[Review] Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready

GoodReads Description

Love ties them together. Death can't tear them apart.

Best. Birthday. Ever. At least, it was supposed to be. With Logan's band playing a critical gig and Aura's plans for an intimate after-party, Aura knows it will be the most memorable night of her boyfriend's life. She never thought it would be his last.

Logan's sudden death leaves Aura devastated. He's gone.

Well, sort of.

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

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

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

I have been dying to read this book ever since the Ya Sisterhood Crush Tournament. All I saw for weeks on twitter was “Vote Team Kilt!” So one day I did vote, without knowing who I was really voting for and lucky me, I won a paperback copy of Shade.

Now I have a pretty good idea why Team Kilt was so big... because let me tell you.. Zachary Moore is quite the hotty, and the cute accent adds to his appeal.

One of the things I most liked about Shade was the original story. The idea that after a certain moment in time, everyone born after can see ghosts. I loved the mystery behind that, and I'm dying to dive more into this series to get some answers.

My only dislike so far with this series is the love triangle. I have nothing against love triangles. I just didn't like Logan. I thought he was immature, full of himself, and many other things I will not list. Haha. My biggest problem is that with all those crappy qualities and of course... being DEAD.. it's no contest to me who Aura should be with. But maybe that's just me. I hope that in Shift, Logan can prove to me that he's not an idiot.. Until then I'll just be over there -----> trying to look up Zachary’s Kilt.

Overall though, this is a fantastic start to a series, and being the first thing I have read of Jeri Smith-Readys, I know to keep an eye out for her work!  

ARC Giveaway to the first person interested.

So I entered to win a giveaway a while back, it was for A Million Suns and a few other books. I had planned on getting to this one, but I have a ton going on in the next few months and know I'm not going to get to it. I hate to see it just collect dust on my shelf so I want to give it to any blogger interested...It comes out January 19th, 2012 according to Goodreads. Must be US, at least 13 yrs old and Please review it somewhere so it doesn't go to waste. Just drop me an Email and I'll send it to the first person who wants it.


GoodReads Description

Four girls: dealer, junkie, recluse, thief. 


Sarah, Jenna, Lauren, and Cassie may look like ordinary girls, but they’re not. They’re delinquents whose lives collide when they’re sent to an experimental juvenile detention program on a farm in the middle of nowhere. As the girls face up to the crimes they committed, three of them will heal the wounds of their pasts and discover strengths they never dreamed they had. And one, driven by a deep secret of her own, will seek to destroy everything they’ve all worked so hard for.

Tune In Tuesday! (3) Soundtrack

Tune in Tuesday is hosted by Ginger over at Greads. It's a great way to share the music you love with others! 


I have been super busy and haven't had time to participate in the last couple weeks of this.. so forgive me if I choose something that someone already did.   I have been wanting to share this soundtrack. Its  a little old.. I used to have the tape.. yup, the tape, and I would listen to it over and over. 


City of Angels.. I loved that movie.. that movie was the start of my on going lust/obsession for Nicholas Cage. Even though he's pretty old now, I still love him. :) anyway, here are a few of my fav songs from this. :)
                                                           Goo Goo Dolls, Iris

                                                    Angel by Sarah McLachlan

        
                                                    Alanis Morissette, Uninvited

              
                                                Feelin' Love by Paula Cole

These are my favs off this album.. this is just one of those soundtracks I will always own and listen to from time to time. :) I'll be checking out everyone elses choices later today. Should have time since I'm going to be home sick :/. 

[Review] Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

GOODREADS DESCRIPTION

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?

There was and still is a whole lot of hype around Anna and the French Kiss… for me, it more than lived up to its reputation.  I knew that I would like it. I’m a complete sucker for any book with a romantic story in it. 

I had just finished reading Anna dressed in blood when I decided to pick this up. I figured why not go from Anna who rips people apart, to Anna who French kisses cute British boys. So I went upstairs and pulled it off the shelf… After coming back down to the couch, my dear husband starts in on me. 

Conversation

Brian : “What are you reading now?”

Me: I show him the book.

Brian: “Didn’t you just read that?”

Me: “No, that was Anna dressed in blood, this is Anna and the French Kiss.”

Brian: “Oh, well Anna sure gets around”

Me: “lol” *shakes head*

So begins my journey into Stephanie Perkins world… far away from my smart ass husband and into the arms of St. Clair… equally a smart ass, but with a cute accent to go with it.

I loved this book. I want to be Anna, I want to go to school in France. I want to experience the world in ways I never have. I want to buy a crepe from a side walk stand and stuff my face with it! For a few days in time, I was able to. And boy did that imaginary crepe taste delish. :)


Did you ever watch a chick flick and find yourself a little disappointed in the end.. because it was either not as funny as the trailers lead on, or the relationships came off as corny instead of legit. This happens to me all the time… but Anna and the French Kiss gave me everything I was looking for.

Anna was real. I loved her flaws. She was hilarious. I was laughing out loud many times… One particular thing that won me over, she thinks beer smells like pee. This is the reason I don’t drink it.. I know that if I ever tasted my pee, it would probably be similar to a Coors. Maybe a Sam Adams on a good day, but I can’t vouch for that… I’m not into drinking Pee. But still, I feel like Anna and I are peeps.. notice how Peeps has Pee in it... lol

I should probably get back to the book now… so lets move onto St. Clair. I loved how his accent was written through-out the story. It wasn't over done, it was done just right. Oh, how I want to run my hands through his dark hair while he whispers sweet London-ish sounding words in my ear.. I don’t care what.. he could be talking about the crap he took this morning, and I would be okay with that.. That’s just how cute he is, and how much I fell in love with him. <3

I’m realizing this review is full of pee and crap, this just isn’t good. I think I’m getting worse at this. Tee hee.

Anyway, I’m so glad I finally read this. I don’t know why the heck I waited so long. I don’t know how Lola ties in, but I’m interested to find out. I was excited to see the name of the third companion book, because you catch glimpses of her in this one.

Stephanie Perkins is such a great writer. She is now on my Automatic buy list.. I cannot wait till Santa brings me Lola. I could order it now, but that would go against my book diet.  I have to many to catch up on before I buy more.

So if you haven’t read this yet, you should. I'm still smiling and I finished it a week and a half ago. :)

[REVIEW] Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

GOODREADS DESCRIPTION

Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead.

So did his father before him, until he was gruesomely murdered by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father's mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead—keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay.

When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn't expect anything outside of the ordinary: track, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he's never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, now stained red and dripping with blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.

But she, for whatever reason, spares Cas's life.

I was hanging out with a good friend of mine about a month ago. We were talking books, like we usually do. She said, “April, you have to read Anna Dressed in Blood..  It’s so good. “ Now, she rarely steers me wrong, so after a little kissing up to the hubby, I ordered it and I’m so glad I did. 


This is told from a guys point of view, and it’s done perfectly. Cas is a great, a little reckless at times but deep down a good person. Anna, she’s just bad ass. I want to say I loved hearing her back story.. I really did, although it broke my heart.  There is someone I was expecting to hate, that I really liked in the end. I have quickly become attached to all these characters.  

This story is a little gory, but not in the slasher sense. I had planned on reading it, even without the recommendation, but it wasn’t at the top of my list. I am not a fan of too much blood, so I was a little nervous about picking this up… It was done in a tasteful way though, if that makes sense. I guess it will when you read it.

I’m not the best at writing reviews yet, I just tend to babble about how much I love a book…  I’m trying not to babble, but it’s hard not to with this one. I was happy to see there will be a sequel.

If you are looking for something a little spooky to read this October, I definitely recommend you pick this one up. My friend Andrea over at The Bookish Babes is having an international giveaway for this, ending Oct 19^th 2011.  

Ending notes…


I love how the lettering in the book is the color of dried blood. I adore small details like this. :) I meant to point that out in my IMM, but forgot. 


and...


