tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38580148047068087402024-03-18T23:08:33.050-05:00The Caffeinated ReaderSteph @ The Caffeinated Readerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13572676307512574805noreply@blogger.comBlogger60125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858014804706808740.post-87786324753656648032013-01-26T15:39:00.000-06:002013-01-26T15:41:47.776-06:00In My Mailbox <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie5SXH0-XYT51qbQl5jIaifw4cgUoWvsBmFw6f2nVBd-idStlVCFfH7DZ4awWL_tHaLYK9B4X2KpWUlCcaf2fteT5ObTEmCWOGHa9jZA536uKUxSnJ1WVK2_rdBIiYxAJzfWCBp56_geIG/s1600/imm.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie5SXH0-XYT51qbQl5jIaifw4cgUoWvsBmFw6f2nVBd-idStlVCFfH7DZ4awWL_tHaLYK9B4X2KpWUlCcaf2fteT5ObTEmCWOGHa9jZA536uKUxSnJ1WVK2_rdBIiYxAJzfWCBp56_geIG/s320/imm.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In My Mailbox (IMM) is a weekly post hosted by Kristi </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">at <span style="background-color: white; color: #3d85c6;"><b><a href="http://www.thestorysiren.com/" style="background-color: white;" target="_blank">The Story Siren</a></b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><b> <u style="text-decoration: underline;">Purchased</u></b></b></span></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs1xCG5Px0_83V-tpNSVTQRkErZRStmBC6f0JhtV7I7WrhpVE2J8MHU1DjkRyvq6TRjnDI9eNWgUtfykvgckg2Ool-g38FRCXRn97khgk1hE7DdzGlTpClfeWoNFpXriCqEC8Dq8p7Ewru/s1600/7488244.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLH3KPCWKEe8FOw_qIxo-ITXBtasl344YAt3Dva4_7s1UAL-Q5EZipEH1RgbxsvV4oj183PJdzPDMXviCy3JYypSSkvzHcwZHqGTFr3Z-eATg3k_us_1yVgN7BU1hh2U5Tyn5C2Yg-eMmD/s1600/11563110.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLH3KPCWKEe8FOw_qIxo-ITXBtasl344YAt3Dva4_7s1UAL-Q5EZipEH1RgbxsvV4oj183PJdzPDMXviCy3JYypSSkvzHcwZHqGTFr3Z-eATg3k_us_1yVgN7BU1hh2U5Tyn5C2Yg-eMmD/s400/11563110.jpg" width="263" /></a><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs1xCG5Px0_83V-tpNSVTQRkErZRStmBC6f0JhtV7I7WrhpVE2J8MHU1DjkRyvq6TRjnDI9eNWgUtfykvgckg2Ool-g38FRCXRn97khgk1hE7DdzGlTpClfeWoNFpXriCqEC8Dq8p7Ewru/s400/7488244.jpg" width="263" /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Aren't these covers absolutely gorgeous?! I'm reading Unearthly right now and am LOVING it! I don't know why I put off reading this series for so long, but you will definitely be seeing a fangirling post on it in the near future. Love love love. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>What did you find in your mailbox this week? Let me know in the comments :)</b></span></div>
Steph @ The Caffeinated Readerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13572676307512574805noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858014804706808740.post-27640710245024606472013-01-26T15:22:00.000-06:002013-01-26T15:22:39.043-06:00If I Lie by Corrine Jackson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq-nryC5JDBT20yhf6c3dRMMSQRecyx1vbOCmzACvNQgRyUh90RsC0d8YuR_IZefor96ynCXFqMEeUeuwNpCTrbr-In1MhYFZ8RxArO6bybbWLRx8XCrrTULI8jmXvEflKukoUyrkY5BQD/s1600/ifilie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq-nryC5JDBT20yhf6c3dRMMSQRecyx1vbOCmzACvNQgRyUh90RsC0d8YuR_IZefor96ynCXFqMEeUeuwNpCTrbr-In1MhYFZ8RxArO6bybbWLRx8XCrrTULI8jmXvEflKukoUyrkY5BQD/s320/ifilie.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20.80000114440918px; text-align: center;">
<i><b>If I Lie</b></i></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20.80000114440918px; text-align: center;">
by Corrine Jackson</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20.80000114440918px; text-align: center;">
<b><i></i></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20.80000114440918px; text-align: center;">
<b>Publisher</b>: Simon & Schuster<br />
<b>Release Date</b>: August 28, 2012</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20.80000114440918px; text-align: center;">
<b>Source</b>:Bought</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20.80000114440918px; text-align: center;">
<i><b>Challenge</b>: none</i></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20.80000114440918px; text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.80000114440918px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 12.666666984558105px; text-align: left;">A powerful debut novel about the gray space between truth and perception.</span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 12.666666984558105px; text-align: left;" /><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 12.666666984558105px; text-align: left;" /><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 12.666666984558105px; text-align: left;">Quinn’s done the unthinkable: she kissed a guy who is not Carey, her boyfriend. And she got caught. Being branded a cheater would be bad enough, but Quinn is deemed a traitor, and shunned by all of her friends. Because Carey’s not just any guy—he’s serving in Afghanistan and revered by everyone in their small, military town.</span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 12.666666984558105px; text-align: left;" /><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 12.666666984558105px; text-align: left;" /><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 12.666666984558105px; text-align: left;">Quinn could clear her name, but that would mean revealing secrets that she’s vowed to keep—secrets that aren’t hers to share. And when Carey goes MIA, Quinn must decide how far she’ll go to protect her boyfriend…and her promise - Summary from Goodreads</span></i></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333015441895px; line-height: 20.80000114440918px; text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText6431317521709982753"><u><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My thoughts</span></span></b></u></span><span id="freeText6431317521709982753"></span><span id="freeText6431317521709982753"><u><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span></b></u></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333015441895px; line-height: 20.80000114440918px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13.333333015441895px; line-height: 20.80000114440918px; text-align: center;">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m a huge fan of the new trend in military fiction, and I
feel like I’ve waited months for Corrine Jackson’s debut,<i> If I Lie</i>, to be released. Luckily, I was not disappointed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sophie / Quinn is a character that I really felt for. Her grief throughout the novel felt so real
that I physically ached for her. She’s a girl who has been through so much in
her 17 years, and it was easy to see what a toll keeping Carey’s secret took on
her. I felt for her so much, I did, but at times I just wanted to shake her and
tell her to stand up for herself. She let her ex-friends trod all over her for
the most part, and it was painful to read about. Luckily, Quinn grew as a
character as the story progressed and really came into her own by the end. She’s
one of the strongest YA heroines I’ve read about. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While I thought Quinn was great, George, Quinn’s friend from
the VA hospital is the character that really stole my heart. George gives
crotchety old men a good name. I loved that he and Quinn were able to build
such a connection through photography and that photography played such a huge
role in the book. The love and friendship
George and Quinn shared made me tear up a few times. He really acted as a
father figure to Quinn, and I was so happy that she had someone in that
godforsaken town who was on her side and believed in her through thick in thin.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All of the other characters in <i>If I Lie</i> felt fully realized as well, from Quinn’s marine father to
the vicious kids at school. They all had their own backstories and motives. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While I expected Carey’s “secret” to remain a mystery for a
large portion of the book, Ms. Jackson surprised me by revealing the secret
within the first 50 pages. That didn’t stop the book from being nailbitingly suspenseful
for me though. I think revealing the secret early on allowed more time to be
focused on the characters and the ramifications Quinn faced by keeping said
secret. It was a stressful journey to go on, but I’m so glad I did. If I Lie
contains everything that a great contemporary should: fully realized characters,
a great plot, and a ton of heart. If I Lie is one of my favorite books of the
year so far, and I hope you’re able to check it out if at all possible. I know
my review was vague, but there are so many layers to this story. I want all of
you to be able to discover those layers for yourselves, and I hope you will.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
fami<br />
<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333015441895px; line-height: 20.80000114440918px; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-CsRxK5rkqBsHTQCYds4EvyHAJsiYUqhvI5ppsFl006mDrzvmnxHUcGHYUVv29coOrKdXdWQu4YtduTLIrWVP4_3bUOTBQp6jFn02YNB33v2y2DTQh0YvaC24Tbf64464oYkvWgQO_ujy/s1600/rate5.png" imageanchor="1" style="color: #999999; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-CsRxK5rkqBsHTQCYds4EvyHAJsiYUqhvI5ppsFl006mDrzvmnxHUcGHYUVv29coOrKdXdWQu4YtduTLIrWVP4_3bUOTBQp6jFn02YNB33v2y2DTQh0YvaC24Tbf64464oYkvWgQO_ujy/s1600/rate5.png" style="border: 0px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 0px;" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333015441895px; line-height: 20.80000114440918px; text-align: center;">
<b><span id="freeText6431317521709982753"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></span></span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333015441895px; line-height: 20.80000114440918px; text-align: center;">
<b><span id="freeText6431317521709982753"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">I'd recommend If I Lie to fans of:</span></span></span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.80000114440918px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">military fiction - marines</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.80000114440918px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">complex family dynamics</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.80000114440918px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">romance</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.80000114440918px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">photography</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.80000114440918px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">grouchy but sweet old men (joking, kind of)</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.80000114440918px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.80000114440918px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><b>Similar books: </b></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.80000114440918px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><i>Something Like Normal</i> by Trish Doller</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.80000114440918px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">While He Was Away by Karen Schreck</span></div>
Steph @ The Caffeinated Readerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13572676307512574805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858014804706808740.post-38018534608860752342013-01-25T21:40:00.000-06:002013-01-25T21:42:43.487-06:00Anatomy of A Single Girl by Daria Snadowsky<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghHEdhhpy7xSQoFDMQjjLi8Fj1qP4vmqLl6gNIYDVg6ScoUPQPcD6RBNlsvJaj3SO1I9nZoT2GeKx0F2EVsNyH2661aTS2MzVsRfFaN9P83HCPR0pE67GpHVhCKpyFXf7pIJVtBrH_bu2l/s1600/13628184.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghHEdhhpy7xSQoFDMQjjLi8Fj1qP4vmqLl6gNIYDVg6ScoUPQPcD6RBNlsvJaj3SO1I9nZoT2GeKx0F2EVsNyH2661aTS2MzVsRfFaN9P83HCPR0pE67GpHVhCKpyFXf7pIJVtBrH_bu2l/s320/13628184.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.80000114440918px; text-align: center;">
<i><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anatomy of a Single Girl </span></b></i></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.80000114440918px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">by Daria Snadowsky</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.80000114440918px; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i></i></span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.80000114440918px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Publisher</b>: Delacorte for Young Readers<br /><b>Release Date</b>: January 8, 2013</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.80000114440918px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Source</b>:Bought</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.80000114440918px; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">
<div style="color: #333333; line-height: 20.80000114440918px; text-align: center;">
<i style="line-height: 20.80000114440918px;"><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 10.857142448425293px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">With Judy Blume-like honesty and insight, this sequel to Anatomy of a Boyfriend is about life after first love--romance, sex, friendship, family, and the ups and downs of life as a single girl.</span></span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-style: italic; line-height: 10.850000381469727px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">
<i></i></span>
<div style="color: #333333; line-height: 20.80000114440918px; text-align: center;">
<i><i style="line-height: 20.80000114440918px;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; line-height: 10.857142448425293px; text-align: left;">After everything that happened—my first boyfriend, my first time, my first breakup—jumping back into the dating game seemed like the least healthy thing I could do. It’s not that I didn’t want to fall in love again, since that’s about the best feeling ever. But as a busy college premed still raw from heartbreak, which is the worst feeling ever, I figured I’d lie low for a while. Of course, as soon as I stopped looking for someone, an impossibly amazing—and devastatingly cute—guy came along, and I learned that having a new boyfriend is the quickest way to recover from losing your old one. </span></i></i></div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #181818; line-height: 10.850000381469727px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #181818; line-height: 10.857142448425293px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<i style="text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 10.857142448425293px; text-align: left;">The moment we got together, all my preconceptions about romance and sex were turned upside down. I discovered physical and emotional firsts I never knew existed. I learned to let go of my past by living in the present. It was thrilling. It was hot. It was just what the doctor ordered.</span></i></div>
</span><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #181818; line-height: 10.850000381469727px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #181818; line-height: 10.857142448425293px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<i style="text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 10.857142448425293px; text-align: left;">But I couldn’t avoid my future forever. </span></i></div>
</span><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #181818; line-height: 10.850000381469727px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #181818; line-height: 10.857142448425293px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<i style="text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 10.857142448425293px; text-align: left;">In Daria Snadowsky’s daring follow-up to Anatomy of a Boyfriend, eighteen-year-old Dominique explores the relationship between love and lust, and the friendships that see us through</span></i></div>
</span></i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.80000114440918px; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 12.666666984558105px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">- Summary from Goodreads</span></span></i></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.80000114440918px; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 12.666666984558105px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.80000114440918px; text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText6431317521709982753"><u><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My thoughts</span></b></u></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.80000114440918px; text-align: center;">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I first heard about this book back in December and was
very intrigued, having read the prequel, <i>Anatomy
of a Boyfriend</i>, a few years ago. I had no idea the author planned to write
a sequel, but I’m happy she did! <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I loved Dom. I don’t remember feeling strongly about her
in Anatomy of A Boyfriend, but I noticed SO much character growth in this
sequel. At the start of the book, Dom is finishing up her first year in
college. She’s just gone through her first major breakup and is slowly getting
back on her feet. The pain she went through was evident throughout the book,
but she was a strong character and I loved her snarky way of talking. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I feel like this book is essentially about Dom finding
out who she is as a person and what she’s looking for in a love interest. Dom’s
sexuality played a major role in the story, which is realistic considering she’s
in college. I wasn’t expecting the graphic sex scenes in the book, but I think
they served a purpose. By the end of book Dom seemed to have a much better
