Slow Posting

Hey Lovelies! 

I just wanted to apologize for my lack of posting lately. Since I have decided to go back to school, my homework load is ridiculous. I never have time to read or catch up on any current book news. I hardly have enough time to plan my daughter's 4th birthday coming in just a few weeks, let alone do anything fun on the weekends.

I hope you guys will bear with me and I appreciate you hanging in there :)

I do have a few things in store for you guys that will hopefully come very soon. I will try my best to get back in the swing of things.

See you soon.

 

Top Ten Tuesday!

Hey guys! This is my first Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by The Broke and Bookish. Each week features a different topic, and you make a top ten list about it. This week is the:

Top Ten Books I Feel As Though Everyone Has Read But Me

1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - I really want to read this because it must've been good - they're making it into a movie!

2. The Iron Fey by Julia Kagawa - I tried to buy the whole series the other day and they only had one. I was disappointed.

3. Wicked Lovely series by Melissa Marr - This series sits on my shelf, I just never get around to it.

4. Wondrous Strange series by Lesley Livingston - Another series sitting on my shelf.

5. Fallen series by Lauren Kate - I'm torn about this series. I have all the books but I keep getting mixed reviews which is why I keep putting it off.

6. Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare - I tried to read this book. I couldn't finish the first chapter. I love the Mortal Instruments so this series is a must read for me, I just need to give it another chance.

7. Wither by Lauren DeStefano - I saw DeStefano at a book signing with Cassandra Clare and Holly Black and hearing her discuss her book made it sound REALLY good. I'll get to it...eventually.

8. Immortal Beloved by Cate Tiernan - I really want to read this, I just get caught up with so many new releases. 

9. Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton - I can't remember what drew me to want to read this book, but something must have sounded good, otherwise it wouldn't be on my shelf.

10. Hush, Hush series by Becca Fitzpatrick - I always forget about this series. I've read so many great things about it and I bet it's really good. I hope one day soon, I get around to reading it.

I feel like there are so many other series and novels that I'm not up on that everyone else is talking about. You ever feel that way?

If you have a top Ten Tuesday list, post it at the bottom so I can see yours!

ANOTHER New Breaking Dawn Trailer!! DON'T MISS!!

Sorry I couldn't post the actual trailer like the other one but I can give you the link below so you won't miss it, because trust me, you do NOT want to miss it! If you thought that 15 second trailer was good, this one a billion times better!

Go watch it RIGHT NOW!!!!

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part One Exclusive Theatrical Trailer

Then come back and gab about how ridiculously amazing it was!!

Tuesday Review Day! Spolier Free!

Since my latest class is Tuesday (6-9pm), it interferes with getting my reviews in before midnight. Especially if I have to finish the last two chapters before I can't post a review. And no, I am not going to change it to 'Wednesday Review Day' because that just sounds stupid ;)

 

The Power of Six (Lorien Legacies #2)

Written by: Pittacus Lore, James Frey, Jobie Hughes

Publication date: August 23, 2011 HarperCollins

Released in Hardcover, 406 pages

5 stars

Synopsis: I've seen him on the news. Followed the stories about what happened in Ohio. John Smith, out there, on the run. To the world, he's a mystery. But to me . . . he's one of us.

Nine of us came here, but sometimes I wonder if time has changed us—if we all still believe in our mission. How can I know? There are six of us left. We're hiding, blending in, avoiding contact with one another . . . but our Legacies are developing, and soon we'll be equipped to fight. Is John Number Four, and is his appearance the sign I've been waiting for? And what about Number Five and Six? Could one of them be the raven-haired girl with the stormy eyes from my dreams? The girl with powers that are beyond anything I could ever imagine? The girl who may be strong enough to bring the six of us together?

They caught Number One in Malaysia.
Number Two in England.
And Number Three in Kenya.
They tried to catch Number Four in Ohio—and failed.

I am Number Seven. One of six still alive.

And I'm ready to fight.

My Review: From the above, we know this time we are following Number Seven, Marina. She lives on a mountain top in Spain in a convent with her Cepan, Adelina. Which reminds me...there are great names in this book! All except John Smith. Bleh. Why can't the hot guy have a name that fits him? Anyway...

Marina is 17 and has her basic Legacies; telekinesis, speed and one other I won't spoil for you! She's also very bright but I don't that's a Legacy. She doesn't sound seventeen either, starting sentences with "ostensibly". Doesn't sound like something a 17yr old girl would say. Not even one from a different planet, raised in a convent. I think that reflects more on the author than the character.

