September Spectacular!

September Reading Challenge is being hosted by Steph at The Thoughts of a Book Junky.       

Click to sign-up.

• It will start September 1st and go on through September 30th.
• There will be a 5 book reading challenge, ( one book a week) that you will have to read. Which books? Any 5 you want. Its your choice... Easy huh. At the end of that week you will post your review on your blog and add your link to the Mr. Linky at the bottom. ( If you don't have a blog you can either post a comment, letting everyone know what you think about the book or sent me an email with your review) * Sep first starts on a Wednesday so you can start your first book on Sunday the 29th if you want.
• At the end of each week a giveaway will be posted. That's 5 giveaways!! The only thing you have to do to enter is, link your review on that weeks Mr. Linky. Plus get an extra entry if you add the September Spectacular button to your post or sidebar! ( Open Internationally)

I am planning to read:

Manifest by Artist C. Arthur

Werelove Dusk Conspiracy by J.D. Hollyfield

and Falling, fly by Skyler White

The Hunted of 2060 by Ami Rebecca Blackwelder

The Holy Reaper by Mark Sherony

Literary Road Trip - belated post #2

I agreed to participate in the Literary Road Trip and I have fallen terribly behind - my apologies.

I featured Lois McMaster-Bujold in June and had planned for Will Weaver to be the July feature 

and Jane Yolen to be featured in August.  

Because I am behind I am featuring Will Weaver and Jane Yolen here in August!!!

I will post Jane Yolen before the end of the month.

So without further delay:  

I present Will Weaver - Minnesota author! (clip below is from Fantastic Fiction)

Will Weaver writes fiction for adults and young adults. He was born in Northern Minnesota in 1950 and grew up on a dairy farm. His novels and short stories have earned the praises of reviewers from coast-to-coast for their unflinching realism. The New York Times Book Review called A Gravestone Made of Wheat, "a graceful collection, one that views America's heartland with a candid but charitable eye." 

Formerly an English professor at Bemidji State University, Mr. Weaver lives in Northern Minnesota, a region he writes from and loves. He is an avid outdoorsman, and enjoys hunting, fishing, canoeing and hiking with his family and friends.

If you follow my blog, you know I work in a high school media center - so getting kids to read is my job.  I love it, but it is sometimes a challenge.  There was one boy at my school who I couldn't get to read.  He would check out a book for a class if he had to - usually didn't even open it much less read it - then one day he checked out Full Service by Will Weaver.  It took him awhile but he read it cover to cover.  He bragged until the day he graduated that it was the only book he read in high school. 

 Thanks so much Mr. Weaver!

You can find a list of books by Will Weaver at Fantastic Fiction or click on his name above to go to his site.

Holy Buckets! 300 followers!!!

Can you believe it! I have 300 followers!  I remember not too long ago I was excited to see that I had 60 followers - now WOW!!!  300!

So - I think I am going to have a contest!

What to do, what to do????

I am going to The Book Festival in Decatur, GA.  So I will bring something back and use it as my giveaway.  There are to be 300 authors at the event - hopefully I will be able to give away a signed book or two.  So...

I will start my giveaway today, August 18, and it will run through September 5, 2010 - that's when I get back from the festival.

So the contest will be for an undisclosed (hopefully signed) book, at this time, 

but I will post the prize as soon as I return from the book festival.  

To enter please post a comment with your email address.  

Because this is a followers Thank you contest, you must be a follower to enter.  

One entry per follower only please.

ARCs ARCs ARCs!

Sara at Babbling Flow is having a gigantic ARC contest - 

August 18 - September 8, 2010 - you have to stop by and check it out!

Here ya go!

A set of BEAUTIFUL CREATURES (hardcover) andBEAUTIFUL DARKNESS(ARC)! BOTH are signed by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl!!

These books are awesome. Seriously awesome. If you haven't already read BC, you're crazy in my book ;-) And BD... well, all I can say is wow. It releases in October (Little Brown), but you so want to read it sooner if you can!

An ARC of NIGHTSHADE, by Andrea Cremer.

First of all, the book has one of the best covers... EVER. Second, it doesn't let you down in the pages!

"While other teenage girls daydream about boys, Calla Tor imagines ripping out her enemies’ throats." Uh, yeah. Enough said! (October 19, Philomel)

An ARC of ROT & RUIN, by Jonathan Maberry.

With a tagline like "Benny Imura couldn't hold a job, so he took to killing" who wouldn't want to read this?

Growing up in a zombie-infested world, Benny reluctantly agrees to train as a zombie killer, but ends up discovering what it really means to be human.  (October 5, Simon & Schuster)

An ARC of THE UNIDENTIFIED, by Rae Mariz.

A funny and sharp novel in which 15-year-old Katey goes to school in the Game: a mall converted into a "school" run by corporate sponsors. Except she finds out she doesn't have rights to her ideas, her privacy, or her identity--and that's notokay with her. (October 5, Balzer + Bray)

An ARC of HALT'S PERIL, by John Flanagan.

For all you Ranger's Apprentice lovers (of which there are many, over 2 million of these books have been sold, holy moly!) this is the ninth installment in the series. In this one: the false prophet of the Outsider cult escaped, and Halt is determined to stop him before he crosses the border. (October 5, Philomel)

An ARC of THE GOBLIN GATE, by Hilari Bell.

This is the highly anticipated sequel to The Goblin Wood! Jeriah is thrust into a tangled web of political intrigue when he uncovers a dangerous secret--one that could change the fate of an entire kingdom! (October 5, Harper Teen)




An ARC of JANE, by April Lindner.

This is a modern retelling of Jane Eyre--except in this one, Jane falls in love with a rockstar! Too bad they're haunted by a torturous secret from his past. (October 11, Poppy)

An ARC of THE WINDS OF HEAVEN, by Judith Clarke.

Clarke, a Printz Honor winner, tells the compelling tale of Clementine and Fan: cousins and best friends. But when the summer's over, small tragedies threaten to tear them apart from each other... and themselves. (September 28, Henry Holt Books for Young Readers)

These are the books that she is giving away! I can't wait - I soooooooo hope that I win!  So many amazing titles!

It's a late In My Mailbox! August 18, 2010

I realize that it is not Monday, but I wanted to post an In My Mailbox because I have been getting some of the greatest books - - from all kinds of places!!!

I recently had company (my boyfriend's family) and his mother was reading The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks.  When she finished it she gave it to me.  I thought that was sweet.  I have not read this one and so I have added it to my TBR Mountain.

Before the in-laws, so-to-speak, my family was here for my gramma's funeral.  While I was waiting for my sister's flight I wandered into the airport news shop and just had to buy a book.  Does that happen to you?  Anyway - I bought Catherine Coulter's Knock Out.  Of course they called the arrival of the flight and I didn't even open the book.  Too busy with everything that was going on to read it, it too has been added to my TBR mountain.

While I was spending time with my family, my dad mentioned that he had a number of books that he had finished, he doesn't have the same "keep all your books issue" that I do and he asked me if I would like to add a few to my library.  Of course I said sure and so these four books have found their way onto my TBR mountain as well.  

I have been incredibly lucky with the giveaways too! These are the books that I have won recently and have arrived in my mail this week.  

I won: Other from Katelyn at The Bookshelf Sophisticate,

I am Number Four from June G at Writing is a Blessing,

Flash of the Firefly from Rebecca Wolfe,

Mind Games from Chasity at LLL808,

Eternal Ones from Kari at A Good Addiction, and

Infinite Days from Felicia at The Geeky Blogger.

Thanks so much for all the great books!  Be sure to click on the links here to go check out their blogs!

I also won The Holy Reaper from Roxanne at Fang-tastic Books and The Hunted 2060 from Karissa at Karissa's Book Blog, but I don't have pictures of them yet.  You can find a pic of Hunted 2060 on Amazon, but it isn't the cover I have and this one is so much better I wanted to wait and post the actual cover with my review later.  Thanks to both of these bloggers too - and remember to check them out as well!

Review: Shapeshifter by Holly Bennett

I received this book from LibraryThing Early Reviewers Group.

Shapeshifter by Holly Bennett is an incredible story.  It tells of loyalty, determination, love, fear, control, and desire.  It is the story of a girl, a shapeshifter girl, but of so very much more than that.  I am not sure what I was expecting when I opened the cover of this book, but what I got was amazing.  I fell in love with the characters.  The names, not so much - but I think there is meaning in them too.  The main character, Sive, is stronger than she could ever imagine.  It is this strength that in so many ways is both her downfall and her saving grace.  Sive is a powerful singer with a magical voice and once the Dark Man hears her, her life changes forever.  The Dark Man - obviously the villain, is everything you expect the bad guy to be, in spades.  He is treacherous and cold, cunning and evil and will stop at nothing to have the power of Sive's voice.  Sive's father is one of my favorite characters, he makes me think of my own father, those incredible men who would stop at nothing to save their children.  I would have liked to learn more about Sive and Finn's son, Oisin.   I truly enjoyed the story, although it is sad in so many ways.  I was, as I always am, hoping for the happy ending - and I wasn't disappointed.