Sunday, July 31, 2011

A Million Suns by Beth Revis

Goodreads has the synopsis of A Million Suns by Beth Revis, and now I am even more excited about this book!


Enjoy...




When Elder learns harrowing news about the space ship Godspeed, he and Amy must work together to unlock a puzzle that was set in motion hundreds of years earlier, all the while dealing with the romance that’s growing between them and the chaos that threatens to tear them apart. It all boils down to one mind-bending conclusion: They have to get off this ship.






I mean, Really?! One mind-bending conclusion? - to get off the ship?! How awesome does that sound? I can already picture it...a fast -paced, high intensity, twisting and turning kind of book! January 2012 can not come any faster!

In My Mailbox (July 31, 2011)



In My Mailbox credit goes to The Story Siren


For Review:
The Time In Between By Maria Duenas / Goodreads Synopsis 

Bought:
Vampire Academy (Vampire Acadeny #1) by Richelle Mead - I'm reading Bloodlines right now, and really enjoying it so I thought since these were bought at a second hand shop, I could do with them!
Blood Promise (Vampire Academy #4) by Richelle Mead
The Vampire Diaries The Return Vol. 2 Shadow Souls by L.J Smith

Goodies Sent:
Solstice postcards, trading cards and a lovely card from P.J Hoover
Losing Faith postcards, stickers, bookmarks, etc from Denise Jaden

Thanks everyone who sent me these lovelies! 

Saturday, July 30, 2011

Spotted: The Cover of Fever

Once again, I can say I'm a little behind in the reveal (sorry!) but nonetheless, I needed to show you guys this:





The gorgeous cover for Fever (The Chemical Garden Book #2) has been revealed! I don't know about you guys, but I love this cover. I love that they stuck with the same theme for both books (they can match on my bookshelf! Yippee!)

I for one cannot wait to get my hands on Fever. I really enjoyed Wither, thought it was original and well written, and I'm so excited for 2012 when Lauren DeStefano lets us have Fever!

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Book Review: Bad Girls Don't Die by Katie Alender

Publish Date: June 22, 2010 (First published April 21, 2009)
Publisher: Hyperion
Pages: 352 -- Paperback edition
ISBN: 978-1-4231-0877-1
Series: Bad Girls Don't Die #1
Source: Bought

Goodreads Synopsis:
When Alexis's little sister Kasey becomes obsessed with an antique doll, Alexis thinks nothing of it. Kasey is a weird kid. Period. Alexis is considered weird, too, by the kids in her high school, by her parents, even by her own Goth friends. Things get weirder, though, when the old house they live in starts changing. Doors open and close by themselves; water boils on the unlit stove; and an unplugged air conditioner turns the house cold enough to see their breath in. Kasey is changing, too. Her blue eyes go green and she speaks in old-fashioned language, then forgets chunks of time.
Most disturbing of all is the dangerous new chip on Kasey's shoulder. The formerly gentle, doll-loving child is gone, and the new Kasey is angry. Alexis is the only one who can stop her sister -- but what if that green-eyed girl isn't even Kasey anymore?

My Review:
Bad Girls Don't Die has this totally creepy cover, I love it! From the first time I saw it, I was intruiged then I was send the second (From Bad to Cursed) novel in the series and knew I need to read BGDD.
I think I had high expectation for this book. I wanted it to be creepy and super scary. I mean, antique dolls? - I was expecting doll heads twisting around, dolls walking and talking but I didn't get any of that. I didn't even get the creepy feeling I look forward to when reading these books. It could be that I read most of this book while laying at the beach, not the ideal place to read this type of book - I know. But even the occasional nights I did read some, I wasn't freaked out or all that convinced that I was reading a "scary" book.
I do love the idea of a girl who collects dolls, then gets possesed by one - it's neat and has potential to be great but unfortunately it wasn't executed well in Bad Girls Don't Die, in my opinion. I think the first few chapters were the best, but then the author seemed like she wanted to add a love interest to the story then almost forgot to take it anywhere, but the thought kept popping into the story. I found it a little all over the place to be honest. The writing was alright, I didn't have enough to paint the story or see the characters (or dolls) come to life in my head.
Overall, the foundation of Bad Girls Don't Die is there, but I think it needed to be built up a little more. I will be reading From Bad to Cursed to see where Katie Alender takes us next though.

Sunday, July 24, 2011

In My Mailbox (July 24, 2011)

In My Mailbox credit goes to The Story Siren

For Review:
Peter Nimble and his Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier | Goodreads Synopsis
Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer | Goodreads Synopsis
Bloodlines by Richelle Mead | Goodreads Synopsis


Thanks so much Penguin Canada for these! You guys spoil me some :)
Can't wait to read these 3! My daughter is really excited about Peter Nimble, I'm excited for the Bloodlines Blog Tour, and Wolfsbane is hopefully going to answer some questions from before (Though I'm so disappointed that Wolfsbane doesn't match my gorgeous Nightshade book)

What did you guys get this week? Leave links and I'll check it out!

