Be Kind Rewind - Ten Books I Want To Read Again

This weeks Top Ten Tuesday is a freebie, so I chose ten books I want to read again. happy Tuesday!(In random order) ***  The Mercy Thompson series is one of my faves - it was the first urban fantasy book I read. I checked it out three times before actually reading it, I found the cover kinda racey and sadly I judged it. I know I am not suppose to do that - be we all do it right?  How I found this book: I checked out some paranormal book and there was a library receipt tucked in the pages from the person that had the book before me. I looked it over and found the person had checked out many of my favorite reads and we had similar taste. This series was a current read for them so i decided to give it a shot. Ironically the receipt was the best list of book recommendations I ever got :-)  ***    Eternal Starling has all my favorite elements with a very normal and relateable female lead. If you havent' read it you should! Its a great book.  ***   I love anything to do with magic, so Hex Hall was fun, easy and entertaining read. Perfect introduction for a potential YA paranormal fan. ***  Awesome series! ***  Morganville is the series I keep crossing my fingers gets made into a TV show.  ***   This one seems a little out of place in my list of paranormal books, but is worth reading. If you feel a little down or need some inspiration for pursuing your dreams you should read this book. It would also make a great graduation gift and book to read with your kids.   ***  Kevin Hearne is a rock star. One of the reasons I adore this series is because its from a guys point of view written by a guy. His pithy comments, incredible diverse characters with ROTFLMBO dialogue made this series one of my favorites. It has a little of everything, magic, witches, shifters, vampires and even Gods.  ***     No brainer right? Harry Potter and The Hunger Games are two books I have read multiple times. They never get old.  ***  I am one book short - for the life of me I could not think of another book I want to read again. So I guess I need your help! What book could you read again that I need to check out?   *** Top Ten Tuesday is a meme thunk up by The Broke and The Bookish. Head on over to the website to participate. :) 

Utah Author Events January 23-28

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January 24, 7:00 PM @ The Kings English Bookshop
Brodi Ashton's Everneath launch party.

Brodi will be reading from and signing her highly anticipated and much talked about debut YA novel Everneath. If you can't make it to this event you can order an autographed (and personalized) copy from The Kings English Bookshop. Learn more about ordering your personalized copy on my Utah Author Events page.

Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath. Now she’s returned—to her old life, her family, her boyfriend—before she’s banished back to the underworld . . . this time forever. She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can’t find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.

Nikki longs to spend these precious months forgetting the Everneath and trying to reconnect with her boyfriend, Jack, the person most devastated by her disappearance—and the one person she loves more than anything. But there’s just one problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who enticed her to the Everneath in the first place, has followed Nikki home. Cole wants to take over the throne in the underworld and is convinced Nikki is the key to making it happen. And he’ll do whatever it takes to bring her back, this time as his queen.


As Nikki’s time on the Surface draws to a close and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she is forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole’s queen.

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January 24, 7:00 PM @ Barnes and Noble West Jordan -
James Dashner

Pick up your copy of The Death Cure Exclusive Edition (Maze Runner Series #3) and have it signed by author James Dashner.

B&N Exclusive edition! Several computers survived the devastation caused by the Sun Flares and the ensuing civil unrest. This edition includes never-before-seen correspondence recovered from newly discovered government hard drives.

Thomas knows that Wicked can't be trusted, but they say the time for lies is over, that they've collected all they can from the Trials and now must rely on the Gladers, with full memories restored, to help them with their ultimate mission. It's up to the Gladers to complete the blueprint for the cure to the Flare with a final voluntary test. What Wicked doesn't know is that something's happened that no Trial or Variable could have foreseen. Thomas has remembered far more than they think. And he knows that he can't believe a word of what Wicked says.

The time for lies is over. But the truth is more dangerous than Thomas could ever imagine.

Will anyone survive the Death Cure?

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I've got the Blues, but in a good way.

        

Succubus (n.) An alluring, shape-shifting demon who seduces and pleasures mortal men. Pathetic (adj.) A succubus with great shoes and no social life. See: Georgina Kincaid. When it comes to jobs in hell, being a succubus seems pretty glamorous. A girl can be anything she wants, the wardrobe is killer, and mortal men will do anything just for a touch. Granted, they often pay with their souls, but why get technical?
 But Seattle succubus Georgina Kincaid's life is far less exotic. Her boss is a middle-management demon with a thing for John Cusack movies. Her immortal best friends haven't stopped teasing her about the time she shape-shifted into the Demon Goddess getup complete with whip and wings. And she can't have a decent date without sucking away part of the guy's life. At least there's her day job at a local bookstore—free books; all the white chocolate mochas she can drink; and easy access to bestselling, sexy writer, Seth Mortensen, aka He Whom She Would Give Anything to Touch but Can't.
 But dreaming about Seth will have to wait. Something wicked is at work in Seattle's demon underground. And for once, all of her hot charms and drop-dead one-liners won't help because Georgina's about to discover there are some creatures out there that both heaven and hell want to deny. . .