grasp or who she is as a person and what she’s looking for in a guy.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Don't go in thinking that this book is just about love, sex, and guys though. Dom loves science and spends a great deal of time thinking about her goals to become a doctor. Her scientific way of thinking was evident in the author's writing style, and I loved that. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The “New Adult” genre is all the rage now, and I feel
that this book is one of THE BEST within the genre. If you love strong, college
age protagonists facing real life issues, this book is for you. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.80000114440918px;" /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #333333; line-height: 20.80000114440918px; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-CsRxK5rkqBsHTQCYds4EvyHAJsiYUqhvI5ppsFl006mDrzvmnxHUcGHYUVv29coOrKdXdWQu4YtduTLIrWVP4_3bUOTBQp6jFn02YNB33v2y2DTQh0YvaC24Tbf64464oYkvWgQO_ujy/s1600/rate5.png" imageanchor="1" style="color: #999999; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: initial;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-CsRxK5rkqBsHTQCYds4EvyHAJsiYUqhvI5ppsFl006mDrzvmnxHUcGHYUVv29coOrKdXdWQu4YtduTLIrWVP4_3bUOTBQp6jFn02YNB33v2y2DTQh0YvaC24Tbf64464oYkvWgQO_ujy/s1600/rate5.png" style="border: 0px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 0px;" /></span></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.80000114440918px; text-align: center;">
<b><span id="freeText6431317521709982753"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.80000114440918px; text-align: center;">
<b><span id="freeText6431317521709982753"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'd recommend <i>Anatomy of a Single Girl</i> to fans of:</span></span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.80000114440918px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">college</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.80000114440918px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">science</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.80000114440918px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">romance / sexuality</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.80000114440918px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">protagonists with wit </span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.80000114440918px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.80000114440918px; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Similar books: </span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.80000114440918px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Jessica Darling Series </i>by Megan McCafferty</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.80000114440918px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Hallie Palmer Series </i>by Laura Pedersen </span></div>
Steph @ The Caffeinated Readerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13572676307512574805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858014804706808740.post-36328780550482108882012-08-17T20:24:00.004-05:002012-08-17T20:24:33.880-05:00I'm Back!<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hey everyone. I know it's been a while since I updated, but i'm coming back! Graduate school dominated all of my time for a while, but I finally have a *bit* of time to read and catch up on reviews. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Upcoming Reviews:</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Speechless by Hannah Harrington</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Starters by Lissa Price</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- The List by Siobhan Vivian</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Currently Reading:</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- 52 Reasons to Hate my Father by Jessica Brody</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Up Next:</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If I Lie by Corrine Jackson</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Have y'all read any great books lately? Let me know!</i></b></span></div>
Steph @ The Caffeinated Readerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13572676307512574805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858014804706808740.post-41191493729607134412012-05-20T23:09:00.000-05:002012-05-20T23:09:33.374-05:00Recommend A...(1)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSqTUZAvUqpNX_H71ik3Z1_0dee0F6vNcmz9tbSbhPiPzhBMVkGR4ENH75uydldlU1Ff4AeKXxVypzp6nvk7bPSN4PoQCWEniZgpEbYVfWKq-08oVTG5bouCyO32u6zzD9a_UCHFppM2TM/s1600/Recommend-A.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSqTUZAvUqpNX_H71ik3Z1_0dee0F6vNcmz9tbSbhPiPzhBMVkGR4ENH75uydldlU1Ff4AeKXxVypzp6nvk7bPSN4PoQCWEniZgpEbYVfWKq-08oVTG5bouCyO32u6zzD9a_UCHFppM2TM/s320/Recommend-A.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Thanks for joining me for the first installment of <b>"Recommend A..."</b>, a fun new meme created by Shanyn over at <b><a href="http://www.chickloveslit.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #0b5394;" target="_blank">Chick Loves Lit</a></b></span>. Shanyn will post a new prompt each week, and anyone interested in participating will post a book recommendation that follows said prompt. This week's is <b>"Recommend a book with three words in the title"</b>.Not surprisingly, I couldn't choose just one :)</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">I recommend: </span></b></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<b>1. <i><span style="color: #351c75;">The Day Before</span></i> by Lisa Schroeder </b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipZWGHBgzcUJKw1_sN3OTpFasN2mFbDOlZDLwWHUCmdPbe5nW5AaJH1OYFWTU4P-hbK57Qk8wIUPDo3BGU6EMrhiVJ_ln4fYgjynFVdAyxq8yFCEmXZmI3ld1iSAS81bDidWwupQsBzHBF/s1600/8922087.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipZWGHBgzcUJKw1_sN3OTpFasN2mFbDOlZDLwWHUCmdPbe5nW5AaJH1OYFWTU4P-hbK57Qk8wIUPDo3BGU6EMrhiVJ_ln4fYgjynFVdAyxq8yFCEmXZmI3ld1iSAS81bDidWwupQsBzHBF/s320/8922087.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<b>Why I love it: </b>In <i>The Day Before</i>, Amber wants to spend one perfect day all alone at the beach, before life as she knows it changes forever. This was a fast read for me, because it was written in verse, but the story was so emotional and beautiful, and Lisa's writing is simple yet reaches right to the core of the reader's heart. I'd recommend this one to fans of contemporary, romance, family dynamics, verse writing, and beach settings. </div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<b>2. <i><span style="color: #351c75;">Princess for Hire</span> </i>by Lindsey Leavitt</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwnPdq7gZdehBvaUmYdg_p3-Ac9tM-WzibzYODJGNCwvSjVYhalXlnjFS3LcO3p751oyfBuo2HGZhXp2cVkiAaFviEq74wZf25vm9isWrI6ET-_u86GHavbQdUhqYPw7xubrY2rgyTaVo0/s1600/6506483.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwnPdq7gZdehBvaUmYdg_p3-Ac9tM-WzibzYODJGNCwvSjVYhalXlnjFS3LcO3p751oyfBuo2HGZhXp2cVkiAaFviEq74wZf25vm9isWrI6ET-_u86GHavbQdUhqYPw7xubrY2rgyTaVo0/s320/6506483.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Why I love it: </b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This series is just straight up FUN! Desi is a lovable character, and she gets to trade places with princesses from all over the world. What's not to love?! I read </span><i style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Princess for Hire</i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> during a very stressful part of the semester, and it was a great way to escape reality for a bit. If you're looking for a fun middle grade read, I highly recommend </span><i style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Princess for Hire</i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">. The final installment in the series will be out next month. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>That's it for this week. Check back next week where I'll be recommending a book with a green cover. Should be fun! </b></span></span></div>Steph @ The Caffeinated Readerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13572676307512574805noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858014804706808740.post-22094358009551546442012-05-20T00:53:00.000-05:002012-05-20T00:53:00.267-05:00In Honor by Jessi Kirby<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSl-V-S-Gytok7ddfQp9uP-7RxD7PXtaysozwTWUX6evv2Mpwa536lq_l4ZiWoHTRsRnn-2DhejW4g1f1P69VAaA_ZhVKjAyS-dBcVxd_-UqvGXsLDgwQ_13EOIcQEyzCdhtpyUVGJP_Vr/s1600/12049227.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSl-V-S-Gytok7ddfQp9uP-7RxD7PXtaysozwTWUX6evv2Mpwa536lq_l4ZiWoHTRsRnn-2DhejW4g1f1P69VAaA_ZhVKjAyS-dBcVxd_-UqvGXsLDgwQ_13EOIcQEyzCdhtpyUVGJP_Vr/s320/12049227.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><b>In Honor</b></i></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">by Jessi Kirby</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><i> </i></b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Publisher</b>: Simon & Schuster <br />
<b>Release Date</b>:May 8, 2012</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"> <b>Source</b>:Bought</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Challenge</b>: Sophomore Challenge</span></i></div>
<i><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span id="freeText11490688555500405292" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hours after her
brother’s military funeral, Honor opens the last letter Finn ever sent.
In her grief, she interprets his note as a final request and
spontaneously decides to go to California to fulfill it.<br /><br />Honor
gets as far as the driveway before running into Rusty, Finn’s best
friend since third grade and his polar opposite. She hasn’t seen Rusty
in ages, but it’s obvious he is as arrogant and stubborn as ever—not to
mention drop-dead gorgeous. Despite Honor’s better judgment, the two set
off together on a voyage from Texas to California. Along the way, they
find small and sometimes surprising ways to ease their shared loss and
honor Finn’s memory—but when shocking truths are revealed at the end of
the road, will either of them be able to cope with the consequences</span></i>
<i><span id="freeText6431317521709982753"> - Goodreads</span></i><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<u><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span id="freeText6431317521709982753">
</span></span></b></u><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText6431317521709982753"><u><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My thoughts</span></span></b></u></span><span id="freeText6431317521709982753"></span><span id="freeText6431317521709982753"><u><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span></b></u></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-size: small;"><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Ah, this book! THIS BOOK! Words can't adequately describe how much I love road trip books, especially when said road trip involves a greater purpose. I feel like I've been waiting to read <b>In Honor </b>practically forever, and I was not let down. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"></span><span style="font-size: small;">I loved Honor. Her grief over losing her brother was so palpable, as he was essentially the most important person in her life. The way she dealt with her grief over losing him felt so realistic. I could easily imagine myself jumping in a car and running away if I experienced what Honor had. I loved that she was adventurous and brave enough to just pick up and leave, and I'm glad that Rusty ended up being dragged along with her. Rusty acted like a total ass at times, it can't be denied, but his good qualities shined through. I don't know if y'all know this, but Rusty is based on Tim Riggins from Friday Night Lights. Umm, can you say SWOON?!</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Honor and Rusty's romance/friendship was definitely of the slow burn variety. While it was frustrating for me, it was incredibly realistic to the situation. Honor is grieving over her brother, so of course romance is going to have to take the backseat (ha!..bad roadtrip pun). </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Since this story takes place on the road, setting obviously plays a huge role. I would KILL to visit some of the spots that Honor and Rusty did. They sounded so incredibly gorgeous. On the other hand, you couldn't pay me to ride around in a car in TEXAS with no air conditioning. I'm sweating just thinking about it. You know a setting has been well described when you can picture yourself in it, and that's what <b>In Honor</b> did for me. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Overall, I thought Jessi Kirby's sophomore novel was fantastic. It contains everything I love in a great story - likable characters, a bit of romance, a vivid setting, and a compelling plot. Do yourselves a favor and snag a copy. Check out Friday Night Lights while you're at it. You won't regret it :) </span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-CsRxK5rkqBsHTQCYds4EvyHAJsiYUqhvI5ppsFl006mDrzvmnxHUcGHYUVv29coOrKdXdWQu4YtduTLIrWVP4_3bUOTBQp6jFn02YNB33v2y2DTQh0YvaC24Tbf64464oYkvWgQO_ujy/s1600/rate5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-CsRxK5rkqBsHTQCYds4EvyHAJsiYUqhvI5ppsFl006mDrzvmnxHUcGHYUVv29coOrKdXdWQu4YtduTLIrWVP4_3bUOTBQp6jFn02YNB33v2y2DTQh0YvaC24Tbf64464oYkvWgQO_ujy/s1600/rate5.png" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span id="freeText6431317521709982753"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span id="freeText6431317521709982753"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">I'd recommend In Honor to fans of:</span></span></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText6431317521709982753"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">road trips</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText6431317521709982753"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">big issues </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText6431317521709982753"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">snarky boys</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText6431317521709982753"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">fantastic settings</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText6431317521709982753"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Friday Night Lights</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText6431317521709982753"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">adventure</span></span></span></div>Steph @ The Caffeinated Readerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13572676307512574805noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858014804706808740.post-24953120289038817612012-05-13T22:39:00.001-05:002012-05-20T21:22:47.460-05:00Bout of Books Readathon!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjarInsLh097-eYebyHKo0pCNHBWsfFUVnFx6MmDfDBwTLmUjzW01dtxLRvTlEbgySrz5-FlZ6hs05kz_GnY650tok13dGrxjKG9_mdJ4OhYxBWDlHVE1CMLqT185fqyDX_31989poSpGB7/s1600/boutofbooks1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjarInsLh097-eYebyHKo0pCNHBWsfFUVnFx6MmDfDBwTLmUjzW01dtxLRvTlEbgySrz5-FlZ6hs05kz_GnY650tok13dGrxjKG9_mdJ4OhYxBWDlHVE1CMLqT185fqyDX_31989poSpGB7/s1600/boutofbooks1.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hey guys! I know things have been pretty quiet on my bog lately. I'm in graduate school and my workload has been CRAZY. Luckily, though, the semester just ended and I have six, count 'em SIX, weeks of freedom to rest and catch up on my TBR list. Soooo, what better way then participating in a read-a-thon? I'm very excited to be participating in <b><a href="http://forloveandbooks.com/" style="color: #0b5394;" target="_blank">Bout of Books 4.0</a></b></span></span>, <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">which runs from May 14th through May 20th. I have some awesome books in my TBR pile, and I'm ready to get started. I'll be updating on this post and through twitter (@stephlovescsd). Feel free to tweet and say hi! </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Goals:</span></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Read 4 books <b>or </b>1,200 pages</span></span><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Possible Reading Material:</b></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwGIZfiEjEmFTB0Xe94kkOyMDhY_Epx8cLlNbKqnWAJ_clZR6UXoLZTGO_f8F-TYeSyDh46PTMrTgelYF3xs0M9QaRP5Vr2Tm3Wi2wlFc55WY1Hi87QX91Hjqrb03tHcnfgiFfVDRbmSe-/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwGIZfiEjEmFTB0Xe94kkOyMDhY_Epx8cLlNbKqnWAJ_clZR6UXoLZTGO_f8F-TYeSyDh46PTMrTgelYF3xs0M9QaRP5Vr2Tm3Wi2wlFc55WY1Hi87QX91Hjqrb03tHcnfgiFfVDRbmSe-/s320/photo.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>Raw Blue</b></i> by Kirsty Eagar</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>Sweet Evil</b></i> by Wendy Higgins</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strike><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>In Honor</b></i> by Jessi Kirby</span></span></span></strike></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>Shine </b></i>by Jeri Smith Ready</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>Second Chance Summer </b></i>by Morgan Matson</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>The Hero's Guide to Saving your Kingdom</b></i> by Christopher Healy (on kindle)</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">maybe a book by Jennifer Echols? I've never read one of her's before</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">* If you have any other recommendations, please let me know! </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Daily Updates:</b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Monday:</span></span></span></b></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Number of pages read today: </span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">240</span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">number of pages read total: </span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">240</span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">number of books read today: </span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1</span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">number of books read total: </span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1</span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">What I've read today: </span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In Honor by Jessi Kirby</span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<b style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Tuesday: </span></span></span></b></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Number of pages read today: </span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">31</span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">number of pages read total: </span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">271</span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">number of books read today: </span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">0</span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">number of books read total: </span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1</span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">What I've read today:</span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I Hunt Killers</span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Wednesday:</span></span></span></b></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Number of pages read today: </span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">245</span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">number of pages read total: </span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">516</span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">number of books read today: </span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1</span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">number of books read total: </span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">2</span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>What I've read today:</b>Going too Far by Jennifer Echols</span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><b> </b></span></div>
