Cover Reveal: Empty Net by Toni Aleo

Title: Empty Net (Assassins #3)

Author: Toni Aleo

Publisher: Self-published

Release Date: September 11th, 2012

Add Empty Net to Goodreads

Definition of an Empty Net: When a team pulls the goalie for an extra attacker, desperately seeking a goal.

Audrey Parker was in a horrible place.

She hated her job, her sister was getting married and moving out, but worst of all, she was in love with a total jerk. No matter what she did, every guy she met hurt her. All she wanted was her happily ever after. Her Prince Charming. Her Lucas Brooks! She didn’t know how to change her life but she knew she needed too.

Feeling like she was about to hit rock bottom, Audrey wakes up next to Tate Odder.

Tate Odder had lost everything.

After being brought up from the Assassins’ farm team, the Florida Rays to the Nashville Assassins, Tate hopes he’ll forget everything he has lost. He doesn’t. Each day gets harder to live in a place he doesn’t know. Even being the first rookie goalie to shut out an opposing team three times during the Lord Stanly Cup Finals, he still felt empty. With the loss of his parents and sister still heavy on his heart, Tate isn’t sure how to live like everything is okay.

But when he wakes up beside Audrey Parker, things start to change. She turns his life upside down with her kooky sense of humor and her bright clothing. She is intelligent and beautiful, and for once, he doesn’t feel empty.

Will Audrey be the person to fill the holes in Tate’s heart, making him whole again?

Or will another player ruin everything, leaving him feeling forever like an empty net?

Read the first chapter of Tate and Audrey's story here!

Empty Net's Book Playlist

More about the Author: Toni Aleo

I am a wife, mother, and hopeless romantic.

I have been told I have anger issues, but I think it’s cause of my intense love for hockey!

I am the biggest Shea Weber fan ever, and can be found during hockey season with my nose pressed against the Bridgestone Arena’s glass, watching my Nashville Predators play!

When my nose isn’t pressed against the glass, I enjoy going to my husband and son’s hockey games, my daughters dance competition, hanging with my best friends, taking pictures, and reading the latest romance novel.

I love things that sparkle, I love the color pink, and did I mention I love hockey?

Find Toni Aleo Online: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Blog

   

Add Taking Shots to Goodreads | Add Trying to Score to Goodreads

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Get the first two books in the series, Taking Shots and Trying to Score!

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

I've read book one in this series and I absolutely adored it; I just need to get to book two now! I have to say, the cover for Empty Net is totally my favorite of the three! Just because it's way different than the other two. I love the colors, the scoreboard in the back, the hockey puck right there in YOFACE, the guy and the girl--it all works together! My blog, along with plenty of other blogs, are helping Toni out in revealing the cover to Empty Net today and in a way of saying thanks, Toni is hosting a super-dee-duper awesome giveaway on her blog, so make sure you head on over there to check it out!

Well, what do you think of the cover!? It really pops and is totally out there but in a good way. To me, anyway. Lemme know what you think of it!

Theme Song Thursday (3): Easy Playlist

Theme Song Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by the fabulous Jena over at Shortie Says that takes place on Thursdays (obvi, lol!) where you pick a book you've previously read or is currently reading and then pick one song that you think fits that book. Also, post the lyrics, maybe a snippet leading up to the first chorus, explaining why you think that song fits said book like a warm, snuggly glove ;)

I have been on such a huge contemporary kick that I just cannot get enough of them! Anyway, my current read is Easy by Tammara Webber and I love it so hard! For this book, I'm only listening to two songs but of course, they couldn't be more than perfect!

When Jacqueline follows her longtime boyfriend to the college of his choice, the last thing she expects is a breakup. After two weeks in shock, she wakes up to her new reality: she’s single, attending a state university instead of a music conservatory, ignored by her former circle of friends, stalked by her ex’s frat brother, and failing a class for the first time in her life.

Her econ professor gives her an email address for Landon, the class tutor, who shows her that she’s still the same intelligent girl she’s always been. As Jacqueline becomes interested in more from her tutor than a better grade, his teasing responses make the feeling seem mutual. There’s just one problem—their only interactions are through email.

Meanwhile, a guy in her econ class proves his worth the first night she meets him. Nothing like her popular ex or her brainy tutor, Lucas sits on the back row, sketching in a notebook and staring at her. At a downtown club, he disappears after several dances that leave her on fire. When he asks if he can sketch her, alone in her room, she agrees—hoping for more.

