Waiting on Wednesday (31)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine where book bloggers showcase books they are looking forward to. What I plan on doing for the next few weeks is to talk about the books that are coming out at the beginning of next year from different publishers. Continuing with the January 2012 books, this week I am featuring some from Macmillan, Random House and Scholastic.

Irises by Francisco X. Stork

January 1st, 2012

Arthur A. Levine

TWO SISTERS: Kate is bound for Stanford and an M.D. -- if her family will let her go. Mary wants only to stay home and paint. When their loving but repressive father dies, they must figure out how to support themselves and their mother, who is in a permanent vegetative state, and how to get along in all their uneasy sisterhood.

THREE YOUNG MEN: Then three men sway their lives: Kate's boyfriend Simon offers to marry her, providing much-needed stability. Mary is drawn to Marcos, though she fears his violent past. And Andy tempts Kate with more than romance, recognizing her ambition because it matches his own.

ONE AGONIZING CHOICE: Kate and Mary each find new possibilities and darknesses in their sudden freedom. But it's Mama's life that might divide them for good -- the question of *if* she lives, and what's worth living for.

I haven't read anything by this author, but when I came across this book while researching January 2012 releases, I thought it sounded really interesting. Stories about sibling relationships always keep me captivated and I'm hoping this one will do the same.

What Boys Really Want by Pete Hautman

January 1st, 2012

Scholastic Press

Lita is the writer. Adam is the entrepreneur. They are JUST FRIENDS. 

So Adam would never sell copies of a self-help book before he'd even written it. And Lita would never try to break up Adam's relationship with Blair, the skankiest girl at school. They'd never sabotage their friends Emily and Dennis. Lita would never date a guy related to a girl she can't stand. They'd never steal each other's blog posts. And Adam would never end up in a fist fight with Lita's boyfriend. Nope, never.

Adam and Lita might never agree on what happened, but in this hilarious story from Pete Hautman, they manage to give the world a little more insight into what boys and girls are really looking for.

This is another book I hadn't heard anything about until I started researching January 2012 releases, but now that I have come across it, I can't help but be excited for it to release. This just sounds like a really fun contemporary read and I can't wait to be able to read it.

The Gathering Storm by Robin Bridges

January 10th, 2012

Delacorte Books for Young Readers

St. Petersburg, Russia, 1888. As she attends a whirl of glittering balls, royal debutante Katerina Alexandrovna, Duchess of Oldenburg, tries to hide a dark secret: she can raise the dead. No one knows. Not her family. Not the girls at her finishing school. Not the tsar or anyone in her aristocratic circle. Katerina considers her talent a curse, not a gift. But when she uses her special skill to protect a member of the Imperial Family, she finds herself caught in a web of intrigue.

An evil presence is growing within Europe's royal bloodlines—and those aligned with the darkness threaten to topple the tsar. Suddenly Katerina's strength as a necromancer attracts attention from unwelcome sources . . . including two young men—George Alexandrovich, the tsar's standoffish middle son, who needs Katerina's help to safeguard Russia, even if he's repelled by her secret, and the dashing Prince Danilo, heir to the throne of Montenegro, to whom Katerina feels inexplicably drawn.

The time has come for Katerina to embrace her power, but which side will she choose—and to whom will she give her heart?

So let me get this straight, this is a historical fiction that takes place in tsarist Russia? There is seriously nothing that can go wrong here, at least in my opinion. Plus all the early reviews I've seen for this book have been nothing but positive. I can't wait to be able to read this one.

My Awesome Awful Popularity Plan by Seth Rudetsky

January 24th, 2012

Random House Books for Young Readers

Justin has two goals for sophomore year: to date Chuck, the hottest boy in school, and to become the king of Cool U, the table in the cafeteria where the "in" crowd sits.

