Tune In Tuesday(2)

This meme is hosted by Ginger at GReads & showcases music. Each week you can post an old or new song so that it gains more interest! So head on over and link up.

In 2008, I took my first trip to Vegas. Not only was it awesome because it was Vegas but the best part was that it wasn't planned and we left within two days of booking the flight. I was officially there for 24 hours. It was exciting, I played the slots machines, hung out at the pool, and partied it up until the wee hours of the morning. I think the only sleep I got was on the plane ride to and from Vegas which was five hours each way from Florida. 

We were at the Christian Audigier Club in Treasure Island when I heard this song for the first time. That's when I fell in love with Kings Of Leon. This song reminds me of my 24 hr trip to Vegas.

In My Mailbox(8)

In My Mailbox is hosted weekly by The Story Siren.  We highlight books we have received  for review, purchased, borrowed, or Won. You can find out more here.

Wow, I just realized I haven't participated in this meme in over a month and a half. Anyhoo, all books listed below are books that I've received in the last month. Hopefully I'll remember to list them all since I've been hoarding them.






For Review:

Between By Cyndi Tefft
Save My Soul By Zoe Winters
Dark Goddess by Sarwat Chadda
Bone Dressing by Michelle I. Brooks
Deadly Intentions by Candace Poach
Disturbed by Kevin O'Brien
Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Dead Iron by Devon Monk
Happy Birthday to Me by Brian Rowe
Wildefire by Karsten Knight

RAK:

Radiant Shadows (Thanks! Angela @Reading Angel)
Hex Hall (Thanks! Angela @Reading Angel)
Demon Glass (Thanks! Angela @Reading Angel)
City of Fallen Angels (Thanks! Jess @ Gone With The Words)

Purchased:

Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston
Darklight by Lesley Livingston
Devil's Kiss by Sarwat Chadda

Review: Happy Birthday To Me by Brian Rowe

Title:    Happy Birthday To Me (Birthday Trilogy Book 1) By Brian Rowe
Source: Author provided a copy for review.



Goodreads Synopsis:

Seventeen-year-old Cameron Martin has a huge problem: he’s aging a whole year of his life with each passing day!

High school is hard enough; imagine rapidly aging from seventeen to seventy in a matter of weeks, with no logical explanation, and with prom, graduation, and the state championship basketball game all on the horizon. That’s what happens to Cameron, a popular pretty boy who's never had to face a day looking anything but perfect.

All Cameron wants to do is go back to normal, but no one, not even the best doctors, can diagnose his condition. When he finds love with a mysterious young woman, however, he realizes his only hope for survival might be with the one person who started his condition in the first place..

My Thoughts:

Cameron Martin is your typical popular high school student. He’s an all-star basketball player, good grades, popular, with the prettiest girl in school as his girlfriend.  The first couple of pages he was arrogant and a jerk and I really wanted to grab him and slap some sense into him.  

But, then one day he wakes up and he’s a day older, he’s aging one year for each day that passes. Cameron doesn’t know what’s happening to him or how to explain it. This is where I fell in love with Cameron; he had so much determination and persistence to keep pushing forward when the end loomed so close. I personally don’t know if I was in the same situation if I would do some of the things he did, and I admire him for that.

As Cameron learns when you are faced with some of the toughest challenges in your life that is when you know who will stay by your side and who will bolt at the first sign of trouble. When you realize that life is shorter than you thought your priorities tend to change, and you start to analyze what kind of person you are.

By the end of the book Cameron had redeemed himself in my eyes and he was no longer the self-absorbed person that he once was.

From the beginning, I was mesmerized by the story and writing. Mr. Rowe does a great job of capturing your attention and weaving a great story. There were moments when I teared up just a little and had to reach for a tissue. Yes, there were times when I knew exactly where the story was leading to, but it didn’t matter because I still wanted to know how Cameron would deal with the obstacles in his way.

I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend that you give it a try. I can’t wait to read the second book to see where the author will take the story next.

I give it four stars.

