Hey Everyone!

This week the girls from Maji Bookshelf and I are hosting a Read-a-thon. We mostly did this for us, but if anyone wants to join in you are absolutely welcome to! :)

The Read-a-thon officialy starts today! Yay!!! *cheers and throws confetti* I am sooo excited! Eeek!

Goals
The last read-a-thon I participated in I was able to read 3 books in a wk! So for this read-a-thon I am upping it to 4! I'd love to do more but one of my best friends is getting married tomorrow, and it might be considered bad manners to read durring the ceremony! lol

I will be making it a goal to visit the blog's of everyone who participates with us and comments on both of our blogs during this period, whether they participate or not!

I will also be making it a goal to only read at least one book off of my netgalley  TBR list!

Books
Crossed by Ally Condie
Never Have I Ever by Sarah Shephard
The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
Ingenue by Jillian Larkin
The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
You Against Me by Jenny Downham
The Pledge by Kimberly Derting
Hushed - Net Galley
Cinder - Net Galley
Every Other Day- Net Galley
If I Tell - Net Galley
The Juliet Spell - Net Galley

If you are participating don't forget to leave me a link to your starting post in the comments section.

Now ready, set , and.....gooooooooooo!

Shine

location: home

mood:  sleepy

music: Black Eyed Pea's ( thanks Loretta! )

Shine by Lauren Myracle

Release Date:  May 1, 2011

Publisher: Amulet Books
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 376

Format: Hardcover
Source: Library
Intrest: Young Adult
Challenge: 2011 Reading Challenge
Buy the Book: Amazon

When her best guy friend falls victim to a vicious hate crime, sixteen-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.

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.

2011 has been an amazing year in the YA book genre. I've read many amazing books this year, but very few incredible books that have a truly incredible message that everyone needs to hear! But that is exactly what I found with Shine by Lauren Myracle!

I am a huge Lauren Myracle fan and have been reading her books since I was a teen! This book, is so diffrent from anything I've ever read by her. She proves what an incredible and talented author she is!

Shine is the story of Cat, who has grown up in a very small country town in the south. Something traumatic has happened in Cat's life, that she has kept to herself and not told anyone about. Cat has withdrawn from all of her friends, and kept this secret to herself. To her shock, she learns that her best friend Patrick has become the victum of a horrible and brutal hate crime. The local police chalk what happened to Patrick, up to a gay hate crime comitted by out of towners driving through. With the police not doing much to bring justice to Patrick, Cat is determined to track down his attacker if its the last thing she does! Will Cat be able to overcome her own struggles in order to help Patrick? Or will the attacker silence Cat for good before she can   find justice for her best friend?

I would first off like to start with a disclaimer of sorts, and let you know that although this book is in the YA genre, it has some very mature content. Involving drugs, gay hate crime, and sexual abuse. Even though it has some pretty heavy mature content, it is very much what teens are facing on a regular basis!

I am a Texas girl, born and raised. When I started reading this book I immediately thought, oh here we go again, yet ANOTHER book making small town southerner's look like druggie rednecks. But I couldn't be more wrong! This book was so realistic about what life is like in small southern towns. I'm not sure why, but drugs always seem to be extremely problamatic, even putting little towns like the one I live in on the media's map!

Lauren was brutally honest in this book about how drugs can affect someone's life. How they have the power to take over someone's life competely and destroy the youth and innocence of so many lives! I wish I could take this book to the local high school, where undercover drug busts resulted in over 17 kids arrested on a single day landing us in the media spotlight ( and sadly this has happened more than once in the past 4 months!) and hand them out to all the students!

I also appreciated that this book addressed the issue of gay hate crimes. It seems that crimes such as the one in this book, are far too often splashed across the 10 o'clock news. This book shone a light on this problem, and how it affects the victim, their family, friends, and even their entire community! Crimes as hateful, and violent as this one can shock a very town right to its core!

Shine, isn't just the tale of a best friend trying to solve the mystery of what happened to her best friend. It is so much more! This book address so many problems that teens face on a daily basis and has a great message!

