tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31419575436573304282024-03-05T10:57:12.697-08:00The Adventures of an Obsessed Bookworm BloggerMandy Danyelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02821981374154383410noreply@blogger.comBlogger54125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141957543657330428.post-33307681829380532942013-03-10T17:49:00.000-07:002013-03-10T17:49:02.621-07:00MOVING BLOGSKind of sad to say, I am moving this blog to tumblr. It's just a way more active site in my opinion: http://readingwithcoffee.tumblr.com/ follow me if you want to keep seeing updates & reviews.Mandy Danyelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02821981374154383410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141957543657330428.post-27617473081183994662012-12-19T07:40:00.000-08:002012-12-19T07:40:01.213-08:00Bitter End by Jennifer Brown<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1344267166l/9415958.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1344267166l/9415958.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
<b>Published: </b>May 10th 2011<br />
<b>Pages:</b> 359<br />
<b>Format: </b>Hardcover (New)<br />
<b>Stars:</b> <span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">★★★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">★★</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span>
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">When Alex falls for the charming new boy at school, Cole -- a handsome, funny, sports star who adores her -- she can't believe she's finally found her soul mate . . . someone who truly loves and understands her.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">At first, Alex is blissfully happy. Sure, Cole seems a little jealous of her relationship with her close friend Zack, but what guy would want his girlfriend spending all her time with another boy? As the months pass, though, Alex can no longer ignore Cole's small put-downs, pinches, or increasingly violent threats.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">As Alex struggles to come to terms with the sweet boyfriend she fell in love with and the boyfriend whose "love" she no longer recognizes, she is forced to choose -- between her "true love" and herself.</span></i><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">I will admit at first I had a huge problem with Alex. I thought she was really naive and had no common sense whatsoever. That was until, I realized she was me.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">This book really hit home for me as I was in an abusive relationship for almost two years. So I could relate to Alex 100% through out this novel. The things that went on and how Alex acted, mirrored me completely when I was her age. So I give Brown huge points for nailing this situation right on the head. I think anyone who has been in this situation, can really feel touched when they read this book. I also highly recommend reading it. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Even if you have not been in an abusive relationship, I think it's an important book but please read it with an open mind and don't be too quick to judge because sadly, abusive relationships start every single day and it's a huge problem with people of all ages but I think when it starts at such a young age, it's different and sometimes harder to overcome. But you CAN overcome it.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span>
<br />Mandy Danyelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02821981374154383410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141957543657330428.post-69823056548822481892012-12-15T08:37:00.002-08:002012-12-15T08:37:53.204-08:00If I stay by Gayle Forman<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1311702290l/6990472.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1311702290l/6990472.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<b>Published: </b>April 6th 2010<br />
<b>Pages:</b> 234<br />
<b>Format:</b> Paperback (New)<br />
<b>Stars:</b> <span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">★★★</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span>
<i><strong style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">A critically acclaimed novel that will change the way you look at life, love, and family. </strong><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">In the blink of an eye everything changes. Seventeen year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall what happened afterwards, watching her own damaged body being taken from the wreck. Little by little she struggles to put together the pieces- to figure out what she has lost, what she has left, and the very difficult choice she must make. Heartwrenchingly beautiful, Mia's story will stay with you for a long, long time.</span></i><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">This is one of those books that peopl</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">e have been raving about ever since it came out. How amazing, touching and heartbreaking it is. That it's one of the best books ever written..etc etc. To be honest, I've had this book on my shelf for about a year because I really didn't know what to expect. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i>If I stay</i> is a book about a girl that pretty much has to decide if she is going to keep living or if she wants to die after a wreck tears apart her family. While it was sad and pretty well written, it didn't really touch me as strongly as it has touched others. Maybe</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> because I am use to reading sad books or because to me, this book was way too predictable.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">When you read the blurb and think about the book, you pretty much get exactly what you would expect. I just found it to be way too basic and cliche. That's really all I have to say about it. I decided to give it three stars because it wasn't an awful book but I don't really understand the hype around it either.</span></span>Mandy Danyelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02821981374154383410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141957543657330428.post-47425687063738997892012-12-12T20:51:00.000-08:002012-12-12T20:51:30.377-08:00Bah, Humbug! A Romantic Comedy Novella by Heather Horrocks<a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327905706l/12749487.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327905706l/12749487.jpg" width="208" /></a><b>Published: </b>September 9th 2011<br />
<b>Pages:</b> 96<br />
<b>Format:</b> E-Book<br />
