Ravished by A Highlander giveaway!

I might not ever do another review ever. I am seriously finding myself spending entirely too much time reading other people's blogs. It's all good though. Chrissy over at chrissysworldofbooks is holding a giveaway on Paula Quinn's newest book. I read A Highlander Never Surrenders a few years back and totally loved it. I want this book so bad but want to give my romance reader followers a chance at it too. Ok who am I kidding. I just want the extra entries it gives me for posting on my blog. No...that isn't true. I honestly want everyone to read one (or all) of Paula's books and what better way to get introduced to her then with a free book. So, jump on over to Chrissy's blog and enter for your chance to win one of the books (there are several available!)

Blogmania...an awesome 24 hour event!

Over at Between the Pages Lynda is hosting (along with a couple cohosts) an awesome blog hopping experience. 122 bloggers are donating prizes to giveaway. All you have to do is start at Lynda's blog and follow her links to the other bloggers' blogs. It started at midnight and will go for only 24 hours. She does do this twice a year but do you really want to wait until September??? Get to hoppin'!!!!

Welcome to the Blog Hop

Every Friday Crazy-for-books hosts a weekly meme called The Blog Hop.

What is a blog hop?
A blog hop is a linky list that is SHARED ON MULTIPLE BLOGS.
When several blogs put the same linky list code on their blog, the exact same list appears on each blog.

Blog visitors can submit their entries on any blog that contains the list.
The entries will appear on each blog where the list resides.
Blog readers see the same list on each blog, and can "HOP" from blog to blog seeing the same list of links to follow: BLOG HOP!

I know it is a day early but what the heck. Also Jennifer at Crazy-for-books has a birthday this week. Make sure to go and wish her a happy day!

Wake by Lisa McMann

Janie is a 17 year old that has taken care of herself for years. Maybe because her mother is an alcoholic and a single parent. Or maybe because she has a problem. When someone falls asleep near her she ends up getting sucked into their dreams. It is a condition she has learned to kind of live with but hates. She hates being so different. It's bad enough she comes from a poor family but dealing with this is worse.


What I liked...
Among the hundreds of vampire and werewolf paranomal books out there this book stands out and is completely different. As a reader I liked Janie. Of course this being a YA book it does have it's share of teenage angst and rocky relationships, however, much of Janie's struggles are about her trying to cope with her ability/curse in addition to being a teenager. She is tired of being a victim of it and finally starts trying to control it. She even finds that perhaps her condition can even be used for good things instead of just the inconvenience it has been for over a decade.


This book was also very short. Well under 200 pages, the length could really go either way in adding or taking away some of the enjoyment of the book depending on the reader. I thought even though it was short it felt full and complete. I didn't have dozens of unanswered questions pending the arrival of the second book which is good. I was also able to read this book in a few short hours which worked well because it was due back at the library and I put off reading it too long.


What I didn't like....
 I found it a little weird that this book was divided up into chapters which were then divided up by time frame. You would read a couple paragraphs or page and then a new time would appear. I found that knowing the exact time of everything was unnecessary. I think it could have been just as useful to have a new chapter or passage start out with "Janie sat under his window for almost 2 hours before giving up and going back home." I know the specific timeline type works well in certain books (some mysteries I have read in the past come to mind) but I am really not sure if it added to the overall flow of the book in a positive manner. I do have to admit though that it made the book stand out even more.

As a YA book I think this would not suit kids under a certain age. There is quite a bit of cussing and some teenage drinking. Although there is no sex the rest of these are definitely subjects that are best left for older teens.


Overall a 4 &#9733 read. I already checked out Fade from the library which is book two and am looking forward to Janie's new adventures in accepting and dealing with her condition (which she may just decide is a gift and not such a curse.)

The Dead Girls' Dance by Rachel Caine

Synopsis courtesy of Shelfari.com....

Claire has her share of challenges. Like being a genius in a school that favors beauty over brains; homicidal girls in her dorm, and finding out that her college town is overrun with the living dead. On the up side, she has a new boyfriend with a vampire-hunting dad. But when a local fraternity throws the Dead Girls' Dance, hell is really going to break loose.


This is the 2nd book in the YA Morganville Vampire series.
 
My thoughts.....
 
This book starts right up where the first book ended. It ended in such a cliff hanger I have no idea how I managed to go a full year without picking up the second.
 
