"One for me and one for you" Giveaway Winner!

Random.org has spoken!

Congrats to Lisa McGeen from Books, Kids, Animals and More! 

You won my extra copy of
Running Around and Such by Linda Byler

I will be sending you an email shortly. Thanks to all who particpiated!

Waiting On Wednesday (19)

Time for the"Waiting On Wednesday" weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine.

Waiting on Wednesday spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating!

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Desires Of The Dead

by Kimberly Derting

To be Published: February 15, 2011

The missing dead call to Violet. They want to be found.

When Violet Ambrose's morbid ability to sense the echoes of those who've been murdered leads her to the body of a young boy, she draws the attention of the FBI. She is reluctantly pulled into an investigation that will endanger more than just her secret...but her relationship and possibly her life as well.

---------------

I cannot wait for this book! I just read The Body Finder last week and loved it ... so I am very glad I don't have to wait an entire year before reading what happens next. =)

What book are YOU waiting on?

Book Bargains

I was browsing Amazon doing some last minute Christmas shopping when I ran across the Bargian Books section.  How did I not know that this existed? There are A TON of great books out there right now for super great prices.  Some of the great deals are below and I couldn't resist sharing. Check 'em out!

Need by Carrie Jones

Paperback = $4.00

Kindle Edition = $1.99!

Dragonhaven by Robin McKinley

Paperback = $4.00

The Red Queen’s Daughter by Jacqueline Kolosov

Hardcover = $3.68

The Black Tattoo by Sam Enthoven

Hardcover $4.38

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

Hardcover $6.47

The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima

Hardcover $7.20

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

Hardcover $6.80

Contest Alert: Epic Contest of Epic

Remember This?

Of course you do. How could you forget?

Well I really want to read Across the Universe and have been waiting anxiously for it to come out so I can snag a copy of it. (not much longer to wait!) In the mean time I just found out that Beth is hosting an Epic Contest of Epic where you can win one of ONE HUNDRED prize packs ... many of them including an ARC of Across The Universe and one offering a finished copy! *gasp*

CLICK HERE NOW for your chance to win one of her awesome prizes! Hurry up because this contest is closed on December 20th.

love love love.

Contest Alert: Win a shiny new Amazon Kindle WiFi!

Have you seen The Nerd's Wife blog? 

If you haven't you should. 

Her blog is awesome!

In celebration of The Nerd's Wife's one year blogoversary Arena is giving away an Amazon Kindle and lots of signed books!  Go here for your chance to win!

"Random chance seems to have operated in our favor" -- Spock

2011 YA Historical Fiction Challenge

I am joining another 2011 challenge! This one is the YA Historical Fiction Challenge hosted by YA Bliss.  I am joining up at the 2nd level: 10 YA Historical Fiction novels in 2011.   Below are the books I am hoping to read for this challenge in no particular order.  Most of these novels will be brand new to me, but a couple of them I did read ages ago; years before starting this blog.  I am hoping to reread them so I can remember the stories and post a review on my thoughts.  I love historical fiction so I am really excited about this challenge! In fact, if I don't end up reading the books on this list I have a whole set of books waiting to be 'alternates'. Wahoo!

 

1. Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson
2. Cate of the Lost Colony by Lisa M. Klein
3. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
4. Wildwing by Emily Whitman
5. The Boy In the Striped Pajamas by  John Boyne
6. Star-Crossed by Linda Collison
7. The Tamarack Tree by Patricia Clapp
8. The Last Silk Dress by Ann Rinaldi
9. Once by Morris Gleitzman
10. Viking Warrior by Judson Roberts

Final Exams!

This week you might not hear from me much because it is FINAL EXAM WEEK.

However, on the plus side this is my last week of final exams EVER! I graduate from college on Friday!!

It has been years in the making and I am so excited to finally be done.  I just have to make it through the next four days of horrible exams and then I am FREE!

Good luck to everyone else out there taking exams this week!

Waiting On Wednesday (18)

Time for the"Waiting On Wednesday" weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine.

Waiting on Wednesday spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating!

 This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Warped

by Maurissa Guibord

To be Published: January 11, 2011

Tessa doesn't believe in magic. Or Fate. But there's something weird about the dusty unicorn tapestry she discovers in a box of old books. She finds the creature woven within it compelling and frightening. After the tapestry comes into her possession, Tessa experiences dreams of the past and scenes from a brutal hunt that she herself participated in. When she accidentally pulls a thread from the tapestry, Tessa releases a terrible centuries old secret. She also meets William de Chaucy, an irresistible 16th-century nobleman. His fate is as inextricably tied to the tapestry as Tessa's own. Together, they must correct the wrongs of the past. But then the Fates step in, making a tangled mess of Tessa's life. Now everyone she loves will be destroyed unless Tessa does their bidding and defeats a cruel and crafty ancient enemy.

