February 27, 2015

Fun Student Book Posters

Every year the students at my middle school celebrate I Love to Read Month during the month of February.  
One of the coolest things they do is create a book poster recreating the book cover of a book they enjoyed.  They do this in their homerooms.  
Every year I'm amazed at how cool these posters turn out.  
See them below!




February 24, 2015

Cover Crush: The Last Good Day of the Year

I love book covers.  LOVE them!
I've even been known to drag my sister in to the bookstore just to show her a book ocver.  
I honestly think I develop a crush on them.

Today I'm Crushing On:



This cover is just covered with loss and longing and sadness.  I want to read it!



February 23, 2015

Snap Shot Monday

On Mondays I just take a quick picture of the book I'm currently reading, will read next, or just finished.  It's my way to keep blogging simple!

Snap Shot
Shutter by Courtney Alameda
I've heard it's creepy, and I LOVE creepy!

February 22, 2015

Show Your Shelves Some Love Challenge - UPDATE

Show Your Shelf Some Love, No Book Buying Challenge 2015 Kickoff


I'm participating in Show Your Shelves Some Love Challenge hosted by Second Run Reviews and Chapter Break

In this challenge we attempt to read what's on our shelves NOT buy more books. (you can find my intro post HERE)

This month we are sharing our book budget if we have one.

I'll tell you right now I don't have a budget and that's part of the problem! :)

Honestly my biggest issue is not being able to say no to review copies. I realize that's not spending money on books, so technically I'm not breaking the spending ban. BUT if I'm trying to show some love to the books I already own, I'm not doing that if I'm still asking or getting review copies left and right!

What I'm trying to do instead with books that I get without requesting:

1. I give them to the media specialist at my school to add to the school library or share with students.


2. We have several Little Libraries around town (those little enclosed cases where people put books to share and can take to read). I take some of the books I get and pass them along to those.

I also went through my bookshelves and cleared out books I had gotten that I knew I wouldn't read. I've passed those along or donated them.


What Will I Do With the Money?

Another question we can address this month is what we'll do with the money we'll save. I don't have a direct plan, but I am going back to school to get my media specialist license - any extra money helps pay for tuition!

So anyway - that's what's going on with this challenge. I'm doing ok. I've bought a couple of books but they are books in verse, and I'm writing a book in verse right now so I see them as research!


How Am I Doing in the Challenge?

Not too bad. I did buy a couple of books, but they were more for research then anything. I'm writing a novel in verse and the books I bought were novels in verse. I also bought them at Goodwill, so I saved money there!


February 21, 2015

Stacking the Shelves


This is a fun meme were people share the books they got this week. I won't participate too often mainly because, for the time being, I'm challenging myself to only read books I own.

I do, though, still get books in the mail for review.  And that's what happened this week.
Stacking the Shelves was started by Tynga over at Tynga's Reviews.

For Review
This one is for a upcoming blog tour.
Thank you Blue Slip Media!
Jack at the Helm by Lisa Doan
Illustrated by Ivica Stevanovic

Ask the Dark by Henry Turner (Thank you Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
The Rat with the Human Face by Tom Angleberger (Thank you Abrams)

 For Fun
Perfect Ruin by Lauren DeStefano
That's my cat Hobbes

For "Research"
I'm working on a book in verse, so I need to read more examples!
Perfect and Tricks by Ellen Hopkins

What did you get this week for review, from the bookstore or at the library??


February 20, 2015

First Line Friday: The Eleventh Plague

I thought I'd start and end my week with simple posts. Monday is Snap Shot Monday showing the cover. And we'll end the week with First Line Friday.

In this I'll just share the first line in any book near me. It could be the book I'm currently reading, a book I've finished or a book I haven't read before. 

Today's Book: The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch
"I was sitting at the edge of the clearing, trying not to stare at the body on the ground in front of me."

Sounds very interesting!! I've wanted to read this book but just haven't yet.  Have you read it?  
Share a first line from a book near you - either on your blog and link back or in the comments.  

February 19, 2015

I Don't Think You Understand!

Every once in awhile I think about a book I love, and then I get sad.  I get sad because I don't think people understand how much I really liked that book!

So I thought I'd start a little feature once a month or so where I address this.  A reminder, in a sense, to all of you, how wonderful this book is! 

This month I don't think you understand 
how great The Devouring series is!!!


I love this series.  I love spooky and creepy, and these books have that!
I just don't think I've made it clear how much I love them, so here's me reminding you!

Links to where I've talked about them:

Check them out!

PS I've heard some things about the author not being a real person or something - I think that's correct and that the books were written by a service or company or something.  I still like them tho!


