tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29698680941164874622024-03-12T23:01:30.580-06:00Leave Mommy AloneA place to share, review books, movies, music and television with a girl who can't get enough.
Let's hang out!Arlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13036195316404359398noreply@blogger.comBlogger55125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2969868094116487462.post-43359550842694732772012-11-16T11:58:00.001-07:002012-11-16T11:58:58.342-07:00Upcoming Book turned Movie TrailersMORTAL INSTRUMENTS: CITY OF BONES<br />
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THE HOST<br />
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<br />BEAUTIFUL CREATURES<br />
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<br />Arlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13036195316404359398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2969868094116487462.post-40968520274530480822012-09-01T17:02:00.001-06:002012-09-01T18:51:30.018-06:00Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3367956-hotel-on-the-corner-of-bitter-and-sweet" target="_blank">Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1421619.Jamie_Ford" target="_blank">Jamie Ford</a><br />
<span id="freeText17699805747794619644">Via Goodreads - <br />Set during one of the most conflicted and volatile times in American history, <i>Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet</i>
is an extraordinary story of commitment and enduring hope. In Henry and
Keiko, Jamie Ford has created an unforgettable duo whose story teaches
us of the power of forgiveness and the human heart.</span><br />
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<u><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b><span id="freeText17699805747794619644">My Review: 3 Stars</span></b></span></u><br />
<span id="freeText17699805747794619644">This is the first book chosen for our book club to read. I didn't really want to read it at first - although given weeks to read it, I finished it 5 hours before book club - I'm glad I did. I knew it was set in a time of great prejudice and war and I wasn't looking forward to crying - I'm a huge crybaby when it comes to books. It's about a 12 year old Chinese boy named Henry and his friendship with 12 year old Japanese girl named Keiko. The story takes place after Japan has bombed Pearl Harbor and Japanese-Americans are beginning to be herded into concentration camps in the United States. Henry and Keiko's friendship is strictly prohibited by his family, who are understandably anti-Japanese. Henry and Keiko meet while attending an all-white school and endure a lot of bullying together. Even after Keiko is sent off to a camp with her family, Henry cannot let go of his deep connection with her. </span><br />
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<span id="freeText17699805747794619644">I think this book does a wonderful job of painting a vivid picture of what life was like for Chinese, Japanese and African American people in that era. The details are precise and you can practically smell the food mixed with the Pacific air of Seattle. You feel completely immersed in the culture and you learn so much more than the history books tell you.</span><br />
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<span id="freeText17699805747794619644">This book also makes you think and ask yourself a lot of "what if" questions. It made me consider/reflect on my ethnicity quite a bit and what it's like to be an American of Mexican descent. In book club we talked a lot about what we would do differently than the characters, how we would feel standing by watching innocent families hauled away to who knows where, how we would feel if <i>our</i> own families were the ones being hauled off with only the belongings we could carry. I don't think that we had to use our imaginations too much to picture living in a time of war after a devastating attack on American soil. We lived through 9/11 after all. That's still pretty fresh and still deeply heartbreaking. Have Muslim people not been persecuted by fellow Americans here on American soil since the towers came down? Muslim people who were born here on American soil and only speak English. I bring this up because Keiko states on numerous occasions that she doesn't even speak Japanese, she was born in the United States and strictly identifies herself as an American - treated as a enemy.</span><br />
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<span id="freeText17699805747794619644">I recommend that anyone with the slightest interest in history read this book. It is a beautiful and heart-wrenching story of love, sacrifice and humanity with a lot of historical fact. The only reason I didn't give this book more stars is because I spent the better part of it not completely invested in the story. I only felt mildly interested in the love story, though I can count 2 times (toward the end) that my heart dropped down to my stomach by a turn of events. Very good book that I'm sure many people fell in love with, I just wasn't one of them. I only fell into like, but with no regrets.</span>Arlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13036195316404359398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2969868094116487462.post-90455873470295970432012-08-11T16:07:00.001-06:002012-08-11T16:07:16.211-06:00Chug-chug-chuggin'*SIGH*<br />
I apologize. I've neglected my blog for waaaay too long. I have plenty of excuses, though. It's summer time, all 4 of my kids are around and have constant needs, I had my only brother's wedding to plan for and attend in Cali, then Disneyland and the beach, then there were all my extended family obligations - reunions, birthday parties, religious gatherings and so forth. It was life. I let life get in the way and something had to give. It turned out to be my blog. I think I've only read 2-3 books since my last post. Pathetic, I know.<br />
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But, schools about to start again and life will (hopefully) calm down to a pace I can better deal with. I missed my constant reading and blabbing about it. I missed all you fellow book-obsessed peeps too. And you probably, maybe, didn't even notice I was gone! Shame ;) <br />
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Soooo...I'll be starting back up with a review of the book I just finished last night. Insurgent, sequel to Divergent by Veronica Roth. I'm working backwards...just 'cause.<br />
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Also, I did something I didn't think I'd ever do. I joined a book club. The reason I didn't ever see myself joining one is because I don't like being told what to read. In school that was fine. But, now that I'm an adult, my time is FAR more valuable. I didn't want to spend my precious time reading what someone else chose for me. Especially when I already have a list of a bazillion books I have chosen for myself and chances are they won't be on the top of someone else's list. I was also afraid of being bored with their choices. I'm an escapist. I have enough reality in my life and I need to spend time in someone else's brain/fantasy world. Since there are so many genres and so many books to chose from, I was scared that all the choices would be somber and boring. Well, my BFF and a couple of other ladies I know from church decided to join up and I caved. The first couple of books, as I feared, are going to be tear-jerkers with some heavy material. But, we voted and fair is fair. My favorite genre is paranormal and dystopian YA. LOVE IT. But some of the others have a slight aversion this type....and that's okay. We'll meet in the middle, right. So, thankfully, Everneath, Divergent and Insurgent made it onto the list. Whew! Still, now I have to be a good sport and read the serious stuff too. Wish me luck, I'm great at procrastinating. I still have a few weeks to get it done, but I'm not sure how I'm gonna buckle down and read a sad book. It's fine, I'll be fine. Maybe I'll end up so grateful that someone made me read something I otherwise would never have picked up. In case you're wondering what the first book assigned is, it's <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3367956-hotel-on-the-corner-of-bitter-and-sweet" target="_blank">Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford</a>. If you feel so inclined to join in and read what we're reading, feel free.<br />
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<br />So, again, my apologies....but I did not abandon my blog...I was just on hiatus and I'm glad you didn't ditch me. I'm back on the horse. Let's read!<br />
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<br />Arlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13036195316404359398noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2969868094116487462.post-49959879349723178722012-06-20T07:40:00.003-06:002012-06-20T08:03:56.870-06:00Review of STARRING IN THE MOVIE OF MY LIFE by Laurel Osterkamp<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Starring in the Movie of My Life by Laurel Osterkamp<br />
Synopsis via Goodreads:<br />
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<span id="freeText13239214910183586276">Thirty-five-year-old
Samantha acts without thinking. Her heart is huge while her sense of
purpose is small; she's willing to fight for those she loves, but she's
never learned to fight for herself. Eighteen-year-old Melody is cold and
calculating, and she's driven by the desire to better herself. As these
compelling yet deeply flawed women battle for the affections of
twenty-five-year-old Nathan, he becomes increasingly confused and torn
between them. Nathan is Melody's English teacher, and after he saves her
from being raped, she becomes attached. Melody longs for the affection
she's never felt, so she involves people in her self-invented drama,
making sure she is at once the star and the director. Meanwhile,
Samantha is newly married to Nathan. But Samantha has hang-ups about
motherhood and lingering feelings for her ex. To make sense of the
world, Sam relates her life to the themes of her favorite movies, while
she independently makes a documentary to jump-start her non-existent
film career. Stylistically influenced by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer
Weiner, Starring in the Movie of my Life is told alternately from both
Samantha's and Melody's points-of-view and relates two complete yet
combined stories about love, acceptance, and redemption. It speaks to
our universal desire to be saved by the ones we love, and the monumental
effort required to save ourselves.</span></div>
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<b><span id="freeText13239214910183586276">My Review: 5 stars</span></b></div>
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<span id="freeText13239214910183586276">I was pleasantly surprised by how great this book is.</span><b><span id="freeText13239214910183586276"> </span></b><span id="freeText13239214910183586276">Which makes me all the more happy to be a part of this book tour. It's a smart read with great depth. A book that you can read and enjoy and also one you can pick apart and still be thinking about days later. It makes you think.</span></div>
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<span id="freeText13239214910183586276">The story is told from 2 points of view. Samantha is the adult married to a high school teacher and Melody is a senior in high school with an unhealthy infatuation with Samantha's husband. The book starts out with Nathan Lindon, Samantha's husband, saving Melody from being raped by a fellow student. Melody then decides that what she feels isn't gratitude but, romantic love. She then develops a plan to steal him away from his wife, who she isn't very impressed with.</span></div>
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<span id="freeText13239214910183586276">Although Melody and Samantha are completely different personalities, both are hugely flawed. Just when I thought I could stand behind one and condemn the actions of th</span><span id="freeText13239214910183586276">e other, the character I rallied behind does something reprehensible and condemning. Then I'm left feeling critical of all the characters. Which makes the book so believable and realistic. Laurel Osterkamp's characters are deeply flawed and complex.</span></div>
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<span id="freeText13239214910183586276">Someone interested in psychology could spend hours dissecting the characters and the types of personalities they are. Samantha is flighty, impulsive and has deep-rooted issues with commitment, despite being married to Nathan.</span><span id="freeText13239214910183586276"> They both claim to love each other, but I'm not sure I was ever convinced. What I mean is, I believe that they believed they loved each other, but I couldn't say I thought it really was more than convenient tolerance and mutual need.</span></div>
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<span id="freeText13239214910183586276">Meanwhile, Melody is the opposite. She is methodic, manipulative, calculating and meticulous. She's so smart and so stupid at the same time. Her neediness and entitlement issues are part of her downfall. Both women weave such tangled webs and desperately look to Nathan to save them and fill the voids in their lives. And while Nathan seems like a pretty great guy, he's fatalistically naive.</span></div>
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<span id="freeText13239214910183586276">What I really valued about this book was it's honesty. It's honesty about how flawed, vulnerable, needy and afraid people are. It's honest about how even though people make mistakes, big and small, everyone hopes for redemption and then true happiness to follow. It's honest about how so many people are afraid to be the real them and in turn grow tired and unable of maintaining the facade and ultimately end up hitting rock bottom. And it's honest about owning up to your mistakes and their consequences. You can tell that Ms. Osterkamp knows people and their natures.</span></div>
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Another aspect of this book I enjoyed were the steady use of movie references. I'm a movie buff and I think I'd seen all the movies mentioned except for one, so I got it. I understood her fascination with movies and how she used the comparisons.</div>
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<span id="freeText13239214910183586276">All in all, this book was fantastic. A really enjoyable read and the author has gained another fan in me. I like to make mention in my reviews of use of profanity in my reviews and in this book the use was low. Probably 5 words or less, but they did come up.</span></div>
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<span id="freeText13239214910183586276">I'm happy to also be able to giveaway a copy of this book. For a chance to win an ecopy of this book, simply leave a comment about this review and a winner will be chosen by use of random.org. on July 6th.</span></div>
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<span id="freeText13239214910183586276">Purchase links:</span></div>
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<span id="freeText13239214910183586276"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Starring-Movie-Life-International-ebook/dp/B004LX0AKW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1340199282&sr=8-2&keywords=starring+in+the+movie+of+my+life+by+Laurel+Osterkamp" target="_blank">Amazon</a> </span></div>
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<span id="freeText13239214910183586276"><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/starring-in-the-movie-of-my-life-laurel-osterkamp/1100076608?ean=9781933826677" target="_blank">Barnes and Noble </a></span></div>
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<span id="freeText13239214910183586276"></span><span id="freeText13239214910183586276"></span><span id="freeText13239214910183586276">Laurel Osterkamp's first novel,
