New Years Resolutions for 2010

I have said it before and I will say it again... I can't believe that another decade is gone. Ten years ago I was a senior in high school trying to decide where to go to college. I was stuck between two but knew that I wanted to teach English! Here it is ten years later and I am doing just that, have gotten married to the best guy ever, have two beautiful children, and am super excited to see what 2010 has in store for me!

With that in mind... I decided to set some goals for myself in both the blogger world and my personal world (wherever that is at any given moment)! So, here they are!

Blogger Goals:

• Comment more on other blogs to spread the love
• Host at least 5 contests throughout the year
• Write at least 2 reviews a week
• Complete both challenges that I have joined for the year
• Have my students participate in the blogger world with their reviews
  

Personal Goals:

• Work out more (and be consistent with it)
  
• Run a marathon... at least a half anyway!
  
• Be the best mom and wife I can possibly be
• Finish writing out the book I have swimming in my head right now
• Be a much better teacher and find more innovative ways to teach
  
• Be happy with me!!

Well there are mine... I am sure that after I post this I will think of other things to add so I may be coming back to revamp it before midnight... we shall see!

I hope that you all have a very safe, fun, and happy New Year!!


Until next year,

xoxo
jennie

100+ Reading Challenge for 2010

Well I first joined Kristi's 2010 Debut Author Challenge, and now I have decided to join J. Kaye's 2010 100+ Reading Challenge also! This is my second challenge that I've ever joined, so I'm really excited!

Some rules you should know:

• Challenge begins January 1st through December, 2010. Books started before the 1st do not count.
• The goal is to read 100+ books.
• Crossovers from other reading challenges count.

All the other info can be found H E R E. (non-bloggers can sign up too!!)

I will keep track of all of my books here and link the reviews so make sure to check back! Can't wait!!!

1. Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler
2. The Secret Year by Jennifer R. Hubbard
3. The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks
4. Dear John by Nicholas Sparks
5. The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
6. The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan
7. Sing Me to Sleep by Angela Morrison
8. The Writing Workshop... by Katie Wood Ray and Lester L. Laminack (not YA)
9. Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
10. The Tension of Opposites by Kristina McBride
11. Write Beside Them: Risk, Voice, and Clarity in High School Writing by Penny Kittle (not YA)
12. Inside Writing: How to Teach the Details of Craft by D. Graves and P. Kittle (not YA)
13. My Quick Writes: For Inside Writing by D. Graves and P. Kittle (not YA)
14. Venus in Blue Jeans (Konigsburg #1) by Meg Benjamin (not YA)
15. Wedding Bell Blues (Konigsburg #2) by Meg Benjamin (not YA)
16. Be My Baby (Konigsburg #3) by Meg Benjamin (not YA)
17. Sealed with a Kiss by Mary-Margaret Daughtridge (Not YA)
18. Nocturne by L.D. Harkrader
19. Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce
20. Sea by Heidi R. Kling
21. Male Call by Denise A. Agnew (not YA)
22. Unconditional Surrender by Denise A. Agnew (not YA)
23. Black Cat by Holly Black
24. The Lightening Thief: Percy Jackson and the Olympians Book 1 by Rick Riordan
25. Shadow Hills by Anastasia Hopcus
26. Tell Me A Secret by Holly Cupala
27. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater (current read-audiobook)
28. Raising Kane by Lorelei James
29. Trust in Advertising by Victoria Michaels
30. Sir Cumference and the First Round Table by C. Neuschwander and W. Geehan
31. Once Upon A Royal Superbaby by K. O'Malley, C. Heyer, S. Goto
32. Nevermore by Kelly Creagh
33. Firelight by Sophie Jordan
34. Thumbing Through Thoreau
35. I Now Pronounce You Someone Else by Erin McCahan
36. Crank by Ellen Hopkins
37. What She Wants by Anne Rainey
38. Touching Lace by Anne Rainey
39. Tasting Candy by Anne Rainey
40. Tempting Grace by Anne Rainey
41. Taking Chloe by Anne Rainey
42. Burn by Anne Rainey
43. Impossible by Nancy Werlin
44. Anointed Transformed Redeemed (A Study of David) by Beth Moore, Kay Arthur & P. Shrier
45. Perfect You by Elizabeth Scott
46. The Good Neighbors by Holly Black and Ted Naifeh
47. The Writer's Notebook by Ralph Fletcher
48. Mechanically Inclined by Jeff Anderson
49. Milk, Eggs and Vodka by Bill Keaggy
50. Immi's Gift by Karin Littlewood
51. Cowgirls Don't Cry by Loreli James
52. Halo by Alexandra Adornetto
53. Nightshade by Andrea Cremer
54. Santa's Eleven Month's Off by Mike Reiss
55. Looking for Alaska by John Green
56. The Outsiders by SE Hinton
57. Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns
58. Forbidden: Playing with Fire Book 1 by Karen Erickson
59. Tangled: Playing with Fire Book 2 by Karen Erickson
60. Scandalous: Playing with Fire Book 3 by Karen Erickson
61. Marty Maguire by Kate Messner
62. Dreaming Anastasia by Joy Preble
59.
60.
61.