It was a surprise for me that the book alternates narrators between Marina and John Smith! Since John is still with Six, we get to see lots of her too! Before reading this, I wasn't sure how we were going to see John. I thought it would just be through Number Seven's eyes. Sam is still there along with Bernie Kosar. The whole gang! Because of everything that happened in Paradise, Ohio, um, like the destruction of the high school - they're all on the run and trying to stay hidden from the police and Mogodorians! The only good thing about them being on the run, is that while they're driving from state to state, there's plenty of time to catch up on the mysterious Number Six and her raven hair - unlike the blond they cast to play her in the movie. I still like the movie, I'm just saying. DETAILS PEOPLE! (my review of the movie)

As we meet Marina, we get to see the kind of life she has been forced to live in order to remain safe from the Mogodorians. Living in a convent, or at least this one in particular, isn't easy when all your instincts are telling you that you need to get out into the world and fight this war - but everyone around you, even your Cepan who has begun to believe in a different cause, is telling you that prayer is the best way to fight your battles. I'm all for prayer, but I don't think it's quite what this situation calls for. Then one day a little girl joins the convent. She's a little bit of a mystery, as she seems to get around the huge convent so quietly not even Marina can hear her. She also disappears for long periods of time and returns as if from nowhere.

John is still learning about the contents on his Chest and dealing with the grief of losing Henri, his Cepan. He misses Sarah too, and fights everyday not to call her.  He and Sam are training with Six while trying to figure out their next move. How do they find the others? How do they get there without getting caught by Mogs or police first? And don't forget Six's Chest. She's pretty sure she knows where it is but getting there and out alive will be next to impossible. But when she finally learns the location of another Garde member and sees they are in trouble, they all have a decision to make - stay together or split up? What Marina doesn't have, is training. She doesn't know how to fight and she's never seen inside her Chest. She doesn't even know where it is. She thinks the Mogodorian's are following her now, a strange man watching her through windows, and she's completely unprepared.

The Garde have the most awesome powers! Between Four, Six and Seven they are every superhero/superhuman I've ever heard of, and more. They're all looking for each other; Numbers Four and Six are searching for Marina, even though they don't her yet, or what number she is. It was very exciting bouncing back and forth between Four and Seven, yet equally frustrating because you want them to hurry up and find each other already!

Overall: The suspense is killer. There are some major twists and surprises and an unbelievable ending. There are serious battles throughout almost the whole book. What can I say? Never a dull moment.

New Breaking Dawn Trailer

It's short but oh so sweet!!

Wasn't that awesome?!? Bella looks like CRAP and I love it! She looks perfect! I still hate Edward's hair and wish it looked the way in did in Twilight. That was the best Edward look of all the movies. And the wolves! Did you see the wolves?? OMG I can't wait!

Who else will be seeing the midnight show - 

standing on line for six hours? 

I WILL!!!!!!!

One Last Hurrah at Borders

Yesterday, my best friend and I made our final trip to Borders. These are their last days and  the savings were amazing but they aren't worth losing my favorite store for. Plastered all over the store, from the outside windows to every inch of the inside, ceiling included, were "Going Out of Business" signs, sales signs promoting 70%, 80% and 90% off. Like I said, great savings, but a very sad sight indeed.

The shelves were bare, everything that was left is crammed to the front of the store with hand-written labels for the genres that remained. The children's section was wiped out and many bookcases were being dismantled. For a serious Borders-lover like myself, I don't wanna see my bookstore being destroyed in such a way. It makes the end of Borders even more dramatic!

Still, we were there to rack-up on anything good and so we set out to scour the shelves. After all the signs hanging in the store, the second biggest upset of the trip was that the entire young-adult section was gone. Just...gone. Not a single book left in my genre. But I didn't give up there, oh no. I was leaving that store with a book, I don't care what it is!!!

So we made our way over to the romance section, where there was still a good amount of books to choose from. There, I was able to find some good-looking "dirty books". Definition of DIRTY BOOKS: books of a mature nature, containing sexual conduct, adult situations and language. In other words, only for the grown!! I also picked up a straggling Anne Rice book, Angel Time, and the complete second season of Pushing Daisies. Does anyone remember that show? It was so awesome and they canceled it. Somebody at ABC doesn't know good TV. Hmph.

Anyway, here are pics of what I got and you can click on them to go to their goodreads.com pages. I recommend clicking on Double Punch - it has a really interesting synopsis.

So, I bid thee farewell, Borders. You will be sorely missed. *sniffle*

Tuesday Review Day - Graphic Novels!!

Vampire Academy: The Graphic Novel #1

Written by: Richelle Mead, Leigh Dragoon and Illustrated by Emma Vieceli

Publication date:  August 23, 2011 by Razorbill

Released in Paperback

144 pages

3 stars

Synopsis: After two years on the run, best friends Rose and Lissa are caught and returned to St. Vladimir's Academy, a private high school for vampires and half-bloods. It's filled with intrigue, danger - and even romance. Enter their dark, fascinating world through a new series of 144-page full-color graphic novels. The entire first Vampire Academy novel has been adapted for book one by Leigh Dragoon and overseen by Richelle Mead, while the beautiful art of acclaimed British illustrator Emma Vieceli brings the story to life.

