One Lovely Blog Award!

I received the One Lovely Blog Award by the amazing Velvet of vvb32 reads! The rules regarding this award are as follows:

1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award and his or her blog link

2) Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered.

3) Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.


I am going to nominate:

1. Dahlia of Dahlia's Eclectic Mind

2. Norah of My Bubbles of Nothing

3. Race of Creare

4. Books Make Great Lovers

5. Lauren of Lauren's Crammed Bookshelf

6. Nicole of WORD for Teens

7. Amanda of That Teen Can Blog

8. RR 1 and 2 of Reader Rabbit

9. Steph of Reviewer X

10. Kelsey of Reading Keeps You Sane

11. Laina of Laina Has Too Much Spare Time

12. The Book Muncher

13. Steven of Pop Culture Junkie

14. Crackin' Spines and Takin' Names

15. Chelsea of The Page Flipper

Thanks again Velvet and congrats to the other blogs!

P.S. Watch for my review of Distant Waves coming up tomorrow!

In My Mailbox (4)

Hello all! Here are the books I received this week:

In My Mailbox was started by Kristi at The Story Siren, who was inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie

Bought:
Evermore by Alyson Noel

Since a horrible accident claimed the lives of her family, sixteen-year-old Ever can see auras, hear people’s thoughts, and know a person’s life story by touch. Going out of her way to shield herself from human contact to suppress her abilities has branded her as a freak at her new high school—but everything changes when she meets Damen Auguste… Ever sees Damen and feels an instant recognition. He is gorgeous, exotic and wealthy, and he holds many secrets. Damen is able to make things appear and disappear, he always seems to know what she’s thinking—and he’s the only one who can silence the noise and the random energy in her head. She doesn’t know who he really is—or what he is. Damen is equal parts light and darkness, and he belongs to an enchanted new world where no one ever dies.

BookMooch:

The Song Reader by Lisa Tucker

Leeann's older sister Mary Beth has a gift. She is a "song reader." She doesn't read palms or tarot cards; she reads people's secrets and desires from the songs they can't get out of their minds. But as Leeann soon learns, every gift has its price.

Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews

It wasn't that she didn't love her children. She did. But there was a fortune at stake--a fortune that would assure their later happiness if she could keep the children a secret from her dying father. So she and her mother hid her darlings away in an unused attic. Just for a little while.
But the brutal days swelled into agonizing years. Now Cathy, Chris, and the twins wait in their cramped and helpless world, stirred by adult dreams, adult desires, served a meager sustenance by an angry, superstitious grandmother who knows that the Devil works in dark and devious ways. Sometimes he sends children to do his work--children who--one by one--must be destroyed....

I have a feeling Flowers in the Attic is going to be right up my alley!

Being Dead by Jim Crace

As I am currently in the middle of a mental breakdown revolving my Junior English speech (9 minute long final worth 20% of our grade!) I am going to use Otto Penzler's great review of Jim Crace's remarkable novel.

It begins with a murder. Celice and Joseph, in their mid-50s and married for more than 30 years, are returning to the seacoast where they met as students. They are reliving their first amorous encounter in the sand dunes when they are set upon by the murderer who beats them to death with a rock and steals their watches, their jewelry, and even their meager lunch. From that moment forward, this remarkably written book by Jim Crace becomes less about murder and more about death. Alternating chapters move back in time from the murder in hourly and two-hourly increments. As the narrative moves backward, we see Celice and Joseph make the small decisions about their day that will lead them inexorably towards their own deaths. Eventually we learn about their first meeting, and that this is not the first time tragedy has struck them in this idyllic setting.
In other chapters the narrative moves forward. Celice and Joseph are on vacation and nobody misses them until they do not return. Thus, it is six days before their bodies are found. Crace describes in minute detail their gradual return to the land with the help of crabs, birds, and the numerous insects that attack the body and gently and not so gently prepare it for the dust-to-dust phase of death. Celice and Joseph would have been delighted with the description: she was a zoologist and he was an oceanographer, and they spent their lives with their eyes to the microscope, observing the phenomena of life and death. Some readers might find this gruesome, but the facts of death are told in such glorious prose that these descriptions in no way detract from the enjoyment of the book.
After her parents do not return home, their daughter, Syl, must search the morgues and follow up John and Jane Doe reports until she is finally asked to make an identification of the remains in the dunes. We then discover that the reader has had a more intimate relationship with them in death than Syl ever had with them in life. This small gem of a book, not really a mystery in the usual sense, will stay with you long after you finish.

The Poison Apples by Lily Archer

We all know the stories of Cinderella, Snow White, and Rapunzel. But have you ever heard of Alice Bingley-Beckerman, Reena Paruchuri, or Molly Miller? Of course you haven’t. Not yet. What these girls have in common with their fairy tale sisters is this: they are the stepdaughters of three very evil stepmothers. And they’re not happy about it. They think they are alone in their unhappiness until they arrive at Putnam Mount McKinsey, a posh boarding school located in lovely rural Massachusetts. Here is where they will plot their revenge. But first they have to meet.