Following My Toes, published by PMI Books, won the 2008 National Indie
Book Award for Excellence (Chick Lit category). She drew on her
experiences as a high school film studies and creative writing teacher
as she wrote Starring in the Movie of my Life. Currently she lives in
Minneapolis with her husband, son, and daughter, and is working on her
third novel</span>
</div>Arlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13036195316404359398noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2969868094116487462.post-29553092136538168682012-06-04T16:16:00.000-06:002012-06-04T16:16:07.372-06:00Review of JESSICA RULES THE DARK SIDE by Beth Fantaskey<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10025007-jessica-rules-the-dark-side" target="_blank">Jessica Rules the Dark Side</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1428675.Beth_Fantaskey" target="_blank">Beth Fanaskey</a></div>
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Series: Book 2 (sequel to <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3389671-jessica-s-guide-to-dating-on-the-dark-side" target="_blank">Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side</a>)</div>
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Synopsis via Goodreads:</div>
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<span id="freeText2677843536577680931">It’s one thing to find
out you’re a vampire princess. It’s a whole other thing to actually
rule. Newly married Jessica Packwood is having a hard enough time
feeling regal with her husband, Lucius, at her side. But when evidence
in the murder of a powerful elder points to Lucius, sending him into
solitary confinement, Jessica is suddenly on her own. Determined to
clear her husband’s name, Jessica launches into a full-scale
investigation, but hallucinations and nightmares of betrayal keep
getting in her way. Jessica knows that with no blood to drink, Lucius’s
time is running out. Can she figure out who the real killer is—and whom
she can trust—before it’s too late?</span></div>
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<span id="freeText2677843536577680931"><u><b>My Review: 4 Stars </b></u></span></div>
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<span id="freeText2677843536577680931">I thought book 1, Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side, was a fun read. Really cute, not too serious. Book 2 is similar. If you enjoyed Jessica's first story, you'll love the second. I did. </span></div>
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<span id="freeText2677843536577680931">Jessica and Lucius are married and completely in love. Everything else should just be gravy, right? Wrong. Being royal is not the same as ruling a kingdom. Jessica is having a lot of difficulty finding her backbone when it come to the politics and governing. She's feeling out of place and exuding a lack of confidence. This is a huge problem for the happy couple because they need to a majority of the Elders' votes, in order to be exalted to King and Queen. Jessica knows that this is Lucius' rightful place - King and ruler. But is it hers?</span></div>
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<span id="freeText2677843536577680931">When Lucius is framed for the murder of an elder, she has no choice but to assert herself and take charge in his absence. Since vampire mlaw states that blood is denied to those accused of murder, Jessica finds herself racing against the clock to find who has betrayed them and to save Lucius' from falling into a coma from blood deprivation. </span></div>
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<span id="freeText2677843536577680931">Thankfully, Jessica has her bestie, Mindy, and Lucius' mysterious cousin, Raniero. These guys keep the spice and angst in the story. Mindy and Raniero add comic relief, when they can. For the most part, Jessica Rules is a more serious installment. It's still a lighter vampire novel for the younger YA crowd, but there's a darker aspect to this one. It's a life and death of your true love and murder kind of dark, without taking itself too seriously.</span></div>
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<span id="freeText2677843536577680931">I think this is what I like best about Beth Fantaskey's stories. There's dark content, but not in a slit-your-wrist kind of way. She's able to separate herself from the other vampire stories by doing this, being silly and flirtatious. Her books are fun! She the kind of author that stands out to me, because her storytelling is so different. I find myself laughing, biting my nails and swooning at some of the things Lucius and Raniero say.</span></div>
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<span id="freeText2677843536577680931">So, if you liked the first book, definitely give the second one a try. Just be forewarned that it's a tad darker and most of the romantic fun comes from Mindy and Raniero (since Lucius is in solitary confinement with his life on the line). I anxiously await the sequel!</span></div>Arlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13036195316404359398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2969868094116487462.post-18998186203313786732012-05-17T07:53:00.003-06:002012-05-19T17:54:29.896-06:00Review of DRIVEN by Lisa Nowak<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>DRIVEN by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4948392.Lisa_Nowak" target="_blank">Lisa Nowak</a></b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Full Throttle series</b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Synopsis via Goodreads:</b></span></span><br />
<span id="freeText6931476901220623725" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
last thing on 16-year-old Jess DeLand’s wish list is a boyfriend. She’d
have to be crazy to think any guy would look twice at her. Besides,
there are more important things to hope for, like a job working on cars
and an end to her mom’s drinking. Foster care is a constant threat, and
Jess is willing to sacrifice anything to stay out of the system. When
luck hands her the chance to work on a race car, she finds herself
rushing full throttle into a world of opportunities—including a boy who
doesn’t mind the grease under her fingernails. The question is, can a
girl who keeps herself locked up tighter than Richard Petty’s racing
secrets open up enough to risk friendship and her first romance?</span><br />
<span id="freeText6931476901220623725" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span><span id="freeText6931476901220623725" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span><br />
<b style="color: #990000;"><u><span id="freeText6931476901220623725" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">My Review: 5+ Stars </span></u></b><br />
<b style="color: #990000;"><span id="freeText6931476901220623725" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Lisa, you've done it again! <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13246873-driven" target="_blank"><i>Driven</i></a> is hands down my favorite book in the series. Pure literary joy. I didn't think <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12240538-running-wide-open" target="_blank">Running Wide Open</a> could be topped. I was wrong. I <i>really</i> couldn't put this one down. I've never given a book higher than 5 stars, but I'm throwing in a plus on this one - I loved it that much.</span></b><br />
<br />
<b style="color: #990000;"><span id="freeText6931476901220623725" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">In book 3 of the Full Throttle series, Lisa Nowak has taken a different approach with her story. Instead of the story being told from Cody Everett's point of view, it's now Jess DeLand's turn. And she does <i>not</i> disappoint! The story is told from her perspective as her world collides with that of our favorite characters' from the previous books. This is a nice change and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The story is an emotional roller coaster ride, while being heartfelt, real and relatable, the entire way through. </span></b><br />
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<b style="color: #990000;"><span id="freeText6931476901220623725" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Jess DeLand has it rough. Her dad walked out when she was 8, leaving her in her mother's care. While not an uncommon situation, this is an extreme hardship on her because her mother is an alcoholic. Jess has endured things no child should have to ever endure. Such as having to go to a bar, at the age of 10, and dragging her drunk mom home because her keys have been confiscated by the bartender. Or having to cut a much needed, much deserved evening with friends short because she has to collect her mom from the police dept. after she's busted for a DUI. Or having to work 2 jobs to help meet their basic needs because her mom can't be bothered to make it to work on time and hold down 1 job.</span></b><br />
<b style="color: #990000;"><span id="freeText6931476901220623725" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></b><br />
<b style="color: #990000;"><span id="freeText6931476901220623725" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Luckily, Jess has skills. Before he left, her father cultivated in her a love of automotive mechanics. Her dream job is to work on cars, particularly racing ones. One day, Jess get a lucky break. She's offered the opportunity to live her dream of working on race cars . . . . and getting <i>paid</i> for it. No more flipping burgers for her. The bonus comes as she develops real friendships for the first time in her life. Having to hide her mom's abusive, neglectful and alcoholic tendencies has meant she could never make friends for fear her secret would be discovered and she'd end up in foster care. But, her new boss, teenage race car driver, Teri-Sue Cline and her younger brother Rhett, become the siblings she's never had. What she also wasn't expecting was the attention of one Cody Everett. After she takes a few swings at his head in a fit of rage, he can't seem to stay away from her.</span></b><br />
<b style="color: #990000;"><span id="freeText6931476901220623725" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></b><br />
<b style="color: #990000;"><span id="freeText6931476901220623725" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Things are far from normal or easy for her. She's trying to find balance in her life, and it's proving to be a difficult task. Especially for someone who isn't accustomed to asking for help from anyone, no matter how dire her circumstances become.</span></b><br />
<b style="color: #990000;"><span id="freeText6931476901220623725" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></b><br />
<b style="color: #990000;"><span id="freeText6931476901220623725" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">What I most enjoyed about this book, is how all my favorite characters are incorporated into Jess' life, in addition to the new ones. Cody's and Jess' worlds mesh perfectly and we get what we loved about the previous books with a new, equally endearing story and protagonist. Although their relationship starts off on a hostile note, Cody and Jess compliment each other beautifully and find that they have a lot more than a love for the race track, in common.</span></b><br />
<br />
<b style="color: #990000;"><span id="freeText6931476901220623725" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="background-color: black;"></span><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">"I understand how it is, not knowing what's gonna happen to you because your parents are too messed up to put you first." - Cody</span></span></span></b><br />
<b style="color: #990000;"><span id="freeText6931476901220623725" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></b><br />
<b style="color: #990000;"><span id="freeText6931476901220623725" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Lisa's characters have tugged at my heartstrings since book 1. They are lovable and endearing as well as infuriating. I find myself wishing some of these people were real and that I was part of their inner circle. Their devotion to each other melts my heart. While some are selfish, flawed, and deeply troubled, others are fiercely loyal,</span></b><b style="color: #990000;"><span id="freeText6931476901220623725" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> sweet, vulnerable,</span></b><b style="color: #990000;"><span id="freeText6931476901220623725" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> dependable and sincere. As always, both sides of humanity are displayed. You have those who practice unconditional love and those who can't see past their own wants and desires. They elicit a wide range of emotions from the reader. </span></b><br />
<br />
<b style="color: #990000;"><span id="freeText6931476901220623725" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">It's no secret I'm a huge fan of Lisa Nowak's. She's easily one of my favorite authors. She has a way of telling a wonderful, compelling story with incredible depth and humanity. This enables her to pull the reader in and make you care as if you've become a part of her characters' family. Her writing style is completely enjoyable. It's easy and flows effortlessly, never distracting from the storyline. If anyone has been on the fence about this series, I guarantee this book will seal the deal. </span></b><br />
<br />
<b style="color: #990000;"><span id="freeText6931476901220623725" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">You can find my reviews of <a href="http://leavemommyalone.blogspot.com/2012/01/review-of-running-wide-open.html" target="_blank">Running Wide Open HERE</a> and <a href="http://leavemommyalone.blogspot.com/2012/02/review-of-getting-sideways.html" target="_blank">Getting Sideways HERE.</a></span></b><br />
<br />
<div style="color: #073763;">
<b><span id="freeText6931476901220623725" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Purchase links for DRIVEN:</span></b></div>
<div style="color: #073763;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Driven-Full-Throttle-ebook/dp/B007ZW06ZK/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_2" target="_blank"><b><span id="freeText6931476901220623725" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Amazon</span></b></a></div>
<div style="color: #073763;">
<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/driven-lisa-nowak/1110600945?ean=2940014482011" target="_blank"><b><span id="freeText6931476901220623725" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Barnes and Noble</span></b></a></div>
<div style="color: #073763;">
<a href="http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/157896" target="_blank"><b><span id="freeText6931476901220623725" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Smashwords </span></b></a></div>
<br />
<b style="color: #990000;"><span id="freeText6931476901220623725" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #38761d;">About the author:</span></span></b><br />
<a href="http://cache.smashwire.com/avatars/178dc230LisaNowak" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://cache.smashwire.com/avatars/178dc230LisaNowak" /></a><b style="color: #990000;"><span id="freeText6931476901220623725" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></b>In addition to being a YA author, Lisa Nowak is a retired amateur
stock car racer, an accomplished cat whisperer, and a professional
smartass. She writes coming-of-age books about kids in hard luck
situations who learn to appreciate their own value after finding mentors
who love them for who they are. She enjoys dark chocolate and stout
beer and constantly works toward employing wei wu wei in her life, all
the while realizing that the struggle itself is an oxymoron.<br />
<div class="userProvidedContent">
<br />
Lisa has no spare time, but if she did she’d use it to tend to her
expansive perennial garden, watch medical dramas, take long walks after
dark, and teach her cats to play poker. For those of you who might be
wondering, she is not, and has never been, a diaper-wearing astronaut.
