In My Mailbox (#27)

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. This is where everyone can see what books I bought or received that week.

Hereafter - Tara Hudson

Sisterhood Everlasting - Ann Brashares

Overbite - Meg Cabot

Sirensong - Jenna Black

Impulse - Ellen Hopkins

Entwined - Heather Dixon

Clockwork Angel - Cassandra Clare

Another RAK!  I am so excited to get another RAK book this month, after getting nothing for several months!  This one came from Ashley at Into the Hall of Books . Thanks Ashley!

What did you get in your mailbox?



Cover Reveal: Home Front

Kristin Hannah posted this cover for her new book Home Front on Facebook today.  The release date is January 31, 2012.  I absolutely love Kristin Hannah, her books, and the covers of her books!  I love the pattern that the new covers seem to be following.  Gorgeous!

On My Wishlist (#28)

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

 Everything We Ever Wanted
Sara Shepard


Goodreads Description:
Sara Shepard, the bestselling author of Pretty Little Liars, delivers a powerful novel of family dreams, lies, and delusions.  Everything We Ever Wanted begins with a phone call with allegations that rock an upper crust Philadelphia family to its very foundations, unlocking years of secrets and scandals that expose the serious flaws in outwardly perfect lives. A moving, intelligent, and unforgettable novel, Shepard’s Everything We Ever Wanted is exceptional contemporary women’s fiction that will be embraced by book clubs everywhere.

"Waiting On" Wednesday (#18)

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine. I will use this to show the upcoming releases that I am waiting on!

 Between
Jessica Warman

Goodreads Description:
Elizabeth Valchar--pretty, popular, and rich--wakes up the morning after her eighteenth birthday on the yacht where she'd been celebrating with her closest friends. A persistent thumping noise has roused her. When she goes to investigate, she finds her own drowned body is hitting the side of the boat. Liz is dead.

She has no memory of what happened to her, and can only observe in horror the fallout of her death. She's also soon joined by Alex Berg, a quiet boy from her high school who was killed by a hit-and-run driver. The two keep each other company, floating in and out of memories and trying to piece together the details of what happened to each of them.

In her regular life, Liz was a runner. It wasn't abnormal for her to run 8-10 miles per day. But as memories from closer to her death begin to surface, Liz finds that she'd been running much more than normal, and that she'd all but stopped eating. Liz's mother, who died when Liz was nine, had battled with anorexia as well, and those around her worried Liz was following in her mother's footsteps. But something more sinister was consuming Liz from the inside out. . . .

From critically acclaimed author Jessica Warman comes a shocking mystery, a heartbreaking character study, and ultimately a hopeful tale of redemption, love, and letting go.

REVIEW: Hannah

Hannah

Kathryn Lasky

Daughters of the Sea # 1

Goodreads Description:  Daughters of the Sea tells the story of 3 mermaid sisters who are separated at birth by a storm and go on to lead three very different lives. Book 1 is about Hannah, who spent her early days in an orphanage and is now a scullery maid in the house of rich, powerful family. She is irresistibly drawn to the sea and through a series of accidents and encounters discovers her true identity. Hannah realizes that she must keep the truth a secret but she also knows that soon she will have to make the choice - to be a creature of the land or the sea.

My thoughts: I really enjoyed this book.  It was a very simple read that didn't make me think much.  It was kind of refreshing to read a YA that isn't complicated!  Hannah is an orphan girl who is now too old for the orphanage, but is told that she really wouldn't be good at anything either.  She is sent to another place for orphans in the middle of the country.  When she gets there, she realizes that she must have some connection to the sea because she just isn't the same.  She goes back and finds a job as a scullery maid.  While there, she discovers her true identity and knows she will have to decide if she wants to stay on land or in the sea.

Hannah is quite a bit more brave than I would be in her situation.  I would definitely know my place, and it seems as though she does too.  However, it is as if something comes over her and she finds herself wandering in places she shouldn't be and doing things she shouldn't be doing.  I often felt that she was too comfortable with the family she worked for, but the family never yelled at her about anything.  I think this book could have used a little romance.  Even if there was a boy in the family or something, it would add a little bit to this plot, which was otherwise good.

I really enjoy reading about this time period.  I love learning more about the way things were back then.  And I especially love fiction books that can add those little facts in!  This book was not that way.  The plot was there, but I feel like the details weren't.  I like the little details, although too much detail can get boring.  I would have liked to have learned more about this time period.  That will not deter me from reading the next book though....eventually!

