lulilut's stack O' books

Books read - August 2011

2011-09-01T21:19:00.001-05:00

Overbite (Insatiable, #2) by Meg Cabot
Supernaturally (Paranormalcy, #2) by Kiersten White
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt (re-read)
Wolfsbane (Nightshade #2) by Andrea Cremer
Forever (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #3) by Maggie Stiefvater
Blood Red Road (Dustlands, #1) by Moira Young
Quinn by Iris Johansen
How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff
The Silver Bowl (Silver Bowl, #1) by Diane Stanley
The Ideal Man by Julie Garwood
Kiss of Fire (Dragonfire #1) by Deborah Cooke
Kiss of Fury (Dragonfire #2) by Deborah Cooke
Kiss of Fate (Dragonfire, #3) by Deborah Cooke
Bad Taste in Boys (Kate Grable #1) by Carrie Harris
Ship Breaker (Ship Breaker, #1) by Paolo Bacigalupi
Brother/Sister by Sean Olin
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

"Waiting On" Wednesday: The Way We Fall

2011-08-17T14:39:00.004-05:00

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

The Way We Fall by Megan Crewe
Expected publication: January 24th 2012

From Goodreads:
It starts with an itch you just can't shake. Then comes a fever and a tickle in your throat. A few days later, you'll be blabbing your secrets and chatting with strangers like they’re old friends. Three more, and the paranoid hallucinations kick in. And then you're dead.

When a deadly virus begins to sweep through sixteen-year-old Kaelyn’s community, the government quarantines her island—no one can leave, and no one can come back.
Those still healthy must fight for dwindling supplies, or lose all chance of survival. As everything familiar comes crashing down, Kaelyn joins forces with a former rival and discovers a new love in the midst of heartbreak. When the virus starts to rob her of friends and family, she clings to the belief that there must be a way to save the people she holds dearest.
Because how will she go on if there isn't?

"Waiting On" Wednesday: Fever

2011-08-03T02:13:00.006-05:00

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Fever (The Chemical Garden #2) by Lauren DeStefano
Expected publication: February 21th 2012

From Goodreads:
Rhine and Gabriel have escaped the mansion, but danger is never far behind.
Running away brings Rhine and Gabriel right into a trap, in the form of a twisted carnival whose ringmistress keeps watch over a menagerie of girls. Just as Rhine uncovers what plans await her, her fortune turns again. With Gabriel at her side, Rhine travels through an environment as grim as the one she left a year ago - surroundings that mirror her own feelings of fear and hopelessness.

The two are determined to get to Manhattan, to relative safety with Rhine’s twin brother, Rowan. But the road there is long and perilous - and in a world where young women only live to age twenty and young men die at twenty-five, time is precious. Worse still, they can’t seem to elude Rhine’s father-in-law, Vaughn, who is determined to bring Rhine back to the mansion...by any means necessary.

In the sequel to Lauren DeStefano’s harrowing Wither, Rhine must decide if freedom is worth the price - now that she has more to lose than ever.

Books read - July 2011 + Pick of the Month

2011-08-03T01:37:00.007-05:00

Quicksilver (Looking Glass Trilogy, #2; Arcane Society, #11) by Amanda Quick
Epitaph Road by David Patneaude
Bumped (Bumped #1) by Megan McCafferty
Flying Blind: The Dragon Diaries by Deborah Cooke
The Soldier (Duke's Obsession, #2) by Grace Burrowes
Eona: The Last Dragoneye (Eon, #2) by Alison Goodman
22 Britannia Road by Amanda Hodgkinson
The Secret Life of Damien Spinelli by Carolyn Hennesy
A Dance with Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire, #5) by George R.R. Martin

My pick of the month is a continuation of June's Top Pick.

I feel lucky finding the series this late (I can't go through another Jean Auel debacle) and there are still two more books to go - hopefully they will be released within a few years and yes I know George RR Martin is not my bitch - thank you Neil Gaiman!

1. A Game of Thrones - August 1996
2. A Clash of Kings - November 1998
3. A Storm of Swords - August 2000
4. A Feast for Crows - October 2005
5. A Dance with Dragons - July 2011
6. The Winds of Winter (Forthcoming)
7. A Dream of Spring (Forthcoming)

Teaser Tuesdays: Overbite

2011-08-02T14:04:00.005-05:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of 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 & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Overbite (Insatiable #2) by Meg Cabot

Meena had long suspected Alaric of having a soft spot for Mary Lou Antonescu.
But she'd never known the real reason why until she saw the way Mary Lou kissed. The woman was like a Dyson vacuum cleaner.