In a genre full of vampires, werewolves and witches, this book truly Shines! Thank you Lauren Myracle for writing a truly breathtaking novel that addresses so many of the social issues facing our teens on a daily basis!

The Princess of Storyland & Maji Bookshelf Fall Readathon

Hey guys! As many of you know I LOVE readathons! It's a great way for me to push myself and get some much needed reading done! I participated in 2 in October and LOVED it! Juhina from Maji Bookshelf and I decided to host our own readathon this month! Mostly we started this because there weren't any readathons going on durring the time of Juhina's break from uni. So we decided to make our own! You guys are more than welcome to join us in our  Read-a-thon, we would love to have you! :)

Thank you Juhina for making us this super cute button! I love it!!! :)

Now as you can tell, this Read-a-thon will start tomorrow November 3 through November 10th! There is no need to read 24/7 just whatever you can manage!

1. Set a goal of how many books you would like to read durring the Read-a-thon. Try to aim for a little bit more than you normally would! 
2. List the books you want to read, so we can compare and go oh-la-la over your picks!
3. Comment here or on Maji Bookshelf that you want to participate. We aren't expecting anyone else to join in, but you are more than welcome to if you'd like!
4.Post an update every day or whenever you have time and happy reading! :)

Here are a few of my picks for the Read-a-thon

I will put up my Fall Read-a-thon post tomorrow when it starts with my full list and goals! 

P.S. We are planning a  BIG Read-a-thon towards the begining of the year so stay tuned for that!

Waiting on Wednesday (2)

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill atBreaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week what I am eagerly awaiting is Love and Leftovers by Sarah Tregay

The cover is super cute! The story sounds awesome and this book is told in verse! What could be better? :)

Don't forget to leave me a comment and let me know what your WOW pick is this wk or leave a link to your own WOW post! 

Happy Reading!

This Dark Endeavor

location: home

mood:  sleepy

music: watching Castle! Eeeep!

This Dark Endeavor: The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein by Kenneth Oppel

Release Date:  August 23, 2011

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 304

Format: Hardcover
Source: Library
Intrest: Young Adult
Challenge: 2011 Reading Challenge
Buy the Book: Amazon

Victor and Konrad are the twin brothers Frankenstein. They are nearly inseparable. Growing up, their lives are filled with imaginary adventures...until the day their adventures turn all too real.

They stumble upon The Dark Library, and secret books of alchemy and ancient remedies are discovered. Father forbids that they ever enter the room again, but this only peaks Victor's curiosity more. When Konrad falls gravely ill, Victor is not be satisfied with the various doctors his parents have called in to help. He is drawn back to The Dark Library where he uncovers an ancient formula for the Elixir of Life. Elizabeth, Henry, and Victor immediately set out to find assistance in a man who was once known for his alchemical works to help create the formula.

Determination and the unthinkable outcome of losing his brother spur Victor on in the quest for the three ingredients that will save Konrads life. After scaling the highest trees in the Strumwald, diving into the deepest lake caves, and sacrificing one’s own body part, the three fearless friends risk their lives to save another.

 This book was rock my socks incredible!!! Seriously! I read the entire book in one sitting! Where ever I went, this book came with me! Mostly because I was so captivated by the story I could not put it down. lol

I thought the synopsis sounded incredible and I was really excited about reading it! I was worried though, that because I had never read Frankenstein and didn't know much about it other than, crazed scientist gathers body parts and creates a monster! Honestly, that's pretty much all you need to know, if anything!

