Worst Case - James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge

Best Case: Survival

The son of one of New York's wealthiest families is snatched off the street and held hostage. His parents can't save him, because this kidnapper isn't demanding money. Instead, he quizzes his prisoner on the price others pay for his life of luxury. In this exam, wrong answers are fatal.

Worst Case: Death

Detective Michael Bennett leads the investigation. With ten kids of his own, he can't begin to understand what could lead someone to target anyone's children. As another student disappears, another powerful family uses their leverage and connections to turn up the heat on the mayor, the press--anyone who will listen--to stop this killer. Their reach extends all the way to the FBI, which sends its top Abduction Specialist, Agent Emily Parker. Bennett's life--and love life--suddenly get even more complicated.

This Case: Detective Michael Bennett Is On It

Before Bennett has a chance to protest the FBI's intrusion on his case, the mastermind changes his routine. His plan leads up to the most devestating demonstration yet--one that could bring cataclysmic ruin to every inch of New York City. From the shocking first page to the last exhilirating scene, Worst Case is a nonstop thriller from "America's #1 storyteller" (Forbes).

Title: Worst Case

Author: James Patterson, Michael Ledwidge

Genre: Adult Fiction, Thriller

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

My Rating: 4/5

This is yet another solid book from author James Patterson. I like his Michael Bennett series as much as, if not more than his Alex Cross series. It was riveting, fast-paced, and engaging. The only thing that seemed to make it less than perfect is the fact that the police officers (and FBI agent) only "screamed, cried, or yelled". They didn't seem to do anything else. I found that to be quite annoying. Other than that it was a good read, and one I would definitely tell Patterson fans to pick up. I enjoyed the development of the new character "Emily Parker" but I found because of that, we didn't get to spend as much time with Mary Catherine. She seemed to fade into the background. As always the kids are entertaining, all 10 of them, however they didn't seem to play as large a role in this book either. Regardless, this was a good book, and I do recommend it to those wanting a quick read, or to get their Patterson fix.

This book counts toward the 2010 100+ Reading Challenge hosted over at J. Kaye's/Home Girl's book blog.

In My Mailbox -14-

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren every Sunday. In My Mailbox is a weekly meme that lets everyone see what books you have received or bought that week.

For Review

1. Ima Nobody Becomes Somebody - Brenda Poage (Review can be found HERE.)

2. The Prophecy - Gill James

Very special thanks to Aimee and Ollie for the books.

Bought

1. Flora Segunda - Ysabeau S. Wilce

2. The Last Stormlord - Glenda Larke

3. The Saint of Dragons - Jason Hightman

4. Prey - Rachel Vincent

5. Shift - Rachel Vincent

6. Traitors' Gate - Kate Elliott

Thank you to everyone who entered my 100 Follower Contest, the winners are picked. I am still waiting to hear back from 2 of them, and if I don't hear back by Monday morning (let's say 8AM EST) I'll draw a new winner. Thank you again everyone!

Also, you may have seen tweets, you may have seen widgets, but have you seen the new blog for Estevan Vega's ARSON? You can find it HERE. It's the place to be to find anything news related about Arson. Feel free to check it out!

That's what I received in my mailbox this week, what did you get in yours?

Contest Winners!!

Thank you to everyone who participated in the contest. I truly appreciate each and every one of you. I had 68 entrants with 233 ballots, that is a nice amount for only my second contest! 3 weeks ago I finally hit 100 followers and now I'm at 212... that is ridiculously awesome and I'm super happy! Thank you all for promoting the contest, commenting, and just being amazing bloggers. :) You are probably wanting to know who won though, aren't you? Without further ado, the winners are....