February 18, 2015

Waiting on Wednesday: Delicate Monsters

This post is inspired by a meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine.



Today I'm waiting on:

Delicate Monsters by Stephanie Kuehn

I loved her book Charm & Strange!

February 17, 2015

Lovely New Book Covers for Puffin Classic Children's Books

We were at Barnes and Noble last weekend, and we went in to the children's area.  As we walked in my daughter and I saw this:

I immediately went over and had to look.  They were new covers (I don't know how new they are but still) for some classic children's books.  I LOVE them!   
Seriously it makes me want to buy them all!

Here's some pictures:


 Aren't they just lovely?!?

And here's some more of them.  

Have you seen these? Thoughts?
I could buy them all!

February 16, 2015

GIVEAWAY Zodiac Legacy by Stan Lee

I'm so very excited today to be hosting a giveaway for a new middle grade series - The Zodiac Legacy.  

You need to understand my household.  I have a 15 year old daughter that loves Marvel Comics.  She has pictures of The Avengers and the Fantastic Four all over her room.  So when I shared this book with her, she went nuts! It's Stan Lee!

So when Disney Enterprises asked it I wanted to host a giveaway, I  knew I had to!

Hopefully you're just as excited.  

About The Zodiac Legacy: Convergence:
Twelve magical superpowers
One sinister conspiracy
One unlikely hero.

Stan Lee presents a brand new, magical, super-powered adventure! When twelve magical superpowers are unleashed on the world, a Chinese-America teenager named Steven will be thrown into the middle of an epic global chase. He'll have to master strange powers, outrun super-powered mercenaries, and unlock the mysterious powers of the Zodiac.


Now you have to learn about the team behind the book.

Stan Lee is known to millions as the man whose Super Heroes propelled Marvel to its preeminent position in the comic book industry. His co-creations include Spider-Man, The Avengers, Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, The Fantastic Four, as well as hundreds of others. He introduced Spider-Man as a syndicated newspaper strip that became the most successful of all syndicated adventure strips and has appeared in more than 500 newspapers worldwide. Stan currently remains Chairman Emeritus of Marvel, as well as a member of the Editorial Board of Marvel Comics. He is also the Chairman & Chief Creative officer of POW! Entertainment, a multimedia entertainment company based in Beverly Hills, CA.


Stuart Moore has been a writer, a book editor, and an award-winning comics editor. His recent writing includes Civil War, the first in a new line of prose novels from Marvel Comics, The Art of Iron Man 3 (Marvel, with Marie Javins); and THE 99, a multicultural super hero comic from Teshkeel.

Andie Tong has worked on titles for various franchises, including Tron: Betrayal, Spectacular Spider-Man UK, The Batman Strikes, Smallville, Wheel of Time, TMNT, Masters of the Universe, and Starship Troopers, working for companies such as Disney, Marvel, DC Comics, Panini, Dark Horse, and Dynamite Entertainment, as well as commercial illustrations for numerous advertising agencies including Nike, Universal, CBS, Mattel, and Habsro. When he gets the chance, Andie concept designs for various companies, and also juggles illustration duties on a range of children's picture storybooks for Harper Collins. Malaysian born, Andie migrated to Australia at a young age, and then moved to London in 2005. In 2012, he journeyed back to Asia and currently resides in Singapore with this wife and daughter.

Look at the illustrations done by Andie Tong


They are amazing!

To find out more and have some fun follow the links below.

THE ZODIAC LEGACY GENERATOR
About the Generator:
Which animal are YOU? Use the generator to receive your animal sign and description. Discover your best (and worst) attributes and get familiar with the characters from Convergence, book one of Stan Lee's The Zodiac Legacy

CAUTION: There's great power that comes with each animal sign. Good or bad? That depends on you



Learn More at DisneyZodiac.com
Find your sign with The Zodiac Legacy Generator
Watch the Book Trailer
Follow DisneyHyperion on Twitter
#ZodiacLegacy

Now for the Giveaway!!!
THE ZODIAC LEGACY prize pack

One (1) winner receives:
·a copy of The Zodiac Legacy: Convergence ,
·plus custom ZODIAC LEGACY temporary tattoos.

Prizing & samples courtesy of Disney Enterprises, Inc.
Giveaway open to US & Canada addresses only

a Rafflecopter giveaway

February 13, 2015

First Line Friday: In Cold Blood

 
I thought I'd start and end my week with simple posts. Monday is Snap Shot Monday showing the cover. And we'll end the week with First Line Friday.

In this I'll just share the first line in any book near me. It could be the book I'm currently reading, a book I've finished or a book I haven't read before. 

This week's book: In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

The village of Holcomb stands on the high wheat plains of western Kansas, a lonesome area that other Kansans call "out there."