---------------

 This book sounds like a blend of time travel and magic.  Just my cup of tea!  I also LOVE the cover. 

What book are YOU waiting on?

Happy Dance!

I am pumped!

I just went out to netGalley to see if there were any new titles for review and I spotted Outside In by Maria V. Snyder!!!!!!!  I pretty much love all things Maria V. Snyder and I read Inside Out before starting this blog.  I don't have an official review posted for it... but if you have not read it yet, go read it! I really enjoyed it and I am thrilled to have an ARC of the sequel months in advance. Woop!!

If you are a netGalley reviewer go grab your copy and start reading it!!

Thank you netGalley & Harlequin Teen!!

Giveaway: One for me and one for you! Running Around and Such by Linda Byler

A while ago I won a copy of Running Around and Such by Linda Byler.  I received the book shortly after winning it and it has been sitting on my never-ending-TBR pile ever since.  Randomly a second copy of the same book mysteriously showed up in the mail a few weeks later!  I obviously don't need two copies of the same book so I am giving this one to you!  Just fill out the form below if you are interested in winning!  I have not read this book yet, but I usually enjoy this type of story.  The book currently has around 3.5 stars at Goodreads.

Check it out:

Amazon

Goodreads

The Book Depository 

Giveaway Guidelines:
-Don't have to be a blog follower
-Must be over 13 with a valid US mailing address (Sorry for all of my international peeps this one is just for the US; Christmas is getting close and funds are getting tight!)
-Ends December 19, 2010

In My Mailbox (14)

"In My Mailbox" is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren! 

This week I received a bunch of great books in the mail, got one book from the library and made one purchase. It feels like Christmas came early! :) 

Sources:

Contest Prize
Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld 

Crusade by Nancy Holder

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Hollow by Jessica Verday

Skinned by Robin Wasserman

Losing Faith by Denise Jaden

Purchased

Decision Points by George W. Bush

(This book is actually for the Hubs, but I included it anyway. :) )

Library

  The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

What's in your mailbox?

Across the Universe Trailer!

Have you seen this yet?

I can't wait to read this!

Heavenly: Heavenly 1

Author:  Jennifer Laurens
Genre:  Young Adult – Fantasy/Romance
Publication Date: August 15, 2009
Age Range:  Young-Adult
Pages:  296
Date Scoot Read: November 2010
Source: Paperback from Jennifer Laurens for review

Scoot's Rating:  8- Really good!

Synopsis (via Goodreads): I met someone who changed everything. Matthias. My autistic sister's guardian angel. Honest. Inspiring. Funny. Hot. And immortal. That was the problem. What could I do? I did what any other girl would do-I fell in love with him. Zoe's sister darts in front of cars. Her brother's a pothead. Her parents are so overwhelmed; they don't see Zoe lost in her broken life. Zoe escapes the only way she knows how: partying. Matthias, a guardian sent from Heaven, watches over Zoe's autistic sister. After Zoe is convinced he's legit, angel and lost girl come together in a love that changes destiny. But Heaven on Earth can't last forever.

Scoot’s Review:

In Heavenly you jump right into the hectic life of Zoe.  She is a teenager struggling to find her place in the world along with her autistic sister and drug-addicted younger brother.  With parents who care, but are oblivious to their children’s struggles, Zoe turns to hard partying for comfort.  The downward spiral of her life is thrown off course when she meets Matthias.  Matthias is a mysterious young man who keeps showing up just when her autistic sister is on the brink of danger.  Thus begins Zoe’s change of heart.  I found this book to be a refreshing change of pace from the angel themed books I have read lately.  Like it states on the Heavenly swag, ‘real angels don’t fall’.  I really liked how Matthias was GOOD and pure, and how Zoe wanted to be a better person because of him.  I also liked how Zoe was protective of her siblings and truly cared for them, even if she didn’t always go about showing it in the best ways.  As for writing style, I found the plot easy to follow and it flowed well.  The secondary characters were well developed and they each had their own unique personality, even the total creepers.  Also, the evil spirits = very CREEPY.  A good read!  I will be hunting down the sequel to find out what happens next.

YA content warnings: underage drinking, drug references, sexual references.

Cha-Cha your way on over to the Book Blogger Hop!