1. Shy and she won her first pick, Hex Hall.

2. Martha Lawson won her second pick, Firespell.

3. Kelsy Alexandra won In A Heartbeat.

I have emailed Shy, but as for Martha and Kelsy, I don't have email addresses for you two. If you could comment on the post and/or email me your mailing addresses that'd be greatly appreciated. If I haven't heard from you by Monday morning I'll have to draw another winner.
Thank you all again for participating. Please keep your eye out because I will be having more contests. I've got one scheduled to start in a few weeks in regards to the awesome book, Arson by Estevan Vega. (You can check out his new blog here. It is maintained by a few familiar faces, so feel free to pop on over and say hi, look around and follow him!) :)

Thanks again everyone! I hope you are all having a great weekend! :)

Undead Much? - Stacey Jay

Even Zombie Settlers with Super Hot Boyfriends get the Blues...

A few months ago I was a normal girl with a normal life. But that was before my power to Settle the Undead returned and someone tried to kill me with zombies.

Now I work magic and practice kicking butt while trying to find time for pom squad and my boyfriend, Ethan, and trying NOT to think about how freaky my life has become. It can be tough. Still...things could be worse...

Oh yeah, right:

1. Feral new super-strong zombies. Check.

2. Undead psychic hottie predicting a zombie apocalypse. Check.

3. Earth-shattering secrets that could land me in Settler prison for life. Check.

4. Cheerleader vs. pom squad turf war threatening the end of the half time as we know it. Check.

I'm going to need therapy (and a cookie) if I live through the week. Unfortunately I'm learning that's not something Zombie Queens can take for granted.

Title: Undead Much? (ARC)

Author: Stacey Jay

Genre: Young Adult, Zombie fiction

Publisher: Razorbill

My Rating: 5/5

I think I enjoyed this book more than You Are So Undead to Me. I loved the characters and the tension between Megan and Ethan. Several situations come up where it seems that the author is trying to subliminally mention that sex is a big deal and not something to be taken lightly. That, and oh, a zombie or two would show up at the most inconvenient times. It made for an interesting read. As a zombie hater, I loved this book. The zombies were grotesque yet they weren't which just made it better. I think it was an excellent follow-up novel and I can't wait to read the third installment! There are more surprises, more depth and details to tease you into wanting to read the next book in the series. I like where Jay is going with this series, we get to learn more about Megan and her super-charged powers, and we get to see how she reacts when she is threatened with Settler prison. The book seemed to flow well and was engaging throughout. I, for one, will be waiting impatiently for the next installment in the series to see what happens next.

This book was provided through the Borrow My Arc Tour hosted by Katrina over at Bloody Bad.

This book counts toward the 2010 100+ Reading Challenge hosted over at J. Kaye's now known as Home Girl's book blog.

Ima Nobody Becomes Somebody - Brenda Poage

Do you remember the Bully in first grade? Many children face this issue on a daily basis, as Ima Nobody does in the excerpt from the book, Ima Nobody Becomes Somebody!"

"Ima, I never knew a Nobody that was somebody! All you Nobodys will never amount to anything, just like your name." This made Ima feel sad. It was then and there that Ima decided that she was going to prove to that Billy Do-good that she would in fact amount to something and be somebody.

You know these issues. Dealing with differences, and dealing with the reactions of those angered by it, are tough issues for young children to face. I encourage you and invite you to take the journey with Ima and her first grade classmates as they discover their own self worth, strengths, and weaknesses. You will find that this story does not tell children how to react to Ima's predicament. It does however show a positive way in which Ima deals with the situation. This is Book One in the Ima Nobody Series - be sure to follow along with Ima and her friends as they discover themselves and learn important life lessons along the way.

Title: Ima Nobody Becomes Somebody

Author: Brenda Poage

Genre: Middle grade fiction, Bullying

Publisher: Authorhouse

My Rating: 4/5

This is a story that takes a hard look at bullying from Ima Nobody's perspective. She is a little girl who wants to become somebody, but she is being bullied by her neighbour and classmate, Billy Do-good. She is quite the little scrapper and doesn't put up with his nonsense. What I really found inspiring is that even though he was bullying her, she still ended up taking the high road for the most part. She definitely stands up for herself!

This book reads quite smoothly, and kids would be able to understand it easily. It would be a great book for parents to read with their children as it definitely opens up the floor to parents who want to broach the subject of bullying with their children. Any child should be able to relate to the characters and should enjoy this story. All in all a great start to a new series.