<div style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Thursday:</span></span></span></b></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Number of pages read today: </span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">281</span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">number of pages read total: </span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">797</span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">number of books read today: </span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1</span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">number of books read total: </span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">3</span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">What I've read today:</span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May, and June by Robin Benway</span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Friday:</span></span></span></b></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Number of pages read today: </span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">274</span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">number of pages read total: </span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1,071</span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">number of books read today: </span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1</span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">number of books read total: </span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">4</span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">What I've read today: </span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Raw Blue by Kirsty Eagar</span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Saturday:</span></span></span></b></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Number of pages read today: </span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">95</span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">number of pages read total: </span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1,166</span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">number of books read today: </span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">0</span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">number of books read total: </span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">4</span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">What I've read today: </span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">95 pages in Lovestruck Summer by Melissa Walker</span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sunday:</span></span></span></b></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Number of pages read today:</span></span></span></b></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">number of pages read total:</span></span></span></b></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">number of books read today:</span></span></span></b></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">number of books read total:</span></span></span></b></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">What I've read today: </span></span></span></b></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />I've participated in many read-a-thons before & fell short of meeting my goals. I'm hoping to change that this time. If you're participating, let me know! Have fun everyone! </span></div>Steph @ The Caffeinated Readerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13572676307512574805noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858014804706808740.post-78288310075070181172012-04-03T00:00:00.001-05:002012-04-26T14:35:12.356-05:00Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBEfzPERoEWGLWjX9XDsaJ4L4o2V1hlS9ml9AfS6REE3zuTs14EVYr_0WitCy9mjMfg7qEFnpD2Taj8roGu1PfP9LNeeZEbZ3NIei0qPuO1G7ioZVpd9WZ1xH9gdvNufle6JmDptaev_xN/s1600/unraveling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBEfzPERoEWGLWjX9XDsaJ4L4o2V1hlS9ml9AfS6REE3zuTs14EVYr_0WitCy9mjMfg7qEFnpD2Taj8roGu1PfP9LNeeZEbZ3NIei0qPuO1G7ioZVpd9WZ1xH9gdvNufle6JmDptaev_xN/s320/unraveling.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>Unraveling</b></i></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">by Elizabeth Norris</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b><i> </i></b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Publisher</b>: Balzer + Bray<br />
<b>Release Date</b>:April 24, 2012</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"> <b>Source</b>: Reviewed ARC as part of southern book bloggers tour</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Challenge</b>: Debut Author Challenge</span></div>
<br />
<i><span id="freeText6431317521709982753"></span><span id="freeText6431317521709982753">Two days before the start of her junior year, seventeen-year-old Janelle Tenner is hit by a pickup truck and killed—as in blinding light, scenes of her life flashing before her, and then nothing. Except the next thing she knows, she's opening her eyes to find Ben Michaels, a loner from her high school whom Janelle has never talked to, leaning over her. And even though it isn't possible, she knows—with every fiber of her being—that Ben has somehow brought her back to life. <br />
<br />
But her revival, and Ben's possible role in it, is only the first of the puzzles that Janelle must solve. While snooping in her FBI agent father's files for clues about her accident, she uncovers a clock that seems to be counting down to something—but to what? And when someone close to Janelle is killed, she can no longer deny what's right in front of her: Everything that's happened—the accident, the murder, the countdown clock, Ben's sudden appearance in her life—points to the end of life as she knows it. And as the clock ticks down, she realizes that if she wants to put a stop to the end of the world, she's going to need to uncover Ben's secrets—and keep from falling in love with him in the process. <br />
<br />
From debut author Elizabeth Norris comes this shattering novel of one girl's fight to save herself, her world, and the boy she never saw coming. - Goodreads</span></i><br />
<br />
<br />
<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/bjRggaPl6OM?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<u><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span id="freeText6431317521709982753"><br />
</span></span></b></u><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText6431317521709982753"><u><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My thoughts</span></span></b></u></span><span id="freeText6431317521709982753"></span><span id="freeText6431317521709982753"><u><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span></b></u></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText6431317521709982753"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText6431317521709982753"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Unraveling, by debut author Elizabeth Norris, was such an exciting read! There was a bit of everything between the covers: a kick ass heroine, sci fi intrigue, romance, family drama, friendship, advanced technology, natural disasters, and the list goes on! I also loved that the authors labeled chapters using a countdown clock instead of regular old chapter titles - definitely added suspense to finding out what the "main event" was.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText6431317521709982753"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I loved every single character in Unraveling. They were also so interesting, and I really grew to care about each of them. </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText6431317521709982753"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Janelle</b> - Oh Janelle, this girl was so fierce. I'd even go so far to say that she's as fearless as Tris from Divergent or Katniss from The Hunger Games. Even though Janelle has so much on her plate, she handles her burdens with grace. She constantly has to tend to a mother with OCD and an FBI agent father who buries himself in his work. From the time she was young, Janelle cared for her little brother, Jared, like a mother would. Her love for her father and brother was so apparent. Fantastic heroine all around.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText6431317521709982753"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Ben </b>- Those of you who are into bad boys will totally fall for Ben. He has many secrets, and I can't wait for all of you to discover them. Needless to say, he was a very intriguing and fleshed out character. </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText6431317521709982753"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Janelle's dad</b> - Yes, he's a hardass. Yes, he ran away from his problems by burying himself in FBI cases, but he was one of my characters. He was so protective of Janelle and Jared, and I could tell he would do anything to make his kids happy. </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText6431317521709982753"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The storyline in Unraveling moved fairly quickly, but I do think that the story could have been told in fewer pages. This is a 450 page book, guys! Nevertheless, the long length really didn't upset me, because I was so engrossed in the characters and finding out the "main event". Plot twists jumped out at me left and right, and a couple of deaths hit me hard. I wasn't completely surprised by the ending, but the concept of the "main event" was definitely interesting, and it left my head spinning. It's hard to properly review this book without spoiling anything, so I'll leave it at that.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText6431317521709982753"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText6431317521709982753"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Overall, I feel that Unraveling was a fantastic debut! I connected with the characters, and the plotting kept me glued to the book. I just found out that a sequel will be coming out next year, and I can't wait!</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span id="freeText6431317521709982753"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span id="freeText6431317521709982753"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I'd recommend Unraveling to fans of:</span></span></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText6431317521709982753"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">suspense</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText6431317521709982753"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">science fiction</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText6431317521709982753"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">romance </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText6431317521709982753"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">complex family relationships</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText6431317521709982753"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">cool technology</span></span></span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcnaAPjvVtx7k-NN9dRzYPgUTGSuAAAnRzUgt6v-a0b7ujvMgwoiy9v6OzDU5DySM3sjEuuqV0hzuDRm3EobueJh9iOu67WBwI-VUNoM26yLTclcOA3Exw6zeoVoGJD7WmA33N0JQclhbY/s1600/rate4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcnaAPjvVtx7k-NN9dRzYPgUTGSuAAAnRzUgt6v-a0b7ujvMgwoiy9v6OzDU5DySM3sjEuuqV0hzuDRm3EobueJh9iOu67WBwI-VUNoM26yLTclcOA3Exw6zeoVoGJD7WmA33N0JQclhbY/s1600/rate4.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Loved it</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText6431317521709982753"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></div>
<span id="freeText6431317521709982753"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>** I reviewed this title as part of the </b><b><a href="http://www.southernbookbloggers.blogspot.com/" style="color: #3d85c6;" target="_blank">Southern Book Bloggers</a> ARC tour! </b></span></span></span>Steph @ The Caffeinated Readerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13572676307512574805noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858014804706808740.post-36379712792268841152012-03-06T00:00:00.001-06:002012-03-06T00:00:02.091-06:00Top 10 Favorite Book Covers of 2012 (so far)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisxboAuR1UUcXD3LIMmJ6FxurjRGy72Q9MxTMoJHFxxYhm7T35wlwGGm7ovm5gugcQYb1HMh69mYHsS_CuIxoqtujnkqPibiW5u9EgiudP7TtgxqmVk1CMHfvE20hIO01MaadV0PFl83fq/s1600/tuesday2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisxboAuR1UUcXD3LIMmJ6FxurjRGy72Q9MxTMoJHFxxYhm7T35wlwGGm7ovm5gugcQYb1HMh69mYHsS_CuIxoqtujnkqPibiW5u9EgiudP7TtgxqmVk1CMHfvE20hIO01MaadV0PFl83fq/s1600/tuesday2.png" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the ladies at </span><b style="color: #8e7cc3;"><a href="http://www.brokeandbookish.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Broke and the Bookish</a></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><b> </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This week's <b style="color: #674ea7;">Top Ten Tuesday</b> prompt is </span><b style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Top Ten Book Covers. </b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I love highlighting new covers, so I'm going to focus on book covers for 2012 releases. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1. <b><i>The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight </i>by Jennifer E. Smith</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Released January 2, 2012</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpsW73c_PWlm1YwovH_ZVoRTlu5qoHhL3RpIDG2uTkKOlXapQPknmsUd5fo0RjJa6ZVy8riG_O_M_REavya6NdL-ECs5WbIHvP8i8FPBFgnYYFNeLa-5VlwMwDpLxfqxW7gR5pELVaw8JI/s1600/statistical+prob.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpsW73c_PWlm1YwovH_ZVoRTlu5qoHhL3RpIDG2uTkKOlXapQPknmsUd5fo0RjJa6ZVy8riG_O_M_REavya6NdL-ECs5WbIHvP8i8FPBFgnYYFNeLa-5VlwMwDpLxfqxW7gR5pELVaw8JI/s320/statistical+prob.jpg" width="210" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b> Reason:</b> The couple on the cover fit the descriptions of Hadley and Oliver quite perfectly, and I LOVE the color palette and font that they used. I'm listening to this one on audio right now. So cute!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2. <i>Bittersweet</i> by Sarah Ockler</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Released January 3, 2012</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZVF82IiKs6iRBpY5HgNM7WfRZmqlC3Ckm0x-HKEo4I2s883OpUYx7f6_e4RJ2RpK1pVgQjIsqFThskt0Q371v1KVbrB-LC-U6-xjMDl08659EUxIJELy9iMEuG0qyfbTgDvnY-ShoBAqZ/s1600/bittersweet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZVF82IiKs6iRBpY5HgNM7WfRZmqlC3Ckm0x-HKEo4I2s883OpUYx7f6_e4RJ2RpK1pVgQjIsqFThskt0Q371v1KVbrB-LC-U6-xjMDl08659EUxIJELy9iMEuG0qyfbTgDvnY-ShoBAqZ/s1600/bittersweet.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Reason: </b>The cover is so pretty and sparkly in person, although I don't understand why they put a cookie on the cover instead of a cupcake. Is it just meant to be dough? Curious. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">3. <i>Fever</i> by Lauren Destefano</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Released February 22, 2012</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1RQUFyWD3JANREBS_iTppxpYdJCww-MjemcvkBA421ANBUTCDfGMR7od8BnilYApCe1gzOQkHqmAT1jJmgDuguQe29LTgoyjMls5JJdHiPM41NWhmhuCI_g2wWrIcWjeR5TCx2Cs_yXwX/s1600/11112619.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1RQUFyWD3JANREBS_iTppxpYdJCww-MjemcvkBA421ANBUTCDfGMR7od8BnilYApCe1gzOQkHqmAT1jJmgDuguQe29LTgoyjMls5JJdHiPM41NWhmhuCI_g2wWrIcWjeR5TCx2Cs_yXwX/s320/11112619.