Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by Miz B of Should Be Reading and asks you to :

1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a random page
3 . Share 2 "teaser" sentences also citing the title of the book and the author and in that way people can have great recommendations if they like the "teaser".
4. Please avoid spoilers!
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

When a descendant of Aerynn falls in love, she falls in love forever and there isn't enough magick in the universe to change that simple truth. Wouldn't you think one of us would have managed to get it right in three hundred years?

~page 16
Spun By Sorcery by Barbara Bretton

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday (started at The Printed Page and now a traveling meme) is at Passages to the Past this month and is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week (checked out library books don’t count, eBooks & audio books do). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

I'm running late but I've had a busy, yet happy day. We even had some warm temperatures and expect a bit more this week. There will be rain of course. Lots and lots of rain.

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter and that the Bunny was very good to you. We had a nice dinner at home with all of our kids here. That always makes me happy! I wish you all a happy spring and good reading. Cheers!

Toys by James Patterson
Won from CMash Loves To Read

Move over James Bond--you've just met your match!

Hays Baker and his wife Lizbeth possess super-human strength, exceptional intelligence, stunning looks, a sex life to die for, and two beautiful children. Of course they do--they're Elites, endowed at birth with the most advanced genetic enhancements available. Elitesare the pinnacle of evolution; the triumph of man's ambitions.

The only problem in their perfect world--are the humans!

And their toys!

Now comes the most unbelievable shock of Hays Baker's life. Suddenly he's on the other side of the gun, experiencing a life he'd never dreamed possible--and fighting to save humans everywhere from extinction.

Not only that, Hays and Lizbeth just might lose their perfect family.

James Patterson's Toys is a thriller on a hyper plane--with a hero to rival both Bond and Jason Bourne.

Unchained by Sharon Ashwood,
$10.00 Starbucks gift card, The Dark Forgotten Reader & magnet
Won from author through Fresh Fiction March Contest

Ashe Carver, monster-killer, has the scars to prove it. But faced with a custody battle, she's hung up her stakes and taken a job at the public library, determined to show the courts and her ten-year-old daughter that she's as good a mother as she is a hunter.

Easier said than done. There are lovelorn vampires haunting the library, a slime demon in the shopping mall, and her new-mom sister needs a hand with her ghostbusting biz. Then, after centuries guarding a supernatural prison, Captain Reynard strides into her world like a hero from the library's Must Reads. Smokingly gorgeous, passionate and courageous to a fault, he has only weeks to live unless Ashe finds the thief who took his soul.

Ashe picks up her weapons to save the day—but not every problem can be solved with a stake. With so much tragedy in her past, Ashe fears the disaster she sees ahead—and prays she doesn't fail everyone. Again.

Memories are the hardest monsters to kill.

Say Hello To Zorro! by Carter Goodrich
From author for review

Mister Bud is a dog of routine. He has wake up time, nap time, rest time, dinner time, etc. And everyone knows to follow his schedule.

Then disaster strikes. A stranger comes home at "make a fuss time" and throws everything off! Zorro is little bit bossy and Mister Bud wants nothing to do with him. But when the dogs discover they like the same things (like chasing the cat and napping), everything becomes more fun. As long as everyone follows the schedule.

Original Sin by Beth McMullen
From Hyperion Books for review

SHE HAS A LICENSE TO KILL. AND CARPOOL.

Seeing Lucy Hamilton, you would think she is just like any other suburban stay-at-home San Francisco mom. She takes her three-year-old son Theo to the beach, playground, and the zoo. She makes organic applesauce, folds laundry, and plays on the floor with Matchbox cars until her knees ache. What no one knows about Lucy, not even her adoring husband Will, is that for nine years she was known as Sally Sin, a spy for the USAWMD (United States Agency for Weapons of Mass Destruction). And that’s just the way Lucy wants to keep it – a secret.

Ian Blackford, a notorious illegal arms dealer and Lucy’s long-forgotten nemesis, returns to the USAWMD’s radar, and they are forced to call Lucy back to action to lure Blackford out into the open. As she races to unravel the mystery that surrounds Blackford’s return (and get dinner on the table), she realizes that the answers she needs lie in a past that she’s tried very hard to forget. In a race against time, Lucy must fight to save herself, her family – and, oh yes – the world.

Happy Easter!