What I didn't like....Now normally I would start out by posting the positive but today I am going to do just the opposite and start out with what I didn't like. I thought the beginning started pretty slow. It does start off where the cliff hanger ending of book 1 ended but it almost felt as if after the big bang the story came off of an adrenaline rush and crashed a bit. It wasn't until about half way through that things picked up. They picked up in almost a breakneck speed actually which can be good but also bad. Bad is if so many things are happening so fast the reader might get lost a bit in the shuffle. This actually happened to me once or twice and I had to go back and read a page or two because I kept missing things like "Claire jumped out of the car" and wondered how she ended up in the house when she was just driving. These things are technically minor and probably my own fault. Not only was the storyline taking off at breakneck speed I found I was reading at breakneck speed to keep up with the action.
Also one of the players in the 1st book indirectly affected one of the plots in this book (I don't want to go into great detail as to not spoil this book for those who haven't read it) and for the life of me I couldn't recall this player at all from the first book. Caine actually does do a good job in reminding the reader of specifics without completely spoiling the book for people who read series books out of order but to me the dude was really minor and it was hard for me to accept that he could change the lives of Claire and her roommates so drastically.
The title is misleading. Yes there is an event called The Dead Girls' Dance. Yes it took place within the book. But it wasn't a major event. It took up all of one chapter if that. Claire and Eve head to a frat party to see if they could get some info from a vampire they knew would be there and a new plot emerges which really doesn't tie in to the main one at all. I kind of felt as if I were reading two different books about the same cast of characters.
These books are definitely written to be a series. You really can't pick a random one up and enjoy it for it's own storyline. I think reading them in order is a must too. As I mentioned Caine does a great job of filling the reader in without spoiling the complete first book but there are some things that would be spoiled anyway so you really need to read these in order.
 
What I liked.....
Despite that it originally felt like none of the characters grew or matured, after finishing and reflecting I decided that they really did. Claire is still young but you see that she emerges more spunky and doesn't completely feel like a little girl playing dress up. Eve has always seemed pretty deep and we get a little more background on her life before moving into Glass House with the group. She sometimes seems young and easily upset and other times she takes control of the situation to help Claire through things. Shane's character also reveals more depth and additional background that helps Claire and the reader understand him more. Michael's character perhaps makes some of the most drastic changes. I am not sure if his changes are for the best or not but that is part of any series character's charms.
The last half of the book really pushed the book up from average to good. The action (although at times I had a hard time keeping up) was seriously there to keep my on the edge of my seat. The conflict between good and evil was there and the lines were completely blurred as to who was on what team which was very intriguing. Baddies from the first book might actually prove to be not so bad in the second which is an interesting concept.
I thought the ending was OK. It certainly wasn't much of a cliff hanger (thank goodness because I totally hated that!) but we as readers were definitely wondering what Claire would do next.
 
So, overall 4 stars. Not as good as The Glass House but definitely a good read.

Win a copy of Hannah's List!

Just the other day (or was it just yesterday?) I went wow over Debbie Macomber's newsletter that told me about Hannah's List. I promptly fell in love with the idea of the book and am so anxious to read it but know it will be months and months before I do.

Today, I visited one of my favorite blogs to follow (Crazy-For-Books) and what do I see? A contest that is giving away 3 copies of the book I am coveting. So, I bring you a link to the most awesome-est contest and it's linky-poo. Go! Sign Up! Maybe even Win!!! Crazyforbooks Hannah's List Giveaway

Guess What I got in the Mail today!

So, it technically isn't mailbox Monday. Although I really don't participate in that meme because, well, I don't usually get anything in the mail but bills. I did however order several things from Amazon.com because I found that my collection of books was missing some key books that I just couldn't live without.

I found Bad Moon Rising by Sherrilyn Kenyon at amazon for something like $3.18 for the hardcover book. That was insane so I had to get it.

In addition I found Christine Feehan's hardcover Dark Possession for only $5.44 so it, of course, went into my cart.

Then I thought....why not buy another book. It's only money. OK, I really didn't say that. I think I said something more along the lines of "I wonder what other deals they have." And there opens the proverbial can of worms.