She lives in Milwaukie, Oregon, with her husband, four feline
companions, and two giant sequoias.</div>
<b style="color: #990000;"><span id="freeText6931476901220623725" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></b> <span itemprop="bookFormatType"></span>Arlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13036195316404359398noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2969868094116487462.post-33443784526031635002012-05-15T08:25:00.004-06:002012-05-16T22:29:15.488-06:00Review of THE 2012 BOOK BLOGGER'S COOKBOOK<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b style="color: #073763;">5 STARS </b><br />
This year's edition of <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13637096-the-2012-book-blogger-s-cookbook-the-book-blogger-s-cookbook" target="_blank">THE BOOK BLOGGER"S COOKBOOK</a> is out and it's fabulous. The recipes are simple enough that even someone like me can whip them together. The reviews have been positive and this includes mine as well. It was fun to see what fellow book bloggers, like myself, had to say about books I've read and one's I still haven't been able to get to yet. I enjoyed reading reviews from book bloggers I currently follow and one's I'd never heard of before. What a way to bring us together!<br />
<br />
The books featured in this edition are:<br />
<div style="color: #990000;">
<b>NIGHTINGALE</b></div>
<div style="color: #990000;">
<b>POSSESSION</b></div>
<div style="color: #990000;">
<b>WATCHED</b></div>
<div style="color: #990000;">
<b>WITCH SONG</b></div>
<div style="color: #990000;">
<b>GYPSY KNIGHTS</b></div>
<div style="color: #990000;">
<b>THE CARRIER OF THE MARK</b></div>
<div style="color: #990000;">
<b>VARIANT</b></div>
<div style="color: #990000;">
<b>WARPED</b></div>
<div style="color: #990000;">
<b>DIVERGENT</b></div>
<div style="color: #990000;">
<b>BACK WHEN YOU WERE EASIER TO LOVE</b></div>
<div style="color: #990000;">
<b>EVERNEATH</b></div>
<div style="color: #990000;">
<b>SHATTER ME</b></div>
<div style="color: #990000;">
<b>MATCHED</b></div>
<div style="color: #990000;">
<b>BOUND</b></div>
<div style="color: #990000;">
<b>CLOCKWORK ANGER</b></div>
<div style="color: #990000;">
<b>STARCROSSED</b></div>
<div style="color: #990000;">
<b>ZAN-GAH</b></div>
<div style="color: #990000;">
<b>BEYONDERS</b></div>
<div style="color: #990000;">
<b>JANITORS</b></div>
<div style="color: #990000;">
<b>SCARY SCHOOL</b></div>
<div style="color: #990000;">
<b>COURTING MISS LANCASTER</b></div>
<div style="color: #990000;">
<b>AUSTENLAND</b></div>
<br />
Some of the delicious recipes you'll find in the book are:<br />
<div style="color: #20124d;">
<i><b>Beignet Chess Squares</b></i></div>
<div style="color: #20124d;">
<i><b>Jagged Ham</b></i></div>
<div style="color: #20124d;">
<i><b>Octavian Ribs</b></i></div>
<div style="color: #20124d;">
<i><b>Polite Pumpkin Custard</b></i></div>
<div style="color: #20124d;">
<i><b>On the Go Ice Cream</b></i></div>
<div style="color: #20124d;">
<i><b>Lumba Berry Pie</b></i></div>
<div style="color: #20124d;">
<i><b>Everliving Soup</b></i></div>
<div style="color: #20124d;">
<i><b>Modern Day Rootbeer Cookies</b></i></div>
<div style="color: #20124d;">
<i><b>Wind-whirled Ice Cream Cake</b></i></div>
<br />
I was immediately sold on the idea of this book. It's genius. Combine delicious recipes and pair them with book in the Young Adult genre. Bloggers and readers have to eat, right? Of course, being me, I headed straight for the dessert recipes. The first one I tried was the On the Go Caramel Ice Cream Topping - which is the the recipe my review of WATCHED is featured in! See my full review of Cindy M. Hogan's book<a href="http://leavemommyalone.blogspot.com/2012/03/review-of-watched.html" target="_blank"> HERE. </a><br />
<br />
Funny thing is, I'm not a caramel lover. But, I really wanted to give it a try...AND it did not disappoint! It's so delicious and my husband and 4 kids loved it. It only has 3 simple ingredients: bananas, brown sugar and butter. It serves 6, which was perfect for my family size. Thanks, Christy, for putting together such a wonderful book. Although I haven't tried all the recipes, I will.<br />
<br />
I love the idea of this book and what it does for people who love to try new things. If you get the cookbook right now, it's only 0.99! But this won't last for very long, so hurry and snatch it up! To find out more about Christy and the incredible giveaways she's doing during her book launch visit her website<a href="http://www.dearestdreams.com/" target="_blank"> HERE</a> where you could win $200 worth of books!<br />
<br />
Also on the tour stop today is <a href="http://www.jenkjovus.com/2012/05/giveaway-tour-review-book-bloggers.html" target="_blank">Jennifer over at My Life with Books</a>. So stop by and see what she has cookin'! And don't forget to enter Christy's GIVEAWAY!<br />
<br />
About the author:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My family means everything to me and I love being a wife to my amazing husband and stay at home mom to five awesome kiddos.<br />
<br />
Reading, writing, cooking and Irish dancing make me happy. You will find a little of everything here.<br />
<br />
I am a freelance writer and author. My articles have appeared in <a href="http://www.feisamerica.com/" target="_blank">Feis America Magazine</a> and <a href="http://mag.diddlyi.com/" target="_blank">DiddlyiMag</a>. I write for my local newspaper, The Syracuse Islander, and I recently had an article accepted for the children's <a href="http://www.lds.org/friend" target="_blank">Friend Magazine</a>.<br />
<br />
I love to read books and review them. And because I love to cook, I
found a way to combine reading with eating--I guess you could call it
reating! I enjoy matching recipes to the books I read and then I blog
about them both. Last year I combined my reviews and recipes with
reviews around the blogosphere and created a book.<br />
<br />
My first book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0054R6T6S/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwdearestdre-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217153&creative=399701&creativeASIN=B0054R6T6S" target="_blank">The 2011 Book Blogger's Cookbook </a>is
now available on Amazon. The 2012 edition is slated to be published in
May (if you are an author or blogger who would like to be a part of the
2012 edition, fill out this <a href="http://www.bookbloggerscookbook.com/p/contact.html" target="_blank">form</a>).
Currently I am working on a non-fiction book on Irish dancing, several
picture books and a YA fiction that's in a rough outlining stage.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Arlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13036195316404359398noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2969868094116487462.post-70182470175023731552012-05-03T07:30:00.002-06:002012-05-03T11:54:08.249-06:00Review of PRETTY AMY by Lisa Burstein Plus Author Interview<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13375237-pretty-amy" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394;">PRETTY AMY</span></a></b> <span style="color: #0b5394;">by</span><i style="color: #0b5394;"><a href="http://www.lisaburstein.com%20/" target="_blank"> Lisa Burstein</a></i></span><br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
Synopsis <i>via Goodreads</i></div>
<span id="freeText5694727330246866290"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Amy
is fine living in the shadows of beautiful Lila and uber-cool Cassie,
because at least she’s somewhat beautiful and uber-cool by association.
But when their dates stand them up for prom, and the girls take matters
into their own hands—earning them a night in jail outfitted in satin,
stilettos, and Spanx—Amy discovers even a prom spent in handcuffs might
be better than the humiliating “rehabilitation techniques” now filling
up her summer. Worse, with Lila and Cassie parentally banned, Amy feels
like she has nothing—like she is nothing.</span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Navigating unlikely
alliances with her new coworker, two very different boys, and possibly
even her parents, Amy struggles to decide if it’s worth being a best
friend when it makes you a public enemy. Bringing readers along on an
often hilarious and heartwarming journey, Amy finds that maybe getting a
life only happens once you think your life is over.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText5694727330246866290"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b><u>MY REVIEW</u></b>: <b>4 Stars </b></span></span><span id="freeText5694727330246866290"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b> </b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">This book took me right back to high school and the uncertainty of it all.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span><span id="freeText5694727330246866290"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b> </b></span></span><br />
<span id="freeText5694727330246866290"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">My initial impression of Amy is that she needs a backbone and a brain. She's the one in the group that doesn't speak up for herself and just goes along with everything, despite what common sense tells her. I was immediately frustrated with her character and shaking my head with each page turn, but the story is so well-written I became invested in her journey to (hopefully) self discovery<b>. </b>I had to see if she would grow from her experiences, find her voice and realize that she doesn't need the approval of others to validate her existence. She so afraid of being obscure and overlooked - it's almost paralyzing. There were certain aspects of her mentality that I remember sharing in high school. Her inner voice is very real and competently translates the rawness of her pain. You can easily feel her frustration, angst and desperation.</span></span> <span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> Amy's inner voice is candid and entertaining - among my favorites is this summation:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span><span id="freeText5694727330246866290"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></span><br />
<span id="freeText5694727330246866290"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">'In high school you are not given a choice as to who you become, you are signed up long before that based on looks, smarts, and talent, and then corralled into your group. The problem was, I didn't like my group. Girls who were not popular but not dorks, either, who were not pretty but not totally disgusting. Girls who floated somewhere in between, somewhere boring; who didn't get asked on dates, who never had to stay out past curfew, who never had to lie to their parents.'</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText5694727330246866290"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Raw, real and honest are definitely the words that come to mind when I think of Amy's pain and sorrow. She doesn't necessarily suffer any more than other teenagers who have parents who just don't 'get' who their children are and what they need from them. It's that Amy is us - me and you - she embodies every teenager in one way or another. Am I pretty? Am I smart? Am I worth attention? Will anyone ever truly know me, including myself? Who am I?</span></span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText5694727330246866290"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">What made me care about Amy was her potential for greatness. If she didn't have anything to look forward to in life, if she didn't have anything to offer, I wouldn't have cared what happened to her (I realize how callous that sounds). But, she is one of those teens that, if given some guidance, reassurance, affection and self-esteem, could really go places in life. I didn't want Amy to end up as wasted potential. </span></span><br />
<span id="freeText5694727330246866290"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span id="freeText5694727330246866290"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">After
her arrest she needs to do some growing up. Her parents make her find a
job to pay for attorney fees, she's cut off from her supposed 'friends',
and she's forced to decide if she's willing to throw her friends under
the bus to save her own neck. And let's not forget the all-important lessons of how to identify the boys who are only interested in controlling, using and discarding you from the ones who uplift and empower you.</span></span><br />
<span id="freeText5694727330246866290"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Be warned there is a high use of profanity, instances of drug use and adult situations, so this book should be read by older teens and adults.</span><br />
<br />
***You can enter to win a copy of <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/23861-pretty-amy" target="_blank">PRETTY AMY on Goodreads here</a> <br />
OR.....<br />
Buy links<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pretty-Amy-Lisa-Burstein/dp/1620611198/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1336052419&sr=1-1-catcorr" target="_blank">Amazon</a><br />
<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/pretty-amy-lisa-burstein/1108930786?ean=9781620611197" target="_blank">Barnes and Noble</a><br />
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<i style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b><span id="freeText5694727330246866290" style="color: #351c75;">~~~~~~~INTERVIEW with Lisa Burstein~~~~~~~</span></b></i></div>
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*I always wonder how authors decide what to write about, where did the inspiration for Pretty Amy come from?</div>
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Most of my ideas start as things I have actually experienced. For example in PRETTY AMY, I was arrested during my senior year of high school, not for the same reason Amy was, but that was where the kernel came from. Usually, I will take an idea and think about how crazy I make it. I like my books to seem like hyper-reality, because while reality is interesting, I think pushing limits is ever MORE interesting.</div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">*Who are your favorite authors and what are some of your favorite books?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="color: #073763;">I love Courtney Summers, Sara Zarr, John Green and Deb Caletti, any author who is willing to be raw and real. My favorite book of all time is A Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.</span> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">*What's next for you? Any new projects in the works?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="color: #073763;">A companion novel to PRETTY AMY, titled DEAR CASSIE about the aftermath of the girls' arrest and its effect told through diary entries of Amy's best friend Cassie.</span> </span> </div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">*What were you like as a teenager? Who were you?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="color: #073763;">I was a lot like Amy. Just like her I had such a desire to belong, to fit in, to have people who understood me. I wanted that so badly and I guess I never felt like adults understood that. It was most of the reason I wrote PRETTY AMY. If I'd had it when I was in high school I feel like I would have been able to understand my feelings better. I wouldn't have felt so alone. That feeling was something I never admitted to anyone, not even my friends and I wanted to let teens know it's okay to feel lonely even surrounded by friends and family.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="color: #073763;"><span style="color: #990000;">*Do you have any special charities or causes that are near and dear to your heart?</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="color: #073763;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="color: #073763;">I have a dog and two cats, so anything with animals. We donated an old car to the Humane Society in our town.</span> </span> </span> </span> </div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">*Any celebrity crushes?