<b>Stars:</b> <span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">★★★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">★</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i>Lexi Anderson is an up-and-coming, Martha Stewart-type TV hostess whose two kids love the Jared Strong adventure novels, which happen to be written by their new neighbor, Kyle Miller. For the first time in his writing career, Kyle has writer’s block--until he sees the snowman on his lawn and realizes it’s the perfect solution to his plot problem. He digs in and discovers two things: one, his villain’s weapon will fit inside a snowman's body, and two, this particular snowman was supposed to be the backdrop for Lexi’s next show. From this improbable beginning comes friendship, but can there be a happy ending for a woman who is afraid to get close again and a man who has shadows from his childhood? Families join together and hearts are healed as this couple goes walking in a winter wonderland.</i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">So Starting last year, I made a point to read a bunch of Mindless (but cute) Christmas Stories through out December every year. So of course, I totally stalk Amazon for free books on my Kindle for this purpose because some of my favorite Holiday books are Indies on my Kindle. I have been seeing </span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i>Bah, Humbug! </i>on Amazon under Free books for months so I finally got it and decided to read it.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Now I will be honest, I wasn't expecting much from this Novella because it just sounded like it could be a really cheesy story but I actually really enjoyed it. The plot was adorable and so were the characters. Plus it was a super fast read that I knocked out in a little over an hour. The problems I had were: No drama..I felt like everything went too smoothly and I wish it was longer because I feel that it could have made an amazing full length story. But for free, I can't complain. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">If you are looking for a cute Holiday story, check out <i>Bah, Humbug!</i></span></span>Mandy Danyelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02821981374154383410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141957543657330428.post-51791362351411928862012-12-12T20:40:00.000-08:002012-12-12T20:51:48.296-08:00Breathless by Jessica Warman<a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1312057592l/6449903.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1312057592l/6449903.jpg" width="214" /></a><b>Published: </b>August 18th 2009<br />
<b>Pages:</b> 320<br />
<b>Format:</b> Hardcover (New)<br />
<b>Stars:</b> <span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">★★★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">★</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i>When Katie Kitrell is shipped off to boarding school by her distant father and overbearing mother, it doesn't take her long to become part of the It Crowd. She’s smart, she’s cute, and she’s an Olympic-bound swimmer who has a first class ticket to any Ivy League school of her choice. But what her new friends, roommate, and boyfriend don’t know is that Katie is swimming away from her past, and from her schizophrenic older brother, Will, who won’t let her go. And when he does the unthinkable, it’s all Katie can do to keep her head above water.</i></span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">I loved <i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10397655-between">Between</a></i> by Warman when I read it back in January of this year. So I've wanted to read <i>Breathless</i> for a while. I found it for an awesome price on Amazon a few weeks ago so I finally got around to reading it. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">I pretty much loved it. The plot was wonderful, the characters were some of my favorites and I just loved the setting that Warman was able to create. My only complaint was the very ending. It was good but I would have loved if she made this into a series instead because as I said before, I loved the Characters and I would have loved if she kept the story going. Also, it was a little slow in places.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Overall I loved it though and if you are interested in reading it, I highly recommend that you do so.</span></span></span>Mandy Danyelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02821981374154383410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141957543657330428.post-64474210798402907872012-12-09T15:24:00.000-08:002012-12-09T15:24:17.599-08:00The Christmas Bus by Melody Carlson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1179276663l/896986.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1179276663l/896986.jpg" width="206" /></a></div>
Published: January 1st 2006<br />
Pages: 157<br />
Format: E-Book<br />
Stars: <span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">★★★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">★</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i>The people of Christmas Valley always celebrate Christmas to the fullest extent. The mayor plays Santa, every business is holiday themed, and there's a nativity for the kids each Christmas Eve. This town knows Christmas. But this year nothing goes according to plan. Shepherd's Inn is full of strangers, Mad Myrtle is causing problems, and a young couple with a baby due any minute rolls in to the middle of town in their Partridge Family-style bus. It's hardly the holiday Christmas Valley wanted--but it may be just what they need. This charming novella is sure to become a new Christmas tradition for readers who love a great holiday story.</i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">I am starting to slowly read Christmas Stories to put me in more of a Christmas Spirit and I came across </span></span><i style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">The Christmas Bus</i><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> for Free on Amazon for my Kindle. It sounded really cute so I decided to give it a try. While the reviews on other sites aren't great, I really enjoyed it. I know a lot of people were complaining that it's too Religious but it's a Christmas Story...(duh) and I didn't think it was overwhelming. I just found it to be a very cute and nice story to get you in the mood for Christmas. So yes, it did it's job and if you are looking for a cute short story for Christmas, I recommend it.</span></span></span>Mandy Danyelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02821981374154383410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141957543657330428.post-76074082900670965542012-12-08T14:17:00.000-08:002012-12-08T14:17:25.523-08:00Ashen Winter by Mike Mullin (SPOILER FREE)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1332342080l/9867814.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1332342080l/9867814.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>