I found the 6th and 7th Lara Adrian Midnight Breed books Ashes of Midnight and Shades of Midnight respectively. As neither one of them was on sale I promptly felt guilty about it almost took them right back out of my cart. Then *poof* a little Christina was sitting up there on my shoulder to reason with me. She isn't always helpful unfortunately. She has a little halo but carries a pitchfork. Not sure what that is all about but, whatever. She reminded me that I read Veil of Midnight ages ago and really have to find out what happens to Hunter. So, in the cart they stayed.

So, my total came to $23.50 and wouldn't you know it *poof* she's baaaaaaaack. Little Christina gave me (the much much bigger Christina) a little reminder that if I only spent an additional 1.50 my shipping would be free. Excellent idea. So into the cart went Thirty Nights With a Highland Husband by Melissa Mayhue.

So, to circle back to my original statement Guess what I got in the mail today! A light bill, an offer for cell phone service that is just what I have been looking for (the postcard says so it's self), and a reminder from my gynecologist that my annual is due soon. Oh well, maybe my books will come tomorrow.

Mackenzie's Mountain by Linda Howard

I tried to find a synopsis from both Shelfari.com and Amazon.com but all they said was..Wolf Mackenzie is a loner who has a way with horses and a deep distrust of outsiders - until one woman dares to venture onto Mackenzie's Mountain. Schoolteacher Mary Elizabeth Potter is determined to keep Wolf's teenage son from abandoning his dreams . . . and finds herself rescuing Wolf along the way. 

Now, I don't know about you but that isn't a synopsis to me. That is more of a generic sentence used probably more times then not to describe hundreds of romance novels.

So, let me tell you a little more about the book.

Mackenzie's Mountain was written in 1989 by the great Linda Howard. It has been a tried and true romance recommended by one romance lover to another for years. It is the first book in the Mackenzie saga.

Wolf Mackenzie is a quite man who has isolated himself just on the outskirts of a small one horse town on what he considers "his" mountain. The town distrusts him and treats him like a common criminal and in return he rarely ventures to town and doesn't really care to mingle anyway. His 16 year old son Joe has learned to be indifferent towards the town just as his dad does because the town treats him the same way they treat his dad. When Joe decides that he can't even get a decent education because of the poor opinion the town has on the Mackenzies he opts for dropping out of school to help his dad train horses. The new school teacher has other plans and makes it her mission to get Joe back into school and educate him into a better life. And if she has to spend more time around Wolf Mackenzie that wouldn't be such a bad thing either.

My Thoughts.....

After having this book in my TBR pile for years and years I signed up for a reading challenge where I challenged myself to read 24 books (which I pre-selected before the start of the year) from this pile. This was one of the books I put on that list. It's about time I read it too. As I mentioned it has been almost a "staple" of romance readers top favorites for years now and it has been recommended to me time and time again.

What I liked....

I went at it was extremely high expectations and overall I was not disappointed at all. Wolf is an interesting character. Proud, strong, intelligent. It first appears that he is antisocial and is maybe not the hero that you expect from a romance novel. And to tell the truth he isn't. What he is, is a man who has isolated himself based on the reactions from other people for self preservation.

I think what complicates the story is Joe, Wolf's son. At first I had a hard time with the concept of Wolf letting his son drop out of school to help with the horses. That seemed so....wrong. A 16 year old should never drop out of school. I know it happens. My rose colored glasses broke years ago. But I am used to reading books where it is very black and white. Good parents raise their kids to go to college. They raise smart, funny and beautiful children. Bad parents run out on their kids. They let them drop out of school and do who knows what because bad parents don't care. This book does not fall into the black or white. Once I accepted that I was able to really embrace this book.

Mary is a strong female character who is intelligent yet knows her limitations. She sets her sights on getting Joe his education and like a bulldog she stubbornly refuses to give in. She also sets her sights on Wolf. She finds him attractive, intriguing and mistreated by town. She ends up being the Mackenzies' champion when it comes to staring down the town and putting the town folks in their place.

In addition to an interesting set of characters there is a little bit of a mystery and danger involved which always makes a story even better for me.

What I didn't like....