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="color: #073763;">Leonardo Dicaprio when he was in Romeo and Juliet and Bradley Cooper.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="color: #073763;"><span style="color: #990000;">*Shows on t.v. you don't miss?</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="color: #073763;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="color: #073763;">Seinfeld, 30 Rock. When Lost was on I was addicted.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="color: #073763;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="color: #073763;"> </span> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="color: #073763;"><span style="color: #990000;">*You're a tea seller by day, what are your favorites?</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="color: #073763;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="color: #073763;">My favorite teas are Earl Grey and Jasmine Green.</span> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">*I read that you missed your senior prom. Is there a story behind that?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="color: #073763;">I didn't go to my senior prom. No one asked me. I had a boyfriend at the time but he was a junior and I guess I didn't want to ask him. There was a boy in my grade I was friends with, he was also friends with two of my good friends too and basically he was like I will take one of you to the prom. It went on for two weeks of his trying to decide which one of us to take. It was weird and stressful, like an episode of the bachelor before that show existed. Guess who he picked? The pretty one. Some friend!</span> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">*How are you similar to Amy? How are you different?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="color: #073763;">I would say we are both cynical and snarky. I was also a lot like her in high school scared, unsure, lost. Wondering if I would ever figure out who I was. Wondering if I would ever find people who liked me for me. Wondering if I would ever like me for me. We are different in that I would never say some of the things she says out loud.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">*Any advice/words of wisdom for teenage girls out there trying to survive high school, parents and boys?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="color: #073763;">Try to remember that even though high school can sometimes feel like a roller coaster; as Amy says, "Four years of hardship, toil, boredom and memorization; of each day feeling the happiest you think you could possibly feel and then sadder than you ever imagined," you will start to even out on the other side.</span> </span> </div>
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So true, Lisa. I love your description of the high-highs and low-lows of emotions on a daily basis. It's a wonder any of us get out alive.</div>
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You can find Lisa ...... </div>
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<a href="http://www.lisaburstein.com/" target="_blank">Website</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/LisaBursteinAuthor" target="_blank">Facebook </a></div>
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<a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/LisaBurstein" target="_blank">Twitter</a></div>
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<a href="http://lisabursteinauthor.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Blog </a></div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5430977.Lisa_Burstein" target="_blank">Goodreads</a></div>
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<br />Arlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13036195316404359398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2969868094116487462.post-41823566215369251672012-05-01T21:29:00.002-06:002012-05-03T08:40:58.973-06:00COVER REVEALS...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12950372-the-evolution-of-mara-dyer" target="_blank">THE EVOLUTION OF MARA DYER...</a>sequel to <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8591107-the-unbecoming-of-mara-dyer" target="_blank">The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer.</a><br />
I like how they stuck with the theme of the first book....I approve.<br />
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Plus, you can enter to win an ARC of this book on <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12950372-the-evolution-of-mara-dyer" target="_blank">goodreads here</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13246873-driven" target="_blank">DRIVEN</a>...book 3 in <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4948392.Lisa_Nowak" target="_blank">Lisa Nowak's</a> Full Throttle series.<br />
I wouldn't mess with this chick.<br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12971480-closed-hearts" target="_blank">CLOSED HEARTS</a>...sequel to <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12727768-open-minds" target="_blank">Open Minds (Mindjack Trilogy)</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4094557.Susan_Kaye_Quinn" target="_blank">Susan Kaye Quinn</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13367671-afterlife" target="_blank">AFTERLIFE</a>...book 2 in <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11815829-sleepers" target="_blank">The Swarm Trilogy</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4574107.Megg_Jensen" target="_blank">Megg Jensen</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12680907-bitterblue" target="_blank">BITTERBLUE</a>...sequel to <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3236307-graceling" target="_blank">Graceling</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1373880.Kristin_Cashore" target="_blank">Kristin Cashore</a>.Arlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13036195316404359398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2969868094116487462.post-23356564031848191632012-05-01T14:04:00.001-06:002012-05-01T19:46:22.486-06:00Review of DIE FOR ME by Amy Plum<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9462812-die-for-me" target="_blank"><u><b>DIE FOR ME</b></u></a> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3353516.Amy_Plum" target="_blank"><i>by Amy Plum</i></a></span></span><br />
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Series: <i>Revenants book 1 </i></div>
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<i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12908877-until-i-die" target="_blank">UNTIL I DIE (Revenants #2)</a> release date: May 8</i></div>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Synopsis <i>via Goodreads</i></span><br />
<span id="freeText10172284512497144876"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">In the City of Lights, two star-crossed lovers battle a fate that is destined to tear them apart again and again for eternity.
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<br /><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">When
Kate Mercier's parents die in a tragic car accident, she leaves her
life--and memories--behind to live with her grandparents in Paris. For
Kate, the only way to survive her pain is escaping into the world of
books and Parisian art. Until she meets Vincent.
</span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Mysterious,
charming, and devastatingly handsome, Vincent threatens to melt the ice
around Kate's guarded heart with just his smile. As she begins to fall
in love with Vincent, Kate discovers that he's a revenant--an undead
being whose fate forces him to sacrifice himself over and over again to
save the lives of others. Vincent and those like him are bound in a
centuries-old war against a group of evil revenants who exist only to
murder and betray. Kate soon realizes that if she follows her heart, she
may never be safe again.</span></i></span><br />
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<b><span id="freeText10172284512497144876"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><u>MY REVIEW:</u></span><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> 4 STARS </span></i></span></b><br />
<span id="freeText10172284512497144876"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I liked this book, I really did. Did I <i>love</i> it? No, sadly, I didn't. And I really wanted to. </span></span><br />
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<span id="freeText10172284512497144876"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I was initially drawn in by the positive reviews of this book. Then, I saw the cover and.... well, I may have swooned. I think I've mentioned this before, but I love a beautiful book cover. And it's not because I think it's any real reflection of the quality of the story or the writing. It's art. Eye-candy. I could probably sit for hours sifting through book covers alone on goodreads. I had immediate cover love for this one. There she is standing in a beautiful <span style="color: #990000;">red</span> dress looking down on Paris - Eiffel Tower in the distance. So dramatic and wistful. I decided I had to read this book and find out why she seems so forlorn</span></span><br />
<span id="freeText10172284512497144876"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span><span id="freeText10172284512497144876"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span><br />
<span id="freeText10172284512497144876"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">As I read, I learned that the main character's name is Kate and she's suffered a terrible loss at 16 yrs old. She and her older sister Georgia have lost their parents in a tragic car accident and have moved to Paris from their home in the U.S., to live with their grandparents. This is an easy transition for them, mostly. Kate and Georgia have spent many a summer in Paris growing up and were raised speaking both English and French fluently. They're pretty familiar with the area their grandparents live in and are accustomed to the culture. Kate is understandably depressed and tries to escape her sorrow by burying herself in books, museums and her bedroom. Georgia chooses a different route. She's gonna party every night till the break of dawn with random people</span></span><span id="freeText10172284512497144876"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> to distract her from her sadness.</span></span><br />
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<span id="freeText10172284512497144876"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">These two sisters couldn't be more different - even in looks. Kate is a shy, dark-featured brunette, who has an appreciation for the arts, while Georgia is an extroverted, blond bombshell with a short attention span. Despite their differences, they have a close sisterly bond.</span></span><br />
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<span id="freeText10172284512497144876"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Kate frequents a charming</span></span><span id="freeText10172284512497144876"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> little cafe where she spends most of her day submerged in her books (she's a die-hard reader, I like that). She only surfaces to order her hourly beverage - there's an unspoken French rule that says you can occupy a table for as long as you want<i> if</i> you order a drink every hour, like paying rent on the table. It's at this cafe that she first spots the 'devastatingly handsome and mysterious' Vincent. </span></span><br />
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<span id="freeText10172284512497144876"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Life becomes a whirlwind of secrets, lies, danger and fear for Kate as she becomes more and more involved with Vincent. Why? Because, technically speaking, Vincent is dead. More specifically, he's a revenant. And he has enemies.</span></span><br />
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<span id="freeText10172284512497144876"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">What I liked about this book.... </span></span><br />
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<span id="freeText10172284512497144876"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Amy Plum is a great writer. Her descriptions, pace, the flow of the story and development of the characters are what make this book worth reading. While we're currently inundated with stories of vampires, werewolves and faeries, Plum offers a refreshing take on the paranormal. And the undead, for that matter. I never would've thought someone could successfully achieve romanticizing zombies....sorry, <i>revenants</i>. And having Paris as the back drop for the story certainly adds to the romantic ambience. Her descriptions are so vivid I could almost feel cobblestone paths beneath my feet and pick up the scent of pastries wafting from the cafes. For the most part I liked her characters, some way more than others. I also enjoyed the playful banter between the them as they teased each other. So the story had it's lighter moments to counteract the heavier ones. It worked.</span></span><br />
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<span id="freeText10172284512497144876"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Why I just couldn't love this book.... </span></span><br />
<span id="freeText10172284512497144876"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span id="freeText10172284512497144876"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I'm not sure I can pinpoint the answer to that. I couldn't help but to notice all the similarities between <i>DIE FOR ME</i> and <i>TWILIGHT</i>. There's the teenage girl, wise beyond her years and the much older, gorgeous, 'undead' guy who's been waiting for love and lives in a mansion with his friends-who-have-become-family. I could go on, but I'll stop there. I'm not so much bothered by these similarities, it's more the story's lack of Oomph! that made Twilight so great and addictive. I liked Vincent, thought he was a nice guy, but past that, I didn't really see the draw to him. I didn't find him tempting and irresistible - so I couldn't really understand her obsession with him. You gotta come at me with way more than just extraordinary good looks. Instead, you know who I was drawn to? His sorta brother, Jules. Now, <i>that</i> guy had it all - hotness, witty sense of humor, sarcasm, tenderness, sensitivity, loyalty, bravery and most of all, what an insufferable flirt. Gimme more of him!</span></span><br />
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<span id="freeText10172284512497144876"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">All in all, it was a good book and I recommend it to people who liked Twilight. I'm a Revenants fan for sure, just not a die-hard one. So, was it worth reading? Yes. Will I be reading the sequels? Another yes. I'm interested to find out where Amy Plum takes this.</span></span><br />
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</span>Arlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13036195316404359398noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2969868094116487462.post-66549766256824102652012-04-25T00:03:00.003-06:002012-05-01T19:48:43.622-06:00Review of TWISTED REFLECTIONS by Shay Fabbro<br />
<a href="http://i44.tinypic.com/6xx4wx.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i44.tinypic.com/6xx4wx.jpg" width="285" /></a><span style="color: #0c343d;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">TWISTED REFLECTIONS by Shay Fabbro</span></b></span><br />
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Series: Book 2 in the Alexis Davenport series</div>
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Blurb via smashwords:</div>
<span itemprop="description" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Alexis Davenport wants to be rid of her
gift of time travel and the duty to protect the time line from an evil
lunatic.
When Alex travels back to ancient Egypt, she meets a fellow Traveler who
can help her figure out how to use her powers to stop Drifter from
altering the past.
But can she learn how to control her gift before Drifter finds a way to
stop her from meddling in his plans?</span>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><u>My Review</u>: 4 stars</span></b><br />
At the end of <i>Dangerous Reflections</i> things are starting to look up for Alex. In <i>Twisted Reflections</i>, Alex finds herself putting more of the puzzle pieces - of her gift, her situation, her purpose and her adversary - together.<br />
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Alex experiences some vast improvements in her life. She and her mom have moved out of her aunt's guesthouse and into a really snazzy place of their own, close by. Alex is STOKED about having a large bedroom with her very own bathroom. She has a boyfriend, she's excelling in drama/theater and she's still working in her aunt's boutique. Those are the ups. The downs are that she's still seeing reflections in the mirror of historical females, she's being hunted by a maniac who can time travel as well, she's being overworked in her aunt's boutique and her dad is still MIA. All of this leaves little to no time for her to be involved with her friends and it starts wearing her down to the point of depression. I really started to feel for her. She can act pretty spoiled at times and throw typical teenage tantrums, but she also shoulders an extraordinary amount of responsibility. Our history as we know it is threatened by an evil man with sinister plans. And it seems Alexis is the only one who can stop him. Or is she?<br />
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I didn't become as quickly caught up in <i>Twisted Reflections</i> as I did <i>Dangerous Reflections</i>. But the last half of the book made up for it. The last half was when I couldn't put it down. Alex gets to inhabit the body of some really fierce, powerful women in this sequel and that was one of my favorite parts. In the first book, she trades places with more people, but I thought the ones she got to become in this book were more exciting and interesting. There's also the introduction of a new character who I absolutely adored. This is all I can say without spoiling the surprise. I'm hoping to see more of this person in book 3. I also hope to get some more answers to some of my pressing questions like, "Why does she feel such intense connections to certain men during her jumps?" and "Why is her mom so hard on her when Alex has done nothing to warrant such restrictions?" and "Where in the world is her dad?".<br />
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One of the things I enjoy most about Shay's stories is that everyone who reads her books and follows Alex's adventures, gets a few history lessons too. You can always learn new and fascinating facts or details every time Alex makes a jump. Even if you've never been a history buff, she finds a way to make it fun and interesting. - her history tidbits are candy-coated goodness. As I read and gain clues from Alex about the women reflected back at her, I like to see if I can guess which era she'll be headed to, before she does.<br />
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As evidenced by the covers, the Alexis Davenport books have an innocence to them that you don't easily find in the young adult genre - especially in paranormal reads. Her series is one that, as a mother, I can easily recommend to a younger crowd of girls than I would books like Twilight, Nightshade or Hunger Games. This is the kind of book that offers adventure, fun, teen drama, supernatural abilities and mystery - and you don't have to feel nervous or iffy about letting your young teens read it. There is the rare use of a swear word or two in the book, but it's in the realm of 'damn' or 'bastard' and no further.<br />
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With the events that made up the cliffhanger in Twisted Reflections, I'm anxiously awaiting the next installment. The plot thickens! I recommend this series for ages 12 and up. Find my review of book 1, <a href="http://leavemommyalone.blogspot.com/2012/03/review-of-dangerous-reflections.html" target="_blank">Dangerous Reflections here.</a><br />
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*Be sure to visit the previous blog on her tour where she plays 20 questions with <a href="http://www.lairdsapir.com/2012/04/20-questions-with-shay-fabbro/" target="_blank">Laird Sapir </a>and is giving away 2 signed copies of her book!<br />
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Connect with Dr. Shay Fabbro:<br />
<a href="http://shayfabbro.com/" target="_blank">Website</a><br />
<a href="http://www.facebook.com/authorsfabbro">Facebook</a><br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/DrShayFabbro">Twitter</a><br />
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<div style="color: #073763;">
<b>ABOUT DR. SHAY FABBRO... </b></div>
<span id="freeTextauthor4687346"><b><span style="color: #073763;">Shay
Fabbro was born in Longmont, CO and moved to the town of Grand
Junction, CO in the early 1980′s. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in
Biology from Mesa State College before earning her doctorate degree in
Human Medical Genetics from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical
Campus in Aurora, CO. </span></b><br /><br /><b><span style="color: #073763;">Dr. Fabbro currently lives in Grand
Junction with her husband, Rich, and their two cats. When not writing
novels, she teaches biology classes at Mesa State College. She is hard
at work on the second novel in the Portals of Destiny series, Shattered
Destiny, as well as a new young adult series, The Adventures of Alexis
Davenport.</span></b></span>Arlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13036195316404359398noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2969868094116487462.post-58184824088555790292012-04-22T23:56:00.000-06:002012-04-23T09:11:54.802-06:00Review of PROTECTED by Cindy M. Hogan & Giveaway<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>PROTECTED</b> <i>by Cindy M. Hogan</i></div>
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<b>Series</b>: Book 2 in the Watched series </div>
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Blurb via Goodreads:</div>
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<span id="freeTextContainer10738891633127065718">She has the guy. The terrorists have been taken care of. She has a shot at becoming popular.
<br />Life is great!
<br />Until they find her.
<br />Now she must run and leave behind everything she knows, including herself.</span></div>
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<b>My Review: 5 Stars</b><br />
<b><i>*Warning: Spoilerish, only if you haven't read Watched*</i></b><br />
Christy imagined she'd get back to her life at school and be accepted by the 'in' crowd - since she did it in Washington D.C., why not? She couldn't be more wrong.<br />
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Although Christy has been forever changed by her ordeal on the field trip - having witnessed an actual murder and been shot at and barely survived - it's hard to change the perception kids at school have of her. Especially, when she can't breathe a word of what she's been through to anyone, not even her parents. Since she feels so different, when she shows up to school and nothing has changed, it comes as a bit of a shock to her. She's still being bullied by some and overlooked by the rest.<br />
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Until . . . <br />
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She gets an unexpected visitor. Alex. He shows up one day in a convertible - almost as smokin' as he is - and saunters his way up to her in front of the cheerleaders, and whoever else happens to be in front of the school, and plants a kiss on her guaranteed to make her, and all witnesses, weak in the knees. Actually, let's let Christy describe it:<br />
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"Then the unthinkable happened. He kissed me. It wasn't just a little kiss, either. It was one that makes you feel like you could die today and it wouldn't matter. When he finally released me, he said, 'At last.'" </div>
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<br /></div>
It's that perfect moment we've all imagined as teenagers. That <i>EVENT</i> that finally makes the popular kids realize you're not insignificant. It wakes them up to your existence and proclaims that you have something they should envy. Gorgeous Alex has put Christy on the map. Problem is, her heart says one thing and her mind says something else. She can't seem to get them to reconcile. *Sigh* Who among us hasn't struggled with this, am I right?<br />
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Before Christy has the chance to see what Alex's display of affection has done for her social status, they find themselves in mortal danger, once again. This time, there's no coming back. She's forced to leave everything she knows and loves behind and enter Witness Protection. It's the only option if she's going to protect her family and keep herself alive.<br />
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Her life becomes unlike anything she could've ever dreamed up or imagined it would be. She's pushed to the extremes and finds that she is capable of so much more than she thought possible. It's a rollercoaster ride an adult would have a hard time digesting, let alone a 16 yr. old.<br />
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Cindy Hogan wrote an <b><i>incredible</i></b> sequel to a great book. With <i>Protected</i>, she hit it so far out of the park, that ball won't be recovered anytime soon! I was so hooked on this book, I actually kept pressing the 'next page' button on my Kindle begging it to give me more story at the end. Christy is practically unrecognizable in this book, which is the point of Witness Protection, right? Just as it happened in <i>Watched</i>, the supporting characters won me over with equal intensity as the story's heroine.<br />
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I'm recommending this series to EVERYONE. It's a very clean read infused with action, intensity, romance and intrigue. The profusion of twists and turns, up and downs, left me breathless. I guarantee you will be hooked on this series by the end of <i>Protected</i>, if you weren't already with <i>Watched</i>.<br />
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I feel so lucky to be part of this blog tour. This is a sequel that I stand firmly behind as one of the best YA books out there. <i>Watched</i> was a great read. but it's sequel, <i>Protected</i>, surpasses it in action, adventure, suspense, romance and breathtaking moments. I'm ready to lie, cheat or steal to get my hands on the third book. Luckily you won't have to succumb to that kind of abhorrent behavior because you can enter to win either <b style="color: #4c1130;">1 of 2 e-copies of her book</b> or <b style="color: #4c1130;">a signed paperback of <i>both</i> Watched <i>AND</i> Protected</b>! My <a href="http://leavemommyalone.blogspot.com/2012/03/review-of-watched.html" target="_blank">review of <i>WATCHED</i> is here</a>.<br />
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E-books *open international</div>
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Paperbacks *U.S. only (due to shipping costs)</div>
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<br />
<span id="freeText14776793998515349610"><u>Where to find Cindy M. Hogan</u>:</span><br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span id="freeText14776793998515349610"><a href="http://cindymhogan.blogspot.com/">Website</a></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/watched1"><span id="freeText14776793998515349610">Twitter </span></a></div>
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<span id="freeText14776793998515349610"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1362256498">Facebook </a></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span id="freeText14776793998515349610"><a href="http://watched-thebook.blogspot.com/">Blog</a></span><br />
<span id="freeText14776793998515349610">*<a href="http://writingreadingandlife.blogspot.com/2012/04/protected-blog-tour.html" target="_blank">Kathleen over at Writing, Reading and Life</a> is part of today's blog tour, too! Stop by, leave her a comment.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span id="freeText14776793998515349610">I caught up with Cindy at one of her book signings! She's so nice and cheerful, I really enjoyed meeting her and getting a set of signed paperbacks for myself. If you look closely at the contents on the table, you can see a stack of papers in the middle. She told me it was <i>CREATED</i>, book 3 in the series - she'd brought it along to work on. I was SO close, people! Way to torture me, Cindy ;)</span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kN05HBRQiYs/T5PiLcdkg4I/AAAAAAAAACA/_r9E5UUbFdo/s1600/STA76895.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kN05HBRQiYs/T5PiLcdkg4I/AAAAAAAAACA/_r9E5UUbFdo/s400/STA76895.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Arlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13036195316404359398noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2969868094116487462.post-36541434030626792082012-04-22T15:55:00.000-06:002012-04-22T21:32:22.534-06:0050 Follower Giveaway!Thank you, thank you and THANK YOU! You guys have helped me reach a goal of 50 followers and made me one very happy camper/blogger. I'm inclined to show my gratitude in a manner that we all place value on. . . .A GIVEAWAY!<br />
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So, I sat down, put my thinking cap on, thought long and hard about what I should giveaway and I took a look at my cache. I thought about what books are H-O-T right now and what types of giveaways I find the most exciting. I came up with this - I will make up 4 packages or options and the winner can choose which one they'd like to win. Awesome, right? Who doesn't like to be given choices??? Since this is a thank you to my followers, only followers are eligible to win. Makes sense, right? EEK, I'm excited!!<br />
Here we go:<br />
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<u><b><span style="color: #660000;">OPTION #1</span></b></u></div>
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<b><span style="color: #073763;"><i>INSURGENT (hardcover)</i></span></b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11735983-insurgent" target="_blank">goodreads</a></td></tr>
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<u><b><span style="color: #073763;"><span style="color: #660000;">OPTION #2</span><i> </i></span></b></u><br />
<i><b><span style="color: #073763;">THE IMMORTAL RULES</span><span style="color: #073763;"> (hardcover)</span></b></i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1323357921l/10215349.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1323357921l/10215349.jpg" width="132" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10215349-the-immortal-rules" target="_blank">goodreads</a></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><u><b>OPTION #3</b></u></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"><i><b>WATCHED & PROTECTED (<span style="color: #4c1130;">SIGNED by author</span> in paperback)</b></i></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13485427-protected" target="_blank">goodreads</a></td></tr>
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Book 1 and 2 in the WATCHED series<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><u><b>OPTION #4 </b></u></span><br />
<i><span style="color: #073763;"><b>THE BODY FINDER (paperback, not signed)</b></span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: #073763;"><b>with swag (SIGNED bookmark and poster, wristband and THE LAST ECHO inspired nail polish) </b></span></i><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6261522-the-body-finder" target="_blank">goodreads</a></td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6261522-the-body-finder" target="_blank"></a><br />
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<<<<Book<br />
Picture of signed swag >>>><br />
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Enter now in the Rafflecopter below. Do it, do it!<br />
*This is open international ONLY for what The Book Depository will ship to you - Insurgent, The Immortal Rules (hardcovers), Watched and Protected (paperback unsigned) and The Body Finder (paperback without swag). </div>
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<noscript>&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://rafl.es/enable-js"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;You need javascript enabled to see this giveaway&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;.</noscript>Arlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13036195316404359398noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2969868094116487462.post-31729965730840304292012-04-21T00:09:00.000-06:002012-04-21T11:49:05.046-06:00In The Loop<div style="color: #660000;">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">If your TBR (to be read) list is looking a little low, here are some titles to look into. Some are the first in a series, others are sequels. Click on the links, peruse Goodreads, read the blurbs and see if any of these titles tickle your fancy....</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span><u><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></u></b></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Noteworthy Titles That Are Released:</span></u></b></div>