“Anna, please be my friend, you are the coolest ghost I know..” lol

Ghoulish Giveaway! Blood Magic + Yummys! And maybe a trailer.. :)

Welcome to the second half of my Halloween Giveaway. If you haven’t entered the first… Check it out! Recently I read Blood Magic and I loved it. This book was awesome.. such a creepy feel and had me totally geared up for fall. So I ordered an extra hard cover copy to give away this month.

The lovely Tessa Gratton even agreed to answer some lame Halloween questions for me.. in my first ever Author interview.. I loved reading her answers, I hope you do too! 

Me : What Trick or Treat candy do you get most excited about? 

Tessa: Nerds! They are my ultimate favorite candy!

Me: Do you like pumpkin carving? Any ideas for this years pumpkin?

Tessa: Yes, I especially love gutting the pumpkin. I tend to always go    for big jagged teeth!

Me: What is your favorite Halloween costume that you have dressed up in?

Tessa: Oh, that’s tough! Probably Robin Hood – I wore that costume twice at least, and one extra time that WASN’T Halloween.


here is a pic of Tessa dressed as Robin Hood from when she was young. I tried and failed to get the pic on this post, so here is the link.. Robin Hood

Me: What is the one thing you refuse to dress up as?

Tessa: I’m not a huge fan of “sexy” costumes – like sexy nurse or sexy kitty or whatever. Though, if you’re dressing up as Inara from “Firefly” it better be sexy, since that’s just what she is.

Me: Are there any good spooky movies you love to watch this time of year?

Tessa: My favorite scary movie is “The Others” with Nicole Kidman, but when I was a kid it was “The Watcher in the Woods.”

Me: Do you believe in ghosts? 

Tessa: Not specifically, but I’m open to the idea that ghost-like energy can linger in a place, or around a person.

Me: Are there any Halloween activities that you love doing every year? 

Tessa: I love giving out candy, especially with all the lights off and only candles lit. Despite my earlier answer (or maybe because of it?) I’m a huge fan of a good séance.

Me: Do you have any fun, possibly embarrassing Halloween story you would like to share with us?

Tessa: I did trick-or-treat when I was 16, which is pushing it quite a lot age-wise. But I lived on a military base at the time so there was NOTHING ELSE TO DO. I dressed up as the Phantom of the Opera.

Me: Candy Corn..... yay or nay ?

Tessa: GUH-ROSS.

Me: What is your fav monster / creature / thing..  Vamp, Werewolf, Zombie, Witch, ghost, Mother in Law... could be anything. lol. :)

Tessa: Vampires. What can I say? I like the classics. And the blood-sucking. I’ll take my vampires rotting, gorgeous, or angsting, as long as they occasionally kill something.

Thanks for having me, April!

Me: A huge thank you to Tessa for being on my blog!


And now for the giveaway! I’m giving away one brand spanking new finished copy of Blood Magic.. and some yummy candy.. Notice the cackling blood witch noise maker too! lol.

As some of you know from following my blog, I make book trailers with the Sims3. I made a trailer for Blood Magic to post with this giveaway.

Be sure to head over to The Bookish Babes after entering here, Andrea and I teamed up and she’s giving away Anna Dressed in Blood.. and holy cow that book is great! So go enter!!


                       Here is the Trailer 

CONTEST!


Must be 13 yrs or older

US only

Contest runs from now until October 19^th at Midnight.

I will allow 1 extra entry if you follow my but it’s not required!

GIVEAWAY ~ Graveminder by Melissa Marr

My sims version of the cover

Hey everyone! So I promised you some fun stuff this month, and I thought.. what's more fun than a giveaway? I read this book last spring, and I loved it.. I won the Arc off of goodreads. Which is really hard to do, I dont think have won anything off there since. I am a huge Melissa Marr fan. I adored her Wicked Lovely series, and even though this book is very different from that, it was still great.

Goodies up for grabs 

This book is a nice spin on Zombies/ The undead. It was very creative, I dont know how she comes up with stuff. Here is a link to my review .

I will also post the sims trailer I made, for those who might have missed it, since I posted it back when I started this blog and had like two followers. Haha.

