Weekend Question #1

Weekend Question is hosted by Liz of Cleverly Inked. Every weekend, a bookish question will be asked. I decided to come up with my own question for my first week attempt at this meme but I'm sure next time around I'll be participating properly.


Weekend Question:
How do you resist the temptations of a pre-order?
I've only just got into the art of pre-orders so when I saw What Happen With Goodbye by Sarah Dessen listed on The Book Depository for an extremely cheap price, I was very tempted but with over 200 days until it's release, is it really a smart buy... Who knows what I'll be doing in May of 2011 and whether I'll have received the book by then so my question to you is how long do you wait before ordering books you know you'll love?
Head over to Cleverly Inked to hop onboard this weekly meme.

The All-Time Favourites Giveaway

To help celebrate the looming 1000 followers achievement and to follow through on my aim of talking more about my favourite books, I've decided to put together a worldwide giveaway courtesy of The Book Depository.

THE LIST | THE PRIZES | THE LOOT
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by David Levithan & Rachel Cohn
Does My Head Look Big in This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah
A Match Made in High School
by Kristin Walker
The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg
How Not to Be Popular by Jennifer Ziegler
Feeling Sorry for Celia
by Jaclyn Moriarty
Forget You by Jennifer Echols
Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin
Just Listen by Sarah Dessen
Slam
by Nick Hornby
OR
THE BOOK OF YOUR CHOICE TO THE AMOUNT OF $AU10


Thanks to Matt for the support.  He is interested in the forensic sciences, reading and popular culture.

Waiting on Wednesday #23



by Beth Revis
Instores: 11th January 2011
I happened to read the first chapter of this book the other day (and you can too, here!). I was addicted within the first few pages and cannot wait to see how things turn out for Amy having been awoken early and now living on a spaceship destined for a new planet in 300 years that her parents will inhabit.

Summary from Goodreads: A love out of time. A spaceship built of secrets and murder. 

Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules. 

Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone—one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship—tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn’t do something soon, her parents will be next. 

Now, Amy must race to unlock Godspeed’s hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there’s only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming. 
tags: science-fiction, dystopia, romance, mystery

Music Monday #2

In an effort to follow on from Manda's Movements New Music Monday feature which I've been promising for weeks now, I've selected a few of my favourite songs that I just can't stop playing! The only rule is the song must've been released in the past couple months, ENJOY!


Inside of You by The Maine - I think you'll see a common theme here, all awesome, catchy songs with less than awesome videos. The Maine do it best though, with a weird storyline and ultra catchy chorus.



I Don't Wanna Dance by Hey Monday - I was actually tossing up between this song and Wish You Were Here off the same EP as they are both single-worthy in my opinion but this one won out as it actually had an official music video made for it.



King of Anything by Sara Bareilles - Although I've kept my eye on Sara Bareilles, this is the first song I've really gotten into of hers. The initial part of the song is really hard to sing along to which really bothers me and has probably affected how many times I put this on repeat.



My Best Theory by Jimmy Eat World - I've been a fan of this band for awhile and this song has been slowly growing on me each time I listen to it but I think I've decided it's a keeper!



Dancing With A Ghost by Valencia - I guess the idea behind this song comes from Patrick Swayze's role in the movie Ghost or something along those lines because otherwise I cannot explain this video clip at all.  



Just A Dream by Nelly - Up until now, you probably think you had a handle on my music taste but then out of nowhere comes a rap artist. Well, I can't explain it but you know when you just can't resist a song. I listen to it probably 10 times on repeat when I can.


Know any songs you think I'll enjoy, just let me know below v

Mandy Hubbard's YA Recommendations


You Wish made it onto my reading stack just the other day and in a quirky coincidence, I've also got a list of Mandy Hubbard's favourite reads to share with you all below!



Ten YA Book Recommendations:
1. Going too Far by Jennifer Echols (Swoon Worthy romance!)
2. Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles (Ditto!)
3. One Night That Changes Everything (Compelling and fast paced)
4. Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott (Haunting!)
5. A Match Made in High School by Kristin Walker (Hilarious!)
6. The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams (Heart breaking)
7. Amaranth Enchantment by Julie Berry (four words: It has a PRINCE.)
8. Z for Zachariah (I actually re-read it, and I NEVER Re-read books!)
9. The Season by Sarah Maclean (my love for Regency England knows no bounds…)
10. Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John (killer voice, great main character).