Then Jacqueline discovers a withheld connection between her supportive tutor and her seductive classmate, her ex comes back into the picture, and her stalker escalates his attention by spreading rumors that they’ve hooked up. Suddenly appearances are everything, and knowing who to trust is anything but easy.

Usher ft. Young Jeezy - Make Love in this Club

Why it's on the playlist: Okay, I know I put this song on last week's playlist for What A Boy Wants and What A Boy Needs but I think this one fits more perfectly for Easy because there's a scene where Jacqueline and Lucas are dancing. In the club. And well, when you listen to it during that scene, the song becomes a whole lot of sexy-smexy. And after listening to it for that scene, it stuck with me!

Florence + the Machine - Never Let Me Go

Why it's on the playlist: THIS song has become one with Easy for me, haha! That sounds so weird but you bookish people know what I mean. I hope. Like, now whenever I listen to this song, Lucas and Jacqueline come straight to my mind! Just the way how it's sung to the way it sounds to Lucas and Jacqueline's relationship. I can't explain it --often like how I can't explain why certain songs fit to certain books-- but I love it cray and I think it fits uber well!

I totally forgot to schedule and write up this post yesterday so that it could go live at midnight but it slipped my mind and so here I am, posting this week's TST minutes before it's Friday on the west coast, lmao! I'm such a sucky blogger. Anyway, I love these two songs like cray and to me, they fit the book super-dee-duper well and now, I'm off to cuddle with some more Lucas!

If you've read the books, what do you think of my picks? Also, do you have any songs of your own that you think would go perfectly well with this book? Let me know it all in the comments below!

Waiting on Wednesday (17): Collectors, Watchers, Necromancers, & Princesses

 

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

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Title: The Collector

Author: Victoria Scott

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Release Date: March 2013

He makes good girls...bad.

Dante Walker is flippin’ awesome, and he knows it. His good looks, killer charm, and stellar confidence has made him one of hell’s best—a soul collector. His job is simple, weed through humanity and label those round rears with a big red good or bad stamp. Old Saint Nick gets the good guys, and he gets the fun ones. Bag-and-tag.

Sealing souls is nothing personal. Dante’s an equal opportunity collector and doesn’t want it any other way. But he’ll have to adjust, because Boss Man has given him a new assignment:

Collect Charlie Cooper’s soul within 10 days.

Dante doesn’t know why Boss Man wants Charlie, nor does he care. This assignment means only one thing to him, and that’s a permanent ticket out of hell. But after Dante meets the quirky, Nerd Alert chick he’s come to collect—he realizes this assignment will test his abilities as a collector, and uncover emotions deeply buried.

Why I'm Waiting: First of all, is that cover not to drool die for or what!? It's such a tease because the model is oh so sexy yet you don't get to see his face--totally rockin' that mystery thang! Secondly, he makes good girls bad! Oh yes, please! The Collector is totally screaming, "Dangerous, sexy, and simply irresistable!" right onto your face! And lastly...well, I don't know but I just really wanna read this one STAT!

Title: The Watcher

Author: Lisa Voisin

Publisher: Inkspell Publishing

Release Date: March 4th, 2013

Millennia ago, he fell from heaven for her. Can he face her without falling again?

Fascinated with ancient civilizations, seventeen-year-old Mia Crawford dreams of becoming an archaeologist. She also dreams of wings—soft and silent like snow—and somebody trying to steal them.

When a horrible creature appears out of thin air and attacks her, she knows Michael Fontaine is involved, though he claims to know nothing about it. Secretive and aloof, Michael evokes feelings in Mia that she doesn’t understand. Images of another time and place haunt her. She recognizes them—but not from any textbook.

In search of the truth, Mia discovers a past life of forbidden love, jealousy and revenge that tore an angel from Heaven and sent her to an early grave. Now that her soul has returned, does she have a chance at loving that angel again? Or will an age-old nemesis destroy them both?

Ancient history is only the beginning.

Why I'm Waiting: I feel really bad for saying this but 95% of me just wants this read for its stunning cover! Like seriously. I'm not trying to judge this book by it's cover but come on--it's gorgeous! The feathers, the model, the font of the title, the birds in the background, and mostly--LOOK AT THAT TATT! So awesome! Plus, I'm a ginormous fan of angel novels so this one falls right down my alley!