Disclaimer: This book was received free of charge in exchange for an honest review.

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB from Should Be Reading, and anyone can play along!

• grab your current read
• flip to a random page
• select two teaser sentences from somewhere on that page
• try not to include spoilers!
• please let us know the author and book so we can add them to our TBR pile!

This week's book is Undead Much? by Stacey Jay. I'm reading it for the Borrow My Arc Tour hosted by Katrina over at Bloody Bad. I need to get this book finished and hopefully I'll be able to do that this afternoon. I'm finding it's a quick read so far, and I'm enjoying it immensely.



""Opprimo." I tossed the smothering command over my shoulder, trying not to freak out that the zombie I'd set on fire was acting so very un-zombie-ish. I'd heard zombies shriek before, but nothing that sounded so human." pg 34.

DISCLAIMER: The above quote was taken from an ARC of the book. Quote may not be written exactly as shown in finished copy.

That's my Tuesday teaser, what's yours?

Shadowland - Alyson Noel

Ever and Damon have traveled through countless past lives--and fought off the world's darkest enemies--so they could be together forever. But just when their long-awaited destiny is finally within reach, a powerful curse falls upon Damen. . . one that could destroy everything. Now a single touch of their hands or a soft brush of their lips could mean sudden death--plunging Damen into the Shadowland. Desperate to break the curse and save Damen, Ever immerses herself in magick--and gets help from an unexpected source--a surfer named Jude.

Although she and Jude have only just met, he feels startlingly familiar. Despite her fierce loyalty to Damen, Ever is drawn to Jude, a green-eyed golden boy with magical talents and a mysterious past. She's always believed Damen to be her soul mate and one true love--and she still believes it to be true. But as Damen pulls away to save them, Ever's connection with Jude grows stronger--and tests her love for Damen like never before. . .

Title: Shadowland (The Immortals #3)

Author: Alyson Noel

Genre: Young Adult

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

My Rating: 4/5

These books continually get better throughout the series. I had reservations about Evermore, and found Blue Moon surpassed Evermore; but this book is better than both of them combined. I quite enjoyed the plot twists that Noel threw at Ever and Damen, and I particularily liked Jude and the twins. I wish we could have seen more of Haven and Miles, but alas it wasn't meant to be (at least not in this installment). I did not like how Ever constantly made the same mistake over and over and over again. She repeatedly went her own way, completely disregarding anything Damen had ever told her and she ended up paying for it dearly each time. (You'd think she'd realize at some point that maybe she doesn't have all of the answers...) That was the major drawback to this installment in the series. Her character seemed to remain in stasis, there just wasn't any "good" character development. I was quite drawn into the book though, especially when Jude was thrown into the mix. He at least shakes things up for Ever and Damen and makes it intriguing! I found the story was primarily engaging, however Ever's incessant need to dash headlong into areas she had no understanding of was quite grating. All in all, if you can disregard how petulant Ever is, it does make for a good read. There are plenty of plot twists that will keep you engaged in the outcome of the story. Does Ever find the "antidote for the antidote" for Damen? Read on, and find out.

This book counts toward the 2010 100+ Reading Challenge hosted over at J. Kaye's now known as Home Girl's book blog.

In My Mailbox -13-

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren every Sunday. In My Mailbox is a weekly meme that lets everyone see what books you have received or bought that week.

A little advance warning... I was bad this week... last week, not so much, this week? Very.

For Review

(None)

Bought

1. Fantasy in Death - J.D. Robb

2. NCIS: Blood Lines - Mel Odom

3. The Body Finder - Kimberly Derting

4. Taken By Storm - Angela Morrison

5. The Sharing Knife: Horizon - Lois McMaster Bujold

6. The Otherworldlies - Jennifer Anne Kogler

7. The Vampire and the Virgin - Kerrelyn Sparks

8. Anansi Boys - Neil Gaiman

9. Rogue Angel: Sacred Ground - Alex Archer

10. Boys that Bite - Mari Mancusi

11. The Castle in the Attic - Elizabeth Winthrop

Swag

I completely forgot about posting the swag that came in the mail last week! I recently won some swag from Chloe Neill through Kari's (A Good Addiction) author chats and book forum. So I was pretty excited when I opened it up and found a couple of postcards for the Chicagoland Vampires series, a Firespell bookmark, a sticker, pen, and button. Thank you Chloe! :)

Contests

If you haven't already checked it out... I have a contest running for the books, Firespell, In A Heartbeat and Hex Hall. You can find it here. It runs until March 26, 2010. Thanks for being amazing bloggers, followers, and all around good people! You are all awesome. :)

That's what I received in my mailbox this week, what did you get in yours?

