6 Month Book Buying Ban.

With about a hundred books on my book shelf and well over a hundred books on my Kindle I'm starting to feel swamped. Especially since about 40 of the books on my Kindle are NetGalley review books I need to get to. Oh yeah, and the Galley Grab books I've been dying to read that keep running out because I don't have time to get to them. I don't like staring longingly at certain books on my shelves wishing I could read them but then seeing all the other ones I need to get to, as well. So I've made a pretty tough decision.

I am going on a 6 month book buying ban.

I know what you are probably thinking. "6 months of not buying books?!"  Sounds crazy right? And it might very well be, but it will be good for me...and my shelves...and my bank account. 

However, I will still accept review books (including NetGalley and Galley Grab). And since there are a couple books (okay, more like a million) coming out that I want I have decided to give myself a 2 book a month allowance. As long as I am making progress with all my other books. That way I won't be cutting myself off entirely and I won't end up lying on the floor with shakes and in a cold sweat in some kind of book buying withdrawal.

My goal for the next 6 months is 60 books. 10 books a month seems pretty doable to me.

So even though I feel a bit crazy limiting my buying so much, it makes me feel better because I hate feeling behind, and every time I bring more books home and watch my pile grow it makes me feel very very behind.

And who knows, if this makes my current to be read pile go down fast I might end it sooner.

So what about you? Do you think a book buying ban is in order every now and again? Or do you not really care how many books you have to read? 

If you were going to go on or have done a ban, what are/were your goals?

Hunger Games "teaser"

Alright, ladies and gents. MTV just premiered The Hunger Games teaser trailer and it is BLOWING UP my twitter feed. Just in case you missed it check it out HERE.
I didn't watch but about 15 minutes of the VMAs because I hate award shows, but I desperately wanted to see this "footage" they were premiering, so I tuned in for a bit.

I was a bit disappointed honestly. I know it was only supposed to be a teaser, but it should have been more then 5 seconds long. Even after only having to sit through 15 minutes of the show it was a bit anticlimactic....but then again it still made me really excited. The movie is really REALLY happening!
So I guess previews don't really matter as long as the movie is amazing.
I would like to know what YOU thought though. Did you watch the entire award show? Was it worth it?
Let me know!

Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

"How do you defy destiny?

Helen Hamilton has spent her entire sixteen years trying to hide how different she is—no easy task on an island as small and sheltered as Nantucket. And it's getting harder. Nightmares of a desperate desert journey have Helen waking parched, only to find her sheets damaged by dirt and dust. At school she's haunted by hallucinations of three women weeping tears of blood . . . and when Helen first crosses paths with Lucas Delos, she has no way of knowing they're destined to play the leading roles in a tragedy the Fates insist on repeating throughout history.

As Helen unlocks the secrets of her ancestry, she realizes that some myths are more than just legend. But even demigod powers might not be enough to defy the forces that are both drawing her and Lucas together—and trying to tear them apart."-GoodReads.

Hardcover, 496 pages                                                         

                                                                            Published May 31st 2011 by HarperTeen

                                                                            Source: HarperTeen via NetGalley.

Starcrossed is an amazing Greek Mythology retelling. Probably my favorite so far. At almost 500 pages it may seem a little daunting, but it is so fantastically told that I hardly even noticed how long it was.

And being that long really allows for story and characters to development. Angelini also takes the time to introduce readers to the world of Greek Mythology, instead of assuming that they already know the myths. But don't worry, it is informative but it does not read like a history book.

What I truly loved about Starcrossed is that it is not about the Greek Gods directly, but about the Scions- or demigods as more people may know them- and how 'The Houses' are fighting due to past transgressions that the Fates keep repeating throughout history. 
High school relationships are hard enough as it is, but then you add in the Furies trying to get you to rip apart a family you haven't even been formally introduced to and then falling for the very guy the Fates have dictated you are supposed to kill. And then on top of that, finding out that if you and the aforementioned guy do find a way to be together, you cannot really be together-together or all the Heavens and Hell will break loose and a war will be started. The entire fate of The Houses rest upon Helen's and Lucas's shoulders. As long as they can control their raging teen hormones they should be okay, right? Yeah, I guess that is easier said then done.