 
 Why haven't I read this sooner? Oh yeah, Richelle Mead, being one of my favorite authors, has an uncanny ability of ending a book with jaw dropping oh my heck she didn't just do that endings. In other words, I wanted to wait until I could read the whole series. I didn't want to spend eight months ticked off at one my favorite characters for stupid choices she makes while waiting for the next book to come out.....like Rose and Eugenie. Anyone who has read any of Richelle's work knows exactly what I am talking about.  What about you? What is your favorite book that ends with a jaw dropping cliff hanger? 
  

The Crossroads Blog Tour and Giveaway

   

When Katia enrolled at Crossroads Academy she knew things weren’t exactly going to be easy. The sole heir to the worlds’ most powerful vampire, her presence was bound to cause a stir. But nothing could have prepared her for this. Whispers follow everywhere she goes. So does trouble. But Katia will do her time at Crossroads. After all, she’s only enrolled at the prestigious school for pure blood vampires to fulfill a promise to her Great Uncle Aldo. Tucked away in the Green Mountains of Vermont, Katia hopes to shed the demons of her past and focus on her education. Raised blissfully unaware of the entire vamp world, she’s got a lot of catching up to do. As Katia learns more about this dark society and her own legacy, protecting her past becomes increasingly difficult. Bodies start turning up in nearby Rutland and Katia is sucked into a twisted web of danger and deceit. Haunted by nightmares she can’t explain and a thirst for blood that is never sated, Katia will do whatever it takes to keep her past buried. What choice does she have? Exposure will shake the Elder’s Council to its core and likely result in a death sentence at the hands of the Linkuri.

Nothing at Crossroads is what it seems and Katia’s secrets may be the darkest of them all.

 ***** Today I am very pleased to have a guest post by the author of The Crossroads, J.J. Bonds.
 Friday the 13th: The Unluckiest Day of All? Friggatriskaidekaphobia or Paraskevidekatriaphobics. No matter what you call it (assuming you can pronounce either of these words because I sure can’t!), the irrational fear of Friday the 13th is no myth. Millions of people will change their behavior today due to superstition. There will be fewer air travelers, fewer road trips, and probably a few folks who called in sick to avoid tempting fate.
The good news? This infamous and fearsome day occurs three times this year which is the highest number possible. Oh, wait. That’s not good news? Only if you’re superstitious, which I’m not-- usually. I’ve always been told it’s a day of bad luck, but those superstitious warnings are rarely followed by an explanation so I decided to do some research. And guess what? Just like any urban legend there are numerous possible origins for the irrational fear of the 13th (most of them inconclusive since the fear of the 13th arose during the 19th century).
Still, some persist that there were earlier indications that the number 13 was unlucky. In Christianity, it’s believed there were 13 guests at the last supper which led to betrayal. Norse mythology has a similar tale where a 13th (and evil) Loki god crashed a dinner party leading to the death of a favored and benevolent god. Dig a little deeper and I’m sure we could find countless examples of misfortune and 13 throughout history.
Face it, we’re superstitious creatures by nature and quite a few of us believe the number 13 is inherently unlucky (or maybe even rooted in evil). As a result, the devil’s dozen is frequently omitted in everyday ventures.

• Ever stayed on the 13th floor of a hotel? No? That’s because many buildings skip the 13th floor.

• It’s bad luck to have a dinner party with 13 guests. Unless one of them has a death wish.

• 13th Street/Road/Avenue are typically skipped by city planners.

• 13 letters in your name? Better prepare for the devil’s luck… like Charles Manson.

As for me, I think I’ll being spending my Friday night curled up on the couch with a big bucket of popcorn and a scary movie or two. Now that seems fitting! The question is… what to watch?

Here are a couple of my all-time favorites. Post yours below! Even if I can’t get it tonight, I’m always looking for new and different horror flicks. I’ve seen quite a few, but with such a popular genre, I’m surely missing some amazing cinematography… or least a few good screams!

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Want to win a digital copy of The Crossroads? Here's how:

1. Comment to win! (please leave a way to contact you - twitter or email)

2. One random comment will be selected to win a digital copy of JJ Bonds Crossroads

3. All comments will be counted to win a KINDLE FIRE with a Crossroads Gel Cover

4. Collect Clues along the tour for a chance to win

5. Comment at each tour stop for extra chances to win

6. Tweet and use #crossroadsbooktour for extra chances to win along with random drawings to win digital copies of the book

7. For additional entries follow me on

  and  like my page on 

8. Collect clues to find the final entry to win the Kindle Fire.

9. Winners will be selected January 31st

Today's clue:

(I have had two reports that you cannot see the image below. It is the letter V)

 

The Crossroads tour will continue tomorrow at:
 
Reads With Reckless Abandon.
 

Participant's in The Crossroads blog tour:

January 2: The Guardian of the Crossroads

January 3: Otherwhere.co

January 4: PIcked by Poison

January 5: Moonlight Gleam's Bookshelf

January 6: Under the Covers

January 9: Rants~N~Scribbles

January 10: Mother/Gamer/Writer

January 11: The Book Nympho

January 12: Books with Bite

January 13: My Life With Books

January 14: Reads With Wreckless Abandon

January 15: Books And Beyond

January 16: Book Crook Liza

January 17: We Fancy Books

January 18: Rondo of Possible World

January 19: Literary Exploration

January 20: Bending The Spine


 

Wishing For Wicked Wings

Wings of the Wicked an Angelfire novel by Courtney Allison Moulton

Available February 1, 2012 

  

Life as the Preliator is harder than Ellie ever imagined. Balancing real life with the responsibility of being Heaven’s warrior is a challenge for Ellie. Her relationship with Will has become all business, though they both long for each other. And now that the secret of who she really is has come out, so have Hell’s strongest reapers. Grown bold and more vicious, the demonic threaten her in the light of day and stalk her in the night.
She’s been warned. Cadan, a demonic reaper, comes to her with information about Bastian’s new plan to destroy Ellie’s soul and use an ancient relic to wake all the souls of the damned and unleash them upon humanity. As she fights to stay ahead of Bastian’s schemes , the revelations about those closest to her awaken a dark power within Ellie that threatens to destroy everything—including herself.
She’ll be betrayed.
Treachery comes even from those whom she loves, and Ellie is broken by the deaths of those who stood beside her in this Heavenly war. Still, she must find a way to save the world, herself, and her love for Will. If she fails, there will be hell to pay.

Learn more about the Angelfire series and Courtney Allison Moulton on her webpage.  

Utah Author Events - January 8-14

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January 9 - The Kings English -

The Gilder by Kathryn Kay @ 7:00 PM

Art restorer Marina Nesmith's life seems flawless, but Marina is conscious of what she lacks--especially the courage to tell her teenage daughter, Zoe, the truth about her father. Then Marina is invited to return to Florence, where she learned her trade as a gilder years ago. Now, as past and present collide, Marina must find the life that she--and Zoe--have been looking for.

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January 10 - The Kings English -

Local Author Showcase @ 7:00 PM

Meet authors Leanne Mayo and Lisa Mayo Murphy (Shakespeare in a Nutshell and God's Singers) and Kenneth Lougee (Pie in the Sky).

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January 11 - The Kings English -

Cinder by Marissa Meyer @ 7:00 PM

Marissa will be reading from and signing Cinder, released Jan 3, 2012.

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

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January 12 - Provo City Library -

Cinder by Marissa Meyer @ 7:00PM

This is not a ticketed event, seating is first come fit serve basis and is open to the public.

***Copies of Cinder will be available for purchase at the event.***

(See above for book information)

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As always if you can't make it to an event at The Kings English Bookshop you can order your personalized authographed copy and pick it up later or have it shipped to you. Learn more about this on my

 Utah Author Events page.

The Kings English Boookshop

1511 South 1500 East

Salt Lake City, UT 84105

 

Provo City Library 

550 North University Avenue

Provo, Utah 84601

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ARC Review - Dont Breathe A Word by Holly Cupala

Don't Breathe A Word by Holly Cupala

From Publisher  HarperTeen on January 3, 2012

 

Joy Delamere is suffocating.   From asthma, from her parents, and from her boyfriend, Asher, who is smothering her from the inside out. She can take his cruel words, his tender words . . . until the night they go too far.  To escape, Joy sacrifices her suburban life to find the one who offered his help, a homeless boy called Creed. He introduces her to a world of fierce loyalty, to its rules of survival, and to love—a world she won’t easily let go. Set against the backdrop of the streets of Seattle, Holly Cupala’s power­ful new novel explores the subtleties of abuse, the secrets we keep, and the ways to redemption. But above all, it is an unflinching story about the extraordinary lengths one girl will go to discover her own strength.

My thoughts: 

Holly Cupala writes an intensely emotional story about a young girl trying escape her very controlled world. She has overprotective parents and a boyfriend that suffocated me as I read it.

Sadly, I found Don't Breathe A Word unrelatable. Not because the writing wasn't good, because it was excellent. I just could not connect with Joy. She is my opposite in every way and I cannot imagine having anyone in my life that would harm me, further more I wouldn't allow it. Don't Breathe A Word caused me a wee bit of anxiety as I read it because I wanted to smack some sense into Joy AND her parents.

As I read Don't Breathe A Word my eyes were opened to a world that I would never have been able to imagine. I felt emotions that I would not normally feel and I am grateful for the opportunity to read this book because of  this experience. For that reason I believe that Don't Breathe A Word has the potential to positively affect a YA fan that may be in similar situations by inspiring hope, forgiveness and self worth.

For these reasons I am giving Don't Breath A Word 3 Skullies - it's a well written story - just not for me.

 

Top Ten Books I'm Excited To Read in 2012

Top Ten Tuesday is sponsored by The Broke and The Bookish It's the first Top Ten Tuesday of 2012 so what better way to kick it off then by listing what we are all looking forward to this year. Some of my anticipated reads are in random order:                          I'm doing top 12 to kick off the new year!     I could actually go on and on because there are so many great books coming out this year. What about you - what are you most looking forward to in 2012?