Monthly Favorites

So, it's time for another montthly favorites post!

 

November Monthly Favorites:

During November I've read:

Book Related:

• Favorite Book Title - Remembrance

• Favorite Book Cover - It's a tie between The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin and Remembrance by Michelle Madow

• Most Embarassing Book Cover - None of the book covers are really embarassing. I'm not a fan of the Tantric Zoo cover, though.

• Book You Can’t Believe You Waited So Long to Read - Clarity by Kim Harrington

•  Favorite Reading Experience - The Vincent Boys by Abbi Glines

• Book with the best Food -  

Characters Related:

• Best Male Character - I can't choose just one this month! Stone from Instant Gratification; Noah from The Unvbecoming of Mara Dyer; Drew from Remembrance and Beau from The Vincent Boys.

• Best Female Character - Clare from Clarity and Mara from The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

• Best Couple - Stone and Emme from Instant Gratification; Drew and Lizzie from Remembrance and Mara and Noah from The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

• Best Love Triangle - Beau/Ashton/ Sawyer from The Vincent Boys

• Favorite Crush -Three crushes this month: Stone from Instant Gratification; Drew from Remembrance and Beau from The Vincent Boys.

Plot Related:

• Best Plot Twist - Clarity by Kim Harrington. Find out about the reasons behind the crime.

• Best Ending - The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin. I can't wait to find out what will happen in the next book because the cliffhanger at the end of Mara Dyer was amazing!

• Steamiest Scene - Instant Gratification by Jill Shalvis. :)

• Best Swoon-Worthy Moment - I can't choose just one! All books have swoon-worthy moments!

• Most Heartbreaking/ Tear Jerker Scene -

• Most Hilarious Scene - Stone being afraid of needles! (Instant Gratification) :D

Quote Related:

  

• Best Opening Line - As the man I loved approached my office, the image of a deer being hit by a truck came to mind. I was the deer, metaphorically speaking, and Mark Rousseau was the pickup truck of doom. - Callie in All I Ever Wanted by Kristan Higgins

• Most Memorable Quote - “Thinking something does not make it true. Wanting something does not make it real.”- The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

• Best Comeback - “You could start a fire with the heat between you two."
  "You're mistaking bitter animosity for heartfelt affection.” - The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
       

Others

 

• Series that I’m loving - Clarity by Kim Harrington; The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

• Would Make the Best Movie – Remembrance by Michelle Madown

So, what do you think? If you want, let me know which were your favaorite books of November:

Review - A Slot Machine Ate Mt Midlife Crisis by Irene Woodbury

Title and Author: A Slot Machine Ate Mt Midlife Crisis by Irene Woodbury

Publisher: Kindle

Publication Date: August 16th, 2011

Paperback/Hardcover:

Genre:

Summary:

Quirky jobs, wacky friends, hot crushes, and an unraveling marriage are all part of this darkly funny novel describing 45 year-old newlywed Wendy Sinclair’s life in Las Vegas after she impulsively decides to stay following a bizarre girls’ weekend in 2005.

Review:

I received A Slot Machine Ate my Midlife Crisis from the author in exchange of an honest review and really enjoyed the book.

Wendy is newly married and doesn’t know how to deal with all the changes in her life. Plus, she’s going through a midlife crisis!

Wendy decides the solution to all her problems is to spend a weekend with her friends in Las Vegas. The weekend is the perfect chance for some entertainment, self-discovery and to learn a few important lessons.

All the characters introduced during the book brought something to the story and play an important role in Wendy’s life.

This book is a good read. It is well written and the characters are well developed and easy to like and relate to.

I enjoyed reading about Wendy’s adventure in Las Vegas. The characters found themselves involved in real situations and always managed to deal with them in a funny way.

I also enjoyed the end of the book and was pleased with it.

All in all, this is a fast and interesting read. The book is very well-written and the characters are developed and interesting.

It kept me very entertained.

Rating: Worth Your Time and Must Read (4  Stars)

Goodreads

Link Your Reviews

We all want to promote our reviews, don't we? This is a way of letting other people know about them. Just leave a link to your review below.

Go visit the other reviews and let people know what you think about them!

