Julia Quinn Reading Challenge 2012

I stumbled upon Julia Quinn a few years back and she has become one of my favorite authors.  I don't exactly remember details like how, but I do remember that my first book was The Viscount Who Loved Me.  After that, I had to get all of the books in The Bridgertons series.  And after that...I just had to get ALL her books period.  Unfortunately, I am still working on obtaining all her books.  But for now, I like to re-read the ones I have.

For this challenge, I will be re-reading:

• 7 out of 8 in The Bridgertons series as I seem to have misplaced my copy of When He Was Wicked :(
• The Duke and I 02/24/2012
• The Viscount Who Loved Me 02/25/2012
• An Offer From a Gentleman
• Romancing Mister Bridgerton 02/26/2012
• To Sir Phillip with Love
• When He was Wicked*
• It's in His Kiss
• On the Way to the Wedding
• The Bevelstokes series
• The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever
• What Happens in London
• Ten Things I Love About You** - 02/09/2012
• The Two Dukes of Wyndham
• The Lost Duke of Wyndham
• Mr. Cavendish, I Presume
• Agents of the Crown
• To Catch an Heiress* - 01/21/2012
• How to Marry a Marquis
• Lyndon Sisters
• Everything and the Moon** - 01/23/2012
• Brighter Than the Sun
• Splendid trilogy
• Splendid**
• Dancing at Midnight
• Minx
• The Smythe-Smith Quartet
• Just Like Heaven**
• A Night Like This**
• Misc. Novellas
• The Further Observations of Lady Whistledown
• Lady Whistledown Strikes Back
• Where's My Hero
• The Lady Most Likely
• Scottish Brides**

* = misplaced my copy, and will probably not be including this book in my challenge reading unless the book magically reappears or I can borrow it from someone

** = don't own it yet, but plan on obtaining it during the duration of the challenge

NOTE: This is my master list for this challenge.  Once I finish reading a book, I will put a date next to the title. :)

99 cent YA Kindle Books and more!

I guess Harper Collins is feeling quite generous at the start of this new year!  Several of their YA novels in Kindle edition are only 99 cents!

Here are some of the ones I bought:
Bumped by Megan McCafferty
Entwined by Heather Dixon
Ten Things We Did (And Probably Shouldn't Have) by Sarah Mlynowski
Unearthly by Cynthia Hand (I reviewed this one here, and am so happy to finally own a copy! :])
Withering Tights by Louise Rennison

Some other ones that are also 99 cents:
Hereafter by Tara Hudson
Lucky by Rachel Vail
The Poison Diaries by Mayrose Wood
Vesper by Jeff Sampson

And a FREE one!
Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

I also bought Delirium by Lauren Oliver because it is $2.99 right now, and I have been wanting to read it forever!

It has been my experience that ebooks from the big publishers are usually not this cheap.  So, I'm not sure how long these prices will last.  Take advantage while you can!  I definitely am!  lol...my reading for the new year is off to a good start, with all these new books!  You don't need a Kindle to read these, just the Kindle app.  So, you can read this on your PC, IPad, or smartphone!  Also, this is not really a comprehensive list...I'm sure there a lot more 99 cent Kindle books out there!  I'm just not up for searching for them right now, haha.  If you do go looking for them, please share! :)

Time for 2012!

So, that was an epic fail.  My last blog was in September, and I was so excited to get back to blogging then...but I got busy with school.  Well, here's a NEW YEAR, and I'm hoping to turn over a kind of new leaf and start blogging more on this book blog.  To get started, I'm looking for some challenges that I like.  I'm for sure doing this Julia Quinn one because I love her books, and also the 50 books in 2012 challenge (maybe 75?).  We shall see what other ones I dig up~

For now, all I want to say is HAPPY NEW YEAR! :)

WWW Wednesday: Sep. 14, 2011

Been a bit MIA, huh?  Well, I've kind of been in a reading slump.  After school, all I wanted to do was be a bum, lol.  So, haven't been feeling like reading lately. GASP right?  BUT, I'm back!  I have a couple books that I need to write reviews for, and a huge pile of books on my TBR pile.  Also, my brother gave me a late grad present, and it's a Kindle!  Super excited for that. ^^  Hope that will let me read more, as I can take it on the go easier!  Anyway, on to the meme...