Title: Touch of Death

Author: Kelly Hashway

Publisher: Spencer Hill Press

Release Date: January 15th 2013

Jodi Marshall isn’t sure how she went from normal teenager to walking disaster. One minute she’s in her junior year of high school, spending time with her amazing boyfriend and her best friend. The next she’s being stalked by some guy no one seems to know.

After the stranger, Alex, reveals himself, Jodi learns he’s not a normal teenager and neither is she. With a kiss that kills and a touch that brings the dead back to life, Jodi discovers she’s part of a branch of necromancers born under the 13th sign of the zodiac, Ophiuchus. A branch of necromancers that are descendents of Medusa. A branch of necromancers with poisoned blood writhing in their veins.

Jodi’s deadly to the living and even more deadly to the deceased. She has to leave her old, normal life behind before she hurts the people she loves. As if that isn’t difficult enough, Jodi discovers she’s the chosen one who has to save the rest of her kind from perishing at the hands of Hades. If she can’t figure out how to control her power, history will repeat itself, and her race will become extinct.

Why I'm Waiting: 1) It's Spencer Hill Press--HELLO! 2) Necromancers! And 3) Is that Greek mythology I hear screaming at me!? Oh yeah, for sure! This one sounds like one heckuva interesting twist on Greek mythology that I just can't wait to get my hands on this book!

Title: Poison Princess

Author: Kresley Cole

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Release Date: October 2nd, 2012

Sixteen-year-old Evie Greene thought her horrific apocalyptic hallucinations were a sign that she was slowly losing her mind. But when her visions come true, decimating the world around her and killing everyone she loves, Evie is forced to accept that she was seeing the future.

Fighting for her life and desperate for answers, she turns to wrong-side-of-the-bayou classmate, the gorgeous and dangerous Jackson Deveaux for help. As Jackson and Evie race to find the source of her visions, they meet others who have got the same call and discover that Evie is not the only one with special powers. An ancient prophesy is being played out, and as the battle between good and evil intensifies, it is not always clear who is on which side…

Why I'm Waiting: I've read one of Kresley Cole's adult novel and I totally love her writing and descriptive imagery that I'm so stoked for her New Adult (since that seems to be the new title for Young Adult novels) novel, Poison Princess. The synopsis doesn't give away too much but I love this cover and it's totally enticing that I can't wait to read it!

I seriously cannot wait for all four of these reads--gorgeous covers, a whole lot of mystery, and promising storylines! So, what are all of you waiting on this Wednesday? Leave me a link and I'll stop by to check it out!

And lastly:

Happy Independence Day

To you and yours from Books Over Boys ♥

Teaser Tuesday (23): Easy by Tammara Webber

This meme is brought to you weekly by MizB over at Should Be Reading!

Anyone can play along, just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and the author so other TT participants can add the book to their TBR List if they like your teaser!

My Teasers

*Click on image to enlarge.

- Ebook: Location 406

- Ebook: Location 689

- Ebook: Location 733

- Ebook: Location 744

I couldn't just go with one teaser this week because Easy is just that awesome and I'm not even halfway through yet. I can already tell that it's going to become a huge favorite of mine! I love Webber's writing and it totally has all my attention; I find myself wanting to do nothing but glue my face to the pages! I'll definitely be finishing up this one soon!

Have you read Easy!? What did ya think of it? And if you haven't, I think you'll totally want to now after reading my teasers, ahaa!

And you know the drill, if you have a Teaser Tuesday, drop a line and I'll be by to check it out!

Happy Tuesday and always, happy reading!

Cover Reveal: White Lines by Jennifer Banash + Excerpt

Title: White Lines

Author: Jennifer Banash

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Publisher: G.P. Putnam and Sons

Release Date: April 2013

A gritty, atmospheric coming-of-age tale set in New York’s Lower East Side

Seventeen-year-old Cat is living every teenager’s dream—she has her own apartment on New York’s Lower East Side and at night she’s club kid royalty, guarding the velvet rope at some of the hottest clubs in the city. The night with its crazy, frenetic, high-inducing energy—the pulsing beat of the music, the radiant, joyful people and those seductive white lines that can ease all pain—is when Cat truly lives. But her daytime, when her real life occurs, is more nightmare than dream.