~* page 149

Friday56: A Dance with Dragons

2011-07-29T13:08:00.003-05:00

Rules:
* Grab the book nearest you.
* Turn to page 56.
* Find any sentence that grabs you.
* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or if you do not have your own blog you can post on Freda's comment section.
* Post a link along with your post back to Freda's Voice

Closest Book: A Dance with Dragons

Author: George R.R. Martin

Page 56: The stones of those forts are mortared with the blood and bones of my brothers, long dead.

Theme Thursdays: Any Action - July 28

2011-07-28T14:25:00.006-05:00

Theme Thursdays is a fun weekly event that will be open from one thursday to the next. Anyone can participate in it. The rules are simple:

•A theme will be posted each week (on Thursday’s)
•Select a conversation/snippet/sentence from the current book you are reading
•Mention the author and the title of the book along with your post
•It is important that the theme is conveyed in the sentence (you don’t necessarily need to have the word)
Ex: If the theme is KISS; your sentence can have “They kissed so gently” or “Their lips touched each other” or “The smooch was so passionate”
This will give us a wonderful opportunity to explore and understand different writing styles and descriptive approaches adopted by authors.

This week’s theme is – ANY ACTION (go, walk, close, clap, etc.)
Leave a comment at Reading Between Pages here with a link to your post.

My current read: A Dance with Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire #5) by George R.R. Martin

There were seven of the mushrooms. Perhaps the Seven were trying to tell him something. He picked them all, snatched a glove down from the line, wrapped them carefully, and stuffed them down his pocket.

"Waiting On" Wednesday: The Vanishing Game

2011-07-27T01:59:00.006-05:00

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

The Vanishing Game by Kate Kae Myers
Expected publication: February 14th 2012

From Goodreads:
Jocelyn's twin brother Jack was the only family she had growing up in a world of foster homes-and now he's dead, and she has nothing. Then she gets a cryptic letter from "Jason December"-the code name her brother used to use when they were children at Seale House, a terrifying foster home that they believed had dark powers. Only one other person knows about Jason December: Noah, Jocelyn's childhood crush and their only real friend among the troubled children at Seale House.

But when Jocelyn returns to Seale House and the city where she last saw Noah, she gets more than she bargained for. Turns out the house's powers weren't just a figment of a childish imagination. And someone is following Jocelyn. Is Jack still alive? And if he is, what kind of trouble is he in? The answer is revealed in a shocking twist that turns this story on its head and will send readers straight back to page 1 to read the book in a whole new light.

Teaser Tuesdays: 22 Britannia Road

2011-07-19T14:19:00.005-05:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of 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 & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

22 Britannia Road by Amanda Hodgkinson

"You and me," he says. "It's like we've been given a chance to get something right, but after the years we've spent apart I don't know how to do it."

~* page 85

"Waiting On" Wednesday: The Death Cure

2011-07-13T00:39:00.003-05:00

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:
The Death Cure (Maze Runner #3) by James Dashner
Expected publication: October 11th 2011

From Goodreads:
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?

E's Blog: Hollyweird Tuesday Trivia Challenge

2011-07-12T14:31:00.005-05:00

E's blog is having a weekly Hollyweird Tuesday Trivia Challenge contest.

The winner will receive a $10 Amazon gift card.
You have 6 days to enter, the drawing closes Sunday evening.
One entry per person will be accepted.
The winner's name will be posted next Tuesday.

There are a few things you will need to do to qualify to win, and they are:

1) Be a registered follower of E's Blog or
2) ...a follower at http://www.evanlowe.com/
3) leave a comment on E's blog in the comment section on any of the posts anytime during the week of the current challenge.
4) send your answer to info@evanlowe.com - do not post it in the comment thread
5) mention the Hollyweird Tuesday Trivia Challenge either on your blog or in a tweet the week of the current challenge.
Do 1+3, 4&5, or 2+3, 4&5 and you are entered to win. Remember, you must do four things to qualify to win.

This week's Trivia Challenge can be found HERE.

Teaser Tuesdays: The Soldier

2011-07-12T13:30:00.003-05:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of 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 & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

The Soldier (Duke's Obsession #2) by Grace Burrowes

"I said I had to pee," Winnie said, bristling with righteous indignation, "and that was the truth, but that silly Miss Tosten acted like I'd asked for a licorice. I told her I was supposed to stay with the earl, as that was a rule of engagement, but she looked at Rosecraft like he was a big licorice.

