Introducing... The Reward Challenge

For as long as I've been a reading fanatic, I've always felt the guilt of wanting to buy many more books while already having a mini-library at home. After chatting with The Tea Mouse about the various book buying bans we've both attempted, I have been inspired to set an insanely awesome challenge for myself and anyone else who wants to reward themselves for each and every book they read!

The Reward Challenge is almost the complete opposite to a book buying ban as you'll end up buying lots of new books throughout the challenge but only after you've completed a certain amount of reading.

Stage 1      Read ONE Book       =      Buy ONE Book
Stage 2      Read TWO Books     =      Buy ONE Book
Stage 3      Read THREE Books  =      Buy ONE Book
Stage 4      Read FOUR Books    =      Buy ONE Book
Stage 5      Read FIVE Books     =      Buy ONE Book

a n d   s o   o n . . . 

The most committed participants will be rewarded for their efforts with the official prizes available below, I'll be keeping an eye out for the greatest progress in the monthly link-up on my blog.

Official Prizes:
It's key to remember, you'll be rewarding yourself with each book you complete but it wouldn't be a proper blog challenge without a pre-order from TBD which, of course means INTERNATIONAL ENTRANTS are welcome!

t h e   b o o k   o f   y o u r   c h o i c e   f r o m   t h e   b o o k   d e p o s i t o r y!

To begin this challenge...

- complete any book from your reading pile + reward yourself with a book purchase.

- put together a blog post entitled "reward challenge - stage #1"

- then link it up here :)

Good Luck + Be Sure To Leave a Comment If You're Participating :)

The Reward Challenge | Stage #2

The Reward Challenge is basically a consecutive reading challenge where you aim to read one, two, three, etc books from your reading pile and then allow yourself a reward at every stage. If you're wanting to participate, check out the official post on my blog :)

Stage 2  

Read Two Books = Reward

     Read: You Wish by Mandy Hubbard + Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

     Bought: A Million Suns (Across the Universe #2) by Beth Revis

Q: Which Of The Three Books Would You Most Enjoy?

Review: You Wish by Mandy Hubbard

Title: You Wish

Author: Mandy Hubbard

Genre: YA - Romance

Date: August 5th 2010

Publisher: RazorBill

Source: Book Swap

Review: YOU WISH is possibly the most adorable novel I've ever read, I especially loved the glistening pink cover with it's brightly-coloured pony sitting atop an enticing iced cupcake that almost promises to take you on a wild ride of the best childhood memories. 

While regrettably celebrating her sweet sixteenth, Kayla can't help but think of all the disappointments in her life and at the exact moment of blowing out her candles, she hopes for all her birthday wishes to finally come true.

The very next day Kayla is awoken by a bright-pink My Little Pony outside her bedroom window and can only imagine it to be a terrible tie-dye prank of her younger brother but day after day, she realises each of her birthday wishes are finally being brought to life with astounding results and it immediately has her hankering for their disappearance.

I'd have to agree with most other reviewers on the unveiling of each and every birthday wish to be the highlight of the novel. I just adored the idea of a childhood barbie obsession coming full-circle when a larger than life Ken doll rocks up at Kayla's door with an uber personality to take Raggedy-Ann out on a hot date. It seemed like something straight out of the latest Toy Story movie and I can just imagine the younger audiences enjoying it immensely.

Overall, I am extremely pleased with the hilariously quirky themes throughout this novel and commend the author for her awesome creativity. I can only hope Mandy Hubbard is currently working on something just as irresistable, as her current novels seem to be pretty uninspiring.

THREE OUT OF FIVE STARS

The Reward Challenge | Stage #1

The Reward Challenge is basically a consecutive reading challenge where you aim to read one, two, three, etc books from your reading pile and then allowing yourself a reward at every stage. If you're wanting to participate, keep an eye out for the official post on my blog in a couple days as there'll be plenty of prizes along the way :)

Stage 1 | Read One Book = Reward

     Read: Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan

     Reward: The Future of Us by Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler

Q: Any Thoughts On The Reward Challenge So Far?

Waiting on Wednesday #57

The Story of Us

by Deb Caletti 

I never seem to really enjoy Deb Caletti's novels as much as I hope to but there is just something that keeps me coming back again and again. I'm hoping this will be the book to turn it all around, the summary sure sounds interesting enough. Oh I'm sure there has to be some Taylor Swift inspiration here, right?

April 24th 2012 ;; Cricket's on a self-imposed break from her longtime boyfriend, trying to figure out whether she's in it for the right reasons. But this is a bad week to try to figure it all out. After ditching two previous husbands-to-be at the airport, Cricket's mother Daisy is finally getting married, to Dan Jax. Cricket loves Dan, but as the families and friends start to arrive for Wedding Week at the beautiful guest house on Bishop Rock, run by old hippies Ted and Rebecca Rose and their sweet, sexy son Ash, things start getting complicated. 

There’s no airport on Bishop Rock, as far as anyone knows, but Cricket fears that Dan is in danger of becoming ditched husband-to-be number three, and Cricket’s own desires have chosen now to have a mind of their own. Because even though her boyfriend looms large in her mind, Ash is right in front of her....