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11112619?utm_content=young_adult_pos1&utm_medium=email&utm_source=2_newreleases" target="_blank">Fever by Lauren DeStefano</a><br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8573642?utm_content=young_adult_pos0&utm_medium=email&utm_source=2_newreleases" target="_blank">Incarnate by Jodi Meadows</a><br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11715276?utm_content=young_adult_pos2&utm_medium=email&utm_source=2_newreleases" target="_blank">Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood</a><br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11563110?utm_content=young_adult_pos0&utm_medium=email&utm_source=1_newreleases" target="_blank">Hallowed by Cynthia Hand</a><br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9413044?utm_content=young_adult_pos1&utm_medium=email&utm_source=1_newreleases" target="_blank">Everneath by Brodi Ashton</a><br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10345927?utm_content=young_adult_pos4&utm_medium=email&utm_source=1_newreleases" target="_blank">A Million Suns by Beth Revis</a><br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8130839?utm_content=young_adult_pos2&utm_medium=email&utm_source=1_newreleases" target="_blank">Bloodrose by Andrea Cremer</a><br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11870085?utm_content=popular_new_releases&utm_medium=email&utm_source=1_newreleases" target="_blank">The Fault in Our Stars by John Green</a><br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11455096?utm_content=popular_new_releases&utm_medium=email&utm_source=1_newreleases" target="_blank">Tempest by Julie Cross</a><br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11235712?utm_content=popular_new_releases&utm_medium=email&utm_source=1_newreleases" target="_blank">Cinder by Marissa Meyer</a><br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10640020?utm_content=author_pos3&utm_medium=email&utm_source=1_newreleases" target="_blank">Dreaming Awake by Gwen Hayes</a><br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8501291?utm_content=author_pos2&utm_medium=email&utm_source=1_newreleases" target="_blank">Wings of the Wicked by Courtney Allison Moulton </a><br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10025007?utm_content=author_pos1&utm_medium=email&utm_source=1_newreleases" target="_blank">Jessica Rules the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey</a><br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9680114?utm_content=young_adult_pos3&utm_medium=email&utm_source=2_newreleases" target="_blank">Pure by Julianna Baggot</a><br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11698943?utm_content=young_adult_pos4&utm_medium=email&utm_source=2_newreleases" target="_blank">The Fine Art of Truth or Dare by Melissa Jensen</a><br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10756656?utm_content=popular_new_releases&utm_medium=email&utm_source=2_newreleases" target="_blank">Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi</a><br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12476820-partials" target="_blank">Partials by Dan Wells</a><br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8576171-faery-tales-nightmares" target="_blank">Faery Tales and Nightmares by Melissa Marr</a><br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9542582-slide?utm_medium=email&utm_source=Mar_newsletter&utm_content=hathaway" target="_blank">Slide by Jill Hathaway</a><br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12288524-embrace" target="_blank">Embrace by Jessica Shirvington</a><br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11454587?utm_content=author_pos0&utm_medium=email&utm_source=3_newreleases" target="_blank">Spell Bound by Rachel Hawkins</a><br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12603860-hunting-kat" target="_blank">Hunting Kat by Kelley Armstrong </a><br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11974993-pandemonium" target="_blank">Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver</a><br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9874342-fateful" target="_blank">Fateful by Claudia Gray</a><br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13485427-protected" target="_blank">Protected by Cindy M. Hogan</a><br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12637490?utm_content=young_adult_pos3&utm_medium=email&utm_source=3_newreleases" target="_blank">Goddess Interrupted by Amy Carter</a><br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10808965?utm_content=young_adult_pos4&utm_medium=email&utm_source=3_newreleases" target="_blank">A Temptation of Angels by Michelle Zink</a><br />
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<b><u><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #660000;">A</span><span style="color: #660000;">pril releases:</span></span></u></b><br />
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April 3 - <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9565548-grave-mercy" target="_blank">Grave Mercy by R.L. Lafevers</a><br />
April 17 - <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11850771-glimmer" target="_blank">Glimmer by Phobe Kitanidis</a><br />
April 24 - <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12157365-unraveling" target="_blank">Unraveling by Elizabeth Norri</a>s<br />
April 24 - <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10507293-the-selection?utm_medium=email&utm_source=Apr_newsletter&utm_content=cass" target="_blank">The Selection by Kiera Cass </a>Arlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13036195316404359398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2969868094116487462.post-74005773420193775212012-04-17T23:20:00.000-06:002012-04-18T00:15:20.705-06:00Waiting on Wednesday (5): The Crown of Embers by Rae Carson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i1238.photobucket.com/albums/ff489/jensspacee/Dream%20Reads/WoW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i1238.photobucket.com/albums/ff489/jensspacee/Dream%20Reads/WoW.jpg" /></a></div>
"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by <a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/"><i>Breaking the Spine</i></a>, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. <i> </i><b style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></b><br />
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<span style="color: #990000; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The Crown of Embers <i>by</i> <a href="http://www.raecarson.com/" target="_blank"><i>Rae Carson</i></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10816908-the-crown-of-embers" target="_blank">goodreads</a></span></div>
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Releases September 18, 2012</div>
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<b><span id="freeText3923246304082771299">Elisa is the hero of her
country. She led her people to victory against a terrifying enemy, and
now she is their queen. But she is only seventeen years old. Her rivals
may have simply retreated, choosing stealth over battle. And no one
within her court trusts her-except Hector, the commander of the royal
guard, and her companions. As the country begins to crumble beneath her
and her enemies emerge from the shadows, Elisa will take another
journey. With a one-eyed warrior, a loyal friend, an enemy defector, and
the man she is falling in love with, Elisa crosses the ocean in search
of the perilous, uncharted, and mythical source of the Godstone’s power.
That is not all she finds. </span></b></div>
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<i><span id="freeText3923246304082771299">A breathtaking, romantic, and dangerous second volume in the Fire and Thorns trilogy.</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;">If I could recommend one YA book to everyone, it would be <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10429092-the-girl-of-fire-and-thorns" target="_blank">Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson</a>. It was HANDS DOWN the best book I read in 2011. You might be thinking, "Wow. That's quite the recommendation. What about this book got this chick so excited?" Allow me to answer that thought. The writing was superb, the story was breathtaking and the heroine. . . .magnificent. <a href="http://www.raecarson.com/" target="_blank">Rae Carson</a> wove a story so compelling, so thought-provoking, that I'm going to make it required reading for my daughters. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #073763;"> Elisa, the protagonist, is unlike any character I've ever read about in a YA book. First off, she's of Latin or Hispanic or Spanish descent - I don't ever remember her ethnicity being stated for the record. </span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">But I'm comfortable with making that assumption, due to the fact that she's got darker features, a lot of the native language they use in the book is Spanish or at least closely Latin-based, her voice throughout the book</span><span style="color: #073763;">, and especially some of the customs. Why does that mean anything to me? Because I'm Hispanic. I'm tan-skinned with dark brown hair, brown eyes and I can speak Spanish (some) ;) I was over the moon about this amazing story about a brown girl with weight issues. I felt proud of the rich culture and heritage being spotlighted in the entire book. And, truth be told, a bit relieved to have a break from all the pale, blond, blue-eyed heroines in every book I read. I have nothing against blond, blue-eyed beauties...trust me. I've spent most of my life wishing I was one of them. Which leads me back to my daughters. Although they're much lighter skinned than I am, I don't want them to ever wish they were or looked anything different than what God made them. Elisa offers even a thirty-something year old like me, someone to look up to.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="color: #073763;">Okay, yes, for those of you who've read Girl of Fire and Thorns, I concede that that is not at all what she starts off as. In fact, I remember wanting to smack her senseless for the first part of the book. But, her growth from being an insecure, teenage wallflower to a strong woman who is a Princess in more than title, is MAGNIFICENT! I love how the people around her are as responsible for her incredible transformation, at the end of Fire and Thorns, as she is. She's not perfect by the end - she's a work in progress. A butterfly emerging from it's chrysalis. For this reason, and many more I didn't list, I can hardly sit still till September. Crown of Embers is going to be epic. . . .I just know it.</span></span></div>
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<span id="freeText3923246304082771299"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">What are you waiting on???</span></span></span> </span><span id="freeText3923246304082771299"> </span></div>Arlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13036195316404359398noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2969868094116487462.post-88624809374534181172012-04-11T10:46:00.000-06:002012-04-11T11:42:55.959-06:00Waiting on Wednesday (4): REACHED by Allie Condie<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i1238.photobucket.com/albums/ff489/jensspacee/Dream%20Reads/WoW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i1238.photobucket.com/albums/ff489/jensspacee/Dream%20Reads/WoW.jpg" /></a><br />
"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by <a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/"><i>Breaking the Spine</i></a>, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. <i> </i><b style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></b><br />
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<b style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> R E A C H E D</span></b> <b><i>by Allie Condie (Matched, #3)</i></b></div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13125947-reached" target="_blank">goodreads</a></div>
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Releases November 13, 2012<br />
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<b style="color: #20124d;"><span id="freeText5061439767476805642" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Cassia faces the ultimate choices in the long-anticipated conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Matched Trilogy
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<br />After leaving Society and desperately searching for the Rising—and
each other—Cassia and Ky have found what they were looking for, but at
the cost of losing each other yet again: Cassia has been assigned to
work for the Rising from within Society, while Ky has been stationed
outside its borders. But nothing is as predicted, and all too soon the
veil lifts and things shift once again.
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<br />In this gripping conclusion to the #1 New York Times bestselling
Matched Trilogy, Cassia will reconcile the difficulties of challenging a
life too confining, seeking a freedom she never dreamed possible, and
honoring a love she cannot live without.</span></b><br />
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<b style="color: #4c1130;"><span id="freeText5061439767476805642" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I've really enjoyed this series. Book 1, MATCHED, has been my favorite - plenty of romance, angst, mystery and suspense. Book 2, CROSSED, was good too, but much slower. I admit, there were times I had a hard time picking it back up. When it was good, it was <i>really </i>good, it just wasn't consistently exciting. The cliffhanger ending was incredible and this is why I remain a fan and am anxious to get my grubby little fingers on REACHED. With everything tying up and secrets revealed and Cassia choosing which love to pursue, it promises to be an epic ending! Can't wait! I'll be reading anything Allie Condie puts out, because you can bet it's going to be quality stuff.</span></span></span></b><br />
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<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1328369941l/9794437.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1328369941l/9794437.jpg" width="132" /></a><b style="color: #4c1130;"><span id="freeText5061439767476805642" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></span></b><br />
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<b style="color: #4c1130;"><span id="freeText5061439767476805642" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">What are you waiting on??</span></span></span></span></span></b><b style="color: #4c1130;"><span id="freeText5061439767476805642" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></span></span></span></b></div>
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</div>Arlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13036195316404359398noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2969868094116487462.post-46491277789749571222012-04-05T08:53:00.000-06:002012-04-11T10:55:57.035-06:00Cover Reveal: To Ride A Púca by Heather McCorkle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://heathermccorkle.blogspot.com/">Heather McCorkle</a> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4957267.Heather_McCorkle" target="_blank">(Author of the Channeler series)</a>:</div>
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<b></b><b><span style="color: #993300;"><a href="http://heathermccorkle.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #993300;"></span></a></span><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I’m so excited to share the cover of my young adult historical fantasy novel, </span><span style="color: #993300; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13563261-to-ride-a-p-ca" target="_blank"><span style="color: #993300;">To Ride A Púca</span></a></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">,
with you. I’ve been waiting for so long to reveal the news and the
cover that it’s been driving me crazy! This novel is special to me, as
many of you know, because it felt like my heart and soul has gone into
it. It isn’t a part of the channeler series, though it is a tie-in novel
as it’s about one of Eren’s ancestors. This is a stand alone of a very
different flavor and I hope you love it as much as I do.</span></i></b><br />
<a href="http://lisanowak.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/torideapuca257esmall.jpg?w=290&h=448" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://lisanowak.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/torideapuca257esmall.jpg?w=290&h=448" width="207" /></a><span id="freeText14085621929841857014" style="color: #990000;">Invaders are coming to take what isn't theirs, again.
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<br />Neala wants to stand and fight for her homeland, but as one of the last druids, she may be standing alone.
