Waiting On Wednesday (9)

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

Title: Outside the Lines
Author: Amy Hatvany
Expected Publication Date: February 7, 2012


From Goodreads: 


A gripping novel about a woman who sets out to find the father who left her years ago, and ends up discovering herself.When Eden was ten years old she found her father, David, bleeding on the bathroom floor. The suicide attempt led to her parents’ divorce, and David all but vanished from Eden’s life.

Twenty years later, Eden runs a successful catering company and dreams of opening a restaurant. Since childhood, she has heard from her father only rarely, just enough to know that he’s been living on the streets and struggling with mental illness. But lately there has been no word at all. After a series of failed romantic relationships and a health scare from her mother, Eden decides it’s time to find her father, to forgive him at last, and move forward with her own life. Her search takes her to a downtown Seattle homeless shelter, and to Jack Baker, its handsome and charming director. Jack convinces Eden to volunteer her skills as a professional chef with the shelter. In return, he helps her in her quest.

As the connection between Eden and Jack grows stronger, and their investigation brings them closer to David, Eden must come to terms with her true emotions, the secrets her mother has kept from her, and the painful question of whether her father, after all these years, even wants to be found. The result is an emotionally rich and honest novel about making peace with the past—and embracing the future.

I honestly can't wait to read this book! I have a weird fascination with family drama/crazy parent books and I can't read enough. I haven't read Amy's other book, Best Kept Secret, but I have a copy on my shelf waiting for me to pick it up and give it some love. I think I'll be doing that very, very soon. Also, check out that cover! I love it :)

What are you waiting on?

Teaser Tuesday (9)

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:

Waiting to Forget

by Sheila Kelly Welch

"He smooths his fingers across the plastic covering of page four in his life book. Then he squints down at the sun picture, wishing it gave off heat like the real sun. The waiting room is chilly, the air clammy and stale, and he thinks he can taste disinfectant on his lips." page 66 (ARC)

Review: Crossed by Ally Condie

Title: Crossed (Matched #2)
Author: Ally Condie
Publication Date: November 1, 2011


From Goodreads:


The hotly awaited second book in the dystopian Matched trilogy

In search of a future that may not exist and faced with the decision of who to share it with, Cassia journeys to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky - taken by the Society to his certain death - only to find that he has escaped, leaving a series of clues in his wake.

Cassia's quest leads her to question much of what she holds dear, even as she finds glimmers of a different life across the border. But as Cassia nears resolve and certainty about her future with Ky, an invitation for rebellion, an unexpected betrayal, and a surprise visit from Xander - who may hold the key to the uprising and, still, to Cassia's heart - change the game once again. Nothing is as expected on the edge of Society, where crosses and double crosses make the path more twisted than ever.

My Thoughts:          

!!!!WARNING!!! THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR BOTH MATCHED AND CROSSED. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!!! 

Finally! After months and months of waiting to read the next chapter in Cassia and Ky's story, I was finally able to get my hands on Crossed (thanks to Anji, who bought if for me for my birthday!). I loved Matched, it was one of my favorite books of 2010. I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen!

Crossed picks up a few months after where Matched left off. Cassia is in a work camp trying to locate Ky. She is about to be reassigned to a new camp when she decides to take a chance and hop on an airship that is taking other girls to the Outer Provinces. Once there, she meets a boy who knew Ky and can point her in the right direction.

The book alternates between Cassia and Ky. One chapter is Cassia, then the next is Ky, and so on. I really loved hearing directly from Ky for the first time. We learn a lot about him, his family and his feelings towards Cassia. He also lets us in on a few secrets! We follow along as Cassia and Ky make their way (separately) through a canyon in search of The Rising, and each other.

This book was so, so good. I read this in just a few days. I know that may seem long to some of you, but trust me when I say that I have two extremely active (and loud) children who had a few days off from school due to the holiday. It is very hard to read when they are home. So technically, it only took me a few hours to read it, just those hours were spread across a few days lol.

