Wow! I can't believe it's that time already. My, how time flies! Last year I participated in the Bout of Books Read-a-thon. It was my first read-a-thon, and I had a blast. I have also since, become addicted to read-a-thon's but, that's another story. 


My Goals

• Make new blogger friends
• Read 3 books 
• Have fun!

Books To Read

• I usually fill this up with books I want to read. And then inevitably I never read any of those during the read-a-thon. So this time I am leaving this blank. I'll read whatever I'm in the mood for. No pressure.

Updates

1/9
Number of books I’ve read today: 1
Total number of books I’ve read: 1
Books: Pretty Little Liars #2: Flawless

1/10
Number of books I’ve read today: 1
Total number of books I’ve read: 2
Books: Irises by Francisco X Stork

1/11
Number of books I’ve read today: 50 pages of Harbinger
Total number of books I’ve read: 2
Books:
***ok so I officially broke my one book a day spree. *sighs* I blame it on being sick and sleeping the day away. I plan to rectify this tomorrow! Or, the day after... ***

1/12
Number of books I’ve read today:
Total number of books I’ve read:
Books:

1/13
Number of books I’ve read today:
Total number of books I’ve read:
Books:

1/14
Number of books I’ve read today:
Total number of books I’ve read:
Books:

1/15
Number of books I've read today:
Total number of books I've read:
Books:

The Statistical Probability of Love At First Sight

The Statistical Probability of Love At First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

Release Date:  January 3, 2012

Publisher: Poppy

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages: 256

Format: Hardback
Source: Received a copy for review from the publisher
Intrest: Young Adult
Challenge: 2012 Reading Challenge, 2012 Debut Author Challenge, 2012 YA Contemporary Challenge
Buy the Book: Amazon

Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?

Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan's life. She's stuck at JFK, late to her father's second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon to be step-mother that Hadley's never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport's cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he's British, and he's in seat 18C. Hadley's in 18A.
 
Twists of fate and quirks of timing play out in this thoughtful novel about family connections, second chances and first loves. Set over a 24-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver's story will make you believe that true love finds you when you're least expecting it.

I've had my eye on this book for quite some time. I am in love with the cover and the use of the black and white photography combined with the bold pop of red. Absolutely gorgeous! Throw in a cute foreign boy with an accent, and you have a recipe for success, and that is just what this book was!

The Statistical Probability of Love At First Sight, is the story of Hadley. Her parent's divorced, and her father is all set to remarry in London, England. Hadley grudgingly boards a plane for the wedding, not knowing how much that flight will change her life!

This book takes place over a 24 hours period, Hadley meets a cute, English boy at the airport, Oliver. There is an instant connection, and over the course of 24 hours their relationship continues to grow and flourish, in a simple and beautiful way. You would think because the book takes place over 24 hours, that there would be some major insta-love going on, but that isn't the case here at all. There are no declarations of love, or foreverness. They form a bond, that continues to grow as they get to know each other better, over a very long flight to England.

I loved the character's in this book. Hadley wears her heart on her sleeve. Oliver's character complimented her's very well, and in my opinion he is the perfect male love interest! Oliver was genuine, had the perfect amount of mystery about him. He was a true gentleman in every sense of the word, from carrying Hadley's luggage, coming to her rescue, and laying a jacket out for her on a park bench so she didn't get her dress wet. Aww! *sighs* I fell in love with his character's sense of humor, his kindness, and his caring attitude. He's everything a girl looks for in a guy, including a sexy accent!

Hadley and Oliver are my absolute favorite YA couple! They had so many cute, adorable, toe curling moments together. They are each going through a difficult time in their lives, on their own, and in many ways are exactly what the other needs. It was beautiful to watch their relationship grow as the story unfolds across the Atlantic ocean.

I loved how there was a lot of substance to this story, and the characters, and it wasn't just all a bunch of romantic fluff. Both character's are dealing with deep issues. Hadley is dealing with her parents divorce, being torn between both parents, her father's infidelity and his remarriage. Not wanting to let go of the past, or move on into the future. I feel like this is something so many teens can identify with and I love the expert way that the author tackled the raw and gritty emotions of a teen whose family is torn apart by divorce and infidelity.

This book has quite possibly the best storybook ending ever written in history! At least, in my opinion. The ending was beautifully written and left me sighing happily to myself at end.

