Canada Day Blog Hop!

This Sunday is going to be Canada Day, and to celebrate Canada's 145th birthday (yeah, we're a pretty young country) I decided to participate in the Canada Day Blog Hop hosted by Snowdrop Dreams of Books, Rabid Reads and Stitch Read Cook.

To celebrate, I will be giving away books written by Canadian YA authors. It's only fitting since this is to celebrate Canada Day after all. So, 2 winners will each win one book of their choice written by Canadian YA authors. If you're not sure which YA authors out there are actually Canadian, you can find a list below of the ones I know off the top of my head.

- Kelley Armstrong

- Lesley Livingston

- Courtney Summers

- Denise Jaden

- Jeyn Roberts

- Charles de Lint

- Carrie Mac

- Allison Van Diepen

To enter the giveaway, just fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Good luck to everyone!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Waiting on Wednesday (53)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine where book bloggers devote a post to an upcoming release they are particularly looking forward to.

THIS WEEK'S PICK:

EVE AND ADAM BY KATHERINE APPLEGATE & MICHAEL GRANT

Sixteen-year-old Evening Spiker lives an fluent life in San Francisco with her mother, EmmaRose, a successful geneticist and owner of Spiker Biotech. Sure, Evening misses her father who died mysteriously, but she's never really questioned it. Much like how she's never stopped to think how off it is that she's never been sick. That is, until she's struck by a car and is exposed to extensive injuries. Injuries that seem to be healing faster than physically possible.

While recuperating in Spiker Biotech's lush facilities, she meets Solo Plissken, a very attractive, if off-putting boy her age who spent his life at Spiker Biotech. Like Evening, he's never questioned anything…until now. Solo drops hints to Evening that something isn't right, and EmmaRose may be behind it. Evening puts this out of her mind and begins her summer internship project: To simulate the creation of the perfect boy. With the help of Solo, Evening uncovers secrets so big they could change the world completely.

This book has only come to my attention recently, but right when I found out about it I knew it was a book I definitely wanted to read. The story sounds really interesting and like a creative new take on the story of Adam & Eve. And it sounds like it would be a great science fiction read. So really, what's not to love?

Eve and Adam by Katherine Applegate & Michael Grant will be published October 2, 2012 by Feiwel & Friends.

Nothing Special by Geoff Herbach

Title: Nothing Special

Author: Geoff Herbach

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Release Date: May 1, 2012

Source: From Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository

Felton Reinstein thought he had it all--a great girlfriend, an athletic scholarship in the bag, and football friends he could totally count on. Wrong. Like an elephant storming a house of cards, it all comes crashing down. And it's Felton's fault. Turns out his little brother has taken an impromptu road trip to Florida (a.k.a. desperate flight from all the talented people) to make a bid for stardom (a.k.a. fronting a hotel rock band with escapees from a retirement community). What's a big brother to do but help pick up the pieces, even if it means giving up all the status, all the glory and once again facing a life of nothing special.

While I waited quite some time to read Nothing Special, I didn't make the same mistake with Nothing Special by Geoff Herbach. Much like with the first book, Nothing Special was hilarious with an added layer of depth that made me love it even more.

Felton Reinstein thought he finally had everything figured out. he was on the football and track teams, had a gorgeous piano-playing girlfriend and his mother was finally more or less normal again. But then he has a fight with Aleah before she leaves for Germany and his brother Andrew has run off to Florida to play music in a retirement community. And now it's up to Felton to get Andrew back home before everything spirals out of control. Again. But getting Andrew out of Florida and back home may be a lot  harder than Felton originally thought it would be. And along the way, maybe he'll find out more about his long-gone father.

After I finished reading Stupid Fast, I immediately picked up Nothing Special and started reading it right away. And just like with the first book, Nothing Special turned out to be a fantastic read. Once again, Geoff Herbach wrote a hilarious story that had me laughing on more than one occasion. But there was lot more to Nothing Special than a hilarious story. Beyond the ridiculous situations Felton Reinstein finds himself in, there is a layer of depth to the story that can be easily overlooked. But that added depth is what made me love the story Geoff Herbach wrote even more. I loved seeing how there were deeper issues present throughout the book and, beyond Felton's character, they were often what kept me reading.