Waiting on Wednesday (12)

I can't believe that the new year is (literally) right around the corner!! This year has definitely flown by and I can't wait to see what 2010 has in store for us. With that in mind, I am going to do my Waiting on Wednesday in conjunction with my 2010 Debut Author Challenge. I listed 25 books that I am going to be reading for my challenge and some I have already featured on my Waiting on Wednesday's in the past. Today I am going to let you know about all the goodies coming out in January that are on my list. Some of them I have already featured, but it never hurts to hear about them again!! Go check them out and join the challenge hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren!!

Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves

Love can be a dangerous thing....

Hanna simply wants to be loved. With a head plagued by hallucinations, a medicine cabinet full of pills, and a closet stuffed with frilly, violet dresses, Hanna's tired of being the outcast, the weird girl, the freak. So she runs away to Portero, Texas in search of a new home.

But Portero is a stranger town than Hanna expects. As she tries to make a place for herself, she discovers dark secrets that would terrify any normal soul. Good thing for Hanna, she's far from normal. As this crazy girl meets an even crazier town, only two things are certain: Anything can happen and no one is safe.

Bleeding Violet hits shelves on January 5, 2010


Firespell by Chloe Neill (Waiting on Wednesday 11)

As the new girl at the elite St. Sophia’s boarding school, Lily Parker thinks her classmates are the most monstrous things she’ll have to face…

When Lily’s guardians decided to send her away to a fancy boarding school in Chicago, she was shocked. So was St. Sophia’s. Lily’s ultra-rich brat pack classmates think Lily should be the punchline to every joke, and on top of that, she’s hearing strange noises and seeing bizarre things in the shadows of the creepy building.

The only thing keeping her sane is her roommate, Scout, but even Scout’s a little weird—she keeps disappearing late at night and won’t tell Lily where she’s been. But when a prank leaves Lily trapped in the catacombs beneath the school, Lily finds Scout running from a real monster.

Scout’s a member of a splinter group of rebel teens with unique magical talents, who’ve sworn to protect the city against demons, vampires, and Reapers, magic users who’ve been corrupted by their power. And when Lily finds herself in the line of a firespell, Scout tells her the truth about her secret life, even though Lily has no powers of her own—at least none that she’s discovered yet…

Firespell hits shelves on January 5, 2010


The Secret Year by Jennifer Hubbard

Seventeen-year-old Colt has been sneaking out at night to meet Julia, a girl from an upper-class neighborhood unlike his own. They’ve never told anyone else about their relationship: not their family or friends, and especially not Julia’s boyfriend.When Julia dies suddenly, Colt tries to cope with her death while pretending that he never even knew her. He discovers a journal she left behind. But he is not prepared for the truths he discovers about their intense relationship, nor to pay the price for the secrets he’s kept.

The Secret Year hits shelves on January 7, 2010


Leaving Gee's Bend by Irene Latham

A young girl sets out to save her sick mother and records her
adventures in quilt pieces.