I didn't understand the big Tah-doo about Wolf being an Indian (Howard continued to refer to Wolf as either an Indian or a Breed...usually when either Wolf referred to himself or one of the town's people referred to him or Joe). Anyway, this book was written in the late 80's (on the cusp of the 90's) and was set as a contemporary romance. With this in mind, why on earth would an entire town and Wolf himself feel the need to continually point out his being Native American? And in such a negative way too (trust me on this....they do). It really confused me. In addition, Mary (although I really liked her character) was something straight out of the 1800's. She felt better in long dresses and sensible shoes. She is in her late 20's but yet still a virgin and I believe she thought herself a spinster.

Between Wolf being a "dirty Indian" and Mary being a spinster if it hadn't been for the fact that Mary drove a car up Mackenzie's Mountain in the opening I would have sworn I was reading an historical romance. Don't get me wrong, I love historicals, but this wasn't one and I think that any book should follow certain rules. This book was written about a 1990 relationship between a white woman and a Native American and I expect the attitude of the characters to reflect what is socially acceptable at that time. If a book were written about a white person dating an African American in 1950's America I would expect a small town of folks to be outraged and hateful (I am not condoning this, just acknowledging that this was the way things were at the time).

So, despite the weird little timeline issue I am overall pleased with the way the book progressed. I am glad I read it. Not sure if I would read it again. I think I might actually if she decided to release another Mackenzie book (there are 4 and I have only read 2 by the way). I think that I would read them all in anticipation (or a quick reminder of who and what each book was about) if she ever did release another one.

My rating 4.5 Stars.

Book Giveaway at Socrates' Book Reviews

I follow quite a few blogs and when it comes to entering giveaways....well, I love it!.

I especially love it when the giveaways are books by authors I have not yet read. It is easy peasy to pick up a book here or there by a tried and true author. You never think twice of forking over your hard earned cash for you favorite author's newest offerings. However, a new to you author is another story. Many of you might just be braver then me. More spontaneous. More, um...out of your fricken mind?? You don't know if this new author is any good! You don't know if you will purchase said author's book and find it hideously boring and succomb to the overwhelming sadness knowing you could have bought a Beef N' Cheddar combo with Curly Fries and a Ice Cold Pepsi from Arby's but NOOOOOO you went and took a chance on that book and now your stomach is growling and you are dehydrating to dust as every minute passes.

Oooops I went on a tanget there for a minute. My entire point is....what better way to introduce you to an author you haven't read before then a giveaway. Yvonne from Socrates' Book Reviews understands this theory. So she, along with Hachette Books she is giving away not one, not two, but a lot more (5 actually) of .....

 Dark Deceptions this link will take you to the post at Socrates' Book Review for this specific giveaway.

and....

Stay A Little Longer this link will take you to the post at Socrates' Book Review for this specific giveaway.

I think it is super that she is not only doing one giveaway but two. Make sure you go read how to sign up for the drawing and put your name in.

Hannah's List by Debbie Macomber coming soon

I finally checked my email (I only do it once a week or so) and started reading some of the many author updates I get sent to me all the time. I don't mind these mass email posts. It lets me know (or in some cases...reminds me) what is coming soon.

Tonight's author newsletter that excited me was Debbie Macomber (or Debbie Mac as I like to call her....it's not like we are friends or anything....I am just lazy and Debbie Mac does have a nice ring to it. Just don't tell her that I call Katie MacAlister virtually the same thing. No I don't calle Katie, Debbie Mac, she is fondly called Katie Mac of course. Nope...not friends with her either but I digress.) Anyway, Debbie Mac's newletter focused on her upcoming book Hannah's List and boy howdy am I looking forward to reading it. This is what D-Mac (yeah....I went there) had to say about this book....

Dear Christina,


I believe everyone needs second chances; I know I've used my fair share over the years. Hannah's List is about a second chance at love that Hannah Everett offers her husband following her death. Yes, you read that right. Following her death. A year after she's gone, her husband, Michael, receives a letter Hannah had written him. In it, she urges him to let go of his grief and love again. And then, because she feels he might need more than a few words of encouragement, she gives him the names of three women she wants him to consider… I think you're going to enjoy this story of second chances. It's very special to me and I hope it will be to you!