The sounds of the city grate against Cat’s nerves, she shrinks away from human touch, and can barely think the words “I love you” even when she feels them. Having spent years suffering her mother’s emotional and physical abuse, and abandoned by her father who’s found happiness in another woman, Cat is terrified and alone—unable to connect to anyone or anything. But then someone comes along who makes her want to stop escaping her life and actually live it, only she’ll need to summon the courage to confront her demons and take control of a life already spinning dangerously out of control. Both poignant and raw, White Lines is a gripping tale and the reader won’t want to look away.

Interview with the Author

BOB: How much of your own experience went into writing White Lines? Why was White Lines such an important book for you to write?

JB: White Lines is based somewhat on my childhood growing up in NYC in the late eighties--I was a club kid, I lived in my own apartment on the Lower East Side. I also graduated high school very early, which enabled me to live on my own much sooner than the average student.

BOB: What do you hope readers will understand after reading White Lines?

JB: I hope that the book will give readers who are going through tough times in their lives--whether that be due to addiction, divorce, or just the general trauma of high school--hope that there really is light at the end of the tunnel. You just have to want to find it.

BOB: What did you understand about yourself or the world at-large after finishing White Lines?

JB: I think I understood, perhaps more clearly than ever, that pain and catharsis can bring great personal growth.I felt like I went through Cat's story right along with her, and that by the end, we both grew up in a way--and changed for the better.

BOB: Who is White Lines for?

JB: Anyone who enjoys gritty, realistic, coming-of-age stories like CATCHER IN THE RYE or LESS THAN ZERO, or who is simply fascinated with the rougher, dirtier New York that existed before the city was cleaned up in the 90's.

White Lines Excerpt

THREE

I’M SITTING ON THE STONE STEPS at school, pretending to enjoy an apple that I bought from an Asian grocery a few blocks over, when all I’m really thinking about is how long I have left until I can go home and start getting ready for the club, every stroke of makeup on my skin sliding me further from daylight. I tongue the white flesh and sink my teeth in, wishing the ripe fruit was the tanned blond head of one of the salad girls.

Since Manhattan Prep is housed in a brownstone and has a population of only one hundred students or fewer in the entire school, we don’t have a cafeteria. Or a prom. Or dances. Or phys ed. Instead, the Park Avenue girls buy salads at a cafeteria next door and sit in the glass atrium picking at their wilted greens, retouching their lip gloss with sticky pink wands. Even though we are all essentially weird in some way—after all, this is a school for kids who have gotten into some kind of trouble—it’s not enough to banish cliques completely. We still have the same bullshit categories as any other school: the jocks, the popular girls, the nerds. And the untouchables.

Like me. It goes without saying that nobody wants to have lunch with the weirdo who goes to clubs all the way downtown every night, so I sit on the steps and try to pretend that it doesn’t matter, when really, I’d do just about anything to have a friend here. This silent admission makes my cheeks flush with shame. How can I be so weak? Even at Nightingale, I only ever really had Sara, her blond curls hanging over my shoulder, elaborately folded notes tossed at my feet during study hall. Somehow, it was almost enough. But here, with no one to talk to day after day, the loneliness creeps in like an old friend I no longer want to know. Worse yet, it wants to make small talk. Oh, it’s you again? How’ve you been?

Across the street, Julian, the new kid, sits on the curb in front of Ray’s Pizza, a slice dangling from one hand. As he brings the pizza to his lips, the cheese falls off in one giant greasy slide to his lap. Julian has long dark hair that hangs to his shoulders and looks as if it hasn’t made friends with soap or water in days. His skin is the color of café au lait, and there’s something about the tilt of his eyes that makes me think he’s vaguely Asian. He wears jeans so tight that I’m sure years from now he’ll be sitting in some clinic with his frosty blond wife, stammering that he has no idea WHY they’ve had such a difficult time starting a family. All I know about Julian is that (a) he sits right across the aisle from me in history class, and (b) he transferred from Dalton last week after some kind of scandal involving his ex-girlfriend, and (c) he’s totally into the Ramones. He doesn’t talk to anyone, and never raises his hand in class, just stares down at his binder and scribbles what looks like pictures of Transformers on the cover with a black pen.

