In My Mailbox (5)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme created and hosted by The Story Siren where bloggers share would books they have gathered over the week.

Bought:

None! I know, I know. But there is a reason for this... I was gifted some books! I actually almost bought a few books the other day but decided to buy my two minions each an article of clothing instead. Awww, aren't I nice?

Gifted:

Saw this gorgeous cover while hittin' up Target with my mom and Anji. My mom was buying herself a copy and picked me one up too. Thanks, Mumsy!

Anji bought me this when I saw the adorable cover and had to have it. This cover is not the same as the one I have, mine has yummy cupcakes on it. I couldn't find a decent picture of it to use here :( Ok, so I didn't really look that hard, I'm crazy busy and running late lol. Thanks, Anji!

More thanks to Anji for trading one of her books to get me this one on Swap.com! Love this cover!

Traded for:

Finally got my hands on this after a really long time of waiting. I actually read this today while we were sitting around waiting for our power to come back on. Stupid snowstorm!

Finally got my hands on this one too, woohoo! Am I the last person to read this?

Won:

This beauty (a brand spankin' new hardcover!) showed up on my door the other day and I honestly have no idea where it came from. I was never told I won, nor was there a note. It came with a really cute key chain too! So thank you to Scholastic Press!

Huge thanks to Luanne from A Bookworm's World and Macmillan Audio for this great audio book! I can't wait to listen to this, it looks awesome!

What came for you this week?

On My Wish List (4)

On My Wish List is a fun weekly event hosted by Book Chick City and runs every Saturday. It's where we list all the books we desperately want but haven't actually bought yet. They can be old, new or forthcoming.

Anji's Wish List:

Title: The Idiot Girls' Action-Adventure Club: True Tales from a Magnificent and Clumsy Life

Author: Laurie Notaro
Publication Date: July 2, 2002

From Goodreads:


“I’ve changed a bit since high school. Back then I said no to using and selling drugs. I washed on a normal basis and still had good credit.”

Introducing Laurie Notaro, the leader of the Idiot Girls’ Action-Adventure Club. Every day she fearlessly rises from bed to defeat the evil machinations of dolts, dimwits, and creepy boyfriends—and that’s before she even puts on a bra.

For the past ten years, Notaro has been entertaining Phoenix newspaper readers with her wildly amusing autobiographical exploits and unique life experiences. She writes about a world of hourly-wage jobs that require absolutely no skills, a mother who hands down judgments more forcefully than anyone seated on the Supreme Court, horrific high school reunions, and hangovers that leave her surprised that she woke up in the first place.

The misadventures of Laurie and her fellow Idiot Girls (“too cool to be in the Smart Group”) unfold in a world that everyone will recognize but no one has ever described so hilariously. She delivers the goods: life as we all know it.


Since reading The Kitchen Shrink and now Stupid and Contagious, I'm on a funny-books-by-chicks kick.  This book of short stories from a self proclaimed dork sounds right up my alley!  I have to remember to keep an eye out for it...  like I'll somehow skip over that title by accident?  And I love the cover!  It makes my butt hurt just thinking about falling in roller skates!

Wicked Slow Read Along Review - Stupid and Contagious (Pages 50-233)

I'm on Page 233 of Stupid and Contagious by Caprice Crane.  It's my new favorite book.  Caprice Crane is my new favorite author!

Some books just need to be made into movies.  Stupid and Contagious is one of those books. As far as I know, there is no movie in the works for this book, but man, there really should be*.  I keep picturing Paul Rudd as Brady and I’m still on the fence about who I see as Heaven…

Poor Heaven just keeps on screwing up, even when she has the best of intentions.  Especially when she has the best of intentions.  Some of the scenes involving Heaven at her job as an untalented and sarcastic waitress are the best.  One in particular, involving a crazy toilet paper thief, would translate to comedy gold on the big screen.

We still don’t know much about Heaven.  She’s definitely quirky and probably misunderstood.  She hasn’t talked much about her life, but I’m starting to feel for her.  She seems to have some issues and I’m wondering when we’ll gain a bit more insight into where some of her crazy fears stem from.  She’s convinced that if she doesn’t get married by the time she turns 27, she’s going to die.  She’s got a list of people not invited to her funeral.  I am dying to see who is on this list.