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Reason:</b> The cover of Fever received some harsh criticism when it was revealed, but it completely matches the plot of the book. There is a reason that Rhine looks so drugged out, guys! A+ for matching the design to the actual story</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>4. <i>Starters</i> by Lissa Price</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Will be released on March 13, 2012</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Ps9e80IoIhKTtbOhFN_G26qbS3KrEKp2aB66Q3SY08pvuFlhQq23FT1Nnp19K-KLZ7DueFjvqk8liSfUJ3Yirkg8KWhlUkCUODAhSEtBCIZLo_FV-c9i5UXnjCepsMBsbpxuTXMil0RB/s1600/starters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Ps9e80IoIhKTtbOhFN_G26qbS3KrEKp2aB66Q3SY08pvuFlhQq23FT1Nnp19K-KLZ7DueFjvqk8liSfUJ3Yirkg8KWhlUkCUODAhSEtBCIZLo_FV-c9i5UXnjCepsMBsbpxuTXMil0RB/s320/starters.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Reason: </b>This cover is just so unique and creepy. I must find out what's going on inside. I wonder if there's a reason they made the girl's eyes stand out? Hm.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">5. <i>The Selection</i> by Kiera Cass</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Will be released on April 24, 2012</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZH-aTDiwiXhxkw-YEcMFvIbqfekjwMkDZPJPpIRPkikYn7_KH1s745i003ogT2Blw3HhqOjqNBSrSo-71BoT8DuteCfzLIr4wIiKSHQi2MASibXkOGVqxPWjocWm2ddN0qhn1zE2Wr8QS/s1600/the+selection.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZH-aTDiwiXhxkw-YEcMFvIbqfekjwMkDZPJPpIRPkikYn7_KH1s745i003ogT2Blw3HhqOjqNBSrSo-71BoT8DuteCfzLIr4wIiKSHQi2MASibXkOGVqxPWjocWm2ddN0qhn1zE2Wr8QS/s320/the+selection.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Reason:</b> I love the color of the dresses, and the typography matches the royal setting</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">6. <i>Unraveling</i> by Elizabeth Norris</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Will be released on April 24, 2012</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBEfzPERoEWGLWjX9XDsaJ4L4o2V1hlS9ml9AfS6REE3zuTs14EVYr_0WitCy9mjMfg7qEFnpD2Taj8roGu1PfP9LNeeZEbZ3NIei0qPuO1G7ioZVpd9WZ1xH9gdvNufle6JmDptaev_xN/s1600/unraveling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBEfzPERoEWGLWjX9XDsaJ4L4o2V1hlS9ml9AfS6REE3zuTs14EVYr_0WitCy9mjMfg7qEFnpD2Taj8roGu1PfP9LNeeZEbZ3NIei0qPuO1G7ioZVpd9WZ1xH9gdvNufle6JmDptaev_xN/s320/unraveling.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Reason:</b> I'm reading <i>Unraveling</i> right now, and I can't wait to find out why there are multiple copies of the couple on the cover!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">7. <i>Second Chance Summer</i> by Morgan Matson</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Will be released on May 8, 2012</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo1rTJIGRzO1HPLxiuTrFrvVRzk8tjd2htAtFlfetdADeg9DjUp-JXHLFYTmF3JSl1AZv6D1fAR-yB4KFby6UX6ZWIiKoV-3QAdf53jMLluONlI7qhT7TA_mSk03kkT0Ny0dsR2SOYXmdW/s1600/second+chance+summer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo1rTJIGRzO1HPLxiuTrFrvVRzk8tjd2htAtFlfetdADeg9DjUp-JXHLFYTmF3JSl1AZv6D1fAR-yB4KFby6UX6ZWIiKoV-3QAdf53jMLluONlI7qhT7TA_mSk03kkT0Ny0dsR2SOYXmdW/s1600/second+chance+summer.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Reason: </b>I love the color palette, font, and the way the lake is reflected in the background. As a fan of Morgan Matson, I am ridiculously excited for this book to come out!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">8. <i>For Darkness Shows the Stars</i> by Diana Peterfreund</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Will be released on June 12, 2012</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWX8fZ0w4M8sRPoS1v19FalPFVQFYFbpVlREJlm9ExjwSgjLcavdbk8zMuEyM3KVKL_K2L0L_x-NpVRq9AKPxuPRPyEZI49eI1vYDMiiRjgB3gW3bDsae4OGD9mDTjMBPIA6rW10CpodHo/s1600/for+darkness+shows+the+stars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWX8fZ0w4M8sRPoS1v19FalPFVQFYFbpVlREJlm9ExjwSgjLcavdbk8zMuEyM3KVKL_K2L0L_x-NpVRq9AKPxuPRPyEZI49eI1vYDMiiRjgB3gW3bDsae4OGD9mDTjMBPIA6rW10CpodHo/s320/for+darkness+shows+the+stars.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Reason:</b><i> </i>This cover is just gorgeous, and I love the night sky in the background</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">9. <i>The Treachery of Beautiful Things</i> by Ruth Frances Long</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Will be released on August 16, 2012</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpNGxgv4iJchtwOH_QGWR2cWNv-c48DicVWJRLAgHb1pPYERTVV-yPQ9xZ2eEXiENLPFoFyer5snLx89kf8Ga6zp10UR90vUfHacIlt7_zHyhnXHo6WUtLzzsqSiPH2VfZ7I03SgpPiieK/s1600/treachery+of+beautiful+things.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpNGxgv4iJchtwOH_QGWR2cWNv-c48DicVWJRLAgHb1pPYERTVV-yPQ9xZ2eEXiENLPFoFyer5snLx89kf8Ga6zp10UR90vUfHacIlt7_zHyhnXHo6WUtLzzsqSiPH2VfZ7I03SgpPiieK/s320/treachery+of+beautiful+things.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b> Reason: </b>I love the girl's dress and am curious to see how much of an impact the forest in the background has on the story.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">10. The Diviners by Libba Bray</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Will be released on September 18, 2012</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV-gNiG7-ZuKW0y4_tTffAQBG1-s_3_7il5RqeYulrQyNDVsx3kq5886tnEttHWBjR8-WzrN0BSnO4EMMaCu7iQ0FPuSxUp8dGwN5hVpL3aj9a6xQ1j6x4dq2SkUKXllT2F3VSPL0lm2Cl/s1600/the+diviners.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV-gNiG7-ZuKW0y4_tTffAQBG1-s_3_7il5RqeYulrQyNDVsx3kq5886tnEttHWBjR8-WzrN0BSnO4EMMaCu7iQ0FPuSxUp8dGwN5hVpL3aj9a6xQ1j6x4dq2SkUKXllT2F3VSPL0lm2Cl/s320/the+diviners.jpg" width="198" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b> Reason:</b> Umm, it's Libba Bray!!! I can't wait to find out more about the meaning behind this cover.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>So, those are my favorite covers of 2012 so far. What are yours? Please share!</b></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div>Steph @ The Caffeinated Readerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13572676307512574805noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858014804706808740.post-61985327053577861002012-03-05T11:06:00.000-06:002012-03-05T11:06:54.880-06:00Incarnate by Jodi Meadows<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu4QBw6GNCSyaC7FSH2PXIWSLVMrJvesazij5pQgE4V9xwXfouFV7kOR6WSoZdNwFyc9hKXqSfEQsfpaPa8FqJo6hna6avm4pbzVJ8bWX3a1TI2rkaLizyG6youzjCSPorSwcdS4zCRYsk/s1600/8573642.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu4QBw6GNCSyaC7FSH2PXIWSLVMrJvesazij5pQgE4V9xwXfouFV7kOR6WSoZdNwFyc9hKXqSfEQsfpaPa8FqJo6hna6avm4pbzVJ8bWX3a1TI2rkaLizyG6youzjCSPorSwcdS4zCRYsk/s320/8573642.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><i><b>Incarnate</b></i></span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>by Jodi Meadows</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><b><i> </i></b></span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><b>Publisher</b>: Harper Teen<br />
<b>Release Date</b>:January 31, 2012</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span> <b>Source</b>: Received from publisher in exchange for honest review</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><b>Challenge</b>: Debut Author Challenge</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i><br />
</i></span></div><span id="freeText16343386065813330928"> <i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">New soul </span></i><br />
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i> Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why. </i></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i> No soul </i></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i> Even Ana's own mother thinks she's a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she'll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame? </i></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i> Heart </i></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i> Sam believes Ana's new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana's enemies--human and creature alike--let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else's life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all? </i></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>- Goodreads </i></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><br />
</i></div><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/Ar1QYy1Y8Z8?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><br />
</i></div></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span id="freeText570857715639672029"></span></span></i></span><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span id="freeText5941702581976487552"><br />
</span></span></i><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span id="freeText5941702581976487552"> </span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span id="freeText5941702581976487552"></span></span></i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u><b>My Thoughts </b></u></span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I've been fascinated by the concept of reincarnation since I was young, so I flipped when I first heard about <i><b>Incarnate</b></i> by Jodi Meadows. This debut novel did not disappoint.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /> <br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><b style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Ana, our main character</b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> - My heart ached for Ana throughout most of the story. She was raised by an abusive, unloving mother, and as a result of that she possesses very little self worth at the beginning of the novel. The poor girl literally believes that her existence is a gigantic mistake. Luckily, Ana comes into her own as the story goes on. I loved seeing her turn into a strong young woman.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /> <br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><b style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sam</b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> - Sam was very sweet and obviously cared about Ana, but I didn't connect with him as a character. I still didn't feel like I knew him very well by the end of the book. Hopefully we'll find out more about Sam in the sequel</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /> <br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><b style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Romance</b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> - I seem to be one of the few, but the relationship between Ana and Sam didn't feel realistic to me. I didn't understand what connected them to each other so quickly. I know this book is considered a YA romance, but that aspect was my least favorite of the book.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /> <br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><b style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Plot</b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> - The plot revolved around Ana discovering who she is and why she was incarnated. That is such a relatable concept. I think we have all sat down at one point and thought "hm, why was I really put on this world? What should I be doing with this?". The plot moved quickly and many adventures were had. Villains and mystical creatures popped out left and right. I loved it. </span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /> <br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><b style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">World Building</b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> - I felt that the ins and outs of reincarnation were covered quite well. I don't want to go into this on detail, because I feel that readers should discover the world bit by bit throughout the book.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /> <br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><b style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Mystical Creatures - </b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There were DRAGONS guys, DRAGONS! They were amazing. That is all.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /> <br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> While some aspects of Incarnate fell flat for me, I greatly enjoyed the novel as a whole. I can't wait to read the follow up next year! </span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /> <b><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> I'd recommend <i>Incarnate</i> to fans of:</span></b><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> - Romance with NO love triangle</span></div><div style="text-align: center;">- <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">utopian societies (different from dystopian)</span></span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> - fantastic world building</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> - complex characters</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> - DRAGONS</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcnaAPjvVtx7k-NN9dRzYPgUTGSuAAAnRzUgt6v-a0b7ujvMgwoiy9v6OzDU5DySM3sjEuuqV0hzuDRm3EobueJh9iOu67WBwI-VUNoM26yLTclcOA3Exw6zeoVoGJD7WmA33N0JQclhbY/s1600/rate4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcnaAPjvVtx7k-NN9dRzYPgUTGSuAAAnRzUgt6v-a0b7ujvMgwoiy9v6OzDU5DySM3sjEuuqV0hzuDRm3EobueJh9iOu67WBwI-VUNoM26yLTclcOA3Exw6zeoVoGJD7WmA33N0JQclhbY/s1600/rate4.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>I enjoyed the book and may read it again.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></div>Steph @ The Caffeinated Readerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13572676307512574805noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858014804706808740.post-15426526567243014262012-02-08T22:04:00.002-06:002012-02-08T22:06:06.057-06:00Dead to You by Lisa McMann<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyzP9sAp1HZ0vNChhl16LvxNFKJa8LcOqyQsTCO7b8v3GiNRjJXTEy3P5fPhi4KBAS2bLs_snVP2ey687BFAyqwMY-m5w46U7gBpTODhU3yhW6gqC3io2ZGivnn4tDGhUNlCuTzU9Zv0VV/s1600/11724850.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyzP9sAp1HZ0vNChhl16LvxNFKJa8LcOqyQsTCO7b8v3GiNRjJXTEy3P5fPhi4KBAS2bLs_snVP2ey687BFAyqwMY-m5w46U7gBpTODhU3yhW6gqC3io2ZGivnn4tDGhUNlCuTzU9Zv0VV/s400/11724850.jpg" width="263" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><b>Dead to You</b></i></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">by Lisa McMann</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><i> </i></b></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Publisher</b>: Simon Pulse<br />
<b>Release Date</b>:February 7, 2012</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> <b>Source</b>: Purchased on kindle</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Challenge</b>: none!</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i><br />
</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span id="freeText5941702581976487552"></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span id="freeText570857715639672029"></span></span></i></span><i><span id="freeText2720927365058191575">Ethan was abducted from his front yard when he was just seven years old. Now, at sixteen, he has returned to his family. It's a miracle... at first. Then the tensions start to build. His reintroduction to his old life isn't going smoothly, and his family is tearing apart all over again. If only Ethan could remember something, anything, about his life before, he'd be able to put the pieces back together. But there's something that's keeping his memory blocked. Something unspeakable..</span></i></div><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span id="freeText570857715639672029"></span></span></i></span><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span id="freeText5941702581976487552"><br />