Ok, so it kind of sounds like a cross between PS I Love You by Cecelia Ahren and Not Another Bad Date by Rachel Gibson. Although I have not read PS I Love You (I did see the movie and made a conscience discision to not read the book for personal reasons but trust me not because it was bad....trust me) I did read the latter by the way and really liked it. Anyway, after checking out the eharlequin.com site this is part of her Blossom Street books. Which I have not read any of.
So, now you're saying...
What???? How can you be a fan of Debbie's but not have read her Blossom Street books? Are you mental?
My response....
Well, I only had to read a few of her books to know that her books are something special. I read several in her Cedar Cove series and love the town and the people she created.I have dozens of her other books in my TBR Mountain which I will get to one of these days. Now stop picking on me. (Please?)

So, it looks like my library ordered several copies of the book but then there are more then several people waiting first in the hold line to get a copy to read. So, I figured when it comes out I will happily run (won't really run....I was thinking more along the lines of skipping merrily) to my Wal-mart to get a copy. Until I realized that it was coming out in hardcover. It's just not in my budget to purchase hardcover books that I probably can't keep. So where does this leave me? On the long hold list (towards the bottom) at my public library with fingers crossed hoping that the library won't spend weeks adding it into the inventory once they actually get it.

I bet I looked pretty funny sitting here for those 10 minutes by the way.
--Christina opening up Debbie's newsletter (looking curious if slightly bored)
--Christina after reading the newsletter (eyebrows up looking very intrigued)
--Christina checking out the specifics (smiling a bit over the top and even doing the happy clap)
--Christina after realizing it's coming in hardcover (smile sliding south...now the frown...hello sad panda face)

It still looks super good!!!

Browse this book

Add to your site

Buy this book

New Layout!

Well, As you might have noticed I am now sporting a new "Do" on my book blog. Due to a series of unfortunate events (although I didn't find him I suspect the Lemony Snicket was behind it all) my original layout disappeared. It might have had something to do with the new layout I was trying on for size and clicking save instead of preview....but I am still going to blame Snicket anyway.

So anyway, my beautiful old layout/background left me without a forwarding address even so I went back over to The Cutest Blog on The Block (where I found it to begin with by the way) and instead of finding my old friend I found a new looking website that has very limited free things now. I mean don't get me wrong. I did find a pretty black and purple background but when coupled with the 3 column layout I wanted, the poor  blog looked like I tried to scrapbook...... again. (I tend to have creative ambitions but zero artistic ability.)

I did find an interesting downloadable program that is for a free trial which will help you create your own stunning (I inserted that word myself) blog look. Now this would have been the way to go had I not tried it yesterday when I was creating a second (do I really have that much to say???) blog. That was met with disasterous endings by the way but, alas, it is another story (one I might share as my first post on said second blog at a later time.)

So at this point I still couldn't find my long lost love (still talking about my missing layout by the way.....not the guy I have been stalking for 3 months)(just kidding....it's only been 6 weeks) and refused to download Artisteer (again). So I thought "What the Heck." So I just hopped on over to the blog hop and randomly started pulling up some book blogging sites connected with the blog hop.

After viewing a few I found an interesting link that one of the ladies was following. Lenatoewdesigns is Lena's awesome site. She has free layouts, she will design for you and she also has some seriously fantabulous tips on how to make your blog better. I'm in awe. I found my new Creative Goddess. If I could afford to spend money on my random thoughts at blogger I would totally opt in for her to design me something spectacular. But alas...I make far less money then I am worth (don't we all?) and until someone offers me money to spout out my thoughts and feeling about books I shall go the free route.

So there it is....the whole sordid tale of a girl who loved her blog but realized her love was based on the blog's appearance. It was a hard lesson to learn....One day you are in love and staring at beauty....next thing you know it's gone. Luckily there are thousands of people out there creating beauty (but really Lena is the Bomb!) for fickle people like me....er...I mean the girl.

Blog Hopping Time!

Running short on time but thought I would at least put up a little bloggity blog for those who might browse my blog and need a place to comment. 

The Blog Hop is a weekly even started by Crazy-for-Books where book bloggers can meet other book bloggers. I have found some terrific new blogs to follow because of it.

So here is the super fun Linky. The directions are state your blog name and how long you've been bloggin and what you primarily read. It should look like this...


Randomness and Reading with Christina (10 months- Romance, YA and some mysteries)

The purpose of the blog hop is to get your name out there and also find new fantabulous book blogs to check out. So please don't just add your name without intending to find new blogs to read.  Ok....
So...On Your Mark!
Get Set!
HOP!!!!