My rating: ☺☺☺

Cover Crazy: The Revenant

This weekly meme is hosted by The Book Worms and is used to show the covers we are crazy about!

The Revenant
Sonia Gensler

What I Love:

*There is more than one picture here.  I love the water, and the little water droplets on what looks like grass.

*The girl is beautiful.  She looks pure and innocent. 

*Her hands are together as if she is praying.  This must have some significance to the book.  Maybe she needs God's help.

*The font is great, along with the color of the font.  It really stands out from the rest of the cover.

*I love the little symbol that is below the title.  I haven't seen anything like it.

Giveaway!!!

Enter to win both Siren and Undercurrent by Tricia Rayburn

Contest Rules:

* You must be 13 or older.

* You must live in the U.S.

* You must be a follower.

* Giveaway ends August 13.

In My Mailbox (#26)

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. This is where everyone can see what books I bought or received that week.

Wings - Aprilynne Pike

Trial By Fire - Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Sky's Bridal Train - Margo Hansen

Night Road - Kristin Hannah

What did you get in your mailbox?

On My Wishlist (#27)

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

Here, Home, Hope
Kaira Rouda

Goodreads Description:
Kelly Mills Johnson becomes restless in her thirty-ninth year. An appetite for more forces her to take stock of her middling middle-American existence and her neighbors' seemingly perfect lives. Her marriage to a successful attorney has settled into a comfortable routine, and being the mother of two adorable sons has been rewarding. But Kelly's own passions lie wasted. She eyes with envy the lives of her two best friends, Kathryn and Charlotte, both beautiful, successful businesswomen who seem to have it all. Kelly takes charge of her life, devising a midlife makeover plan.
From page one, Kelly's witty reflections, self-deprecating humor, and clever tactics in executing that plan—she places Post-it notes all over her house and car—will have readers laughing out loud. The next instant, however, they might rant right along with Kelly as her commitment to a sullen, anorexic teenager left on her doorstep tries her patience or as she deflects the boozy advances of a divorced neighbor. Readers will need to keep the tissue box handy, too, as Kelly repairs the damage she inflicted on a high school friend; realizes how deeply her husband, Patrick, understands and loves her; and ultimately grows into a woman empowered by her own blend of home and career.
Here, Home, Hope will surely appeal to readers of chick lit and other women's fiction titles who are ready to transition into something new in their own life.

"Waiting On" Wednesday (#17)

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine. I will use this to show the upcoming releases that I am waiting on!

Deadly Little Voices
Laurie Faria Stolarz
Touch # 4

Goodreads Description:
High school junior Camelia thought her powers of psychometry only gave her the ability to sense the future through touch. But now she’s started to hear voices. Mean voices. Berating her, telling her how ugly she is, and that she’d be better off dead. It’s a troubling development that has Camelia terrified for her mental stability, especially since her deranged aunt with a suicidal history just moved into the family house. More torturing, ex-boyfriend Ben, who has similar psychometric abilities, has been spending more time with their classmate Alejandra, even as her own feelings for Adam grow stronger. Still, the bond between Camelia and Ben is palpable.

With the line between right and wrong fraying, Camelia turns to pottery to get a grasp on her emotions. She begins sculpting a beautiful figure skater, only to receive frightening premonitions that someone’s in danger. But who is the victim? And how can Camelia help them when she is on the brink of losing her own sanity?

Cover Crazy: Undercurrent

This weekly meme is hosted by The Book Worms and is used to show the covers we are crazy about!

Undercurrent
Tricia Rayburn
Siren # 2

What I love:
*I love the dark colors.  I like the smoky, stormy setting and colors.

*The setting is gorgeous.  I love the background and all of the rocks.  The clouds are beautiful.  The water is perfect also.

*The girl seems to be glowing.  Her dress is neutral, so it goes with the background colors.  It still pops out.

*I love the font.  This is actually probably my favorite font ever. :)

REVIEW: Lies That Chelsea Handler Told Me

Lies That Chelsea Handler Told Me
Chelsea Handler

Goodreads Description:
"My tendency to make up stories and lie compulsively for the sake of my own amusement takes up a good portion of my day and provides me with a peace of mind not easily attainable in this economic climate."--Chelsea Handler, from Chapter 10 of Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang

It's no lie: Chelsea Handler loves to smoke out "dumbassness," the condition people suffer from that allows them to fall prey to her brand of complete and utter nonsense. Friends, family, co-workers have all been tricked by Chelsea into believing stories of total foolishness and into behaving like total fools. Luckily, they've lived to tell the tales and, for the very first time, write about them.