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<br />Persecuted, hunted down, forced to live in obscurity, the druids
have all but given up. Can the determination of a girl who has barely
come into her power bring them together? Or, just when she finally finds
her place among her kind, will they end up losing a homeland their very
magic is tied to?</span></div>
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<b><i>*This novel is intended for mature teens and adults as it contains some difficult subject matter.</i></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: #990000;">Heather: </span></i></b></div>
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<i><b>I had to throw that warning in because I had one person who
was disturbed by some of the subject matter in The Secret Of Spruce
Knoll. To Ride A Púca is a much darker novel than Spruce Knoll and will
certainly not be appropriate for some readers. Slavery, oppression, and
violent situations are within this novel. It certainly falls under the
dark YA catagory. But it is also about hope, love, and belonging. It
releases this May! To add this novel to your Goodreads lists <span style="color: #993300;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13563261-to-ride-a-p-ca" target="_blank"><span style="color: #993300;">click here</span></a></span>. To pre-order a signed hardback (to ship at the end of May), <span style="color: #993300;"><a href="http://heathermccorklebooks.blogspot.com/p/to-ride-puca.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #993300;">click here</span></a></span>.</b></i></div>Arlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13036195316404359398noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2969868094116487462.post-38150951484454270402012-04-03T23:18:00.000-06:002012-04-11T10:56:48.420-06:00Waiting on Wednesday (3)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i1238.photobucket.com/albums/ff489/jensspacee/Dream%20Reads/WoW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i1238.photobucket.com/albums/ff489/jensspacee/Dream%20Reads/WoW.jpg" /></a></div>
"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by <a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/"><i>Breaking the Spine</i></a>, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. <i> </i><br />
<br />
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<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327959193l/11765920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327959193l/11765920.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>The Calling</b> <i>by Kelley Armstrong</i> </span>(Book 2 in Darkness Rising series)<br />
Release date: <b>April 10</b><br />
<span id="freeTextContainer17375881936138928836">Maya and her
friends--all of whom have supernatural powers--have been kidnapped after
fleeing from a forest fire they suspect was deliberately set, and after
a terrifying helicopter crash they find themselves pursued by evildoers
in the Vancouver Island wilderness.</span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeTextContainer17375881936138928836">What a gorgeous cover! Why can't I look like this girl?? SO not fair.</span><br />
<span id="freeTextContainer17375881936138928836">Anyway, I have been on pins and needles waiting to find out what happens after that cliffhanger from The Gathering. If you haven't read the first book, what are you waiting for? It's good. It's my understanding that quite a few mysteries get solved in this sequel. Liiiiike...what really happened at the lake the day her best friend died. </span><br />
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<span id="freeTextContainer17375881936138928836">Thankfully the wait is almost over. It's finally April and I only have a few more days of limbo. I've said it once and I'll say it again....Patience is not my greatest virtue. I think I need to only start book series that are complete and fully released. Maybe that way I'd still have fingernails. HA!</span><br />
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<span id="freeTextContainer17375881936138928836"><span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What are you waiting on??</span></span></span></span></div>
<span id="freeTextContainer17375881936138928836"><br /></span>Arlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13036195316404359398noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2969868094116487462.post-10341348975684707632012-04-02T09:16:00.002-06:002012-04-02T09:23:02.389-06:00In My Mailbox (2)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.thestorysiren.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/mailbox1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="295" src="http://www.thestorysiren.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/mailbox1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by
Kristi at <a href="http://www.thestorysiren.com/">The Story Siren.</a></span></div>
</div>
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<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1297755415l/10429067.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1297755415l/10429067.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10429067-sweet-venom"><span id="freeText1383549021154298037"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs</span></b></span></a><br />
<span id="freeText1383549021154298037">Grace just moved to San
Francisco and is excited to start over at a new school. The change is
full of fresh possibilities, but it’s also a tiny bit scary. It gets
scarier when a minotaur walks in the door. And even more shocking when a
girl who looks just like her shows up to fight the monster.
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<br />Gretchen is tired of monsters pulling her out into the wee hours,
especially on a school night, but what can she do? Sending the minotaur
back to his bleak home is just another notch on her combat belt. She
never expected to run into this girl who could be her double, though.
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<br />Greer has her life pretty well put together, thank you very much.
But that all tilts sideways when two girls who look eerily like her
appear on her doorstep and claim they're triplets, supernatural
descendants of some hideous creature from Greek myth, destined to spend
their lives hunting monsters.
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</span><br />
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<span id="freeText1383549021154298037">These three teenage
descendants of Medusa, the once-beautiful gorgon maligned by myth, must
reunite and embrace their fates in this unique paranormal world where
monsters lurk in plain sight. </span><br />
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<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1321045070l/12731861.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1321045070l/12731861.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12731861-untraceable"><span id="freeText5305517458690555231"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Untraceable by S.R. Johannes</span></b></span></a><br />
<span id="freeText5305517458690555231">16-year-old Grace has
lived in the Smokies all her life, patrolling with her forest ranger
father who taught her about wildlife, tracking, and wilderness survival.
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<br />When her dad goes missing on a routine patrol, Grace refuses to
believe he’s dead and fights the town authorities, tribal officials, and
nature to find him.
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<br />One day, while out tracking clues, Grace is rescued from danger by
Mo, a hot guy with an intoxicating accent and a secret. As her feelings
between him and her ex-boyfriend get muddled, Grace travels deep into
the wilderness to escape and find her father.
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<br />Along the way, Grace learns terrible secrets that sever
relationships and lives. Soon she’s enmeshed in a web of conspiracy,
deception, and murder. </span><span id="freeText5305517458690555231"> And it’s going to take a
lot more than a compass and a motorcycle (named Lucifer) for this
kick-butting heroine to save everything she loves.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13502884-on-fallen-wings"><span id="freeText5305517458690555231"> <b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">On Fallen Wings by Jamie McHenry</span></b></span></a><br />
<span id="freeTextContainer4571323002286986951">Faeries are supposed to be perfect.
<br />Rhiannon was. Her life was. Then her betrothed disappeared.
<br />She tried to be strong. She asked for help. There’s only so much trying and asking will do.
<br />So, she took action.
<br />That’s when everything fell apart.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span id="freeTextContainer4571323002286986951" style="color: #0b5394;"><i><b><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">what</span></b></i></span><span id="freeTextContainer4571323002286986951" style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><i><b>'s in your mailbox?</b></i></span></span></span><span id="freeTextContainer4571323002286986951"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i style="color: #0b5394;"><b><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span></b></i></span> </span></div>Arlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13036195316404359398noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2969868094116487462.post-79427025527888684192012-04-01T22:49:00.000-06:002012-04-01T23:01:03.668-06:00PROTECTED Blog Tour!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cKDd0PxdImA/T1-i3-thbsI/AAAAAAAAAPM/3iLl6xf8K0Q/s1600/button+for+protected+launch+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cKDd0PxdImA/T1-i3-thbsI/AAAAAAAAAPM/3iLl6xf8K0Q/s320/button+for+protected+launch+copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Join me here on April 23 when the tour stops here for a giveaway! Check out author<a href="http://cindymhogan.blogspot.com/p/blog-tour-for-protected.html"> Cindy M. Hogan's website for blog tour stops and giveaways!</a></div>Arlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13036195316404359398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2969868094116487462.post-58935771903743285252012-03-21T22:56:00.000-06:002012-03-23T15:09:54.592-06:00Interview and GIVEAWAY with author NATALIE STAR<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i><b>The Keeper </b></i>is Natalie Star's debut novel, which I had the pleasure of reviewing recently. <a href="http://leavemommyalone.blogspot.com/2012/03/keeper-by-natalie-star-summary-via.html">My 5 star review here.</a> Here's a little background information from the author herself:</div>
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When I'm not reading or writing, I can be found with my husband supporting my two children on th<span class="text_exposed_show">e
soccer fields. Or maybe running around with my camera taking photos
while camping and/or hiking. Or lastly, and most probable - I'm watching
movies on Netflix while simultaneously perusing Facebook. Our family resides in the state of Virginia along with our old-unintelligent-diabetic cat named Lucky. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">So, Natalie....</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: small;">*I
read that you only started getting into books about 3 yrs ago. What
was the catalyst that caused this change in your life, that drew you to
reading and writing?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif; font-style: italic;">One
word...Twilight. I read it to see what my pre-teen daughter was
reading, and that was all it took. I fell in love with the young adult
vampire genre, and began reading one novel after another. I've since
moved on from vamps, and read about other
supernaturals now :) </span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">*Where did the name of your protagonist, Billie, come from?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif; font-style: italic;">In
my mind, my main character needed to have a unisex name. One that might
upset her if she were to get picked on for it, and one that would make
her want to feel more feminine. I had my family help me compile a list
of names. Billie was the name that jumped out at me of about 25 names. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #990000; font-size: 12pt;">*Tell us about how Billie's story came about?</span>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif; font-style: italic;">In
The Keeper prologue, there is a brief scene with a young girl
experiencing something unusual. This scene was actually from a dream I
had. My imagination just took off from there.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">*One of the things I loved about Billie's character was her attitude, is she modeled after someone you know?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif; font-style: italic;">No, actually none of the characters are. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #990000; font-size: 12pt;">*Billie
is torn between 2 great guys, I imagine a love triangle is difficult to
write, is this something you've had personal experience with?</span>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif; font-style: italic;">No,
I found my husband when I was 15, and been with him ever since. I've
picked up what I know about love triangles from books, television, and
movies. I'm what you could call an emotional audience, and I have an
empathy for characters that runs deep. This carries over into my
writing.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: small;">*Your book is YA paranormal, but without the ever-popular vampires, faeries, werewolves and such, how
has the journey been getting <i>The Keeper </i>recognition?</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><b><i>It's
been a lot of work trying to get The Keeper out there. It's in a pretty
popular genre, but it's also not the typical paranormal that readers
have come to love, and on top of that, I'm a debut author and no one has
ever heard of me before. Those three things combined make it difficult,
but with bloggers and reviewers (like yourself), it helps a great deal.
I appreciate all you guys do for authors. </i></b></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">*Describe your writing process. Do you listen to music while you write? Are you in seclusion?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif; font-style: italic;">To
write I need absolute silence. I usually wait until my husband goes to
his night job, and my children go to sleep. I shut off everything except
the laptop,
and I dim the overhead lights. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">*What 5 words would you use to describe yourself.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif; font-style: italic;">Kind, helpful, frugal, silly, and fun. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">*What are your favorite books and who are your favorite authors?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif; font-style: italic;">I
LOVE young adult paranormal & urban fantasy stories! My fave
authors...too many to list, but here are some of them; Rachel Caine,
Richelle Mead, Cassandra
Clare, Maggie Stiefvater, Becca Fitzpatrick, and Julie Kagawa. </span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">*What interesting jobs have you had before becoming a published author?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="font-style: italic;">As
a teen I worked for an insurance company, ice cream shop, and held a
host of positions at the local movie theater. As an adult, my husband
was in the military for twenty years so we were constantly moving. Each
job was unique;</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="font-style: italic;">bank
teller, customer service and loan counselor/officer for a credit union.
Did a stint as a stay at home mom (best job ever - hardest, too)! I
worked d</span><span style="font-style: italic;">aycare at a gym. I was a
preschool teacher. I cleaned houses, and I worked customer service for a
tax company. Since then, to be able to keep up with my family's crazy
schedule, I only do volunteer work at the kids schools. It's not a
paycheck, but I like to help, and it gets me out of the house. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">*What are you currently working on? What's next for you?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif; font-style: italic;">The
novel I'm diligently working on right now, is the next installment in
the world of The Keeper. I can't tell you the title, it's too
spoiler-ish. I still have to submit it to the publisher, so it isn't a
done deal, far from it. Other than that, I have two more YA novels
started, but I've put them on hold for
now. I will say, one of those is the third and final story of The
Keeper. I never meant for it to be a series, it just happened. The
characters insisted on it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif; font-style: italic;">Thank you so much, Natalie! You are awesome.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif; font-style: italic;">Natalie is giving away an ebook of The
Keeper along with some signed swag. YAY! Being that I like to keep things simple, in order to enter this giveaway all you have to do is leave a comment about this interview or about the book itself at the bottom of this post. In order to be considered, you MUST be a listed follower of my blog. Contest closes March 30 at midnight. A winner will be chosen using Random.org. Open international. Buena suerte! Good luck!</span></div>
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</div>Arlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13036195316404359398noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2969868094116487462.post-3822398886158888752012-03-21T08:59:00.000-06:002012-03-22T00:01:57.304-06:00Review of WATCHED<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Watched </b><i>by Cindy M. Hogan</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Series</b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span><i style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Book 1 in Watched Series</i><br />
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<b>Summary</b><i> via Goodreads</i></div>
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<span id="freeText14776793998515349610">It takes more than a school trip to Washington, D.C. to change fifteen-year-old Christy's life. It takes murder.
<br />A witness to the brutal slaying of a Senator's aide, Christy finds
herself watched not only by the killers and the FBI, but also by two hot
boys.