Forgot to blog hop (and other thoughts)

Well, I didn't get to blog at all this last week and getting online after midnight and realizing that technically the Friday Blog Hop was over I was a little sad. Thankfully Crazy For Books does the blog hop every Friday and I will join back in next week.

So, what have a done or read this last week.

I read Taming the Highland Bride by Lynsay Sands. Overall, an average book that while reading it I had that "I already read this" feeling....which couldn't actually be true because it just came out, copy written 2010 even. I will spend more time discussing my thoughts and such when I get around to reviewing it.

I also read Wake by Lisa McMann. A very short YA paranormal about a teenage girl who gets sucked into other people's dreams no matter what she happens to be doing at the time. I thought it was so refreshing and new that I read it all in one sitting (of course being just a little more then 200 pages probably helped too.) I am looking forward to the second book Fade soon.

When I finished that one I read The Renegade Hunter which is part of Lynsay Sands's Argeneau Family series. The last three (this is the latest one by the way) are still part of that series but they are technically called Rogue Hunter books. Oh well, there were Argeneaus in this one so what the heck....call an orange an orange. Overall, a decent addition to the series. I liked Jo a lot. Nicholas....not as much as some of the other Argeneau men but he was ok. I didn't like that the book kind of aburptly stopped. Jo and Nicholas got their HEA but.....well, I will spill more when I do my review.

I also finished Running Hot by Jayne Ann Krentz this week. This is part of her Acrane Society and I thought it was pretty good. I liked it better then I did Sizzle and Burn but not quite as much as I did White Lies. I think characters within the books had a lot to do with this but Sizzle reminded me of one giant conspiracy theory after another and it was a little annoying. This one carried on that tradition but it made me think that there was something more to it then some whack job thinking the government is secretly adding tracking devices in our paper money (this is not in any of the books by they way....but seriously I do know someone who believes this). Once again....more thoughts and details when I get around to reviewing this book...oh and Sizzle and Burn too since I never did that one either.

Finished reading the second installment of The Morganville Vampire books The Dead Girls' Dance by Rachel Caine. Enjoyed it....yup...I sure did. Thought it wasn't quite as "OMG" as the first one...no WTF cliff hanger which pleased me but it did take away some of that compelling "I have to read the next book right away" thoughts.

One more...Mackenzie's Mountain. I read the last one in Linda Howard's beloved Mackenzie family series first (A Game of Chance) which I loved loved loved. Then thought...I better get to reading the rest. Fascinating family. Overall I thought although this one was good (nice to see where it all started...as this is the first in the series) I did think it was dated though. And not because it was written in the late 80s either. It felt extremely old fashioned even being only 20 years old or so. Weird I know. I do have some more to say about this book (and the others for that matter) but it is getting late and I have to work tomorrow. So, until later....buh-bye.

The Friday 56

It's Friday again and you know that means it time for The Friday 56. I found this meme on Reading At The Beach blog (which is a pretty awesome blog) but she links back to Tonya's blog at Storytime with Tonya (another blog that is fab). No matter who started it I love the idea of a shared scheduled specific glimps at a random book. So, here's how this works.....



Rules:

* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.

* Turn to page 56.

* Find the fifth sentence.

* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of this blog.

*Post a link along with your post back to this blog.

* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.


HAPPY FRIDAY!

So, the closest book to me right now is...

The reprercussions of that struck Drew with new fury. "Which means that now some fucking tattoo artist has my fucking cell phone number." He squeezed the steering wheel. "I just might strangle the little prick."



This book is the most recent edition to the Lori Foster library and one of her fabulistic SBC fighter books. I have only read a couple of her books but both were so so so good. I haven't done my review on My Man Michael because, well, I'm lazy. But I did do one for Causing Havoc.

Here is a link to Lori's website. Lori Foster.  I have read quite a few of her books and found her to be a terrific author.

It's Blog Hopping Time!!!!!

This exciting weekly meme is hosted by Crazy-For-Books. Every Friday we add our blog links to her MckLinky and then everyone from the list has the option to check out everyone's blogs and follow them if they want. It's an awesome way to get your blog out there and to find some great book blogs too!

I have found some wonderful book blogs since joining in on the fun!








So Join in on the fun. Don't forget to leave your comments with your link back!