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by Miz B of Should Be Reading and asks you to :

1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a random page
3 . Share 2 "teaser" sentences also citing the title of the book and the author and in that way people can have great recommendations if they like the "teaser".
4. Please avoid spoilers!
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

In school I was the skinny girl who had a crown-wearing, lipstick-smeared lunatic for a mother. Nobody talked to me unless they wanted an answer to a test question, and nobody sat with me at the lunch table - well, nobody except Oscar Wolper, who smelled like dirty socks and bore a shocking resemblance to Mr. Potato Head.

~page 9
Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday (started at The Printed Page and now a traveling meme) is at Passages to the Past this month and is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week (checked out library books don’t count, eBooks & audio books do). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

Another week with only one book but that's still OK. I have plenty to read and I can't stay away from the library either. It's been a rainy week with more to come so it's prime reading weather. Although, what weather isn't??

Behind The Gate (Tomorrow Girls #1) by Eva Gray
For review from Scholastic

In a terrifying future world, four girls must depend on each other if they want to survive.

Louisa is nervous about being sent away to a boarding school -- but she’s excited, too. And she has her best friend, Maddie, to keep her company. The girls have to pretend to be twin sisters, which Louisa thinks just adds to the adventure!

Country Manor School isn’t all excitement, though. Louisa isn’t sure how she feels about her new roommates: athletic but snobby Rosie and everything’s-a-conspiracy Evelyn. Even Maddie seems different away from home, quiet and worried all the time.

Still, Louisa loves CMS -- the survival skills classes, the fresh air. She doesn’t even miss not having a TV, or the internet, or any contact with home. It’s for their own safety, after all.

Or is it?

Review: Pale Demon (The Hollows #9) by Kim Harrison

A wild journey of
black magic and
supernatural adventure.

Condemned to death for black magic and shunned, Rachel Morgan has three days to somehow get to the annual witches convention in San Francisco and clear her name. If she fails, the only way she can escape death is to live in the demonic ever after . . . for ever after.

Banned from the flight lists, Rachel teams up with elven tycoon Trent Kalamack, headed for the West Coast for his own mysterious business. But Rachel isn’t the only passanger along for the ride. Can a witch, an elf, a living vampire, and a pixy in one car survive for over 2,300 miles? And that’s not counting the assassin on their tail.

A fearsome demon walks the sunlight, freed after centuries of torment to slay the innocent and devour souls. But his ultimate prey is Rachel Morgan. While the powerful witch with nerves of steel will do whatever it takes to stay alive, even embracing her own demonic nature may not be enough to save her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I just started the series recently with the first book and loved it. When I got this book (#9) to review I had to skip the ones in the middle. I hate reading them out of order, although this was still a good story, so I'm going back and reading them all.

This series is a great combination of paranormal, romance, action and best of all - humor. Author Kim Harrison does a terrific job of creating strong women. Witch Rachel Morgan is the main character and with the help of her pixie friend Jenks, is off on another adventure. The road trip across the country is a riot as Trent and Ivy help create chaos. I thought my family was tough! Drama and action are soon thrown into the mix as they are being pursued by a variety of bad guys including a demon who eats living souls. Yum.

The characters are so interesting although I'm looking forward to finding out more of their back story and how they got to this point. There are obvious romantic connections and they're definitely complicated. But some loose ends are beginning to come together and the writing is excellent with several new plot twists.

I've read many 5 star reviews for this and several people have said it's their favorite Rachel Morgan book. Harrison does not slack off with the story line and intricate layers of the magical world have been built up throughout the series. I was missing out on that without reading the books in between but this was still very enjoyable. The ending has a good set up for book #10 next year.

I can't take it anymore...I'm off to read the rest of this series, right now!

Coming soon:
Hollows series graphic novel
7/12/11






Madison Avery series #3
late May or early June






Author site
Thank you to HarperCollins for a copy of this book to review.

Publisher: Harper Voyager (HarperCollins)
Release date: 2/22/11
Pages: 432
Price/format:$16.99/hardcover
Type: paranormal romance/urban fantasy

Spring Cleaning Contest!

I need to clear out stuff around here. It's time for some spring cleaning! Since I don't really feel like doing any actual cleaning yet, I'm going to move out some of the books I'm finished with. I'll start with some young adult ARCs. It's always good to share, right?

There will be two winners. The first name chosen will get to pick 8 titles. The next name will get the remaining 5 titles. If I finish more books before the contest ends I'll add them to the list. I might as well ship off as many books as I can fit in the box!