Julian finishes scraping melted cheese off his jeans and looks up, an irritated expression clouding his face. When his eyes meet mine, I feel a rough shock of recognition between us and raise my apple core in a kind of demented greeting, the air suddenly as thick as pudding. Julian tosses me a curt nod and promptly goes back to stuffing the rest of the slice into his mouth, gnawing hungrily at the edges of the crust, watching me all the while. Even though I love staring, and I think that generally other people’s lives are way more interesting than TV, I feel uneasy as Julian’s eyes lock on to mine. My face burns as he chews the last bite and brushes his hands against his black jeans before walking toward me. I turn the apple core over and over between my palms, my heart careening in my chest as he approaches, glad that my hands have something to do even if the core is damp, sticky, and turning browner by the minute. As Julian moves closer, I can’t help but notice how he shakes the hair from his eyes with one expert, jagged motion, how his hazel eyes change from green to brown in the light His skin is smooth and slightly bronzed, as if he’s just returned from some exotic locale. He tilts his chin in my direction defiantly, his eyes flicking coolly over my body, taking me in.

“See something you like?” He raises one dark eyebrow, and I feel like I’m going to spontaneously combust, which is what always happens when someone potentially interesting talks to me in the real world—especially if that person happens to be a guy. And up close, Julian is definitely interesting—though it makes my stomach churn spasmodically to even think the word to myself. People are dangerous, unpredictable. I know this implicitly, and every time I come into contact with them, I become a caged animal, a panther pacing back and forth behind steel bars, wary and agitated.

“Yeah,” I stammer, turning redder by the second and wishing that a manhole would just open up and swallow me whole. I look down at my black boots and scramble for something to say, my brain a jumble of images, none that entirely make sense. “Your pizza—I was just . . . hungry.”

The minute the words leave my lips, I know they are the truth. My stomach begins to growl loudly as if in agreement, and I look up into Julian’s amused face and laugh, my voice echoing in the street, too loud, even with the noise of a passing bus belching a thick cloud of black smoke. As the sound vibrates through me, jolting me into the present, I realize that it’s been forever since I’ve laughed at something legitimately funny or awkward without being prompted by the ingestion of some mind-altering substance. Still, I can’t quite turn off that ever-present voice inside my head, the one that holds up an in¬visible hand to stop me from going further, from moving closer.

People are dangerous . . .

“Well,” Julian says, laughing along with me and holding out a hand, “that’s remedied easily enough. C’mon.”

I stare at his hand, the long fingers, and look into his eyes, which I can now see are flecked with gold. I toss my apple core to the concrete and take hold of him, ignoring the voice that begins, even now, to protest more loudly, whispering like a flock of ruffled birds, Don’t touch, don’t trust. I draw a deep breath and follow him blindly across the street, unsure of where I’m being taken.

White Lines Giveaway

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Theme Song Thursday (2): WABW & WABN Playlist

Theme Song Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by the fabulous Jena over at Shortie Says that takes place on Thursdays (obvi, lol!) where you pick a book you've previously read or is currently reading and then pick one song that you think fits that book. Also, post the lyrics, maybe a snippet leading up to the first chorus, explaining why you think that song fits said book like a warm, snuggly glove ;)

Aah, let me just tell you that I am about to go crazy with this week's TST but it's just because I feel so passionately about these books and the songs could not have been more perfect for them! Also, I have a really hard time sticking to the rules of memes and I'm breaking this one here because obvi there's going to be more than one song and book included in this week's TST. But you know, whatever, sue me ;)

As you can see, in the title, it says WABW and WABN which is What A Boy Wants and What A Boy Needs by Nyrae Dawn! In these past 2-3 days, I did absolutely nothing but devour the heck out of these two fabulous books that they'll surely be sticking with me for a long while! For this week's TST, I'll be doing a combination of Theme Song Thursday, along with Momo's Playlist, so expect this post to get a little lengthy, haha!

Because I read WABW and WABN so close to each other, I listened to some of the same songs for both of them, although there were one or two songs that were more perfect for one book over the other.

Ed Sheeran - Give Me Love



Why it's on the playlist: I think this song fits perfectly for both Bastian and Jaden because they're both such jaded boys that they deserve love more than anyone else. And in this particular video, I especially love how Ed stresses the "Give me love" lines towards the end. It's like he's nailing that thought into your brain. Also, I can just imagine B and J...B. and. J. Hah, how funny. Anyway, I can just imagine, B & J expressing this to P & A, lol!