This will is weekly feature posted on Thursdays. :)

My Book Boyfriend

My Book Boyfriend is a weekly meme, hosted by Missie at The Unread Reader. It is a weekly meme where we talk about a literary crush including stats, a picture of what you imagine he looks like and some quotes from him that make you swoon.  If you are interested in participating please check out the My Book Boyfriend Introduction Page over at Missie's blog The Unread Reader.

This week my book boyfriend is:

Dell Conelly from Animal Attraction by Jill Shalvis

Stats

Status: Dell is a veterinary, who obviously, loves animals. He's Jade's love interest an boss!

Age:

Height: 6'2

Eyes:Brown

Hair: Brown

More info: Dell is funny friendly. It's clear he's attraced to Jade but he doesn't do relationships. He's more the love them and leave them type.

    

" Dell braced himself, but all that delicious warm mocha skin of his—courtesy of his Native American mother—covered an impressive amount of tough testosterone and muscle. Still, even a six-foot-two, 180-pound veterinarian extraordinaire could be leveled by the freighttrain force of a chunky St. Bernard, and at impact Dell landed on his ass."

" Come on, baby,” he murmured. “Give it up for me. You know you want to.”
Jade Bennett did her best to ignore the way the low, sexy voice made her shiver. Besides, it wasn’t aimed at her. Dr. Dell Connelly— dog whisperer, cat whisperer, horse whisperer, and known woman whisperer— was talking to a stray kitten."

“He knew every bit as much as she that this shouldn’t happen. It was risking too much. Someone was going to get hurt.
Too late for that . . .
And in any case, he couldn’t let her go. In fact, his arms came around her and held on.
“Jade, what the hell am I going to do with you?”
“Are you as scared as I am?”
“Terrified,” he said. “Hold me.

"“You asked why I’m here,” he said against her lips. “It’s because you’re a part of my life, you’re a part of me, Jade, the most important part, actually, and have been since the day you walked into Sunshine.”

Jill Shalvis posted those pictures of Dell on her blog and now I can't imagine him as anyone else!

What about you? What do you think?Do you like Dell?

Interview with Leah Cypess + Giveaway

Nightspell Blog Tour: Interview + Giveaway

I'm participating in the Nightspell Blog Tour and Leah Cypess was nice enough to answer a few of my questions!

1 - Tell us a little bit about yourself? 

LC: I’m a person who always wanted to be a writer, but spent a lot of my life in pursuit of a more practical profession: I majored in biology, minored in biology, then went to law school and worked as a lawyer for two years. While I was working in law (which I hated), I read a blog post by Libba Bray in which she described her typical day as divided between writing and taking care of her son, and I remember thinking, “That’s my dream life.” And now I’m living it! I sometimes find it difficult to believe how fortunate I am.

2 - When did you find out you wanted to be a writer?

LC: I remember telling my grandmother when I was eight years old that I intended to be an author when I grew up. She didn’t think it was such a great idea… see above re pursuit of a practical profession.

3 – What inspired you to write Mistwood and Nightspell?

LC: Mistwood began with an image in my mind of a scene: men in horseback riding into a misty forest in search of the magical creature who lived there. Nightspell began with an idea – what would a murder mystery look like if it was set in a society where the dead came back to solve their own murderers?

4 – Out of all your characters, which one is your favorite? If you could invite that character for dinner what do you think you would talk about? :)

LC: Wow, you do know how to ask the hard questions, don’t you? ;) The honest truth is that the character I’m currently writing is my favorite, and that tends to be true no matter what book I’m working on. Of the characters in my published books, Clarisse is probably the most fun to write, but I’d be a bit too intimidated to invite her for dinner. I think I’d invite Darri (from Nightspell), if I had to choose.

5 – Is there anything you would like your readers to take away from your books?

LC: Primarily, a great reading experience.  If they feel like they’ve learned from my characters’ experiences in any way, that’s a bonus.

6 – What do you like the most about writing? What would you say is the hardest part of being a writer?

LC: I like the writing part the most, especially when I get a new idea, fall in love with it, and blaze full steam ahead on it for a while. I don’t like the inevitable part where I run out of momentum and go crazy trying to figure out what should happen. I especially don’t like it when it happens on deadline – ironically, the stress and enforced pacing that comes with getting published is the hardest part for me.

7 – Who is/are your favorite author/s?