This is a pre-Frankenstein story, and I thought the author did an incredible job with it! I don't want to say too much about the story itself, because I don't want to spoil a single bit of it for you! The story is about the Frankenstein family, twin brothers Victor and Konrad in particular! The brothers have a lot of sibling rivalry going on, and they are constantly trying to best one another! Despite their competativness they have a strong bond which teeters on a thread when Victor discovers that his brother has been keeping a secret from him that could push the brothers apart forever! Konrad becomes extremely ill, and despite the best doctors money can buy, his condition seems to be decreasing. When the traditional practice of bleeding doesn't do anything to improve Konrad's worsening condition, Victor turns to science and alchemy to cure his dying brother! Victor sets about with the help of his friend Henry and his sort of cousin Elizabeth to seek out the nearly impossible to find ingredients to create, the Elixir of Life! Which will save Konrad's life, or so they hope! These 3 friends are sent on an incredible adventure where their own lives will be put at risk to save the life of their beloved Konrad, and their friendship, love and loyalty will be tested. Jam packed with action, adventure, deceit, and a love triangle!

This book was completely amazing! II can't wait to read more from the extremely talented Kenneth Oppel! 

In My Mailbox (5)

In My Mailbox is a weekly Meme hosted by Kristi the storysiren. This is where us bloggers get a chance to show you what we got this wk! Bookish related of course!

Borrowed from the Library
Ingenue by Jillian Larkin
Birth Marked by Caragh M. O'Brien
The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting
Never Have I Ever - A Lying Game Novel  by Sara Shephard
Putting Makeup On Dead People by Jen Violi
Cold Kiss by Amy Garvey
You Against Me by Jenny Downham
This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel

Bought
If I Stay by Gayle Forman
The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
Pandigital Planet- Android Tablet ( yes yes I know! It is not a book! But it's bookish related, and I totally showed you a book on it! So it counts! Right? *looks around*)

Won
Bone Dressing by Michelle I Brooks

Review
Dark Territory by J. Gabriel Gates and Charlene Keel

P.S. The shower is STILL broken! Just in case you were wondering! *hides from Farah*

Thanks for stopping by to check out what I got this week! Leave me a comment and/or a link below and let me know what you got in your mailbox! Have a great weekend everyone!!!

Sneak Peak: This Dark Endeavor

location: home

mood:  hyper ( because in a little over 2 wks I will have my very own Kindle Fire! Squeeeeeeeee!!! )

music: The Closer season 6 on TV :) ( yes thats right! Thank yeeeeew!)

Hello Everyone!!!

I hope your all having a fantastical week! Mine has been amazing so far! I turned 26, which wasn't as bad as I thought. It turns out I didn't need the pint of Ben and Jerry's I had on standby. I got my free flu shot and pre-ordered a Kindle Fire! Eeeek! Thanks Pops! :)

I have to say I am loving the cooler weather, the dark and dreary days, changing of the leaves, etc. Bring on the boots, sweaters, and all things fall flavored!

I feel like a bit of a glutten today I had a Peppermint Hot Chocolate and a Sweet Potatoe baked pie from McDonalds! The only words needed are Yumm, and you have to try it! And then there was the Blue Bell Spiced Pumpkin Pecan ice cream ( insert look of pure content here) umm...pure heaven in a pint!

Ok so anyways, the purpose of this post was that I had intended to spend a bit of time talking about this awesome book This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel, on my IMM vlog. ( Which is uploading to YouTube right now btw) But...I sorta just rushed through it. And I really, really, REALLY want to tell you guys about it! It is the perfect read for this month! So make sure you check it out!

Here's a little bit about the book....

The purest intentions can stir up the darkest obsessions...

In this prequel to Mary Shelly's gothic classic, Frankenstein, sixteen year old Victor Frankenstein begins a dark journey that will change his life forever. Victor's twin, Konrad, has fallen ill, and no doctor can cure him. Unwilling to give up on his brother, Victor enlists his beautiful cousin Elizabeth and his best firiend, Henry, on a treacherous search for the ingregients to create the forbidden Elixir of Life. Impossible odds, dangerous alchemy, and a bitter love triangle threaten their quest at every turn.

Victor knows he must not fail. But his success depends on how far he is willing to push the boundaries of nature, sceince, and love- and how much he is willing to sacrafice!

There is a passion in you that scares me

I started reading this book today and it is awesome! So go check it out! It's a perfect read for this time of year! And don't forget to look for a review of it here on my blog very soon!