You can purchase the book at:

Amazon

Armchair Bea 2011- Interview

I was late registering for Armchair Bea (story of my life) so I missed the interview assignments. I was lucky that Tina from One More Page was willing to buddy up with me for the interview portion. Please wish her a warm welcome :)

 

1.       Let's start this off a bit Twitter style: describe yourself in 140 words or less.

Filipina, writer, wannabe novelist, corporate web girl. Squees over nice notebooks, pens, tigers, cats, stars, sunflowers and dogs. I’d like to think I’m pretty friendly, but that may be because I’m also extremely talkative. I dream of taking a reading vacation, but if not, I’ll be okay with a good cup of coffee and a book. J

2.       So I’m a big music buff, if I picked up your Ipod right now what music would be on your playlist?

I have different playlists for different occasions and functions – I have a running playlist, concert playlists (for set lists of concerts I watched recently), sleeping playlist, etc. Right now, I don’t play a specific one, but I’m surrounding myself with music from Parachute, Switchfoot, Brooke Fraser and Adele. J

3.       I noticed you love to travel, if you could pick anywhere to visit where would you go & why?

The first in my travel bucket list right now is Madrid, Spain, but that’s because I’m saving up for a trip there on August to join World Youth Day 2011. Other places I’d love to go to are New York City, Jerusalem and Italy. J Who knows, I may be able to visit Italy when I go to Spain.

4.       What is your preferred method of reading? Do use an ereader? Or do you prefer a physical book?

I do all of that, actually. I’m no purist – as long as I can read, I don’t mind how I read. I own a Kindle and I love it, and I also read ebooks in my iPod. I love how easy it is to bring books through reading gadgets. However, I still love print books – there’s nothing like the smell and feel of a new and old books.

5.       So I recently watched Leap Year (totally a romantic) and one of my favorite questions was if your house was on fire and you had 60 seconds to escape what would you grab?

Okay this is hard. I should know this, because it almost happened when we got flooded. The first thing that came into my mind are my personal and work laptops, and in one of those bags, I should also have my Kindle and my phone and my iPod. And important identification. And money. That should fit in 60 seconds? This question reminds me that I should start on an emergency kit soon.

6.       Favorite Book or Series?

Favorite book: This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti and The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen. These are books that I’ve re-read several times and I still felt the same way about them. For series, I love Jasper Fforde’s Thursday Next series, which is a must-read for people who love books and literature! I’m also a big fan of Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews, an urban fantasy series with an awesome female lead, and I’m very excited for that because the fifth book, Magic Slays, is coming out at the end of the month! J

7.       I know you have been blogging for a long time, but what made you decide to become a book blogger?

I’ve been toying with the idea of having a niche blog for a long time. I only used to have a personal blog, where I talk about books, too. It was a good excuse get away with not posting in my blog by writing about books, but then a friend told me I should start writing about myself again. LOL. Sometime around last year, I decided that if I wanted to keep track of my reading, I should probably start a book blog. And then I did. Now my book blog is more active than my personal blog. :D

8.       When you are not reading, what are some of the things you like to do?

When am I ever not reading? Hee. Okay, when I’m not reading, I’m either with friends or family (or both!), eating out. We love to eat and do stuff together. I also like to run and dance – I try to join some races every now and then, and the dancing is not performing dance, but just fitness dance. :D My love for food has to be balanced with enough exercise. Oh, and my girl friends and I LOVE shopping, too, and we all have a mission to find our perfect red heels. :D

9.       If you received a book gift card for $100 what books would you purchase?

Hm, you know I don’t think I’d buy anything new with that. What I really want to do is to upgrade my Jasper Fforde collection. I’m a bit nitpicky about my book collection – I’m one to want uniform editions. For example, if I got the paperback version for one book, the rest of the books should be paperback. Or if it’s UK edition, it has to be UK all the way. My Jasper Fforde books are a mish-mash of US, UK, mass market and trade paperback versions. I want to sell/give away the copies I have and get all UK editions, since they’re the prettier versions. Look:

 If I had some money left over after that, then I’d probably hold a giveaway. J

Thank you Tina for stopping by my blog and agreeing to this great interview :) I am definitely going to check out the books you have recommend.  I would love to to go to Spain one day, take lots of pics for me :)

Don't forget to stop by her blog One More Page today and say Hi!

Teaser Tuesday(12)

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB at 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!

This week my teaser is from Happy Birthday to Me by Brian Rowe. My review will be up later this week.

“What happened to me is something extraordinary. I’ve only recently discovered what caused my disease. I can’t really believe it. I don’t know if I ever will.

But it happened. Even though I look eighty on the outside, I’m still just a seventeen-year-old kid on the inside. I’m days away from my high school graduation, an event that was to promise the beginning of the rest of my life. Instead, I’m facing the countdown to my imminent death.”   pg. 4

 Goodreads Synopsis:

Seventeen-year-old Cameron Martin has a huge problem: he’s aging a whole year of his life with each passing day!

