Time For Some Awards...

One Lovely Blog Award
(Thanks a bunch to Kari @ A Good Addiction)

So here are the rules: Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link. Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you've newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

The Blonde Diaries
Books, Movies, Reviews! Oh My!
Mom-Musings
Reality Bites...Fiction Does it Better!
Once Upon a Bookcase
[Bloggers [[heart]] Books]

A Bookful of Thoughts
A Reader's Adventure!
Books Obsession
Crystal Reviews
Escape In A Book
Good Golly Miss Holly
Pure Imagination
Reading with Tequila
Roboloblyn's Universe of Books

Now go and grab your cup of tea (or whatever beverage you prefer) while you go check out all these awesome blogs and HAPPY readings!!!

The 2nd Reading Challenge

This challenge is to go with the 1st in the series challenge. I'm super excited about this one because now I'll definitely have to continue a series. It's hosted over at Royal Reviews...so go and sign up!!!

Here are their guidelines...
Challenge Guidelines:
1. Anyone can join. You don't need a blog to participate.
--Non-Bloggers: Include your information in the comment section.

2. There are four levels:

-- Curious – Read 3 novels that are 2nd in a series or second time you've read the author.

-- Fascinated – Read 6 that are 2nd in a series or second time you've read the author.

-- Addicted – Read 12 novels that are 2nd in a series or second time you've read the author.

-- Obsessed – Read 20 novels 2nd in a series or second time you've read the author.

3. Any genre counts.

4. You can list your books in advance or just put them in a wrap up post. If you list them, feel free to change them as the mood takes you.

5. Challenge begins January 1st thru December, 2010. Only books started on January 1st count towards this challenge.

6. When you sign up under Mr. Linky, put the direct link to the post about the 2nd Reading Challenge. Include the URL so that other participants can find join in and read your reviews and post.


I'm going to participate in the fascinated category, but might change it next year...Here's my tentative list...

1. Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris
2. Pretties by Scott Westerfeld
3. The Struggle by L.J. Smith
4. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
5. You Know You Love Me by Cecily von Ziegesar
6. tbd

Friday Finds (12/04/09)

Friday Finds at the Store is a meme hosted by Jennay at My Tea Time is Book Time. It is totally easy and everyone can join. Basically just post the books you found at the bookstore or library. Now others can see the great finds you had and maybe they will pick it up on their next bookstore/library run. HAPPY readings!!!

From the back cover of Romeo & Juliet by William Shakespeare

These violent delights have violent ends. And in their triumph die, like fire and powder, which, as they kiss, consume.

When Romeo first lays eyes on the bewitching Juliet, it's love at first sight. But though their love runs true and deep, it is also completely forbidden. With family and fate determined to keep them apart, will Romeo and Juliet find a way to be together?

What did you find???

(I bought this from a store called Fully Booked)

Review: Her Fearful Symmetry

Title: Her Fearful Symmetry
Author: Audrey Niffenegger
ISBN/Publisher: 978-1-4391-6539-3/Scribner (part of Simon & Schuster)
Age Group/Genre: Adult

This is the story of Elspeth, her twin nieces (Julia and Valentina), and her younger boyfriend/downstairs neighbor (Robert). Elspeth dies of leukemia and leaves her diaries to Robert, whom is obsessed with keeping her in his memory. Her London flat is left for her nieces that have no memory of her. The terms laid out in the will for Julia and Valentina to get the place is that their parents are not allowed to step into the flat and they must live in it for a year before selling it.

Once the twins are in London, Valentina starts to resent her sister. Julia has always been the dominating of the two, but now Valentina wants her own life. Then, there's Robert who is trying to write his thesis on the historic Highgate Cemetery and knows a lot about the Victorian time period. Also in the building where they live is Martin, an OCD person, who is living by himself because his wife could not take his rituals any longer. Now the twist is that Elspeth is still around, but as a ghost trying to figure out her new body.

How will Elspeth haunt the twins and Robert??? And how will it affect them???

The beginning of the book was good. I thought the premise of it was really interesting and the beginning was also the time where you get to know who is in the story and their backgrounds. I also wanted to get to know the twins more and to see how Robert dealt with Elspeth's death. My favorite part of the story was when Elspeth was learning how to be a ghost. It was an interesting point of view.

Then, the book kind of dragged. It started to get way too weird for me and Elspeth's character made me upset. Julia's dependency on Valentina became really frustrating, but on the bright side we get to know Martin a little bit better because of Julia. And Martin was by far my fave character in the novel.

The story was way to weird for me (at times kind of disturbing), but the character's still lured me in because I wanted to know how they changed in the end. I'm really glad I didn't buy it. If you want to read it...I would recommend getting it from the library.

My Rating

(by the way this book was won on Facebook from Regal Literary)

Now go and grab your cup of tea (or whatever beverage you prefer) and HAPPY readings!!!

Author Update: Ann Brashares

So Ann Brashares has a new book coming out in June 2010. But the new news is that the book, My Name is Memory has already been optioned out for a a film. Check out her site for the exciting post she made. And then go check out the article here.

Congratulations to Ann Brashares and I sooooo cannot wait for My Name is Memory.

1st in a Series Challenge

This is the first challenge I'm going to be posting for my blog (Exciting stuff!!!) Anyways, if you want to participate head over to Royal Reviews and sign up.

Here are the guidelines that I took from their blog...
Challenge Guidelines:
1. Anyone can join. You don't need a blog to participate.
--Non-Bloggers: Include your information in the comment section.

2. There are four levels:

-- Curious– Read 3 novels that are first in a series.

-- Fascinated – Read 6 novels that are first in a series.

-- Addicted – Read 12 novels that are first in a series.

-- Obsessed – Read 20 novels that are first in a series.

3. Any genre counts.

4. You can list your books in advance or just put them in a wrap up post. If you list them, feel free to change them as the mood takes you.

5. Challenge begins January 1st thru December, 2010. Only books started on January 1st count towards this challenge.

6. When you sign up under Mr. Linky, put the direct link to the post about the 1st in a Series Challenge. Include the URL so that other participants can find join in and read your reviews and post.


Here are the guidelines that I took from their blog.I'm going to start off as Fascinated.

1. How to Ruin a Summer Vacation by Simone Elkeles
2. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
3. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
4. Tithe by Holly Black
5. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
6. The Awakening by L.J. Smith

Author Spotlight: John Green

I can't believe it is already December! December is a wonderful month...Christmas, my birthday, winter, and my Author Spotlight on John Green.

I have read so many awesome things about John Green through other blogs and book sites (and I really love watching his vlog on You Tube). So, I bought all the books I could find and I'm set to read. I hope you guys will read them too!!!

Now here is the little bio...I took the info from his site (if you want more information, be sure to click on the photo up top to get to his site)

John was born in 1977 and grew up in Florida. He went to boarding school in Alabama (as did his character in Looking for Alaska). When he was a kid he wanted to be an earthworm scientist, but he discovered he was good at "telling lies" and "sitting." And that is why he is a writer. Other jobs included working as a student chaplain at a children's hospital and a book reviewer. John Green is now currently working on the screenplay for Looking for Alaska. You want the longer bio...make sure to check out his website.

Here are the books...
Looking for Alaska (2005)
An Abundance of Katherines (2006)
Paper Towns (2008)
Let it Snow: Three Holiday Romances with Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle (2008)
Will Grayson, Will Grayson with David Levithan (2010)

Now go and grab your cup of tea (or whatever beverage you prefer) along with a John Green book and HAPPY readings!!!