Ed Sheeran - Drunk



Why it's on the playlist: There are some lines in this song that I just love so hard in regards to the books and the relationships. It's like an upbeat sad song, lol! I felt this song for both guys and the turmoil they were in. There were also certain scenes that I felt this song tied into perfectly!

Ed Sheeran - Kiss Me



Why it's on the playlist: This song is strictly just for Jaden. Every single word in this song could not be more Jaden.

Kiss me like you wanna be loved
You wanna be loved
You wanna be loved
This feels like falling in love
Falling in love
We're falling in love

I feel like the first three lines in the chorus were coming from Pris to Jaden and then the last three feels like Jaden is saying that to Pris. Aah, I love it so much! And now, this song will always bring me right back to Jay and Pris! But seriously, this song is alllllll Jaden. It's so sweet and sad all at once and that's exactly how WABN came across to me!

Every Avenue - Only Place I Call Home



Why it's on the playlist: I listened to this when I read WABW and I liked the way it felt with the book but when I listened to it with WABN, I feel like this one fits WABN more so than WABW. I think this song explains the push and pull of Jaden and Pris's relationship. With how he thinks her parents don't think he's good enough for her to how he doesn't know if he'll stay in NY or not to just realizing how Pris is his home.

Little Big Town - Pontoon



*Note: I listen to country and alternative a lot but normally, country doesn't make it onto my book playlists just because...country has a different feel than alternative. Anyway, this song and the next song will probably feel off a little but whatever, do what you will with it, I think they fit...in a way.

Why it's on the playlist: This song is so light and happy and I feel like this song fits perfectly for the scene in WABW when they go down to the ocean and Bastian is splashing Aspen everywhere. Also, I think it's also perfect for WABN when they go rafting. As you can see, both these scenes involve water and...because I love this song so much and it's summer, I just had to listen to it while I read, lol!

Usher ft. Young Jeezy - Make Love in this Club



Why it's on the playlist: Okay, I hardly ever listen to hip-hop but for some reason, here's this song. I think it fits both book like a warm, snuggly glove because at the beginning of both books, Bastian and Jay try so hard to not feel anything for the girls so they go out and party and try to pick up other girls and well, when they do that, this song is playing and well...I think, it's fitting, haha!

Marianas Trench - Good To You



Why it's on the playlist: I know, I've said this like a billion, jillion, frillion times, but I feel like this song portrays the tug of war of the feelings between both relationships in both books. I feel like this song was so perfect for when Bastian and especially, Jay, couldn't express their feelings or when whatever they said seemed to be the wrong thing. Like, instead of having them say anything, just play this song to the girls, you know? LOL

Marianas Trench - Love Dearest



Why it's on the playlist: I seem to be on more of a Jaden kick than I am Bastian but that's because I just finished WABN and well...he's on my mind more. Anyway, this song is also for Jay and Pris. Especially when they're in the hotel room in...Chicago, I think, and then BOOM - the floodgates open. I feel like at the beginning of this song it expresses how Jay feels and then the song builds and builds, just like how Jay's feelings are, and then BOOM, everything's out and then that quiet resolve at the end. LOVEITCRAY!

One Direction - Same Mistakes



Why it's on the playlist: First of all, AAHHH! IT'S ONE DIRECTION! When I purchased their album, I was so hooked on this song and now I get to tie it back into a book - dream come true, lmao! And did I say I was on more of a Jay kick than Bastian kick? Oops, totally kidding. This song has Sebastian Hawkins written and branded all over it. Bastian thinks he's the pro at hooking up people until it comes back to bite him in the derriere! I think every word describes Bastian's whole predicament with Aspen. How he keeps playing the same game over and over again.

Or else we'll play, play, play all the same old games
And we wait, wait, wait for the end to change
And we take, take, take it for granted that we’ll be the same
But we're making all the same mistakes

I think these lines fit in so well with how Bastian and Jay always say that the four of them, Bastian, Aspen, Jay and Pris, are never supposed to change; everything else in the world can, but the four of them can't. Yet, as both books progress, they all find themselves changing.

Also, there's this part where Bastian and his mom are having a conversation and I was shocked speechless when I was reading and these words came across at the same exact time that they came through my earphone speakers.