Once Was Lost - Sara Zarr

Samara Taylor used to believe in miracles.

She used to believe in a lot of things.

But where there was once faith... there are now only questions.

As a pastor's kid, it's hard not to buy into the idea of the perfect family, a loving God, and amazing grace. But lately, Sam has a lot of reasons to doubt. Her mother lands in rehab after a DUI, and her father seems more interested in his congregation than his family. When a young girl in her small town goes missing, the local tragedy overlaps with Sam's personal one, and the already worn thread of faith holding her together begins to unravel.

In her third novel, acclaimed author Sara Zarr examines the coexistence of affliction and hope, and what happens when everything you thought you believed--about God, your family, and yourself--is transformed.

Title: Once Was Lost

Author: Sara Zarr

Genre: Young Adult, Inspirational Fiction

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

My Rating: 5/5

This book was excellent. The characters were so real. Sam was vivid and mesmerizing, and I could completely relate to her. I think I enjoyed this book so much because I could identify so well with her, how she was feeling in regards to her faith and her family, all of it. She was disillusioned to say the least, but never stopped striving to make things better, and to try to understand why they weren't getting any better. The sub-story also hit close to home. We also had a missing child in the area last fall, and unfortunately, things did not turn out well for the family. This book captures that feeling of desperation, of looking at everyone with a suspicious eye; turning friends and relatives into strangers overnight. Things can never go back to the way they were, but time moves on, albeit slowly at first. This book was fraught with emotion. The starkness of the landscape against the looming storms; the tension, the electricity buzzing in the air. It was so visceral and moving. I didn't find it anti-religious at all. Sam questioned her faith, but didn't "preach" about it (either). It was an engaging read, and it had so much depth to it. This one will stay with me for quite a while. I urge you all to pick it up and give it a try.

This book counts toward the 2010 100+ Reading Challenge hosted over at J. Kaye's book blog.

You Are So Undead To Me - Stacey Jay

Q: HOW MANY ZOMBIES DOES IT TAKE TO RUIN A SOCIAL LIFE?

A: NOT MANY.

Megan Berry is a Zombie Settler by birth, which means she's part-time shrink to a whole bunch of semi-dead people with killer issues. All Megan really wants is to go to homecoming, but when you're trailed by a bunch of slobbering corpses whenever you leave the house, it's kinda hard to score a date. Let's just say Megan's love life could use some major resuscitation.
Megan's convinced her life can't get any worse--until someone in school starts using black magic to turn average, angsty Undead into scary, hardcore flesh-eating Zombies. Now it's up to Megan to stop the Zombie apocalypse. Her life--and more importantly, the homecoming dance--depends on it.

Title: You Are So Undead To Me
Author: Stacey Jay
Genre: Young Adult, Zombie Fiction
Publisher: Razorbill
My Rating: 4/5

The title is quite tongue in cheek and sets the tone for this novel. I've never honestly been a fan of zombie books, so this one was refreshingly better than most. I found it quite lighthearted and endearing. Megan has powers that she doesn't want; she just wants to lead a normal life. Sadly, she seems to stumble upon zombies wherever she goes and has to deal with them without getting killed in the process. I really enjoyed the characters that we saw, they were predictable in places, but in other characters there were some surprising twists. I find that because of how many mystery/suspense/thriller books that I have read, I'm rarely surprised with endings anymore, however I didn't know the reasoning to why certain people did what they did, so it was nice to find out why they were committing these acts. It was definitely a "bubblegum" version of zombies, but I seem to like that a lot more than the apocalyptic versions. (I normally hate reading about zombies.) The book was a quick and easy read, and it was good. It is definitely something that I'd recommend to those who were unsure of zombie fiction, as well as those well-versed in the genre. All in all a good book to add to your to be read list, especially after something dark and tense. The antics and scenarios that Megan gets into will definitely have you laughing out loud and shaking your head at her, respectively.

This book counts toward the 2010 100+ Reading Challenge hosted over at J. Kaye's book blog.

Contest News!!!

Hey all, I'm blogging today to bring to your attention the most phenomenal contest news ever! Kari from A Good Addiction, and Eleni from La Femme Readers both hit milestones this past week. Kari reached 400 followers and Eleni reached 800 followers!! How awesome is that?! Okay, so you might be saying, big whoop-di-doo right now... but that, though amazing, wasn't the only news that I was going to tell you about... They have teamed up to deliver an amazing giveaway. All books that they have listed are the finished copies of said book. They will be ordered through The Book Depository so this contest IS open internationally (as long as your country is listed that is). So without further ado, here is the list of books up for grabs.

• Linger - Maggie Stiefvater
• Spirit Bound - Richelle Mead
• Dark Touch: Shadows - Amy Meredith
• The Tension of Opposites - Kristina McBride
• Sea - Heidi R. Kling
• Rules of Attraction - Simone Elkeles

Rules

1. You can enter from either Eleni's or Kari's blog, you don't have to go to both blogs to enter.
2. You need to follow BOTH of them to be eligible for the contest.
3. You can gain extra entries for tweeting, making a blog post, posting the contest on your sidebar, OR you can gain additional entries for following their affiliates. Aww love the affiliate love! :D (If you decide to follow 5, you get 5 entries etc).

How awesome is that?? Go over HERE to enter their contest!! :)

Congratulations to both of you for reaching 400 and 800 followers respectively!

Good luck to all of you who enter their combined contest!

In My Mailbox -12-

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren every Sunday. In My Mailbox is a weekly meme that lets everyone see what books you have received or bought that week.

For Review

1. Undead Much? - Stacey Jay. I received this through the Borrow My ARC Tour hosted by Katrina over at Bloody Bad.

Bought

1. Before I Fall - Lauren Oliver

I didn't go too crazy this week (for once) so I am really happy about that, though I was looking at a lot of books that are out now. I'm trying to restrain myself somewhat, it isn't working well yet... (this week is just the exception).

If you don't already know... I'm throwing a 100 Follower Contest to thank you all for being such loyal and awesome followers. I've got 3 books up for grabs, with 3 winners. Feel free to enter, you can enter here.

That's all for this week, what did you receive in your mailbox?

Want to Chat with Author CJ Omololu?

Now's your chance, well... tomorrow that is! (Wednesday March 10, 2010.) The lovely Kari from A Good Addiction is hosting a chat on her forum tomorrow night with the author in question. CJ Omololu will be in the chat for roughly an hour. It starts at 8pm CST, 9pm EST, or 6pm PST. Whatever your timezone, keep that time open. You will need to register for the forum, but once registered you'll be able to enter the chat. The chat will be at the bottom of the forum. Keep in mind that once registered you'll be able to attend all of the future chats. Kari is setting up a TON of author chats that you won't want to miss!

Come, chat with us! :)

Immortal Love Stories With Bite - Edited by P.C. Cast

Rachel Caine revisits the setting of her Morganville Vampires series, where the vampires are in charge and love is a risky endeavor, even when it comes to your own family.

Tantalize author Cynthia Leitich Smith gives us a love triangle between a vampire, a ghost, and a human girl, in which none of them are who or what they seem.

Claudia Gray takes us into the world of her Evernight series, in which a pre-Civil War courtesan-to-be is courted by a pale, fair-haired man whose attentions are too dangerous to spurn--in more ways than one.

Vampire Academy author Richelle Mead brings us the tale of a young vampire on the run from the rest of her kind, and the human boy who provides the getaway car--as well as a reason to keep running.

Wicked series writer Nancy Holder immerses us in a post-apocalyptic New York where two best friends are forced to make a choice that may kill them both.

Rachel Vincent explores a new corner of her Soul Screamers universe with the story of a leanan sidhe capable of inspiring the musician she loves to new creative heights--or draining him, and his talent, dry.

Master fantasist Tanith Lee shows us what happens when a bright young woman with some supernatural savvy encounters a misguided (but gorgeous) young vampire.

And Kristin Cast, co-author of the House of Night series, introduces us to a new kind of vampire: one with roots in Greek mythology, and the power to alter space and time to save the girl he's meant to love.

Title: Immortal Love Stories With Bite
Author: Edited by P.C. Cast
Genre: Young Adult, Vampire Fiction
Publisher: BenBella Books, Inc.
My Rating: 3.75/5

1. Haunted Love - Cynthia Leitich Smith. Interesting premise, had some good twists to it. Good story though it didn't quite keep me 100% captivated. 3/5

2. Amber Smoke - Kristin Cast. I like this author. I thought this story was poorly executed. It had great potential, but I disliked the main character, and thought everything was poorly explained (MC's reactions to her situation). 2/5

3. Dead Man Stalking - Rachel Caine. A good background story for Shane. Loved this one, and was happy to see Shane get his own story. 5/5

4. Table Manners - Tanith Lee. Felt like I needed to read this with a British accent, not entirely sure why, but that seemed to work for me. Otherwise, interesting. 3.5/5

5. Blue Moon - Richelle Mead. Loved this one. I think it could be the start of a new series for Richelle. Set-up and execution leaves you wanting more. 5/5

6. Changed - Nancy Holder. Very dark, and visceral story. Not one of my favourites, but still was good. 4/5

7. Binge - Rachel Vincent. Enjoyable storyline. Will definitely be reading more from this author. 4/5

8. Free - Claudia Gray. Captivating and refreshing. Loved the heroine in this tale. 4/5

This book counts toward the 2010 100+ Reading Challenge hosted over at J. Kaye's book blog.

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB from Should Be Reading, and anyone can play along!

• grab your current read
• flip to a random page
• select two teaser sentences from somewhere on that page
• try not to include spoilers!
• please let us know the author and book so we can add them to our TBR pile!

This week finds me just starting First Daughter by Eric Van Lustbader. I received this book for review and I've been waiting impatiently to begin reading it. I needed to finish another book that I had read first. (It was overdue from the library; needless to say, it's still overdue, but will be going back once I write up the review for it later today.)

"The ambulance came to a stop, and the EMT woman opened the rear doors. Jack was rolled out of the ambulance, wheeled through the automatic doors of the emergency room." pg. 32

I'm not that far into the book, but it doesn't bode well for the protagonist if he's already headed for the hospital, eh? :)

Don't forget to enter my 100 follower contest. Thank you guys for following, and listening to what I have to say! I appreciate it!

What is your Tuesday teaser?

100 Follower Contest!

In appreciation of reaching 100 followers, I am hosting a contest! Thank you for following me, and commenting. I appreciate you all! Thank you for being awesome.

The books up for grabs in this contest are...

1. In A Hearbeat - Loretta Ellsworth
2. Firespell - Chloe Neill
3. Hex Hall - Rachel Hawkins

Contest Rules

1. Must be a follower of this blog through Google Friend Connect. (Thank you!) :)
2. This contest IS international. The books will be sent out through The Book Depository, so please make sure they will ship to your address/country. (Thank you again!)
3. This contest will have 3 winners. Please leave a comment in the comment section on this post with both your email address and the book that you would like to receive the most, or you can leave a list of the books in descending order, #1 being the one you want the most.
4. The first person to win will get their #1 book, the second person will then have their choice of the remaining books, and the third person will receive the last book.
5. Feel free to re-post, or tweet this contest. You'll get extra entries for doing so.

• old follower +3
• new follower +1
• tweet this contest +1
• make a blog post +1
• adding up your entries for me will get you an additional +1

This will allow up to 6 ballots per person.