<b>Published: </b>October 16th 2012<br />
<b>Pages:</b> 576<br />
<b>Format:</b> Hardcover (New)<br />
<b>Stars:</b> <span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">★★★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">★</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span>
<i><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">It’s been over six months since the eruption of the Yellowstone super-volcano Alex and Darla have been staying with Alex’s relatives, trying to cope with the new reality of the primitive world so vividly portrayed in </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Ashfall,</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> the first book in this series. It’s also been six months of waiting for Alex’s parents to return from Iowa. Alex and Darla decide they can wait no longer and must retrace their journey into Iowa to find and bring back Alex’s parents to the tenuous safety of Illinois. But the landscape they cross is even more perilous than before, with life-and-death battles for food and power between the remaining communities. When the unthinkable happens, Alex must find new reserves of strength and determination to survive.</span></i><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i><span style="color: #666666;">To keep this spoiler free, this is going to be a short and basic review.</span></i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i>Ashfall</i> was probably one of my favorite books (if not my favorite) that I've read in 2012 so far so when <i>Ashen Winter</i> came out, I was super excited. However, <i>Ashen Winter</i> topped it by A LOT. I think the writing was better, a lot of character development and I would say that it was more epic then <i>Ashfall</i>. A lot more happened in <i>Ashen Winter</i> and while I wanted to take my time reading it, it was really hard to because it grabbed my attention and held on for dear life. So if you are a fan of books similar to this, I HIGHLY recommend giving <i>The Ashfall Series</i> a try. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">If you have already the books in this series, I would love for you to comment below and let me know your thoughts.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span>Mandy Danyelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02821981374154383410noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141957543657330428.post-60709777263701836322012-12-04T16:02:00.000-08:002012-12-04T16:02:20.516-08:00Bedtime Stories for the Damned by Christopher Bloodworth<a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1354461353l/16206193.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1354461353l/16206193.jpg" /></a><b>Published:</b> Unknown<br />
<b>Pages: </b>160<br />
<b>Format: </b>E-Book<br />
<b>Stars: </b>★★★<br />
<br />
<i> Unimaginable horror. </i><br />
<i>Terrifying rage. </i><br />
<i>Twisted desires. </i><br />
<i>Strange appetites. </i><br />
<i> All these marvelous things and more await those who dare to read Bedtime Stories For The Damned. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>***Now featuring a FREE excerpt from the new novel Handbook for a Teenage Antichrist.*** </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Included stories: </i><br />
<i> THE BOX </i><br />
<i> The police came calling on Dr. Gordon the day after his patient was found dead, locked in a safe. The only item the dead man had in the safe was a journal.
A journal that contained a plea for help, along with a dark secret from the man’s childhood. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i> LOVE</i><br />
<i> It happened fast: a tossed clock, a trashcan.
Then Carla lost herself to the rage and everything changed. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i> JOHN A. </i><br />
<i> Six people woke up this morning.
Six contestants spread across the small city of Solo, Texas. All playing a twisted man's game.
A man that may be more than he seems at first glance.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>JEREMIAH 19:9</i><br />
<i> Truck driver Buddy Pritchard was heading home to his wife and young daughter, but a chance encounter with an organic jerky saleswoman may keep him from ever seeing them alive again.</i><br />
<br />
Bloodworth is a loved Member of<b> Reddit.com</b> and he posts amazing stories on <b>Nosleep</b>. He was giving away this book and another one for free on Amazon for the Kindle. So I grabbed this one because I love his horror stories.<br />
<br />
I thought <i>Bedtime Stories for the Damned</i> was pretty good and a really fast read. The only thing is, I did expect more from Bloodworth then what I actually got. Then again, short story collections are usually filled with hits and misses so I can't really explain because most of them were hits. The thing that bugged me the most though was the free Excerpt was totally blank so a good chuck of the book was nothing.<br />
<br />
Overall, I recommend this book if you love horror and indie books. It was a nice combo of both. If you want to read somethings by Bloodworth, you can go <a href="http://www.reddit.com/user/BLOODWORTH/submitted/">HERE</a>.Mandy Danyelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02821981374154383410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141957543657330428.post-78351476977252971812012-12-04T15:49:00.002-08:002012-12-04T15:50:35.577-08:00How They Met and Other Stories by David Levithan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320500853l/6830088.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320500853l/6830088.jpg" width="206" /></a></div>
<b>Published: </b>January 8th 2008<br />
<b>Pages:</b> 256<br />
<b>Format: </b>Paperback (New)<br />
<b>Stars:</b> ★★<br />
<br />
<i>Just in time for Valentine’s Day comes a confection from David Levithan that is sure to have fans of Boy Meets Boy eager to devour it. Here are 18 stories, all about love, all kinds of love. From the aching for the one you pine for, to standing up and speaking up for the one you love, to pure joy and happiness, these love stories run the gamut of that emotion that at some point has turned every one of us inside out and upside down.
What is love? With this original story collection, David Levithan proves that love is a many splendor-ed thing, a varied, complicated, addictive, wonderful thing.
