It;s Monday! What are you reading?

A weekly meme where we all share what books we are reading this week. Hosted by One Person's Journey.

Read last week (reviews coming this week)

The Liar Society by Lisa and Laura Roecker (I really liked this one)
The Genius Files: Mission Unstoppable by Dan Gutman (a cute MG book)
Stars Collide by Janice Thompson (a fun book)

This week:

Intrisical by Lana Woodland (review book) (started this last week but didn't  get it finished)
Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning (didn't expect to like this one so much so it has sort of taken over though I might have to put it to the side because I got a couple review books I need to get done this week. :( This could be hard for me to do..lol )
A Touch Mortal by Leah Clifford (review book)

Next week?

Not sure I am wanting to start Nightshade by Andrea Cremer but not sure if it will happen.

So what are you reading?

In my mailbox

In my mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren. Here is a list of the books I got in the mail this week.

Review:


Can You Survive a Zombie Apocalypse by Max Brallier

Inside these pages lies unspeakable horror. Bloodsplattering, brain-impaling, flesh-devouring horror. You’ve probably read your fair share of zombie stories. But this time it’s different. No longer can you sit idle as a bunch of fools make all the wrong moves. All hell is about to break loose—and YOU have a say in humanity’s survival.


You have choices to make.

Moral dilemmas.

Strategic decisions.

Weapons. Vehicles.

Will you be a hero?

Or will you cover your own ass at all costs?

Can you withstand the coming hours, days, weeks, and months? Or will you die amidst the chaos and violence of a zombie uprising?

Or, worst of all, will you become one of them?

(I am not a zombie fan but I just couldn't pass up a Choose Your Own Adventure Novel..lol. I haven't read one of those since I was a kid. I have already looked through one scenario and got killed by being locked in a freezer. :( LOL  There are many ways to die and survive and I think it will be fun to try them all out.)

Bought:


The Faerie Path by Frewin Jones (on sale)

On the day before her 16th birthday, Anita's life starts to change. She has a vision of flying, receives a mysterious and magical book as a present, and travels from modern-day London to the world of Faerie. She discovers that her boyfriend, Evan, is really Edric, servant of the scheming faerie lord Gabriel Drake, and that he has been sent to bring her home. Anita is really Princess Tania, the seventh and youngest daughter of King Oberon, and she has been lost for centuries after experimenting with her power to travel between worlds. Anita/Tania comes to accept her true identity and the joy she has brought to her father and his realm. However, all is not well in Faerie. Queen Titania has disappeared, and Gabriel Drake is somehow involved with her loss. He claims to love Tania and wants to marry her, but is actually interested only in her magical power.



Sisters of Isis: The Summoning by Lynne Ewing (on sale)

Based in Egyptian mythology and set in modern-day Washington, D.C., Sisters of Isis  follows the lives of Meri, Sudi, and Dalila, three fifteen-year-old girls who have just discovered they are descendants of very powerful ancestors-Egyptian pharaohs. From these ancestors they've inherited magical powers of transformation, the ability to cast spells from the Book of Thoth, and, as they will soon learn, the responsibility of protecting the world from the evil forces of Chaos.


Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

Calla Tor is the alpha female of her werewolf pack and is destined to wed the alpha male, Ren Laroche. While in the woods, she spares the life of Shay, the new boy at school whom she just can't resist, and this act violates the laws of the Keepers. This may all seem familiar but what makes Nightshade new and refreshing is that the packs are ruled by the Keepers, who appear to be witches. Cremer has added a bit of superstition and the science of witchcraft that readers will find intriguing. However, they may feel that they have met these characters before even though the author has done a good job of contrasting their strong personalities with their weaknesses for temptation and stepped up the pace of the action. The segregation of the humans versus the werewolves might remind readers of Romeo and Juliet–or is it just a typical love triangle?


What books did you get?

Review of Once in a Full Moon

Once in a Full Moon by Ellen Schreiber
Pages: 304
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Review Source: NetGalley
My Rating: 2.5/5

Beware of a kiss under the full moon. It will change your life forever.


Celeste Parker is used to hearing scary stories about werewolves—Legend's Run is famous for them. She's used to everything in the small town until Brandon Maddox moves to Legend's Run and Celeste finds herself immediately drawn to the handsome new student. But when, after an unnerving visit with a psychic, she encounters a pack of wolves and gorgeous, enigmatic Brandon, she must discover whether his transformation is more than legend or just a trick of the shadows in the moonlight.

Her best friends may never forgive her if she gives up her perfect boyfriend, Nash, for Brandon, who's from the wrong side of town. But she can't deny her attraction or the strong pull he has on her. Brandon may be Celeste's hero, or he may be the most dangerous creature she could encounter in the woods of Legend's Run.

First sentence:

It began underneath the haunting glow of a full moon.

Once in a Full Moon was a decent werewolf story, but it just didn't quite grab me. Sometimes I thought it was a bit cheesy, but overall it was a decent story.

Celeste has everything she could want great friends a hot boyfriend, but then a new mysterious guy comes to town and everything changes. Celeste and her friends go to a psychic lady on a sort of a dare. Their boyfriends don't think they would go to Riverside, sort of the bad side of town, and they take them up on the challenge. Her two friends Abby and Ivy get the typical palm reading that makes Celeste think right off this psychics a phony, then Celeste gets her palm read.

    "I see snow, she began. "Beware of the woods...of  the sounds of howling. There could be a outsider who will turn...underneath the glow of the full moon."

Now Celeste really thinks the woman's crazy. But after this crazy prediction Celeste life changes and so does the new guy Brandon's. Brandon seems like a real nice guy and likable. I feel a bit sorry for him because he got bit by a wolf saving Celeste from them and now his life is turned upside down. I guess you could say this story is sort of the Romeo and Juliet of werewolf stories. He is from the wrong side of the tracks, but Celeste doesn't care about that. She does on the other hand care about what her friends think because they don't like Brandon because he is from Riverside.

Celeste makes me a little made because I kept thinking if you want to be with Brandon then just come out and say it because its not nice to keep Nash hanging thinking that she was going to come around and start seeing him again. I know its teenage insecurities not wanting her  friends to hate her but I didn't think it was fair to Brandon.

The part I thought was a little bit cheesy to me was that she kept hanging around him when he is changing into a werewolf. The guys got fangs growing and she wants to kiss him? I guess he is not a mean werewolf sort of reminds me of the movie Teen Wolf. =)  It just doesn't have the pizazz that a lot of other stories about werewolves have, it just sort of falls flat. I might check out the next book but it won't be a priority.

Cover: I must admit that I do like the cover of the book. :0)

Review of Desires of the Dead (ARC Tour)

Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting

Pages: 368
Publisher: Harperteen
Release date: Feb. 15th
My Ratiing: 3.5/5
Review copy from: Book It Forward Book Tours.

The missing dead call to Violet. They want to be found.


Violet can sense the echoes of those who've been murdered—and the matching imprint that clings to their killers. Only those closest to her know what she is capable of, but when she discovers the body of a young boy she also draws the attention of the FBI, threatening her entire way of life.

As Violet works to keep her morbid ability a secret, she unwittingly becomes the object of a dangerous obsession. Normally she'd turn to her best friend, Jay, except now that they are officially a couple, the rules of their relationship seem to have changed. And with Jay spending more and more time with his new friend Mike, Violet is left with too much time on her hands as she wonders where things went wrong. But when she fills the void by digging into Mike's tragic family history, she stumbles upon a dark truth that could put everyone in danger.

First sentence:
"Violet leaned foreword on her hands and knees over the frozen landscape."

I loved The Body Finder so I was excited to get my hands on a copy of Desires of the Dead. Even though I liked it I was still a little let down. I love Violet and her strange ability to hear and see echos of dead people. The fact that she can see those echos on the people that have actually killed is a bit help also. Even though this was still had a slight creep factor to it I just don't think it had what the first book had.  I thought it was a little slower and well okay I am going to just say it...not enough body finding!

Desires of the Dead is more about her relationship with her boyfriend Jay and how things from the last book has affected them. She knows he worries about her so she doesn't share things with him like she use to, so when the FBI comes around she keeps quiet. Violet has grown a little since the incident from the first book and she is no longer quick to get her family involved in things. So when she finds a echo about the little boy she tries doing things anonymously.

While she is keeping secrets from everyone there are some new faces that move into town. Mike and his sister Megan are new to the school and Jay is nice enough to make friends with them. Jay is really one of those lovable male characters, but sometimes he is just to good to be true. I still like him though and Mike and him become good friends. Violet starts to getting a little jealous of Jays friendship with Mike because now he is not paying all of his attention to her. (That was one of the parts that drove me crazy) Though its totally teenage so it fits.

Although Violet doesn't want to get involved with the FBI, she does find out some things about Mike and his family. This puts a whole new mystery into the story, that and Violet has a stalker. The stalker chapters all start with one of the seven deadly sins, Envy, Wrath, etc.

Violet is so protective of her ability that it really does affect everyone that is around her. She won't let anyone know about it besides her parents and Jay, so it always makes her look a bit weird to her other friends. With Sara, the lady from the FBI who wants her help knowing she has some sort of ability it makes her do a lot of thinking about whether she should keep it a secret or open up and let people know. So this book in the series has a little different feel to it than the first one. I am hoping the next one will pick up the pace a little like the first one.

I really did like Desires of the Dead, I was just hoping for a bit more action I guess. More body finding and crime solving, but over all it was a good book. If you liked the first book The Body Finder then you must pick this one up and see whats going on with Violet and Jay and other things.

Its a Blog Hop!

It's Friday!! That also means its Blog Hop time! The blog hop is hosted by Crazy-for-books. If you have never joined in just go to her site and check out the rules, its real easy!

Today's Question:

"What book are you most looking forward to seeing published in 2011? Why are you anticipating that book?"

That is a loaded questions...lol.  I am looking forward to a lot of books some of them I was fortunate enough to have read the ARC of like Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting and The Liar Society by Lisa and Laura Roecker. Others that I can't wait for are Pink by Lili Wilkinson,Cloaked by Alex Flinn and The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong to just name a few. =0)

What about you?

BTT: Heavy

Hope everyone is having a fine day today. It is actually pretty nice here in where I am today, but I am so ready for spring. :0)

Today's Booking Through Thursday question is about heavy books:

What’s the largest, thickest, heaviest book you ever read? Was it because you had to? For pleasure? For school?


Even though I have had to read some rather thick books for school I would have to say the largest book I have ever read has to be a just for fun read. If I had to read a book this thick for a assignment I would probably flunk..lol I haven't had a chance to read Steven King's newer book Under The Dome or I might have said it but I am going to have to go with another one of his books The Stand, if I remember right it had somewhere around 1000 pages and was such a great read. It is probably one of my favorite Steven King books.

So what is the heaviest book you have ever read?

W.O.W: Born at Midnight and Kat, Incorrigible

Waiting on Wed. is a weekly meme hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine.

Today my picks are:


Born At Midnight by C.C. Hunter
Release date: March 29th

Kylie Galen has had a lot of crap tossed in her lap. Her parents are getting a divorce. Her boyfriend broke up with her because she wouldn't put out. Her grandmother died and now Kylie's acquired a stalker. Unfortunately, she's the only one who seems to be able to see the stalker. And that gets her sent to a psychologist's sofa. The kooky psychologist gets Kylie sent to Shadow Falls Camp. Kylie and her parents think it's a camp for troubled teens. They thought wrong. It's a camp of supernaturals: vampires, werewolves, fairies, witches and shape shifters. And if she believes the camp leader, Kylie is one of them, too.


Kat, Incorrigible by Stephanie Burgis
Release date: April 5th

This first title in the Unladylike Adventures of Kat Stephenson series evokes Jane Austen, Georgette Heyer, Alfred Noyes, and Libba Bray with tongue firmly in cheek. It’s 1803 and 12-year-old Kat must deal with her heritage of as-yet-untrained magic powers while saving her eldest sister from marriage to a wealthy cad old enough to be her father and helping the middle sister connect with her true love. Also in the mix are a loving but ineffectual father, a vicious stepmother, a dashing highwayman, and the mysterious “Order” of witches trying to recruit Kat for proper training in magic.

So what are you waiting for?

Waterbrook/Multnomah publishing is doing a cool contest!

Waterbrook and Multnomah (Christian publishing company) wants to send you and your child on a Safari! They have a contest up on their site to go along with the children's book The Dragon and the Turtle: Go on Safari by Donita K. Paul and Evangeline Denmark.

For more information about this cool contest just head on over to Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing to enter.

The grand prize winner will win a "go on safari" kit complete with:


1.A child-size tent
2.Sleeping bags (2)
3.Campfire treats
4.Essential safari tools (a compass, a flashlight, and a spy glass)
5.Stuffed animals
6.Copies of The Dragon and the Turtle and The Dragon and the Turtle Go on Safari

Two runner-up winners will receive a copy of The Dragon and the Turtle and The Dragon and the Turtle Go on Safari and a stuffed animal.

 This is cool, huh...makes me wish I had a kid..LOL..well maybe not. =)