LC: There are far, far too many to list! In terms of fantasy, I am a big fan of Sarah Rees Brennan, Franny Billingsley, Megan Whalen Turner, and Juliet Marillier, among others; these are authors whose next book I will buy without even bothering to check what it’s about. I also really like the recent contemporary YA authors Swati Avasthi and Ashley Hope Perez.

8 - Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

LC: That if you’re writing, you’re not an aspiring writer, you are a writer. You can aspire to get published, and I hope you all do, but never let that come before your love of writing.

9 – What can your readers expect from you in the future?

LC: Hopefully, a lot of books! I’m currently working on a story about assassins and sorcerers that I’m very excited about, but I don’t have anything definite to report about it yet.

10 - Is there anything else you would like your readers to know?

LC: Lots of stuff! It’s all in the annotated copy of MISTWOOD.

Just kidding – I want you to know that I’m incredibly grateful for, and astonished by, all the people who have loved my worlds and characters and plots as much as I do.

Thank you so much, Leah! :) 

I also have a little giveaway for you:

• One person will win bookmarks signed by Leah Cypess!

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• 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!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! 

This week I'm reading: 

Remembrance - Michelle Madow

"He must have figured that I wasn’t going to try pulling away again, because he raised his hand to my shoulder and trailed his thumb down to my elbow, reaching my wrist and intertwining his fingers with mine. The palms of our hands connected, and I decided to enjoy the time we could be together, knowing that everything would return to the way it had been come Monday morning."

What about you? What are you reading this week? Are you enjoying it?

Team Smackdown

Hello everyone!

It's time for the another Team Smackdown! Are you ready?

This week's Smackdown is:

Team Will vs Team Jem (Infernal Devices Series)

Jem is being defended by Kristin @ Better Read Than Dead.

Team Will - Infernal Devices Series by Cassandra Clare 

Hi, I’m Kristin @ Better Read Than Dead. I campaigning for Will Herondale, The Infernal Devices, today on Library Mosaics Character Smackdown.

Will Herondale:

Messy black hair

Eyes like blue glass, framed with thick lashes

Elegant cheek bones

Full mouth, crescent shaped, a slight dent in the center of his bottom lip.

Quotes from Clockwork Angel:

   “I’ve mastered many things in my life. Navigation the streets of London, dancing the quadrille, the Japanese art of flower arranging, lying at charades, concealing a highly intoxicated state, delighting young women with my charms…” Page 36

     “As for the temperature of Hell, Miss Gray,” he said, “let me give you a piece of advice. The handsome young fellow who’s trying to rescue you from a hideous fate is never wrong. Not even if he says the sky is purple and made of hedgehogs.” Page 40

    “I have an assignation in Soho this evening with a certain attractive someone.” – “Goodness,” Tessa said to the back of his head. “If you keep seeing Six-Fingered Nigel like this, he’ll expect you to declare your intentions.” Page 117

His tone was playful. It was so odd, Tessa thought. Only a few days ago he had snarled at her about his parents, and later had begged her to help him hide Jem’s bloody coughing, hi face burning with intensity as he did so. And now he was teasing her as if she were a friend’s little sister, someone whom he knew casually, perhaps thought of with affection, but for whom he had no complex feelings at all. Page 200

“Tess,” he said, his voice thick and soft with desire, she leaned toward him, swaying like a tree whose branches were weighted by snow. Her whole body ached; she ached, as if there were a terrible hollow emptiness inside her. She was more conscious of Will than she had ever been of anything or anyone else in her life, of the faint shine of blue beneath hi half-closed lides, of the shadow of light stubble across his jaw where he hadn’t shaved, of faint white scars that dotted the skin of his shoulders and throat – and more than anything else of his mouth, the crescent shape of it, the slight dent in the center of his bottom lip. 

Both images are taken from Cassandra Clare’s website. She states that the young man on Clockwork Angel is Will. The actor some Infernal Device addicts would like to see cast as Will is Nicholas Hoult.

Dear Will,

I am writing in your defense today; hoping you win this seed of the Character Smackdown. You deserve to win. You have to win…so listen close.

You are exactly my type of guy: sexy, quick-witted, sarcastic, and a tad bit bad. Then there are the times that you let your walls down just a bit and I see the real you; the man that loves Tessa, even though you don’t want to. In her eyes, you are beautiful in every way. The one that would do anything you could for Jem. I love the passion you defend him with, even though he doesn’t need your protection. You have been alone for far too long but letting others in will never be easy for you.