The Book Blogger Hop is a weekly event hosted by Crazy For Books!

"This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books!"

This week's question is:

 "What very popular and hyped book in the blogosphere did you NOT enjoy and how did you feel about posting your review?"

 

There are a small handful of books that are super popular and 'hyped' up that I am not a big fan of.  The one that stands out the most to me is Fallen by Lauren Kate.  Everyone seems to love this book ... me not so much.  I am sure it is an awesome story for some people, but I just didn't enjoy it. However, I do have to say the cover is amazing.  When I post a not-so-happy review for a book I do feel a little bad, just because I am a natural 'peacemaker' and I don't want to ever hurt anyone's feelings.  Honestly though, when you read as many books as we book bloggers do you are bound to NOT like some of them.  Not every book is perfect for every person. Sometimes I just don't like something and I try to be honest about it. That doesn't necessarily mean the book is bad, it is just not for me! 

 

 How about you?

Leaving Paradise: Leaving Paradise 1

Author: Simone Elkeles
Genre:  Young Adult - Romance
Publication Date: April 1, 2007
Age Range: Young Adult
Pages:  303
Date Scoot Read: November 2010
Source: Paperback Library Book

Scoot's Rating:  5- It was ok.

Synopsis (via Goodreads): Nothing has been the same since Caleb Becker left a party drunk, got behind the wheel, and hit Maggie Armstrong. Even after months of painful physical therapy, Maggie walks with a limp. Her social life is nil and a scholarship to study abroad—her chance to escape everyone and their pitying stares—has been canceled.

After a year in juvenile jail, Caleb’s free . . . if freedom means endless nagging from a transition coach and the prying eyes of the entire town. Coming home should feel good, but his family and ex-girlfriend seem like strangers.

Caleb and Maggie are outsiders, pigeon-holed as "criminal" and "freak." Then the truth emerges about what really happened the night of the accident and, once again, everything changes. It’s a bleak and tortuous journey for Caleb and Maggie, yet they end up finding comfort and strength from a surprising source: each other.

Scoot’s Review:

I enjoyed reading another of Simone Elkeles books so I picked this up after reading the intriguing synopsis.  Sadly, I was disappointed with the writing.  It started out well, keeping up a good pace and throwing you right into life after a year in prison for Caleb and life after the accident for Maggie.  The idea of Caleb and Maggie coming together despite everything appealed to the hopeless romantic in me.  Their romance was sweet and I enjoyed it, but the rest of the story just seemed way too rushed.  I felt like Simone had a major deadline she was pushing for and she just wanted the book to be done fast.  Huge chunks of the story seemed poorly thrown together or barely grazed over.  I did like Caleb and Maggie and as the story progresses you learn what really happened on the horrible night of the hit-and-run.  There were enough plot twists and unsolved ends to keep you reading, but overall I was not impressed with this book.  I might just pass the sequel right on by.

YA content warnings: sexual references, crude language, underage drinking, mild sensuality

Gratitude Giveaway Winner!

Thanks for making the gratitude giveaway a huge success!
There were 242 individial entries with 726 chances to win. Wowsers.

Random.org selected the winner to be #82... Karen Senoo!

 

 

Karen you win a copy of The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima, if i stay by Gayle Forman, and The Maze Runner by James Dashner!  I will be emailing you shortly.  Please respond within 48 hrs or I will have to choose another winner!  Congratulations! 

Waiting On Wednesday (17)

Time for the"Waiting On Wednesday" weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine.

Waiting on Wednesday spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating!

 This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Unlocked

by Ryan G. Van Cleave

To be Published: March 1, 2011

Andy is the janitor's son, an outcast, a nobody. Then the rumor starts—that Blake has a gun in his locker. In a moment of misguided hopefulness, Andy steals the keys from his dad and opens up Blake's locker, hoping that finding the gun will change his own status. But the gun isn't there and Andy remains an outcast. When an unlikely friendship develops between the two loners, Blake shares most of his secrets with Andy, including the gun. But there's one secret that worries Andy more than anything—the date circled on Blake's calendar. Does Blake have something planned? Something that Andy can prevent? In a fascinating look at how teens deal with the now constant threat of school violence, debut author Ryan G. Van Cleave provides a unique, emotional perspective on how it feels to be the one who can prevent a tragedy.

---------------

 

I think this book sounds very compelling.  It is one of the author debut novels for 2011 and I am really looking forward to reading it!

What book are YOU waiting on?

