have never read a faery series before, and I'm so happy that this was the very first faery book that I have ever read! I loved LOVE it! I have to go buy my own copy! Ha, did I forget to mention that I borrowed my sister-in-law's copy? LOL! If you haven't read this book, I suggest you get to it!

Holiday Giveaway!

Sarah over at Miss Page-Turner's City of Books is hosting an incredible giveaway of these highly anticipated books of 2011!

~ The Prize ~

One winner will get the chance to choose one book out of the six displayed 2011 release novels to pre-order.

↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand (January 4^th 2011)

Delirium by Lauren Oliver (February 1^st 2011)

Across the Universe by Beth Revis (January 11^th 2011)

Blood Magic by Tessa Gratton (April 26^th 2011)

Timeless by Alexandra Monir (January 11^th 2011)

Other Words for Love by Lorraine Zago Rosenthal (January 11^th 2011)

~ The Rules ~

*This contest is open INTERNATIONALLY, but please check to see if The Book Depository ships to your country first!

* Winner will be selected via random.org

*The Holiday Giveaway is open from December 1st 2010 to January 3rd 2011

For more ways to accumulate extra points, head on over to Sarah's POST and ENTER :) Good luck everyone! These are very highly anticipated books coming out in 2011!

Lisa Desrochers' December Debut and SECOND EVER ORIGINAL SIN ARC Contest!

Yesterday, the cover for Lisa Desrocher's book, Original Sin (Personal Demons #2) was revealed! If you haven't seen it, here's another look at it → → → → → → →

Gorgeous, isn't it?

Also, if you know Lisa at all, or if you follow her on twitter or on her blog, you know that she looooves to host giveaways/contests, so she is holding her last debut contest and the prizes up for grabs are a signed copy of the awesome Personal Demons and an ARC of Original Sin :)

All you have to do to enter is comment on THIS POST by noon (PST) on Friday, December 31^st. Of course you will be able to accumlate extra points!

Personal Demons was released just this year on September 14th 2010 by Tor Teen; awesome debut, it was a great and fun read! It definitely made my top lists of favorite books! If you haven't gotten your hands on a copy, well this contest would be a perfect opportunity to acquire a copy AND the second book, so no waiting for you - but before all that, head on over there and ENTER THE CONTEST! Good luck everyone! Of course, I will be entering myself! I can't wait for this book to be released into the world for everyone to devour *__*

By the way, don't the covers look amazing side by side? Well, not exactly side by side, but you get what I mean! It's almost like comparing Luc and Gabe! LOL! They're perfect - definitely hard to choose which one looks better than the other! But, I LOVE them both!

Cover Reveal: Original Sin by Lisa Desrochers

WHAT IS THAT?

Oooh yeeeeeaaah!

So, what do you think? Loving it much? Cause I sure do; my heart is still fluttering in my chest! I love book covers! They're like the cherry on top, topping off the story! Lisa Desrochers is awesome, you know why? Because she is giving away an ARC - YES! An ARC of Original Sin :) I bet you want to enter for this one! So, all you have to do is head on over to Lisa's site and enter! Make sure you catch the tagline cause it will be needed to enter! Also, there were 9 blogs that got to reveal the cover and if you drop a comment on each one of the posts you'll get an additional 9 points! How awesome! So, get to it! This contest only runs until tomorrow, December 2nd!

Here are the links to the 9 blogs:

Mundie Moms

The Naughty Book Kitties

Harmony's Radiant Reads

Bloggers [[Heart]] Books

YA Addict

Narratively Speaking

A Good Addiction

Book Chic Club

The Bookish Type

If you haven't read Personal Demons yet, you can read my review HERE :)

Make sure to mark you calenders because Original Sin hits the shelves on July 5th, 2011!

Waiting on Wednesday (2): Once in a Full Moon

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

________________________________

Once in a Full Moon

by Ellen Schreiber

Publication:  December 28th 2010 by Katherine Tegen Books

Synopsis taken from Goodreads

 Beware of a kiss under the full moon. It will change your life forever.

Celeste Parker is used to hearing scary stories about werewolves—Legend's Run is famous for them. She's used to everything in the small town until Brandon Maddox moves to Legend's Run and Celeste finds herself immediately drawn to the handsome new student. But when, after an unnerving visit with a psychic, she encounters a pack of wolves and gorgeous, enigmatic Brandon, she must discover whether his transformation is more than legend or just a trick of the shadows in the moonlight.

Her best friends may never forgive her if she gives up her perfect boyfriend, Nash, for Brandon, who's from the wrong side of town. But she can't deny her attraction or the strong pull he has on her. Brandon may be Celeste's hero, or he may be the most dangerous creature she could encounter in the woods of Legend's Run.

Psychic predictions, generations-old secrets, a town divided, and the possibility of falling in love with a hot and heroic werewolf are the perfect formula for what happens . . . once in a full moon.

So, what are you waiting on this week?