Ludelphia Bennett may be blind in one eye, but she can still put in a good stitch. Ludelphia sews all the time, especially when things go wrong.

But when Mama goes into labor early and gets deathly ill, it seems like even quilting won’t help. That’s when Ludelphia decides to do something drastic—leave Gee’s Bend for the very first time. Mama needs medicine that can only be found miles away in Camden. But that doesn’t stop Ludelphia. She just puts one foot in front of the other. What ensues is a wonderful, riveting and sometimes dangerous adventure. Ludelphia weathers each challenge in a way that would make her mother proud, and ends up saving the day for her entire town.

Set in 1932 and inspired by the rich quilting history of
Gee’s Bend, Alabama, Leaving Gee’s Bend is a delightful, satisfying story of a young girl facing a brave new world.

Leaving Gee's Bend hits shelves on January 7, 2010

The Mark by Jen Nadol (Waiting on Wednesday 9)

Cassandra Renfield has always seen the mark—a glow around certain people reminiscent of candlelight. But the one time she mentioned it, it was dismissed as a trick of the light. Until the day she watches a man awash in the mark die. After searching her memories, Cassie realizes she can see a person’s imminent death. Not how or where, only when: today.

Armed with a vague understanding of the light, Cassie begins to explore her “gift,” seeking those marked for death and probing the line between decision and destiny. Though she’s careful to hide her secret—even from her new philosophy-obsessed boyfriend—with each impending death comes the temptation to test fate. But so many questions remain. How does the mark work? Why is she the only one who sees it? And finally, the most important of all: If you know today is someone’s last, should you tell them?

The Mark hits shelves on January 19, 2010

Much more to come!! Can't wait for all the great reads!!

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Reading Level: Young Adult

# of Pages: Hardback 576 pages

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (December 1, 2009)

There were no surprises in Gatlin County.
We were pretty much the epicenter of the middle of nowhere.
At least, that's what I thought.
Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong.
There was a curse.
There was a girl.
And in the end, there was a grave.

Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.

I began hearing all kinds of wonderful things about this book a few months ago from fellow book bloggers and marked it. Little did I know that when I read it…. I would be completely blown away! This has to be one of the best books I have read in a while. Not only could I completely relate to the southern dialect (being only a few hours from where the book is set in Charleston, SC area) but also to the characters. Lena, Ethan, and even the infamous Link are written so beautifully that readers will find themselves cheering them on, feeling their emotions, and thinking that they could walk right through the door at any moment they are so real. I love books with well developed characters but those books seem to be few and far between these days. Yes, there are many books out there, but very few of them fully develop a character yet leave you wanting to know more and giving you just enough to make guesses about their personalities and create your own idea of who they truly are. This book definitely does that!

The plot is also very original which, in a time of vampires, werewolves, and anything else running rampant, is very refreshing. It is funny to me that I am reading so many paranormal books now yet when I was in middle school and high school these are the very ones I was not interested in. I guess my “tastes” have become more developed! Lena and Ethan have to face obstacles that teens today face but on a whole other level. They are in love but the hurdles that they have to overcome include a mysterious curse, a tarot card reading woman who loves her Red Hots (mmmm… love those), an uncle who is the Boo Radley of the town, and a house I would love to step foot in one day. Throughout the story you are completely drawn in and want to know how Lena and Ethan are going to overcome the obstacle that they are facing now (the perfect little cheerleaders or Link’s crazy mama) and are continuously wondering if one of them is going to do something to mess it all up. What I love about this book is that we are hearing the story from Ethan’s point of view. I love a good female lead like most, but it was refreshing to hear this from Ethan’s perspective. Sometimes female leads are whiny and it drives me nuts… some of you know what I am talking about…. but Ethan was wonderful. I do not in any way think that Lena is whiny and hope that maybe in the future books we can hear more from her!

I loved everything about this book and it is definitely a must read for everyone! I guess it is going to be another one that I won’t be able to keep in my classroom! Not a problem though… that’s what a classroom library is for!