The Scorch Trials: Maze Runner 2

Author: James Dashner
Genre: Young Adult – Fiction/Dystopian
Publication Date: October 12, 2010
Age Range: Young Adult
Pages:  360
Date Scoot Read: November 2010
Source: Hardcover Library Book

Scoot's Rating:  10 – Amazing! Loved it. Read it now!

Synopsis (via Goodreads): Solving the Maze was supposed to be the end. No more puzzles. No more variables. And no more running. Thomas was sure that escape meant he and the Gladers would get their lives back. But no one really knew what sort of life they were going back to.

In the Maze, life was easy. They had food, and shelter, and safety . . . until Teresa triggered the end. In the world outside the Maze, however, the end was triggered long ago.

Burned by sun flares and baked by a new, brutal climate, the earth is a wasteland. Government has disintegrated—and with it, order—and now Cranks, people covered in festering wounds and driven to murderous insanity by the infectious disease known as the Flare, roam the crumbling cities hunting for their next victim . . . and meal.

The Gladers are far from finished with running. Instead of freedom, they find themselves faced with another trial. They must cross the Scorch, the most burned-out section of the world, and arrive at a safe haven in two weeks. And WICKED has made sure to adjust the variables and stack the odds against them.

Thomas can only wonder—does he hold the secret of freedom somewhere in his mind? Or will he forever be at the mercy of WICKED?

Scoot’s Review:
James Dashner has done it again.  If you thought The Maze Runner was great, The Scorch Trials will knock your socks off.  I started this book with the intention to read it for ‘just a minute’ before bed and then I couldn’t put it down.  Where was the “book-crack” warning label?  I read The Scorch Trials in one sitting because it was fast paced and intense.  Starting directly after the end of The Maze Runner we are thrown back into the post-apocalyptic world with Thomas, Teresa, and the few remaining Gladers ... But something is wrong and everyone is thrown back into a fight for their lives.  This book was full of non-stop action, terrifying new twists and creatures from WICKED.  Heartrending moments and betrayals coming from all angles make this is a frustrating read – in an entirely good way.  Along the way we meet a few new faces and see the characters we already know and love develop in unexpected ways.  Needless to say The Scorch Trials was an all around great read and I can’t wait for the third book to be released next year, The Death Cure.

Haul-idays giveway by Chronicle Books

Ok, I couldn't resist.  I am a big fan of online shopping and if I am online shopping for books it is even better! So I am taking Chronicle Books up on their challenge to create a shopping list of their books valued up to $500 for a chance to win them. Yes you heard that right - $500! That is A LOT of books. How would you like to win this haul?  I sure would! I am sure you would too, so make sure to comment on this post for a chance to win all of the great books below! One lucky blogger will be chosen and then one person who comments on that lucky blogger's post will win. *crossingfingersforluck* Go here if you are interested in creating your own list or for more details! The last day to submit entries is December 10th. Thank you Reading is Dreamy for giving me the heads up! Good luck everyone! 

Scoot's Chronicle Books Wish-List (Total Value: $495.21):

The Sock Monkey & Friends Kit By Samantha Fisher and Cary Lane

 

Land + Air + Water: Triptych Journal Collection By Susie Ghahremani

   

Day & Night By Teddy Newton

The Wildlife of Star Wars By Terryl Whitlatch and Bob Carrau

Disneystrology By Lisa Finander

The Art of Toy Story 3 By Charles Solomon Preface by John Lasseter Foreword by Lee Unkrich and Darla K. Anderson

The Art of Pixar Short Films By Amid Amidi Foreword by John Lasseter

 

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies By Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith

Scribble It! By Taro Gomi

 

The Space Between Trees By Katie Williams

Chuck Dugan Is AWOL By Eric Chase Anderson

Olive, the Other Reindeer Written and illustrated by J.otto Seibold and Vivian Walsh

 

Pom-Pom Pals By Michelle Tilly

Sparky By Beverly Gherman

I'll See You In the Morning By Mike Jolley Illustrated by Mique Mariuchi

Prisoners in the Palace By Michaela MacColl

Masterpuppet Theatre Created by Mike Rogalski

Android Karenina By Leo Tolstoy and Ben H. Winters

The Magic Flute Retold by Anne Gatti Illustrated by Peter Malone

The Beatles Anthology By The Beatles

Gratitude Journal

Blackbird Bakery Gluten-Free By Karen Morgan Photographs by Knoxy

Amy Butler's Style Stitches By Amy Butler Photographs by David Butler

The Present By Bob Gill

The Small Object: Today Is Super Journal By Sarah Neuburger

Masha & Friends By Suzy Ultman