...but I was so scared of making the same mistakes I made in the past, that I threw out my future.

OMG, I KNOW RIGHT!? So yeah, this song couldn't have been waaaay more than perfect!

Two Door Cinema Club - What You Know



Why it's on the playlist: As I realized the ending of WABN was coming and it finally hit me that my journey with these four super awesome down-to-earth characters was coming to an end, this song popped into my mind. Lyrically, I don't think it really has anything to do with the books, but it has that deep-sigh-happy-everything-is-good-in-the-world feel that I think it was the perfect choice to end the series with. And it fit so well with that last scene where Pris and Jay and Aspen and Bastian were in that airport and then they group-hugged! Waah, I miss them already! These four friends were so awesome and for these past 2-3 days, they became like...my BFFs, lmao!

As you can probably tell, I became all sorts of invested in these characters and the books that I have a feeling they won't be leaving me for a while. But seriously, you need to read these books! They're filled with hope, angst, happiness, sadness, laughter, and a whole lot more that your emotions won't know how to settle down afterwards!

Well, there you have it! Momo's WABW & WABN Playlist! Check out the songs and let me know which one rocked your boat the most! Have you read the books?! What do you think of my song choices!? Let me know, let me know, let me know!

Teaser Tuesday (22): What A Boy Wants by Nyrae Dawn

This meme is brought to you weekly by MizB over at Should Be Reading!

Anyone can play along, just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and the author too so other TT participants can add the book to their TBR List if they like your teaser!

My Teaser

Damn, this was kind of hard. None of my knowledge about the opposite sex prepared me for this moment. I knew all about helping people hook-up, but how did you tell a girl that you liked her? That you loved her and you wanted to be with her because she was so much better than all those other girls out there? Girls could do that. They could talk and go on and freaking on about their feelings, but with guys, it was like this little box of mixed up thoughts locked inside my head. The words were there, but I didn't know how to get to them. I'd try and make sense of them, to unlock the box, but then it would slam shut, and all those words would be a jumbled mess again.

- ebook: 60%, What A Boy Wants by Nyrae Dawn

I just finished What A Boy Wants early yesterday morning around four so this probably doesn't count as my current read because that would be What A Boy Needs but since I'm not too far into that one yet, I decided to pull a quote from the oh-so-wise, Sebastian Dale Hawkins.

I picked this quote because I think it's so true, lol! Speaking of ell-ohh-ell-ing, I totally laughed when Bastian said, "They could talk and go on and freaking on about their feelings..." I stopped for a second and re-read the freaking because it was just funny to me, hahaha! Anywho, back to the teaser! This is exactly one of the reasons why I absolutely love reading from a guy's POV - you get insight to stuff like this!

I started What A Boy Needs and I cannot wait to get back to it! Nyrae Dawn's writing and humor gets me every time and I...just love it so much! Have you read these books? If not, you really, really, really, really need too because...I mean, how can someone not read these books!? Also, did I mention how quotable Nyrae Dawn is? Have you seen my twitter stream lately? It's filled with a whole load of quotes from What A Boy Wants, haha! Just check out the hashtag (#WhatABoyWants) if you don't believe me on the whole quoteable thingymabob!

If you have a Teaser Tuesday, link me below and I'll stop by to check it out!

Happy Tuesday and always, happy reading!

Theme Song Thursday (1): Ross Copperman - Holding On And Letting Go

Theme Song Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by the fabulous Jena over at Shortie Says that takes place on Thursdays (obvi, lol!) where you pick a book you've previously read or is currently reading and then pick one song that you think fits that book. Also, post the lyrics, maybe a snippet leading up to the first chorus, explaining why you think that song fits said book like a warm, snuggly glove. ;)

I think this is a super cool and oh-so-very-me type of meme because I absolutely cannot read a book without listening to music. I find songs to go with books in one of three ways:

1. After reading the synopsis, I try to get a feel for the book that way and then I go in search for a song that seems to fit the book.
   - This way occurs the least out of the three just because it doesn't go over so well.
2. If the author is on the twittah, I usually send them a tweet asking if they have a book playlist for said book.
   - Sometimes I feel weird asking the authors because I feel intrusive but I prefer this way the most because I don't like coming up with my own playlist for the book because if the author has a playlist, the songs made it on there because maybe the songs were inspiration for certain scenes in the book, therefore, I want that song playing when I read. But then again, after checking out some of the songs that the author picked, I might not feel them as much so then I go onto option three.
3. I start reading the book with a song that I picked based off the synopsis and after I get a little further into the book, maybe like five chapters or so, I start to look for songs that I've heard of already that might fit perfectly for the book, either lyrically or musically.
   - Even though I prefer option two, option number three is the one that occurs the most.