YA ARC titles: (not finished copies)
Matched by Ally Condie
Radiance by Alyson Noel
White Cat by Holly Black
Wither by Lauren DeStefano
Monster High by Lisi Harrison
Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel
Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow
Passing Strange by Daniel Waters
You Are So Undead to Me by Stacey Jay
Undiscovered Gyrl by Allison Burnett
What Matters Most by Melody Carlson
Dope Sick by Walter Dean Myers
Hell Hollow by Ronald Kelly

Rules:
- Simply fill out the form below to enter.
- U.S. only (so sorry I can't afford international!)
- Winners chosen by random.org
- Contest ends 5/6/11 at 11:59 p.m. EST

Extra entries:
+1 new follower
+2 old follower
+2 promote - leave link

Closed

Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by Miz B of Should Be Reading and asks you to :

1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a random page
3 . Share 2 "teaser" sentences also citing the title of the book and the author and in that way people can have great recommendations if they like the "teaser".
4. Please avoid spoilers!
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

It seemed like the moment I lost consciousness, I found it again. It certainly wasn't where I'd left it.

~page 126
First Grave On The Right by Darynda Jones

Shopping at CSN Store

Now that we are having nicer weather I'm looking forward to spending time outside. I can't wait to work in the flowers, mow the grass and relax with a good book. It still looks so dreary on my patio and I need to liven it up. I'm going shopping!

CSN Stores offer everything that you can imagine - table lamps for your home, desks for your office, swing sets for your kids and dog houses for your pet. I know I can find something there but how am I ever going to narrow down the choices??

Last summer I purchased two items from CSN, my beloved new hammock and a set of pots and pans for my hubby. We were very happy with our choices and get so much use out of both. Last year I was feeling generous and got something for both of us. This year I'm feeling a bit selfish. (heh, heh, heh) I'll let you know what I decide to get!

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday (started at The Printed Page and now a traveling meme) is at Passages to the Past this month and is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week (checked out library books don’t count, eBooks & audio books do). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

I only got one book last week but there is plenty to read around here. We finally have some nice weather too. The yard is still looking ugly but I can tell spring is in the air and today felt like a hammock kind of day. It won't be long now!

Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma
From LibraryThing Early Reviewers

Chloe's older sister, Ruby, is the girl everyone looks to and longs for, who can't be captured or caged. When a night with Ruby's friends goes horribly wrong and Chloe discovers the dead body of her classmate London Hayes left floating in the reservoir, Chloe is sent away from town and away from Ruby.

But Ruby will do anything to get her sister back, and when Chloe returns to town two years later, deadly surprises await. As Chloe flirts with the truth that Ruby has hidden deeply away, the fragile line between life and death is redrawn by the complex bonds of sisterhood.

Do you remember Golden Books?

Is there anyone out there who didn't read Golden Books at some point in their life? I loved them as a kid and I enjoyed reading them to my own kids so I found this so interesting.

Check out this Golden Books dress! I couldn't imagine how they did it but there are photos of the whole process. Read about how they used the different parts too. I'm not one to take books apart but this is very clever. Wow!

Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by Miz B of Should Be Reading and asks you to :

1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a random page
3 . Share 2 "teaser" sentences also citing the title of the book and the author and in that way people can have great recommendations if they like the "teaser".
4. Please avoid spoilers!
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The water is an enormous mirror, tipped with pink and gold from the sky. In that single, blazing moment as I come around the bend, the sun - curved over the dip of the horizon like a solid gold archway - lets out its final winking rays of life, shattering the darkness of the water, turning everything white for a fraction of a second, and then falls away, sinking, dragging the pink and the red and the purple out of the sky with it, all the color bleeding away instantly and leaving only dark.

~page 84
Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday (started at The Printed Page and now a traveling meme) is at Passages to the Past this month and is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week (checked out library books don’t count, eBooks & audio books do). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

I have quite a variety from the last two weeks, each book is very different. Maybe when spring really arrives I can enjoy them outside in the sunshine!

The Stone Of Destiny by Jim Ware
From publisher for review

Morgan Izaak is obsessed with his father’s ancient books about the magical Philosopher’s Stone. And since his mother has cancer, a little magic could be really useful—although she would prefer to trust her doctors and pray. When Morgan’s best friend, Eny, tells him about another magic stone that may be hidden in their own town—the Irish Stone of Destiny—he’s determined to find it. But Morgan’s not the only one looking for the Stone, and by the time the two middle schoolers realize there’s evil afoot, Morgan has betrayed his friendship, bad-tempered giants are loose in the land, and the Stone is lost…perhaps forever. This charming, fantastical tale about faith is the first of two volumes about the Stone of Destiny.

A Tale Of Two Demon Slayers by Angie Fox
From PaperBack Swap

Last month, I was a single preschool teacher whose greatest thrill consisted of color-coding my lesson plans. That was before I learned I was a slayer. Now, it's up to me to face curse-hurling imps, vengeful demons, and any other supernatural uglies that crop up. And, to top it off, a hunk of a shape-shifting griffin has invited me to Greece to meet his family.

But it s not all sun, sand, and ouzo. Someone has created a dark-magic version of me with my powers and my knowledge and it wants to kill me and everyone I know. Of course, this evil twin doesn't have Grandma's gang of biker witches, a talking Jack Russell terrier, or an eccentric necromancer on its side. In the ultimate showdown for survival, may the best demon slayer win.

Cows Can't Jump by Dave Reisman
From author for review

Is it really true that cows can't jump, gorillas can't swim and sloths can't leap? Yes, but discover what these and other animals can do, as they swing, scamper and glide through Cows Can't Jump! In this humorous and inspirational adventure, animals focus on what they do best, comfortably aware they can t do everything, but proud of their own special skills. Vibrantly illustrated, Cows Can't Jump will help young readers learn diverse and dynamic words, while absorbing a subtle yet powerful message that builds self-esteem and teaches respect and humility.

The Bond by Wayne Pacelle
From publisher

No one can doubt Wayne Pacelle's position on the subject of this book: He is the president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States and a key official in the Fund for Animals. His new book isn't just a rich celebration of the deeply entrenched bond between animals and humans; it is also a penetrating alarm about widespread cruelty to animals and the threat to thousands of species now facing extinction. A poignant book for anyone who ever loved a pet.

So true!

Review: The Candidates (Delcroix Academy #1) by Inara Scott

I was a fraud,
a girl they thought was a hero
but was really a coward,
and it was only a matter
of time before they figured it out.

Dancia Lewis is far from popular. And that's not just because of her average grades or her less-than-glamorous wardrobe. In fact, Dancia's mediocrity is a welcome cover for her secret: whenever she sees a person threatening someone she cares about, things just...happen. Cars skid. Structures collapse. Usually someone gets hurt. So Dancia does everything possible to avoid getting close to anyone, belieiving this way she can supress her powers and keep them hidden.

But when recruiters from the prestigious Delcroix Academy show up in her living room to offer her a full scholarship, Dancia's days of living under the radar may be over. Only, Delcroix is a school for diplomats' kids and child geniuses--not B students with uncontrollable telekinetic tendencies. So why are they treating Dancia like she's special? Even the hottest guy on campus seems to be going out of his way to make Dancia feel welcome.

And then there's her mysterious new friend Jack, who can't stay out of trouble. He suspects something dangerous is going on at the Academy and wants Dancia to help him figure out what. But Dancia isn't convinced. She hopes that maybe the recruiters know more about her "gift" than they're letting on. Maybe they can help her understand how to use it...But not even Dancia could have imagined what awaits her behind the gates of Delcroix Academy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is the author's debut novel and first book in a new YA series. (Love these covers!) Dancia is a teen who has spent her whole life trying hard not to be noticed. She wants to be ordinary although she is anything but. When she accepts an offer to attend Delcroix Academy she begins to learn more about herself and the person she thought she was.

The mystery in Dancia's life is interesting and kept me turning the pages. It was obvious that the school was hiding many secrets. Everyone here is special in some way but that's mysterious as well. The characters were stereotypical of most high schoolers. Jack is the rebel/bad boy who stirs up trouble and seeks answers. Cam is the popular golden boy, a poster child for the academy. Dancia soon finds herself drawn to both of these young men for the different things that each of them represents. The love triangle is a bit too traditional but maybe I've read too many of these lately. I thought the friendships that were developing with the other girls were more enjoyable and characters were fun and quirky.

The final chapters provide action and suspense that set up the next book. I liked the idea of the special powers and I look forward to seeing that aspect develop more as the series progresses. I'm curious to find out more about the secrets of Delcroix Academy and I'll be reading more from this author.

Thank you to Disney Book Group for a copy of this book in exchange for my review.


The Watchers (Delcroix Academy #2)
Release date: expected 8/2/11






Author's site
Author's blog
Publisher's site

Publisher: HarperCollins
Release date: 8/10
Pages: 293
Price/format: $16.99 /hardcover
Type: Teen fiction