Make sure to visit Kami and Margaret here and come join the Caster Girls when you finish the book and talk about all kind of things, get the inside scoop, and win cool stuff. Make sure to check and see when Kami and Margaret are coming to your area and GO! I know they are going to be in Alpharetta, GA on January 23^rd and I am definitely going! Yeah!! Just for the fun of it, I will post my pal Vania’s book trailer again. Make sure to check out her great stuff too!

Trailer Tuesday (9)

Okay... I have been kinda slack lately and I apologize, but I made sure to put this up today because there are some pretty great trailers for books out there! Check them out!!

xoxo
jennie




Fallen by Lauren Kate


Little Black Lies by Tish Cohen


Gone by Michael Grant


Liar by Justine Larbalestier


Ballad by Maggie Stiefvater


Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

F***'n Awesome Video

Okay... so I guess as a middle school teacher I have a lot more to take into account when it comes to teenagers and what they know vs. what their parents THINK they know. Some parents think that their children are little angels and are shocked when their sweet little baby comes home with demerits for dropping the F-Bomb right in front of me and then proceed to call me to question me and "what I really heard." This is yet another issue I have... parents making excuses for their children and wanting to be their buddy and not their parent! But... I digress! Back to the issue of the F-Bomb.

Too many times good books have been banned for (let's face it) the stupidest reasons... too much violence, too much sex, too many bad words, too many references to witchcraft (because we all know that when you are reading Harry Potter he is holding his wand to your head and filling it with the crap, right?!), and the list goes on. Parents and adults tend to think that their children and the children of our society today don't have to face real issues and live in cardboard boxes apparently. I guess that mentality never ceases to amaze me because I live with these kids daily. I know the real life issues that they face that their parents, guardians, church leaders, and other significant adults are apparently unaware of or choose to ignore. I have kids who I KNOW are doing drugs, who drink, who smoke, who have sex on a regular basis, who are pregnant, and who are in gangs... and I teach 8th grade people!! I hear their conversations, they come to me because they know they can get honest answers and help if they need it, and prove that there is someone out there who is looking out for their best interest while keeping the title of authority.

With that in mind... I have found a great video that talks about just that, but from an authors perspective. Jackson Pearce's novel, As You Wish, is one of those novel's that people are choosing to focus on the fact that she used the F bomb in it (one time... I might add) and forgetting the rest of the book. I will admit that I have yet to read the book, but now I definitely will. Check out this video and then check As You Wish below!

Ever since Viola's boyfriend broke up with her, she has spent her days silently wishing—to have someone love her again and, more importantly, to belong again—until one day she inadvertently summons a young genie out of his world and into her own. He will remain until she makes three wishes.

Jinn is anxious to return home, but Viola is terrified of wishing, afraid she will not wish for the right thing, the thing that will make her truly happy. As the two spend time together, the lines between master and servant begin to blur, and soon Jinn can't deny that he's falling for Viola. But it's only after Viola makes her first wish that she realizes she's in love with Jinn as well . . . and that if she wishes twice more, he will disappear from her life—and her world—forever.

Jackson Pearce spins a magical tale about star-crossed lovers, what it means to belong . . . and how important it is to be careful what you wish for.

I just have to say....

...that if you don't have Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl on your shelf right now... you need to RUN to the store and buy it! I am about half way through it and will probably finish it tonight because it is that dang good!

After you read it, head on over to the Caster Girls website and join the forum. They have cool giveaways, insider info and lots more. There is a great contest going on right now to win autographed swag (wallet, drum sticks, VLC print, and more) so go check it out!

I will have my review up soon but wanted to let you know about the Caster Girls and the great stuff going on! OH!!! And my fellow blogger pal Vania and I will be getting together soon in the Atlanta area when the authors come to town. Find out more about their appearances here.

Happy reading all!!

xoxo
jennie

In My Mailbox (10)

Thanks as always to Kristi at The Story Siren for hosting this lovely bit! Sorry I
haven't posted in a while... real life with two kids got in the way! I know, how dare it! I have a ton of new stuff laying around that I have received and will be posting it sporadically to catch up (maybe before Sunday even!). I have had some amazing things come from authors that I can use for giveaways and in my classroom and have to catch up on all of it!! I feel like such a slacker but thanks for the patience and on to the goods!