I loved this book almost as much as the first. It is beautifully written and flows along seamlessly. You sit down at the beginning and before you know it, you have read 100 pages. There is also a lot more violence here than in Matched. There are some rather dark and gruesome things happening in this part of the story, so if you don't like reading about violence then please consider this before you start reading. While the descriptions themselves are not disturbing, it's what is taking place that may bother some readers. However, I think this was a major part of the story and was needed in order for us to truly understand the world that Cassia and Ky live in.

There is only one issue that I had with Crossed. Maybe one of you can refresh my memory a bit here. In Matched, Ky is taken away and everyone is forced to take one of those nifty red pills. Cassia crushes hers and then talks to Xander about them. I could be remembering this wrong and should probably go back and read it again, but doesn't Xander tell Cassia that they have all taken the red pill before? This is when he tells her that he is immune. Doesn't she ask if she has ever taken it and he says yes, once or twice before? This was driving me crazy because a rather huge deal is made in Crossed about everyone being immune and Cassia wondering if she is too. Don't we already know that she took one before and she wasn't? Somebody please help me out here lol.

Anyway, as a whole, this book was awesome. I am now in severe book depression that I have to wait for the final book. Another year? That's torture!Ally Condie has a fan for life in me. I will read anything and everything she releases. If you read and loved Matched, you will love this too. And if you haven't yet read Matched, go pick both of these up right now! What are you waiting for? Go now!

Who wants some swag? How about a giveaway!!

So I was doing some cleaning in my "office" and came across quite a bit of book swag. Now don't get me wrong, I love swag. I love bookmarks and have a ton all over my house. Honestly though, I have a small house and not a lot of space to store things. I also don't like having things just hanging around when someone else could put them to good use. So, I went through my swag pack and decided to take out all the extra pieces that I won't use or have duplicates of. This is what I came up with:

It contains:

• 3 chapter samples
• 4 Ovarian Cancer National Alliance coasters
• 4 Ovarian Cancer National Alliance fact cards
• 1 Royal Street by Suzanne Johnson 2012 magnet calendar
• 4 small friendship quote cards
• 11 postcards
• 5 sampler cards
• 1 business card
• 16 bookmarks- a few of these are signed!

So if you want your chance at this package of awesomeness, just fill out the Rafflecopter below! This is open to US and Canada :) All I ask is that you be a follower of my blog, all other entries are optional. This will close on 12/12/11. Good luck!

In My Mailbox (9)

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.

Traded For:

This may look familiar to some of you because this was my choice for my On My Wish List post yesterday. And what do you know, it came in the mail yesterday! I was so excited to see this come up as a possible trade on Swap.com this week. I can't wait to read this!

Won:

I won this book back in April and had pretty much given up on it ever arriving. I even took it off my list of items coming. But then it mysteriously showed up in my mailbox the other day and I was pretty excited. Big thanks to Alex from Electrifying Reviews for this!

I am so excited about this one! I have seen so many awesome reviews and I honestly can't wait to dive into this book. Huge, huge thanks to Adventures in YA and Children's Publishing and YALITCHAT!!

This book promises to be very intense and amazing from what I have read about it so far. This is one of the many good things that have come from Twitter. I love the Monday giveaways from Dutton Books, they always have amazing books! So big thanks to them for another awesome ARC. You can also follow them on Twitter at @DuttonBooks. They have giveaways every Monday at about 3pm eastern time. 

This book came in just a few days after winning it from Julie at Girls Just Reading. I have to say, it is pretty hilarious. I love the artwork in it. Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Julie!!

These next two books came from the awesome Midnyte Reader. They also came with a pretty sweet Beautiful Creatures shirt which my daughter quickly claimed as her own. It looks great on her :) I was so thrilled to receive this package in the mail, so extra big thanks to Midnyte!!!

That's it for me this week. What awesomeness came for you?

On My Wish List (8)

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.