What are you currently reading?
Currently reading Hunger Games!  I've been meaning to start this series, and since the movie is coming out next year, I thought now is as good a time as any.  I'm really liking it so far!

What did you recently finish reading?
Actually, not sure about this one...it's been a while.

What do you think you'll read next?
Probably the continuation of the Hunger Games trilogy, Catching Fire.

Excited to be back reading and blogging! :)

REVIEW: The Magnolia League

Title: The Magnolia League
Author: Katie Crouch
Series: The Magnolia League
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Poppy
Format: Paperback
# of pages: 229
Source: NetGalley
Summary:
When her free-spirited mother dies in a tragic accident, sixteen-year-old Alexandria Lee is forced to leave her West Coast home and move in with a wealthy grandmother she's never known in Savannah, Georgia. By birth, Alex is a rightful if unwilling member of the Magnolia League-Savannah's long-standing debutante society. But white gloves and silk gowns are a far cry from the vintage t-shirts and torn jeans shorts she's used to.

Alex is the first in decades to question the Magnolia League's intentions, yet even she becomes entangled in their seductive world. The members enjoy youth, beauty and power...but at what cost? As Alex discovers a pact between the Magnolias and the Buzzards, a legendary hoodoo family, she discovers secrets-some deadly-hidden beneath the glossy Southern veneer. (credit: Amazon.com)

Review:
This book has been on my to-be-reviewed pile for a bit, and I finally had time to sit down and write the review.  That isn't to say that book wasn't engaging.  In fact, it was the exact opposite.  I could hardly stop reading!  I just had to know what was going to happen next!

The Magnolia League is told mostly through Alex's is point of view, though there are a few chapters with third person narration.  Through the third person point of view, you gain some background on the mysterious Magnolia League.  But it is through Alex that we really start to learn what the Magnolia League is all about.

Alex, at first, does not want anything to do with the Magnolia League.  But her grandmother is adamant about it, and Hayes and Madison become her new friends.  They are MGs, or Magnolia Girls, and are there to help Alex become a proper MG.  Slowly, Alex changes a little through their influence, but still all wants to do is go back to California, to the commune she lived on and to the boyfriend she believes is waiting for her.  She finally decides to runaway, back to California, where she finds that her boyfriend wasn't really her boyfriend and that the commune has changed drastically.

So, she returns to Savannah, to her grandmother and Hayes and Madison, who have become her friends.  And not soon after, she is introduced to the side of the Magnolia League that they've kept hidden from her: the hoodoo side.  This is what helps the Magnolia League be the Magnolia League.  All the members are able to maintain wealth and beauty through spells they get from the Buzzards, a family of hoodoo practitioners that the first Magnolia League members made a deal with. This element of hoodoo is what made the story, in my opinion.  It gave it mystery and excitement, and was the root of many secrets.  Many of which were only touched upon in this book.

The Buzzards are quite a mystery to me to.  Doc Buzzard is the patriarch, and the one who made the original deal with the Magnolia League.  But Sam Buzzard, Doc's son, is the one who handles the Magnolia League's requests for spells, these days.  (All requests must be approved by the president of the Magnolia League, Dorothy Lee, Alex's grandmother.)  Sina, described as "the practitioner with the most natural talent," is the one the Magnolia League goes to when they need a spell that won't be approved.  Though they only appear a few times throughout the story, they are a big part of it and I have unanswered questions about them.  Questions such as: what was Sam Buzzard's relationship with Alex's mom?  And also, what is Sina Buzzard really up to with the deal she has made with Alex?

The characters were very well developed, with rich backrounds and their own personalities, especially Alex.  She wasn't the perfect heroine.  She was real, with flaws and unique traits, and she made mistakes.  The setting was great too!  I have always wanted to visit Savannah, and the descriptions of the city helped bring it to life for me.  Overall, this book was well written, and I can't wait until the next book comes out! I have so many questions that need to be answered!

Rating:
Plot - ★★★★★
Characters - ★★★★★
Ending - ★★★★
Overall - ★★★★1/2

REVIEW: Bite Me!