These are all goodies from Alice at Little Brown whom I LOVE!!!


Currently available at a bookstore near you....


Beautiful Creatures
by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

There were no surprises in Gatlin County. We were pretty much the epicenter of the middle of nowhere. At least, that's what I thought. Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong. There was a curse. There was a girl. And in the end, there was a grave. Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever. Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them. In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.

North of Beautiful
by Justina Chen Headley

Born with a port-wine stain birthmark covering her entire right cheek, Terra Rose Cooper is ready to leave her stifling, small Washington town where everyone knows her for her face. With her critical, reproachful father and an obese mother who turns to food to deflect her father's verbal attacks, home life for Terra isn't so great either. Fueled by her artistic desires, she plans to escape to an East Coast college, thinking this is her true path. When her father intercepts her acceptance letter, Terra is pushed off-course, and she is forced to confront her deepest insecurities. After an ironically fortuitous car accident, Terra meets Jacob, a handsome but odd goth Chinese boy who was adopted from China as a toddler. Jacob immediately understands Terra's battle with feeling different. When Terra's older brother invites her and her mother to visit him in Shanghai, Jacob and his mother also join them on their journey, where they all not only confront the truth about themselves, but also realize their own true beauty. North of Beautiful is the engaging third YA novel by Justina Chen Headley. This is a gorgeously-written, compelling book featuring universal themes of defining true beauty, family bonds, personal strength, and love.

Ones to look forward to....

The River
by Mary Jane Beaufrand

Veronica Severance feels cut off from the world. Forced to move from the city to rural Oregon with her parents, she is haunted by loneliness and by the chilling sounds of the Santiam, the river that runs through her backyard. Through the fog of isolation, Ronnie finds herself becoming close with Karen, a young girl who she babysits. But when she discovers Karen's body on the banks of the Santiam, the victim of a supposed accident, Ronnie feels compelled to uncover the truth. As she becomes increasingly obsessed with solving Karen's death, Ronnie is led deeper and deeper into the woods surrounding the river and to the dark secret hidden within its midst. The River is a darkly atmospheric story of murder, isolation, obsession and dark secrets that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page.

The River hits a bookshelf near you on February 10, 2010

And this one I am super pumped about...


Prophecy of the Sisters Book II
Guardian of the Gate
by Michelle Zink

While Altus holds the answer to the location of the lost pages and one of the final pieces of the prophecy's puzzle, there are those who will not want us to reach its safe haven.

The Souls will not let us pass unchallenged.
And neither will my sister.

In this highly-anticipated sequel to Prophecy of the Sisters, sixteen year-old orphan Lia Milthorpe continues her quest to end an age-old prophecy that has turned generations of sisters against each other. Having now accepted the responsibilities tied to her role as the Gate, Lia journeys to the uncharted isle of Altus to continue her search for the missing pages of the Book of Chaos--the pages that could tell her how to end the prophecy. Along the way, her courage, strength, and soul are tested in ways she never could have imagined. What's also tested is her loyalty to James.

Meanwhile, twin sister Alice continues to hone her spellcasting abilities, completely ignoring the rules that govern the Otherworlds. Alice will stop at nothing to reclaim Lia's role of Gate, and that's not the only thing she wants. There's also Lia's true love, James.

The outcome of this battle between sisters could have consequences of Biblical proportion. And in the end, only one sister will be left standing.

Guardian of the Gate will hit a bookshelf near you in August 2010!
If you haven't read the first book in this series, you definitely need to! Read more about it and read my review of Prophecy of the Sisters here. You won't be disappointed!

Have a great week everyone!

xoxo
jennie

Top Blogs of 2009

Hello all!!

I cannot believe that this year is quickly coming to an end. I have had a blast getting into this whole blog thing and am looking forward to another great year! I wanted to make sure that you all knew about the great YA blogs that are out there so I have compiled a list of my favorite 10! They are in no certain order (much like me!!). I hope that you will check them all out and see what fun things they have going on!

1.

Kristi at The Story Siren

2.

