Expanding My Collection (1)

This will give you an idea as to how I will be doing my post for new books.

Boy Toy by Barry Lyga

"Josh Mendel has a secret. Unfortunately, everyone knows what it is."

Five years ago Josh's life changed. Drastically. And everyone in his school, his town, thinks they understand. But they don't--they can't. And now, about to graduate from high school, Josh is still trying to sort through the pieces. First there's Rachel, the girl he thought he'd lost years ago. She's back, determined to be part of his life. Then there are college decisions to make, and the toughest baseball game of his life coming up, and a coach who won't stop pushing Josh to the brink. And then there's Eve. Her return brings back all the memories of Josh's past. It's time for Josh to face the truth about what happened. If only he knew what the truth was...

Bliss by Lauren Myracle

"Bones, says a voice in my head, Tombs. I stop dead in my tracks, because it's not my voice that whispered these thoughts. And whoever's voice it is, it's not a nice voice."

With its stately, ivy-covered buildings, Crestview Academy seems impossibly grand to newcomer Bliss, but full of promise too. It's here she hopes to make the sort of friends she lacked growing up as the lone child on a commune. Then, behind the happy chatter of her new classmates, Bliss hears the voice, a ghostly whisper about a long-ago murder. There is something lingering in the stones of Crestview, something hungry for power and more. And it is trusting, sensitive Bliss who will unwittingly give it what it wants most--blood sacrifice.

It's a new yearso why not a new way to blog.

I decided that with the new year I would change some things on my blog. For starters you will notice the layout and background is now new. As well as I will now no longer be doing the New Books are Fun blog post instead I will title it Expanding My Collection when I post about new books. I will also not just list what I got and add a picture but as well as a little synopsis as to what the book is about. If they have a small synopsis on the back then I will use that or whatever Borders.com says the book is about.

I will also try to do a weekly post about books from my younger years that I may have remembered. I decided this when I was at Borders tonight and saw the Weetzie Bats series by Francesca Lia Block. All 5 books are now put into one book called Dangerous Angels. I vaguely remember the books and may go back and buy it to read them again. So it will sort of be a books from the past spotlight.

Woohoo this makes post 100

I have finally caught up all my book reviews and they are posted. I am currently not reading anything because I am going through my to be read list and trying to find one that screams "READ ME NOW." Of course, I will read them all but as most of you know which you read first depends on your mood and what catches your attention.

Excited to be planning a trip to Powell's bookstore with two of my good friends to get some more books. So I am looking for suggestion on books to get. I do have my own book wishlist but I always love hearing what books people think I will like based on books I have read in the past. So feel free to comment and give suggestions.

Also you may have noticed my reviews font wise are not the same I can not figure out why it won't let me adjust my font the way I usually do.

PS this post seriously makes post 100 for me. hehe.

Soul Stalker by Laura Kreitzer

Soul Stalker by Laura Kreitzer

EPub, 300 pages (also avaliable in Hardback, 349pages)

Obsidian Mountain Publishing

September 2010

I reached for the branch with trembling fingers as a chilling wind whipped across my face like ghostly tendrils. My HEART smashed so loudly against my rib cage I wasn't sure why Vasco couldn't hear it. The sun almost completely lowered in the sky and the bright orange-yellow cracks in his skin illuminated some of the leaves in a PHANTOM REFLECTION of day.

In that moment, I wished I could ILLUMINATE the Shadow before me--make him WHOLE again.

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Like Shadow of the Sun this book captivated my attention from start to end. I truthfully can not wait to read Abyss. The difference between Shadow of the Sun and this book was by the end of this book I absolutely loved Andrew. I was torn between him and Aiden. I still love Aiden too but I find myself more drawn to Andrew. It is truly hard to talk about this book and not give away the plot or spoilers. The summary of the book listed above from the back of the book is the best I can do. Laura Kreitzer is turning out to be one of my favorite authors.

Read my review for Shadow of Sun

EDIT: *I do know that Aiden didn't play a huge role in this book but I still adored him. Joseph I just didn't like very much I found myself rooting more for Andrew. I didn't realize I didn't say that before. I guess that's what happens when you post a review at almost midnight. LOL.

The Book of Tomorrow by Cecelia Ahern

The Book of Tomorrow by Cecelia Ahern

ARC-Paperback, 310 Pages

HarperCollins Publishers

January 25, 2011

Born into the lap of luxury, comfortable in the here and now, spoiled, tempestuous sixteen-year-old Tamara Goodwin has never had to look to tomorrow, until the abrupt death of her father irrevocable shakes her world. Suddenly all that's left of Tamara's old life is a mountain of debt, and she and her mother are forced to move in with Tamara's uncle and aunt a million miles away from the world she knows.

In this tiny village in the Irish countryside, with no access to Facebook or Twitter, Tamara is lonely and bored--her only diversion is a traveling library run by a cute local boy named Marcus. There she finds a large leather-bound book with a gold clasp and padlock, but no author name or title. Intrigued, she pries the lock open. And what she finds inside takes her breath away.

Tamara finds entries written in her handwriting and dated for the next day. At first, she's skeptical. But when the next day happens exactly as recorded, Tamara realizes she's found a way to solve mysteries that are seemingly out of her control, such as what is wrong with her mother and why her family won't let the local doctor examine her. And why does her meek aunt Rosaleen rip the mail out of her hands, prevent her from seeing her mother, and evade questions about their mysterious neighbor? Determined to find answers, Tamara learns that some pages are better left unturned and that, try as she might, she can't interfere with fate.

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Cecelia Ahern wrote the novel P.S. I Love You. I absolutely loved that book and was excited when Harper Collins sent me this book to read. You really can feel the emotion in this book as you could in P.S. I Love You. I ended up feeling really sad about how Tamara's mother was so distant with her after her father's death. Even though she was read the entries about what was going to happen tomorrow you still wondered what was going to happen next. The above summary really is the only thing that can be said about the book without almost giving away key details, well, for me at least. I really loved that Tamara's last name was Goodwin mainly because that is my last name. My mother read the back of the book when I received it in the mail and ask me to let her read it after I finished which shocked me because she doesn't usually go for the books I like.

Cecelia is truly a talented author. The fact that she can take ideas or "possibilities" and write them out to where they seem more realistic than they really are is just amazing. I haven't read a book of hers I didn't love. The Book of Tomorrow didn't fail to get me to love it either.

The Lying Game by Sara Shepard

The Lying Game by Sara Shepard

Hardback, 307 pages

HarperCollins Publishers

December 2010

What if you had a long-lost twin?

What if she disappeared the day you were suppose to meet?

How far would you go to find out what happened?

I had a like anyone would kill for.

Then someone did.

The worst part of being dead is that there's nothing left to live for. No more kisses. No more secrets. No more gossip. It's enough to kill a girl all over again. But I'm about to get something no one else does--an encore performance, thanks to Emma, the long-lost twin sister I never even got to meet.

Now Emma's desperate to know what happened to me. And the only way to figure it out is to be me--to slip into my old life and piece it all together. But can she laugh at inside jokes with my best friends? Convince my boyfriend she's the girl he fell in love with? Pretend to be a happy, carefree daughter when she hugs my parents good night? And can she keep up the charade, even after she realizes my murderer is watching her every move?

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This novel by Sara Shepard is not like Pretty Little Liars. Although, it does have you lying and secrets, I think Sara Shepard has a fascination with lying and secrets. It really makes you think too what if you had twin sister? And what if you could be another person for a day or longer?

It truly was a good book. I can't wait for the next book. It wasn't as good as Pretty Little Liars but then again the first book in that series wasn't the best in the series either. So we shall see what the future for this series brings. I really didn't the dual viewpoint. At least not the way she did it. She mixed Emma's dialog with Sutton's thoughts. I got a bit confused at points as to which girl's mind I was reading. It was still a good storyline just the way it was written bugged me.

Hello

Okay so I still have two more book reviews to post. They are:

---Soul Stalker by Laura Kreitzer, ereader copy

---The Lying Game by Sara Shepard, hardcover

I have also received the ARC for The Book of Tomorrow by Cecelia Ahern and started reading it. I hope to finish it soon because it is a good book.

Hopefully by the end of this week my blog will be all caught up.

Drowned Sorrow by Vanessa Morgan

Drowned Sorrow by Vanessa Morgan

Paperback, 188 pages

Media Creations, Incorporated

December 2008

Megan Blackwood has just lost her only son in a terrible accident. Now she has come to Moonlight Creek with her teenage daughter, Jenna, hoping a change of scenery might help put their lives back together.

But something odd is going on in Moonlight Creek.

When rain falls over the village, its inhabitants commit grisly murders, leaving the place deserted with the first rays of sunshine.

Beneath lake's surface, an eerie presence watches.. and waits.. Waits to reveal a tragic past drowned in mystery and fear. One that doesn't bode well for visitors.

By the time Megan realizes that her life, as well as that of her daughter, is in danger, it may be too late to escape.

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This book was sent to me by the author for review. I absolutely loved it. I could tell that if it was a movie I would be probably screaming at it with things like "GO GO GO." I am glad I did not get this in the summer otherwise I would probably have been thinking of it as I was in the water.

Vanessa Morgan did an amazing job writing. I like how instead of breaking it up saying Part 1 or Part A it was Day 1 or Day 3. I absolutely loved knowing exactly what day it was. I wish it was longer but still loved it.

13 to Life by Shannon Delany

13 to Life by Shannon Delany

Paperback, 307 pages

St. Martin's Press

June 2010

Everything about Jessie Gillmansen's life changed when her mother died. Now even her hometown of Junction is changing. Mysterious dark things are happening. All Jessie wants is to avoid more change. But while showing a hot new guy around Junction High, she's about to discover a whole new type of change. Pietr Rusakova is more than good looks and a fascinating accent--he's a guy with a dangerous secret. And his existence is sure to bring big trouble to Jessie's small town. It seems change is the one thing Jessie can't avoid.

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This was not one of the best books I read but yet not the worst. It took a bit to get into and Jessie annoyed the crap out of me. I was going back and forth with Pietr on whether I liked him or not and still am not sure. Yes, he has the mysterious hot new guy appeal but at the same time he is like all the other characters in this book annoying. I don't know. I just found them all annoying.

Of course, I also read this after reading Crescendo so I was more than likely still stuck on Patch. I more than likely mentally was comparing him to Patch. The story line was iffy but after all the storyline is what got my attention to buy the book.

Jays Journal by Anonymous

Jay's Journal by Anonymous

Paperback, 240 pages

Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing

August 2010

December 18,

Things are going from worse to impossible. I'm fighting a lossing battle.....

Jay though he could handle anything. The first time he took drugs was for fun. But what started as an escape quickly spiraled into a haze of addiction. That was just the beginning of the dangerous path that ultimately led Jay to take his own life.

This is the journal he left behind.

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This book wasn't as great for me as Go Ask Alice was. It took longer for me to get into it. It also so much similar to Go Ask Alice it drove me nuts. It was still a good book but hard to read after Go Ask Alice. I found myself comparing the two. Which was not a good idea. These are suppose to be based off journal's/diaries but I have a feeling they were not. They're writing styles were the same. If they were really people's journal's/diaries they would have been written different. I think that is why is it was harder to get into because it was written the same as Go Ask Alice.

It is still a good book. I just wish it was written differently. After all men and women are not the same. So why did Alice and Jay write the same way?