I’ve got some mixed feelings about this book. The cover and summary of this book sounded intriguing, but I was disappointed to find it a mediocre read in my opinion. The first few chapters were great, when the characters and their evil stepmothers were introduced-character development was one of the successes of this novel. But once the girls arrived at their boarding school, things started to go sour. First off, it took them a while to find each other and actually form “The Poison Apples”. They spent too much time crushing over boys (and falling in love way too quickly) and teachers (I am so sick of the student-crushes-on-teacher scenario!). What was most annoying was that when the girls finally hunkered down to “cast their spell” on their stepmothers, the book was almost over, and their “spells” were extremely half-hearted. Those women were horrible and needed to be taught a lesson! The Poison Apples ended with barely any resolution, and it was difficult to tell if a sequel is in the making. If there is, hopefully it will bring some of the “oomph” that was missing from the first book.

P.S. I do want to give props to the cover artist. That cover is sweet!

In My Mailbox (3)

Wow, the week went so fast! But I was able to get a few new books to share with all of you:

In My Mailbox was started by Kristi at The Story Siren, who was inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie)

Bought from B&N:

Dream Factory by Brad Barkley and Heather Hepler

When the character actors at Disney World go on strike, the teens hired as replacements learn that it isnt exactly the Happiest Place on Earth. Ella gets to be Cinderella, simply because the shoe fits. It should be a dream come true, but Ella no longer believes in dreams. Luke is a fur character, Dale the chipmunk. Chip is played by his girlfriend, Cassie, who is perfect in every way. Why, then, does Luke find himself more drawn to imperfect things like the theme parks Phantom? A team-building scavenger hunt brings Luke and Ella together. As they uncover the Magic Kingdoms treasures, they discover an undeniable magic between them.

A Map of the Known World by Lisa Ann Sandell

Cora is dealing with the death of her older brother, Nate. Surviving in a small town while trying to unravel who her brother really was, she dreams of distant places she might one day visit. Her passion is to draw beautiful enhanced maps. When Cora begins to relate to Damian, the boy who survived her brother's car crash, she finds truth, friendship, and her own way through her world.

Wings by Aprilynne Pike

the first of four books about an ordinary girl named Laurel who discovers she is a faerie sent among humans to guard the gateway to Avalon. When Laurel is thrust into the midst of a centuries-old battle between faeries and trolls, she's torn between a human and a faerie love, as well as her loyalties to both worlds.

BookMooch:

The Last Plague by Glen E. Page

A young girl is brought into Dr. Douglas Hunter's ER one night with her abdomen ripped open. One of her ovaries has been stolen; the other is as hard and black as coal. When the bodies of more young girls are discovered, their ovaries also missing, Dr. Hunter and his family of adopted misfits find themselves unwittingly drawn into a dark plot of government intrigue and biblical prophecy. As more secrets come to light, Dr. Hunter realizes his family may be facing the last plague, the beginnings of the Apocalypse.

Being Dead-Jim Crace

A haunting novel about a couple caught and killed in flagrante delicto -- how they got there, and what happens before they're found.

Wide variety, huh? Should be interesting!

The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong

If you had met me a few weeks ago, you probably would have described me as an average teenage girl—someone normal. Now my life has changed forever and I'm as far away from normal as it gets. A living science experiment—not only can I see ghosts, but I was genetically altered by a sinister organization called the Edison Group. What does that mean? For starters, I'm a teenage necromancer whose powers are out of control; I raise the dead without even trying. Trust me, that is not a power you want to have. Ever. Now I'm running for my life with three of my supernatural friends—a charming sorcerer, a cynical werewolf, and a disgruntled witch—and we have to find someone who can help us before the Edison Group finds us first. Or die trying.
One word: Spectacular! Even better than its prequel, The Awakening is filled with action, drama, supernatural twists, and characters you absolutely love! I also loved the aspect of the characters being on the run, hopping from place to place, trying to avoid the bad guys while continuing to discover more about themselves and their powers. What I had looked forward to most in this book was the development of Chloe and Derek’s relationship-and I wasn’t disappointed! Although they are not exactly where I want them to be, hopefully they’ll get there in the next book—yes, there will be another! Not sure of the specifics yet, but I will be keeping my eyes and ears open for info on the next installment of Kelley Armstrong’s amazing series, Darkest Powers. As for right now, go out and buy The Summoning and The Awakening and get caught up in the adventures of Chloe Saunders.

P.S. I did some research and the Darkest Powers series will be a trilogy, ending with The Reckoning, scheduled for a May 1, 2010 release, though it is subject to change. Good news!

Waiting on Wednesday (well...Thursday)

Candor by Pam Bachorz

Oscar Banks has everything under control. In a town where his father brainwashes everyone, he's found a way to secretly fight the Subliminal Messages. He's got them all fooled: Oscar's the top student and the best-behaved teen in town. Nobody knows he's made his own Messages to deprogram his brain. Oscar has even found a way to get rich. For a hefty price, he helps new kids escape Candor, Florida before they're transformed into cookie-cutter teens. But then Nia Silva moves to Candor, and Oscar's carefully-controlled world crumbles.

This looks sooooooo good! My friends and I are obsessed with Subliminal Messaging-it's so weird! And the cover is hot-especially the guy...Candor will be released on September 22nd 2009.

P.S. Ignore the post below, I accidently posted it on the wrong blog, silly me!