Teaser Tuesdays (17)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Miz B at 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 and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers.

My teaser:

"It is black and covered with tiny twinkling lights. The effect is almost identical to the upward view of the night sky from outside."

~ Page 237, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Top Ten Tuesday (16)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by the Broke and the Bookish where a new top ten list is posted each week. This week is: Top Ten Favorite Books I Read in 2011. These are in no particular order.

 1. Wither by Lauren DeStefano
I was a little nervous of the hype about this book as I've been let down in the past, but this was an outstanding read. I loved Rhine and Gabriel, and I adored the fact that there wasn't a conventional love triangle. Instead the author focused on the emotional consequences of living a lie, even if it's for the best reasons.

2. The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
This is hands down one of my favourite books of all time. Not only is the cover beautiful (and has an awesome silky/neoprene feel to it) but the book is lyrical and gorgeous in its writing. Plus it has evil water horses. I love evil water horses! I also need to make the November Cakes as they just sound yummy.

3. The Hollow & (The Haunted) by Jessica Verday
I read these two way back in January and loved it. I've got the last book of the trilogy (The Hidden) waiting to be read but I want a weekend where I can curl up with some snickerdoodles and read all three. I love Abby and Caspian, and the whole Sleepy Hollow link is amazing. I'm a sucker for any kind of gothic romance, and this is an outstanding example.

4. Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh
This pick could include all of the Psy-Changeling novels because I absolutely adore them. They are one of my favourite paranormal romance series partly because alongside the beautifully written romances there is some of the best world building I've ever seen. The series is now ten books long and presents a fully fleshed out realistic world.

5. Tomorrow When the War Began by John Marsden
Back near the start of the year I saw a preview for a movie on TV that seemed really familiar. Five minutes on Google and I knew why. I first read this a few years back, realised the rest of the books were unavailable in the UK and promptly forgot about it. My Mum got me all the books for my birthday (she ordered them from Australia!!!) and I'm totally hooked. The movie is also really good.

6. Bitten by Kelley Armstrong
An old favourite of mine that I reread. This was my gateway book to urban fantasy. I'd tried a few authors before, but Kelley Armstrong was the first to get me completely hooked. I really liked Elena and I totally fell for Clay ("I am the local psychopath" lines aside). The last book in the series is out next year *sniff* so I'm guessing I'll be rereading it again.


7. Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
Definitely an out of left field pick for me, my reading of this book was basically down to other bloggers. I doubt I'd have even heard of the book without them. I loved Anna and Cas, and then the book threw in an awesome secondary plot that left me with my mouth hanging open. I cannot wait for the sequel!

8. Paranormalcy by Kiersten White
I'd heard good things about this for ages before I read it. It was one of those tricky to get books that I randomly stumbled across one day in a store and snatched up a copy. Evie is awesome (and I soooo need a pink taser). The world is really well developed and I loved how pretty much every kind of paranormal creature is featured.

9. Lover Awakened by J.R. Ward
I finally got around to reading past the first book of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series and can safely say Zsadist's is my favourite book so far. I love the whole tortured anti-hero vibe he has and I like that his story wasn't just "I love you, I'm healed, lets be happy". Z has issues and they rarely come with simple solutions.

10. Shiver, Linger and Forever by Maggie Stiefvater
A blatant cheat I know, but I love this trilogy. I actually waited to start my blog until I had reviews for these as I wanted to get it off to an awesome start. All three books are amazing and I am totally blown away by Sam and Grace every time I read them. As a bonus below is a video of Jonas and Plunkett performing Summer Girl (from Shiver) at Maggie's London signing. Sorry it's not brilliant quality.

Fall into Reading 2011: The Wrap Up

I can't believe the challenge is over already! I didn't even come close to reading all the books on my very long list. I think I was a bit to overenthusiastic when I wrote it, and I also got distracted by other books that weren't on the list. I've realised that when it comes to reading challenges having a set list of books to read doesn't help me, if anything it makes me reluctant to read those books.

My favourite book this fall isn't actually from my Fall into Reading list. It's The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater. I adored the entire book and it's probably my favourite book this year. Written in her usual lyrical style, the plot revolves around viscious water horses called cappaill uisce and grabbed me from the very first page. I even got to meet Maggie at a signing and chat about killer water horses.

Anyway, the books I managed to read for the challenge are below:

Beastly by Alex Flinn
First Drop of Crimson by Jeaniene Frost
Unholy Ghosts by Stacia Kane
Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick
Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick
Dark Lover by J.R. Ward
Lover Eternal by J.R. Ward
Lover Awakened by J.R. Ward
Lover Revealed by J.R. Ward
Lover Unbound by J.R. Ward
Lover Enshrined by J.R. Ward
Lover Avenged by J.R. Ward
Lover Mine by J.R. Ward

I had a lot of fun during the challenge, even if I didn't meet my goal and I just want to say thank you to Katrina at Callapidder Days for hosting!

Teaser Tuesdays (16)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Miz B at 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 and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers.

My teaser:

"Oh please, she prayed, don't let us end up spending our first Christmas with Brittany stuck in a train depot. Don't let this be our Christmas."

~ Page 61, A Gift to Last by Debbie Macomber

Top Ten Tuesday (15)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by the Broke and the Bookish where a new top ten list is posted each week. This week is: Top Ten Books I Hope Santa Brings. I'm not going for books I hope Santa brings because they were on my list, I'm going for books I'd love to receive but haven't asked for.

1. Evernight by Claudia Gray
I just got the last two books in the series in a lucky dip, but I haven't read the first two so they are top of my list. I don't like starting in the middle of a series because I always miss important things so I need to pick this up before I'll read the two I have.

2. Stargazer by Claudia Gray
Ditto what I said above, plus it's purple!

3. White Cat by Holly Black
I keep hearing amazing things about this series and the author. I have Tithe waiting to be read but this sounds like an incredible read too - illegal curse workers who by a simple touch could change your emotions, your thoughts, your luck? Awesome!

4. The Demon's Surrender by Sarah Rees Brennan
I met Sarah at a Cassandra Clare signing a few months back in London and got to chat with her for a bit. I've had The Demon's Lexicon on my TBR for ages and I picked up The Demon's Covenant at the signing so I really need to catch up. This would allow me to read the entire trilogy in one go.

5. Fitzwilliam Darcy, Rock Star by Heather Lynn Rigaud
I only just heard of this a couple of days ago, but it sounds hilarious. I really enjoyed Pride and Prejudice when I read it (although I'm still a Knightley girl at heart) and I love modern retellings of classic novels so this sounds made for me. Plus rock music :)

6. Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs
I heard about this modern take on the Medusa myth back when I first started blogging and it sounds amazing. It is however a hardcover so it's pricier than my normal paperback purchases. It's a very girls-kick-butt kind of book so I would love to read it.

7. All Just Glass by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
I've always been a reader but when I hit my late teens I got really hooked and started reading at least once a day, every day. Amelia Atwater-Rhodes was one of the authors I discovered and I still love her books. This continues on from one of my favourites (Shattered Mirror) which had a bit of a cliffhanger ending. I can't wait to see how she concludes the story.

8. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
This sounds like an incredible read and I've heard so many great things about it. The idea of not being able to touch anyone for fear of killing them reminds me of Rogue from X-Men. It's an idea that terrifies me - never being able to touch anyone or be touched? Creepy.

9. The rest of the Discworld by Terry Pratchett
I started reading the Discworld books last year and fell in love with the world. I've read up to Mort and have a couple more standing by but I'd love all of them. There are a lot of books in the series though so it's going to take me a while to catch up.

10. The Jaz Parks series by Jennifer Rardin
I read the first one of these a few years ago when I got it out of the library. I really enjoyed it but never managed to get my own copy. The series is now complete and the author has sadly passed away so I'd love to get and read all of them.

In My Mailbox (12)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren. Each weekend I'll post about any new books I've gotten either in my mailbox or from a store or library that week. If I haven't gotten any new books, I'll wait until I do. I've had an awesome haul of books this week!

 
One book that I've mentioned a few times on my blog has been Undone by Rachel Caine which is the first in her Outcast Season series. It had a massive cliffhanger at the end so I've been waiting to read further. This is the third in the series, and the final book is out early next year. I can't wait to read them all!




 

One of the 2012 reading challenges I've signed up for on Goodreads is the LA Banks - We Will Miss You Challenge in memory of LA Banks who died this year. I started her Night Huntress series and really enjoyed them but fell behind. As I have all of those, plus the first in her Crimson Moon series I decided to sign up for the challenge. I decided to take a gamble (based on the fact I like her writing style) and pick up the rest of the Crimson Moon series so I can read those too. Both series were completed before she passed so I'm glad I'll be able to read the complete storylines as they were intended to be read. The challenge runs all year with no required amount of books so feel free to click here if you'd like to join in.



I also got the third Calliope Reaper-Jones novel by Amber Benson (yep - that Amber Benson, the one who played Tara in Buffy) which is another series which I need to catch up on. Callie is next in line to take over the family business...as Death. The first was an awesome read so I can't wait to catch up.





Vampire Dragon is the third in Annette Blair's Works Like Magick Novel. I've loved Annette's writing ever since I read The Kitchen Witch so I'm glad to get this, even if the main thing I remember from the first novel is the mention of man lances.

These two are part of my unhealthy addiction to the Donut Shop Mysteries (unhealthy because they make me crave donuts). I loved the first and have had the second and third waiting to be read for ages. Now I have four and five here, with six and seven on preorder. I'd forgotten about them until someone mentioned that it is rumoured that Jessica Beck is actually a pen-name for Joanne Fluke. Whether that is true or not, I love the series and I'm really glad I was reminded of it.

This is the ninth Coffeehouse Mystery and I've read and loved all of the previous books. I'm a big coffee fan and I love the little tidbits I've learnt about coffee through reading these. I'm hoping to post some reviews for the earlier books near the start of next year, so if you're a coffee or mystery fan keep a look out :)


 

Last but not least, another Annette Blair but this time from her Vintage Magic Mystery series which blends paranormal mystery with vintage clothes. Again this is a series I've fallen behind in (anyone noticing a theme here?) but I loved the first and can't wait to catch up.

So what's in your mailbox this week?

Shelf Candy Saturday (8)

Shelf Candy Saturday is an awesome weekly meme hosted by Five Alarm Book Reviews where each Saturday bloggers defy the saying "never judge a book by its cover" and showcase one that really catches their eye. Covers play a huge role in the books I choose so it's great to have the opportunity to showcase the pretties :)

My shelf candy for this week is Home for the Holidays by Lisa Plumley.

Jet set stylist Rachel loves her job and her life. But the good times come to a halt when Rachel learns that her best client has been sleeping with her boyfriend--a perk that's definitely not included in her services! Impulsively, Rachel gets her revenge--thanks to a hideous designer mashup of an awards show ensemble--but her satisfaction comes at too high a cost. Blackballed from the glamorous life forever, she heads home to the last place she ever thought she'd return, her snowy, tiny, totally UNsophisticated Midwestern home town. A Christmas fling might be just the thing to put the jingle back in her bells...

This cover is gorgeous and super cute! Not only does it have snow and snowflakes, it's sparkly as well. The sparkles aren't really clear on pictures but in person the book has a layer of glitter over the snowflakes, hearts, title and the tree scene at the very bottom. In addition to snow, I'm a sucker for anything sparkly so sparkly snow is brilliant for me.

I also love the cartoon look to the cover, especially as it's a lot more tempting than some of the standard photo-based cheesy covers that appear on contemporary romances. The cute snow couple and floating hearts let you know this is a romance, but without looking like something I'd feel uncomfortable buying in a store.

The contemporary pastel colours chosen give the book a modern feel which I really appreciate, and I love the flash of hot pink on the snowwoman's scarf and beret (not to mention the fact that there is a female snowperson in a hat and beret! Yay for snow equality lol!).

So what's your shelf candy this week?

Guest Blog (4)

My latest guest blog post has just been published over at the awesome E&K Family Book Review where I reviewed How the Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr. Seuss. If you'd like to see what I thought, click here.

Top Ten Tuesday (14)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by the Broke and the Bookish where a new top ten list is posted each week. This week is: Top Ten Books I Want To Give As Gifts (and to who...even if you won't actually give them!)

I was actually going to sit out this week seeing as the majority of people I've brought books to give as gifts know where my blog is, until I saw Mist's very clever post over at Bookaholics Book Club where she picked ten of her favourite books that she would be happy to give as gifts. My list is in the same spirit as hers and I've marked all the books as YA or Adult :)

1. The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
Definitely one of my favourite books of 2011, I really enjoyed this book! Written in Maggie Stiefvater's normal atmospheric style I quickly fell in love with the world and the characters. Plus creepy water horses aid an air of danger that I adored. (YA)

2. The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett
I tried reading this as a teen and couldn't get into it. When I tried again as an adult (after seeing the TV adaptation) I ended up totally hooked. It's an incredible world full of depth and ideal for any fantasy fan, or anyone who would love luggage that walks by itself. (Adult)

3. Tomorrow When the War Began by John Mardsen
This isn't my usual type of book but I picked it up after seeing the movie and realising I'd read it a few years earlier. It tells the story of a group of Australian teens who come home from camping in the outback to find their country invaded. Action packed and great for pretty much anyone. (YA)

4. Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder
This was the first fantasy novel I read and liked. I adored Yelena and ended up ordering the rest of the trilogy and rationing this until they arrived. The story is action packed from the start and goes from strength to strength throughout. (Adult)

5. Storm Front by Jim Butcher
Jim Butcher is one of the few male authors I read, and Harry Dresden is probably my favourite male protagonist. This book focuses on a wizard for hire who takes on a case that gets out of hand. Cleverly written with a believable world, this is a great read. (Adult)

6. Ill Wind by Rachel Caine
One of the most unique urban fantasies I've ever read, Ill Wind focuses on Wardens who can control the weather, earth or fire. The book starts right in the middle of the action and the pace doesn't let up throughout. The series is now complete at 9 books which is handy in a genre where some series go on forever. (Adult)

7. Bitten by Kelley Armstrong
My first urban fantasy and one that really sucked me into the genre. Elena is the only female werewolf in the world and she gets sucked back into the paranormal world when her pack needs her help. A great action packed read. (Adult)

8. Wither by Lauren DeStefano
I read this recently and thought it was brilliant (my review will be posted soon). It's one of my favourite dystopian novels and is set in a broken world where women die at 20 and men die at 25. Rhine is trying to escape her forced marriage and I was glued to the page throughout. (YA)

9. Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh
I love the whole Psy-Changeling series and, despite the cheesy cover, I like recommending this to people. There is an amazing depth of world building alongside the romance and the author manages to set up two distinct species of character with believable histories without info dumping. (Adult)

10. How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss
The ultimate Christmas book that everyone should have read, at least in my opinion. I own two copies and I gave my niece her own copy last Christmas, despite the fact she was only a month old. I read it every year (and watch the movie) and I'm hoping to include my niece in the tradition as her Mum is not a Grinch fan. (Everyone!)