Helen was an okay character. Not my favorite female protagonist, but definitely not my least favorite. It was just a bit hard to relate to her at times since one of her biggest problems in life is dealing with being a model look-a-like and not enjoying the attention she gets because of that. She is sweet and likable, I just enjoyed the Delos family much more. What an array of characters they were. I am loving books where the secondary characters really stand out and help make the story. In Starcrossed I got that with Helen's best friend Claire. She was a fun girl to have around. Very lively and a great best friend.
Lucas on his own was also an alright character. He was a much stronger and more likable character when he was with his family or around Helen. He may not have reached "book boyfriend" status for me, but he and Helen were great when they were together. The tension, the longing, the need to kill the other. It was all just so romantic.


So if you have not had very good luck with finding a Greek Mythology book that you like lately (as was the case with me), but you still kind of want to give this one a shot, do it. As I said before, even if you don't know the myths, Starcrossed does a wonderful job of telling them in the story. 
Or maybe you are a Greek myth book trip and just cannot get enough of them. Starcrossed will not disappoint and it most definitely satiate your desire for another great myth read.

For All The Harry Potter Fans.

This video was the sweetest so I thought I would share :)

Pretty cool huh? In all honesty it kind of made me tear up. I'm going to miss all of the Harry Potter excitement because it sometimes feels like I grew up right along side this characters. What am I going to do now that it's all over? 

Cold Kiss by Amy Garvey

"“It seemed so right. Danny was mine, I was his, and that wasn't going to work if he was dead. So I would make him not dead, not anymore. I didn't think any further than what it would feel like to kiss him again, to wrap my arms around him and bury my head against his shoulder. 
That was my first mistake. It also turned out to be the biggest.”

When her boyfriend, Danny, is killed in a car accident, Wren can’t imagine living without him. Wild with grief, she uses the untamed powers she’s inherited to bring him back. But the Danny who returns is just a shell of the boy she once loved.

Wren has spent four months keeping Danny hidden, while her life slowly unravels around her. Then Gabriel DeMarnes transfers to her school and somehow, inexplicably, he can sense her secret. Wren finds herself drawn to Gabriel, who is so much more alive than the ghost of the boy she loved. But Wren can’t turn her back on Danny or the choice she made for him—and she realizes she must find a way to make things right, even if it means breaking her own heart.

Amy Garvey’s transcendent teen debut is perfect for fans of Shiver and Beautiful Creatures. Wren’s unforgettable voice and story will stay with readers long after the last page is turned."-GoodReads.

Kindle Edition, 336 pages

Expected publication: September 20th 2011 by Harper Collins, Inc.

The premise of Cold Kiss sounded really intriguing. Who wouldn't want to bring back a loved one after they died? 

It didn't turn out to be as good as it could have been. About the first half of the book was really slow and felt very forced. It was just Wren going on and on about how her and Danny had been just the perfect couple. No couple is that perfect. Especially not in highschool. And then things that Danny did that were not good for the relationship she just really played off as not a big deal. Then she would start thinking about how he just wasn't the same as he was 'before'. You brought you boyfriend back from the dead! No duh he's not the same!

Wren also knows nothing about the powers she has. Her mom has them, her aunt has them, and her sister is starting to get them. So why doesn't she know? Because her mother is in denial and refuses to talk about these powers. It was a bit ridiculous and unbelievable. The powers that they display are dangerous (as in electrical things tend to blow up around her) and this mom refuses to tell her daughters about how to control them? Seriously?!  

Then in comes Gabriel, which kind of made things a bit more interesting because he knows about her and can sense her power so he tries to help her out. If it hadn't been another case of instalove and their relationship had been allowed to develop a little bit more it might have helped boost my positive feelings for this story.

There are a ton of unanswered questions at the end so I am kind of hoping for a sequel just to have those things explained.

Overall, Cold Kiss was alright. It's a quick supernatural read that just needs a bit more development. But if you are wanting something with zombies that has a romantic side to it, give Cold Kiss a try.

"Go BZRK": a new transmedia project + a Q&A with Michael Grant

Michael Grant, author of the Gone series, has something very new and exciting in store for his readers.
This winter, Michael has a new series coming out that was conceived not only as a book, but also as a “transmedia” experience.  This may not be a familiar term to YA fans, but essentially a transmedia story is an interactive narrative told through the written word, video, puzzles, and more. But most importantly, it encourages fans to become part of the action.

How about a little Q&A with author Michael Grant and let him explain what all this means:


What is “Go BZRK”? Is this a book or some kind of interactive story?
Both. The book comes out this winter, but the interactive part starts now.  One leads up to the other, but they're part of a complete package.

Why “transmedia”?
There are different approaches to transmedia.  Most people take a single story and reproduce it on various platforms.  My philosophy has been to make each element - ARG, app, web, book - a thing unto itself, each revealing some aspect of the world of BZRK.  I've been fascinated with this is as a new way to tell stories.  The book remains central, but now I can reach beyond the book and create a much more complete world.  I can tell stories that enhance the book, and stories that parallel the book, and stories that are offshoots of backstory.  I guess the answer to "why" is "because it's fun."

Is this the future of publishing?
I began a few years ago reaching out to publishers and saying we collectively needed to understand that the old models were dead or dying.  I want publishing to survive, and of course I'd like my own career to thrive.  So Egmont Publishing and my partners and I certainly hope this is a part of the future of publishing.  

How long is this running? Is this part of a larger picture?
We'll be running this in several chunks between now and the book release this winter. Because these things have a hard start/stop point, August is a ramp-up phase. There'll be a lot of content coming out, but the experience really gets underway at the end of the month… just in time to distract the kids from their schoolwork.

What if someone wants to follow the story but doesn’t want to participate?
You don't have to do anything.  You can do one thing and not another.  But the deeper you plunge the wetter you get.  I think every part of this is fun, I think people will enjoy the ARG, the app, the site and the books.  

App? You've mentioned that a couple times now.
Just wait and see. 

What can you tell us about the story? What is “BZRK”? 
It's a battle for the soul and freedom of the human race carried out simultaneously in the world we know, and in a world that you're not going to expect. It's a world where if you make a false move, you're going to lose your mind.

Insanity… is this something you have a personal familiarity with? 
The line between writer and crazy person is very thin.  Both go around holding long, involved conversations with people who aren't there.

What’s this other world thing all about?
Do you really want spoilers? I'll tell you this. We'll be going "down in the meat." It's going to be vast, bloody, and beautiful. 

Wait… isn’t this supposed to be for kids?
Adults like to flatter themselves that kids won't get, won't understand, won't be able to handle, more intense, more complex stories. That's nonsense.  It's the adults who are easy to creep out or scare.  Say the word "biopsy" in a room full of adults. Or "audit."  See?  Easy to scare.  Kids are a tougher audience because kids think they're immortal.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Pretty interesting stuff happening.
So what do you think of the whole "transmedia" thing? Is it something you would be likely to participate in? 


If you want to know more about this transmedia project check out Nexus Humanus and Society Twins to get started on the adventure! 

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

"Meghan Chase has a secret destiny; one she could never have imagined. 
Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school or at home. 

When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.
But she could never have guessed the truth - that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face; and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart."-GoodReads.

Paperback, 363 pages

Published February 1st 2010 by Harlequin Teen

Do you like fairy tales? I do. 

How about fairy tales with a dark twist? I know, sounds even better right? Well then you should get yourself a copy of The Iron King by Julie Kagawa. Talk about awesome.

Meghan tries to be just a normal girl, but that is hard to do when her dad disappears right in front of her when she is really young, when people tend to forget she is there...oh, and finding out her father is actually a Faery 
King. So much for normal.

Julie Kagawa is an amazing story teller. I just kept getting completely lost in this story. It is just so jam packed with action, adventure, and really cool creatures that I just did not want to stop reading. Which I pretty much did not ever stop. Julie's twist on the faery world was great. That they exist as long as people believe in them (which made me want to clap my hands and say "I do believe in fairies, I do!"). 


One of my favorite things that an author can do is send the hero and heroine on a quest through a new land. I LOVE created worlds and this book gave me one. What made it even more interesting was that they went between our world and their world. It was just so cool. Julie's world building skills are top notch. This woman painted such vivid images in my head with her words that I had no problem picturing the world she wanted me to see. 