The Statistical Probability of Love At First Sight is fun, romantic contemporary novel. It deals with many things from family relationships, divorce, fear, death, healing and closure. It was the perfect balance between light hearted romance and depth. This book was beautifully written from the plot right down to the character's.

I look forward to reading more from this amazing author! So make sure you go grab a copy of this book, you won't want to miss it!

Cinder

location: home

mood:  sleepy 

watching: 3rd Rock From the Sun: Season 1

music: none

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Release Date:  January 3, 2012

Publisher: Feiwel and Friends

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages: 400

Format: ARC
Source: borrowed
Intrest: Young Adult
Challenge: 2012 Reading Challenge, 2012 Debut Author Challenge
Buy the Book: Amazon

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . . 

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

I heard about this book over the summer and was dying to get my hands on a copy. I am a huge fan of fairy tale's and this one had an exciting twist that enchanted me. When a fellow blogger offered to loan me her copy, I jumped on it!

Cinder is the story of  a young woman named Cinder. Yep, you guessed it, she's Cinderella, but not your typical Cinderalla. Cinder, is a cyborg! She lives in New Beijing with her stepmother and her two stepsisters. Cinder is the best mechanic in all of New Beijing and one day Prince Kai stops by her shop to have her work on his android.

Marissa Meyer did an amazing job retelling this classic fairy tale in a new and incredibly unique way! She stayed true to the "fairy tale" side of it but added in plenty of new elements that the typical Cinderella fairy tale has never seen! Cinder was an incredible dystopian full of family drama, political intrigue, love, and an evil villan! 

My only regrets are that I would have liked to see a little bit more of the culture thrown in there. Other than the occasional kimono or two that were thrown in. And I could definately see exactly where the story line was going, and called it within the first 50 pages of the book. The plot twists were easy to predict before they happened, so it wasn't very "shocking",  but despite that, I still really enjoyed reading it.

I've heard that the author is planning three more books that will tie in the tales of Snow White, Rapunzel and Little Red Riding Hood. The way that Cinder ended I can totally see that happening. She definately exhausted everything in the classic Cinderella fairy tale, but yet, left it open to do much more with the story line of Cinder and its characters. Marissa Meyer did an incredible job expertly weaving the classic Cinderella fairy tale with a unique twist all its own! I look forward to seeing how she expertly weaves other classic fairy tales into  the story in the next book!

Steals and Deals: Barnes and Nobel 50% off YA sale!

Hello Lovelies!

If your like me, I stock up on books when they are on sale. As expensive as they are, they sure do eat into a girls spending money. So today while visiting my friend Jen's blog HERE I saw her wonderful post on a Teen Book Sale at Barnes and Nobel and just had to share it with all of you lovelies!

There is a coupon code you can use to get 50% off Teen Books from Barnes and Nobel. The coupon is good in store, and online. 

I looked up the details of the coupon online, and it says that the offer is good on paperbacks AND hardbacks. I loaded up my cart, and at checkout was quite disappointed. So let me clarify the "sale" for you. I happened to add Shatter Me to my shopping cart, thinking I'd buy my Mom a copy that she's been dying for. I became irritated when my paperbacks were only $4.49, but Shatter Me which was on sale for $12.99 was only coming out to $8.99. Hardbacks are indeed 50% off, but only 50% off of the manufacturer's price, NOT the Barnes and Noble price! So keep that in mind as you shop. If you see a great hardback on sale for $9 you won't get 50% off of that price with this coupon!

Another good thing to remember is, this coupon is good for one use only! I didn't know that at the time when I used mine, if I had I would have added a few other things to my cart. That being said, there are 2 different codes you can use, so use them wisely, they can only be used once!

Use Barnes & Noble coupon code F3Y9V4J or M7H9B4J for 50% off teen books. Ends Tuesday, January 10, 2012.

One of the great things about this sale, is the coupon does apply to pre-orders! Squee! 

So your probably dying to know what I bought. Well wait no longer!

I bought

Out this week!

Pre-ordered this one!

I took advantage of the Free 2 Month Barnes and Noble trial Membership and got free shipping. I paid $12.41 for 3 books! Not bad if I do say so myself.

Are you planning on taking advantage of this sale? If you already have, or are planning to, which books are you getting? I'd love to know so leave me a comment!