</span></span></i><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span id="freeText5941702581976487552"> </span></span></i><span style="font-size: medium;"></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><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/aJGDFPWogfw?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u><b>My Thoughts </b></u></span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"></span><span style="font-size: small;">I felt like I was in a trance throughout my entire reading of LIsa McMann's newest, <b>Dead to You</b>. I was hooked from the very first sentence and just HAD to discover what the "unspeakable" event mentioned in the summary was. Luckily, this book is a short 255 pages, so I didn't have to spend much time biting my nails in suspense!</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Our main character, Ethan, was abducted at the age of 7, while playing in the front yard with his little brother. Nine years go by with no new information, until BOOM he's returned to his parents, brother, and "replacement" sister. This is where our story really begins. </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">I felt that the dynamic between Ethan and his family was incredibly realistic.Ethan's parents are absolutely elated that he has been returned to them, seemingly unharmed. His siblings, however, aren't as accepting. He soon wins over his adorable little sister, Gracie, whom he claims "replaced" him when he went missing. Unfortunately though, things aren't as easy with his younger brother, who is still holding on to a large amount of anger. </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ethan slowly settles in and tries to adjust to the reality of living with an actual family again, but things just don't feel right within the family. Tensions between certain family members reach scary heights, and I was left to wonder just what in the heck was going on. I had my suspicions, but honestly I hoped Ms. McMann would pull a punch that would truly shock me.</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Unfortunately, though, this did not happen. I found the conclusion of <b>Dead to You</b> to be completely predictable, and I felt so very let down. I felt somewhat cheated once I closed the book. That being said, I would absolutely read a sequel if Ms. McMann chose to write one. Since <b>Dead to You</b> was written in first person, I truly felt connected to the characters by the time I read the last sentence, and I think I need to hear more of their story in order to feel closure about what happened in this book.</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Even though the ending of <b>Dead to You</b> ruined what would have been a 5 star rating from me, Ms. McMann did an amazing job describing the emotions and adjustments that the family went through while trying to put their lives back together. Sensational and heartbreaking. I feel like crying just thinking about it. If you're looking for an emotional contemporary read with a big focus on family and just the right amount of suspense thrown in, give <b>Dead to You</b> a shot. I'd love to discuss! </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZy-n6pr9wCcxsgbrLOqGPU5GoqCZbAvaf5faCCLFwLMpUTMmGqiWnWsYkXbHClIVR9bdq778qQgEqszlN76jsHn8qDUh79G9or-_FHQp4HYECCGdo_S2QPjAtF17Zt2Pejo9tdihgPkXB/s1600/rate4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZy-n6pr9wCcxsgbrLOqGPU5GoqCZbAvaf5faCCLFwLMpUTMmGqiWnWsYkXbHClIVR9bdq778qQgEqszlN76jsHn8qDUh79G9or-_FHQp4HYECCGdo_S2QPjAtF17Zt2Pejo9tdihgPkXB/s1600/rate4.png" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></div>Steph @ The Caffeinated Readerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13572676307512574805noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858014804706808740.post-56098149259417920262012-01-23T23:18:00.001-06:002012-01-26T20:29:23.389-06:00Top Ten...err Five Vacations for Book Lovers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEv9iZH2vD89b3AsaEx2V14Jw8gu_1uveEC3KN06Tr_FzkQAHM_VDJJ9xs6IpFOloJlrGljNOoc6bv6VrC42TPFQfmgpBqu-IiOhByAmpiiuOL8nj__m9EUFkMMCDaVdO2pARd1vVaoBXn/s1600/tuesday2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEv9iZH2vD89b3AsaEx2V14Jw8gu_1uveEC3KN06Tr_FzkQAHM_VDJJ9xs6IpFOloJlrGljNOoc6bv6VrC42TPFQfmgpBqu-IiOhByAmpiiuOL8nj__m9EUFkMMCDaVdO2pARd1vVaoBXn/s1600/tuesday2.png" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Top Ten Tuesday</b> is hosted by the awesome ladies at <b><a href="http://www.brokeandbookish.blogspot.com/" style="color: #674ea7;" target="_blank">The Broke and the Bookish</a></b>. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Two of my biggest passions in life are reading and traveling. Since this week's TTT is a freebie post, I decided to combine these two great loves of mine. After pondering for a while, I came up with the <b style="color: #674ea7;">Top Ten Vacations for Book Lovers</b>. Of course, this list is just my opinion! If you know of other bookish vacations, please let me know! I can never have too many vacations to pine over and plan for the future! </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><b>1. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Orlando, FL</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9cypk517THdpKVkb-M3DaFCpsSFa3li_gifWKqXDEC7BypRjvwTcjIgoiPDOf63OnZlOy9O9_r7FAEh5HXJ3vaAtXLmXluK96bqOmbFWuG_kK8AcIM8jn-HK7BDLtXEAerCkfulk621hg/s1600/harrypotter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9cypk517THdpKVkb-M3DaFCpsSFa3li_gifWKqXDEC7BypRjvwTcjIgoiPDOf63OnZlOy9O9_r7FAEh5HXJ3vaAtXLmXluK96bqOmbFWuG_kK8AcIM8jn-HK7BDLtXEAerCkfulk621hg/s320/harrypotter.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><b> </b>Visiting <b><a href="http://www.universalorlando.com/harrypotter/" style="color: #674ea7;" target="_blank">The Wizarding World of Harry Potter</a></b> is an essential experience for all Harry Potter fans, both young and not so young. Where else can you actually tour the castle, buy candy from Honeydukes, taste authentic butter beer, visit Zonko's joke shop, choose a wand, and experience amazing rides all in one place?! I visited the Wizarding World on Thanksgiving day 2010, and it was MADNESS - pure MADNESS. Luckily, I was able to ride the key ride and walk around a bit, but I didn't get to tour any of the shops or get the full experience. I will definitely be going back! </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><b>2. New York City</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHrUC3XPzo9m0Ge7AkwB0OSCjWkkUuuJCwRP6F8jp4JjOZqG8ZRoRMAoaqlcSkPEnLwvR_ogkidkwTSkDZTj9qMGYqVgxIOKrvoG45ViJBrR9o5jlv12s-l0WpXplw9FY31wxQdjg5O6y-/s1600/nyc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHrUC3XPzo9m0Ge7AkwB0OSCjWkkUuuJCwRP6F8jp4JjOZqG8ZRoRMAoaqlcSkPEnLwvR_ogkidkwTSkDZTj9qMGYqVgxIOKrvoG45ViJBrR9o5jlv12s-l0WpXplw9FY31wxQdjg5O6y-/s320/nyc.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There are so many amazing things for book lovers to do in NYC that I don't even know where to begin! </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">- If you want to rest in luxary while visiting the city, you might think about booking a room at <b style="color: #674ea7;"><a href="http://www.libraryhotel.com/index.cfm" target="_blank">The Library Hotel</a></b>. Each floor of the hotel is based on a category of the Dewey Decimal System. </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">- Stop by <b><a href="http://www.strandbooks.com/" style="color: #674ea7;" target="_blank">The Strand</a><span style="color: #674ea7;">, </span></b><span style="color: #674ea7;"><span style="color: black;">an 18 MILE long bookstore! They have both new and rare books. I'd been to NYC twice before I learned about the strand. Now I want to go back ASAP so I can browse until I pass out.</span></span></div><span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">- If you happen to visit the city in June and are a book blogger, you can attend <b style="color: #674ea7;"><a href="http://www.bookexpoamerica.com/" target="_blank">Book Expo America</a></b> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">... and then tell me all about it! </span><br />
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>3. Colorado Springs, CO </b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixF8RdeEjwNmyxcMdGhpJ059f5JSmy3UFqQksdlqmrCDn4iuGSPK2XZZYoUNISDnpMaPpqaE0MuhX-HGaIqHQtTDp0L99AMNX6xiIKUASxwb-iMrKlxjaMGaFzUfWBlPiRxfM2Qb3shiLi/s1600/CS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixF8RdeEjwNmyxcMdGhpJ059f5JSmy3UFqQksdlqmrCDn4iuGSPK2XZZYoUNISDnpMaPpqaE0MuhX-HGaIqHQtTDp0L99AMNX6xiIKUASxwb-iMrKlxjaMGaFzUfWBlPiRxfM2Qb3shiLi/s320/CS.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Okay, so Colorado Springs doesn't actually have any major attractions for book lovers, BUT it is a gorgeous place to spend a weekend reading books. My boyfriend and I will be moving there next year, after I finish my master's degree. </span><br />
<br />
<b style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">4. London, England</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkH16Mggni1G0H5FMrFpqW7rebA-LXIBbqeQ2Goo-ZAHZk5khwNSJcwu9Ekbm1CRjOtfDYmFXOeBQ27Cbj06fWFqxCgwWYw6LjcqFn0AQqJZ8vXe8UgzK7WaO8NzlUrB-o0014oIXeZQjV/s1600/london.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkH16Mggni1G0H5FMrFpqW7rebA-LXIBbqeQ2Goo-ZAHZk5khwNSJcwu9Ekbm1CRjOtfDYmFXOeBQ27Cbj06fWFqxCgwWYw6LjcqFn0AQqJZ8vXe8UgzK7WaO8NzlUrB-o0014oIXeZQjV/s320/london.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><ul style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><li>Tour the Sherlock Holmes Museum</li>
<li>Stop by Shakespeare's Globe Theater</li>
<li>Visit Waterstone's Bookstore in Piccadilly Circus. They carry over 150,000 titles! </li>
<li>Walk along Charring Cross Road, which is known for its wide array of used and specialty book stores. Sounds like the perfect street to me! </li>
</ul><b>5. Prince Edward Island, Canada </b><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7TFBOMaJkKFj1auaUFBjmag6cEwHh1RAQWqTXf3e8tW-vGfIOyVQv7PNKZz8cb_lc-pyDq8a61YsIS1ClMkxcT7lmyd9PVjUs_dcH-qw4D5ga8c7iA7ehVmCbhIPf8lBUMgQSDNDRuzQI/s1600/PEI.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7TFBOMaJkKFj1auaUFBjmag6cEwHh1RAQWqTXf3e8tW-vGfIOyVQv7PNKZz8cb_lc-pyDq8a61YsIS1ClMkxcT7lmyd9PVjUs_dcH-qw4D5ga8c7iA7ehVmCbhIPf8lBUMgQSDNDRuzQI/s320/PEI.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">www.winesofcanada.com</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Ah, Prince Edward Island - home of Anne of Green Gables, the famous children's series by L.M. Montgomery. I didn't know about this wonderful series when I was a kid, but the audiobooks got me through some tough times as an adult. The scenery described sounded absolutely beautiful, and I'd love to visit PEI someday and see the sights for myself. </div><ul style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><li>Visit <b style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: #674ea7;"><a href="http://www.avonlea.ca/index.php" target="_blank">Avonlea Village</a></b>, a theme park or reenactment of sorts for fans of all things Anne</li>
<li> Tour the Anne of Green Gables Museum</li>
<li>Attend Anne of Green G<span style="background-color: #674ea7;"></span>ables - the Musical</li>
<li>Stroll along the lake of shining waters</li>
</ul><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b></div><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There are so many bookish travel spots that I'd love to talk about, but my head is pounding and I need to put away the computer :( Have you visited any of the vacation spots I mentioned? If so, please let me know! </span></b><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">All photos found on <a href="http://www.weheartit.com/" style="color: #674ea7;" target="_blank">We Heart It</a></span><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #674ea7;"> </span></span></b></div>Steph @ The Caffeinated Readerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13572676307512574805noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858014804706808740.post-46928748418964253432012-01-22T23:18:00.000-06:002012-01-22T23:18:36.376-06:00Tempest by Julie Cross<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHek9tdGaq01zWdCmgD23F_0NgmEWwyqT_jKU5lVwWlfSRirc0SrqpEa-k9_E-9dmcQURyJJfpLXWCyXCbrYJr9Sk7TKXjIu5PEBe3IhyFHdpNmupjlP7gg4n3t8WHH6i61n8RD6nDHvBe/s1600/41bQN1lyJYL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHek9tdGaq01zWdCmgD23F_0NgmEWwyqT_jKU5lVwWlfSRirc0SrqpEa-k9_E-9dmcQURyJJfpLXWCyXCbrYJr9Sk7TKXjIu5PEBe3IhyFHdpNmupjlP7gg4n3t8WHH6i61n8RD6nDHvBe/s320/41bQN1lyJYL.jpg" width="221" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>Tempest</b></i></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">by Julie Cross</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><i> </i></b></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Publisher</b>: St. Martin's Griffin<br />
<b>Release Date</b>: January 17, 2012</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <b>Source</b>: Purchased</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Challenge</b>: 2012 Debut Author Challenge</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><br />
</i></span></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span id="freeText5941702581976487552"></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span id="freeText570857715639672029">The year is 2009. Nineteen-year-old Jackson Meyer is a normal guy… he’s in college, has a girlfriend… and he can travel back through time. But it’s not like the movies – nothing changes in the present after his jumps, there’s no space-time continuum issues or broken flux capacitors – it’s just harmless fun.<br />
<br />
That is… until the day strangers burst in on Jackson and his girlfriend, Holly, and during a struggle with Jackson, Holly is fatally shot. In his panic, Jackson jumps back two years to 2007, but this is not like his previous time jumps. Now he’s stuck in 2007 and can’t get back to the future.<br />
<br />
Desperate to somehow return to 2009 to save Holly but unable to return to his rightful year, Jackson settles into 2007 and learns what he can about his abilities.<br />
<br />
But it’s not long before the people who shot Holly in 2009 come looking for Jackson in the past, and these “Enemies of Time” will stop at nothing to recruit this powerful young time-traveler. Recruit… or kill him.<br />
<br />
Piecing together the clues about his father, the Enemies of Time, and himself, Jackson must decide how far he’s willing to go to save Holly… and possibly the entire world. - Goodreads</span></span></i></span><br />
<br />
<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/sidaeJl0qOE?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span id="freeText570857715639672029"></span></span></i></span><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span id="freeText5941702581976487552"><br />
</span></span></i><span style="font-size: large;"><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u><b>My Thoughts </b></u></span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Are you looking for a book with three dimensional characters, action, romance, suspense, mystery, sadness, and more than a bit of science? Well then, <i><b>Tempest </b></i>may just be the book for you. Since Ms. Cross packed so much action into this 350 page thrill ride, I'm going to breakdown my feelings into different categories. I love categories and lists, you know.</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><u><b>Characters</b></u></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><u><b> </b></u><b>Jackson </b>- I freakin LOVED that the main character in Tempest is a college age guy. How often does that happen in YA books?! Jackson is a very complex character and is really struggling with his new ability to time travel. He feels lost and confused and doesn't know who he can trust with his secrets. This, and a couple of other issues that are explained later in the book, greatly affect how he interacts with his girlfriend Holly. The guy definitely has some emotional baggage and is afraid of vulnerability. That being said, Jackson comes into his own as the book progresses. I loved reading about his interactions with Holly and his twin sister, Courtney, in various time periods. Having the opportunity to read about them in different time periods gave me a better overall understanding of the characters. </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Holly</b> - Jackson's girlfriend; This girl is totally down to earth and has amazing gymnastics abilities. She's intelligent, brave, and won't take any BS from Jackson. I loved seeing the changes in her personality between 2009 and 2007. Her love for Jackson felt authentic, and I seriously just wanted to give her a hug and tell her they'd live happily ever after. I'd be friends with Holly in a heartbeat. </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Courtney</b> - Jackson's twin sister and another character that I wanted to give a big hug (Is that creepy?). Some of the interactions between Jackson and Courtney made me shed a few tears. I don't want to say more for fear of spoiling the book for anyone, but suffice it to say that theirs is one my favorite sibling relationships ever. </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Jackson's dad </b>- This man was an enigma throughout most of the book. I went back and forth on my opinion of him. The moments of tension that occurred between him and Jackson were palpable. So many emotions felt. I saw many similarities, personality wise, between Jackson and his father. </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Adam </b>- This guy is crazy smart. If I was a confused kid with the ability to time travel, I'd definitely want him on my side. Just sayin'. </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><u><b>Plot</b></u></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><u><b> </b></u>I'm not going to lie, at times the storyline was a bit hard to follow. This isn't because of Ms. Cross's writing skills, she's fantastic as far as I'm concerned. It was just difficult to keep up with which year we were in and which enemy we were facing in the particular moment. Who knows what about Jackson's abilities? Who does Jackson need to lie to in order to stay safe? Aside from these tiny nick pickings, I found the plot of Tempest to be intriguing and fast paced. The storyline was full of grey area. We never quite know who to trust or who is the real enemy. Maybe everyone is a bit of both? Nevertheless, the ride to the future, past, and back is an exciting one for sure. </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> <u><b> </b></u></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><u><b>Romance </b></u> </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Holly and Jackson went through plenty of turmoil throughout the book, but I was really rooting for them to make it. I enjoyed seeing their established relationship in 2009 vs their blooming relationship in 2007. I feel like there was more steam and passion during the time they spent together as 19 year olds, but I also loved watching them get to know each other in 2007. Their story is one with many conflicts, and I'll be interested in seeing how it plays out in the next two books. </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><u><b>Science</b></u></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><u><b> </b></u>There were many scientific explanations for the time travel that occurred. They were interesting, yes. Did I understand every single concept mentioned? Probably not. If you're a fan of science, you can totally geek out to the scientific details mentioned in <i><b>Tempest</b></i>. If not, sit back and enjoy the other great aspects of the book. </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><u><b>Overall Impression</b></u></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><u><b> </b></u>Tempest was amazing. I looked forward to reading it for months and am so glad I wasn't disappointed. There was truly never a moment of boredom while reading. My mind was constantly engaged with keeping up with the timeline and plot. I loved the characters and the relationships explored, both romantic and familial. I can't wait to see what happens in the next installment. 2013?! Hurry Please!! </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-CsRxK5rkqBsHTQCYds4EvyHAJsiYUqhvI5ppsFl006mDrzvmnxHUcGHYUVv29coOrKdXdWQu4YtduTLIrWVP4_3bUOTBQp6jFn02YNB33v2y2DTQh0YvaC24Tbf64464oYkvWgQO_ujy/s1600/rate5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-CsRxK5rkqBsHTQCYds4EvyHAJsiYUqhvI5ppsFl006mDrzvmnxHUcGHYUVv29coOrKdXdWQu4YtduTLIrWVP4_3bUOTBQp6jFn02YNB33v2y2DTQh0YvaC24Tbf64464oYkvWgQO_ujy/s1600/rate5.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>This book has earned a spot on my "Favorites" shelf!</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b></b></span></div>Steph @ The Caffeinated Readerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13572676307512574805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858014804706808740.post-16691349372948299532012-01-10T00:24:00.000-06:002012-01-10T00:24:46.087-06:00Top Ten Authors I am BEGGING To Write Another Book<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisxboAuR1UUcXD3LIMmJ6FxurjRGy72Q9MxTMoJHFxxYhm7T35wlwGGm7ovm5gugcQYb1HMh69mYHsS_CuIxoqtujnkqPibiW5u9EgiudP7TtgxqmVk1CMHfvE20hIO01MaadV0PFl83fq/s1600/tuesday2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisxboAuR1UUcXD3LIMmJ6FxurjRGy72Q9MxTMoJHFxxYhm7T35wlwGGm7ovm5gugcQYb1HMh69mYHsS_CuIxoqtujnkqPibiW5u9EgiudP7TtgxqmVk1CMHfvE20hIO01MaadV0PFl83fq/s320/tuesday2.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the ladies at </span><b><a href="http://www.brokeandbookish.blogspot.com/" style="color: #674ea7;" target="_blank">The Broke and the Bookish</a></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><b> </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This week's <b style="color: #674ea7;">Top Ten Tuesday</b> prompt is </span><b style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Top Ten Authors I Wish Would Write Another Book. </b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Y'all, this week's topic is right up my alley. Some of these are debut authors, and others have been around for as long as I can remember.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggvNjImqCuvt2fwA-tDCp32vSz6GoF4258bGeIbRlws-DUnlhyCZgyqLfx9CR6j82Yn8pY2sXnEHLleEvf10NFfkOfPP_v7HZMQgmcCV-1sQsJWWAmADZCkd0CDEJnhPbKIwH6XhSG3L35/s1600/2213661.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggvNjImqCuvt2fwA-tDCp32vSz6GoF4258bGeIbRlws-DUnlhyCZgyqLfx9CR6j82Yn8pY2sXnEHLleEvf10NFfkOfPP_v7HZMQgmcCV-1sQsJWWAmADZCkd0CDEJnhPbKIwH6XhSG3L35/s320/2213661.jpg" width="206" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> 1. </span><b style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Lorraine Zago Rosenthal</b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> - Ms. Rosenthal debuted in the YA world in 2011 with <i>Other Words for Love</i>, a fantastic coming of age story set in 1980's New York City. I hope she continues writing YA contemp, because her writing truly shines. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2. Neil Gaiman</b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> - <i>The Graveyard Book</i> is the one of the best middle grade books I have ever read. I'm not sure when Mr. Gaiman will publish his next children's book, but I'll be preordering it when he does! </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj05-B_rr0VwpFvd8d3XUgjezlBM-SkN20mfgx7dLmvBzN17qUK3JRTk94-xncxzaaKhiEUdgIgoAB-96trL1005bRAdesG5CO0QlrfgYugivoZqYNAqTKhPsTplczveR5WBS8bc4BGcE1q/s1600/8428195.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj05-B_rr0VwpFvd8d3XUgjezlBM-SkN20mfgx7dLmvBzN17qUK3JRTk94-xncxzaaKhiEUdgIgoAB-96trL1005bRAdesG5CO0QlrfgYugivoZqYNAqTKhPsTplczveR5WBS8bc4BGcE1q/s320/8428195.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><b>3. J.K. Rowling</b> - I don't know if she can create another series as magical as the <i>Harry Potter</i> series, but damnit I hope she tries. </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><b style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">4. Heather Dixon</b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> - </span><i style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Entwined, </i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">a retelling of The 12 Dancing Princesses, was a magical story that left me feeling all warm and fuzzy. More retellings, please! </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq2taF3iWzTsAu-TwR8kFT_7ncjWg6GH2ypag90fav57rTYRnOqLmzBqFVHCs0g9ylfT1LgId-oRXGVcRUCXjf73R5F1nGNMaJqfvxvat-6hUKBZhJfgTaWul4fnbswpMUmjS3YPHODGw7/s1600/51H3cCkRUJL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq2taF3iWzTsAu-TwR8kFT_7ncjWg6GH2ypag90fav57rTYRnOqLmzBqFVHCs0g9ylfT1LgId-oRXGVcRUCXjf73R5F1nGNMaJqfvxvat-6hUKBZhJfgTaWul4fnbswpMUmjS3YPHODGw7/s320/51H3cCkRUJL.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><b>5. Miranda Kenneally</b> - I literally just finished reading Catching Jordan, but oh my gosh I want MORE. I never imagined I'd crave more books with sports themes. Ms. Kenneally is a talented woman. Good thing the companion to <i>Catching Jordan</i> will be released in October of this year. Squee. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">6. Laini Taylor </b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">- Okay, I know </span><i style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Daughter of Smoke and Bone</i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> just came out last year and that the sequel will be released in fall of 2012, but Ms. Taylor's writing is gorgeous. When I think of "lyrical", I think of Laini Taylor. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOW1Agz4TllqXCHSDrhhNMk7rLiAxa7-gy0rVqHyhCGe5xGzJH2wVTMJ84MchIyJ_MCbeDIzaPbM0Ey9lP-7lY9knV-8yHllxw38SorNZLFY4fSENXVZCAlP8FcFhhVvOI_-ZofmMYkkWT/s1600/4667024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOW1Agz4TllqXCHSDrhhNMk7rLiAxa7-gy0rVqHyhCGe5xGzJH2wVTMJ84MchIyJ_MCbeDIzaPbM0Ey9lP-7lY9knV-8yHllxw38SorNZLFY4fSENXVZCAlP8FcFhhVvOI_-ZofmMYkkWT/s320/4667024.jpg" width="210" /></a> <b> </b></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><b>7. Judy Blume</b> - I love her adult centric novels, especially <i>Summer Sisters</i>. I'm not sure whether she's planning to release more books in the future, but I'll be ecstatic if she does. </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"> </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><b> 8. Kathryn Stockett</b> - The Help was absolutely fantastic, and listening to it on audio really made the story come alive for me. Apparently Ms. Stockett is in the VERY early stages of writing her second book, which is supposed to be set in 1920's Mississippi </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicRXY62ec_sNE-oJVkyt55hTLLMsDXfcixJgo4Bn7kUZf5DluABjzF-uhVH0fC5srZM5qRZ4Np1xqWfLgUIWInfDOjDsKQV1CRE3g_y-0W97TfcWg6nnZJ5A2lEv0XDz4_6kIEm3vYYn10/s1600/4374400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicRXY62ec_sNE-oJVkyt55hTLLMsDXfcixJgo4Bn7kUZf5DluABjzF-uhVH0fC5srZM5qRZ4Np1xqWfLgUIWInfDOjDsKQV1CRE3g_y-0W97TfcWg6nnZJ5A2lEv0XDz4_6kIEm3vYYn10/s320/4374400.jpg" width="209" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><b>9. Suzanne Collins</b> - <i>The Hunger Games</i> remains one of my favorite dystopian novels, and I'm curious to see what she'll come up with next.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">10. Gayle Forman</b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> - </span><i style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If I Stay</i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> and </span><i style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Where She Went</i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> SLAYED me, and I need more of her gorgeous writing.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Which authors do you want another book from? Let me know :)</b></span></div>Steph @ The Caffeinated Readerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13572676307512574805noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858014804706808740.post-55028612796820279372012-01-07T23:26:00.000-06:002012-01-07T23:26:13.409-06:00In My Mailbox (4) - Barnes & Noble Sale Edition<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie5SXH0-XYT51qbQl5jIaifw4cgUoWvsBmFw6f2nVBd-idStlVCFfH7DZ4awWL_tHaLYK9B4X2KpWUlCcaf2fteT5ObTEmCWOGHa9jZA536uKUxSnJ1WVK2_rdBIiYxAJzfWCBp56_geIG/s1600/imm.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie5SXH0-XYT51qbQl5jIaifw4cgUoWvsBmFw6f2nVBd-idStlVCFfH7DZ4awWL_tHaLYK9B4X2KpWUlCcaf2fteT5ObTEmCWOGHa9jZA536uKUxSnJ1WVK2_rdBIiYxAJzfWCBp56_geIG/s320/imm.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">In my Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at <b><a href="http://www.thestorysiren.com/" style="color: #3d85c6;" target="_blank">The Story Siren</a></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><u><b>Purchased </b></u></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Barnes & Noble had a HUGE sale on teen books this week, so I decided to stock up :) 3 hardcovers for $25 isn't bad! </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpvfxDw7AyTr7eHC9Ev4vmrRJ90O96NofOypEOEb1VJtUdoabMB4zOz5l8QLK6_2yKZAmdFOpxh3ZwLhSg4F9waxhLY-rsLqZ8s2SvWF0jfZGi7Ye8LeBmcu2qJ8vd4KOUoFD0PaSpY-Ay/s1600/IMM4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpvfxDw7AyTr7eHC9Ev4vmrRJ90O96NofOypEOEb1VJtUdoabMB4zOz5l8QLK6_2yKZAmdFOpxh3ZwLhSg4F9waxhLY-rsLqZ8s2SvWF0jfZGi7Ye8LeBmcu2qJ8vd4KOUoFD0PaSpY-Ay/s320/IMM4.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><i><b>Bittersweet</b></i> by Sarah Ockler </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><i><b>Starcrossed</b></i> by Josephine Angelini </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><i><b>Daughter of Smoke and Bone</b></i> by Laini Taylor (Already read this one, but I wanted a finished copy for my bookshelf)</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><u><b>Kindle</b></u></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><i><b>Audition</b></i> by Stasia Ward Kehoe</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><i><b>I Heart You, You Haunt Me </b></i>- Lisa Schroeder</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><b><i>The Goose Girl</i></b> - Shannon Hale </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><i><b>The Unidentified</b></i> - Rae Mariz</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><i><b>Hereafter</b></i> by Tara Hudson</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><i><b>Unearthly</b></i> by Cynthia Hand</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><i><b>Tangled</b></i> by Carolyn Mackler</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><i><b>Nine Rules to Break When Romancing A Rake</b></i> by Sarah Maclean</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><u><b>Netgalley</b></u></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><i><b>Incarnate</b></i> by Jodi Meadows </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><i><b>Pieces of Us</b></i> by Margie Gelbwasser </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><u><b><br />
</b></u></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><u><b>Gifted</b></u></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><i><b>Harry Potter Page to Screen </b></i>by Bob McCabe</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><u><b>Library</b></u></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><i><b>When She Woke</b></i> by Hilary Jordan</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Phew, I might have gone overboard on the book buying :/ What showed up in your mailbox this week? Let me know! </span></b></span></div>Steph @ The Caffeinated Readerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13572676307512574805noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858014804706808740.post-63099941359457468112012-01-06T00:17:00.000-06:002012-01-06T00:17:28.885-06:00TGIF at GReads! (1)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ds-xR1kMqXo/TwYLOUeentI/AAAAAAAAAMI/z3JIBTTsRAU/s1600/tgif.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ds-xR1kMqXo/TwYLOUeentI/AAAAAAAAAMI/z3JIBTTsRAU/s1600/tgif.png" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">TGIF is a weekly meme hosted by Ginger at </span><a href="http://www.greadsbooks.com/" target="_blank"><b style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">GReads!</span> </b></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Each week she posts a new questions for her followers to answer. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><u>This week's question</u>:</span></i> <span style="font-size: small;">What are some of your reading goals for the new year? </span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">I have various reading and blogging goals that I'm hoping to tackle in 2012:</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>1. I want to read 100 books by the end of the year.</b> I read 75 last year without really trying to meet a goal, so I think 100 will be attainable. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>2. I need to learn how to schedule posts. </b>I mean, I technically know how to do it. I'm just terrible at planning what I'm going to post in advance. With grad school starting again in two weeks, I have to be more organized.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>3. Get to know other bloggers</b>. I've been blogging off and on since June, but I still don't feel like I know any other bloggers very well. I'm hoping to change that this year. I'm shy though, so we shall see how that goals.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>4. I want to meet my goals for the Debut Author Challenge,</b> Completely Contemp Challenge, and the Sophomore Reading Challenge. You can read about those on my Challenges page.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Those are the major goals I'm planning to accomplish this year. Do you have any reading goals that you're trying to tackle? Let me know in the comments! </span></span></div>Steph @ The Caffeinated Readerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13572676307512574805noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858014804706808740.post-85265847763239899422012-01-05T01:06:00.000-06:002012-01-05T01:08:23.729-06:00Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--q11nrUt5YE/TwU8jsoP30I/AAAAAAAAALw/MQmnYrbBVIk/s1600/catchingjordan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--q11nrUt5YE/TwU8jsoP30I/AAAAAAAAALw/MQmnYrbBVIk/s320/catchingjordan.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><b><span style="font-size: small;">Catching Jordan</span></b></i></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">by Miranda Kenneally</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b><i> </i></b></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>Publisher</b>: Sourcebooks Fire<br />
<b>Release Date</b>: December 1, 2011</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> <b>Source</b>: Purchased</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>Challenge</b>: 2012 Completely Contemp Challenge </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></span></i></div><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span id="freeText5941702581976487552">What girl doesn't want to be surrounded by gorgeous jocks day in and day out? Jordan Woods isn't just surrounded by hot guys, though - she leads them as the captain and quarterback on her high school football team. They all see her as one of the guys, and that's just fine. As long as she gets her athletic scholarship to a powerhouse university. But now there's a new guy in town who threatens her starring position on the team... and has her suddenly wishing to be seen as more than just a teammate - Goodreads</span></span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span id="freeText5941702581976487552"><br />
</span></span></i><br />
<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/SkTn4tn9ePU?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span id="freeText5941702581976487552"><br />
</span></span></i><br />
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><u><b>My Thoughts </b></u></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"></span><span style="font-size: small;">Anyone who knows me well knows that I am NOT a football fan. Because of this, I was hesitant to pick up<b> Catching Jordan</b>. I'm SO glad I gave the book a chance though, because it ROCKED. Guys, believe me when I tell you that you don't need to be a fan of sports to enjoy this book. Football does play a role, but I'd say this is more of a character driven story.</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
The characters in Catching Jordan were three dimensional. I felt like I knew them by the time I finished the book yesterday. I loved <b>Jordan</b>, the protagonist for oh so many reasons. She's an amazing quarterback, loyal friend, isn't afraid to eat her weight in nachos, and can throw a punch with the best of them. Underneath all of the rough and tumble, she's just a girl trying to find her way in the world. Sure she's a football player, but she struggles with the same insecurities that most girls face during their teen years, including how to deal with guys. I wish Jordan was real, because she is one girl I'd freakin love to be friends with. </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">I enjoyed reading about the dynamic that Jordan shared with the guys on her team. All of the guys were awesome, from sensitive <b>Carter</b> to protective<b> JJ. </b>Also, let me just say that the love triangle between Jordan and certain guys on the team was fantastically written. I swooned for sure. I'll leave it at that though. I want you to experience the swoonage for yourselves :)</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">I also want to point out how big of a role that Jordan's family played in the story. Not many YA books have such a strong parent-teen dynamic these days. I loved Jordan's parents, especially her dad. He, the great NFL star, acted like an asshole throughout a good portion of the book. He didn't support Jordan and hurt her badly, but despite appearances the man has heart. I had such a better understanding of him by the time I finished the book, and that level of character growth is really what reading is all about. While Jordan's dad was my favorite, her mom and brother were pretty great as well. Her mother's support made me smile on more than one occasion and her big brother was always there to talk when she needed him.</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Have y'all noticed that I spent most of this review talking about the characters? Well, that's really what this book is all about: Characters. Relationships. Growth. Love. Finding humor in everyday situations. If you are looking for a feel good book with a relatable protagonist and a fantastic cast of secondary characters, I wholeheartedly recommend <b>Catching Jordan</b>. I grinned from ear to ear when I finished this book and I'm grinning from ear to ear now. I will DEFINITELY be reading this one again in the future! </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><u><b><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></b></u></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u><b>Favorite Quotes</b></u></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i style="color: #3d85c6;">"The day I hear JJ talking about his feelings is the day I'll run to a nuclear fallout shelter and pray for my life."</i> - Page 22</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></i></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i style="color: #3d85c6;">"Ty better appreciate how hard I've woed to make myself attractive for him this morning, because I am fucking spent."</i> - Page 40</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i style="color: #3d85c6;">"Love hurts worse than getting slammed by a 250 pound linebacker"</i><span style="color: #3d85c6;"> </span>- Page 154</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AVPQxrjfxVI/TwVJ4_-kTGI/AAAAAAAAAL8/Nkc2OmrvhUc/s1600/rate5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AVPQxrjfxVI/TwVJ4_-kTGI/AAAAAAAAAL8/Nkc2OmrvhUc/s1600/rate5.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>This book has earned a spot on my "Favorites" shelf!</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Steph @ The Caffeinated Readerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13572676307512574805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858014804706808740.post-27885659986307110432011-12-11T17:47:00.000-06:002011-12-11T17:47:22.284-06:00In My Mailbox (3) - Secret Santa Edition!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJkgKgjvxs30gKXNoIhlHBywbG-3dunCIIe9ig8JrNgD6rvJxZi07I5NxIcrOBb9l3D1vBv-eouk5ebW5JpZck0ss4JFF-vScrtrACID9Q23eMx7AxaRWDxY-DdQAJbH-Q-KqWJutw0pTo/s1600/mailbox1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJkgKgjvxs30gKXNoIhlHBywbG-3dunCIIe9ig8JrNgD6rvJxZi07I5NxIcrOBb9l3D1vBv-eouk5ebW5JpZck0ss4JFF-vScrtrACID9Q23eMx7AxaRWDxY-DdQAJbH-Q-KqWJutw0pTo/s320/mailbox1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at <a href="http://www.thestorysiren.com/" target="_blank">The Story Siren</a></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><u><b>From my Broke & Bookish Secret Santa:</b></u></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtTFqqyhiPjIetP6WscNw38FRKNlTOQ84BNTGBstuc1VXNd0UgOWXZ6HJUfkvR-i_9_uJ5P4erADi7dgxWVhIwb_jscBCMpHDHabsdL5CrKcAczwi3zujt4c7DlYOnNQeMaafLfUcrFZbF/s1600/secret+santa.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtTFqqyhiPjIetP6WscNw38FRKNlTOQ84BNTGBstuc1VXNd0UgOWXZ6HJUfkvR-i_9_uJ5P4erADi7dgxWVhIwb_jscBCMpHDHabsdL5CrKcAczwi3zujt4c7DlYOnNQeMaafLfUcrFZbF/s320/secret+santa.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> The Girl of Fire and Thorns</i> by Rae Carson</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">a box of chai tea (yay tea!)</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">some cool colored pencils</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Thank you Secret Santa, whoever you are!! :)</b></i></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i style="color: #0b5394;"><b> </b></i></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><b><span style="color: black;"><u>Bought: </u></span></b></span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><b><span style="color: black;"><u><br />
</u></span></b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyNym76bM3R1RuKYo4eDxIFxMgg9uiXw7qWH7OA-AxLNbDa_2RsHOQimhYa42tNp0reKq3YE-3RWtuxUbHK1nOGAcIcV_E6l6tXAJIsbYiBBi4hsslIfxipkeHCYxj-Wy24FzL6m-7W3aD/s1600/possess.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyNym76bM3R1RuKYo4eDxIFxMgg9uiXw7qWH7OA-AxLNbDa_2RsHOQimhYa42tNp0reKq3YE-3RWtuxUbHK1nOGAcIcV_E6l6tXAJIsbYiBBi4hsslIfxipkeHCYxj-Wy24FzL6m-7W3aD/s1600/possess.JPG" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><b><span style="color: black;"><u><br />
</u></span></b></span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="color: black;"><i>Possess</i> by Gretchen McNeil</span></span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="color: black;"><i>The Probability of Miracles</i> by Wendy Wunder</span></span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="color: black;"><i>Catching Jordan</i> by Miranda Kenneally (kindle)</span></span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="color: black;"><i>Destined</i> by Jessie Harrell (kindle)</span></span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="color: black;"><i>Birthmarked</i> by Caragh M. O'Brien (kindle)</span></span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><u><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="color: black;">For Review:</span></span></span></b></u></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="color: black;"><i>Everneath</i> by Brodi Ashton (Thank you Netgalley & HarperCollins!)</span></span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><i><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></span></span></b></i></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="color: black;"><i><b>What did you find in your mailbox this week? Let me know! :)</b></i></span></span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span><i style="color: #0b5394;"><b> </b></i></span></div>Steph @ The Caffeinated Readerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13572676307512574805noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858014804706808740.post-71532864923515432062011-12-08T11:52:00.000-06:002011-12-08T12:02:17.251-06:00Legend by Marie Lu<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeeED4rWQS4WX4spZkxnryp6dGSJXYQWMAVm8zcpRP0E2ztqtzr7nMBf5v_8XvRLKfEGPqiyBbCwhvV4mlR03v91CjoovIPCLoUQlWdr_FHC7MzqA17TJyDzBU6l6_twWHXczuE4F7Ckwk/s1600/9275658.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeeED4rWQS4WX4spZkxnryp6dGSJXYQWMAVm8zcpRP0E2ztqtzr7nMBf5v_8XvRLKfEGPqiyBbCwhvV4mlR03v91CjoovIPCLoUQlWdr_FHC7MzqA17TJyDzBU6l6_twWHXczuE4F7Ckwk/s320/9275658.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b><span style="font-size: medium;">LEGEND</span></b></i></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">by Marie Lu</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><i> </i></b></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Publisher</b>: Putnam Juvenle<br />
<b>Release Date</b>: November 29, 2011<br />
<b>Format</b>: Hardcover, 305 pages <br />
<b>Source</b>: Received for Review at ALA</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><br />
</i></span></div><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span id="freeText12600057442874080214">What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.<br />
<br />
From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths - until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family's survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias's death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.<br />
<br />
Full of nonstop action, suspense, and romance, this novel is sure to move readers as much as it thrills.</span></span></i><br />
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i> - Summary from Goodreads </i></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"></span></i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><u><b>My Thoughts </b></u></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I started <b>Legend</b> with no expectations and end up being BLOWN AWAY. Seriously y'all, I haven't loved a dystopian this much since <i>The Hunger Games</i>! </span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Characters: </b>The story is told from the dual perspective of our main characters, Day and June. Day is a "criminal" who is wreaking havoc on the Republic while trying to protect his family and his sick little brother. June, on the other hand, received a perfect score on her Trial exam (which determines one's fate in life) and is already in her final year of military college at the young age of 15. The Republic has grand plans to utilize June's intelligence in the military. While Day and June are both incredibly intelligent teens, they are from vastly different backgrounds. I liked Day right away Sure he's a criminal, but the boy has a good heart. It took me a while to warm up to June though. She has lived a life of privilege and has been sheltered from what is really going in in the Republic, and it shows! She thinks people from Day's community are dirty homeless people who just need to get up and work. Luckily, this changes as the book goes. By the last page, June has transitioned into a fierce girl who will do whatever it takes to make things right in the Republic, even if it eventually leads to her downfall. Plus, June's love for her brother, Metias, was touching. </span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Plot: </b>The action was nonstop and the chapters are relatively short. June's brother, Metias, is killed early on in the book, and the story fires off from there. Day, being the Republic's #1 most wanted criminal, is the top suspect in the murder trial. June, sick with grief and seeking revenge, takes on the mission of finding him. Once she does, things get interesting. I don't want to ruin any surprises for anyone, so I'll leave it at that. Trust me though, you want to find out what happens next! </span></span><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>World Building: </b>The world described in <b>Legend </b>was intriguing. We have the Republic, which used to be the Western U.S. They are fighting against the Colonies. We really don't find out very much about the Colonies in this book, but I hope we do in the next book because I am dying to know what's up with that whole situation! As for the Republic, it is divided into different city type areas. Some cities are better off than others, and some cities experience more bouts of the plague than others (like the area Day is from). One thing I found interesting was the Trial, which all children have to take at the age of 10. This trial is a Big Deal, as it determines whether you will go to college or if you even score high enough to attend a school at all. Those who score very low on their Trials are required to work menial jobs, and a fate even worse than that awaits those children who fail their trials all together. While these details about the Republic were interesting, I wanted MORE! Maybe that's just because I'm a detail oriented person. Overall though, I did feel that I got a good image of the Republic and how the nation runs. I would LOVE to have a map though, because many different locations were mentioned. </span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u><b>Final Thoughts</b></u></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u><b> </b></u></span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Again I will say, Legend blew me away. Who doesn't love a book filled with action, suspense, mystery, a crazy dystopian government, and a hint of sexual tension? I am anxiously awaiting the next installment in the series, and I urge all of you to go out and get your own copy of Legend as soon as possible! </span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>5 / 5 Stars</b></span></span></span></div>Steph @ The Caffeinated Readerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13572676307512574805noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858014804706808740.post-32709674129541081912011-12-08T11:13:00.000-06:002011-12-08T11:13:58.688-06:00Gift Card Giveaway Hop<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEp1hGNmwHKJy3Fz8MPvhPZvUYGAogAz2L8x9BbypxHSZmGNbB9-KhF-GT99EMb9XItq2X4YcvdV-LXxCfMOmA7W5juVwg7K9GFIQbu47zIimqk2nXAiWimILvAdXcm4K5jKkoXRG3BXY9/s1600/giftcardhop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEp1hGNmwHKJy3Fz8MPvhPZvUYGAogAz2L8x9BbypxHSZmGNbB9-KhF-GT99EMb9XItq2X4YcvdV-LXxCfMOmA7W5juVwg7K9GFIQbu47zIimqk2nXAiWimILvAdXcm4K5jKkoXRG3BXY9/s320/giftcardhop.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"> </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"> </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Welcome to the <b>Gift Card Giveaway Hop</b>! This hop is being hosted by <a href="http://iamareadernotawriter.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">I am a Reader, Not A Writer</a> & <a href="http://attackofthebook.com/" target="_blank">Attack of the Book</a>.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">The hop will run from <b>December 9th - December 13th</b></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Welcome to the Gift Card Giveaway Hop! I've just finished finals and am feeling pretty joyful, so I am offering ONE winner a $10 giftcard to <b>Amazon</b>, <b>B&N,</b> <b>Starbucks</b>, <b>Itunes</b>, OR for my international readers, <b>a book from the book depository</b>! </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><u><b><br />
</b></u></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><u><b>TO ENTER, Leave me a comment with </b></u></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">- Name</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">- Email address</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">- what's on your holiday wishlist this year. I'm curious :)</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">If you choose to follow me, that's awesome (I love making new bookish friends!), but it is NOT required! This is about sharing a love of books (and giftcards) with all of you :)</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">For those of you who celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, school being out, etc, I hope yours is AWESOME!</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">To enter more giveaways on the hop, check out either of the host blogs for the linky! </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">ALSO: </span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> The winners of the Gratitude hop are commenters <b>#54 Sylvia </b>& <b>#96 Mariann</b>. You both have been emailed. Please respond within 48 hours, or I will have to pick a new winner!</span></div>Steph @ The Caffeinated Readerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13572676307512574805noreply@blogger.com191tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858014804706808740.post-6884971199170302092011-11-29T11:58:00.000-06:002011-12-08T10:30:14.498-06:00Top Ten Books on My TBR List for Winter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEX7gF_qDNtT8XibJTKoEYRFHLznpdxiL8K315MWVpj9LYpERTITKtnhjk6ZDDuhD8DypvDWGWEYV28X2BeP1P3eRPYzILI9cher_sYEfhN5Ygq7xXTA8IDYL1fKX1vnpuFLt22ReQvaaJ/s1600/bookcase.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEX7gF_qDNtT8XibJTKoEYRFHLznpdxiL8K315MWVpj9LYpERTITKtnhjk6ZDDuhD8DypvDWGWEYV28X2BeP1P3eRPYzILI9cher_sYEfhN5Ygq7xXTA8IDYL1fKX1vnpuFLt22ReQvaaJ/s1600/bookcase.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOW9Ya-PvjJGn9H43fBWnVvS7XdfxcxIzRP4fnB-_rFkIj1dPQzTIva2UIGLeSpOUOMxcLW3G6Mm1oMsxD3jLreriN_GY_xKojvmpvty89ZrIQrR75Yb4qUJqJr044dYdS2Q5eond-0pT8/s1600/BBWhop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the girls at <a href="http://www.brokeandbookish.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Broke and the Bookish</a>. I'm super excited about this week's TTT. There are SO many books on my winter wishlist, and starting next week I will have a whole MONTH off from school and work to lounge around and read them. You guys don't even know how excited I am to be done with this semester. Grad school = rough. Anyway, on with the list...</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><u><br />
</u></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><u><b>Top Ten Books on My TBR List for Winter</b></u></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMOP0qe27n6nzHqExRHkkLd0mrzKoqpluDVCUju2o1He-RXDY0nrOEKogojn3UOrn974qrJXxf7fgT9XfdlelCb6euzHLHLOqw_qbgttgE3eK-gu2q-2OxlEo9wa-1VYyZiCci-9bEuboo/s1600/11870085.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><b>1. <i>The Fault in Our Stars</i> by John Green </b>- A new John Green book? Umm, YES!!! I've already preordered a signed copy. Win.<br />
<br />
<b>2. <i>Incarnate</i> by Jodi Meadows </b>- I've been interested in reincarnation for a long time + I've heard great things</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