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Harry Potter Party

Thanks to our local Chapters the other night my family and I were able to visit Hogsmeade, Diagon Alley and have a quick game of Quddditch.

When we first ran through Platform 93/4, we went on a hunt for the Golden Snitch. Apparently we need to work on our Seeker skills as neither of us found the snitch.

Our next stop was Ollivanders. Our little Wizard here needed a new wand!


Wand making @ Ollivanders
Ollivanders Wand Shop
  • Located in Diagon Alley, as well as a shop in Hogsmeade
  • Owned by the Ollivanders and run by Mr. Ollivander who remembers each wand ever sold in his shop
  • Acknowledged as the best wandmakers in Britain, and highly noted around Europe

Next we went the Honeydukes, one of the most famous places in Hogsmeade!



Honeydukes
  • Sweet shop known for its chocolate and candy
  • This shop has a secret passage into Hogwarts, in which Harry Potter used after Fred and George gave him the Marauder's Map (to get into Hogsmeade)
  • Owners of Honeydukes is Ambrosius Flume and his wife
  • Home of some of the best Wizard sweets/chocolate including:
-Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans - the most popular candy in the Wizarding World
"You want to be careful with those. When they say every flavour, they mean every flavour - you know you get all the ordinary ones like chocolate and peppermint and marmalade, but then you can get spinach and liver and tripe. George reckons he had a bogey-flavoured one once."
—Ron Weasley to Harry Potter
-Chocolate Frogs - very popular, and have cards that portray famous wizards and witches on them
-Fizzing Whizzbess - Harry Potters favourite candy, though when he found out they might contain animal parts, he wrote in his copy of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them that he'd never again eat them
-Pumpkin Fizz - Fred and George brought this stuff back to celebrate Gryffindor's victory over Ranvenclaw
-Treacle Fudge - Hagrid loves to make this stuff!

Hedwig joined us


We thought we'd have some fun at Zonko's Joke Shop



Zonko's Joke Shop
  • A favourite place in Hogsmeade for Hogwarts students
  • Known to carry "jokes and tricks to fulfill even Fred and George Weasely's wildest dreams"
  • Items sold include Dungbombs, Hiccough Sweets, Frog Spawn Soap, Sugar Quills and Nose-Biting Teacups


We had to stop and make a potion in Potions class.


 
Potions Class
  • Known potions professors include Severus Snape and Horace Slughorn
  • Potions is required for all first to fifth year students at Hogwarts

To end the night, our little wizard sat down and read the Daily Prophet.


What a magical night we had!

Monday, July 18, 2011

In My Mailbox (July 17, 2011)

In My Mailbox credit goes to The Story Siren

For Review:
Mind Gap by Marina Cohen | Goodreads Synopsis
Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez | Goodreads Synopsis
Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts | Goodreads Synopsis

Thanks Marina Cohen (who is one of the nicest authors! I worked with her for my Great Canadian Blog Bash, and we've chatted here and there, and she is so super nice!) and thanks as always to the greatest people ever over at Simon & Schuster!

Feel free to stop by, I know I haven't been the best blogger lately because of summer vacation, but I'm working on it - and I got some fantastic books last week you should check out in my last IMM post.

Friday, July 15, 2011

Harry Potter - Funny!

Ok, so I just finished watching these, and they are so funny!
Enjoy!



I love Hufflepuff, don't get me wrong! This was the house my daughter was sorted in when we went to the Harry Potter Exhibition, but this video is pretty darn funny!

Sunday, July 10, 2011

In My Mailbox (July 10, 2011)


In My Mailbox credit goes to The Story Siren

So, I missed last week but I'm here this week with some pretty awesome books!!

Bought:
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K Rowling - I was able to get myself a First American Edition of this lovely book to add to our colloection
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K Rowling - once again, a First American Edition!
Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry - bought this since I got an ARC of Dust & Decay
Lego Harry Potter: Building The Magical World - couldn't resit this (since we got it for super cheap!!)
Mini Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella - thanks to library book sales!
Empire Magazine - Harry Potter Speical - thanks to the family for this one :)

Won:
Clarity by Kim Harrington - Thanks Terry over at TerryLynnJohnson

For Review:
ARC of The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler | Goodreads Synopsis
ARC of Triangles by Ellen Hopkins | Goodreads Synopsis


Thanks so much McClellandBooks and Simon & Schuster (you know how much I love you guys at S&S!)

What did you guys get? Leave a comment with a link and I'll check it out.

Friday, July 8, 2011

From Ash to Nash

I've recently had the chance to read The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab, and let me tell you that I loved it! (You can check out my review here) As soon as I read it and posted my review, I wanted to find out more about Victoria - not in the stalker kind of way - just some friendly knowledge is what I wanted. And I came across this Ash to Nash Tour that she's participating in.