Title: Bite Me!
Author: Melissa Francis
Series: has a sequel: Love Sucks
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal
Publisher: Harper Teen
Format: Paperback
# of pages: 296
Source: Library
Summary:
AJ Ashe isn't your typical seventeen-year-old vampire--as if there is such a thing! She's stuck in the middle of a huge fight between her two BFFs. Her ex-boyfriend--whom she's still totally in love with, by the way--is now her stepbrother. A former classmate--who, um, she may or may not have turned into a vampire--is stalking her. And now, apparently, the fate of humankind lies in her little undead hands. What ever happened to the good old days, when all a vampire girl had to worry about was the occasional zit and hiding her taste for blood?

Review:
I picked this book up on a whim, off of my library's waiting-to-be-shelved area, and I'm glad I did. This book was a very fun, easy, and entertaining read. Though the plot is not terribly unique, it's not exactly like all the other vampire stories I've read before. The vampires here are not characterized like usual: they can walk in the sun, see their reflection in the mirror, and they drink blood out of V8 juice bottles. The explanation? Vampires have adapted to better live in the human world.

The story is written from AJ's point of view, in a very teenage girl voice. Some may say the writing is too simple, but I think it's just right, considering it is supposed to be a teenage girl telling her life story. At least part of it...and what a story it is!

One day AJ's life was as normal as any other teenage vampire girl's could be, and the next it's turned completely upside down. She's become the stepsister of the boy she's in love with, and soon she's got a creepy vampire stalker. Not to mention, someone is set on framing her for things she didn't do and ruining her life. AJ is scared and doesn't know what to do, and you could thoroughly feel it in her words.

But we don't just feel what AJ's feeling, we also get to learn a bit about her vampire history and an ancient vampire myth. AJ starts researching a myth on the Serpentines, an evil vampire clan, and this seems to get her into more trouble. The vampire myth definitely added to the intrigue, but so did the cast of characters. Though you could only see them through AJ's eyes, you could still get a little insight into their character. Ryan, her new stepbrother, is having a hard time dealing with their break up just like she is, and is frustrated when she pushes him away. This causes him to be a jerk, but he does make up for it and in the end, he seems like a sweet boy. I totally want AJ to end up with him. Too bad they've been forbidden from being with each other!

And her two best friends, Bridget and Malia, seem like they really care about her, but they're having trouble with each other, and something doesn't seem right with Malia. She acts a bit shady sometimes, which Bridget points out but AJ ignores. The Malia thing is not settled in this book, so I'll have to wait until I read the sequel to find out what's going on with her. But my guess is she is some kind of paranormal being too...

Actually, many things were not settled in this book...but that's what the sequel is for! :P Though I do have some unanswered questions, some of them were answered in this installment. But not in the way I thought it would be. The ending was totally unexpected, and I love that! I did not even suspect the perpetrator...

Bite Me! had it all...drama, mystery, suspense, and even a little romance. I wish it had a little more backstory on some of the characters, though. It was a great read nonetheless, and I can't wait to read the sequel!

Rating:
Plot - ★★★★
Characters - ★★★★
Ending - ★★★★★
Overall - ★★★★

In My Mailbox (04)

Just 2 this week (from NetGalley):

In other news, I am going on vacation, but will try to still post.  I'm bringing along several books, so I'm thinking I'll be able to get some reviews done still. :)

Book Blogger Hop: Apr. 22 - 25 + Follow Friday: Apr. 22

This week's question comes from Christina who blogs at The Paperback Princesses. She asks:

"If you find a book you love, do you hunt down other books by the same author?"

YES, I almost always do so, especially if the book was part of a series.  This has happened to me with Meg Cabot, Julia Quinn, Erin McCarthy, Katie MacAlister, and Lisa Kleypas, to name a few.  If I hear of a new book by one of these authors, I have to go out and pick it up (whether it be buying it or checking it out from the library).  Even if it's not part of a series, I think it's only reasonable for a person to think that since you loved that first book you read from them, you would love other books by the same author (assuming it's the same genre, etc.).









And another one!  This is my first time participating in Follow Friday, a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee.

Q. What is on your playlist?
A. A random bunch of K-Pop songs...I have songs from Big Bang, SNSD, DBSK, etc.  My favorite songs on my playlist right now are GD&TOP - 뻑이가요 and SNSD - Hoot, because they're both super fun to listen to, haha.

On the English side, I'm really liking Nicki Minaj's Moment 4 Life.

Waiting on Wednesday (01)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine to spotlight upcoming releases that we're looking forward too.

Though she tries returning to the life she knew before the accident, Pierce can't help but feel at once a part of this world, and apart from it. Yet she's never alone . . . because someone is always watching her. Escape from the realm of the dead is impossible when someone there wants you back.

But now she's moved to a new town. Maybe at her new school, she can start fresh. Maybe she can stop feeling so afraid.

Only she can't. Because even here, he finds her. That's how desperately he wants her back. She knows he's no guardian angel, and his dark world isn't exactly heaven, yet she can't stay away . . . especially since he always appears when she least expects it, but exactly when she needs him most.

But if she lets herself fall any further, she may just find herself back in the one place she most fears: the Underworld.

I love Meg Cabot's work! So I definitely cannot wait for a new release from her. :)

When a virus makes everyone over the age of eighteen infertile, would-be parents pay teen girls to conceive and give birth to their children, making teens the most prized members of society. Girls sport fake baby bumps and the school cafeteria stocks folic-acid-infused food.

Sixteen-year-old identical twins Melody and Harmony were separated at birth and have never met until the day Harmony shows up on Melody’s doorstep. Up to now, the twins have followed completely opposite paths. Melody has scored an enviable conception contract with a couple called the Jaydens. While they are searching for the perfect partner for Melody to bump with, she is fighting her attraction to her best friend, Zen, who is way too short for the job.

Harmony has spent her whole life in Goodside, a religious community, preparing to be a wife and mother. She believes her calling is to convince Melody that pregging for profit is a sin. But Harmony has secrets of her own that she is running from.

When Melody is finally matched with the world-famous, genetically flawless Jondoe, both girls’ lives are changed forever. A case of mistaken identity takes them on a journey neither could have ever imagined, one that makes Melody and Harmony realize they have so much more than just DNA in common.

Judging from this little summary, the story sounds very interesting. And since I enjoyed Megan McCafferty's previous books, I think I'll really enjoy this too.

REVIEW: Unearthly

Title: Unearthly
Author: Cynthia Hand
Series: N/A
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Paranormal
Publisher: Harper Teen
Format: Hardcover
# of pages: 435
Source: Library
Summary:

Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angel.  Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do.  Figuring out what that is, though, isn't easy.


Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town.  When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place--and out of place at the same time.  Because there's another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side.


As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make--between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil.  When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?

Review:
Unearthly is one of the best books I've read this year. The plot line is very unique to me; I haven't read another book like it.  At first I was a little iffy, because I don't like to read religious fiction, and I was worried about how much religion would be tied in since this book does deal with the idea of angels.  Thankfully, it's not tied in too much.  God is specifically mentioned once or twice, and heaven is mentioned a couple of times, but other than that...nothing overwhelming.

Anyway, this book is told through Clara's point of view as she tries to figure out her purpose as an angel-blood while trying to live the life of a normal teenage girl at the same time.  Her voice was very realistic, as she dealt with being the new girl and trying to fit in, the joys and frustrations of figuring out how to be an angel, and the emotions of just being a teenage girl finding romance with a teenage boy.  But in this case, Clara ends up interested in two boys, and will have to choose when the time comes...

And while the story is about Clara and from her POV, we do get to know the other characters in her life and they are just as likable as Clara.  The plot and characters all added up to a book that I could barely put down.  If I didn't need to sleep, I probably wouldn't have, lol.

The ending, however, was not what I was expecting, and was a bit anticlimactic.  It left me with so many unanswered questions!  BUT, after Googling, I now know that it's probably because there's a SEQUEL!  Yay! (Thank goodness!)

One more thing, the cover is gorgeous!  I know they say not to judge a book by it's cover, but most times I do.  I'm more likely to pick up a book that has a pretty cover, and that's what happened here.  Saw the cover, loved it and decided to read it.  I'm so glad I did.

Rating:
Plot - ★★★★★
Characters - ★★★★★
Ending - ★★★★1/2
Overall - ★★★★★