On My Wish List:

Title: Precious and Fragile Things

Author: Megan Hart

Publication Date: January 1, 2011

From Goodreads:

Gilly Soloman has been reduced to a mothering machine, taking care of everyone and everything except herself. But the machine has broken down. Burnt out by the endless days of crying children and menial tasks, and exhausted from always putting herself last, Gilly doesn't immediately consider the consequences when she's carjacked. With a knife to her throat, her first thought is that she'll finally get some rest. Someone can save her for a change.

But salvation isn't so forthcoming. Stranded in a remote, snowbound cabin with this stranger, hours turn to days, days into weeks. As time forges a fragile bond between them, she learns her captor is not the lunatic she first believed, but a human being whose wasted life has been shaped by secrets and tragedy. Yet even as their connection begins to foster trust, Gilly knows she must never forget he's still a man teetering on the edge. One who just might take her with him.

This book looks awesome. I love a good thriller! Once again I have to mention the cover. Love it!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! I just wanted to take a minute to say that I hope you all have an awesome Turkey Day and if you are doing any traveling then stay safe! We are heading out to my aunt and uncle's today and I think I will be coming home 20 pounds heavier than when we left. My aunt makes the absolute BEST NOODLES EVER! Seriously, she makes these amazing Vietnamese noodles and everyone goes crazy over them. I'm hoping to maybe sneak a bowl (or five) of these babies home. Then I'll be coming home to write my review for Crossed, which I just finished. Woohoo!

Waiting On Wednesday (8)

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: All These Lives

Author: Sarah Wylie

Publication Date: June 5, 2012

From Goodreads:

Sixteen-year-old Dani is convinced she has nine lives. As a child she twice walked away from situations where she should have died. But Dani’s twin, Jena, isn’t so lucky. She has cancer and might not even be able to keep her one life. Dani’s father is in denial. Her mother is trying to hold it together and prove everything’s normal. And Jena is wasting away.

To cope, Dani sets out to rid herself of all her extra lives. Maybe they’ll be released into the universe and someone who wants to live more than she does will get one. Someone like Jena. But just when Dani finds herself at the breaking point, she’s faced with a startling realization. Maybe she doesn’t have nine lives after all. Maybe she really only ever had one.

I love this cover! I really like the water theme on book covers lately. I can't wait for this!

What are you waiting on?

Teaser Tuesday (8)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

This week's teaser is from:

All You Get Is Me

by Yvonne Prinz

"My hands are still shaking, my throat is tight, and tears keep rolling down my cheeks. Every few minutes I look anxiously at the double doors that my dad disappeared behind." pg. 13

Birthday Giveaway: Winner!!

Before I announce the winner, I just want to say a big thank you to everyone who entered and helped spread the word. I also want to welcome all of our new followers! I hope you will all come back and talk books with us! I also got a ton of awesome book recommendations and will be spending a few hours on Goodreads today looking them all up :)

Ok, now for the winner...

The winner was chosen randomly by Rafflecopter, and our winner is:

Congrats, Brandy! I'll be emailing Brandy right now and she has 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. Thank you again to everyone who entered! I'll be having another giveaway soon so make sure you keep an eye out :)

Review: Someone Else's Life by Katie Dale

Title: Someone Else's Life
Author: Katie Dale
Publication Date: February 14, 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...


My Thoughts:


Rosie is seventeen when her mother dies from Huntington's Disease. All she has left is her nana and Sarah, a family friend. Her boyfriend, Andy, has since broken up with her and gone off traveling. All of her friends have stopped talking to her because she shut herself off from the world to take care of her mom, Trudie. Nobody knows that her mom is sick, they all think she is an alcoholic and she is the town joke.


When Trudie dies, Rosie is overwhelmed with fear that she has inherited the disease from her mom. She then learns that it is impossible for her to have it because she was not really Trudie's daughter, she was switched at birth. 


We then follow Rosie as she travels from England to The United States in search of her birth mother. Since Andy is going traveling there, she seems this as the perfect opportunity. Unfortunately, things don't go to plan and some shocking secrets come out along the way. 


I. Loved. This. Book. I read through this baby within 24 hours, stopping only because I have kids to take care of and a husband to pay attention to. All my free time was spent sitting in my chair cuddling up with my Nook and a blanket and just devouring this. 


Books like these are my favorite, I love a good family drama. I think it reminds me that my life could always be worse. That's kind of sad, isn't it lol. There is so much going on in this book that you don't want to miss any of it. It is very intense.


The story alternates between two point of views: Rosie's, and another's who we aren't told who it is until later on in the book. I personally thought I had this one figured out, but nope! Fooled again. I really liked reading the alternating views from these two people, you were able to see both sides of the story up close.


We follow Rosie as she makes good and bad decisions and what happens in all over the characters' lives because of these decisions. At times I felt complete pity for her, but other times I just wanted to tell her to let it go and keep things to herself. She was a bit selfish at times, but I think anyone in her situation would be.  Who wouldn't want to know the complete truth about why she was sent home with the wrong family and want to find her birth parents? I would probably make most of the same choices she did.


I hadn't ever heard of Katie Dale before, and I think she only has one other book published right now. But you bet I will be adding that one to my constantly-growing wish list! This book was so well written, it was more like having a conversation with someone than reading. Even though it was pretty long (400+ pages) it still went quickly. 


I really can't tell you how much I enjoyed this book. I'll be reading anything and everything that this author comes out with. I will also be buying a copy of this when it is released since I received this from NetGalley. 


One more thing: the cover! Love it, love it, LOVE IT. I love the colors, the font and even the color of the model's dress. It is simple, yet gorgeous. 


Now go add this to your wish list and preorder a copy as soon as you can :)









*I received an ecopy of this book for free from NetGalley.com in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are 100% my own. 

In My Mailbox (8)

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:

As some of you may know, Tuesday was my birthday! What better gifts can a girl like me get for her birthday but books? There is nothing better. Well, accept maybe cash lol. Even then I would still use the cash to buy books. The hubby sent me to Barnes & Noble for my bday to go crazy on books. I actually won an arc of Shatter Me Tuesday morning, but the other day when I was at Target I saw this gorgeous cover staring at me, daring me to buy it. So what else could I do? It was calling my name. So I'm not sure what I am going to do with the ARC when it comes, maybe a giveaway???

Anyway, I spent a good half an hour at Barnes & Noble walking back and forth between two aisles deciding on what to get. There were so many good books and I just coudln't decide. Eventually I went with what you see up above. I think I made out well, yes?

Won:

This came from Shelf Awareness. My mom actually received a copy of this too and she has already read it. She said it was awesome, so hopefully I will read it soon!

Received this from Random House. It looks very, very good but also super depressing.















I won these next three books from The British Babes Book Brigade. The first one especially looks like a lot of fun!

Won this gorgeous hardcover from Stephanie at Five Alarm Book Reviews. It looks absolutely amazing and I can't wait to start on it. I started reading the first page when it arrived in the mail today and had to for myself to stop. It grabs your attention from the first line. Seriously, it was hard to stop! Thank you, Stephanie!!!

Won these two books from Abigail at All Things Urban Fantasy. Not only did the author sign them both (awesome!!) but she drew a cute drawing in each one. I have already started on Between the Sea and Sky :)  Thank you Abigail and Jaclyn Dolamore!

I actually won two ARCs of this book. One from Goodreads, and one from LibraryThing. I completely forgot I had signed up on both and when I had got the second winning email saying I won a second copy I felt like an idiot. I don't like receiving two copies of books for free. I hate knowing that I have an extra copy that won't be read when someone else could be enjoying it too. I was hoping that whoever was in charge of sending these out would catch it and see I had two coming So I may be doing a giveaway for the extra soon :)

I wanted to read this book before I even knew what it was about. I *love* this cover! Thanks to Maryanne at Eve's Fan Garden, I have a gorgeous new hardcover!









I also have a ton of new ebooks to review from NetGalley.com. Too many to post actually, I went a little crazy on the requests lol.

How about you? What came for you this week?