Once again, Felton Reinstein was a hilarious character. I can't even begin to fathom how he gets himself into half the situations he gets into. But on top of being hilarious guy, Felton Reinstein has grown a lot since hte last book and also does a lot of growing throughout the course of this book.  It was really great to be able to see that Felton was more than just a funny guy. I also really liked getting to see more of Andrew. Andrew is just as quirky as his older brother. In Nothing Special he was responsible for a lot of the deeper moments and despite being younger, helped Felton grow a lot. The way he is sometimes brutally honest is what often will result in Felton seeing things in a different light, which made for an interesting relationship between the two brothers.

Despite the title, Nothing Special was a pretty special book. Geoff Herbach wrote a great story that was both hilarious and serious. Don't let yourself be fooled by the title, Nothing Special is a whole lot more than that.

Do You Believe in Voodoo? Blog Tour - Part II

Today I am back with more of Sourcebooks Fire's "Do You Believe in Voodoo?" blog tour for Jeff Strand's A Bad Day for Voodoo. If you missed Part I, you can check out the guest post from Tyler, the book's main character, right here. For Part II, I have the pleasure of having a guest post from Jeff Strand himself telling us what are some moments in his life he wishes he could do over.

In A Bad Day For Voodoo, the narrator, Tyler Churchill rewinds a scene in the book to feature a more dramatic alternate version.  Find out the top three moments Jeff would rewind and create and alternate version for in his life.

1. My birth.  Aside from the whole "miracle of birth" thing, there was nothing really dramatic about it. I mean, yeah, my mom thought it hurt and I was crying and somebody was going "Push! Push!" but for this moment to really have dramatic impact I should have come out singing "Born This Way" by Lady Gaga. Then doctors would have been screaming "This child is unnatural! Destroy it! Destroy it!" but my dad would have stopped them from squishing me between the defibrillator paddles. After fleeing the hospital, my parents would have tried to get me to sing so they could make millions from the miracle singing baby, but I would've been like the frog in the cartoon and ONLY sang when there were no other witnesses around. Ha!

2. That one time in high school when I broke my arm. Here is how I broke my arm: I was playing soccer, and I ran at this guy who had the ball, and we collided, and I hit the ground. Crunch. The thing is, soccer is primarily known as a sport you play with your feet. I mean, they even call it football in other countries. So when you tell people that you broke your arm playing soccer, they're all like "Huh? What? How do you break your arm playing soccer?" It's embarrassing. If I could rewind, I could have broken my arm in a sport where you actually use your arms, like bowling.

3. Writing this guest blog entry. I'm writing this on my back porch. My cat is asleep. None of my opponents have made a move in Words With Friends for the past half hour. Yaaawwwwwn. If I could rewind, one of my opponents would have played a really lame word, like IT, but then I'd use their "I" and play QUIZ, where Q was on a Triple Letter Score and Z was on a Triple Word Score, so I'd get 129 points and even if they had the J and the X they'd never beat me! Ooooh, such glorious drama!

A Bad Day for Voodoo sounds like a hilarious read if it is anything like this guest post from author Jeff Strand. Be sure to check out the book and keep following the blog tour!

Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult & Samantha Van Leer

Title: Between the Lines

Author: Jodi Picoult & Samantha Van Leer

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Release Date: June 26, 2012

Source: ARC from Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository

What happens when happily ever after…isn't?

Delilah hates school as much as she loves books--one book in particular. In fact if anyone knew how many ties she has read and reread the sweet little fairy tale she found in the library, especially her cooler than cool classmates, she'd be sent to social Siberia…forever.

To Delilah, though, this fairy tale is more than just words on the page. Sure, there's a handsome (well, okay, incredibly handsome) prince, and a castle, and an evil villain, but it feels as if there's something deeper going on. And one day, Delilah finds out there is.

Turns out, this Prince Charming is real, and a certain fifteen-year-old loner has caught his eye. But they're from two different worlds, and how can it ever possibly work. 

This si the part where I say that until Between the Lines I had never read anything by Jodi Picoult. Between the Lines was a great introduction to Jodi Picoult and as a result I will for sure be reading more of her books in the future.

Delilah has never liked school, she is a complete social pariah. What she does love is reading and books. one book in particular actually. Except that book happens to be a a children's fairy tale. And if anyone at school found out about it, she would never see the end of it. But Delilah can't help but feel a connection to the book, especially its hero, Prince Oliver. The more she reads it, the more the story feels real to Delilah. To the point that she can hear Oliver talk to her, and can talk back to him. Maybe happily ever after isn't only in fairy tales after all.