Meghan was an alright character. Not my favorite but not my least favorite. She was a bit whiny at points in the beginning, and I just do not like whiny. Then towards the end she became stronger so she has started to grow on me a bit (oh, and kudos to her for learning how to be tricksy like a faery). I did absolutely adore Ash, Puck, and Grimalkin. The banter between Ash and Puck was just so funny. I caught myself giggling more then once when they were fighting. 
And Grim just did his own thing. Went where he wanted, talked to whom he wanted, disappeared without telling anyone where he was going or when he would be back. What a cat. And yes, I did just say cat.


And, if you are a regular reader of my blog you know that I am a lover of love triangles and The Iron King has a really good one. Puck is a sweetheart and also a big goofball which caught my attention, but I was more intrigued by Ash. He's really torn between falling for Meghan or obeying his Queen's orders and, well, killing Meghan. Yeah, it gets pretty intense. And I love it.


If you are looking for a good YA faery tale, get this one. If you are not a big fan of fairies, you should still give this one a try. It just might change your mind about them.

Get your picture with Patch! (and win prizes)

So who loves Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick? I know I do. I just finished the book not too long ago and am dying for the next one. I seriously need to get to the bookstore to buy Crescendo.
And if you loved Hush Hush I am sure that you love Patch, right? He's now one of my book boyfriends.
Lucky for me at Fallen Arch Angels News-Coldwater High eZine I got to take my picture with Patch and that picture enters me in a contest for Hush Hush prizes! Pretty awesome right?!
So head over to their post and see how you can win some prizes then follow the link on their post to the Facebook app Simon & Schuster created that let's you take your picture with Patch!

Here are mine:

Can you tell I was just a bit excited?

Then I finally calmed down and we got a good picture together.

Of course he looks great in both ;D

Now it's your turn for some fun! Go make your own picture with Patch and get entered to win some neat prizes!

Lionsgate Announces Catching Fire Release Date!

So just about 20 minutes ago Lionsgate announced on Twitter (@lionsgatenews) that Catching Fire movie (the second book and movie in the Hunger Games Trilogy) will be released November 22nd 2013!
Lionsgate Publicity Website: Catching Fire

Official Press Release from Lionsgate:

"WORLD TO CATCH FIRE NOVEMBER 22, 2013

Santa Monica, CA, August 08, 2011– LIONSGATE® (NYSE: LGF), a leading global entertainment company, announced today that it will release CATCHING FIRE, the film adaptation of the second book in Suzanne Collins’ runaway bestselling HUNGER GAMES trilogy, on November 22, 2013.  The announcement was made by Joe Drake, co-COO of Lionsgate and President of its Motion Picture Group.  No further details about CATCHING FIRE have been confirmed at this stage. 

Said Drake of the date, “The magical thing about the Hunger Games trilogy is that the books have such a vastly broad appeal.  The stories truly offer something for everyone, and the period around the Thanksgiving weekend is such an opportunity for families and friends to make an event of going to the movies.”"

I for one am terribly excited that there is already a date set. I guess I wasn't expecting that step to be taken until after production companies saw how good or bad The Hunger Games movie did.
But, voila! A date!
Now, as excited as that makes me, it make a little sad that it's going to be a year and a half after the first one. I like when series movies come out a just about a year after each other. 
No matter though, I will still go and see it.


How about you? Are you excited by this news?

Discounted eBook!

Firelight by Sophie Jordan (with bonus material) is a discounted ebook right now. It's just $1.99!! And I believe that it will be discounted for this month only so make sure you head over to Amazon to get it for your Kindle, Barnes and Noble for your Nook, or Borders for your Kobo.

I haven't read this one yet, but it's been on my list for a while now so I will definitely be buying it for my Kindle. What a deal!

NetGalley July Wrap-Up

What?! What do you mean July is already over?

Oh man, where does the time keep going?

So now that July is over that means that NetGalley July is finished, as well.

I read 4 book off of my list:

Tris & Izzie by Mette Ivie Harrison 

A Beautiful Dark by Jocelyn Davies 

Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

and

Cold Kiss by Amy Garvey

(reviews for them will be posted over the next couple of months, depending on release dates)

One a week wasn't too bad, considering how much of a slacker I have been when it comes to reading lately. But that is 4 more books done on my never ending request list.

If you missed out on NetGalley July have no fear because a little birdie told me that there is a NetGalley October in the works. So keep your eye on Red House Books for more details on that.

I know I will be participating :)