~* page 114

Books read - June 2011 + Pick of the Month

2011-07-03T17:42:00.013-05:00

A Clash of Kings (A Song of Ice and Fire, #2) by George R.R. Martin
A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire, #3) by George R.R. Martin
A Feast for Crows (A Song of Ice and Fire #4) by George R.R. Martin
Divergent by Veronica Roth
The End of the Line by Angela Cerrito
Enclave by Ann Aguirre
Gemini Bites by Patrick Ryan
Hit List (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter #20) by Laurell K. Hamilton
When Passion Rules by Johanna Lindsey
Eve by Iris Johansen
Passion (Fallen, #3) by Lauren Kate

My pick of the month is George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" series.

I hadn't heard of the series until HBO announced they would be adapting the first book, "A Game Of Thrones" and it seemed like every forum I was on totally geeked out. So of course I planned on watching and the day before the first episode, some moron on one forum made a comment with a major spoiler in it. ARG!
Even in forums with a threat of banning in place if people posted spoilers, people made mistakes - so I bought the books from Amazon; the 4-book boxed set. (I only mentioned the box set because of a funny error in the 3rd book where some men threatened to rape the "windows".)
I loved the books, each book is unlike any fantasy book I've read but I had no idea the series wasn't finished. ARG!
So go read the books or watch HBO because you won't get any spoilers from me.

Book five: "A Dance with Dragons" by George R.R. Martin will be released July 12, 2011.

"Waiting On" Wednesday: Seizure

2011-06-29T13:20:00.006-05:00

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Seizure (Virals #2) by Kathy Reichs
Expected publication: October 18th 2011

From Goodreads:
Ever since Tory Brennan and her friends rescued Cooper, a kidnapped wolf pup with a rare strain of canine parvovirus, they've turned from regular kids into a crime-solving pack. But now the very place that brought them together-the Loggerhead Island Research Institute-is out of funding and will have to shut down. That is, unless the Virals can figure out a way to save it.
So when Tory learns of an old Charleston legend about a famous she-pirate, Anne Bonney, whose fortune was never found, she can't believe her luck - buried treasure is exactly what she needs to save the Institute on Loggerhead. Trouble is, she and her friends aren't the only ones looking for it. And this time, the Virals' special powers may not be enough to dig them out of trouble.

Teaser Tuesdays: Passion

2011-06-28T13:07:00.003-05:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of 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 & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Passion (Fallen #3) by Lauren Kate

"Don't wake him!" Bill said quickly. "His sleep is riddled with nightmares, but it's better for him than being awake. Until your soul is settled in a new life, Daniel's whole existence is a kind of torture."

~* page 180

Books read - May 2011 + Pick of the Month

2011-06-12T19:29:00.005-05:00

This is so frustrating - I have to reset my password everytime I try to log on and I'm so far behind on posting...

Angelfire (Angelfire, #1) by Courtney Allison Moulton
Jenna & Jonah's Fauxmance by Emily Franklin
Aftertime (Aftertime, #1) by Sophie Littlefield
Mildred Pierce by James M. Cain
The Abused Werewolf Rescue Group by Catherine Jinks
Red Glove (Curse Workers #2) by Holly Black
Unearthly (Unearthly #1) by Cynthia Hand
Rotters by Daniel Kraus
Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier
Dragon's Oath by Nicole Ash
Romancing the Stone (short story) by Nicole Ash
WWW: Wonder (#3) by Robert J. Sawyer
Timeless (Timeless, #1) by Alexandra Monir
A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1) by George R.R. Martin

For May I'm going to choose Rotters by Daniel Kraus as my top pick simply because it was the most unforgettable book I've read in awhile. It sticks with you the way a stench does no matter how many times you try and clean the smell out. Only Rotters does it in a good way.

2011-05-30T10:10:00.002-05:00

Sorry I haven't been updating lately but Blogger and I are having difficulties - it won't let me log it properly and it's very frustrating.
It took a hour and many tries before I made it this far and I'm not sure this will even work... Wish me luck in figuring this out.

“Bordertown Lives!” Sweepstakes

2011-05-25T15:50:00.004-05:00

Help spread the word about the new Welcome to Bordertown! website.

Any time from now through midnight of the last day of May link to any page of the new BordertownSeries.com website and then link to that page in your online journal, blog, Twitter or Facebook. It can be as short as a tweet about a page or a character you like, as long as a full-length book or story review - anything to let the world know that BORDERTOWN LIVES!

Then leave a comment HERE and include your link. Your post will automatically enter you in a drawing to win one of three Bordertown Prize Packages!

Three names will be picked at random on June 1st, and the winners posted on the Bordertown Blog.

Teaser Tuesdays: Timeless

2011-05-24T14:17:00.004-05:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of 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 & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Timeless (Timeless #1) by Alexandra Monir

Michele had no idea what she could do to help - but she was struck by the similarities between Clara's plight and her own. Both of them, though a hundred years removed, had been inexplicably sent to live in this new world with the Windsors, and both of them sought the answer why.

~* page 66

E's Blog: Hollyweird Tuesday Trivia Challenge

2011-05-24T13:46:00.002-05:00

E's blog is having a weekly Hollyweird Tuesday Trivia Challenge contest.

The winner will receive a $10 Amazon gift card.
You have 6 days to enter, the drawing closes Sunday evening.
One entry per person will be accepted.
The winner's name will be posted next Tuesday.

There are a few things you will need to do to qualify to win, and they are:

1) Be a registered follower of E's Blog or
2) ...a follower at http://www.evanlowe.com/
3) leave a comment on E's blog in the comment section on any of the posts anytime during the week of the current challenge.
4) send your answer to info@evanlowe.com - do not post it in the comment thread
5) mention the Hollyweird Tuesday Trivia Challenge either on your blog or in a tweet the week of the current challenge.

This week's Trivia Challenge is:

In what famous summer blockbuster did a character say: "I didn’t kill my wife!"
And who was the character?

Theme Thursdays: Male Person - May 19

2011-05-19T15:16:00.004-05:00

Theme Thursdays is a fun weekly event that will be open from one thursday to the next. Anyone can participate in it. The rules are simple:

•A theme will be posted each week (on Thursday’s)
•Select a conversation/snippet/sentence from the current book you are reading
•Mention the author and the title of the book along with your post
•It is important that the theme is conveyed in the sentence (you don’t necessarily need to have the word)
Ex: If the theme is KISS; your sentence can have “They kissed so gently” or “Their lips touched each other” or “The smooch was so passionate”
This will give us a wonderful opportunity to explore and understand different writing styles and descriptive approaches adopted by authors.

This week’s theme is – MALE PERSON
Description of a man/boy...
Leave a comment at Reading Between Pages here with a link to your post.

My current read: Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier

The man was standing in the entrance of number 18, opposite. As usual, he wore a black trench coat and a hat pulled right down over his face. I'd taken him for a ghost until I realized that Nick, Catherine, and Lesley could see him too.

"Waiting On" Wednesday: Sacrifice

2011-05-11T16:06:00.003-05:00

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Sacrifice (Crave #2) by Melinda Metz
Expected publication: September 20th 2011

From Goodreads:
Gabriel and Shay are convinced that they can make their relationship work. Knowing that Shay is half-vampire, Gabriel thinks that his coven will embrace her as one of their own, but instead they view her as an abomination, a thing that doesn’t belong in either world. And they want her dead. Now Gabriel must make the ultimate decision - watch his love be killed by his coven or defy the people closest to him, the people he has spent centuries with to save her.

Teaser Tuesdays: The Abused Werewolf Rescue Group

2011-05-10T13:13:00.004-05:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of 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 & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

The Abused Werewolf Rescue Group by Catherine Jinks

"It's not like we're fairies or unicorns. We're had hundreds of years of bad press - that's not going to disappear in a hurry.

~* page 137

Friday56: Rotters

2011-05-06T15:58:00.007-05:00

Rules:
* Grab the book nearest you.
* Turn to page 56.
* Find any sentence that grabs you.
* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or if you do not have your own blog you can post on Freda's comment section.
* Post a link along with your post back to Freda's Voice

Closest Book: Rotters

Author: Daniel Kraus

Page 56: When I appeared in his doorway he blinked at me as if I had blood gushing out of my mouth. "I'm Joey Crouch," I rasped. "I'm here for band."

Theme Thursdays: Female Person - May 5

2011-05-05T00:56:00.006-05:00

Theme Thursdays is a fun weekly event that will be open from one thursday to the next. Anyone can participate in it. The rules are simple:

•A theme will be posted each week (on Thursday’s)
•Select a conversation/snippet/sentence from the current book you are reading
•Mention the author and the title of the book along with your post
•It is important that the theme is conveyed in the sentence (you don’t necessarily need to have the word)
Ex: If the theme is KISS; your sentence can have “They kissed so gently” or “Their lips touched each other” or “The smooch was so passionate”
This will give us a wonderful opportunity to explore and understand different writing styles and descriptive approaches adopted by authors.

This week’s theme is – FEMALE PERSON
Description of a woman/girl...
Leave a comment at Reading Between Pages here with a link to your post.

My current read: Rotters by Daniel Kraus

She's tough, so tough: I find her alive and well in the kitchen, curls arranged sloppily, cheeks freckled, shoulders pink, wearing a tank top and cutoffs and red flip-flops, hunched bored in front of a frying pan.