I am a total sucker for fairy tales, so Between the Lines sounded like the perfect read for me. It was also the first time I read anything by Jodi Picoult and it proved to be a great introduction. Between the Lines was an absolutely adorable story, and I loved thew way it was told. Not just the alternating points of view, but also the fact that I got to read the actual fairy tale that was referenced throughout the course of the book. The whole premise itself made the book even more appealing to me. Who wouldn't want the prince from their favorite fairy take to come to life? I know I wouldn't mind. The story also ended up working a lot better than I would have thought, making it difficult for me to put the book down as I was reading. All in all, it made for a truly fun and adorable story.

Delilah was definitely a character I could relate to, especially when it came to her love of books and reading. Who knows the number of times I've become slightly obsessed with a book or a character in a book. Besides that connection, Delilah was still an interesting character to read about, and by the end of the book I was totally rooting for her and Oliver. And I can see why Delilah wanted Oliver to be real. Heck, at times I wanted him to be. I loved reading from his perspective, if only for his amazement at everything that took place outside of his fairy tale world. At times it made me wish I could still see the world that way. I'll just be honest and admit it, Oliver was a pretty great Prince Charming.

Between the Lines was a fun and absolutely adorable story. Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer wrote a great fairy tale that completely took me away from my own world while reading. It makes for the perfect escape while reading if that's what you're looking for. And if you are a lover of fairy tales and happily ever after, this is a book for you.

Waiting on Wednesday (52)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine where book bloggers devote a post to an upcoming book release they are particularly looking forward to.

THIS WEEK'S PICK:

ENSHADOWED BY KELLY CREAGH

Varen Nethers is trapped in a perilous dream world--a treacherous and desolate realm where the terrifying stories of Edgar Allan Poe come to life. Isobel Lanley, plagued by strange visions and haunted by the nightmares of Varen's creation, is the only on who can save him. Isobel knows that her only hope lies within a Baltimore cemetery. There, in the early morning hours of Edgar Allan Poe's birthday, a mysterious stranger known as the "Poe Toaster" will make his annual homage at the legendary poet's grave.

Only the Poe Toaster holds the key to the way between worlds. But even greater danger lies ahead for Isobel. And ancient evil, draped in veils f white, is watching, challenging her for Varen's affections. When Isobel finally finds Varen, he is no longer the quiet and brooding boy who once captivated her, but a dark force, powerful and malevolent.

I have been waiting forever for this book and FINALLY we are getting close to the release date. Nevermore completely mesmerized me when I read it almost two years ago and I have been waiting for Enshadowed to be published ever since. Though since it's been so long I may have to go and reread Nevermore to refresh my memory. At any rate, I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of Enshadowed  and see what happens to Varen and Isobel.

Enshadowed by Kelly Creagh will be published August 28, 2012 by Atheneum.

All the Broken Pieces Cover Reveal & Excerpt

I'm really excited today to be taking part in the cover reveal for All the Broken Pieces by Cindi Madsen, coming in December 2012 from Entangled Teen. When I read the synopsis for the book, I knew right away it sounded like something I really wanted to read. So keep scrolling down for the cover, the synopsis and an exclusive excerpt from the book.

What if you life wasn't your own?

Live comes out of a coma with no memory of her past and two distinct warring voices inside her head. Nothing, not even her reflection, seems familiar. As she stumbles through her junior year, the voices get louder, insisting she please the popular group while simultaneously despising them. But when Liv starts hanging around with Spencer, whose own mysterious past also has him on the bring, life feels complete for the first time, in well, as long as she can remember.

Live knows the details of the car accident that put her in the coma, but as the voices invade her dreams, and her dreams start feeling like memories, she and Spencer seek ut answers. Yet the deeper they dig, the less things make sense. Can Liv rebuild the pieces of her broken past, when it means questioning not just who she is, but what she is?

If you ask me, this cover is simply gorgeous. I love the way the glass changes the eye and hair color. I also feel like it's really representative of what the book is about when it talks about Liv, the main character not even recognizing her own reflection.

And now for the exclusive excerpt:

Olivia reached up, feeling the tender spots on her head. Her fingers brushed across a row of—were those little ridges made of metal?

            “Careful. The staples are almost ready to come out, but it’s still going to be sore for a while.”

            Staples?!Her stomach rolled. I have staples in my head? She lowered her now-shaking hand. “Can I get a mirror?”

            Mom looked at Dad, then back at her. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Not until you’ve healed a little more.”

            Mom patted Olivia’s leg. “You just relax. We’ll be back in a few minutes.”

            The two of them left the room, but when Mom swung the door closed, it didn’t latch. Olivia could hear their voices in the hall.