It doesn't matter if you're minding your own business, busily working, or honey-mooning thousands of miles away. No one is ever safe from Chelsea's fake e-mails and phony pregnancies, bogus smuggling schemes and made-up sports bets. Because whether it's premeditated or spur-of-the-moment, Chelsea will do anything for a laugh. And that's the truth.

My thoughts:
This book was alright.  It has really shown me what kind of person Chelsea is.  After reading her other books, and also watching her tv show, I thought she was just someone trying to have fun.  After reading this book, I think not only is she trying to have fun, she is careless and heartless.  I would never want to meet her, because she plays jokes and lies to everyone she meets.  She doesn't care who gets hurt, and if they do get hurt, she is still laughing about it...sometimes until she pees her pants!

The other characters and writers in this book, several of which work for Chelsea, seem to be dumber than a box of rocks.  After knowing what Chelsea does, one person left their honeymoon early to attend a photoshoot.....that wasn't even happening!  She gets on anyone and everyone's computers and sends ridiculous emails to anyone she feels like.  This usually affects their social life in some way.

I will still watch Chelsea's show because she is funny, but I have realized that I never want to meet her, or be anywhere near her!

My rating: ☺☺☺

On My Wishlist (#26)

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

Twisted
Sara Shepard
Pretty Little Liars #9

Goodreads Description:
It’s been a year since the torturous notes from A stopped and the mystery of Alison DiLaurentis’s disappearance was finally put to rest. Now seniors in high school, Aria, Spencer, Hanna and Emily are older, but they’re not any wiser. The Pretty Little Liars have more secrets than ever - twisted secrets that could destroy the perfect lives they’ve worked so hard to rebuild.

Aria’s jealous of her boyfriend’s new exchange student. Spencer’s getting a little too cozy with her soon-to-be-stepbrother. Hanna’s one scandalous photo away from ruining her dad’s Senate campaign. And Emily will do anything to get a swim scholarship.

Worst of all: Last spring break in Jamaica, they did something unforgivable. The girls are desperate to forget that fateful night, but they should know better than anyone that all secrets wash ashore … eventually.


So I haven't read this series at all, but have all of the books.  I have been watching Season 1 on dvd, and now I know even more how much I need to read these books!

"Waiting On" Wednesday (#16)

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine. I will use this to show the upcoming releases that I am waiting on!

The Litigators
John Grisham

Goodreads Description:
The incomparable master of the legal thriller takes us deeper into the labyrinth that is the American justice system, always drawing us in with an irresistible hook, pull­ing the thread of tension tighter and tighter, and then knocking us out with a conclusion that’s never “by the book.” Maybe that’s why, after more than twenty years of consecutive #1 New York Times best sellers, a new novel by America’s favorite storyteller is still a major publishing event.


That pretty much just tells us that it is a John Grisham book. :)  I am looking forward to hearing what it is actually about.

In My Mailbox (#25)

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. This is where everyone can see what books I bought or received that week.

Sweep Volume 1: Book of Shadows, The Coven, Blood Witch - Cate Tiernan

Woohoo!  My first ever RAK!  Thank you so much Grace from wordslikesilver!!

What did you get in your mailbox?

On My Wishlist (#25)

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

The Silent Girl
Tess Gerritsen
Jane Rizzoli and Maura Isles # 9

Goodreads Description:
When a severed hand, clutching a gun, is found in a Chinatown alley in downtown Boston, detective Jane Rizzoli climbs to the adjacent roof-top and finds the hand's owner: a red-haired woman whose throat has been slashed so deeply the head is nearly severed. She is dressed all in black, and the only clues to her identity are a throwaway cell phone and a scrawled address of a long-shuttered restaurant.

With its wary immigrant population, Chinatown is a closed neighbourhood of long-held secrets - and nowhere is this more obvious than when Jane meets Iris Fang. Strikingly beautiful, her long black hair streaked with grey, she is a renowned martial arts master. Yet, despite being skilled in swordplay, neither she nor her strangely aloof daughter, Willow, will admit any knowledge of the rooftop murder. And pathologist Dr Maura Isles has determined that the murder weapon was a sword crafted of ancient metal from China.

It soon becomes clear that an ancient evil is stirring in Chinatown - an evil that has killed before, and will kill again - unless Jane and Iris can join forces, and defeat it ...

Cover Crazy: Hereafter

This weekly meme is hosted by The Book Worms and is used to show the covers we are crazy about!

Hereafter
Tara Hudson
Hereafter # 1

What I love:
*It is so cool that she looks part ghost and part real/alive.