I hope you've found at least one book to add onto your wish list, I know there's a couple I'll be making sure to buy a lot sooner rather than later.

In My Mailbox #49

This week I was featured in the lovely Nely's Bookshelf of the Week meme which I loved putting together, head over here for a few pics of my tbr pile and reading buddy. I got some really great books this time around, mostly thanks to Nomes. I'm pretty sure we have almost identical taste in reading material which makes her an awesome trading partner! Check out The Story Siren for more information on the blogosphere's obsession with In My Mailbox.



The Truth about Forever by Sarah Dessen  
Sixteen-year-old Macy Queen is looking forward to a long, boring summer. Her boyfriend is going away. She's stuck with a dull-as-dishwater job at the library. And she'll spend all of her free time studying for the SATs or grieving silently with her mother over her father's recent unexpected death. But everything changes when Macy is corralled into helping out at one of her mother's open house events, and she meets the chaotic Wish Catering crew. Before long, Macy joins the Wish team. She loves everything about, the work and the people. But the best thing about Wish is Wes—artistic, insightful, and understanding Wes—who gets Macy to look at life in a whole new way, and really start living it. 


Sarah Dessen has to be one of my favourite authors so when I saw the summary for this book, I couldn't believe I'd left it off my wish list for so long. It's safe to say I'll be reading this one pretty soon.



As You Wish by Jackson Pearce
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 was tossing up between this one and the one just below basically because of their similar titles, I ended up getting both and I'm sure I'll really like them equally but this one seems to remind me a bit of Coffeehouse Angel from last year.



You Wish by Mandy Hubbard
What if all your wishes really came true?  Kayla McHenry’s sweet sixteen sucks! Her dad left, her grades dropped, and her BFF is dating the boy Kayla’s secretly loved for years. Blowing out her candles, Kayla thinks: I wish my birthday wishes actually came true. Because they never freakin’ do. 


Kayla wakes the next day to a life-sized, bright pink My Little Pony outside her window. Then a year’s supply of gumballs arrives. A boy named Ken with a disturbing resemblance to the doll of the same 
name stalks her. As the ghosts of Kayla’s wishes-past appear, they take her on a wild ride . . . but they MUST STOP. Because when she was fifteen? She wished Ben Mackenzie would kiss her. And Ben is her best friend’s boyfriend. 


I love the cover of this book so much, I also really like the idea of a giant My Little Pony outside my window. I've found that birthday wishes come to bite me back a few years later so I'm sure I'll relate to this one really well.



Endless Summer by Jennifer Echols 
Two irresistible boys. One unforgettable summer. 


Lori can't wait for her summer at the lake. She loves wake boarding and hanging with her friends—including the two hotties next door. With the Vader brothers, she's always been just one of the guys. Now that she's turning sixteen, she wants to be seen as one of the girls, especially in the eyes of Sean, the older brother. But that's not going to happen—not if the younger brother, Adam, can help it. 


Lori plans to make Sean jealous by spending time with Adam. Adam has plans of his own for Lori. As the air heats up, so does this love triangle. Will Lori's romantic summer melt into one hot mess? 


Endless Summer is the sequel to The Boys Next Door. This edition includes both The Boys Next Door and Endless Summer. 


Forget You was one of my fave reads of this year so I'm sure I'll also love this one by Jennifer Echols and be even more tempted to pick up her other books.



Caleb + Kate by Cindy Martinusen-Coloma
Private school, rich friends, vacations in France--Kate has it all, except a belief in love.


When Kate's family purchases a hotel in the Pacific Northwest, she enters a world that is wholly unknown to her. She never has any privacy because of the constant flow of guests. And as the hotel owner's daughter, she struggles to make friends. 


Then she meets Caleb, a strange combination of working-class, Hawaiian culture, and Christian bad boy. He talks about love in an all new way that she finds so alluring. But the two have nothing in common. He rarely smiles, rides a motorcycle with a rough crowd from town, and worst of all, he totally ignores Kate. But Kate has something that he needs and she resolves to prove to him that what she has doesn't define who she is.


