Teaser Tuesday #4

This week's Teaser Tuesday is from Liar by: Justine Larbalestier.(ARC)

Teaser (page: 45):

"The police interview all the seniors. The art room becomes the inquisition room."

Teaser Tuesday is brought to us by Should be Reading.

Rules:
1) Grab your current read
2) Open to a random page
3) Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
4) BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
5) Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This book is turning about to be really great. So, bye I have to get back to reading.

P.S. I used the old cover, because that's the cover on the ARC. Just so y'all know.

In My Mailbox #10

IMM is brought to you in part by Story Siren
This week I got free from the Library Certain Girls by Jennifer Weiner.
Following the story collection The Guy Not Taken, Weiner turns in a hilarious sequel to her 2001 bestselling first novel, Good in Bed, revisiting the memorable and feisty Candace Cannie Shapiro. Flashing forward 13 years, the novel follows Cannie as she navigates the adolescent rebellion of her about-to-be bat mitzvahed daughter, Joy, and juggles her writing career; her relationship with her physician husband, Peter Krushelevansky; her ongoing weight struggles; and the occasional impasse with Joy's biological father, Bruce Guberman. Joy, whose premature birth resulted in her wearing hearing aids, has her own amusing take on her mother's overinvolvement in her life as the novel, with some contrivance, alternates perspectives. As her bat mitzvah approaches, Joy tries to make contact with her long absent maternal grandfather and seeks more time with Bruce. In addition, unbeknownst to Joy, Peter has expressed a desire to have a baby with Cannie, which means looking for a surrogate mother. Throughout, Weiner offers her signature snappy observations: (good looks function as a get-out-of-everything-free card) and spot-on insights into human nature, with a few twists thrown in for good measure. She expends some energy getting readers up to speed on Good, but readers already involved with Cannie will enjoy this, despite Joy's equally strong voice.

I haven't read Good in Bed but this sounded fluffy and fun and free so I grabbed it.

Also I won Wondrous Strange by: Lesley Livingston over at Read Now Sleep Later.
and she also sent me two of her cute business card thingies(see picture) that she made over at Moo. One says "Read Now Sleep Later" and the other says "This business card also doubles as a bookmark..." Super sweetness. So what did you all get?

Teaser Tuesday #3

The week's Teaser comes from Beautiful Creatures by: Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

page 218

"I could still feel the windburn on my skin. As if my near-death experience at Ravenwood wasn't enough, now the dreams were back."

Enjoy!

50 Followers contest!

[CONTEST CLOSED]

Contest Time
In honor of reaching the 50 follower mark I am going to give one lucky winner a choice of a book from the list below. All you have to do is comment below with your e-mail address and tell me which book you would want if you won.

The books up for grabs:
The Girls' Guide to Rocking by: Jessica Hopper
Playing With the Boys by: Liz Tigelaar
Something, Maybe by: Elizabeth Scott
Haunted (book 5 of The Mediator Series) by: Meg Cabot
Evermore by: Alyson Noel
Dead is the New Black by: Marlene Perez
Suite Scarlett by: Maureen Johnson
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by: J.K. Rowling

Extra Entries:
+2 for becoming a follower
+3 if you already are a follower
+2 for each time you link to this post (please leave a link if it's not on your blog)
+1 (for each comment that you leave on the posts that follow)

Contest ends October 12th
Contest IS international.

In My Mailbox #9

The Won:

ARC of Liar by: Justine Larbalestier
won this over at Princess Bookie


The Bought:
City of Bones by: Cassandra Clare
Generation Dead by: Daniel Waters

What if....All Your Friends Turned on You by Liz Ruckdeschel and Sara James
This one sounded interesting, and who can resist a choose your own adventure?

The popular interactive series returns! Can you save Haley from loserdom?

Sixteen-year-old Haley Miller is back at Hillsdale High school after the holiday break, and she’s finally got her driver’s license! But something fishy is going on. The few people she trusts are now acting less than trustworthy, and she’s beginning to wonder: is she turning into an outcast? Haley was looking forward to her best spring break yet, but now it’s not clear she’ll get an invite from anybody. Maybe readers—with their excellent decision-making skills—can guide Haley back to her rightful place in the social strata. Anything’s possible in this fun series where Choose Your Own Adventure meets Gossip Girl.


IMM is brought to you in part by Story Siren

Friday Goodies

I just wanted to share all the covers I found for The Forest of Hands and Teeth and Dead Tossed Waves by: Carrie Ryan (they're pretty)

Waiting On Wednesday #7

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine!

This book sounds interesting, and I love Rachel Cohn so yep.


Very LeFreak has a problem: she’s a crazed technology addict. Very can’t get enough of her iPhone, laptop, IMs, text messages, whatever. If there’s any chance the incoming message, call, text, or photo might be from her supersecret online crush, she’s going to answer, no matter what. Nothing is too important: sleep, friends in mid-conversation, class, a meeting with the dean about academic probation. Soon enough, though, this obsession costs Very everything and everyone. Can she learn to block out the noise so she can finally hear her heart?

Rachel Cohn makes her Knopf solo debut with this funny, touching, and surely recognizable story about a girl and the technology habit that threatens everything.

Review: Once a Witch by: Carolyn MacCullough

Where I got it: ARC from thepicnic-basket.com for review
Rating: 4 stars (This was an enjoyable read)
Cover Rating: 4 stars (I like it, it would make me pick it up of the shelf.)
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Publication Date: September 14, 2009
Publisher: Clarion Books (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Book Group)

Tasmin thought she would be special, that's what her grandmother had predicted when she was born. Her grandmother said she would be a beacon to them all. But by Tasmin's 8th birthday she and everyone else realized that she wasn't special. Tasmin doesn't partake in all the festivities that her family cherishes, she holds a grudge because she's not like them, and she doesn't have a Talent. So Tasmin goes to New York City for high school and only comes back for breaks or when she really has to. While at home she works at her grandmother's book store for her. One day a man named Alistair Callum, a professor at NYU, comes in and mistakes her for her sister Rowena and he commissions her to find something for him, a clock. She agrees because she wants to show her family that she can be good even if she doesn't have a talent. With the help of her long lost friend Gabriel she's able to find the clock h asks for. It turns out it wasn't really the clock he wanted, but the power inside. Can Tasmin and Gabriel make things right and stop Alistair from destroying there family? Is there a secret that Tasmin's family has been keeping for her that she must know in order to stop all this madness?

I enjoyed this story of the girl who didn't fit in with her family. The slight magic in a world of the real was very nice, however, not very well done. It didn't seem realistic that Tasmin was this real ordinary person, and then this other girl who grew up in a house of witches. She just didn't seem to crossover between the two very well. Also not to spoil it, but I feel that she might have cared a little more about her "normal" friend, Agatha, a little more at the end. Agatha is completely forgotten, which seemed weird. Although I suppose with the ending that we have this could be the start of a series, in which case the begging of the second book we could worry about good ole' Aggie. This book was a very enjoyable read however and I would definitely read books following this one. The magic and humor and kinda sorta romance were in good proportion, and there was plenty of mystery to go around. I wish it was a little more suspenseful, but even the way it is I did want to keep reading. So if you're looking for a book without a lot of romance, no vampires or werewolves or other non-human beings than this is right up your alley. It’s really worth the read.

In My Mailbox #8

In My Mailbox is brought to you in part by The Story Siren.

The Won:
Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd edited by: Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci
I won this from Carrie over at Carrie's YA Bookshelf

For Review:
Beautiful Creatures by: Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

The Bought:
That 70's Show complete box set!

So what did you all get?

Review: Impossible by: Nancy Werlin

Where I got it: teenreads.com for review
Rating: 4 stars (really enjoyed this)
Cover Rating: 4 stars (I love that dress, it's not the one she ends up with though which is a little weird.)
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Publication Date: August 11, 2009
Publisher: Speak (Penguin Group)


On Lucy Scarborough's seventh birthday she had a big bash with tons of presents. Afterward, alone upstairs she found a hidden compartment in her bookcase. Inside was a letter to her from her biological mother. Lucy was too young to understand that this was the best present she would receive, this would be the present that could save her life. Ten years later Lucy has forgotten about the secret compartment but not her mother Miranda. Miranda is a ubiquitous presence in Lucy's life, always popping up out of nowhere and singing her own version of Scarborough Fair. Lucy falls victim to a bad circumstance and it's not until her best friend Zach discovers Miranda's diary that everything starts to fall into place. Miranda has been through everything Lucy is going through but she wants Lucy to do it better, break the curse that traps them. With three impossible tasks ahead of her will Lucy be able to make it before it's too late?

I really enjoyed this novel. The beginning dialogue was a little choppy and unrealistic but as the book picked up the writing got a lot better. The story reminded me of a fairy tale, very Rumpelstiltskin like. The tension between Lucy and Zach was thick and very real which made them easy to relate with. Werlin changed the perspective a lot it wasn't confusing really but maybe a little irksome at times, though the story was interesting enough that I could keep reading. I loved how well Nancy Werlin managed to meld magic and reality and come up with this involved, romantic journey. This is a great book of magical realism with just a dash of romance that you can really sink your teeth into.

In My Mailbox #7

In My Mailbox is brought to you in part by The Story Siren.

The Won:

Just Listen by: Sarah Dessen

I won this over at Taste Life Twice

I won these over at Word for Teens

The Book of Nonsense by: David Michael Slater

Intertwined by: Gena Showalter

Playing With the Boys by: Liz Tigelaar

Secrets of my Suburban Life by: Lauren Baratz-Logsted

The Bought:

The Time Traveler's Wife by: Audrey Niffenegger

Fever 1793 by: Laurie Halse Anderson

Catching Fire by: Suzanne Collins

Waiting on Wednesday #6

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine!

Really who isn't Waiting for this book?!?!

There were no surprises in Gatlin County.
We were pretty much the epicenter of the middle of nowhere.
At least, that's what I thought.
Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong.
There was a curse.
There was a girl.
And in the end, there was a grave.

Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.


DECEMBER 2009