Heaven has firmly implanted herself in Brady’s life - and his apartment - whether he likes it or not.  I think he’s staring to like it more than he wants to.  I know he was glad she decided to hijack his trip to California.  Even if she does keep on screwing up…

Where I’m at now…  I’m on page 237 (way farther than I thought I would get, but I had some unexpected reading time.)  How will things turn out with Brady and Superhero?  Will Brady realize he’s falling for Heaven?  Will Heaven get her head on straight? Will we learn anything about her?  And oh man, I don’t even want to get started on Psycho Sarah.  I know she’ll be back…  What’ll happen when they get back from Seattle?  And if only I could tell Brady that I can still find Munchos, Funyons and  Tab in any local grocery store.  Jolt Cola, not so often.

*   Another reason this book would make such a great movie is the name dropping.  If Tommy Lee, Ben Stiller and Madge from the Palmolive commercials all made cameos…  Nevermind the soundtrack potential**!  And the totally 80’s movie references.  Seriously.  Somebody please make this movie for me!

**   see what I did there?  Nevermind, Nirvana, Smells Like Teen Spirit, “I feel Stupid and Contagious…”

Review and Giveaway: Weirder Than Marshmallows

Title: Weirder Than Marshmallows

Author: Dan Fogg

Publication Date: August 1, 2011

From Goodreads:

Ignorance, lack of common sense, and downright inhuman stupidity run rampant in this country and around the world. I watch people, and I hear stories, and they beg, beg, beg to be mocked and ridiculed.

Weirder Than Marshmallows showcases tales of stupidity and ignorance in the hopes of making people laugh. Stories are divided into five categories.

Do Not Stop on Tracks showcases warnings that should never have to be warned.

En Masse contains stories of mass ignorance.

Technology Sucks explores the hazards of the technological age.

That’s Just Freaky features Twilight Zone like tales of paranormality.

Weird Stuff is stuff that is… well, weird

All the stories on the site are true. That’s what makes the concept attention grabbing. Anybody can make up strange stories, writers do it all the time. That’s why people love Stephen King, his stories are downright weird.

But these are real, they actually happened, to relatively normal human beings. There’s no fiction here.

My Thoughts:

Weirder Than Marshmallows is a collection of essays and observations based on the author's life. Dan Fogg discusses everything from the stupid side of human nature to the very serious Columbine shooting.

What I liked most about this book is that it didn't really feel like I was reading. It was more like Dan was sitting next to me and we were having a conversation about life and all the ridiculous things we come across. I loved that he brought up a lot of topics that I have thought about before and have even complained about. It took me only a little over an hour to finish although it felt like I breezed through it in minutes.

Since this is such a short book, it felt more like reading a magazine article or even a blog post. I think because I read this in e-format and online, it added to that feeling. I may have felt differently had I been reading a print version.

Even though I enjoyed the book, I did find a few topics repeating themselves. A topic would be discussed in the first part of the book, only to pop back up again later on to repeat the same observation. Perhaps if they were combined and edited, it would have made for a more engaging section. As it was, most chapters were only a page long. I really enjoyed the chapter about his father's lack of common sense and found myself disappointed that it was so short.

Overall, I liked what I read. I'd recommend this to anyone who was looking for something quick and fun to read without having to invest too much time. I was very sad to see that Dan Fogg passed away before this was published. One can only wonder where he could have taken his writing had he had more time. However, I was happy to see that he has some fiction work that may eventually be published. I will definitely be looking forward to it.

You can purchase your own copy here: Amazon, or:

Thanks to Tomoson.com, I am able to pass this e-book on to one of our followers! Just leave a comment with your email address and I will pick a winner via Random.org on Sunday, 10/30!

Sponsored by Tomoson.com


*I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

** Thank you to Tomoson.com and NightFirePublications.com!!!

Waiting On Wednesday (4)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

What I'm waiting on:

Title: Someone Else's Life

Author: Katie Dale

Expected Publication Date: February 12, 2012

From Goodreads:

When seventeen-year-old Rosie’s mother, Trudie, dies from Huntington’s Disease, her pain is intensified by the knowledge that she has a fifty-per-cent chance of inheriting the crippling disease herself. Only when she tells her mum’s best friend, ‘Aunt Sarah’ that she is going to test for the disease does Sarah, a midwife, reveal that Trudie was not her biological mother after all... Devastated, Rosie decides to trace her real mother, hitching along on her ex-boyfriend’s GAP year to follow her to Los Angeles. But all does not go to plan, and as Rosie discovers yet more of her family's deeply-buried secrets and lies, she is left with an agonising decision of her own - one which will be the most heart-breaking and far-reaching of all...