</i><br />
<br />
As much as I love Levithan, this book was VERY disappointing. The stories were very basic, rushed and they all had a very close plot line from the others. Nothing really stood out and stuck with me. Aside from that, there is really nothing else to say about this book then it wasn't normal Levithan and I didn't care for it at all. Even the story that the book was titled after was very rushed and nothing special.Mandy Danyelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02821981374154383410noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141957543657330428.post-19415988416903659452012-11-30T12:49:00.000-08:002012-11-30T12:49:46.896-08:002012: End of the Year Book Giveaway!It's nearing the end of the year! So that means a giveaway! One lucky winner will receive ONE book of their pick on December 28th. Simply follow the rules and stuff below. <a id="rc-d937d95" class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/d937d95/" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script>Mandy Danyelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02821981374154383410noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141957543657330428.post-49317172478229169732012-11-30T12:29:00.000-08:002012-11-30T12:29:01.058-08:00White Cat by Holly Black<a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1331326449l/8731014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1331326449l/8731014.jpg" width="212" /></a><b>Published: </b>February 18th 2011<br />
<b>Pages:</b> 310<br />
<b>Format: </b>Paperback (New)<br />
<b>Stars: </b> <span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">★</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span><i>Cassel comes from a family of curse workers—people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, all by the slightest touch of their hands. Since curse work is illegal, they’re all criminals. But not Cassel. He hasn't got the magic touch, so he’s an outsider—the straight kid in a crooked family—as long as you ignore one small detail: He killed his best friend, Lila. Now he is sleepwalking, propelled into the night by terrifying dreams about a white cat. He also notices that his brothers are keeping secrets from him. As Cassel begins to suspect he’s part of one huge con game, he must unravel his past and his memories. To find out the truth, Cassel will have to out-con the con-men.</i><br />
<br />
I have heard people raving about Holly Black for a little over a year now but I have never read anything by her before a side from some short stories. So while I was out browsing cheap bookstores, I found the first two books in this series for four dollars a piece and I've heard people say that this was her best series so far.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I really enjoyed White Cat and it only took me two days to finish. I loved the Characters Cassel, Lila and the Grandfather but I hated everyone else. Also the character development was lacking and there wasn't much action. Because of this, it took me a little bit to figure out exactly what I should rate this and I settled for 3 stars. It's a series I am defiantly going to keep reading but nothing that I am dying to finish.Mandy Danyelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02821981374154383410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141957543657330428.post-10825165309285885062012-11-27T17:55:00.001-08:002012-11-27T18:04:11.595-08:00The Future of Us by Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1350315571l/13589184.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1350315571l/13589184.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<b>Published: </b>November 21st 2011<br />
<b>Pages:</b> 366<br />
<b>Format:</b> Paperback (New)<br />
<b>Stars:</b> <span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">★</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span><i>
What if you could see how your life would unfold--just by clicking a button?</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i> It's 1996, and less than half of all American high school students have ever used the Internet. Emma just got her first computer and an America Online CD-ROM. Josh is her best friend. They power up and log on--and discover themselves on Facebook, fifteen years in the future. Everybody wonders what their destiny will be. Josh and Emma are about to find out.</i><br />
<br />
I have wanted to read this book for a long time because <i><b>Thirteen Reasons Why</b></i> by Jay Asher is one of my favorite books and this seemed like a very cute story. However, I have heard mixed reviews so I waited until I could get it for a cheaper price. So when I got a 40% off coupon for the book store, I made sure to grab this.<br />
<br />
The Future of Us follows 16 year Emma and Josh after they discover Facebook 15 years into the future during the 1990s. Most of the book is about them trying to change the future to their liking while still trying to keep their friendship going. I thought that it was a very cute story and probably one of the best YA romance books since <i><a href="http://staycalmandreadon.blogspot.com/2012/01/anna-and-french-kiss-by-stephanie.html">Anna and the French Kiss</a> </i>that I have read<i>.</i>The Characters were wonderful and the plot was addicting. It really held my attention very well and I was pleased with the ending.<br />
<br />
So if you are looking for a cute YA novel, I highly recommend<i> The Future of Us</i>. In fact, I would love to see a sequel. Maybe to present time.Mandy Danyelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02821981374154383410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141957543657330428.post-32754302531096968972012-11-25T08:26:00.001-08:002012-11-25T08:26:34.592-08:00Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320761774l/13026356.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320761774l/13026356.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<b>Published: </b>June 14th 2012<br />
<b>Pages: </b>304<br />
<b>Format:</b> Paperback (new)<br />
<b>Stars: </b>★ <br />
<br />
<i>Chloe's older sister, Ruby, is the girl everyone looks to and longs for, who can't be contained or caged. When a night with Ruby's friends goes horribly wrong and Chloe discovers the 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 deeply hidden away, the fragile line between life and death is redrawn by the complex bonds of sisterhood.</i><br />
<br />
First of all I want to say, I had a hard time rating this book at first. Simply because I've read worse books then this but I still pretty much hated it. Why? I hated the characters and this is a book in which there was no character development and nothing really happens. It was basically all about Chloe talking about her sister Ruby. It was almost like Chloe was making up a list on why her sister was perfect yet a bitch at the same time. Then when you find out some things about Ruby, they make almost no sense because there is no reasoning behind it. It was like reading half a book or watching only some of a movie. It was 304 pages but it took me a week to read just because it could not grab my attention.<br />
<br />
My advice is to just skip this one. The blurb might seem interesting but to me, it was a big fail.Mandy Danyelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02821981374154383410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141957543657330428.post-19137812217030720552012-11-18T16:57:00.000-08:002012-11-30T12:36:27.846-08:00Shine by Lauren Myracle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327886123l/12821061.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327886123l/12821061.jpg" width="206" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><b>Published: </b>May 1st 2011</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><b style="color: #848484; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Pages:</b><span style="color: #848484; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> 359</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><b style="color: #848484; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Format: </b><span style="color: #848484; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Paperback (New)</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><b style="color: #848484; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Stars:</b><span style="color: #848484; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> ★ ★ ★ </span><span style="color: #848484; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14.44444465637207px; line-height: 19px;">★</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #848484; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14.44444465637207px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span>
