FREE YA Audiobooks for the summer!

I personally am a huge fan of audiobooks.  I was a LONG commuter for a few years and audiobooks helped keep me sane while stuck in hours-long traffic jams.  Audiobooks are great for summer road trips or laying out by the pool/beach.  So of course when I heard about SYNC I had to share it with you!! So awesome! 

SYNC is a free summer audiobook program for young adults. From May 15^th to August 13^th, SYNC gives away two complete audiobook downloads a week – a current young adult title along with a thematically paired classic or required summer reading title. Sign up for email and text alerts and be first to know when new titles are available to download at www.audiobooksync.com.

So fabulous! I can't wait until May 15th. The SNYC title lineup looks pretty awesome to me and I am looking forward to listening to novels written by Eoin Colfer, James Patterson , Agatha Christie, William Shakespeare, Ally Carter, L.M. Montgomery, Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, Arthur Conan Doyle, Elizabeth Wein... etc!

If you haven't ever heard an audiobook go preview the titles here!  It will give you a small taste of what each book will sound like.

ENJOY!

A Snicker of Magic

A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd 
Genre: Mid-Grade (Family/Friendship, Fantasy & Magic)
Publication Date: February 25th 2014         
Publisher:  Scholastic Press 
Age Range: 8-12+
Pages: 320
Book Source: Review Galley from Scholastic
 

Synopsis (via Goodreads): Introducing an extraordinary new voice---a magical debut that will make your skin tingle, your eyes glisten . . .and your heart sing.

Midnight Gulch used to be a magical place, a town where people could sing up thunderstorms and dance up sunflowers. But that was long ago, before a curse drove the magic away. Twelve-year-old Felicity knows all about things like that; her nomadic mother is cursed with a wandering heart.

But when she arrives in Midnight Gulch, Felicity thinks her luck's about to change. A "word collector," Felicity sees words everywhere---shining above strangers, tucked into church eves, and tangled up her dog's floppy ears---but Midnight Gulch is the first place she's ever seen the word "home." And then there's Jonah, a mysterious, spiky-haired do-gooder who shimmers with words Felicity's never seen before, words that make Felicity's heart beat a little faster.

Felicity wants to stay in Midnight Gulch more than anything, but first, she'll need to figure out how to bring back the magic, breaking the spell that's been cast over the town . . . and her mother's broken heart.

Peppermint Pattie's Review:

This story caught me up in it’s magic right from the beginning.  Felicity Pickle, a collector of words, needs disparately to find the lost magic of Midnight Gulch and break the curse that keeps her family forever wandering.  This was an awesome first book from Natalie Lloyd.  It left me happy in the heart. I can hardly wait to read more from her. 
 
Grade: 

Welcome Peppermint Pattie!

For years I have run this blog on my own, but have always invited my book-loving family and/or friends to post reviews of books on my site if they are interested.  I enjoy this hobby and I am always trying it share it with others.  I finally have a taker!

Introducing...

Peppermint Pattie!

Peppermint Pattie has a passion for reading and is excited to share her love of books with you! 

Currently Peppermint Pattie spends a lot of time reading board books (to her new grandbabies), but her favorite genre is murder mystery novels.   However, Peppermint Pattie can be persuaded to read a variety of clean, engaging novels outside of that genre.  She enjoys fiction and nonfiction alike.   She was recently convinced to read The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater and loved it.   

 
Peppermint Pattie will be posting occasional reviews, or whatever else she feels like saying in regards to books. 

Welcome Peppermint Pattie!

Maze Runner Movie Trailer!

I read James Dashner's Maze Runner books pretty much as they were published (or earlier!)... so of course I was excited they were making it into a movie.  But with the -blah-  recently produced out of all the YA-book to movie attempts I was a little worried about how it might turn out. (I mean honestly, I read the Divergent book series and the trailers don't even make me the tiniest bit excited about that movie).  But the Maze Runner trailer seems to have settled those fears for me.  *crossing-my-fingers* that the movie turns out well!  I don't know who any of the actors are (which I think is a good thing) and it looks like they may have a done a decent job on it... It will probably be a cliff-notes and less gruesome version of the books. I hope it does work out well because I enjoyed the series.  It can't be worse than what they did to Twilight...

CHECK IT OUT!

Haven't read the Maze Runner Trilogy yet?? 

Check out my reviews below!

The Maze Runner

The Scorch Trials

The Death Cure

Kindle Fire HDX Giveaways!

There are 2 Kindles being given away
(or if preferred the winners can choose a $229 Amazon Gift Card or $229 in Paypal Cash)


To enter to win the 1st Kindle Fire HDX you use the rafflecopter form:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/0a00961232/" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway



There is a second Kindle Fire HDX (or gift card or paypal cash being given away).  This one is available only to those who post about the giveaway on their blog.  You can post anytime from now until April 15th!