What are you waiting on?

Teaser Tuesday (4)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of 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 & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This week's teaser is from:

Living Dead Girl

by Elizabeth Scott

"Once upon a time, there was a little girl. Now there is a new one.

There is always a new one." page 79

In My Mailbox (4)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme created and hosted by The Story Siren where bloggers share would books they have gathered over the week.

Tiffany's Mailbox:

Bought:

None. This makes me sad :(

Won:

Big thanks to Nancy at A Musing Reviews!

Huge thanks to Liz and Lisa at Chick Lit Is Not Dead! This book looks hilarious, I can't wait to start on it.

For Review:

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House, Bloomsbury Children's Books, Lerner Publishing Group, Tanglewood, Penguin, Hachette Book Group and NightFire Publications.

Quite a decent haul this week. All books for review are e-copies which makes it a little harder for me, but I am very excited to read them all. I better go get started!

What did you get this week?

On My Wish List (3)

On My Wish List is a fun weekly event hosted by Book Chick City and runs every Saturday. It's where we list all the books we desperately want but haven't actually bought yet. They can be old, new or forthcoming.

Tiffany's Wish List:

Title: What my Girlfriend Doesn't Know

Author: Sonya Sones

Publication Date: September 11, 2010

From Goodreads:

My name is Robin.

This book is about me.

It tells the story of what happens

when after almost 15 pathetic years of loserdom,

the girl of my dreams finally falls for me.

That seems like it would be

a good thing, right?

Only it turns out to be

a lot more complicated than that

Because I'm not gonna lie to you --

there are naked women involved.

Four of them, to be exact.

Though not in the way you might think.

Don't get me wrong -- my girlfriend's amazing.

But the way things have been going lately,

I'm starting to believe that the only thing worse

than not getting what you want,

is getting it.

I just read the first book in this series, What My Mother Doesn't Know, a few days ago and loved it. I actually hadn't heard of either of these books until the Banned Books Week Giveaway Hop when I saw it listed as a banned book and won a copy. If I can get caught up on my reading I might actually get around to writing my review for it :) Anyway, I can't wait to get this book!

Review: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

Title: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

Author: Michelle Hodkin

Publication Date: September 27, 2011

From Goodreads:

Mara Dyer doesn't think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.

It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.

There is.

She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love.

She's wrong.

My Thoughts:

Have you ever read a book so good that when you were done you didn't dare pick up another book to read because you just KNOW that whatever comes after can't be nearly as awesome as what you just read? I am so stuck in that situation. I just finished reading The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin and it was A-MAZ-ING! I don't even have the words to express how much I loved this book. Seriously. This whole post will probably just be me babbling on and on and sounding like an idiot. But anyway, here goes:

Mara Dyer wakes to find herself in the hospital with no memory as to how she got there. All she knows is that three of her friends, boyfriend and best friend included, are dead. She is the only survivor of the accident that killed them but she can't remember anything about it. Dealing with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Mara's family moves away to give her a new start in a fresh place so she won't be reminded daily of what she has lost. Her mother is over-protective and watches her every move, her father is working on a big court case and never home, and her two brothers can do no wrong.

Unfortunately, moving has done little to help Mara get through her grief. She starts imagining things and slowly gains chunks of memory back from the night of the accident. She thinks she is losing her mind but doesn't want her mother to worry more so she keeps it to herself. This doesn't go well. Enter Noah, the ridiculously hot, British womanizer at her new school. He has his sights set on her and she can't seem to resist his charm even after been warned by friend and relentlessly tortured by her classmates.

Mara and Noah have a love/hate relationship and just when you think you have the rest of the book figured out... BAM! Huge surprise, huge! You are totally blown away with something you didn't see coming. But even though I was shocked at this, I can't say I was surprised at the ending. There were some pretty obvious clues along the way.