I know, I probably sound crazy getting this analytical about listening to music while I read but that's just the way it is for me. One reason why I listen to music when I read is because I have tinnitus, which is a ringing or similar sensation of sound in the ears...when it's completely silent. At first, I thought everyone heard that weird zinging noise in their ears when it was completely silent, but I guess not. Anyway, that's not the main reason why I listen to music when I read. Music enhances my reading experience like 1354631378968 times more. It just makes my reading experience and the book that much more memorable. And when I say book playlist, I don't necessarily mean a list full of twenty to thirty songs; maybe five at the most: a song for the sad scenes, action scenes, happy scenes, etc. At the most, I listen to two songs and then I switch back and forth between the two but normally, I just stick to one that seems to capture the whole book, overall. Okay, enough of my senseless babbling.

Because it's the summer time, I'm constantly on the lookout for summer reads. Second Chance Summer seems to be the perfect book to start it off so this week's Theme Song Thursday features Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson. I've read Matson's Amy and Roger's Epic Detour and immediately fell in love so I couldn't wait to fall back into Matson's captivating story telling and her writing always sweeps me away.

Taylor Edwards’ family might not be the closest-knit—everyone is a little too busy and overscheduled—but for the most part, they get along just fine. Then Taylor’s dad gets devastating news, and her parents decide that the family will spend one last summer all together at their old lake house in the Pocono Mountains.

Crammed into a place much smaller and more rustic than they are used to, they begin to get to know each other again. And Taylor discovers that the people she thought she had left behind haven’t actually gone anywhere. Her former best friend is still around, as is her first boyfriend…and he’s much cuter at seventeen than he was at twelve.

As the summer progresses and the Edwards become more of a family, they’re more aware than ever that they’re battling a ticking clock. Sometimes, though, there is just enough time to get a second chance—with family, with friends, and with love.

Before I started the book, I ran across Matson's playlist as part of SCS's blog tour. I checked out the songs and there were a few that I liked that stuck with me but the one that I'll be sharing with all of you is one that I've heard of from the CW's The Vampire Diaries (that show is the best source for new music, just...fyi).

Ross Copperman - Holding One And Letting Go

Is anybody out there?
Is anybody listening?
Does anybody really know if its the end of the beginning?
The quiet rush of one breath
Is all we're waiting for
Sometimes the one we're taking
Changes every one before..

[Chorus]
It's everything you wanted, it's everything you don't
It's one door swinging open and one door swinging closed
Some prayers find an answer
Some prayers never know
We're holding on and letting go

Sometimes we're holding angels
And we never even know
Don't know if we'll make it,
But we know,
We just can't let it show

[Chorus]
It's everything you wanted, it's everything you don't
It's one door swinging open and one door swinging closed
Some prayers find an answer
Some prayers never know
We're holding on and letting go
Yeah, letting go

Another thing about me and music and books is that I have a hard time explaining why, for me, certain songs click to certain books. It might be a little bit easier to understand if you've read the book but anyway this song is always on repeat when I open up SCS. At the beginning of the summer, Taylor discovers that her whole family will be going back up to their old lake house to spend their summer there instead of back home where they've been spending it for the last five years. Returning back to the lake house brings up some things from Taylor's past that she's been running from, something that she's been known to do. I'm barely about one hundred pages in, but so far, Matson has already drawn tears from my eyes.

I can already tell that SCS will be a tear-jerker and very bittersweet...as in what's going to unfold. Anyway, Holding On And Letting Go seems to be the perfect song for Second Chance Summer. Just the title itself seems to be perfect, too perfect, for what's going on in Taylor's life and for what's going to come. I can't wait to continue reading and immerse myself back at Lake Phoenix!

Are you a book/music person?! What are you currently reading at the moment? Any song in particular that just seems to have been made for that book? If you don't listen to music when you read, what song(s) do you think would be perfect for the current book you're reading!? Do share, let me know it all!