6. This contest will end March 26, 2010 at 5pm EST. I will email the winners for their address and wait no more than 48 hours to hear back from them. If they all have the same book listed, I'll wait to hear back from the second winner as to which book they would prefer out of the remaining two.

Thank you again for being awesome!

This contest has been Sunny approved!

My Week in Review (and Affiliate News).

I've been slacking since last week in posting my affiliate news. (Sorry guys!) So to make it up to everyone, I'll be posting the review links for both last week and this week for them!

In other news, I reached 100 followers today, so thank you to everyone for following me, and commenting on my blog. I appreciate each and every one of you. Thank you. And... to say thank you, look out for contest news later today. :)

I received several books for review this week, and hope to get to them shortly. I'll be having a contest for them as well (the contest is only going to be available to those residing in the USA or Canada though). Many thanks goes to Anne on behalf of Forge for this contest.

My blog also received a new design courtesy of my awesome best friend, Roni! (You should all check out her blog too). She has a recipe blog titled Roro's Recipes. Books and food just seem to go together, so please go check it out and send her some love! :)

Anyway, I'll try to make this short and sweet!

My reviews for the last two weeks:

1. The Hollow - Jessica Verday (3 stars)
2. Going Too Far - Jennifer Echols (5 stars)
3. Need - Carrie Jones (4 stars)
4. Give Up The Ghost - Megan Crewe (4 stars)


Jenn from Book Crazy reviewed a ton of books over the last two weeks, so here they are!

1. Sucks To Be Me - Kimberly Pauley (5 mushrooms)
2. Hex Hall - Rachel Hawkins (5 mushrooms)
3. Arson - Estevan Vega (4 mushrooms)
She also had an awesome interview with Julia Hoban, author of Willow.
4. Some Girls Are - Courtney Summers (5 mushrooms)
5. Far From You - Lisa Schroeder (5++ mushrooms)
6. The Body Finder - Kimberly Derting (5 mushrooms)
7. The Line - Teri Hall (3 mushrooms)
8. I Kissed A Zombie, and I Liked It - Adam Selzer (3 mushrooms)

These all look great! I think I've just added all of them to my tbr list! (Though some already have a home there.) :)

Kari from A Good Addiction reviewed a pile of books as well!

1. All Unquiet Things - Anna Jarzab (4 stars)
She also had a pretty cool chat and interview with Shelena Shorts.
2. Wherever Nina Lies - Lynn Weingarten (4 stars) She is also hosting a contest with the review.
3. Bleeding Violet - Dia Reeves (5 stars)
4. By The Time You Read This, I'll Be Dead- Julie Anne Peters (5 stars)
She also had an awesome interview and chat with Dia Reeves.
5. Arson - Estevan Vega (5 stars)
6. Exit Strategy - Ryan Potter (5 stars)
7. Hourglass - Claudia Gray (4 stars)

Another slew of books to add to my expanding tbr list!

Kari is also hosting a chat on her forum with Dirty Little Secrets author, C.J. Omololu, on Wednesday March 10, 2010, at 8PM CST/9PMEST. Hope to see you all there!

Sherry from Flipping Pages for All Ages was feeling under the weather, so she didn't get too many reviews done. I'm glad that she's feeling better now, but feel free to give her comment love as well! She had a lot of contest winners too. Congratulations to them all!

1. Going Too Far - Jennifer Echols (4 and 1/2 stars)
2. Fallen - Lauren Kate (4 stars)
3. Sisters Red - Jackson Pearce (5 stars)

I need to read two of these, so they are also being added to my tbr list. (This list is huge now!)

Roni from Roro's Recipes has several great recipes this week.

1. Chocolate and Peanut Butter Marble Fudge
2. Double Chocolate Quick Bread with a Peanut Butter Glaze
3. Fake 'Em Out Ravioli Lasagna
4. Classic French Toast
5. Peanut Butter Cake Bars

Her fudge is excellent! (It's definitely group-approved by all of our friends!) It's always nice to check out her blog because I find a lot of great recipes there that I know I'd enjoy trying out myself.

In My Mailbox -11-

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren every Sunday. In My Mailbox is a weekly meme that lets everyone see what books you have received or bought that week.

For Review

1. First Daughter - Eric Van Lustbader (Thank you Anne/Forge!)
2. Last Snow - Eric Van Lustbader (Thank you Anne/Forge!)

I can't wait to start these, they look really good! Look for the reviews shortly, once they are up, I'll be hosting a contest for both books courtesy of Anne. (Thank you again, Anne!)

Won

1. In a Heartbeat - Loretta Ellsworth. I won this book over at Darcy's blog, Library Lounge Lizard. It was a signed copy and I received a bookmark with the book as well. Thank you both to Loretta and to Darcy for hosting the contest! I can't wait to read this! :)

Bought

1. Book of Souls - Glenn Cooper
2. Steamed - Katie MacAlister
3. BoneMan's Daughters - Ted Dekker
4. Hex Hall - Rachel Hawkins

That's what I received in my mailbox this week, what did you get in yours?

Give Up The Ghost - Megan Crewe

Cass McKenna much prefers ghosts over "breathers." Ghosts are uncomplicated and dependable. They know the dirt on everybody. . . and Cass loves dirt. She's on a mission to expose the dirty secrets of the poseurs in her school.
But when the vice president of the student council discovers her secret, Cass's whole scheme hangs in the balance. Tim wants her to help him contact his recently deceased mother, and Cass reluctantly agrees.
As Cass becomes increasingly entwined in Tim's life, she's surprised to realize he's not so bad--and he needs help more desperately than anyone else suspects. Maybe it's time to give the living another chance. . . .

Title: Give Up The Ghost
Author: Megan Crewe
Genre: Young Adult, Ghosts
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
My Rating: 4/5

Though I enjoyed this book, I didn't love it immediately. At first I didn't care for Cass, but I grew to like her after I realized that she wasn't completely vindictive; she didn't want to destroy everyone by telling all of their secrets, she just wanted to be left alone. I could identify with her character then. Though she can see ghosts, the story is not completely a ghost story, it's more of a coming of age novel about the trials of an outcast who is befriended by an unlikely ally, the ever popular vice president of the student council; though she doesn't want to help him, doesn't trust him (not that she trusts anyone), she opens up to him, and genuinely starts to care for him and his well-being. It was an original tale involving ghosts, but it didn't focus solely on them. I liked how the characters were developed, I just wished that we could have seen more character development between Cass and her ex-best friend, Danielle. Their hatred, while there, seemed tenuous at best. All in all, I did enjoy the book, and look forward to reading more from this author in the future. This was an excellent debut novel.

This book counts toward the 2010 100+ Reading Challenge hosted over at J. Kaye's book blog.

Waiting on Wednesday -3-

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme, which is hosted by Jill from Breaking The Spine. It spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating.

This week I'm waiting on Cheat the Grave by Vicki Pettersson. I think that this series is quite original, and I've read the first two (own them all) and can't wait to read this one. Hopefully I'll be able to re-read the first two books and read the new ones before I get to this one.


Don't you just love that cover? Sorry there is no write up for this one. I couldn't find anything on Amazon or Goodreads, however the book is set to be released June 8, 2010.

What are you waiting on this week?

New Layout and Blog Button!

I'm super happy right now... my best friend, Roni, made me a lovely layout/template/header/blog button/everything to do with html, so I am very happy and wanted to say Thank You because this is awesome. I'm html-challenged. Well, I'm learning on the sly... just not as quickly as I had hoped to (reading takes up more time). Anyway, enjoy the quiz, and if you do it, let me know what results you ended up getting! Have a great Monday night (early Tuesday morning). :)

I saw this quiz over at Amy's blog, My Overstuffed Bookshelf and just had to do it... it sounds about right! ;)

What Kind of Reader Are You? Your Result: Dedicated Reader   You are always trying to find the time to get back to your book. You are convinced that the world would be a much better place if only everyone read more.
Book Snob	 
Literate Good Citizen	 
Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm	 
Fad Reader	 
Non-Reader	 
What Kind of Reader Are You? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz