OMK (1)

So I've decided to do a new "segment" on this blog called on my Kindle (or OMK) where I will share with you what e-books I have currently gotten on my Kindle. I will share the cover images, titles, authors and link information on these books. If anyone is interested in doing this on their blog, feel free but make sure to let me know so I can check it out!
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
Room by by Emma Donoghue
Hollowland by Amanda Hocking
Destined by Jessie Harrell
Entwined by Heather Dixon
Hereafter by Tara Hudson
Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn't Have) by Sarah Mlynowski
Witch & Wizard by James Patterson
Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

Immortal Bird BOOK GIVEAWAY!

I received two advanced reader's copies of Immortal Bird by Doron Weber courtesy of Simon & Schuster. One copy is mine but the 2nd copy I am giving away to another reader! The unread copy is the one the winner will be receiving. Brand new, never read. If you would like more information on the book, please go to my book review HERE!

To Win:
-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.

-You Must be 13+ to enter. If you are under 18, you must have a parent's permission.

-The Winner will be announced on this blog and emailed. The Winner must email me within 4 days.

-Go to my Giveaway Policy and make sure you understand everything.

GIVEAWAY IS CURRENTLY OPEN

Immortal Bird: A Family Memoir by Doron Weber

Published: February 7th 2012
Pages: 351
Stars: ★ ★ ★ ★
**ARC courtesy of Simon & Schuster**

A stirring, gorgeously written memoir of a father's struggle to protect his son - a model student and gifted actor - from a rare heart condition that threatens his life.

Damon Weber is a brilliant kid - a skilled actor and a natural leader at school. Born with a congenital heart defect that required surgery when he was a baby, Damon’s spirit and independence have always been a source of pride to his parents, who vigilantly look for any signs of danger.

Unbowed by frequent medical checkups, Damon proves to be a talent on stage, appears in David Milch's HBO series Deadwood, and maintains an active social life, whenever he has the energy. But running through Damon's coming-of-age in the shadow of affliction is another story: Doron's relentless search for answers about his son’s condition in a race against time.

Immortal Bird is a searing account of a father's struggle to save his remarkable son: a moving story of a young boy's passion for life, a family's love, the perils of modern medicine, and the redemptive power of art in the face of the unthinkable.

I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of Immortal Bird from Simon & Schuster publishing company. So naturally I made this book a top priority and I finished it within 3 days of starting. I knew that it would be a hard book to read but I am very happy to have received it and read about Damon's Story. Disclaimer: This review is my honest thoughts. Receiving this free ARC had nothing to do with how I read or thought of this memoir.

Damon, Doron and the rest of his family went through something I can't even picture having to go through. It really reminded me about being grateful for the life that we do have and that while life might look hard at times, it could always be worse. It also made me realize how bad this world is becoming. Is nothing worth anything unless it has to do with money? Anyway, I am not trying to rant right now but Immortal Bird really touched my heart. It was a breathe-taking and heart-breaking story that I will never forget. I really hurt for Doron's story and I can't even picture what he had to go through just to write this memoir but I also realize that it was a story that had to be told.

With that being said, I urge anyone that is interested in Doron and Damon's story, to pick up Immortal Bird when it arrives on shelves February 7th and I hope that it touches everyone in the same way that it touched me.

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Published: December 2nd 2010
Pages: 372
Stars: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris - until she meets Etienne St. Clair: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he's taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home. As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near - misses end with the French kiss Anna - and readers - have long awaited?

I am not afraid to admit that I have a weak spot for Cute Romance Novels. (Yes CUTE not trashy) So when I saw tons of reviewers raving about Anna and the French Kiss, I knew I had to give it a chance myself.

This story follows 17/18 year old Anna who is sent to Paris for the first time ever to attend an American boarding school. Of course, at first Anna is really anxious and scared about being in a totally different country. But soon, Anna meets a lot of new students that become her friends including the adorable St. Clair. At first Anna thinks nothing of it but before she knows it, she is head over heels in love.

I loved loved LOVED this book so much. The setting was beautiful (Paris duh), the characters were amazing and the whole plot line was just so adorable. I don't think there was one thing I didn't love about Anna and the French Kiss. I truly believe it earned the great reviews and all of the hype surrounding the book. It's defiantly something I will be rereading in the future and it's earned a spot on my favorites shelf.

If you are looking for an adorable young adult romance novel, look no more.

Sin & Salvation: The Unseen #4 by Richie Tankersley Cusick

Published: March 2nd 2006
Pages: 384
Stars: ★ ★ ★ ★

Too many deaths and too many terrifying visions have taken their toll on Lucy Dennison. She wonders if she can trust anyone or anything anymore. In the chilling finale to The Unseen quartet, Lucy comes face-to-face with the force that has turned her life into a waking nightmare. . . . And the ultimate choice must be made: love or life? Sin or salvation? In The Unseen series, horror maven Richie Tankersley Cusick takes you on a journey into a nightmare so frightening, you’ll have to sleep with a light on. Go for it—we dare you!

Sin & Salvation is the final installment in the Unseen Series. In the final book, we finally find out what and who has been stalking Lucy after all this time. This book is full of action, violence and suspense. I really thought that this was the best book in the series but towards the end, things start to get confusing (almost like the writer was in a rush to finish it) but overall I liked it. I think the series was wrapped up pretty well but I know a lot of people seemed to be confused by the ending when I read other reviews. So I think this book was meant to be a story that you decide how it ends and what would happen next if there was another book to follow.

As for the series overall: if it sounds like something you'd enjoy, I'd check it out. It's not the most amazing young adult fantasy/paranormal out there today but it was fun while it lasted and I'm glad I read it.

Blood Brothers: The Unseen #3 by Richie Tankersley Cusick

Published: January 19th 2006
Pages: 272
Stars: ★ ★ ★ ★

Lucy knows there must be something, somewhere, that can tell her why she was chosen to see the terrible visions; why she feels the shadowy presence all around her. But what? Could the explanation lie with the mysterious stranger claiming to be Byron's brother? As Lucy searches desperately for answers, she knows time is running out. Too many people have disappeared or worse and the constant feeling of being surrounded by something truly evil grows stronger each night.

I am happy to say that I found Blood Brothers to be better then Rest in Peace which was the second book in this series. While I still don't find the writing to really but up to par, I feel the series is finally getting somewhere and the twists that take place are really hard to figure out (which for myself, is a good thing) Every time I think I have the bad guy figured out, something surprises me and makes me rethink it. I currently have three characters in mind. Anyway, I am starting to really enjoy this short series again and I am excited to finally discover where Cusick is taking this story. Beware however, the ending to Blood Brothers is a pretty good size cliff hanger so you might want to have Sin and Salvation on hand.

Up next I will be reviewing the ending of this series: Sin and Salvation.

99 Cent YA books on Kindle & Nook

Yes. I am this awesome that I am going to post a short list of books that you can currently get on the Kindle and Nook for 99 CENTS! All you have to do is type in the titles on amazon or barnes and noble. YAY!

Rest in Peace: The Unseen #2 by Richie Tankersley Cusick

Published: August 18th 2005
Pages: 304
Stars: ★ ★ ★

**Spoilers for Book #1: It Begins**

Still stalked by an unseen force and plagued by unspeakable visions, Lucy feels she cannot carry on for much longer—especially now that Byron, the one person who understood what she was going through, is dead. No one else believes her. She is still alone. And still in grave danger.

First of all, according to the book site I use..this says it was published the same day that the first book was published as. I am not sure if this is totally correct or what. So if it's not, I'm sorry. I am just posting the book information from a reliable source. Second of all, this is not the cover of the book that I personally own but it's all the site supplies for cover images. I realize it's not the prettiest thing to look at but what can you do? Anyway, to the book review!

I did not enjoy Rest in Peace as much as I enjoyed It Begins but I did think the book was okay. While the plot line did have some interesting elements, I didn't feel like enough happened to really make it a complete novel. I also found the main character Lucy to be really whiny. But even with that being said, I gave the second book in The Unseen Series 3/5 stars because it was decent enough to make me want to keep reading the rest of the series.