This one never made into onto my wish list but after seeing so many great reviews I knew I had to pick it up, I'm just a tad worried about reading of christian cultures, and a rich girl vs poor boy scenario.





Girl, Stolen by April Henry

Sixteen year-old Cheyenne is sleeping in the back of a car while her mom fills her prescription at the pharmacy. Before Cheyenne realizes what's happening, their car is being stolen--with her inside! Griffin hadn’t meant to kidnap Cheyenne, all he needed to do was steal a car for the others. But once Griffin's dad finds out that Cheyenne’s father is the president of a powerful corporation, everything changes—now there’s a reason to keep her. What Griffin doesn’t know is that Cheyenne is not only sick with pneumonia, she is blind. How will Cheyenne survive this nightmare, and if she does, at what price?


I've always been really curious about what it's like to be blind and I'm sure I'll know a lot more about it after experiencing Cheyenne's kidnapping adventures.


The Legacy by Gemma Malley
When a Pincent Pharma lorry is ambushed by the Underground, its contents come as a huge surprise - not drugs, but corpses in a horrible state. It appears Longevity isn't working and the drugs promising eternal youth are failing to live up to their promises. 
A virus is sweeping the country, killing in its wake, and Longevity is powerless to fight it. When Richard Pincent of Pincent Pharma suggest that the Underground has released the virus, something has to be done to put the story straight and once and for all alert everyone to the truth. 

It bothers me so much when books fail to mention they are part of a series, I only noticed earlier on today so I guess this will have to be on the backstop until I read the rest of the series.

Swot up on the hit TV series with this celebration of all things Gleeful. This is the only official Glee annual, featuring exclusive photographs and contributions by the stars and creators of the show. Get to know the Gleeks, the Jocks, the Cheerios and the teachers, strike a pose with Sue's guide to Voguing, discover your perfect match with the Glee hunk quiz, and become a dedicated fashion follower with Kurt's guide to dressing yourself. 

It's time to get your Gleek on! 

How awesome is Glee, it never fails to put a smile on my face and I loved them for featuring my favourite band Paramore just recently but I wouldn't go as far to call myself a Gleek whom I think this magazine in hardcover form is aimed at. 


Q: Should I get a new blog layout?

(ARC) Tour: Gemini Bites

Gemini Bites by Patrick Ryan | One of the strangest (and funniest) love triangles ever to hit YA fiction, when a pair of twins (one boy, one girl) both fall for the boy who moves in with them…who may or may not be a vampire.
Judy and Kyle Renneker are sixteen-year-old fraternal twins in a rambling family of nine. They have a prickly history with each other and are, at least from Judy's perspective, constantly in fierce competition. Kyle has recently come out of the closet to his family and feels he might never know what it's like to date a guy. Judy, who has a history of pretending to be something she isn't in order to get what she wants, is pretending to be born-again in order to land a boyfriend who heads his own bible study.

When their parents announce that the family is going to be taking in a fellow student for a month so that he can finish the school year before moving away, both Kyle and Judy can't help but sit up and take notice. Garret Johnson, who is taking temporary residence in the newly finished attic, is a young man who moved into town less than a year ago and who is a mysterious, goth loner . . . and claims to be a vampire. He's not an easy person to get to know by any means, but the twins find him (to varying degrees) both strange and alluring.

GEMINI BITES explores what it means to pretend to be something you aren't, what happens when that backfires, and how in-your-face honesty is almost always the best course of action.

SIGN-UPS ARE NOW CLOSED FOR THIS TOUR.
  1. Resugo | UT
  2. Ginger | TX
  3. Shannon | KY
  4. Kat | NC
  5. Caitlin | NJ
  6. Cindy | IL
  7. Dana | IL
  8. Amanda | MI
  9. Jodie | UK
  10. Melanie | UK
Reading time is limited to 7 days and reviews need to be written within a month.

(ARC) Tour: Where She Went

Where She Went (If I Stay #2) by Gayle Forman | It’s been three years since Adam’s love saved Mia after the accident that annihilated life as she knew it . . . and three years since Mia walked out of Adam’s life forever. 