WayBack Wednesday

So I set out tonight to prove to myself that I can be pseudo creative and made my own picture (that I found while perusing the net) using Photoshop.com to use for my newest meme WayBack Wednesday. I think the results are not bad for my first try.

Anyway, the purpose of WayBack Wednesday is to reminisce days gone by, happy childhood memories, Remember Whens, the good ol' days...You get the picture. For my first official WayBack Wednesday post I bring you a short lived, yet funny, sitcom that stayed with me all these years.

It's Your Move
Running a short 18 episodes before being canceled this tv show started in 1984 starring a young Jason Bateman, Tricia Cast who played Bateman's sister (who incidently has been Nina Webster on The Young and The Restless for 24 years) and an older actor named David Garrison who went on to play the role of Steve Rhoades in Married....With Children.

The video is pretty harsh to look at which is unfortunate but I couldn't find one with better quality. Also, this is about 9 minutes of the first episode so it cuts off pretty abruptly.

A-Z Wednesday

And it's even Wednesday this week. Yea Me!

This fun weekly meme is hosted originally by Reading at the Beach and I adopted it.  



Here are the directions to A-Z Wednesday once again borrowed by Reading at the Beach....

Welcome to A-Z Wednesday!!


To join, here's all you have to do:

Go to your stack of books and find one whose title starts with the letter of the week.

Post:


1~ a photo of the book


2~ title and synopsis


3~ link(amazon, barnes and noble etc.)


4~ Come back here and leave your link in the comments.


If you've already reviewed this book you can add it also.


Be sure to visit other participants to see what book they have posted and leave them a comment. (We all love comments, don't we?)

Who knows? You may find your next "favorite" book.



So, the letter of the week is......"E"

Everything And The Moon by Julia Quinn
 
Synopsis....
 
STARCROSSED It was indisputably love at first sight. But Victoria Lyndon was merely the teen aged daughter of a vicar. . .while Robert Kemble was the dashing young earl of Macclesfield. Surely what their meddlesome fathers insisted must have been true-that he was a reckless seducer determined to destroy her innocence. . . and she was a shameless fortune hunter. So it most certainly was for the best when their plans to elope went hopelessly awry.

MOONSTRUCK Even after a seven-year separation, Victoria-now a governess-still leaves Robert breathless. But how could he ever again trust the raven-haired deceiver who had shattered his soul? And Victoria could never give her heart a second time to the cad who so callously trampled on it the first. But a passion fated will not be denied, and vows of love yearn to be kept. . . even when one promises the moon.
 
I reviewed this book back in August of 2009 and my review can be seen here... Everything And The Moon
 
If you are interested in purchasing this book you can get it at Amazon here

The Friday 56

I am horribly addited to finding new memes. This one has been making the rounds. I found it on Reading At The Beach blog but she links back to Tonya's blog at StoryTime With Tonya. No matter who started it I love the idea of a shared scheduled specific glimps at a random book. So, here are the instructions.....



Rules:

* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.

* Turn to page 56.

* Find the fifth sentence.

* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of this blog.

*Post a link along with your post back to this blog.

* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.


HAPPY FRIDAY!

So, the closest book to me right now is...

Embrace The Night Eternal by Joss Ware
 
page 56--sentence #5
 
"The wolf lay in a bloody heap in front of her car, a dark pool seeping into the dirt and grass beneath it."
 
 
Sounds interesting. I haven't started reading this one yet. I just got it from the library and there are others I need to read ahead of it. But that particular sentence almost sounds as if it could open up the book even. 
 
If you are interested in purchasing this book you can find it here...Embrace The Night Eternal

Blog Hopping Time!!!!

Well, it's midnight CST so technically the blog hop is over but I am just now getting to post onto my blog. This is a weekly meme hosted by Crazy For Books. It's a fabulous way to find new book bloggers and get your own name out there. This is what she has to say over on her blog....


It's Friday! Time for another Book Blogger Hop!!



ABOUT THE HOP:


This is a weekly event, hosted here, where book bloggers and readers can connect to find new blogs to read. It's a great way to network with other bloggers and make new friends! Every day I seem to find another book blog that I start following. In the spirit of the Friday Follow, I thought it would be cool to do a Book Blogger Hop to give us all bookies a chance to connect and find new blogs that we may be missing out on! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs that they may not know existed!



Your blog should have content related to books, including, but not limited to book reviews.