<i><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">When her best guy friend falls victim to what seems like a vicious hate crime, 16-year-old Cat sets out to discover who in her small town did it. Richly atmospheric, this daring mystery mines the secrets of a tightly knit Southern community and examines the strength of will it takes to go against everyone you know in the name of justice.</span></i><i><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /></i><i><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Against a backdrop of poverty, clannishness, drugs, and intolerance, Myracle has crafted a harrowing coming-of-age tale couched in a deeply intelligent mystery. Smart, fearless, and compassionate, this is an unforgettable work from a beloved author.</span></i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">This is a book I've wanted to read since it first came out but I wanted until it came out in paperback for some unknown reason. Just something I would pass every time I was at the bookstore. The plot however always jumped out at me because you see a lot of YA books about depressed teenagers and same sex relationships but usually not actual hate crime stories. Sadly it's something that happens all the time but not a lot of authors (YA wise) actually write about it.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Now, I will be the first to say that through most of the book, I didn't like Cat all that much. I just found her to be too goody-goody, younger then she was suppose to be (16) and annoying. But as I got more into the book, the more I liked her.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">As for the setting of the book and the other characters, I LOVED. It was very realistic and I felt that I was actually part of the story. The other Characters were raw and very real. The only real complaint I have is that I think certain words were used in the book way too much (cocksucker, faggot, fag..etc) Which I understand it was realistic and the plot of this book, it worked but I felt that at times, the words were used for the fun of it.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Overall, I would say the plot to this book is very important for younger people to read and even adults because it shows how awful it is to treat people badly because of their sexual per fences and how bad choices hurt everyone around them.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span>Mandy Danyelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02821981374154383410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141957543657330428.post-40138994306428279022012-11-15T12:20:00.000-08:002012-11-30T12:36:52.771-08:00I would Find a Girl Walking by Kathy Kelly<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1302496899l/9354068.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1302496899l/9354068.jpg" width="197" /></a></div>
<div style="color: #848484; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b>Published: </b>April 5th 2011</span></div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><b style="color: #848484; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Pages:</b><span style="color: #848484; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> 293</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><b style="color: #848484; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Format: </b><span style="color: #848484; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Paperback (New)</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><b style="color: #848484; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Stars:</b><span style="color: #848484; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> ★ ★ ★ </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #848484; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span>
<strong style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">"I would be drinking and lonely, thinking about all the couples having fun together. And here I am, single, haveing no fun at all. Then I would go out riding around and I would find a girl walking..."</strong><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">-Gerald Stano</span></span><br />
<i style="background-color: white;"><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">His licence plate read: </span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">No riders except blondes, brunettes, and redheads</span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">. With his flared polyester pants, open nylon shirt, and disco music on his eight track, Gerald Stano believed he was quite the ladies' man. And should a girl dare fracture his ego, he killed her.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">By the time he was twenty-eight, Gerald confessed to murdering up to forty women over an eleven-year period. How they died was left to the moment: strangled, stabbed, drowned, or shot. Why? They crossed Gerald's path and were tossed out like trash. But there were other troubling questions: How did this obsessive loner lure so many women into his car? And how could so many appalling crimes go unconnected for so long?</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Based on exclusive access to the killer-and extensive correspondence with him-as well as interviews with the lead investigator and the victims' families, this is a revealing, shocking, and unflinching portrait of a man who fancied himself one of the greatest lady-killers of them all.</span></i><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">I am a huge fan of True Crime Books and I read at least one every month. So when I found this at Barnes and Noble, I was really excited because it sounded just like the kind of True Crime books I love. Sadly, I was pretty disappointed.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">First of all, they repeat the same things over and over again through-out the book. Every single Killing is the same, all of his confessions are the same and the theories..all the same. I almost felt that they tried to sugar-coat the story and make it seem less brutal. I also wouldn't call him one of the biggest Serial Killers to read about either. There are SO many more serial killers that were more interesting to read about.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.44444465637207px; line-height: 19px;">I am not trying to sound heartless because I do highly feel for the victims and their stories. Some of them really broke my heart but I feel that the author just didn't write a good true crime book to really bring Gerald to justice. It felt rushed, too repeated and like the person had no emotion whatsoever to the case at hand.</span></span></span>Mandy Danyelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02821981374154383410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141957543657330428.post-51452582917727214622012-11-10T18:37:00.001-08:002012-11-30T12:37:12.339-08:00Saving June by Hannah Harrington<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327945149l/9672990.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327945149l/9672990.jpg" width="202" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b>Published: </b>May 1st 2011</span></div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><b style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Pages:</b><span style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> 336</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><b style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Format: </b><span style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Paperback (New)</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><b style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Stars:</b><span style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> ★ ★ ★ </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">★ </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14.44444465637207px; line-height: 19px;">★</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14.44444465637207px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span>
<i><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">‘If she’d waited less than two weeks, she’d be June who died in June. But I guess my sister didn’t consider that.’</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Harper Scott’s older sister has always been the perfect one so when June takes her own life a week before her high school graduation, sixteen-year-old Harper is devastated. Everyone’s sorry, but no one can explain why.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">When her divorcing parents decide to split her sister’s ashes into his-and-her urns, Harper takes matters into her own hands. She’ll steal the ashes and drive cross-country with her best friend, Laney, to the one place June always dreamed of going, California.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Enter Jake Tolan. He’s a boy with a bad attitude, a classic-rock obsession and nothing in common with Harper’s sister. But Jake had a connection with June, and when he insists on joining them, Harper’s just desperate enough to let him. With his alternately charming and infuriating demeanour and his belief that music can see you through anything, he might be exactly what she needs.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Except June wasn’t the only one hiding something. Jake’s keeping a secret that has the power to turn Harper’s life upside down again.</span></i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">When I finish started reading </span></span><i style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Saving June</i><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">, I didn't like it at all. I thought it was a pretty basic young adult book and nothing really jumped out at me. But as I got more into the book, the more I fell in love with it. Harper, Laney and Jake are some of the best characters in any young adult book that I have read. Why? Simple, they are realistic. They are a group of teenagers with very different </span><span style="font-size: 14.44444465637207px; line-height: 19px;">personalities</span><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> but at the same time, they all want the same thing: to figure out who they are and why they are alive.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">On top of that, it has an adorable romance that slowly grows during the whole book. The only complaints I have are: 1.) I wish it would have gone further into the story then it did. I would have liked to know what happened with the characters later down the line. 2.) June's reasoning for what she did is never explained. Which was VERY disappointing. </span></span></span>Mandy Danyelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02821981374154383410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141957543657330428.post-41291125453337759482012-11-10T18:25:00.002-08:002012-11-30T12:37:34.903-08:00Guess Whose Back?<span style="background-color: white;">I am back! I need to revamp this blog but then I will be officially posting reviews and stuff :)</span>Mandy Danyelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02821981374154383410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141957543657330428.post-63415579682740263782012-07-24T09:07:00.003-07:002012-11-30T12:38:08.778-08:00New Winner of the Sparks Giveaway<span style="background-color: white;">Sadly, the original winner of the Sparks giveaway did not contact me back within 4 days of winning so I had to pick a different winner and that person is JESSICA. I will be emailing the new winner right now but just to make it clear, you must contact me back within 4 days.</span>Mandy Danyelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02821981374154383410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141957543657330428.post-11378153574103930052012-07-09T15:34:00.000-07:002012-11-18T17:08:34.538-08:00The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman Chapter Sampler!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://htmlimg3.scribdassets.com/14eq9n52tc1cxzo7/images/1-a67c8e3f4d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://htmlimg3.scribdassets.com/14eq9n52tc1cxzo7/images/1-a67c8e3f4d.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;">You can now read a chapter for free by going to <a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/79132928/The-Book-of-Blood-and-Shadow-by-Robin-Wasserman">The Chapter Sampler</a> on RandomBuzzers.com!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><br /></span>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;">Read the sneak peek at The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman before you buy it! It was like a nightmare, but there was no waking up. When the night began, Nora had two best friends and an embarrassingly storybook one true love. When it ended, she had nothing but blood on her hands and an echoing scream that stopped only when the tranquilizers pierced her veins and left her in the merciful dark.</span></blockquote>
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><br /></span>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;">But the next morning, it was all still true: Chris was dead. His girlfriend Adriane, Nora's best friend, was catatonic. And Max, Nora's sweet, smart, soft-spoken Prince Charming, was gone. He was also—according to the police, according to her parents, according to everyone—a murderer.</span></blockquote>
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><br /></span>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;">Desperate to prove his innocence, Nora follows the trail of blood, no matter where it leads. It ultimately brings her to the ancient streets of Prague, where she is drawn into a dark web of secret societies and shadowy conspirators, all driven by a mad desire to possess something that might not even exist. For buried in a centuries-old manuscript is the secret to ultimate knowledge and communion with the divine; it is said that he who controls the Lumen Dei controls the world. Unbeknownst to her, Nora now holds the crucial key to unlocking its secrets. Her night of blood is just one piece in a puzzle that spans continents and centuries. Solving it may be the only way she can save her own life.<span style="color: #4e5b62; font-family: arial, 'helvetica neue', helvetica, Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px; text-align: left;"> </span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<br /></blockquote>
Mandy Danyelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02821981374154383410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141957543657330428.post-50799509024435989062012-07-08T09:03:00.000-07:002012-11-30T12:38:25.950-08:00Fifty Shades Darker by EL James (17+ only)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1309183143l/11857408.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1309183143l/11857408.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b>Published: </b>September 15th 2011</span></div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><b style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Pages:</b><span style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> 532</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><b style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Format: </b><span style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Paperback (New)</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><b style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Stars:</b><span style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> ★ ★ ★ </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">★ </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i><br /></i></span>
<i><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Daunted by the singular sexual tastes and dark secrets of the beautiful, tormented young entrepreneur Christian Grey, Anastasia Steele has broken off their relationship to start a new career with a Seattle publishing house. </span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">But desire for Christian still dominates her every waking thought, and when he proposes a new arrangement, Anastasia cannot resist. They rekindle their searing sensual affair, and Anastasia learns more about the harrowing past of her damaged, driven and demanding Fifty Shades. </span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">While Christian wrestles with his inner demons, Anastasia must confront the anger and envy of the women who came before her, and make the most important decision of her life.</span>
</i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Okay, about a week ago I did a review on </span></span><a href="http://staycalmandreadon.blogspot.com/2012/06/fifty-shades-of-grey-by-el-james-17.html" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Fifty Shades of Grey</a><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> and told everyone what I thought about it. Afterwords, I started on the sequel</span></span><i style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"> Fifty Shades Darker</i><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">. FSD was defiantly a faster read for me then FSOG was. I also enjoyed it a lot more then the first book. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">I still would not call these books romance but Mr. Grey was less of a dick in Fifty Shades Darker and it was nice to Ana stick up for herself..sort of. As for the writing, I didn't feel that it got better at all.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Overall, I liked this book a lot more then the first and I will be reading/reviewing the last book in the series soon.</span></span>Mandy Danyelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02821981374154383410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141957543657330428.post-85806320361873282082012-07-02T09:10:00.000-07:002012-07-02T09:10:17.466-07:00GIVE AWAY: The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman ARC<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1334338932l/11378763.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1334338932l/11378763.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
I was lucky enough to receive <b>TWO </b>Advanced Reader Copies of <b>The Book of Blood and Shadow</b> by Robin Wasserman and I am giving away one of the copies! All you have to do is fill out the form below and the winner will be announced on July 31st or August 1st 2012!<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: #cccccc;"><i><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">It was like a nightmare, but there was no waking up. When the night began, Nora had two best friends and an embarrassingly storybook one true love. When it ended, she had nothing but blood on her hands and an echoing scream that stopped only when the tranquilizers pierced her veins and left her in the merciful dark. </span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">But the next morning, it was all still true: Chris was dead. His girlfriend Adriane, Nora’s best friend, was catatonic. And Max, Nora’s sweet, smart, soft-spoken Prince Charming, was gone. He was also—according to the police, according to her parents, according to everyone—a murderer.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Desperate to prove his innocence, Nora follows the trail of blood, no matter where it leads. It ultimately brings her to the ancient streets of Prague, where she is drawn into a dark web of secret societies and shadowy conspirators, all driven by a mad desire to possess something that might not even exist. For buried in a centuries-old manuscript is the secret to ultimate knowledge and communion with the divine; it is said that he who controls the Lumen Dei controls the world. Unbeknownst to her, Nora now holds the crucial key to unlocking its secrets. Her night of blood is just one piece in a puzzle that spans continents and centuries. Solving it may be the only way she can save her own life.</span></i></span>
<br />
<span style="background-color: #cccccc;"><i><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><br /></span></i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #cccccc;"><i><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><br /></span></i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #cccccc;"><i><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><br /></span>
</i></span>
<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/" id="rc-d937d94">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js">
</script>Mandy Danyelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02821981374154383410noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141957543657330428.post-86173431686286712672012-06-29T08:08:00.002-07:002012-06-29T08:08:38.139-07:00Fifty Shades of Grey by EL James (17+ only)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1300842729l/10818853.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1300842729l/10818853.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">
<b>Published: </b>May 26th 2011</div>
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Pages:</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> 540</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><b style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Format: </b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Paperback (New)</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><b style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Stars:</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> ★ ★ ★ </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><br />
<i><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">When literature student Anastasia Steele is drafted to interview the successful young entrepreneur Christian Grey for her campus magazine, she finds him attractive, enigmatic and intimidating. Convinced their meeting went badly, she tries to put Grey out of her mind - until he happens to turn up at the out-of-town hardware store where she works part-time. </span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">The unworldly, innocent Ana is shocked to realize she wants this man, and when he warns her to keep her distance it only makes her more desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana’s quiet beauty, wit, and independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her - but on his own terms. </span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Shocked yet thrilled by Grey's singular erotic tastes, Ana hesitates. For all the trappings of success – his multinational businesses, his vast wealth, his loving adoptive family – Grey is a man tormented by demons and consumed by the need to control. When the couple embarks on a passionate, physical and daring affair, Ana learns more about her own dark desires, as well as the Christian Grey hidden away from public scrutiny.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Can their relationship transcend physical passion? Will Ana find it in herself to submit to the self-indulgent Master? And if she does, will she still love what she finds?</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Erotic, amusing, and deeply moving, the Fifty Shades Trilogy is a tale that will obsess you, possess you, and stay with you forever.</span>
</i><br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><br /></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Let me just start out by saying, when a book gets a lot of hype (good or bad) , I usually end up sucked into reading it. I believe that's part of being a bookworm and book blogger. We have to know so we can give an opinion on it. That is the reason that I have decided to read <b>Fifty Shades of Grey</b>. I just had to know!</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">The first thing that I have to say about this book is that I would have a lot more respect for it if it was NOT labelled as a romance novel. Why? Well to be nice, Mr Grey is an...a!s and Ana just seems to be way too </span></span>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">gullible</span> <span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> to know any better. In my opinion, that does not make a romance novel and I think that people (mostly girls and women) are really going to get the wrong idea about what true love is. Mr. Grey and Ana are NOT it.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Second point, the writing is pretty bad. I mean, I have read worse written books then this one but that doesn't make this one good. I feel like this was written by someone who knows nothing about sex or the real meaning of love.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">So..If you go into this series knowing these two things, maybe you will enjoy it. It reminds me of a car crash. You try to look away but it sucks you in.</span></span></div>Mandy Danyelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02821981374154383410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141957543657330428.post-58903264282209454742012-06-18T17:54:00.001-07:002012-06-18T17:54:23.464-07:00Cracked by K.M Walton<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1305728287l/9930875.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1305728287l/9930875.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">
<b>Published: </b>January 3rd 2012</div>
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Pages:</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> 311</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><b style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Format: </b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Hardcover (New)</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><b style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Stars:</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> ★ ★ ★ </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">★</span><br style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><br />
<i><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Sometimes there's no easy way out.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Victor hates his life. He has no friends, gets beaten up at school, and his parents are always criticizing him. Tired of feeling miserable, Victor takes a bottle of his mother's sleeping pills—only to wake up in the hospital.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Bull is angry, and takes all of his rage out on Victor. That makes him feel better, at least a little. But it doesn't stop Bull's grandfather from getting drunk and hitting him. So Bull tries to defend himself with a loaded gun.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">When Victor and Bull end up as roommates in the same psych ward, there's no way to escape each other or their problems. Which means things are going to get worse—much worse—before they get better….</span></i>
<br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><br /></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">As soon as I saw this book and read the blurb at Barnes and Noble, I knew this would be a new favorite. I have never heard of this author or anything before I found this book but I LOVE young adult books that deal with realistic subjects and tissues.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">I found <i>Cracked</i> to be very realistic and heart touching. I know what it's like to be very depressed and think that there is no easy way to get away from your problems. But sometimes, you have to face your problems in order to deal with them. That's exactly what this book is about. It gets you involved with the characters and makes you thankful for the life/family that you have. But it also reminds you that even through the darkest times, there is hope.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">I highly recommend everyone reading Cracked or at least giving it a try.</span></span></div>Mandy Danyelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02821981374154383410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141957543657330428.post-18916001062835538062012-06-11T18:03:00.001-07:002012-06-11T18:13:03.288-07:00SPARKS BOOK GIVEAWAY<b>Prize:</b><br />
<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1332884095p5/2345.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1332884095p5/2345.jpg" /></a>One winner will receive any book by <b>Nicholas Sparks</b> that they want.<br />
<br />
<b>To Win:</b><br />
<b>-</b>Fill out and do the activities below. You aren't required to do all of them but it WILL get you extra entries. You are required to do the first part of the form in order to enter though.<br />
<br />
<b>-</b>You Must be 13+ to enter. If you are under 18, you must have a parent's permission.<br />
<br />
<b>-</b>The Winner will be announced on this blog and emailed. The Winner must email me within <b>4</b> days.<br />
<br />
<b>-</b>Go to my <a href="http://staycalmandreadon.blogspot.com/p/giveaway-policy.html">Giveaway Policy</a> and make sure you understand everything.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>GIVEAWAY IS CURRENTLY OPEN</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span><br />
<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/" id="rc-d937d93">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js">
</script>Mandy Danyelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02821981374154383410noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141957543657330428.post-85632742558333679612012-06-11T17:53:00.002-07:002012-06-11T17:53:27.132-07:00The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327921969l/11981747.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327921969l/11981747.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">
<b>Published: </b>February 28th 2012</div>
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Pages:</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> 384</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><b style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Format: </b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Paperback (New)</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><b style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Stars:</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> ★ ★ ★ </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">★</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><br />
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">In his 14th book, bestselling author Nicholas Sparks tells the unforgettable story of a man whose brushes with death lead him to the love of his life. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">After U.S. Marine Logan Thibault finds a photograph of a smiling young woman buried in the dirt during his tour of duty in Iraq, he experiences a sudden streak of luck -- winning poker games and even surviving deadly combat. Only his best friend, Victor, seems to have an explanation for his good fortune: the photograph -- his lucky charm. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Back home in Colorado, Thibault can't seem to get the woman in the photograph out of his mind and he sets out on a journey across the country to find her. But Thibault is caught off guard by the strong attraction he feels for the woman he encounters in North Carolina - Elizabeth, a divorced mother -- and he keeps the story of the photo, and his luck, a secret. As he and Elizabeth embark upon a passionate love affair, his secret soon threatens to tear them apart -- destroying not only their love, but also their lives. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Filled with tender romance and terrific suspense, THE LUCKY ONE is an unforgettable story about the surprising paths our lives often take and the power of fate to guide us to true and everlasting love. </span></i>
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">I fell in love with Sparks when I first saw <u>A Walk to Remember</u>. Then I saw <u>The Notebook</u> when it first came out and as I fell more and more in love with books, I finally decided to read a book by him called <u>The Last Song</u> and then I was hooked. Sparks has a way of making his characters 100% realistic and I don't know anyone that can write a better love story then him. I don't see myself ever hating anything that Sparks writes and I can't wait to read more by him.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">As for <i>The Lucky One</i>, it was a truly beautiful story but very different from what I've read and seen by Sparks. But not different in a bad way at all. Different in a good way because the plot and characters were fresh. I honestly enjoyed every second of it. It's a book all about: love, chance, mistakes, family, friends, relationships and risks. I highly recommend it.</span>Mandy Danyelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02821981374154383410noreply@blogger.com0