My Review: I won't exactly be reviewing the story, more so my overall enjoyment of the book.

Here are a few characters I picked out to tell you how I felt about them:

1. Lissa Dragomir: I HATE the way Lissa looks. She's so plain and not as pretty as I had imagined. she doesn't have that royal or queen-like appearance Rose always talked about - how when Lissa was around other people she stood out and drew people to her.

2. Christian Ozera: I don't think I quite pictured Christian exactly the way he looks in the novel, but he's still very cute!

3. Rose Hathaway: I'm not happy with her look. I don't think she's tall enough but the rest is fine. Everything but her face. I don't know how I pictured her in my head but the face just isn't right for me.

4. Dimitri Belikov: I also don't care for Dimitri's look either. He's too wide. His head is huge! He look gigantic in a pro-wrestler kind of way. Half-naked Dimitri is the best look in the book!

5. Mia: She is definitely good at making you hate her all over again. I forgot how evil she was in the beginning of the story.

6. Victor Dashkov: He's older than I thought he was. Thinner, too. I thought he was a little more robust. Natalie was not at all what I thought.

I just hope they don't base the movie cast off of these drawings. Not that they aren't beautifully drawn, they just don't match the characters as well as I imagined. That's just my opinion.

There are a lot of panels on each page so there is plenty of story. For those of you that don't know, graphic novels are not something you read in place of the original, like, "Oh, I'll just read the graphic novel and know what the book is about." It doesn't work that way. It' touches on the key points in the book but, you're still missing a lot. Just like Twilight. You can't watch the movies and think you know the story. You don't.

There was one thing in the GN I don't r3emember happening in the novel. Christian was attacked by psi-hounds trying to protect Lissa and he was seriously hurt. He looked like he was dead, but then Lissa healed him or brought him back, but wouldn't that make him shadow-kissed? I'm confused.

The ending was a little awkward, kind of abrupt.

Overall: The graphic novel definitely gets you in the mood to read the novels all over again. It was fun to see all the memorable moments drawn out.

True Blood: Volume 1 All Together Now

Written by: Alan Ball, David Tischman, Mariah Huehner and David Messina

Publication date: February 16, 2011 by IDW Publishing

Released in Hardcover

160 pages

3 stars 

Synopsis: Blood and sex mix on a hot rainy night at Merlotte's, when Sookie and her friends are trapped by a vengeful spirit who feeds on shame. People die and dirty secrets are revealed as Sookie, Bill, Eric, Sam, Tara, Jason, and Lafayette and are all coerced to dig deep and tell painful memories from their past-those things we all have locked within us that we never tell another living soul! Bon Temps, Louisiana has never been stranger, or more twisted, in a story co-plotted by TRUE BLOOD series creator Alan Ball, with a script by David Tischman (Bite Club) and Mariah Huehner, and lush art by David Messina (Star Trek: Countdown).

My Review: At first I was very confused. There's this "Doc Oc" looking creature right in the beginning that really through me off. I thought it was supposed to be related to either the book series or the TV series but it was a completely unrelated story. I should have read the preface by Alan Ball where he explains this.

Still, even though the beginning was a little weird, I started to get into it more and more. The characters don't exactly have the same face as the TV characters that I'm used to but they do sound the same, so it was easy to get into the flow of things.

Because this creature feeds off of people's shame, we get to hear all the main characters deepest, darkest secrets. It gives us a look on the inside of them that we don't always get from the tv show, or even the books. Juicy stuff!

The ending was a little weird, with Sookie telling this shame-sucking thing to hit the road and never come back. I love how Sookie is this tiny little human and she talks so big. Miss Bad Ass.

Overall: Fun and entertaining.

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren, where we share books we have received in our mailboxes this week.

This is what I got from my special someone in a recent online order from Barnes & Noble.

Hearts at Stake by Alyxandra Harvey - which I accidentally ordered in my haste when I actually meant to order Bleeding Hearts (Drake Chronicles #4)! All You Desire (Eternal Ones #2) by Kristen Miller; Bargains and Betrayals (13 to Life #3) by Shannon Delaney; Bloodlines (Bloodlines #1) by Richelle Mead, The Power of Six (Lorien Legacies #2) by Pittacus Lore; Hades (Halo #2) by Alexandra Adornetto, True Blood Graphic Novel Vol.1, The Sookie Stackhouse Companion and the Vampire Academy Graphic Novel.

I've been really excited for these books. Ordering them from B&N has made me very curious:

Since the closing of Borders, has anyone switched to buying their books from Barnes & Noble? Has anyone been experiencing problems with receiving their books?

It two almost two weeks, a nasty email and an irate phone call for these books to finally find their way to my house. I've only made two online purchases through B&N and each time, my orders were delayed - almost canceled and then finally shipped. Why are they making me wait so long when I could have gone to my local Wal-Mart and bought it there. Very frustrating.

Enough of my venting...What did you get in your mailbox this week?