Now living on opposite coasts, Mia is Juilliard’s rising star and Adam is L.A. tabloid fodder, thanks to his new rock star status and celebrity girlfriend. When Adam gets stuck in New York by himself, chance brings the couple together again, for one last night. As they explore the city that has become Mia’s home, Adam and Mia revisit the past and open their hearts to the future—and each other. (less)e blood of the living? Or is death the only escape from the Return’s destruction?

If you're interested in participating in this blog tour, please first sign-up here and then comment on this post with your name and location.
Book #1
  1. Mary | ME
  2. Mrs. Deraps | ME
  3. Cindy | NH
  4. Gabrielle | NC
  5. Samantha | FL
  6. Kathy | UT
  7. Rowena | CA
  8. Katie | Canada
  9. Romy | VIC, Australia
  10. Holly | VIC, Australia

Book #2
  1. ?
  2. ?
  3. ?
  4. ?
  5. ?
  6. ?
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Reading time is limited to 7 days and reviews need to be written within a month.

(ARC) Tour: You Killed Wesley Payne

You Killed Wesley Payne by Sean Beaudoin  | He's come to do a job. A job that involves a body. A body wrapped in duct tape found hanging from the goal posts at the end of the football field. You Killed Wesley Payne is a truly original and darkly hilarious update of classic pulp-noir, in which hard-boiled seventeen year-old Dalton Rev transfers to the mean hallways of Salt River High to take on the toughest case of his life. The question isn't whether Dalton's going to get paid. He always gets paid. Or whether he's gonna get the girl. He always (sometimes) gets the girl. The real question is whether Dalton Rev can outwit crooked cops and killer cliques in time to solve the mystery of "The Body" before it solves him. Sean Beaudoin (Going Nowhere Faster, Fade to Blue) evokes the distinctive voices of legendary crime/noir authors Dashiell Hammett and Jim Thompson with a little bit of Mean Girls and Heathers throwin in for good measure. This smart, slick, and alluring detective novel that will tease you, thrill you, and suck you in. 

Unfortunately this tour had to be cancelled as the required amount of participants was not reached before the release date. 

Waiting on Wednesday #22


Jessie ♥ NYC by Keris Stainton 

Release Date: July 2011 (aw, we have to wait that long?!?)

Summary: Jessie's just arrived in New York, hoping to forget about her awful ex. New Yorker Finn is in love with his best friend's girlfriend. They might be perfect together, but in a city of eight million people, will they ever find each other?

I found Keris Stainton's debut novel, Delia Says: OMG! to be incredibly cute so I could hardly resist squealing when I saw the cover of her next book in a random tweet. Luckily, the summary also grabs my attention as I'd love to travel to New York one day and scour the streets!

(ARC) Tour: The Latte Rebellion

The Latte Rebellion by Sarah Jamila Stevenson | "Our philosophy is simple: Promote a latte-colored world!" — from the Latte Rebellion Manifesto 


When high school senior Asha Jamison gets called a "towel head" at a pool party, the racist insult gives Asha and her best friend Carey a great money-making idea for a post-graduation trip. They'll sell T-shirts promoting the Latte Rebellion, a club that raises awareness of mixed-race students. 

Seemingly overnight, their "cause" goes viral and the T-shirts become a nationwide fad. As new chapters spring up from coast to coast, Asha realizes that her simple marketing plan has taken on a life of its own-and it's starting to ruin hers. Asha's once-stellar grades begin to slip, threatening her Ivy League dreams, and her friendship with Carey is hanging by a thread. And when the peaceful underground movement turns militant, Asha's school launches a disciplinary hearing.Facing expulsion, Asha must decide how much she's willing to risk for something she truly believes in. 

SIGN-UPS ARE NOW CLOSED FOR THIS TOUR.
  1. Cindy | IL *Awaiting Book
  2. Tara | IL
  3. Amanda | MI
  4. Ginny | GA
  5. Gabrielle | NC
  6. Eva | DE
  7. Mary | ME
  8. Tina | Canada
  9. Paula | New Zealand
  10. Holly | Australia
Reading time is limited to 7 days and reviews need to be written within a month.

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