<br />She discovers that if she can't help the FBI, who want to protect her, it will cost her and her new friends their lives.</span></div>
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<span id="freeText14776793998515349610"><b>My Review: 5/5</b></span></div>
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<span id="freeText14776793998515349610">Fifteen year old Christy Hadden is </span><span id="freeText14776793998515349610"> book-smart, </span><span id="freeText14776793998515349610">shy, unpopular, boring and never been kissed. That is, until she wins a scholarship that pays for 2 weeks touring Washington D.C. This trip means Christy can start fresh and be someone else for a change. Especially, when she's accepted into the circle of cool, good-looking kids, for the first time in her life. In order to maintain their acceptance, she goes against her better judgement and joins them in sneaking out of their hotel at night for a game. Things go terribly wrong when she and her new friends become witnesses to a murder. The FBI assures them that they're well protected and being watched. But, Christy knows they're not the only ones watching. With no arrests made, how safe can they be with terrorists on the loose? </span></div>
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<span id="freeText14776793998515349610">As if that isn't enough to preoccupy Christy's mind, her existence is FINALLY being noticed by the opposite sex. Not one, but TWO incredibly hot guys are vying for her attention. This can't possibly sit well with the other girls, can it? Like she doesn't have enough to worry about as it is. </span></div>
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<span id="freeText14776793998515349610">With killers closing in on her, will she survive long enough to see justice served? And with zero experience in the romance department, how can she know which guy is for her? Or if she's even READY for a relationship?</span></div>
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<span id="freeText14776793998515349610">I really and truly enjoyed this book from beginning to end. Seriously hooked from page 1! If the sequel, PROTECTED (which I'm about to begin when I'm done with this review), is as good as WATCHED, this series will be well on it's way to finding a spot on my Favorite YA Series list. </span></div>
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<span id="freeText14776793998515349610">This book has everything it needs to be a great YA book - strong protagonist, suspense, mystery, thrills, lots of action, chase scenes, intrigue, </span><span id="freeText14776793998515349610">angst and </span><span id="freeText14776793998515349610">romance.</span></div>
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<span id="freeText14776793998515349610">Cindy captures the teenage mind really well. Christy's internal dialogue was spot on with how teenagers work through wants vs. needs and begin to get a feel for the strength of their own character. She finds herself questioning what her beliefs really are. What does that make you when you believe strongly in certain principles and judge others accordingly, then when tested, discover you didn't adhere to those principles? She learns the hard way that it's easier to judge people from an outside perspective, but when you find yourself in someone else's shoes, things aren't always so clear cut or black and white.</span></div>
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<span id="freeText14776793998515349610">I really enjoyed the political element in this story, it reminded me of the movie, The Pelican Brief. I'd describe this book as a Young Adult version of TPB, but with a romantic spin. The story had intense moments and kept a great pace. All the characters were vivid, well-rounded and realistic. You WILL have your favorites! I already know which ones I'm hoping make appearances in PROTECTED. This is a really clean read that I recommend for teens AND adults. You've got to pick this one up!</span></div>
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<span id="freeText14776793998515349610">Purchase links for WATCHED:</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Watched-The-Series-ebook/dp/B00531RGXU/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1332340479&sr=1-1"><span id="freeText14776793998515349610">Amazon for 0.99! </span></a></div>
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<span id="freeText14776793998515349610"><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/watched-cindy-hogan/1100210702?ean=9780615493381&itm=2&usri=watched+by+cindy+hogan">Barnes and Noble is 0.99! </a></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span id="freeText14776793998515349610"><a href="http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/55901">Smashwords for 0.99!</a></span></div>
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<span id="freeText14776793998515349610"></span><span id="freeText14776793998515349610">Where to find Cindy M. Hogan:</span></div>
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<span id="freeText14776793998515349610"><a href="http://cindymhogan.blogspot.com/">Website</a></span></div>
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<a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/watched1"><span id="freeText14776793998515349610">Twitter </span></a></div>
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<span id="freeText14776793998515349610"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1362256498">Facebook </a></span></div>
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<span id="freeText14776793998515349610"><a href="http://watched-thebook.blogspot.com/">Blog</a></span></div>
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Cindy M Hogan graduated from BYU with a B.A. in education. She is
inspired by the unpredictable teenagers she teaches. She loves the
outdoors and spending time with her husband and two daughters. Most of
all, she loves to laugh.</div>
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<span id="freeText14776793998515349610"> </span></div>Arlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13036195316404359398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2969868094116487462.post-34092019551942922712012-03-18T22:43:00.001-06:002012-03-18T22:49:48.439-06:00IN MY MAILBOX (1)<span style="font-family: inherit;">In My Mailbox is a meme created by <a href="http://www.thestorysiren.com/" target="_blank">The Story Siren</a> and inspired by <a href="http://aleapopculture.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Alea of Pop Culture Junkie</a>!
It features a list of what books you have received over the previous
week, either for review, from the library, or from the bookstore.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Protected by Cindy M. Hogan </b>Book 2 in the WATCHED series</span><span id="freeTextContainer9863468601618961178"></span><br />
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<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1329268799l/13485427.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1329268799l/13485427.jpg" width="126" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b></b></span><span id="freeTextContainer9863468601618961178">She has the guy. The terrorists have been taken care of. She has a shot at becoming popular.
<br />Life is great!
<br />Until they find her.
<br />Now she must run and leave behind everything she knows, including herself.</span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Open Minds</b></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> <b>by Susan Kaye Quinn</b></span> Book 1 in the Open Minds series</div>
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<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1317053908l/12727768.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1317053908l/12727768.jpg" width="131" /></a><span id="freeText1629213182828171015">Sixteen-year-old Kira
Moore is a zero, someone who can’t read thoughts or be read by others.
Zeros are outcasts who can’t be trusted, leaving her no chance with Raf,
a regular mindreader and the best friend she secretly loves. When she
accidentally controls Raf’s mind and nearly kills him, Kira tries to
hide her frightening new ability from her family and an increasingly
suspicious Raf. But lies tangle around her, and she’s dragged deep into a
hidden world of mindjackers, where having to mind control everyone she
loves is just the beginning of the deadly choices before her.</span></div>
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<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1329585132l/13490531.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1329585132l/13490531.jpg" width="155" /></a><b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Undertow by Callie Kingston</span></b><span id="freeText16824401832095089909"> </span></div>
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<span id="freeText16824401832095089909"> </span><span id="freeText16824401832095089909">Marissa is nearly
eighteen and can't wait to leave behind her traumatic past. With long
time boyfriend Drake, she thinks she has her future all figured
out--until she discovers his betrayal. She flees to a desolate beach on
the wild Oregon coast hoping to escape her pain, where, overcome with
emotional and physical exhaustion, she dozes off beside a log. When the
first icy waves strike her, it is too late: a rogue wave drags her out
to sea.
Somehow she survives, and now each night she dreams of a creature
who rescues her. Determined to discover the truth, her obsession deepens
until she once again risks her life in the frigid ocean. Will the
creature Marissa seeks save her? Will she be lost forever in the eddies
of her mind, or will Jim, her new boyfriend, keep her from drowning in
the abyss?
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<span id="freeText16824401832095089909"><i><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span></b></i></span><span id="freeText16824401832095089909" style="color: red;"><i><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">What's in YOUR mailbox?</span></span></b></i></span><span style="color: red;"> </span></div>
</div>Arlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13036195316404359398noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2969868094116487462.post-81065706046062866612012-03-14T18:10:00.001-06:002012-03-18T22:47:34.329-06:00Review of THE KEEPER<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>The Keeper </b><i>by Natalie Star</i></div>
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<b>Summary<i> </i></b><i>via Goodreads</i></div>
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<i> </i><span id="freeText15402780897978944610">The morning of her
sixteenth birthday, Billie feels blessed despite the reoccurring
nightmare that wakes her. Loving parents, a caring boyfriend, and great
friends surround her until an heirloom necklace throws her into a world
she never imagined.
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<br />“Gifted” with supernatural powers and an unexpected destiny as the
Keeper, Billie and a mysterious boy from her past must work together to
find answers. But, as they begin to discover feelings for one another,
he disappears leaving her to fight evil alone. Her life spirals out of
control. She breaks up with her boyfriend, Tony, and alienates her best
friends Arianna and Jocelyn to protect them from the truth.</span></div>
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<span id="freeText15402780897978944610">As dark forces pursue
her, Billie longs to run away from it all, yet a need to do what’s right
compels her to face the future as the keeper of more than her own
fortune.</span></div>
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<span id="freeText15402780897978944610"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">My Review: 5/5</span></b></span><br />
<span id="freeText15402780897978944610"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Wow! I loved this book<b>. </b>I immediately took to Natalie Star's writing style. It was clean, simple and direct with just the right amount of description to </span></span><span id="freeText15402780897978944610">allow the reader to become submerged in the story. She had me from page one and never let me go. I'm still riding on the just-finished-a-good-book high.</span><br />
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<span id="freeText15402780897978944610">The story begins with the protagonist, Billie, turning 16. She wakes up from the same nightmare she has every year on her birthday. She does her best to shrug it off and go through her normal day at home and at school. She has 2 best friends, Arianna and Jocelyn, and a loving, attentive boyfriend, Tony. Her family life is picture perfect too. Yet, she feels like she doesn't quite fit in, she's just going through the motions. Then, an emo-type boy who's been in the same classes with Billie since Kindergarten, who she's NEVER spoken to till this day, drops a bomb on her. She's special, she's chosen......she has a destiny. And he is her Watchman. She learns his name is Tyler and he's been watching her for years, waiting till she was ready to learn the truth. From this day on, Billie's life is in upheaval. It's a roller coaster ride as she's "gifted" with multiple powers, learning to wield them to protect herself and those she loves from the evil that relentlessly pursues her. She faces all of this while trying to keep her love life straight. She's developing deep feelings for her Watchman, but can their relationship have any real future?</span><br />
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<span id="freeText15402780897978944610">Billie is a fun, cool character, someone I would've loved to have hung out with in high school. She has major attitude and is no-nonsense. She has a kind of I-don't-have-time-for-stupid-people outlook. I found it refreshing and entertaining. When she's first introduced, her attitude causes more trouble for her than good. But, as the story progresses her attitude becomes useful and is one of her many strengths. It gets her through a lot of the adversity she encounters. She's funny, honest, sarcastic and sometimes cutthroat. People should NOT get on her bad side or in her way. She's aware of her status as "bitchy girl" at school and it bothers her not one iota. But somehow it's endearing, especially with her softer side. She's very relatable. I took an instant liking to Billie and I was rooting for her all the way. </span><br />
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<span id="freeText15402780897978944610">Every one of the characters in this book is distinct and likable, even the bad ones. If you read this book and see how difficult it would've been to keep certain characters distinct, you'll recognize what a talent Natalie Star is. I don't know how many authors could've pulled off such an intricate storyline with some very complicated characters like she did. She made it flow perfectly and seem easy, and I can't help but be impressed with where her imagination and writing skills led her.</span><br />
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<span id="freeText15402780897978944610"> What I liked the most about this book were all the risks the author took with the whole storyline. The twists and turns could've proved fatal to the book in someone else's hands, but in hers, they paid off big time. I thought I had a sense of where the story might head, and then it would end up somewhere totally different than I expected, in a good way. It wasn't predictable, but a continuity was maintained and she stayed true to the story and the characters to the very end. I also got the closure I'm always looking for at the end of a book. I'm definitely picking up whatever Natalie Star releases next. </span><br />
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<span id="freeText15402780897978944610">There is some mild language, the "s" </span><span id="freeText15402780897978944610">word is used a few times, and the intimate scenes, though steamy, were kept to what I'd call a PGish rating. I'd say they were HOT as well as</span><span id="freeText15402780897978944610"> tastefully done. I recommend this book to jr. high aged kids and adults. Very fun and enjoyable!</span><br />
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<span id="freeText15402780897978944610">Purchase links for THE KEEPER:</span><br />
<span id="freeText15402780897978944610"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Keeper-ebook/dp/B006TKEX30/ref=cm_rdp_product">Amazon</a></span><br />
<span id="freeText15402780897978944610"><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-keeper-natalie-star/1108160443?ean=2940032976547&itm=2&usri=natalie+star">Barnes and Noble</a></span><br />
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<span id="freeText15402780897978944610">Where to find NATALIE STAR:</span><br />
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<span style="color: #3b5998;"><a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/iamjustnatalie">Twitter</a></span></div>
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<a href="http://authornataliestar.blogspot.com/">Blog</a></div>
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<span style="color: #3b5998;"><a href="http://www.authornataliestar.com/">Website</a></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/iamjustnatalie">Facebook</a></div>Arlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13036195316404359398noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2969868094116487462.post-33577524910551187332012-03-13T12:36:00.001-06:002012-03-18T22:46:59.294-06:00Kid History Episode 8<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/TNqdRiJIqII?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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These guys crack me up!</div>Arlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13036195316404359398noreply@blogger.com0