High school is hard enough; imagine rapidly aging from seventeen to seventy in a matter of weeks, with no logical explanation, and with prom, graduation, and the state championship basketball game all on the horizon. That’s what happens to Cameron, a popular pretty boy who's never had to face a day looking anything but perfect.

All Cameron wants to do is go back to normal, but no one, not even the best doctors, can diagnose his condition. When he finds love with a mysterious young woman, however, he realizes his only hope for survival might be with the one person who started his condition in the first place..

Armchair BEA- Intro Post

Last year I watched Twilight for the first time, I knew nothing about it up until the moment I saw it on TV and decided to watch it. Yes, I was living in a cocoon. After I watched it I had to read the books, and the rest is history. I spoke to a friend who blogged and she introduced me to this wonderful world. I really don’t have any friends outside of the blogger world where I can ramble on about my favorite books. So I love that I have been able to make so many friends who share my interest.

I am married, work full time and have two beautiful girls. I read when I have time, but not nearly as much as I would love too. I read pretty much everything, YA and Adult. In my free time I love to travel, I am thinking of planning a trip to Europe next year for my 30^th.

Unfortunately, I didn’t know anything about BEA until a month ago, so I couldn’t make the trip to NY. But, next year I’ll be there. I already convinced my husband J.

I'm also on Twitter if anyone wants to chat- Neri0724

Random things about me:

• I have an addiction to handbags/shoes/books
• I have taken a yearly to trip to Vegas since 2008. Can’t wait to go this year J
• I bought my first DSLR camera in November & have become addicted to trying to get a perfect shot.
• I have one dog, who is super spoiled her name is Lilo.
• I love music as much as books –any recommendations? Love discovering new music
• I watch way too much TV.

• 

  Ski Beech, NC

  
  

  

  Ski Beech, NC

   
  
  
  

  

  Vegas :)

  

  Hollywood

  
  

  

  Washington
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  

Guest Post- The Bookish Snob Promotions

Today, I have a guest post from Bels at The Bookish Snob Promotions. She is looking for new team members. I am a team member and I love it. The experience is easy and stress free. If you have questions, she's super friendly and nice and has no problem answering any questions; even the ones I thought were "stupid". Believe me I had a lot of those. If you’re interested in finding out more, please keep reading. __Neri.

Are you a blogger who LOVES reading romance, urban fantasy and all things paranormal? Someone who loves showcasing the amazing authors who write them? Are you looking for a way to help promote through your blogs?

 

If you answered yes to any of those questions, I’d like to invite you to become a team member of The Bookish Snob Promotions. This is a hot new book promotional business that focuses on providing fun blog tours and bringing readers and authors together.

Why should I sign up?

Good question. I'm a fellow blogger who has a complete addiction to books. If you're like me, you have a real passion for what you read and want to do what you can to spotlight the authors you love. You're also on the lookout for new talent and being part of a blog tour team can help you do that. This is a way for you give back and also connect with other readers who love the same genres. This is a great addition to your blogs and can also ease the nerves of contacting authors for reviews/interviews/guest posts. By being a member, I help with that.

What does being a TEAM MEMBER mean?

It means you’re part of an amazing group of bloggers that have agreed to host authors on their sites. It means that as authors approach with their books and purchase tour packages, you'll be contacted by me and invited to sign up. For each tour you participate in, you commit to:

·         Reading and reviewing the author's book

·         Posting the review on your blog and other sites

·         Hosting the author for either an interview/guest post/excerpt/giveaway

I work with you each step of the way, answering questions and making sure you're successful. The Bookish Snob Promotions is 100% friendly and I want this to be an exciting experience for you.

Ok, I'm in. How do I sign up?

Signing up is really easy. Just fill in the below form and I'll get in contact with you.

Team Member Sign Up

Blog Tour: Daughter of Deception by Kara Thorpe

Today I have the pleasure of hosting an interview with the awesome Kara Thorpe author of Daughters of Deception.


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 









Since I love twitter, I think it would be fun to see how you would describe your book Twitter-style. How would you describe it in 140 characters or less?

While hunting down her bloodthirsty, possessed father, Viola untangles a web of lies and betrayals and reconnects with her childhood crush.

When did you know you wanted to become a writer or have you always known?

I don’t know if I’ve always wanted to become a writer, or if there’s even a moment where I said, “Yes! This is what I want to be known for!” I have always written, though. In high school, I wrote a sort of soap opera that my friends would take turns reading aloud during lunch. Complete with crazy voices and dramatic pauses. It was terrible, but I think that was probably when I first started letting others read my work.

What was the hardest part of the writing process?