3 Authors
8 Cities
From Ashville
To Nashville

Now I live in Canada, and unfortunately will not be able to attend to any spots on this tour, but I wanted to do my part and get the word out! Not only is Victoria Schwab on this tour, but Beth Revis, author of Across The Universe and Myra McEntire, author of Hourglass will be part, too!
Wow! I've read Beth's AtU (review here), and I absolutely loved this book too. Though I haven't had to chance to read Hourglass, it's on my list to read soon! Such a great team of authors.

You can go to the website that has all of the information you need, and even enter to win some pretty amazing stuff! Anyone who is lucky enough to meet them, I'm jealous and have fun!


Thursday, July 7, 2011

Cover Reveal!

I know that these photos have been circulating the net for some time now, but with Summer Vaction starting and such, I haven't had much blogging time. So I'm sneaking a in post quickly now (between watching the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows World Premiere and housework)!



Three books that I'm really looking forward to reading! And look at the covers - they are pretty gorgeous aren't they?

Book Review - The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

Publish Date: August 2, 2011
Publisher: Hyperion
Pages: 288
ISBN: 978-1-4231-3787-0
Series: None
Source: ARC from publisher

Goodreads Synopsis:

The Near Witch is only an old story told to frighten children.

If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and always looking for company.

And there are no strangers in the town of Near.


These are the truths that Lexi has heard all her life.
But when an actual stranger—a boy who seems to fade like smoke—appears outside her home on the moor at night, she knows that at least one of these sayings is no longer true.
The next night, the children of Near start disappearing from their beds, and the mysterious boy falls under suspicion. Still, he insists on helping Lexi search for them. Something tells her she can trust him.
As the hunt for the children intensifies, so does Lexi’s need to know—about the witch that just might be more than a bedtime story, about the wind that seems to speak through the walls at night, and about the history of this nameless boy.
Part fairy tale, part love story, Victoria Schwab’s debut novel is entirely original yet achingly familiar: a song you heard long ago, a whisper carried by the wind, and a dream you won’t soon forget.

My Review:
The Near Witch, by debut author Victoria Schwab was a fantastic read! There is not one negative thing I can say about it, other than - it ended. Seriously, if the only thing that bothered me about The Near Witch was that the author had to stop writing the book at some point, than that's saying something I think!
This book is about a town called Near, it's a small town, houses surrounding the main part of the town, the moor around the houses and everyone knows each other. Near is a peaceful town until a stranger is spotted in town one day, then unfortunate events begin to happen the next day - children start to disappear. The whole idea of the novel is original, unique and frightening. I may be chicken, but I get scared when children are involved whether it's a book, TV or movie - if kids and witches/paranormal events etc are together, then I'm bound to be a chicken. The Near Witch was no exception.
Schwab creates characters that will become so familiar to you. You will get to know these characters such as Lexi, Cole, the Sisters, Otto, Tyler and Wren and you'll get attached  to them in one way or another. Whether it is to feel bad for them, to want to help them or maybe even smack some sense into them - you're attached. Lexi, the main character is a strong young women, who, like her deceased father is a tracker. She is able to pick up clues in nature to find her way around and to feel more connected to her surroundings. She feels she has to be a protector of her family (her mother and her younger sister) as she takes on the role of her father. Cole is a mysterious character who forms a relationship with Lexi that is just so special. And the Sisters, Magda and Dreska play a huge role in The Near Witch and were two of my favourite characters. They have an eerie way to them, and add to the whole creepy feeling of the novel.
The setting in The Near Witch becomes very clear with Victoria Schwab painting it. Down to the ripples in the fields to the wind whispering secrets, you're there and all of your senses will be awake. Victoria Schwab has a writing style unlike any other. The whole novel reads like poetry and you will get lost in her writing and story telling.
The Near Witch was one of the best 2011 books I've had the chance to read and review.And mark my word, this will become a classic. We'll be reading The Near Witch for years to come. I highly recommend this book and I'm eager for more to come from Victoria Schwab!

Sunday, July 3, 2011

The Great Canadian Blog Bash Winner


I hope that everyone had a wonderful Canada Day Long Weekend!
We sure did!

Happy belated Canada Day!

Thank you to the lovely hosts of The Great Canadian Blog Bash, and thank you to everyone for stopping by my blog! And now the winner of this awesome prize pack is:


Jeanette


I will be emailing you right after I post this for your mailing address. Please get back to me by July 5th, or I will pick another winner.

*Winner was chosen by random.org

Some of your favourite Canadian authors are:

Kelley Armstrong
Sue White
Timothy Findley
Lucy Maud Montgomery
Robert Munsch 
Catherine McKenzie
Farley Mowatt
Margaret Atwood 
Chevy Stevens
Guy Gavriel Kay
Charles De Lint

Congrats to the Winner!


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