In My Mailbox #76

In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by Kristi from The Story Siren, feel free to participate by sharing the books you received in your mailbox this week!

In Order of Excitement:

This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen | I've almost worked my way through all of this authors books and it'll be sad when I don't have anymore on my wish list but I may have to go back and re-read my absolute favourites.

Sorta Like a Rock Star by Matthew Quick | I'm not sure how this one will go over with me, I can't ever imagine having to live life on the road but let's hope it's a little like How Not To Be Popular.

Shift by Em Bailey | Apparently this one is a lot like Liar by Justine Larbalestier which I haven't read just yet but I think the amazing cover will have me reading this one asap.

Fury (The Fury Series #1) by Elizabeth Miles | The reviews for Fury have all been split right down the middle, either absolutely terrible or glowing and with my recent enjoyment of paranormal, I'm hoping I agree with the latter.

Like Mandarin by Kirsten Hubbard | I haven't always been keen on this one but after reading so many raving reviews, it was hard to pass up in a recent book swap.

How to Deal by Sarah Dessen | Another Dessen for me this week. I haven't actually seen the movie this is based on but I'm stoked to finally get my hands on That Summer :)

Tangled by Carolyn Mackler | I really do not like this version of the cover, it looks like a really bad christian romance novel but it has been on my wish list forever so i'll probably read it soon anyway.

Follow the Blue by Brigid Lowry | I've been curious about this one for such a long time, it seems to be a favourite of many Aussie YA fans and I can't wait to see what all the fuss is about.

You'll Be Sorry When I'm Dead by Marieke Hardy | I picked up this book purely knowing the author as a host on triple j  radio but recently discovered she's also a frequent writer for the tv show, Packed to the Rafters so it should be pretty good.

The Postmortal: A Novel by Drew Magary | For some reason, I was keen to pick this book up while on the look out for more dystopia like The Hunger Games but now I'm regretting the icky green cover.

Q: Which Duo of Books Would You Most Like to Read?

Waiting on Wednesday #56

A Million Suns #2 by Beth Revis  

I was blown away at the awesomeness of Across the Universe and I cannot wait to see what happens next with the ship.  I'm already thinking about pre-ordering the next installment even though it won't be released for a few more months.

January 12th 2012 ;; When Elder learns harrowing news about the space ship Godspeed, he and Amy must work together to unlock a puzzle that was set in motion hundreds of years earlier, all the while dealing with the romance that’s growing between them and the chaos that threatens to tear them apart. It all boils down to one mind-bending conclusion: They have to get off this ship.

Day 5: A Book That Makes You Happy

Memes are fun! Well, some of them are at least. That's why I'm participating in the 30 Day Meme I stumbled across at Chimneys and Magic.

Day Five - A Book That Makes You Happy

I'm hoping the category for today refers to the few and far between hilarious YA novels out there, otherwise I'm completely lost as to what books make me happy? Anyhow, I have selected The Lonely Hearts Club as the comedic twist came as a complete surprise to me when I blindly picked up this debut effort! I ended up really enjoying it even though it's totally indulgent and just for fun. It seems I should pay more attention to Stephenie Meyer's book taste as I only recently devoured The Hunger Games which also features her stamp of approval on the front cover.

Runner-Up:

How Not To Be Popular by Jennifer Ziegler

Q: What are your favourite comedic books?

Review: The Wolves of Mercy Falls

FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARS (Wowee Zowee!)

THE WOLVES OF MERCY FALLS is an entirely captivating series unlike any other. As I tend to keep my distance from the ever-so popular paranormal genre, I see it as pure luck and a fondness for beautiful covers that lead me to initially pick up SHIVER then following on with LINGER and FOREVER within mere weeks. 

Maggie Stiefver weaves an instantly believable tale of werewolves who roam the woods of Mercy Falls in winter while shifting into their human forms each summer. 

Grace Brisbane has always felt an instant attraction to the yellow-eyed wolf who saved her from an attack many years ago, he has since visited her from a distance on many occasions but it isn't until a messy shooting leaves Sam in the care of the girl he has always shared an eerie connection with that their relationship really starts to kick off. 

After only just finishing up The Hunger Games, I never expected to find another series so worthy of high praise. I find the intensity and writing quality to be almost identical in both and wish to find many more similar reading experiences. 

It's safe to say, I love these three books and now eagerly await the film adaption in late two-thousand twelve. I encourage all fans of romance and/or paranormal to do themselves a favour and set aside a few hours for the ride that begins with a shiver.

Day 4: Fave Book From A Series

Memes are fun! Well, some of them are at least. That's why I'm participating in the 30 Day Meme I stumbled across at Chimneys and Magic.

Day Four - Fave Book From A Series

As I featured The Hunger Games yesterday, I thought I'd branch out today by featuring another of my fave books from a series - Shiver by Maggie Stiefver. To tell you the truth, I was always doubtful of this series but luckily the captivating cover finally won me over so much that I ended up reading all three books consecutively which made for an even more intense and enjoyable read.  

I'm also quietly confident about the film adaptation planned for late two-thousand twelve, I can't wait to see who will be cast as Grace, Sam, Isabel & Cole.

Runner-Up:

Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

Q: What is your favourite book from a series?