XOXO

Waiting On Wednesday (5)

"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 Wentworth Hall by Abby Grahame

May 1, 2012 
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

A lush, historical novel about the secretive Darlingtons of Wentworth Hall!The prettiest people often have the ugliest secrets…

Eighteen-year-old Maggie Darlington has turned into an entirely different person. The once spirited teen is now passive and reserved. A change Lord and Lady Darlington can’t help but be grateful for.

It’s 1912, and the Darlingtons of Wentworth Hall have more than just the extensive grounds to maintain. As one of Britain’s most elite families, they need to keep up appearances that things are as they have always been…even as their carefully constructed faÇade rapidly comes undone.

Maggie has a secret. And she’s not the only one…the handsome groom Michael, the beautiful new French nanny Therese, the Darlingtons’ teenage houseguests Teddy and Jessica, and even Maggie’s younger sister Lila are all hiding something. Passion, betrayal, heartache, and whispered declarations of love take place under the Darlingtons’ massive roof. And one of these secrets has the power to ruin the Darlingtons forever.

When scandalous satires start appearing in the newspaper with details that closely mirror the lives of the Darlingtons, everyone is looking over their shoulder, worrying their scandal will be next. Because at Wentworth Hall, nothing stays secret for long.

That's my WoW pick this week. Let me know what book you are eagerly awaiting, and don't forget to leave me a link to your WoW pick this week.

XOXO

Don't Breathe a Word

location: home

mood:  sleepy ( have you noticed I've been sleepy for quite some time)

watching: Felicity season 4 ( only 20 episodes left! )

music: none

Don't Breathe a Word by Holly Cupala

Release Date:  January 3, 2012

Publisher: Harper Teen

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages: 320

Format: ARC
Source: borrowed
Intrest: Young Adult
Challenge: 2011 Reading Challenge
Buy the Book: Amazon

Joy Delamere is suffocating...

From asthma, which has nearly claimed her life. From her parents, who will do anything to keep that from happening. From dangerous Asher, who is smothering her from the inside out.

Joy can take her cruel words until the night they go too far.

Now, Joy will leave everything behind to find the one who has offered his help, a homeless boy called Creed. She will become someone else. She will learn to survive. She will breathe…if only she can get to Creed before it’s too late.

Set against the gritty backdrop of Seattle’s streets and a cast of characters with secrets of their own, Holly Cupala’s powerful new novel explores the hurt of bullying, the meaning of family, and how far a girl will go to discover her own strength.

Don't breathe a word is the story of Joy who suffers from asthma, and has been hospitalized several times. Her parents are overprotective, and treat her like a fragile piece of glass that will break. Her boyfriend, Asher, is posessive and smothering her. Joy feels like she is suffocating and can't breathe anymore. So she decides to run away from her family, her friends, her life, and her problems. As she tries to navigate life on the streets of Seattle, Joy soon realizes she can't make it on her own. Accompanied by her new street name, and some new friends, Joy finally feels like she can breathe! But life isn't always what it seems.

Holly Cupala did an amazing job writting a gritty, powerful YA novel. Don't Breathe a Word is all about struggling to find your voice, and to breathe. It's about family, friends, relationships, love, tragedy and finding yourself!

There were so many times in the story when Joy could have easily given up and run back home to her parents, after all, compared to the other street kids her life was a piece of cake. But Joy never gave up what she was fighting for the entire time, her freedom, and her space, to just breathe!

I love how the characters in this book, especially Joy, empower themselves. Life on the streets didn't have to end in tragedy. Joy rises above everything surrounding her, and finds her inner strength to survive and do the things she never thought that she could!

Don't Breathe A Word is a moving, emotional story about dealing with struggles and learning how to believe in yourself!

In My Mailbox (13)

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

Hello my Lovelies! Hope you all had a fantastic week/weekend! I can't believe 2011 is officially over and 2012 is here. I don't know where all the time went. I hope you all had an amazing year in 2011 and I am hoping 2012 will be even better! I know I'm looking forward to all the amazing things 2012 has to bring.

For Review

Tempest by Julie Cross

Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood

Where it Began by Ann Redisch Stampler

Bought

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Borrowed

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Thanks to Mindy at Magical Urban Fantasy Reads for loaning it to me

Also a big thanks to Penguin, and Hachette for the review books!

 Yep! That was literally the face I had when I opened the mysterious Penguin package! 

tee hee. I LOVE Cinderella stories!

I <3 books!

Leave me a comment and let me know what you go in your mailbox this week. Hope you all had a fantastic weekend and I will see you back here next week.

XOXO