Darcy is a fellow middle school survivor... I mean middle school librarian... and she has great books on her shelves!


3.

Kim @ The Book Butterfly


4.

Vania has some great stuff... she is super talented and creates some of the book trailers I have on the site as well as some of the best photography in the South!


5.


Cheryl and Amber at Just Your Typical Book Blog


6.

Always good things going on here!

7.


Tirzah at The Compulsive Reader is a wonderful blogger and fun to follow on twitter too!!

8.


Steph at Steph Su Reads has wonderful reviews and was voted Best Newcomer!!

9.


Casey at A Passion for Books

10.


Senfaye at A Maze of Books


And a featured one... just because I can!!

Another newbie like me!!

There are so many more out there and I cannot begin to list them all but I highly recommend that you check them out! These are just a few that I have been following since I started and are the ones that I regularly visit.... I am already adding to this list! Happy blogging everyone!

~Jennie

P.S. I have my own "Link to me" now so feel free to use it!

2010 Debut Author Challenge List

Kristi (a.k.a. The Story Siren) is hosting the 2010 Debut Author Challenge again this year. Being that I am new to this blogging thing, it will be my first year to participate in this challenge and I am super excited! If you are interested in seeing more about the challenge or even signing up, check out what Kristi has here.

This is where I'm planning on keeping track of my completed novels for the 2010 Debut Authors Challenge. Once I have my reviews posted, I'll link them here as well. I'm hoping (keep your fingers crossed) to read at least 25 debut titles this year, although I'm sure I will get to more than that, but my goal will be 25.

Here's a potential list, that will most likely be added to, deleted from, added to some more (and possibly even more...) It will all simply depend on what I get for review and so on and so forth. I'm sure I've forgotten some that I want to read. Feel free to make suggestions!! I can't believe this year is already here! Wow... where does the time go? On to the list...

Read:
1. The Secret Year by Jennifer Hubbard (review here)
2. The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting (review here)
3. The Tension of Opposites by Kristina McBride (review here)
4. Sea by Heidi R. Kling (review here)
5. Shadow Hills by Anastasia Hopcus (review here)
6. Nevermore by Kelly Creagh (review here)
7. Tell Me A Secret by Holly Cupala (review here)
8. Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins (review here)
9. Firelight by Sophie Jordan (review here)
10. I Now Pronounce You Someone Else by Erin McCahan (review here)
11. Halo by Alexandra Adornetto (review here)
12. Nightshade by Andrea Cremer (review here)
13. Shades of Atlantis by Carol Oates (review here)



To Read:
1. Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves
2. Firespell by Chloe Neill
3. Leaving Gee's Bend by Irene Latham
4. The Mark by Jen Nadol
5. Dirty Little Secrets by C.J. Omololu
6. The Naughty List by Suzanne Young
7. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
8. Tagged by Mara Purnhagen
9. Voices of Dragons by Carrie Vaughn
10. Forget Her Nots by Amy Brecount White
11. The Line by Terri Hall
12. The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson
13. Split by Swati Avasthi
14. Party by Tom Leveen
15. Change of Heart by Shari Maurer
16. The Beautiful Between by Alyssa B. Sheinmel
17. Restoring Harmony by Joelle Anthony
18. Losing Faith by Denise Jaden
19. Freefall by Mindi Scott
20. 13 to Life by Shannon Delaney
21. Claire de Lune by Christine Johnson
22. Scones and Sensibility by Lindsay Eland
23. Everlasting by Angie Frazier
24. Fallen by Lauren Kate
25. 8th Grade Superzero by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich
26. Angel Star by Jennifer Murgia
27. Life, Liberty and Pursuit by Susan Kaye Quinn
28. Wish by Alexandra Bullen
29. Shade by Jeri Smith Ready
30. Hearts at Stake by Alyxandra Harvey
31. The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg
32. All Unquiet Things by Anna Jarzab



Bold titles I have for review already!

Waiting on Wednesday (11)

I saw this one on Kristi's (The Story Siren) blog the other week and it definitely has be intrigued!!

