I’m taking the nine-week Wellness Challenge over at NetGalley. I’m going to be pumping up my profile and rocking the reviews this summer, y’all!
Maggie Stiefvater Gives Away Bookplates!
Maggie Stiefvater is one of my favorite YA authors. Her Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy saved weres entirely for me (sorry, Jacob Black).
I liked her Scorpio Races, but I loooooved The Raven Boys. Maggie writes beautifully, and she creates characters that make it hard for me to breathe, know what I mean?
Now, she’s giving away Raven Boys bookplates. With art she creates. I can’t even.
She tweeted directions on how to obtain your own sweet plate, so I’m doing it.
I read The Raven Boys via NetGalley, but I immediately ordered a copy when I finished the galley. For now, here’s my pic of TRB.
I am so excited for the quartet she’s working on.
And I can’t wait for the bookplate and the shiny new hardcover I’ll put it in!
2012 YA Debut Author Challenge: Completed!
Long time, hey?
I can’t believe I haven’t posted here since MAY. I’m a turrible blogger. But! I’m an excellent reader.
I signed up for The Story Siren’s 2012 Debut YA Author Challenge as soon as I heard about it. I love discovering new books and new authors. In the past year or two, I’ve read (and loved) a lot of excellent young adult novels. It’s been a departure from my normal reading list, but I’ve really enjoyed it.
I’m hoping to have time to write posts about each of these books in the future, but for now, goodreads’ 1-5 stars rating system will have to suffice.
Me & Earl & the Dying Girl: 4 stars!
The Peculiars: 4 stars!
The Selection: 3 stars
The Downside of Being Charlie: 3 stars
Seraphina: 4 stars!
Temptation: 3 stars (I was awfully meh about this book.)
Origin: 3 stars
Pushing the Limits: 5 freaking stars ohmygosh I loved it so much
Breathe: 4 stars
Cinder: 3 stars
Crewel: 5 stars!
Skylark: 4 stars (mostly because I loved the Object of Affection so much)
Which new authors have you discovered this year?
Bone. Shadow. Blood. I’m so confused
I was perusing my goodreads TBR list, and I noticed something. Then my head got all spinny.
Check it out:
Daughter of Smoke and Bone. One of my very most super favorite books of 2011.
Shadow and Bone. Haven’t read it yet.
The Book of Blood and Shadow. Haven’t read yet. But, I like this cover more than this one.
And finally, rounding back up to Laini Taylor,
The unfinished cover for Days of Blood and Starlight.
You can see, then, how I got a little spinny, yes?
ARCtastic: The Selection, Kiera Cass
Goodreads says:
For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in the palace and compete for the heart of the gorgeous Prince Maxon.
I say:
I liked it.
I saw several “It’s like The Bachelor + Hunger Games” reviews before I received an ARC of The Selection, (courtesy of the awesome girls at the DAC ARC Tours home) and I was wary. I loved the Hunger Games (ok, I loved Catching Fire. But I really really liked the trilogy as a whole). I don’t love The Bachelor.
But, oddly enough, the book The Selection most reminded me of was Lauren DeStefano’s Wither.
Both are/have:
Post-apocalypticish
Dystopian
Girls in fancy dresses
Girls living in castles (both MC girls living in castles against their will)
Princes (or prince-like dudes) you’re supposed to have sympathy for, even though there’s…
The Other Boy
Potential/Actual Big Bad Guys
While I was reading The Selection, I just kept going back and back and back again to Wither, so much so that I feel like I might have meshed the two together in my head. (I’ve since unmeshed them, because I just finished DeStefano’s Fever… and I’ll have more words on that book later.)
For the most part, I liked The Selection. I felt like America Singer is a strong backbone for the book. I feel like both Aspen and Prince Maxon are legit love interests- meaning I didn’t immediately dislike either of them, or distrust their intentions. Hellooooo, love triangle! As with the Hunger Games, some of the character names are a tad on the silly side (and there are also Caesar Flickerman- and Effie Trinket-esque characters). As with The Bachelor, there are catty, back-stabbing, alliance-forming girls galore… which turned out to be more fun than I thought it would be.
I’m already looking forward to the second book. I want to see America rise to the challenge of the Selection process, I want to see how the girls continue to interact with each other, I want to learn more about the outside invaders, and I want to see which handsome fella America ends up with!
The Second Quarter (is almost as good as the French Quarter?)
No, this post has nothing to do with New Orleans. I know. Lame.
The second quarter of the year has begun! It’s April, you guys. I don’t know how that even happened.
In January, I set a goal for myself: read 100 books in 2012.
Right now, I’m one-quarter of the way through. I’m actually two books ahead! Hooray, me!
Starting with this second quarter of books and of the year, I need to find a better rhythm. I need to find a balance between reading all of these wonderful books and finding time to write about them, too.
Maybe I’ll have it all down by the third quarter.
How many books have you read in 2012? Have you set a goal?
Jen Lancaster Giveaway! (I’m giving away the book, not the girl)
Hey, y’all!
I’m super excited to announce a book giveaway. Not just any book giveaway, a Jen Lancaster book giveaway. Not even just a Jen Lancaster book giveaway, but a brand-new-in-paperback, pee-in-your-pants-funny, debut-novel book giveaway!
Hooray!
If you don’t know who Jen Lancaster is yet, I’m really shocked you made it through that first paragraph. Also: come out from under that rock, Little Ant.
Jen Lancaster is funny with capital FU. Oh, wait, is that something else? Anyway. She’s written several hilarious memoirs (Such a Pretty Fat; My Fair Lazy, Bitter is the New Black…) and she really loves plaid.
She wrote a novel, which she swears is only looooosely based on her own life, called If You Were Here, in 2011.
And now it’s out on paperback (with much cuter art than the hardcover, says me).
And I’m giving away a copy on goodreads.
Hooray!
So, click on over to goodreads and enter to win!
Hooray!