*The placing of the title is perfect because of the way her body is split up.

*The setting must be significant.  According to the back of the book, Amelia rescues a boy from drowning.  So this setting is significant because of that, but I also wonder if Amelia's death has something to do with water also.

*The colors are beautiful!  This is probably my most favorite combination of colors for a cover.

In My Mailbox (#24)

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. This is where everyone can see what books I bought or received that week.

The Iron Thorn - Caitlyn Kittredge

Forgotten - Cat Patrick

What did you get in your mailbox?

REVIEW: Stay

Stay
Deb Caletti

Goodreads Description:
Clara's relationship with Christian is intense from the start, and like nothing she’s ever experienced before. But what starts as devotion quickly becomes obsession, and it's almost too late before Clara realizes how far gone Christian is—and what he's willing to do to make her stay.
Now Clara has left the city—and Christian—behind. No one back home has any idea where she is, but she still struggles to shake off her fear. She knows Christian won't let her go that easily, and that no matter how far she runs, it may not be far enough....

My thoughts:
Man this hit so close to home!  Many of the things that happened in this book I have experienced myself, and some things I am happy that I have not had to deal with!  It is very scary dealing with someone who is obsessed and paranoid...and you don't realize that they are until it is too late!

Clara is the typical nice girl.  She is innocent and wants a boyfriend who loves her.  Clara meets Christian and there is an instant connection.  It is like they belong together.  Clara is sure he is the one.  Christian becomes paranoid, thinking that Clara is staring at another man, when she is watching what is going on on the stage.  Christian also thinks that Clara wants her ex back.  He knows that they go to school together, so they must see each other and want to get back together, right?  Maybe they already are together!?  This is what is going through Christian's mind.  Clara blows a lot of this off, but then begins to fire back.  She yells at him and tells him to knock it off because he's being ridiculous (pretty much, anyway).  He apologizes and tells her she is right, but he is back at it again later.  Eventually, Clara knows she must leave.  And her father helps her to leave.  They move away for the summer, where nobody knows where they are.  Clara has her number changed, but Christian finds the new number.  She has her number changed again, and finally decides to call her best friend.  She tells her friend where she is, but it gets back to Christian.  Clara can feel him watching her.  She knows that he has found her.  She is just waiting for him to make his appearance.  When he does, she becomes very close to paying a very serious consequence for telling her best friend where she was. 

This story is amazing, and I found most of it to be true of this type of abusive relationship, as I would consider this emotionally/mentally abusive.  However, I didn't find the ending to be typical.  And I guess that is ok because not every relationship is the same.  It just didn't seem like the right ending, especially for Christian's character.  After reading about Christian and learning so much about his behaviors, his choices in the end just don't really make sense.  Either way, this was a great story.  And I am so excited to find a new great author!  I want to go to the library and reserve all of her books, but I know I can't read that fast!  She writes very well and is very real.

My rating: ☺☺☺☺☺

On My Wishlist (#24)

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

Sisterhood Everlasting
Ann Brashares
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants # 5

Goodreads Description:
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Ann Brashares comes the welcome return of the characters whose friendship became a touchstone for a generation. Now Tibby, Lena, Carmen, and Bridget have grown up, starting their lives on their own. And though the jeans they shared are long gone, the sisterhood is everlasting.

Despite having jobs and men that they love, each knows that something is missing: the closeness that once sustained them. Carmen is a successful actress in New York, engaged to be married, but misses her friends. Lena finds solace in her art, teaching in Rhode Island, but still thinks of Kostos and the road she didn’t take. Bridget lives with her longtime boyfriend, Eric, in San Francisco, and though a part of her wants to settle down, a bigger part can’t seem to shed her old restlessness.

Then Tibby reaches out to bridge the distance, sending the others plane tickets for a reunion that they all breathlessly await. And indeed, it will change their lives forever—but in ways that none of them could ever have expected.

As moving and life-changing as an encounter with long-lost best friends, Sisterhood Everlasting is a powerful story about growing up, losing your way, and finding the courage to create a new one.

June 2011 Wrap-Up

Here is the wrap-up for the month of June.  It was another slow month, but I read some really great books and it was nice to take my time with them.

Here's what I read:
Enclave - Ann Aguirre
Life as We Knew It - Susan Beth Pfeffer
The Gathering - Kelley Armstrong
Raised by Wolves - Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Stay - Deb Caletti

Total Books Read in June: 5
Total Books Read in 2011: 84
Total Pages Read in June: 1686
Total Pages Read in 2011: 26898