Ending a project. Maybe it’s a fear of starting a new one when I’m finished or a fear of not wrapping everything up completely. I’ll put off writing the last few chapters of something for as long as I possibly can.

What inspired the concept for Daughter of Deception?

I love to watch true crime shows, especially ones that feature ‘ordinary’ suburban families. After watching one where a woman supposedly killed her husband but there wasn’t enough evidence to arrest her, I got to thinking. How did her children feel? How hard was it to look at your mother and know she killed your father? I already had the Network ‘verse set up and it seemed like the perfect setting. I wanted to focus on how seeing the man she’d adored acting like a monster affected Viola. She thought she had the perfect, if a little strange, life and it turns out that almost everything was a lie.

Can you tell us a little bit about your writing environment and/or and rituals you go through before sitting down to write?

I write wherever I can. I don’t have any rituals. I do listen to music, but that’s because I can’t stand silence. I create playlists for each of my characters, and if I’m writing from a certain character’s perspective I listen to their playlist.

What is your favorite Book or Series?

Rebecca is my favorite book. I’ve read it a hundred times, and it never gets old. I grew up reading the Hardy Boys series, and I still love them. Honestly, I’ll read anything. There are forensic journals and historical romances and super old Harlequins by my bed.

If you could be a character from one of your favorite books, who would you be?

Aggie Duke, definitely. I want to be as sassy and independent as Duke’s grandmother when I’m her age.

Do you listen to music while you write, if so what’s on your playlist?

It depends on which character I’m focusing on. If it’s Duke, I’ll listen to Pat Green, Cory Morrow, and the Eli Young Band. If it’s Viola, I’ll listen to a lot of alternative rock, punk, and grunge. I mention a few of Viola’s favorite artists in the series: David Bowie, Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Audioslave, and a fictional band the Manic Mutts.

If there was one thought or feeling you would want readers to take away from reading Daughter of Deception, what would it be?

Every answer I try to come up with sounds so clichéd, so I’m just going to give in. I guess I want the reader to come away thinking that nothing is ever hopeless. If you trust yourself enough, there’s always a way to get out of the deepest hole. Don’t give up on love. It’ll surprise you.

Thanks Kara for stopping by it was a pleasure interviewing you.

 
About the Author:

Kara Thorpe started writing as a distraction in French class and never stopped (just don’t ask her to conjugate many verbs).  Born and raised in Texas, she loves all things historical, scientific, and downright geeky. Though she prefers to write short, character-driven stories, she ventured into the world of the novel with the first book of the Family Lies series "Daughter of Deception."
 







There will be a giveaway at the final stop of the tour of this book as well as the second book in the series.

TOMORROW STOP BY:  Reality Bites  

                    

Review: Shade By Jeri Smith-Ready

Shade (Shade #1) By Jeri Ready-Smith

Love ties them together. Death can't tear them apart.
Best. Birthday. Ever. At least, it was supposed to be.
With Logan's band playing a critical gig and Aura's plans for an intimate after-party, Aura knows it will be the most memorable night of her boyfriend's life. She never thought it would be his last.
Logan's sudden death leaves Aura devastated. He's gone.

Well, sort of.

Like everyone born after the Shift, Aura can see and hear ghosts. This mysterious ability has always been annoying, and Aura had wanted nothing more than to figure out why the Shift happened so she can undo it. But not with Logan's violet-hued spirit still hanging around. Because dead Logan is almost as real as ever. Almost.

It doesn't help that Aura's new friend Zachary is so understanding—and so very alive. His support means more to Aura than she cares to admit.

As Aura's relationships with the dead and the living grow ever complicated, so do her feelings for Logan and Zachary. Each holds a piece of Aura's heart...and clues to the secret of the Shift.

My Thoughts:

I read this book over a week ago and I couldn’t write the review until now. It was hard getting the words out that would do this book justice. This was one of those books that held you from the beginning to the end and had you on the edge of your seat wanting to find out what was going to happen next. I was in love with the characters from the beginning, the beginning of the story reminded me of the stupid things you do when you’re a teen before you realize that there are serious consequences for your actions.  The characters were beautifully written and you could completely relate to them.

The story was based on The Shift and the people who were born after it who could see the ghost lingering in our world and the people born before who could not. The story starts off tragically with the death of Aura’s boyfriend Logan. Because she was born post-shift she was able to see his ghost after he died. This is where the heartaches begins, what would you do if you thought you lost a loved one, but then were able to still see them in ghost form. Would you hang on to what’s left or would you try to help them and yourself move on?
Aura’s mother died when she was young and all she has left of her is a diary with pages torn out.

Her mother writes about Stonehenge and she decides that she would study this for her school project. She meets the swoon worthy Zachary who seems to understand everything she is dealing with.  Aura struggles with dealing with her love for Logan and her magnetic attraction to Zach. Throughout the book there were tons of musical references and I loved it.

I felt Aura’s anger, pain, suffering and I wept like a little girl. The story was beautifully written and I couldn’t put it down until I read the last page which was a cliffhanger and then I grabbed my tablet and downloaded Shift.

I would highly recommend this book. I give this book 5 stars.

I can’t believe I didn’t know about this series earlier, I am a fan for life now. I’m off to read Ms. Smith-Ready’s adult series, Wicked Games.


Here’s the trailer for Shade:

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Waiting On Wednesday(11)

Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that showcase upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating.

I LOVE this cover! It's gorgeous and the story sounds intriguing. I have this book on pre-order, can't wait to read it.  



Goodreads Description:

Ashline Wilde is having a rough sophomore year. She’s struggling to find her place as the only Polynesian girl in school, her boyfriend just cheated on her, and now her runaway sister, Eve, has decided to barge back into her life. When Eve’s violent behavior escalates and she does the unthinkable, Ash transfers to a remote private school nestled in California’s redwoods, hoping to put the tragedy behind her. But her fresh start at Blackwood Academy doesn’t go as planned. Just as Ash is beginning to enjoy the perks of her new school—being captain of the tennis team, a steamy romance with a hot, local park ranger—Ash discovers that a group of gods and goddesses have mysteriously enrolled at Blackwood…and she’s one of them. To make matters worse, Eve has resurfaced to haunt Ash, and she’s got some strange abilities of her own. With a war between the gods looming over campus, Ash must master the new fire smoldering within before she clashes with her sister one more time… And when warm and cold fronts collide, there’s guaranteed to be a storm.

This book will be available for purchase on July 26, 2011.


What books are you anxiously waiting for?

Tune in Tuesday (1)

This meme is hosted by Ginger at GReads & showcases music. Each week you can post an old or new song so that it gains more interest! So head on over and link up.

So this is my first week participating, I love music as much as books and I'm always looking to find new artist. I have been listening to Paolo's music for a year ever since I saw his concert on palladia. He has an incredible voice, and can you hear the Scottish accent?

Since everyone else is talking about the Shade Series, I'm feeling kind of left out :) Paolo reminds me of Zach from the series, totally swoon worth.

It's Monday,What Are You Reading?

 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by  Book Journey where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week. It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wondeful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

 

Last week was a slow week for me, since I was consumed at work with The Players Championship. Hopefully, this week I will be able to get more reading done.

 

For each of the books listed below, the title is the link to goodreads where you can read the synopsis.

 

How was your week, what did you read?

 

Read:

This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen

Currently Reading:

Happy Birthday To Me by Brian Rowe

Next:

Daimon By Jennifere L. Armentrout

Daughter Of Deception by Kara Thorpe

Theme Thursday(3)

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:

WOMEN RELATIONSHIPS:
Relation that one can have with a women like Mother, Aunt, Grandmother, Sister, Girlfriend etc.



"The clock on the opposite wall was the school kind, with big black numbers and a wobbly second hand. It was already one-fifteen. The day after my high school graduation and here I was, not beach bound or sleeping off a hangover like everyone else. I was running wedding errands, like a paid employee, while my mother lay in her king-size Sealy Posturepedic, with the shades drawn tight, getting the sleep she claimed was crucial to her creative process."    


This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen

Waiting on Wednesday(10)

Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that showcase upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating.

Can't wait to read this book, I haven't read a good witch story in a long time. The story sounds hauntingly beautiful.



The world is changing.

For thousands of years, witch song has controlled everything from the winds to the shifting of the seasons. But not anymore. All the Witches are gone, taken captive by the dark Witch, Espen.

As the last echoes of witch song fade, Espen grows stronger as winter and summer come within the space of a day. Now she’s coming for the one she missed—a shy, untrained girl of fifteen named Brusenna.

Somehow, Brusenna has to succeed where every other Witch has failed. Find Espen. Fight her. Defeat her.

Or there won’t be anything left to save.

Amber Argyle's debut, Witch Song, is a classic fantasy for young adults. It will be released Sept 1st 2011.

If you want to read the first chapter you can find it here. This is the author's site.

Here's the trailer for the book:

 

What are you waiting for? Leave a link and I'll check it out.