<b>3. <i>The Probability of Miracles </i>by Wendy Wunder </b>- This one sounds like a great contemp. </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">4. <b><i>Everneath</i> by Brodi Ashton</b> - A dark supernatural with a mythological twist. I've been approved for Everneath on netgalley. Can't wait to dig in!</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">5.<i> </i><b><i>Fever </i>by Lauren Destefan</b>o - I read <i>Wither</i> earlier this year and thought it was gorgeous. While there wasn't as much action as I'd have liked, I'm still desperate to read<i> Fever</i> asap. </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><b>6. <i>Tempest</i> by Julie Cross</b> - Time travel! College aged kids! Action! Romance! I'm participating in the 2012 Debut Author Challenge ARC tour for Tempest, so be on the lookout for a review in the next month!</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><b>7. <i>Born Wicked</i> by Jessica Spotswood </b>- It's been compared to A Great and Terrible Beauty. That's all I need to know. Want. </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><b>8. <i>Article 5</i> by Kristen Simmons</b> - Awesome new dystopian alert!</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">9. <b><i>Truth</i> by Julia Karr</b> - I really enjoyed reading XVI earlier this year. I'm ready to find out where the story will go next!</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">10. <i>The Fine Art of Truth or Dare</i> by Melissa Jensen</b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> - Another cute contemp! It's been compared to Anna and the French Kiss. We'll see. </span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1RQUFyWD3JANREBS_iTppxpYdJCww-MjemcvkBA421ANBUTCDfGMR7od8BnilYApCe1gzOQkHqmAT1jJmgDuguQe29LTgoyjMls5JJdHiPM41NWhmhuCI_g2wWrIcWjeR5TCx2Cs_yXwX/s1600/11112619.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><u><b> </b></u></div>Steph @ The Caffeinated Readerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13572676307512574805noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858014804706808740.post-4819055002292374352011-11-21T11:41:00.000-06:002011-11-21T11:41:09.848-06:00Saving June by Hannah Harrington<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_0QvdkZnLusuh4VRC3lSkzafDEZ0xUYjvqfUrYo1lRQCT7acBhpVTc75OJqfL-WurSVmWKwGdSkbLkh-DNdMWagnpj4ZgJ4M50Qc6rtnzO1dPFzPSRvFeOHUMU_JvUqjxyGmQ6INkVrg9/s1600/9672990.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_0QvdkZnLusuh4VRC3lSkzafDEZ0xUYjvqfUrYo1lRQCT7acBhpVTc75OJqfL-WurSVmWKwGdSkbLkh-DNdMWagnpj4ZgJ4M50Qc6rtnzO1dPFzPSRvFeOHUMU_JvUqjxyGmQ6INkVrg9/s1600/9672990.jpg" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span><span><span><span><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Saving June</span></b></i></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span><span><span>by Hannah Harrington</span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span><span><span><b><i> </i></b></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span><span><span><b>Publisher</b>: Harlquin Teen</span></span><br />
<span> <span><b>Release Date</b>: November 22, 2011</span></span></span><span><br />
<span><span><b>Format</b>: Paperback, 336 pages</span></span></span> <span><br />
<span><b>Source</b>: Received for Review through Netgalley</span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span><span><span><span><br />
</span></span></span></span></i></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><i style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span id="freeText140013979013982454">"</span></i><i><span id="freeText8022201883752527629" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If she’d waited less than two weeks, she’d be June who died in June. But I guess my sister didn’t consider that.’ <br />
<br />
Harper Scott’s older sister has always been the perfect one so when June takes her own life a week before her high school graduation, sixteen-year-old Harper is devastated. Everyone’s sorry, but no one can explain why. <br />
<br />
When her divorcing parents decide to split her sister’s ashes into his-and-her urns, Harper takes matters into her own hands. She’ll steal the ashes and drive cross-country with her best friend, Laney, to the one place June always dreamed of going California. <br />
<br />
Enter Jake Tolan. He’s a boy with a bad attitude, a classic-rock obsession and nothing in common with Harper’s sister. But Jake had a connection with June, and when he insists on joining them, Harper’s just desperate enough to let him. With his alternately charming and infuriating demeanour and his belief that music can see you through anything, he might be exactly what she needs. <br />
<br />
Except June wasn’t the only one hiding something. Jake’s keeping a secret that has the power to turn Harper’s life upside down again</span></i></span><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span><span>- Summary from Goodreads </span></span></span></i></span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"></span></i><span style="font-size: small;"><span><u><b>My Thoughts </b></u></span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span></span></span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Saving June</i> hit me hard. It made me think. It made my cry. This book is about so many things: death, hope, love, friendship, MUSIC, learning to trust. While reading <i>Saving June</i>, I lost a member of my family in a similar way that Harper lost June. It was gutwerenching and tragic, and you're probably thinking that I'd never want to pick up this book again. The opposite actually happened though. I liked and </span>related to Harper, the main character of the book, from the very beginning. She appears cold and distant to outsiders, yet she is really insecure and unsure of how to express her emotions. After losing my own family member last week, I was able to relate to Harper on such a deeper level. I understood the breathtaking pain she was going through, the questions of "why did this happen? How could this happen?", the anger and the sadness. Being able to relate to Harper on such a deep level really helped to amplify the power of this book for me. Even without the personal connection I felt, the book is amazing. While the book is tinged with sadness, it also offers many moments of humor and hope. Because I have little faith in my ability to write a coherent review of this wonderful book, I present you with the top 18 things I adored about Saving June.</span></div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><b><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Top 18 Things I Adored about Saving June</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>1. </b>Harper was a three dimensional character. She's someone that I could imagine meeting and being friends with in real life. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>2. </b> Harper's best friend, Laney. This girl has some self-esteem problems and needs a great big hug, but I loved that she was always there for Harper, and her sense of humor made me smile.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <b>3.</b> Jake. He came off as an asshat at the beginning of the book, but I loved him more and more as I read. He has a dry sense of humor, knows way more about music than most people will ever know, and he showed great tenderness towards Harper and Laney at the end of the novel. He's not one of those love interests who fades into the background. He has a voice of his own. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <b>4. </b>The fact that it made me cry. A book has to be powerful to manage that. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>5.</b> <i>Saving June</i> helped my remember why I love music so much. </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>6. </b> Along those same lines, after reading this book I have a new understanding of Tears in Heaven by Eric Clapton. After reading that particular passage in the book, I immediately downloaded the song from Itunes and listened to it twice in a row. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <b>7.</b> The roadtrip aspect. Who doesn't love a road trip?</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>8. </b>Reading about Harper pushing and showing her way through a true mosh pit. I doubt I'll ever be brave enough to do that, but Harper held her own. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>9. </b>The snarky, flirtatious banter between Harper and Jake. By the end, I was thinking "OMG. PLEASE just get together already!"</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <b>10.</b> a mountain of refrigerators. That is all.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>11.</b> Harper's tenderness towards Laney was touching, especially since Harper is not a touchy feely person</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>12.</b> Saving June is FUNNY. Yes, it is about suicide. Yes, it deals with grielf. The story goes way beyond that though.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <b>13.</b> I loved that Harper was able to capture people's emotions through spontaneous photography. (Although if she did it to me, we'd probably have issues) </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>14. </b>The author captured a true sense of what grief really is</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <b>15.</b> Best. Makout Scene. Ever.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>16.</b> Jake's van is named Joplin</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <b>17.</b> Saving June made me happy to be alive. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <b>18</b>. The author included playlists at the end of the book. I will download these as soon as possible.</span></div><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Do you see why I love Saving June so much? I do think the story would have been even better if some of Harper's polaroid pictures were included, as was done in <i>Amy & Roger's Epic Detour</i>. That's just personal preference though. Overall, <i>Saving June</i> was an amazing read. This book touched me in so many ways. It helped me cope with my own loss, it renewed my love of music, and it gave me a character that I was truly able to connect with. I am definitely going to purchase a finished copy of<i> Saving June</i>. It deserves a spot on my shelf. I hope you will give it a spot on yours as well</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I'll leave you with two of my favorite quotes from the advance reader copy. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"June is gone. For the first time, the enormity of that hits me. Every muscle aches, my heart most of all. I am throbbing with how much I miss her. It hurts worse than anything. I don't know how I'm supposed to be expected to live day by day carrying this kind of pain. I don't know how I'm supposed to go out there, spread her ashes and let her go."</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>"It hurts, but it's supposed to, because that's what it means to be alive. And that's comforting, actually. The realization that I'm not some robot devoid of emotions. That I still have the ability to feel things this brutally, this immediate and sharp."</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i> </i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>5/5 Stars </b></span></span></div>Steph @ The Caffeinated Readerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13572676307512574805noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858014804706808740.post-33705970459470645472011-11-18T19:08:00.000-06:002011-11-19T17:58:00.498-06:00Re-Readathon!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6DGYfsFQs6v067m6JxbMZh6nDLj5tre2rEgp2PTqtN7tXNCWqYXmqRwnf2rEwrlKEJ9-cCKpUq5-Gc-CQMiIdVPIkYee1Z8ZZbQYKqPhXy_zKqjhkmvg4dsS4XuGr2SsjtFuHLVDred5r/s1600/Readingoutside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6DGYfsFQs6v067m6JxbMZh6nDLj5tre2rEgp2PTqtN7tXNCWqYXmqRwnf2rEwrlKEJ9-cCKpUq5-Gc-CQMiIdVPIkYee1Z8ZZbQYKqPhXy_zKqjhkmvg4dsS4XuGr2SsjtFuHLVDred5r/s320/Readingoutside.jpg" width="227" /></a></div><br />
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">I don't know about y'all, but I <b><u>love</u></b> re-reading my favorite books...yet never feel like I have the time to spare. Lucky, <b><a href="http://www.perpetualpageturner.com/" style="color: #674ea7;" target="_blank">Jamie</a></b> at The Perpetual Page-Turner came to the rescue. She's hosting an informal re-readathon this weekend, and I've been looking forward to it for weeks now. I really don't have a set goal for number of books or pages read. I just want to relax and relive my childhood and teen favorites.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><u><b>My Unrealistically Long List of Re-Reads</b></u></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><u><b> </b></u><i><br />
</i></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><i>Looking for Alaska</i> - John Green</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><i>The Giver</i> - Lois Lowry</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><i>Sideways Stories from Wayside School</i> - Louis Sachar</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><i>Amy and Roger's Epic Detour</i> -Morgan Matson</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><i>Alice in Lace</i> - Phyllis Reynolds Naylor (I've been reading this series for over 10 years now!) </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><i>The Hunger Games</i> - Suzanne Collins </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><i>A Great and Terrible Beauty</i> - Libba Bray </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><i>The Nanny Diaries</i> - Emma McLaughlin</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><u><b> </b></u></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">I know that I probably won't even make it through half of these books, but I'm going to give it my best shot! I'll be updating this post periodically throughout the weekend, so if you're interested in my progress feel free to check back.<br />
<br />
<u><b>Progress </b></u></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
<b>Friday </b>- I read Sideways Stories from Wayside school in one sitting<br />
<b>Saturday</b> -<br />
<b>Sunday</b> - </div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Have a great weekend :)</span></div>Steph @ The Caffeinated Readerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13572676307512574805noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858014804706808740.post-81369791930000991822011-11-18T00:56:00.000-06:002011-11-18T00:56:52.631-06:002012 Debut Author Challenge!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6pimtUyaJwS7JGWRvIy9MFsGTjz6QL2X8GAcAlVdgb_pTFtLbyqYCRkX1soE5-vPgGJ8YFJ5cEJl-uaL64GjPf-N0hDIuXquHiSztckPnUJI8QtyBFQLeIuUBKM198nkMLTRELtCcaxag/s1600/DAC12graphic-02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6pimtUyaJwS7JGWRvIy9MFsGTjz6QL2X8GAcAlVdgb_pTFtLbyqYCRkX1soE5-vPgGJ8YFJ5cEJl-uaL64GjPf-N0hDIuXquHiSztckPnUJI8QtyBFQLeIuUBKM198nkMLTRELtCcaxag/s320/DAC12graphic-02.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">I've just signed up for the <b>2012 Debut Author Challenge</b>, hosted by<b> <a href="http://www.thestorysiren.com/" style="color: #674ea7;" target="_blank">Kristi</a></b> at The Story Siren. Since I've only been blogging for a short while, this will be my first long term reading challenge. I am SUPER excited people! </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The goal of the challenge is to read at least <b>12 </b>young adult or middle grade books by first time authors. I'm hoping to exceed that number by a good bit. I plan to read at least <b>25</b> books by debut authors. </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">I've read SO MANY amazing debuts this year, including <i>Divergent</i>, <i>Other Words for Love</i>, <i>XVI</i>,<i> Saving June</i>, <i>Wither</i>, and<i> Forgotten</i>. I'm looking forward to continuing the trend next year!</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u><b><br />
</b></u></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u><b>2012 Debuts I'm Impatiently Waiting For</b></u></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Incarnate</i> - Jodi Meadows</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>The Selection</i> - Kiera Cass</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Level Two</i> - Lenore Appelhans</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Everneath</i> - Brodi Ashton</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Tempest</i> - Julie Cross</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Under the Never Sky</i> - Veronica Rossi</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If you'd like to find out more about the Debut Author Challenge, click </span><b style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.thestorysiren.com/2011/11/2012-dac-info.html" style="color: #674ea7;" target="_blank">HERE</a></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Steph @ The Caffeinated Readerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13572676307512574805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858014804706808740.post-31631174997757106682011-11-18T00:18:00.001-06:002011-11-18T00:19:36.966-06:00I *Finally* wrote an "About Me" Post<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u><b>Hi :)</b></u></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Welcome to my blog! I am a 22 year old girl who is completely obsessed with YA literature. I started this blog in June 2011, in an attempt to bring attention to awesome books and make friends who share the same love of reading that I do. I've only been at this for a few months, but so far I'm having a blast!</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">When I'm not reading, I'm busy working my butt off in graduate school. I will be graduating in May 2013 with a Master of Science in Speech Pathology. I. CANT. WAIT. I have always wanted to help people and have a challenging profession, so speech path was the perfect choice for me. I am either hoping to work with people who have suffered from Traumatic Brain Injuries (TMI) or with children who have impairments related to language and literacy. I've already spent time doing literacy intervention with clients, and I LOVE it. There is nothing like seeing a reluctant reader find a book that he or she is actually EXCITED and WILLING to read! </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">When I'm not reading OR working, I enjoy spending time with my boyfriend and the rest of my family. I have a squirrel obsessed rat terrier named Katie and an unrealistic desire to have a pet velociraptor. </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I'm always looking for more people to interact with in the blogging community, so feel free to leave a comment or look for me on twitter!</span></span></div>Steph @ The Caffeinated Readerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13572676307512574805noreply@blogger.com2