Go check out I am A Reader's Blog for more details and to enter!

Feeling Lucky? Bag-o-Swag giveaway!

Over the handful of years of I have been book blogging I have collected a lot SWAG (see picture).

Which is awesome.

BUT all of the swag has been hanging in a book bag in my spare closet. Collecting dust.

Shameful!

And I have come to realize there won't really be a time in my life (or at least not the near future) where I will have a place to put all of the random bookmarks, posters, buttons, etc that I have collected.

However, I am SURE there is someone out there in the blog-o-sphere who has THE WALL.

You know the one.

The wall that is covered with all of their favorite inspiration things; quotes, pictures, book jackets, autographs, etc. (I had THE WALL as a teenager. It was madness and I loved it).

Therefore, I want someone to ENJOY my bag-o-swag.  I picked out a handful of precious (to me) items and I am giving the rest away! It is nothing fancy, but there are some fun autographs in there; Lauren Oliver, Jeri Smith-Ready, Kelley Armstrong, Melissa Marr, Alyson Noel, Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl, Lisa Desrochers, Kiki Hamilton, Sophie Jordan, Kirsten Hubbard, etc..

Just enter the rafflectoper below for a chance to win.  And if you do win and just happen to have THE WALL you should let me know.  I would totally love to show it off on the blog after you have received a boost of my collected swag for your collection.

ENJOY.


 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Knight Assassin Release Day!

Today is release day for four amazing Entangled Teen titles and I am excited to share one of them with you! Today Knight Assassin is on sale for just $.99 for a limited time so be sure to pick up your copy before it goes back to full price!

 

About the Book

Title: Knight Assassin

Author: Rima Jean

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Pub. Date: March 4, 2014

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, B&N

Seventeen-year-old Zayn has special powers she cannot control—powers that others fear and covet. Powers that cause the Templar Knights to burn Zayn’s mother at the stake for witchcraft. 

When a mysterious stranger tempts Zayn to become the first female member of the heretical Assassins, the chance to seek her revenge lures her in. She trains to harness her supernatural strength and agility, and then enters the King of Jerusalem's court in disguise with the assignment to assassinate Guy de Molay, her mother’s condemner. 

But once there, she discovers Earic Goodwin, the childhood friend who still holds her heart, among the knights—and his ocean-blue eyes don’t miss a thing. Will vengeance be worth the life of the one love she has left? 

Find Rima Online:

Website | Twitter | Goodreads

Belated Book Birthday: The Shadow Throne

Oops! I missed a good one.  

One of the books I have been highly anticipating was released yesterday. 

Wahoo! A day late, but its the thought that counts .... right?!

Happy Book Birthday!!

The Shadow Throne (Ascendance Trilogy Series #3) 
by Jennifer A. Nielsen

One war.
Too many deadly battles.
Can a king save his kingdom, when his own survival seems unlikely?

War has come to Carthya. It knocks at every door and window in the land. And when Jaron learns that King Vargan of Avenia has kidnapped Imogen in a plot to bring Carthya to its knees, Jaron knows it is up to him to embark on a daring rescue mission. But everything that can go wrong does.

His friends are flung far and wide across Carthya and its neighbouring lands. In a last-ditch effort to stave off what looks to be a devastating loss for the kingdom, Jaron undertakes what may be his last journey to save everything and everyone he loves. But even with his lightning-quick wit, Jaron cannot forestall the terrible danger that descends on him and his country. Along the way, will he lose what matters most? And in the end, who will sit on Carthya's throne?

Rousing and affecting, Jaron's adventures have thrilled and moved readers in The False Prince and The Runaway King. Journey once again with the Ascendant King of Carthya, as New York Times bestselling author Jennifer A. Nielsen brings his story to a stunning conclusion with The Shadow Throne.

Goodreads

B&N

Amazon

Jennifer A. Nielsen's Blog

Waiting on Wednesday (59): Death Sworn

Time for "Waiting On Wednesday" weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine! Waiting on Wednesday spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating! 

 

 

  Coming Soon...

 

 

Death Sworn by Leah Cypess

To Be Published: March 4th 2014 by Greenwillow

 

When Ileni lost her magic, she lost everything: her place in society, her purpose in life, and the man she had expected to spend her life with. So when the Elders sent her to be magic tutor to a secret sect of assassins, she went willingly, even though the last two tutors had died under mysterious circumstances.

But beneath the assassins’ caves, Ileni will discover a new place and a new purpose… and a new and dangerous love. She will struggle to keep her lost magic a secret while teaching it to her deadly students, and to find out what happened to the two tutors who preceded her. But what she discovers will change not only her future, but the future of her people, the assassins… and possibly the entire world.