            “I still think we should…” She couldn’t make out the rest of Dad’s muffled words. “…know if I can do this.”

            “…late for that,” Mom said. “We’d lose everything, including…” Her voice faded as they got farther away. “…have to move.”

Olivia could tell the conversation was tense, but the words were impossible to decipher now. Holding a hand in front of her face, she turned it back and forth. A plastic tube ran from her arm to a machine next to her bed. She peeked into her nightgown and stared in horror at the long red stripe running down her chest.

            Sick.

            You’re alive. You shouldn’t be thinking about looks.

            Lowering her hand, she scanned the room. I wonder how my face looks. From the way Dad stared at me, plus the fact Mom won’t let me see a mirror, it must be bad.

            Brains are more important than looks.

            That’s what ugly people say.

            Olivia put her hands on her head and squeezed. “Stop it,” she whispered to her arguing thoughts, hysteria bubbling up and squeezing the air from her lungs. What was happening to her? Why didn’t she recognize her parents or know where she was? Who she was? Tears ran warm trails down her cheeks. “Just make it all stop.”

If All the Broken Pieces by Cindi Madsen sounds like something you would be interested in reading, be sure to pick up a copy when it comes out in December 2012. You can also already pre-order the book from Amazon and Barnes & Noble. You can also add it to your TBR pile on Goodreads.

Stupid Fast by Geoff Herbach

Title: Stupid Fast

Author: Geoff Herbach

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Release Date: June 1, 2012

Source: Purchased

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository

My name is Felton Reinstein, which is not a fast name. But last November, my voice finally dropped and I grew all this hair and then I got stupid fast. Fast like a donkey. Zing!

Now they want me, the guy they used to call Squirrel Nut, to try out for the football team. With the jocks. But will that fix my mom? Make my brother stop dressing like a pirate? Most important, will it get me girls--especially Aleah?

So I train. And I run. And I sneak off to Aleah's house in the night. But deep down I know I can't run forever. And I wonder what will happen when I finally have to stop.

Despite the fact that I kept hearing how great and hilarious Stupid Fast was, it took receiving a copy of the sequel for me to finally pick it up. And then I realized I'd really been missing out. Because Stupid Fast really was a hilarious read.

Felton Reinstein has never really been anything extraordinary. But then he has a major growth spurt and discovers that he's actually a pretty great athlete. And now everyone wants something from him. That's how Felton finds himself spending his summer training for the upcoming football season, even if he's never played football before. But then his mom starts to slowly go crazy and Felton can't help but feel it might have something to do with football. But football is also what is helping him get the attention of the beautiful piano-playing Aleah. But when things really start getting out of control at home, Felton isn't sure what to do anymore.

So. Why I waited so long to read Stupid Fast has become a bit of a mystery to me. When everyone kept saying that Geoff Herbach had written a hilarious story they weren't lying. While reading Stupid Fast I pretty much always had a smile on my face when I wasn't outright laughing. And that probably had to do with how the story was told. The way it was written made it so it was like Felton was talking directly to the reader and the way he did that just made me smile and laugh. So basically Felton was why I laughed so much.

I don't think I've met a character that has ever made me laugh as much as Felton Reinstein did in Stupid Fast. He just has a way about him and thew ay he says things always seemed to put a smile on my face. And how he got himself in half the situations he got himself in, I can't even being to imagine. But it made a great character. And all the characters in the books were amusing to me. None of them were exactly completely normal and it ultimately made for some great entertainment. And all of them together made for some pretty funny situations though there was often a deeper undercurrent at the same time.

Stupid Fast was a fabulous and hilarious read. Geoff Herbach wrote an incredibly funny story that still managed to be serious at certain moments. Stupid Fast is a book I can't help but want to recommend, so if you haven't read it already, I strongly recommend you do so.

Stacking the Shelves (5)

Stacking the Shelves is a new weekly meme hosted by Tynga of Tynga's Reviews. It's a weekly post where book bloggers share and showcase the books they received throughout the week.

Despite posting somewhat regularly the last few weeks, you may or may not have noticed I've been kind of MIA the past few weeks when it comes to being online in general. The reason for that is that I'm currently on vacation and traveling so with the time difference, I'm not always online when I usually am. And since I've been away from home I have no idea what books have shown up. BUT this past week I was in Ireland and visited a couple bookstores so I actually have books to show. Not many, but here they are anyways.

Purchased:

- Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson - I still have yet to read Morgan Matson's other book, Amy & Roger's Epic Detour, but I have heard nothing but amazing things about Second Chance Summer so I decided to pick it up when I saw it at the bookstore. And since I have limited books with me, it's probably going to be my next read.

- Irish Ghost Stories - Like I said, I was in Ireland and saw this book in a gift shop and decided to pick it up. I haven't read any of the stories yet, but they do all sound quite creepy. All the stories are also written by well-known Irish writers like Bram Stoker and Oscar Wilde amongst others, so it should make for interesting reading.

So that's it for me this week...and probably for the next couple of weeks as far as Stacking the Shelves posts are concerned. I'm back home at the beginning of July and you can probably expect a pretty big Stacking the Shelves post when I get back since it will feature all the books I'll have received since the middle of May. I'm not going to lie, I'm kinda of excited to see what's going to be waiting for me when I get home.

Goddess Interrupted by Aimée Carter

Title: Goddess Interrupted (Goddess Test #2)

Author: Aimée Carter

Publisher: HarlequinTeen

Release Date: March 27, 2012

Source: From Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository

Kate Winters has won immortality.

But if she wants a life with Henry in the Underworld, she'll have to fight for it.

Becoming immortal wasn't supposed to be the easy part. Though Kate is about to be crowned Queen of the Underworld, she's as isolated as ever. And despite her growing love for Henry, ruler of the Underworld, he' s becoming ever more distant and secretive. Then, in the midst of Kate's coronation, Henry is abducted by the only being powerful enough to kill him: the King of the Titans.

As the other gods prepare for a war that could end them all, it is up to Kate to save Henry from the depths of Tartarus. But in order to navigate the endless caverns of the Underworld, Kate must enlist the help of the one person who is the greatest threat to her future.

Henry's first wife, Persephone.

Even though it took me forever to get around to reading The Goddess Test, I picked up Goddess Interrupted right after I finished the first book. And while I really enjoyed The Goddess Test, I liked Goddess Interrupted even more.

After a summer spent traveling around Greece with James, Kate Winters is ready to go back hom to Eden to see her mother. And to finally be with Henry. Six months apart was a long time and Kate can't wait to spend time with Henry. Except that when she gets back, Henry starts to pull away, and Kate can't figure out why. And right when she's about to be crowned Queen of the Underworld, a dark force attacks the gods, taking Henry prisoner. Kate will do anything to get Henry back. Even got to the one person who could ruin everything with Henry. Her sister and Henry's first wife. Persephone.

When I read The Goddess Test, it was a story I really enjoyed and by the time I finished reading it, I was very much looking forward to reading the sequel. And I loved Goddess Interrupted. While the first book had some measure of action in it, Goddess Interrupted was filled with it. Almost right from the beginning there was something happening and it didn't let up until the end. That's what made me like Goddess Interrupted even more than The Goddess Test. With this second book, Aimée Carter really stepped it up and it made for a very good read. I can't wait to see where she takes it all in the next book.

Kate also stepped it up in this book. Despite soem moments where she doubted herself, she had definitely grown. Of course she still doesn't understand everything about the family she's discovered she had, Kate is is getting there she's not afraid to do just about anything for them, most of all Henry. And Henry is a frustrating person. But at the end of the day I can sort of understand where he's coming from. Most of all, I loved being able to see more of James and Ava. Both of them are characters I really like. Sometimes I even find myself rooting for James because he deserves to be happy and I can tell he really cares about Kate. And Ava definitely amuses me, though after the ending, I have my doubts about her.

I loved reading Goddess Interrupted. In this second book, Aimée Carter has really stepped it up and I can't wait to see where it all goes in the next book. And if you're looking for a good summer read, I strongly recommend Goddess Interrupted.

Do You Believe in Voodoo? Blog Tour

Today I have Part I of Sourcebooks Fire's "Do You Believe in Voodoo?" blog tour for Jeff Strand's A Bad Day for Voodoo. Keep reading for a guest post from Tyler Churchill, the book's main character, which tells you what could happen if you don't read the book. Enjoy!

I'm Tyler Churchill. Not too long ago I had this insane adventure, with car chases and body parts coming off and everything, which I wrote about in the book A Bad Day For Voodoo. It's not my job to say that it's the best book ever written, but I will say that if you don't read it, the following conversation will definitely take place:

[You're walking down the sidewalk, whistling the merry tune of your choice. Up ahead you see a friend.]

YOU: Hi, friend!

YOUR FRIEND: Hi, you! Crazy party last night, huh? I've never seen anybody eat that many pretzels without getting a drink of water!

YOU: And who brought the rhinoceros? I kept thinking "Whoa, somebody is gonna get tusked!" but nobody did, which is good because it would have been funny at the moment of impact, but not so funny once we got into the screaming and bleeding and ambulances.

YOUR FRIEND: Were you there for the ritual?

YOU: What ritual?

YOUR FRIEND: You'll find out. [His or her expression darkens, and he/she gives you a wicked smile.] Oh, yes, you'll find out.

YOU: Seriously, what ritual? There was a ritual? Where was I?

YOUR FRIEND: When the time is right, all will be revealed.

YOU: C'mon, tell me what the ritual was! You can't just throw something like that out into the conversation and then not give answers! Tell me! I need resolution! Resolution!

YOUR FRIEND: I was just kidding. We were all sitting around playing Words With Friends on our phones. Somebody played "rhinoceros" on a triple-word score, which was pretty ironic. Actually, I played "rhino" first and they added "ceros." So what did you think of A Bad Day For Voodoo?

YOU: That new book? I didn't read it.

[Several onlookers gasp.]

YOUR FRIEND: Excuse me?

YOU: I said I haven't read it.

YOUR FRIEND: You...you...you haven't read A Bad Day For Voodoo?

YOU: No. That's okay, isn't it?

YOUR FRIEND: Okay? Okay? Don't you understand what this means? It means that you're not cool!

YOU: But that's not possible! I do cool things all the time!

YOUR FRIEND: It doesn't matter! This is the book that will define our generation! If you're ever on a game show and the host says "For twenty thousand dollars, please give us the definition of your generation," you could hold up A Bad Day For Voodoo and win the twenty thousand dollars!

YOU: But...but...but...but...but...but...but...I thought it was just a silly book!

[Your friend shakes his or her head and sighs.]

YOUR FRIEND: No. It is not.

SOME GUY WHO ALSO HAPPENS TO BE IN THE AREA AND IS EAVESDROPPING ON THE CONVERSATION: You really haven't read A Bad Day For Voodoo? Wow. I heard that those people existed, but I never thought I'd see one outside of a zoo.

YOU: You don't have to be a jerk about it.

YOUR FRIEND: Yes, he does.

YOU: Oh.

YOUR FRIEND: I never knew you were so uncool. It's like our whole friendship was a lie.

YOU: You're making too big of a deal out of this.

YOUR FRIEND: Do you see all of those weird-looking colorful waves that are coming out of people's eyes?

YOU: Ack! Yes! What are those?

YOUR FRIEND: Those are waves of judgment. Everybody is judging you. This will follow you around for the rest of your life.

YOU: No! I don't believe you!

[You get hit by a car.]

YOU: Ow! Ow!

YOUR FRIEND: That's what happens when you don't read A Bad Day For Voodoo. Bad luck follows you everywhere. Watch out for that circular saw blade.

YOU [quickly ducking]: Aaah! That circular saw blade almost took my head off!

YOUR FRIEND: And you'll need your head to read A Bad Day For Voodoo! Do you understand now?

[A monkey jumps out of a tree and starts punching you in the neck.]

YOU: I understand! I understand!

YOUR FRIEND: Your coolness meter is running out quickly, but there is still time to replenish it! Run to a bookstore or an internet and buy A Bad Day For Voodoo! Hurry, before it's too--

[The earth begins to crumble around your feet.]

YOUR FRIEND: Oh no! It's too late! The world needed your coolness! It's the only thing that kept us from being all dystopian and stuff!

[Zombies--fast or slow, your choice--show up and start eating people.]

PEOPLE CURRENTLY BEING EATEN [in unison]: Nooooooo!

YOU: What have I done? What have I--

[Suddenly you wake up screaming.]

YOU: It was all a dream! Only a terrible, terrible dream! In fact, the book A Bad Day For Voodoo doesn't even really exist!

SOMEBODY (YOU'RE NOT SURE WHO): Yes, it does. It's just not out yet. But it will be in June 2012. And you'd better buy it, or the next time you wake up screaming, Effie Trinket will be drawing your name for tribute.

YOU: Then I shall mark my calendar, or better yet, pre-order a copy of A Bad Day For Voodoo right now!

See? You may think I made all of that up, but I assure you that my only concern is for the safety of the world. And even if you don't care about the world, you should read about the time that my history teacher Mr. Click falsely accused me of cheating on a test, and my friend Adam got a voodoo doll of him, and I jabbed it with a pin during class, and things went wrong, wrong, wrong! 

Come back later in the month for more about A Bad Day for Voodoo including a review and more special content!

Waiting On Wednesday (51)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine where book bloggers devote a post to an upcoming book release they are particularly looking forward to.

THIS WEEK'S PICK:

ENTICE BY JESSICA SHIRVINGTON

Violet Eden is Grigori--part angel, part human. Her destiny is to protect humans from the vengeance of exiled angels.

Knowing who to trust is key but, when Grigori reinforcements arrive, it becomes clear everyone is hiding something. Even Lincoln. The only thing Violet does know: Phoenix's hold over her is more dangerous than ever.

The race to find the one thing that could tilt the glance of power brings them all to the sacred mountains of Jordan, where Violet's power will be pushed to the extreme. And the ultimate betrayal exposed.

While I had some issues with Embrace when I read it earlier this year, I am still really excited to read Entice, the sequel. Now that everything has been revealed, at least about Violet's origins, things can really take off and I'm looking forward to seeing where Jessica Shivington will take the story next.

Entice by Jessica Shirvington will be published September 4, 2012 by Sourcebooks Fire.

The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead

Title: The Golden Lily (Bloodlines #2)

Author: Richelle Mead

Publisher: Razorbill

Release Date: June 12, 2012

Source: ARC from Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository

Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. Alchemists protect vampire secrets--and human lives.

Sydney would love to go to college, but instead, she's been sent into hiding at a posh boarding school in Palm Springs, California--tasked with protecting Moroi princess Jill Dragomir from assassins who want to throw the Moroi court into civil war. Formerly in disgrace, Sydney is now praised for her loyalty and obedience, and held up as the model of an exemplary Alchemist.

But the closer she grows to Jill, Eddie, and especially Adrian, the more she finds herself questioning her age-old Alchemist beliefs, her idea of family, and the sense of what it means to truly belong. Her world becomes even more complicated when magical experiments show Sydney may hold the key to prevent becoming Strigoi--the fiercest vampires, the ones who don't die. But it's her fear of being just that--special, magical, powerful--that scares her more than anything. Equally daunting is her new romance with Brayden, a cute, brainy guy who seems to be her match in every way. Yet, as perfect as he seems, Sydney finds herself being drawn to someone else--someone forbidden to her.

When a shocking secret threatens to tear the vampire world apart, Sydney's loyalties are suddenly tested more than ever before. She wonders how she's supposed to strike a balance between the principles and dogmas she's been taught, and what her instincts are now telling her.

Should she trust the Alchemists--or her heart?

I am a huge Richelle Mead fan and I love both her Vampire Academy and Bloodlines series. Because f that, The Golden Lily was pretty much the book I was looking forward to the most this year. And in true Richelle Mead fashion, The Golden Lily was amazing and left me begging for more.

Sidney Sage is a member of the Alchemists, a group dedicated to keeping the vampire world secret from humans. Her whole life, Sydney has been taught to hate vampires, but her latest assignment is making her doubt everything she has ever been taught. The more time she spends with Angeline, Jill, Eddie and especially Adrian, the more she realizes that vampires may not be as bad and awful as she has always been told. Despite all this doubt, Sydney is being held up as the model Alchemist and she couldn't feel like more of a fraud. But soon enough, a mysterious group threatens the vampire world, and more importantly, Sydney's friends. Suddenly, Sydney's loyalties are put to the test, but she isn't sur who she should trust anymore.

Before I say anything else, I will apologize for any gushing that may follow. I have so much love for both Richelle Mead and The Golden Lily. I had very high expectations for the book and they were more than met. The Golden Lily was incredible, and once I started reading, I just couldn't put the book down. I was completely drawn into the story, not wanting to ever leave. The story itself was fantastic and never even came close to dragging or being boring. And the ending, oh that ending. I sort of saw it coming but that doesn't mean it wasn't a killer. Even though I know things will probably work out, that's still not how I wanted things to go.

While she will never replace Rose in my heart, Sydney is still one of my favorite characters of all time. I am loving the person Sydney is becoming even though I know parts of becoming that person were definitely hard for her This time around, her academic approach to romance definitely had me smiling on more than one occasion. Sydney's just such an overall great character. Like with Bloodlines, I loved being able to see more of Jill, Eddie and Adrian. They are such great characters and finding out more about them just makes me love them even more. Especially Adrian. Because while I never thought he was right for Rose, I always had a major soft spot for Adrian. And with every page of The Golden Lily I read, I loved Adrian more. And of course, having Dimitri Belikov back wasn't so bad. 

The Golden Lily was even better than I expected it to be. Richelle Mead certainly knows how to toy with her readers' emotions, leaving them begging for more. And with that ending, I'm not entirely sure how I'm going to be able to wait for book three.

Reunited Blog Tour - Teenage Garage Sale

As part of the blog tour for the upcoming Reunited by Hilary Weisman Graham, I have the pleasure of having the author on the blog today to talk about what we could find should her teenage self be having a garage sale. So without further ado, here is what she said. 

1. My Madonna poster

2. My teddy-bear named Mono (a friend gave him to me when I got sick with mono junior year)

3. My turquoise and magenta Esprit off-the-shoulder sweatshirt

4. My Wham! poster

5. My copy of "The Preppy Handbook"

6. My V.C. Andrews "Flowers in the Attic" collection

7. My tan velour comforter ('cause I thought it would be awesome to redecorate my room in brown & tan. What?)

8. My first car - a ginormous Oldsmobile Delta '88 capable of fitting ten kids inside (but only five legally)

9. My Journey "Escape" album (I listened to "Don't Stop Believing'" on repeat)

10. An assortment of dolls, tea-sets, calligraphy wall hangings, and other knickknacks from my summer as an exchange student in Japan.

Thank you to Hilary Weisman Graham for stopping by the blog and be sure to follow the rest of the tour through The Teen Book Scene. 

Armchair BEA: Ask the Experts

Today is the final day of Armchair BEA and the suggested writing topics is "Ask the Experts". It's going to be all about tips and advice and questions about making your blog better. So I thought I would share some tips/advice that I've found works for myself after almost two years of blogging--not that it makes me an expert by any stretch of the imagination. I also have some questions so feel free to answer those in the comments.

Advice

Don't be afraid not to post every day - And I really mean this. The weeks where I manage to post something relevant every day are rare. Personally, I try to post 3 - 4 times a week including weekends so that I'm posting every other day or so. I find that it's a lot easier to manage this way and people still come visit the blogs when I don't have anything new that has been posted. It's a lot less stressful and you run less of a chance of running out of things to post. This also helps ensure that you have more quality content. Personally, I'm much more likely to go visit a blog who doesn't post every day but has quality content than one that posts every day and those posts are all memes. On the subject of memes, don't overdo it. Pick one or two that you really like and work for you and stick with those and everything should be good.

Make your blog your own - This is sort of related to the first one, but make your blog your own. It should be your corner or the Internet where you post about books the way you want to post about books. Just be yourself, don't try to be like someone else. It's okay to aspire to what other blogs have become, but don't feel like a failure just because you're not like them right away. If you are not being yourself it often shows so if you are being who you really are then things should work out fine.

Twitter - Twitter (or any other social media) is such a great tool for a blog. I cannot even begin to count how many people I have met through Twitter and now I even meet with some of those people in person. Twitter is probably the best way to start networking your blog. You can easily talk to other bloggers and even authors. It's also a great way to draw attention to your blog by tweeting whenever you have a new post up. The only thing with that is to make sure you don't start over tweeting about your new post because then people tend to get annoyed. So if you're on Twitter, use it. And don't be afraid to say "hi", I'm usually a very friendly person and you can find me @emiliebookworld.

Don't be afraid to ask for help - No one is going to think any less of you for asking for help. I know it sometimes takes me a while to ask for help and I'm working on becoming better at it. People in the book blogging community are all really friendly and great resources when you aren't sure of something. So don't be afraid to ask for help if you need it, regardless of what it's for. There's bound to be at least one person with a helpful answer, if not more.

Questions

Original Content/Features - While I'm really good about posting reviews, taking part in blog tours and participating in a couple of memes, I'm always kind of stuck when it comes to other types of content. I'm talking things like features or original content in the form of discussion posts and like the like. How do you come up with that content? Any friendly advice you would be willing to share?

Staying on top of things - I have my own system as to the order in which I'll read review books and sort of plan when I'm going to post what but the second part of the system could be better. So how do you manage your review pile/TBR pile? And how do you keep track of what you have to post when or decide when you're going to post what content?

Thanks for stopping by again today. I've really enjoyed taking part in Armchair BEA this week. It made the longing to be at the actual BEA a little less and if I can't make it to New York next year I'll definitely be taking part again.