My only issue with the book, and it's only because it's a pet peeve of mine, was that there were some typos and errors towards the end of the book. Some missing quotation marks, or quotation marks in the wrong place, an extra word or a comma when it should have been a period. Seriously though, I just notice these things for whatever reason and hate that I can't ignore them. But obviously whoever was proof-reading this book was so immersed in it that they forgot what they were doing. Who can blame them :)

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is probably the best book I have read this year, and there have been some amazingly awesome books so far. If you love YA, I promise you will not be disappointed. Just look at that gorgeous cover! That alone should be enough to convince you to read this book, but if not then how about this: Noah may knock Peeta out of first place for sexiest, most swoon-worthy literary man of the century. Yea, he's that hot...

I bet that got your attention. Now go buy this book!

Buy it here: Amazon BN.com

Wicked Slow Read Along Review - Stupid and Contagious (pages 1-50)

I'm on Page 50 of Stupid and Contagious by Caprice Crane.  This book is so funny, I don’t even know where to start.

Heaven is something else.  She’s sarcastic and cynical, and when we first meet her, she’s bitching about her husband who is cheating on her with his secretary.  Or something like that.  Only he’s not.  Because she doesn’t have a husband.  Or a boyfriend.  But she’s pretending that she does and he is, just to be prepared.  As a mental exercise, I guess.  We caught her in the middle of it.

We meet Brady next, as he’s getting on the plane after a South by Southwest music festival.  I thought it was hilarious as he’s sitting there in the window seat, watching and going on about the people on the plane with him, in his head, as he waits with his fingers crossed that nobody will take the aisle seat.  He doesn’t want to get stuck with his window seat, just in case he has to pee.  His whole inner rant is just… well, it’s familiar.

Both of these characters sound like they’re my generation.  Like 90’s slacker teens.  Heaven says she's 25, but she could by lying.  You never know.

I’ve seen this book before and, even though Nirvana lyrics as a song title would normally win me over, I didn’t run out and get it or anything.  I do follow Caprice Crane on Facebook and her status updates are hilarious, so when I saw this book in the store, I grabbed it.  I knew I’d love it by page 11, when Heaven mentions G.E. Smith, formerly of the Saturday Night Live Band, and describes him exactly the same way I have always thought of him.  That won me over.

Heaven has been recently fired from her dream job as a PR exec, after a mistake that involved pissing off a particularly tattooed drummer from a certain 80’s band, who is now known for something else entirely, and now she‘s a bad waitress.  Brady, a wannabe music producer on a trust fund from his inventor uncle, has just been kicked out of his apartment by a psycho ex-girlfriend.  He and Heaven don’t know each other.  Yet.

I just reached the part of the book where the two characters intersect, so to speak.  Only, they have had an encounter or two without knowing it, and I’m wondering when they will finally meet.  Will they get together?  I think they’d be hilarious together, they’re both so smart-alecky.  I see many comical and entertaining arguments in their future.  Will they get together?  Will they hate each other?  What will they do when each of them realize who the other is?  They didn’t exactly start off on the right foot… and What about psycho Sarah?

My rating so far:  Totally my kind of book = LMAO funny.  Can't wait to see how it plays out.

You can see my Teaser Tuesday post for Stupid and Contagious here.

Want to read with me?  Find it at Barnes and Noble or Amazon for your e-reader of choice, or in paperback. You can look inside and get a sneak peek at the book on either of those sites, too.  I'll have another wicked slow read along review next week!

Waiting on Wednesday (3)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

What I'm Waiting On:

Title: Legend

Author: Marie Lu

Publication Date: November 29, 2011

From Goodreads:

What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths - until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family's survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias's death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

Doesn't this sound ridiculously good? I am on a dystopian kick right now and can't get enough of it. This one sounds especially awesome because I also love a good murder mystery. I'll be buying this on release day for sure, which is rare for me. I usually don't get around to reading books until months later, sometimes years. I'll be making an exception here, though. This can't come out soon enough!

What are you waiting on?

Wicked Slow Read Along - Intro

Welcome to Wicked Slow Read Along Reviews with Anji!  Why Wicked Slow Read Along Reviews?  I’ll tell you why!

I’m a wicked slow reader.  I don’t actually read slowly, but it usually takes me forever to get through a book.  Besides the fact that I’m adhd, which plays a large enough role, I’m a stay at home mom to three, one of which who just started crawling.  We live in a too-small house with too few rooms, and I can’t lock myself away reading all day like I sometimes did while the older kids were in school, before the baby was born.

So I read in spurts.  In the bathroom.  Yeah, that’s probably too much information, I’m sorry.  But it’s true.  It’s the only room in the house the kids don’t follow me into, and so that’s where I read.  Usually one or two pages at a time.

Eventually, I’ll reach a place in the book I’m reading, usually about 2/3 of the way through, where I get sucked in completely.  At that point, I start taking the book with me everywhere and sneaking in a read every chance I get until I’ve finished it.  Then I’m sad, because I don’t like finishing books.  But that’s another story.  And probably another reason I read so slowly.

I used to want to join read-along groups, but I never did.  I knew that either I’ll be way behind and have to force myself to catch up, and then I won’t retain anything of what I’ve read.  Either that, or I’ll get bored of reading so slowly and I’ll go way ahead, then forget what I read and have to fudge discussion.

So I’m discussing.  As I’m reading, I’m discussing with you what I’m reading.  I’ll compile my thoughts, probably weekly, and share them as “wicked slow read along” reviews.  Sometimes they may not be wicked slow.  Who knows?  I might actually read a whole book in the one week!  It’s a possibility.  But chances are, since it’s normally the case, I’ll be reading in spurts, and reviewing in spurts.  At the end, when I’ve finished,  I’ll do one last review of the whole thing.  But as I’m reading, I’ll share.

Feel free to read along with me!  Right now I’m still reading Stupid and Contagious by Caprice Crane.  I thought I’d have the first part of that review for you tonight, but instead I spent my time writing this post!

First installment coming soon (like probably tomorrow!)

Teaser Tuesday (3)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of 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 & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This week's teaser is from:

Stay

by Deb Caletti

"He looked into my eyes, way down in, and I was sure he could see all of the important things there. He looked and he understood and maybe even had the ability to know me like no one else had before." page 22

In My Mailbox (3)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme created and hosted by The Story Siren where bloggers share would books they have gathered over the week.

Anji here.  You might come to notice that I won't have many in my mailbox posts.  I mean, when you have Tiffany's library to pick through (which is constantly being updated - hello), it's difficult to come across books that she doesn't already have.  Occasionally, though, I do buy some books... usually while texting Tiffany from the store to ask her if she has whatever treasure I find.  

These are my finds from my last shopping trip at Savers (I pretty much buy my books at thrift stores and... yup, mostly thrift stores):

Stupid and Contagious by Caprice Crane.

Caprice Crane cracks me up with her facebook status updates.  She's friggin hilarious, so I was pretty excited when I came across this book in Savers.  Besides, Nirvana lyrics as a book title and a cool green couch I'm totally jealous of on the cover.  Love it.  I'm reading this currently - very slowly (it's difficult to read with a baby learning to crawl and refusing to nap.)  In fact, I'm reading it slowly enough so far that I'll be doing a read along book review!  I'll have the first installment of that on Tuesday.  It would be awesome if you'd join me.

These are the others I found - another Caprice Crane book! 

Plus, I found this one - On Folly Beach by Karen White.  It's going to be awesome.  Tiffany and I both read one of her other books, The Memory of Water and it was really good.  I can't wait to read this one.  Here's hoping it doesn't take me too long to get through this stack of books, plus the ones that are all waiting for me.  Most of those I've had since I was pregnant, and the baby is just about 8 months old.

I just noticed Tiffany picked up Big Boned last week, too :)

Tiffany's Mailbox:

Bought:

None! How is that possible? Well, I went book shopping with my mom and she bought me some books :)

Gifted:

Won:

Huge thanks to Melissa and Melissa over at Chick Lit Central for this awesome book. Double thanks to Jen Tucker not only for this giveaway but for the super friendly note she sent along with it!

Big thanks to Mandy at Literary R&R!!!

Thank you to Jill at The O.W.L. I've been dying to read this book!

Thank you to Zoe from In The Next Room!

Thank you to Random Buzzers! I purchased this with some of my buzz bucks :)

For Review:

Received for review from LibraryThing.

Received for review from Shelf Awareness.

Also big thanks go out to Random House, Simon and Schuster, Macmillan's Children's Publishing Group, and Penguin.

What did you get in your mailbox?