 

 

My Ramblings on Death Sworn: I have not ever read anything by Leah Cypess, but I know that her Mistwood series is popular.  This new Death Sworn series sounds pretty interesting and I like the cover art!  Magic, assassins, lost love... sounds like a fun read to me! I am game.  Only a few more days and this one will be hitting the shelves!

 

 

Olivia and the Fairy Princesses

Olivia and the Fairy Princesses by Ian Falconer

Genre: Picture Book
Publication Date: August 28th 2012 by Atheneum Books for Young Readers 
 Publisher:  Atheneum Books
Age Range: Children +
Pages: 40
Book Source: Baby shower gift!
 

Synopsis (via Goodreads): In this picture book starring the world’s most imaginative pig, Olivia embarks upon a quest for identity with very lofty goals—and being a princess is NOT one of them! Olivia is having an identity crisis! There are too many ruffly, sparkly princesses around these days, and Olivia has had quite enough. She needs to stand out! She has to be special! She wants to do more than just fit in! So what will she be?
 
Join Olivia on a hilarious quest for individuality, and rest assured, you won’t find THIS pig pleased to be in pink!

Scoot’s Review:

Having just recently started reading picture books again (yay for a newborn expanding my horizons) I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  Olivia is a spunky girl (pig), with a personality that stands out.  Olivia wants to be unique and the story follows her mental journey through a day of deciding what she wanted to "be".  As an adult reading a lot of infant board-books it was refreshing to read a story to my three month old that didn't rhyme and had 'big' words.  Any children's book with the word corporate malfeasance is generally going to make me smile.  As for my little listener she seems to enjoy the mostly black and white art work with splashes of red and pink.  This is a book I don't mind reading to her again and I enjoyed the moral of the story; be yourself, be unique and dream big! If you haven't already tried an Olivia book for your young reader be sure to check them out.  Olivia and the Fairy Princesses is a great way to start.  

Grade: 

Waiting on Wednesday (58): Dreams of Gods & Monsters

Time for "Waiting On Wednesday" weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine! Waiting on Wednesday spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating! 

 

 

  Coming Soon...

 

 

Dreams of Gods & Monsters (Daughter of Smoke & Bone #3) by Laini Taylor

To Be Published: April 8th 2014 by Little, Brown & Company          

 

 

By way of a staggering deception, Karou has taken control of the chimaera rebellion and is intent on steering its course away from dead-end vengeance. The future rests on her, if there can even be a future for the chimaera in war-ravaged Eretz.

Common enemy, common cause.

When Jael's brutal seraph army trespasses into the human world, the unthinkable becomes essential, and Karou and Akiva must ally their enemy armies against the threat. It is a twisted version of their long-ago dream, and they begin to hope that it might forge a way forward for their people.

And, perhaps, for themselves. Toward a new way of living, and maybe even love.

But there are bigger threats than Jael in the offing. A vicious queen is hunting Akiva, and, in the skies of Eretz ... something is happening. Massive stains are spreading like bruises from horizon to horizon; the great winged stormhunters are gathering as if summoned, ceaselessly circling, and a deep sense of wrong pervades the world.

What power can bruise the sky?

From the streets of Rome to the caves of the Kirin and beyond, humans, chimaera and seraphim will fight, strive, love, and die in an epic theater that transcends good and evil, right and wrong, friend and enemy.

At the very barriers of space and time, what do gods and monsters dream of? And does anything else matter?

 

 

My Ramblings on Dreams of Gods & Monsters: There is not really too much you can say about this book without spoiling the other two... but I AM SO EXCITED that reading it is just around the corner! I loved the first two books and can't wait to find out the conclusion.  I am actually going to be a little sad that it is over because the characters/world building is SO GOOD. Love it.  The cover is a bit 'meh', but I am sure the story inside will be amazing.  Can't wait!!

 

 

Family of three + a dog! And still reading..

This past year I have taken a pretty long hiatus from book blogging.  All in the name of one sweet baby girl!  I am so excited to be a new mother and I love spending time with my precious girl. 

But now I am back at work again and it looks like life has organized itself into somewhat of a routine.  So for now, I am back to blogging again! My book blog is a hobby and I occasionally get burned out/tired of the hassle... but I feel a lot of energy and excitement about it again, so I want to get back into the swing of things! My love for reading never fades, so even when I am not posting about books I am still reading them.  I am looking forward to sharing my book-reading-journey with you again!

And just for fun I may throw some infant/toddler books on here too. Because, lets be honest - I am reading A LOT of those now.  And I have discovered that not all board books are created equal.