Ok I'll admit that's not a very exciting start to an otherwise interesting book!

February 11, 2015

Review: The Tragic Age by Stephen Metcalfe +GIVEAWAY


St. Martin's Publicity asked if I wanted to be part of the pre-publication tour for The Tragic Age.  I had heard about the book, so I gladly said yes!

Title: The Tragic Age
Author: Stephen Metcalfe

This is the story of Billy Kinsey, heir to a lottery fortune, part genius, part philosopher and social critic, full time insomniac and closeted rock drummer. Billy has decided that the best way to deal with an absurd world is to stay away from it. Do not volunteer. Do not join in. Billy will be the first to tell you it doesn’t always work— not when your twin sister, Dorie, has died, not when your unhappy parents are at war with one another, not when frazzled soccer moms in two ton SUVs are more dangerous than atom bombs, and not when your guidance counselor keeps asking why you haven’t applied to college. Billy’s life changes when two people enter his life. Twom Twomey is a charismatic renegade who believes that truly living means going a little outlaw. Twom and Billy become one another’s mutual benefactor and friend. At the same time, Billy is reintroduced to Gretchen Quinn, an old and adored friend of Dorie’s. It is Gretchen who suggests to Billy that the world can be transformed by creative acts of the soul. With Twom, Billy visits the dark side. And with Gretchen, Billy experiences possibilities.Billy knows that one path is leading him toward disaster and the other toward happiness. The problem is—Billy doesn’t trust happiness. It's the age he's at. The tragic age. 

It took me a bit to get into this book.  At first I didn't really like Billy.  He's rude, disrespectful and just generally hard to like.  I really thought that if I don't see some change in him, I don't know if I can finish this book! BUT the good news was that I did start to see a change, and I began to understand him and why he acted the way he did and made the choices he made.  There is so much baggage in his life with the death of his twin sister, that it becomes very easy to understand how Billy became the way he is.  Did I always agree with him?? NO! Many times I completely disagreed with him! (I'm not one to be ok with breaking the law!) But as you follow Billy his character becomes less closed off, and I began to care more about him and want him to pull out of this and have a good life.

I apologize if I'm being a little vague, but there are certain things I can't talk about because I can't give things away!

The secondary characters were well done.  Twom was such a strong and clear character.  I honestly could see him as a student at the high school in my school district.  He's flawed and stubborn and makes HUGELY bad choices, but he was real.  So was Ephraim.  I felt for that kid! I've seen kids like him - not 100% like him but the socially awkwardness he has. I felt for him too.  Those two characters added a lot of realism to the story and balanced out Billy.  

I think what really made the book for me was the ending.  I had to see Billy change.  I had to! He was kinda hard to like the way he was at the start, so if he didn't change I could not have been positive about the book.  But Billy does change a great deal, and that change made me really like the book because he grew and I could see how and why.  That was very well done!


Giveaway!
St. Martin's Publicity asked me to host a giveaway with my review of the book!
Enter to win 1 of 3 copies of The Tragic Age!
US or Canadian Residents Only
Must be at least 13


a Rafflecopter giveaway

February 10, 2015

Cover Crush: Silver in the Blood

I love book covers! Love them! I think I actually start crushing on them.  
Seriously I've been known to drag my sister in to the bookstore just to show her the cover of a book I love.

Today I'm crushing on:
Silver in the Blood by Jessica Day George

There is just something about this cover that pulls me in.  I think it has to do with the silhouette almost hidden within the rest of the picture.


February 7, 2015

Stacking the Shelves

This is a fun meme were people share the books they got this week. I won't participate too often mainly because, for the time being, I'm challenging myself to only read books I own.

I do, though, still get books in the mail for review.  And that's what happened this week.
Stacking the Shelves was started by Tynga over at Tynga's Reviews.

For Review
Thank you Disney-Hyperion
Wish by Matthew Cordell
My Pen by Christopher Myers
Dinosaur vs. Mommy by Bob Shea


Thank you Disney- Hyperion and Amp! Comics for Kids
Dead to Me by Mary McCoy
Edison's Alley: Book 2 of the Accelerati Trilogy by Neal Shusterman and Eric Elfman

February 6, 2015

First Line Friday: Seeker

I thought I'd start and end my week with simple posts. Monday is Snap Shot Monday showing the cover. And we'll end the week with First Line Friday.


In this I'll just share the first line in any book near me. It could be the book I'm currently reading, a book I've finished or a book I haven't read before. 

Today's First Line is from Seeker by Arwen Elys Dayton

It would be nice to make it through alive, Quin thought. 


Hmmmmm very interesting.  I haven't read this book yet.  Have you??