If you start following someone through the Hop, leave a comment on their blog to let them know! Stop back during the week to see other blogs that are added! And, most importantly, the idea is to HAVE FUN!!




OPTIONAL TWIST:


On your blog hop post, tell us about some of the other great blogs you've found while Hopping around!

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Synopsis.....


For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf--her wolf--is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human . . . until the cold makes him shift back again. Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human--or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

My thoughts....

This book was highly recommended to me by several women who just raved about it. After finishing this book today I am undecided on my actual thoughts on the book. And after 8 hours I still am not sure if I liked it all that much. I didn't walk away from the book with warm fuzzies from reading it....it really isn't that kind of book. I didn't walk away with unanswered questions so that is good. I'm still not even sure if the back and forth switch between perspectives (some chapters are from Grace's and some are from Sam) was good for the book or just annoying. This by far is the hardest review I have ever had to do. Normally within a few minutes of me finishing a book I already know what I want to say about it. As a matter of fact, while reading a book I often am thinking ahead on what I will say about it when I am finished. This book has left me stumped.

As far as the characters go...Grace is very much an introvert which could be caused by her upbringing (her parents are more friends to her then authority figures) or it could be caused by her obsession with "her" wolves. Her character seems so much older then her actual teenage years. Sam also seems to much older which could be because he is a wolf most of the year. The interaction between Grace and Sam is....for lack of a better word...sweet. The characters are not what I enjoyed about this book however.

What I did enjoy was Sam's take on being a wolf. He struggles to retain his humanity and his biggest fears are turning into a wolf forever losing himself and never seeing Grace again. He likes being a wolf. It is part of who he is, but to be a wolf would mean giving up being Sam. Unfortunately, turning wolf forever is right around the corner. It is a part of the curse. It is inevitable.

Overall, this book was well written. It compelled me to continue reading to find out if Sam and Grace were destined to be together or if Grace would spend her life sitting in her backyard on the edge of the woods forever wondering what happened to her golden eyed wolf. I am glad I read it.

I would recommend that you get this one from the library only because for me this isn't a book that I would re-read. There was very little going on in the book that I might get confused about later. Despite this fact I am giving this book ★ ★ ★ ★. Stiefvater did a beautiful job of writing. She was able to make her wolves as real to me as they probably are to her.

A-Z Wednesday.....on Thursday

Well, at least I am consistant. Next week I hope that I will actually post A-Z Wednesdays on, well, Wednesday. Anyway, let's just pretend it is Wednesday! This fun weekly meme is hosted originally by Reading at the Beach and I adopted it. The rules are as follows...

Here are the directions to A-Z Wednesday....

Welcome to A-Z Wednesday!!




To join, here's all you have to do:


Go to your stack of books and find one whose title starts with the letter of the week.

Post:
1~ a photo of the book
2~ title and synopsis
3~ link(amazon, barnes and noble etc.)
4~ Come back here and leave your link in the comments.


If you've already reviewed this book you can add it also.


Be sure to visit other participants to see what book they have posted and leave them a comment. (We all love comments, don't we?)


Who knows? You may find your next "favorite" book.

So, the letter of the week is......"D"
 
I actually have two books that I hope to read this week that fits into this meme. But will only highlight one......

Dangerous Highlander by Donna Grant
First in a breathtaking new series, the bold and passionate Lucan MacLeod—one of three brothers cursed by dark magic for eternity—is driven by desire for the one woman he dare not let himself possess… He is magnificently strong—and dangerously seductive. One of the fiercest of his clan, Lucan MacLeod is a legend among warriors, inspiring fear in man and woman alike. For three hundred years, he has locked himself away from the world, hiding the vengeful god imprisoned in his soul. But then, a young lass caught in a raging storm awakens his deepest impulses…and darkest desires. Cara doesn’t believe the rumors about MacLeod castle—until the majestic Highland warrior appears like a fiery vision in the storm, pulling her into his powerful arms, and into his world of magic and Druids. An epic war between good and evil is brewing. And Lucan must battle his all-consuming attraction for Cara—or surrender to the flames of a reckless, impossible love that threatens to destroy them both…


You can by the book here....Dangerous Highlander

What excites me so much about this book is that it has several of my very favorite aspects when it comes to romance. Paranormal, historical and yummy Highlanders. It has wonderful potential!