Firespell by Chloe Neill

As the new girl at the elite St. Sophia’s boarding school, Lily Parker thinks her classmates are the most monstrous things she’ll have to face…

When Lily’s guardians decided to send her away to a fancy boarding school in Chicago, she was shocked. So was St. Sophia’s. Lily’s ultra-rich brat pack classmates think Lily should be the punchline to every joke, and on top of that, she’s hearing strange noises and seeing bizarre things in the shadows of the creepy building.

The only thing keeping her sane is her roommate, Scout, but even Scout’s a little weird—she keeps disappearing late at night and won’t tell Lily where she’s been. But when a prank leaves Lily trapped in the catacombs beneath the school, Lily finds Scout running from a real monster.

Scout’s a member of a splinter group of rebel teens with unique magical talents, who’ve sworn to protect the city against demons, vampires, and Reapers, magic users who’ve been corrupted by their power. And when Lily finds herself in the line of a firespell, Scout tells her the truth about her secret life, even though Lily has no powers of her own—at least none that she’s discovered yet…

Firespell hits shelves on January 5, 2010

In My Mailbox (9)

Hello again my lovelies! So sorry I didn't have an IMM last week. I posted and apology earlier explaining my lack of posting and, well, pretty much everything because we had the dreaded sickness rock our house. Four year olds are no fun when sick and neither are hubbies! So this week I am back with a vengence!

In My Mailbox is a weekly post where I go through my mail and tell you all about the goodies that have come my way. I won't bore you with the junk mail or bills (unless you want to donate to pay off the student loans that is! )!! Thanks to Kristi at The Story Siren for this meme and make sure to check out her site and let us know what you got in your mailbox and see what others received too! Have a great week everyone!

Gifts and Giveaways:
Lisa Schroeder was gracious enough to send me a signed copy of her book I heart you, you haunt me as well as signed bookmarks for my students (and giveaways) and a copy of The Hollow by Jessica Verday (which you all know I LOVE!!!)

I heart you, you haunt me by Lisa Schroeder
Girl meets boy.

Girl loses boy.

Girl gets boy back...

...sort of.

Ava can't see him or touch him, unless she's dreaming. She can't hear hisvoice, except for the faint whispers in her mind. Most would think she'scrazy, but she knows he's here.

Jackson. The boy Ava thought she'd spend the rest of her life with. He's back from the dead, as proof that love truly knows no bounds.

The Hollow by Jessica Verday
Click here to read my review of The Hollow

When Abbey's best friend, Kristen, vanishes at the bridge near Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, everyone else is all too quick to accept that Kristen is dead?and rumors fly that her death was no accident. Abbey goes through the motions of mourning her best friend, but privately, she refuses to believe that Kristen is really gone. Then she meets Caspian, the gorgeous and mysterious boy who shows up out of nowhere at Kristen's funeral, and keeps reappearing in Abbey's life. Caspian clearly has secrets of his own, but he's the only person who makes Abbey feel normal again...but also special.

Just when Abbey starts to feel that she might survive all this, she learns a secret that makes her question everything she thought she knew about her best friend. How could Kristen have kept silent about so much? And could this secret have led to her death? As Abbey struggles to understand Kristen's betrayal, she uncovers a frightening truth that nearly unravels her—one that will challenge her emerging love for Caspian, as well as her own sanity.

Swapped (via Paperbackswap):

Jude by Kate Morgenroth

When fifteen-year-old Jude's father is brutally murdered, Jude is a witness. But to save his own life, he can't tell the police what he knows. Still, Jude is determined to clear his name and win the approval of his mother -- the district attorney he has not seen since he was an infant.

At the urging of his mother's longtime companion, Jude agrees to a crazy scheme to protect her political future. But what Jude doesn't know is that there are buried secrets that will require him to sacrifice more than he ever dreamed. And his search for approval will turn into one for revenge.