Unfortunately, he has the wrong look (short, plump, Brillo-pad curls), he has the wrong interests (Broadway, chorus violin), and he has the wrong friends (Spencer, into Eastern religions, and Mary Ann,  who doesn't shave her armpits). And Chuck? Well, he's not gay; he's dating Becky, a girl in chorus with whom Justin is friendly. 

But Justin is determined. 

In detention one day (because he saw Chuck get it first), Justin comes up with a perfect plan: to allow Becky to continue dating Chuck, whom Becky's dad hates. They will pretend that Becky is dating Justin, whom Becky's dad loves. And when Becky and Justin go out on a fake date, Chuck will meet up with them for a real date with Becky. Chuck's bound to find Justin irresistible, right? What could go wrong?

Once again, I had heard pretty much nothing about this book until I started researching January 2012 releases, but it sounds absolutely awesome. A contemporary YA book that has a gay male as a main character. I've only read the summary and already I love this book. January can't come soon enough.

The Edumacation of Jay Baker by Jay Clark

January 31st, 2012

Henry Holt & Company

Meet Jay Baker . . . or, as he is not-so-affectionately called by his opponent in the freshman class presidential election (and by members of the high school football team): Gay Baker.

A few important things to know about Jay:

1. He is in love with his best friend, cheerleading dynamo Cameo “Appearance” Parnell.

2. He is rocking an unfortunate case of Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

3. He has the largest storehouse of pop culture references, jokes, and puns in the history of fifteen-year-olds.

4. He is about to uncover a horrifying family secret that will turn his world upside down.

Root for Jay as he faces off against his mortal enemy, gets awkward around his dream girl, loses himself in a Bermudan love triangle, watches his parents’ relationship implode in a series of Maury Povich-inspired events, and, finally, learns to get real and be himself.

This is another book that sounds incredibly awesome and also has a gay male characters. I am loving that there are more and more YA books with LGBT characters so I can't wait for the release of this one so I can read it.

January is definitely going to be an awesome month for books. It's still a month away and already I am super excited. I can't wait to be able to get my hands on all these wonderful books and see if they are as good as they sound. Like I already said, January just can't come soon enough.

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

Title: Clockwork Prince (The Infernal Devices #2)

Author: Cassandra Clare

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Release Date: December 6, 2011

Source: ARC from Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo

In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when it becomes clear that the mysterious Magister will stop at nothing to use Tessa's powers for his own dark ends. With the help of handsome, tortured Will and the devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister's war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal and fuelled by revenge. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister knows their every move--and that one of their own has betrayed them.

Tessa is drawn more and more to Jem, though her longing for Will continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets, and give Tessa answers about who she really is? As their search leads to deadly peril, Tessa learns that secrets and lies can corrupt even the purest heart.

Words cannot even describe how excited I was to receive an advance review copy of Clockwork Prince back in October. I had to delay reading it for a few weeks, but when I finally read it, I really couldn't put it down. Cassandra Clare is an amazing writer, and she proved it again with Clockwork Prince.

After the big fight with the Magister, the Shadowhunters of the London Institute are under the scrutiny of the Clave and Tessa is doing everything she can to try to help them. After everything they have done for her, Tessa feels a little responsible for what happened, especially since it's her the Magister is after. But there's a lot more going on in Tessa's life, what with not knowing who to choose between brooding Will and attentive Jem. Not only that but Tessa still doesn't know exactly who or what she is. As Tessa and the Shadowhunters try to find the Magister, they discover that there may be more going on than meets the eye, and more people involved than was originally thought. Now not only does Tessa have to help stop the Magister and his plans, she also has to figure out which boy she wants to give her heart to.

Cassandra Clare is most definitely a master of her craft. And I absolutely love her writing. Right from the first page, I was so excited to be back in the world Cassandra Clare created and reading her words. The world she created is simply and absolutely magical one, and even then it still felt completely real. I've been to London many ties before and know the city really well, but reading Clockwork Prince, I felt like I was discovering a whole new city, that's how great a writer Cassandra Clare is. And then there's the characters she creates, and those alone are reason enough to read the books.