You are a fighter among fighters, one of the best. Saving others is what you do best, even when you aren’t certain that they are worthy of being saved. This is your duty, and you hold it above all else. In fact, you bit a vampire, risking your own life to save Tessa and the others around you.

I hope that you will learn what you need from Magnus Bane so you can move on and have the life that you deserve.

Yours Truly,

Kristin @ Better Read Than Dead

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Jem is being defended by Rimsa

Team Jem - Infernal Devices Series by Cassandra Clare

Name: James Carstairs
Appearance: Silver eyes, silver hair
Heritage: Half chinese, half British
Age: 17
Shadowhunter!

Jem is one of the most compassionate, caring, yet HOT male characters you will ever find in any book. He is half Chinese and plays the violin which is so cool! Unlike so may male characters, he actually treats girls with respect and can make you feel really good about yourself. He is nice to everyone and even Will loves Jem, that must mean soemthing right? Since Will hates pretty much everyone.

Eventhough Jem is a total sweetheart, he definitely has a smutty side which people will see in Clockwork Prince :) Did i mention he is Chinese? He also speaks Mandarin and says some seriously cute things which any girl would love to hear and totally meakes my heart melt.

“Say something in Mandarin,” said Tessa, with a smile.
Jem said something that sounded like a lot of breathy vowels and  consonants run together, his voice rising and falling melodically: “*Ni hen piao liang.”
“What did you say?” Tessa was curious. 

“I said your hair is coming undone — here,” he said, and reached out  and tucked an escaping curl back behind her ear. Tessa felt the blood  spill hot up into her face, and was glad for the dimness of the
carriage. “You have to be careful with it,” he said, taking his hand back, slowly, his fingers lingering against her cheek.

* that actually means 'You're beautiful'

Jem also has an extremely tragic back story and yet he treats people nicely and doesnt take it out on everyone else by being rude to them. *cough cough* Will!
how can you not love such an adorable guy who is aslo dying. I dont know about you, but it would be heaven for me if Jem played the violin for me or talked to me in his sexy mandarin! So VOTE FOR JEM <3


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Now that you've read a little bit about each of the guys in today's Team Smackdown is time to vote for your favorite!  The Team that wins today will face another Team in a future round!

Which Team are you on?

Team Will Team Jem

pollcode.com free polls

I also have a little giveaway for you!

• One winner will win a bookmark from Sophine Giam. Here's an example: 

It's Monday, What are you Reading?

 

This weekly meme is hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey Through a World of Books.

 

Read this past week:

The Vincent Boys - Abbi Glines

Clarity - Kim Harrington

 

Currently Reading: 

Nightshade - Andrea Cremer
Remembrance - Michelle Madow

Upcoming:

Head Over Heels - Jill Shalvis

Halfway to the Grave - Jeaniene Frost

What about you? What are you reading this week and are you enjoying it?

2012 YA Contemporary Reading Challenge

This year I decided to join the 2012 YA Contemporary Reading Challenge:

You can sign up for this challenge HERE.

There are different levels that you can choose to challenge yourself in:

Level 1: 5+ books

Level 2: 10+ books

Level 3: 15+ books

Rules:

You can read any contemporary YA novel that is published between January 1, 2012 and December 30, 2012 but you must read them in 2012! (All formats accepted: paperback, ARC, e-book)

Books included:

We have created a spreadsheet (organized by release date) for contemporary YA books published in 2012. If there is a book that is not on the spreadsheet that you know fits the guidelines, let us know and we will add it.  There is also a Goodreads list.  You can use either one.  Currently the spreadsheet has more books on it.

Spreadsheet 

Goodreads list 

I chose level 2 - 10+ books:

01. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight - Jennifer E. Smith

02. The Fault In Our Stars - John Green

03. Try Not To Breathe - Jennifer Hubbard

04. Bittersweet - Sarah Ockler

05. The Fine Art of Truth or Dare - Melissa Jensen

06. Wishing For Someday Soon - Tiffany King

07. Never Eighteen - Megan Bostic

08. In Honor - Jessi Kirby

09. Breaking Beautiful - Jennifer Shaw Wolf

10.My Life Next Door - Huntley Fitzpatrick