Rules are Simple

US only – sorry, there is candy involved

Must be 13 yrs or older

One entry per person
Contest runs until midnight October 19th. that way I have plenty of time to get your goodies to you before Halloween. :)


I will allow 1 extra entry if you follow.. not required though.. and of course if you would like to tweet the giveaway, I would greatly appreciate it! 

Just fill out this easy little form. :)

One last thing I ask, please review the book after reading it.. It's an arc after all, and that is what they are for!

Tune In Tuesday! (2)

Tune is Tuesday is hosted by Ginger over at Greads. It's a great way to share music with others... I to buy list has already gotten bigger and this is only my second week participating. :0)


I believe this week is songs soundtracks.. I listen to all sorts of music. Don't judge me by my choices. lol, they are a little sappy and corny.. 


First.. I grew up loving the movie Anastasia.. It was one of my favorites. So this of course is one of my fav songs. Donna Lewis and Richard Marx- At the Beginning

And second..  A walk to remember, Only hope sung by Mandy Moore. I love her voice. Especially in this song.. I still get chills everytime I hear it. 

I'm sure there are many many more, I will think of them tomorrow after I have posted this already. Looking foward to see everyone elses picks! :)

Getting a little Personal

Taken Before we knew anything was wrong.

Today is October 3^rd and I’m going to do something a little different with this post. I have read that you shouldn’t get too personal on your book blog. My thought on that, is who cares. I want to connect with other bloggers, and I want other bloggers to connect with me. So here goes…

5 years ago today, was my due date for our little boy. Sadly, we never got that far. I try to take time every year on this day to reflect on how lucky we are to have our daughter.  Life throws many things at you, and I have learned over the years, just how strong I can truly be. I am not going to get into crazy detail, it's a long story. I'm just so thankful for where I am in my life right now.

Aubrey and I at Seaside this past August

Another reason I thought to share this is, some of you may or may not know that I didn’t just start out making book trailers. I have made many Sim films, and today I want to share with you my first. I made this a few years ago. At the time, Sims 3 was not out yet, so I made it with Sims 2. This film is my story. I wanted my first full film to be something special and meaningful. I can’t tell you how many tears I cried making this… but it was very therapeutic and it gave me some closure.

Blogging in this community has quickly become a big part of my life, so I wanted to share a little piece of mine with you all.  (btw, the song I used is What I wouldn't Give, by Holly Brook)

Slight change, I originally had this embed, but it played immediately, and was annoying even me, so I took it off, and I'll just give you the link.. 

                                                        My Story                             

IMM #4

In my Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren, and its a great way to connect with others, and see what fun books they received this week.




 This week, or I should say the past two weeks I have gotten a lot of great stuff. :)


If you don't want to watch me looking like hell in my vlog, here is the list of my goodies. 


DARK MIRROR by M.J. Putney - A friend gave me this one.


Books I ordered


ENTHRALLED edited by Melissa Marr and Kelly Armstrong- various authors
BlOOD MAGIC by Tessa Gratton - Ordered this one for a give away, already own it
SWEET VENOM by Tera Lynn Childs
ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD by Kendare Blake


Okay, so here is my Vlog. Sorry I look so horrible. I didn't realize I looked so tired. lol, I'm a hot mess. Fresh out of the shower sporting some sexy sweat clothes. :) Enjoy. 

October Already? Time for a Spooky Teaser Trailer!

I love this time of year. The pumpkins, the cider, the colored leaves. The air always smells so fresh. All of it actually! I don't think I could ever live anywhere that didn't have Autumn. Because it's October, I have lots of fun things I'm doing on the blog this month. Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I'll be doing a big giveaway, and lots of little book trailers, that have a scary feel to them... 


So to start out.. I'm reading this book right now, and let me tell you, it's fantastic.. I almost didn't make this teaser tonight, because I wanted to sit on the couch and read it.. but I'm glad I did because I'm very happy with how it came out. I hope you all enjoy it too. :)


Happy October! let the fun festivities begin!