I have grown so attached to all the characters in this series, even the ones who turn out not to be so great. Tessa is an absolutely wonderful heroine, even though sometimes I questioned some of what she said and did. But still Tessa is amazing and I absolutely love her. And how she manages to make up her mind between Will and Jem is a complete mystery to me. Normally, I can pick on of the boys in the books I read, but here I can't seem to choose between Will and Jem. On the one hand, Jem is completely attentive and sweet and perfect at all times. On the other there's Will who hurts everyone around him most of the time, but then there's that other side of him that I absolutely love. And then there's me in the middle constantly being pulled from one side to the other, unable to make up my mind. Cassandra Clare is just particularly gifted at creating absolutely dreamy boys.

Clockwork Prince is absolutely amazing, so much so that I may have to read it again when it comes out. Cassandra Clare once again wrote a fantastic story that kept me on my toes the whole way through. Now I just have to wait for the release of Clockwork Princess... 

Tournament of Heroines - Team Bryn!

If you are a lover of strong heroines in YA than you will definitely want to pay attention to this post.

During the summer, the wonderful ladies of YA Sisterhood hosted the YA Crush Tournament, in which a number of YA boys were competing against each other to becomes the ultimate YA Crush. This December, they are hosting another tournament, this time honouring YA Heroines.

While I just stuck to voting with the Crush Tournament, with the Heroine one I decided to be more involved and signed up to be an advocate. I will have the great pleasure of advocating in favor of Bryn from Jennifer Lynn Barnes's Raised by Wolves series. I absolutely love Bryn and I can't wait to mount my defence for her.

Bryn's first match will be on December 7 and she will be up against Tris from Veronica Roth's Divergent. This will definitely be a tough match since Tris isn't half bad herself, but I still have high hopes for Bryn.

Basically I'm writing this post to ask for your support. If you can spread the word for the wonderfully amazing Bryn I would be eternally grateful and if on the day of the match you vote for Bryn, I will love you even more.

I've made a simple button to support Bryn, and if you want to to show your support feel free to take the button, or even make your own. And be sure to follow me on Twitter to stay updated on all things Bryn!

In My Mailbox (20)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi of The Story Siren and inspired by Alea of Pop Culture Junkie. It's a post where we talk about the books we received during the week either for review, from the bookstore or anywhere else.

This week wasn't quite as epic as last week but it was still pretty awesome. I didn't buy any new books but I received 5 new ones so it's still really exciting. I'm really looking forward to reading all of these wonderful books. So without further ado, here are all the books that I got this week.

For Review:

- Dead to You by Lisa McMann - Though I own some of her books, I haven't actually read anything by Lisa McMann so I'm hoping that this one will be a good introduction to her writing. At any rate, the book sounds really interesting and I am looking forward to reading it. It sounds like it might be a thriller, which is something there just isn't enough of in YA so I'm really excited about it.

- The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler - I have been wanting to read this book since I first found out about it earlier this year. It just sounds so cool what with the characters going on the Internet and finding their Facebook profiles 15 years into the future. So if you couldn't tell, I'm really excited about this book and you can be sure I'll be getting around to reading it soon.

- My Beating Teenage Heart by C.K. Kelly Martin - This book sounds really interesting so when the author contacted me asking if I was interested in reviewing it, I jumped at the occasion. I haven't read anything by C.K. Kelly Martin but from what I hear her books are really good so I'm really looking forward to reading this one.

- WinterTown by Stephen Emond - This book sounds really great and I am loving contemporaries as of late so it's perfect for me. And by the sound of it, it's from the perspective of a boy, which is something books in YA don't do often enough. As much as I love my heroines, sometimes a hero is a refreshing change. I should also be getting to this one quite soon so hopefully it will be as good as it sounds.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada, Penguin Canada, HBG Canada and C.K. Kelly Martin for all of these wonderful books.

Gifted/Won:

- Don't Breathe a Word by Holly Cupala - I have heard nothing but absolutely amazing things about Holly Cupala and her books. So when I got the chance to receive a copy of Don't Breathe a Word, I jumped on it and got really excited. I'm hoping to read this one quite soon to see just how amazing it is for myself. And thank you to Denise Jaden for sending this to me along with all the swag pictured below.

So that's all I got in my mailbox this week and I'm really excited about it all. Let me know what you got in the comments below and I will come check out what you got in your mailbox!

Waiting On Wednesday (30)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine where book bloggers showcase books they are looking forward to. What I plan on doing for the next few weeks is to talk about the books that are coming out at the beginning of next year from different publishers. This week I will be showcasing  January 2012 releases coming from Penguin. So here are the books I'm looking forward to.

Bloodrose by Andrea Cremer

January 3rd, 2012 

Calla has always welcomed war. But now that the final battle is upon her, there’s more at stake than fighting. There’s saving Ren, even if it incurs Shay’s wrath. There’s keeping Ansel safe, even if he’s been branded a traitor. There’s proving herself as the pack’s alpha, facing unnamable horrors, and ridding the world of the Keepers’ magic once and for all. And then there’s deciding what to do when the war ends. If Calla makes it out alive, that is. 

In the final installment of the Nightshade trilogy, New York Times bestselling author Andrea Cremer creates a novel with twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat until its final pages. A dynamic end to this breathtaking trilogy.

I am almost 100% sure that I am most definitely not the only person waiting impatiently for this book's release. I still have to read Wolfsbane (it's the next book I'm reading) but I still can't wait for the release of Bloodrose just so I can add it to my collection and have my shelf look all pretty with the three books.

Getting Somewhere by Beth Neff

January 19th, 2012

Four girls: dealer, junkie, recluse, thief. 

Sarah, Jenna, Lauren, and Cassie may look like ordinary girls, but they’re not. They’re delinquents whose lives collide when they’re sent to an experimental juvenile detention program on a farm in the middle of nowhere. As the girls face up to the crimes they committed, three of them will heal the wounds of their pasts and discover strengths they never dreamed they had. And one, driven by a deep secret of her own, will seek to destroy everything they’ve all worked so hard for.

I haven't actually heard all that much about this book, I just saw it while looking through the Penguin catalogue but it definitely sounds really interesting. It also sounds really different from what I normally read so I am definitely looking forward to the release so I can read it.

Try Not to Breathe by Jennifer R. Hubbard

January 19th, 2012

Ryan spends most of his time alone at the local waterfall because it’s the only thing that makes him feel alive. He’s sixteen, post-suicidal, and trying to figure out what to do with himself after a stint in a mental hospital. Then Nicki barges into his world, brimming with life and energy, and asking questions about Ryan’s depression that no one else has ever been brave enough—or cared enough—to ask. Ryan isn’t sure why he trusts Nicki with his darkest secrets, but that trust turns out to be the catalyst that he desperately needs to start living again. 

I haven't actually read anything by Jennifer Hubbard but I have heard nothing but good things about this author. At any rate, Try Not to Breathe sounds really interesting and like a really great contemporary read and I can't wait until January so I get to read it.

So these are the Penguin titles that I am looking forward to in January. At the rate this is going, my wallet is definitely going to suffer come the new year. But what can I do, there are all these wonderful books waiting for me to come give them a lovely new home. Oh the downsides of being a major bookworm.

Pregnant Pause by Han Nolan

Title: Pregnant Pause

Author: Han Nolan

Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers

Release Date: September 20, 2011

Source: From Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo

Eleanor Crowe has a mind of her own, and nobody gets away with bossing her around. She usually makes decisions based on who she can piss off most, although that hans't always worked out so well. Now she's pregnant and sixteen--and her opinion doesn't seem to matter to everyone who's trying to tell her what to do.

But as Elly's delivery date approaches, she has more questions than answers. Is she being punished for being such a rotten daughter? Does she really love this by she married? And what's she going to do with this baby? Being headstrong got her into this mess...maybe now it can get her out of it. But is that what she really wants?

As of late, I've been reading more contemporary books than I'm normally used to. They are just such a refreshing change from dystopian and paranormal reads. And Pregnant Pause was the perfect contemporary book. I loved reading every page of it and it even surprised me how much I ended up enjoying the book.

Elly ignored the fact that she was pregnant until it was too late to do something about it, in the hope that it would go away. And now, as her delivery date approaches, Elly is still not sure what she wants to do once the baby comes. Now Elly is working at a weigh-loss camp owned by her new parents-in-law and living in a cabin on a mountain with her new husband. Basically, things are just going great, and in her typical fashion, Elly won't do or listen to what anyone says. Because what would be the fun in that? As the summer goes by, Elly discovers that maybe she doesn't have to give away her baby and that she's actually pretty good with children. But as Elly discovers this about herself, she finds out that while she may be ready for a kid, there are other people around her that may not be.

I haven't read all that many books about teenage pregnancy but every time there is something different about the story. In Pregnant Pause, Han Nolan takes the idea of teenage pregnancy and makes it her own. The story she told was an interesting one and it really took me by surprise. I found myself enjoying it a lot more than I originally thought I would, to the point that  had trouble putting the book down. Han Nolan really didn't hold back and said things the way they are and a big part of that was the voice she gave Elly as the narrator.

I loved Elly a lot more than I first thought I would. And I'll admit that at first I didn't really like Elly and didn't really understand her. In all honesty, she even kind of annoyed me because it just felt like she didn't really care about anything. But then she started caring and acting like a real person and I found myself liking her more and more. As for the boys in this book there were very few decent ones. And of those few decent ones, half of them turned out to be jerks in the end. In any other book that probably would have really annoyed me to no end, but this case it just made sense with the story. And my favorite was probably Leo, not just because he was one of the few decent ones, but also because you could tell he genuinely cared about Elly and didn't expect anything in return.

Overall, Pregnant Pause was a great contemporary read, one that I enjoyed reading a lot more than I thought I would. I highly recommend it!

In My Mailbox (19)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi of The Story Siren and inspired by Alea of Pop Culture Junkie. It's a post where we talk about the books we received during the week either for review, from the bookstore or anywhere else.

This week definitely deserves to be called the week of awesome. When I got home on Tuesday, I had a grand total of 9 books waiting for me. This never usually happens unless I got completely crazy at the bookstore, but even then I usually try to limit myself. Let's just say that after this week, my TBR pile has definitely grown a lot more. So here's what I got in my mailbox this week!

Bought: 

- Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma - I have been waiting to read this book for the longest time. I have heard nothing but absolutely amazing things about this book despite the very difficult and taboo suggest matter it deals with. I definitely can't wait to read this one, though I'll have to make sure to keep a box of tissues close by.

For Review:

- Fever by Lauren DeStefano - As I'm sure you can imagine I did a happy dance (my roommate laughed at me) when I saw what was in these packages (I mysteriously got two copies, but I've already traded the extra). I have been waiting to find out what happens next for the longest time and now I don't really know how long I can hold off reading this book. I JUST HAVE TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS!


- Embrace by Jessica Shirvington - If I'm not mistaken, this book as been published already in Australia and the UK but I may be wrong. At any rate it sounds really great and I am very excited to have a copy. Though I don't know if I'm going to be able to wait until closer to the March release date to read it.


- Tempest by Julie Cross - I actually don't really know all that much about this book to be honest, but from what little I know it does sound really interesting. I've also heard a lot of really great things about it so I can't wait to find out more about it.

- Cinder by Marrisa Meyer - So this is basically the story of Cinderella retold using cybords and robots. How can that not be completely awesome. Though Cinderella isn't one of my favorite fairy tales, I can't wait to read this one and see if it's as good as everyone has been saying it is.

- Switched by Amanda Hocking - This book is already hugely popular as the author self-published in the past. I can't wait to find out more about the world and read this trilogy. And thankfully they are all being released close to each other so I won't have to wait too long between books.

- The Predicteds by Christine Seifert - This book came as a complete surprise and I know pretty much nothing about it. I've read the synopsis and the premise sounds really interesting. I can't wait to find out more about it.

- The Right & The Real by Joelle Anthony - This book sounds really interesting, especially since it deals with cults since I can be slightly fascinated by them (not that I would ever actually join one). The premise is just really interesting and I can't wait to find out more...except I may have to hold off since it doesn't come out until April.

- The Disenchantments by Nina Lacour - I've heard really good things about this book and Nina Lacour and everyone seems to be really excited about this book. It sounds really good and perfect for my newly (re)found love of contemporary books. 

- Bloodrose by Andrea Cremer - Once again, I may or may not have done a happy dance when I saw this book among all the other ones. I still have to read Wolfsbane (it's next on my list of books to read) but from what people have told me it ends on a bit of a crazy cliffhanger so I'm sure I'll be very happy to have Bloodrose handy to start reading right away.

A HUGE THANK YOU to Penguin Canada, Simon & Schuster Canada and Raincoast Books for sending me all these wonderful books, I can't wait to read all of them.

So that's all  I got in my mailbox this week. Leave me a link in the comments and I'll come see what you got too!

Blog Tour: Shattered Souls by Mary Lindsey

Today I have the pleasure of having Mary Lindsey, author of the upcoming Shattered Souls, here on the blog to talk about where the inspiration came from for the setting of the story. So without further ado, here is what she had to say.

The Great Storm of 1900: Photographic inspiration for Shattered Souls

I’m a visual person, which affects how I learn and write. Sometimes an idea just pops into my head, but usually I’m inspired by a place, object or a photo. 

In the case of Shattered Souls, it was an old photograph. I knew I wanted to write a ghost story and I wanted a disaster to be featured. I had already decided that I would probably use the Great Storm of 1900 in Galveston, but it was an old photograph that cemented the deal.

There’s something about this photo that really got to me. Perhaps it is because most of the pictures I’d seen were of men looking for dead bodies or cleaning up the debris, while this one is of children and women looking for something—anything they recognize as valuable, useful or familiar. 

It also reached my heart because the child in the white hat and black dress is standing on a piece of a roof that most likely had served as a life raft the night before when the water was up over the housetops.

This photo crystallized for me the dismal truth that despite the largest loss of life from a natural disaster in this country’s history, people still had to pick up the pieces and survive. 

More can be found about the Great Storm of 1900 by visiting http://www.1900storm.com/

Thank you, Emilie, for having me on your blog today and for being part of the Teen Book Scene’s Shattered Souls blog tour.

For more information about Mary Lindsey you can visit her at http://www.marylindsey.com and you can also pre-order Shattered Souls from Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

Be sure to check out the rest of the tour through The Teen Book Scene!

Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts

Title: Dark Inside (Dark Inside #1)

Author: Jeyn Roberts

Publisher: Simon & Schuster BFYR

Release Date: November 1, 2011

Source: ARC from Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo

An ancient evil has been unleashed, and it is turning friends into murderous strangers. For those who survive the brutal earthquakes and the first wave of the killing, the world is a different, deadlier place. Society has fallen apart. No one can be trusted. For four teens struggling to stay alive in a world determined to kill them, it means all they have is one another--if they can trust one another--and the hope that their future holds something greater than mere survival.

These days there are a very high number of dystopian and post-apocalyptic books being published, but never books that take place during the actual apocalypse. That's where Dark Inside comes in. Jeyn Roberts wrote an incredible story about the world as we know it ending.

Mason, Aries, Clementine and Michael were each leading perfectly normal lives and going about their own business on the day that the earthquakes happened. And when the earthquakes ended, they witnessed first hand the change that happened in some people and the horrible violence that ensued. Each teenager is trying to survive in their own way and understand what triggered people to become violent monsters, but nothing really seems to make sense to anyone anymore. As all the teenagers make their way west toward Vancouver, they meet others also trying to survive and together they hope for the best. But every step of the way, those monsters with black veins in their eyes are there to try and stop them. If they stick together they may just be able to survive the apocalypse.

I don't think words can even begin to describe how amazing Dark Inside was. Like I already said, there are so many books written that take place after the apocalypse happened, but never any that take place during the actual apocalypse. It was just so entirely different from everything I have read this year and I absolutely loved it. I just never knew what was going to happen next, but not in the usual way because everything was completely new and different. What I liked most about the book was that it was told from the point of view of four different teenagers who survived the apocalypse. It really added an element of suspense to the story.

There were a lot of characters in this book so it made it quite difficult to connect with any of them. Though the main characters, the one whose points of view the story was told from were Mason, Aries, Clementine and Michael. These characters were all very different from one another and they didn't really come together until the end of the book. The four main characters also really surprised me. I never really thought that Aries would become the leader she became or that Clementine would be the fighter and survivor that she ended up being. As for the two boys, I never thought that Mason would push through the pain and not give up and that Michael would react the way he did in different situations. But what I loved most about all of these characters was the way they all came together to survive and work together to figure out what was happening to the world.

Overall, Dark Inside was an absolutely fantastic book and Jeyn Roberts is an incredible new writer. She wrote about an apocalypse that felt entirely too real and hopefully won't actually happen any time soon. 

2012 TBR Pile Reading Challenge

So I think I may have possibly found a solution to my ever growing TBR Pile being cut down some. Ten amazing bloggers have decided to host the 2012 TBR Pile Reading Challenge from January 1st, 2012 to December 31st, 2012. The idea is that you read books that have been sitting on your shelf for some time, the key is that they have to have been published in 2011 or earlier. If you are interested be sure to check it out and it's awesome hosts:

Evie from Bookish - http://www.evie-bookish.blogspot.com @SeoEvie

Nicole from All I Ever Read - http://www.nicoleabouttown.com/ @Nicoleabouttown

Bonnie from Hands and Home - http://www.handsandhome.ca/ @HandsHomeBlog

Donna from Book Passion For Life - http://bookpassionforlife.blogspot.com/ @BookPforLife

Caitlin from WatchYA Reading - http://whatchyareading.net @caitlingss

Rie from Mission To Read - http://missiontoread.com/ @missiontoread

Vicky from Books, Biscuits & Tea -http://booksbiscuitsandtea.blogspot.com/ @alouetteuette 

Christa from Hooked On Books - http://christashookedonbooks.blogspot.com @ChristasBooks

Jenna from Fans Of Fiction - http://fansoffiction.blogspot.com/ @fansoffiction

Angel from Mermaids Vision - http://mermaidvision.wordpress.com/ @mermaidvisions

There are different levels to the challenge and so to not get ahead of myself, I'm going to say I'm aiming for the "A Firm Handshake" level which means I need to read between 1 and 10 books that are on my TBR Pile but I can always increase that number as the year goes (and let's be honest it probably will go up).

So here is my tentative list of 10 books for the challenge (and it will most likely definitely change):

- Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

- Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz (I own most of them so I may read them all)

- Evernight by Claudia Gray (again I own the whole series)

- As You Wish by Jackson Pearce

- Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce

- A Touch Mortal by Leah Clifford

- Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready

- Firelight by Sophie Jordan

- Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson

- An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

With some luck I'll at least get around to reading those 10!