It Begins: The Unseen #1 by Richie Tankersley Cusick

Published: August 18th 2005
Pages: 304
Stars: ★ ★ ★ ★

Out walking alone one rainy night, Lucy becomes convinced that someone or something is following her. Spooked, she ducks into a cemetery to try and lose her stalker. Panicking in the darkness, she slips and stumbles into an open grave only to discover she is not alone in there. . . . Lucy manages to escape, but she doesn't get away unscathed. She begins having terrifying visions and dreams and she still can't shake the feeling of an unseen presence, always watching, waiting. . . . Who was the girl in the grave? And what has she done to Lucy?

I stumbled across this book randomly at work one day and knew right away that this was a book that I had to read. I actually picked up the whole series. It Begins being the first book. It took me less then 24 hours to finish reading and I really enjoyed it. Now, the writing isn't the best and it might annoy some people but I don't think it took away from the plot. It Begins was full of suspense and wonder. It was without a doubt one of those books that keeps you on the edge of your seat wanting more. Once you thought you had the whole plot figured out, it would do an epic twist and throw you in a completely different direction.

The only reason I am giving this book 4 stars instead of 5 stars? Again, the writing is a bit weak. But overall, I really liked this book and I will be reading the next book: Rest in Peace next.

Book Review: The Party by Christopher Pike

Published: January 15th 1988
Pages: 224
Stars: ★ ★ ★
Jessica Hart and her best friends invited dozens of people to their "get to know each other" party. But some people came who weren't invited. And the evening ended in horror. Most figured it was a suicide. They figured wrong.

I have never read anything by Pike until now so I didn't really know what to expect. This novel just looked really interesting when I went to the bookstore so I decided to give it a shot. The plot looked promising but to be completely honest, I felt that it was a bit weak. The world building and the introduction to the characters was great but the actual "Party" fell flat for me. Nothing really happens until page 150 and even then, not much happens. I honestly felt that Pike used up all his energy to write the beginning of the novel but when it got to the real plot, he just rushed it. As for the ending, it really seemed like he just forgot to add it. In other words, the ending just didn't do ANYTHING for me.

However, I didn't feel like this was a bad enough novel to give a bad rating to. This is a series and I know sometimes the first books of series can be a bit disappointing. So I will be reading the next book in the series: The Dance. Just to see what happens. But it is not something that I am going to rush to read or that I have to read right away.

2012 E-book Challenge

The 2012 E-book Challenge is held by Workaday Reads! The E-book Challenge is just like it sounds. It is a Challenge where you read a certain number of e-books in 2012 and you are able to comment with your reviews monthly on her blog. Each review will get you an entry into a give-away that is being held every month. The amount of e-books you decide to read a year is totally up to you. There are 7 levels:

Floppy disk - 5 ebooks
CD - 10 ebooks
DVD - 25 ebooks
Memory stick - 50 ebooks
Hard drive - 75 ebooks
Server - 100 ebooks
Human brain - 150 ebooks

I have decided to do Level 3 (DVD 25 e-books) for this challenge. Some of the e-books on my list for 2012 are:

1. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
2. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
3. Witch and Wizard by James Patterson
4. Room by Emma Donoghue
5. Wuthering Heights by Emma Brontë

Make sure to let me know if you decide to take part in the challenge. I'd love to hear your goals for it.

Book Review: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Published: January 10th 2012
Pages: 313
Stars: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.

Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.

John Green is one of my favorite YA authors because he knows how to create realistic characters in realistic situations. The Fault in Our Stars was no different. Hazel and Augustus were characters that were going through a hard time in their lives and I felt that they handled it like someone in their situation would. They enjoyed life and they didn't totally let their medical issues define them. At the end of the day, they wanted to be normal teenagers and really, they were.

New Book Blog!

Hello :) my name is Manda Danyele and I am 21 years old. I have been doing Book Reviews for years on livejournal.com and I just recently started a book channel on youtube! http://youtube.com/user/staycalmandread. Feel free to subscribe and I will most likely subscribe back.

Anyway, I decided to make this new book blog for people that are interested in my book reviews and reading progress "reports" but don't have the time to watch through youtube videos. It's just a nice option to have because I know some people aren't really fans of vlogging.

So yeah, if you think this is a blog you will enjoy, feel free to follow it and make sure to comment. I'd love to know who out there is reading this and any opinions that you may have when it comes to certain books.