Tantalize by Cynthia Leitich Smith

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Quincie Morris has never felt more alone. Her parents are dead, and her hybrid-werewolf first love is threatening to embark on a rite of passage that will separate them forever. Then, as she and her uncle are about to unveil their hot vampire-themed restaurant, a brutal murder leaves them scrambling for a chef. Can Quincie transform their new hire into a culinary Dark Lord before opening night? Can he wow the crowd in his fake fangs, cheap cape, and red contact lenses — or is there more to this earnest face than meets the eye? As human and preternatural forces clash, a deadly love triangle forms, and the line between predator and prey begins to blur. Who’s playing whom? And how long can Quincie play along before she loses everything? TANTALIZE marks Cynthia Leitich Smith’s delicious debut as a preeminent author of dark fantasy.

To Review:

The Crimson Thread: A Retelling of Rumpelstiltskin by Suzanne Weyn

"Once upon a Time" Is Timeless...

The year is 1880, and Bertie, having just arrived in New York with her family, is grateful to be given work as a seamstress in the home of textile tycoon J. P. Wellington. When the Wellington family fortune is threatened, Bertie's father boasts that Bertie will save the business, that she is so skillful she can "practically spin straw into gold."
Amazingly, in the course of one night, Bertie creates exquisite evening gowns -- with the help of Ray Stalls, a man from her tenement who uses an old spinning wheel to create dresses that are woven with crimson thread and look as though they are spun with real gold. Indebted to Ray, Bertie asks how she can repay him. When Ray asks for her firstborn child, Bertie agrees, never dreaming that he is serious....




Far from You by Lisa Schroeder (funny... got two of her books in one week! YEAH!!)

Lost and alone...down the rabbit hole

Years have passed since Alice lost her mother to cancer, but time hasn't quite healed the wound. Alice copes the best she can, by writing her music, losing herself in the love of her boyfriend, and distancing herself from her father and his new wife.

But when a deadly snowstorm traps Alice with her stepmother and newborn half-sister, she'll face issues she's been avoiding for too long. As Alice looks to the heavens for guidance, she discovers something wonderful.

Perhaps she's not so alone after all...

Nothing Like You by Lauren Strasnick

“You think he’s yours but he’s not, I thought. You think he’s yours but really he’s mine.”

When Holly loses her virginity to Paul, a guy she barely knows, she assumes their encounter is a one-night stand. After all, Paul is too popular to even be speaking to Holly, and he happens to have a long-term girlfriend, Saskia. But ever since Holly’s mom died six months ago, Holly has been numb to the world, and she’s getting desperate to feel something, anything—so when Paul keeps pursuing her, Holly relents. Paul’s kisses are a welcome diversion, and it’s nice to feel like the kind of girl that a guy like Paul would choose.

But things aren’t so simple with Saskia around. Paul’s real girlfriend is willowy and perfect… and nothing like Holly. To make matters worse, she and Holly are becoming friends. Suddenly the consequences of Holly’s choices are all too real, and Holly stands to lose more than she ever realized she had.



Bought:
This one is super special to me because I have followed it from a fanfic piece to now a published book! My wonderfully talented friend Morgan Kearns has written a story that is completely captivating and in which I feel as if I already know the characters. I loved getting emails from her saying, "What do you think sounds better?" or "Which cover do you like?" It was so much fun to be with her through this process and I am SO DANG PROUD of her (and she knows it)!! It isn't a YA novel but it is soooooooooooo good... of course I have already started it! Amazing!!!! (I'm not biased or anything, I swear!!)

Fade to Black by Morgan Kearns


Fade to Black is a tempestuous and witty love story, complete with dangerous twists and turns that keep the reader guessing until the very last page. Kate Callahan is a news reporter in Salt Lake City whose life seems to be perfect. Her attentive boyfriend, Jesse Vasquez, is determined to prove his love for her. But the day she steps through the doors of KHB as their newest reporter and meets photographer Rich Spencer, everything changes. There is something about the way he caresses her with his eyes, speaks to her without saying a word, and lights her skin aflame with a simple touch that makes her rethink everything she’s ever known. Ultimately, she is faced with an impossible choice—one that tears her heart in two—which becomes excruciating when fate steps in and decides for her. Walking along a mountain of heartache and regret, Kate struggles to find a world where love does conquer all.


Visit Morgan here and order your copy of Fade to Black!!

Happy reading everyone!! Have a great week!