February 5, 2015

Book Review: The Scandalous Sisterhood of Pickwillow Place by Julie Berry


Title: The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place
Author: Julie Berry

There's a murderer on the loose—but that doesn't stop the girls of St. Etheldreda's from attempting to hide the death of their headmistress in this rollicking farce.

The students of St. Etheldreda's School for Girls face a bothersome dilemma. Their irascible headmistress, Mrs. Plackett, and her surly brother, Mr. Godding, have been most inconveniently poisoned at Sunday dinner. Now the school will almost certainly be closed and the girls sent home—unless these seven very proper young ladies can hide the murders and convince their neighbors that nothing is wrong.

The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place is a smart, hilarious Victorian romp, full of outrageous plot twists, mistaken identities, and mysterious happenings.
 


What a cute fun book! It was just fun to read! This review will be short, though, because I can't say too much without giving things away! If you like a good old-fashion whodunit with a dash of madcap humor thrown in, then this is the book for you! I loved reading and trying to figure out who had killed their headmistress and brother. And I loved watching these girls get into one mess after another as people continue to show up at the house! It was great!

Now the cast of characters in this book is huge so be prepared. There are 7 girls at the school alone to keep track of! Plus a bunch of other suspects characters that show up and make you wonder! Thankfully there are two pages at the front with pictures of the girls with their names and that really helped until I got them all down! What also helped is that they were referred to with part of the personality or physical feature. So for example - Smooth Kitty. She is called that because she's smart and can smooth things out or get things done smoothly. There's also Disgraceful Mary Jane called that because she likes to flirt! I thought at first this might annoy me - naming them this way - but actually it really help!


I loved all the girls. Everyone of them was smart or kind or giving. None were mean. And they were so nice and caring towards each other! Never once did they turn on each other. Oh there were a few suspicions here and there, but they supported each other. I really like that about the story! I also liked how smart and capable they were. Pocked Louise is so smart! She really knew her stuff!


The ending was great. I thought I had things figured out, and I did a little. But I didn't know or guess the entire story!!! 

Well done!


February 4, 2015

Waiting on Wednesday: The Cemetery Boys

This post is inspired by a meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine.


Today I'm waiting on:

The Cemetery Boys by Heather Brewer
Release Date: March 30th

I love Heather Brewer books!

February 3, 2015

Book Review: Stinky Cecil in Operation Pond Rescue by Paige Braddock

Title: Stinky Cecil in Operation Pond Rescue


Author: Paige Braddock

The hilarious tale of a group of amphibians (and one free-range hamster) who set out to save their tiny pond home from one very large steamroller.

Sometimes big stories happen in small places. Sometimes big things happen to small creatures. This is one of those stories . . .

Cecil is a toad. A toad busy doing what any other toad does with its days--judging the pond splashing contest (Reggie the fly is usually the honorary winner by dint of his five-day lifespan), or visiting his friends, Jeff the free-range hamster, Rayray the lizard, Jeremy the worm, or Sprout the frog. And, of course, trying to keep clear of the local hawk.

But when Cecil discovers a freeway construction project aimed right at the pond, he knows he has to come up with a plan to save his home. But what can a small group of amphibians and a reincarnating fly do against construction vehicles and a steady onslaught of hot asphalt? Cecil isn't sure, but he knows they have to try.


This will short since it's a short book! Cute little book about a group of friends trying to save their pond.  It was a very quick read for me, and typically I would not have read it except for one thing.  I have a 7 year old son who is a very good reader.  The thing is - he really only likes reading nonfiction.  Now that's great except I know he needs to gain stamina in reading fiction as well! I had this book sitting out after getting it un-requested in the mail.  He picked it up and started paging through.  He did this several times.  I thought, "Hey if it looks interesting enough for him to even pick up I have to read it!". So I did.

I liked all the characters.  They were cute and fun.  They would make little comments that would make any young kid giggle.  And it has some "potty" humor that they will giggle at even more. I mean really, the toad's name is STINKY Cecil.  I liked how it showed them all working together and never giving up even though they were little and up against big machines.  I think that's a great lesson for younger kids to see!

Over-all fun little book.  

One quick note - the information that came with the book says it's for the middle grade.  I've always heard of MG being 9-12 or 8-12.  In my mind this book is for the very low end of that range.  I can't imagine my 6th, 7th or 8th graders reading this at all.  It's just to simple for them.  I do think it's perfect for 2nd - 5th though!  Just my opinion.  

February 2, 2015

Snap Shot Monday: Fish in a Tree

On Mondays I just take a quick picture of the book I'm currently reading, will read next, or just finished.  It's my way to keep blogging simple!

Snap Shot


Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt